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Natural Environment Bill

Natural resource permits - Applying for natural resource permit - General requirements

137: Deferral pending application for additional permits

You could also call this:

"Waiting for more permit applications before deciding on yours"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

If you apply for a natural resource permit, the permit authority might stop your application from being processed. This can happen if they think you will need other permits for your proposal and it would be better to apply for those first. They want to understand your proposal properly before proceeding. If the permit authority stops your application, they must tell you right away. You will be notified of their decision. You can ask the Planning Tribunal to cancel the permit authority's decision if you disagree with it. You can apply to the Tribunal for an order to revoke the determination.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1524030.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationEnvironment and resources > Town planningGovernment and voting > Government departments

136: Priority of competing applications, or

"What happens when people apply to use the same natural resource at the same time?"

138: Permit processing time frames, or

"How long it takes to decide on a natural resource permit"

Part 4Natural resource permits
Applying for natural resource permit: General requirements

137Deferral pending application for additional permits

A permit authority may determine not to proceed with the notification or hearing of an application for a natural resource permit if it considers on reasonable grounds that—
other permits under this Act will also be required in respect of the proposal to which the application relates; and
it is appropriate, for the purpose of better understanding the nature of the proposal, that applications for any 1 or more of those other permits be made before proceeding further.

If a permit authority makes a determination under subsection (1), it must immediately notify the applicant of the determination.
The applicant may apply to the Planning Tribunal for an order directing that any determination under this section be revoked.