Summary
What is the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement?
The NZCPS is the only mandatory national policy statement under the Resource Management Act 1991. It was gazetted in May 1994 after several years of development. Its aim was to guide local authorities in the day-to-day management of the coastal environment.
The objectives of the review
The objectives of the review included:
- Assessing the ability of the NZCPS to address current and emerging coastal issues.
- Making recommendations to the Minister of Conservation on the need, if any, to review, change or revoke any policies within the statement.
Key findings
- Overall, the NZCPS has had a positive effect on coastal management in New Zealand.
- NZCPS has effectively generated debates about our national priorities for coastal management.
- NZCPS is effectively implemented through Regional Policy Statements and Regional Coastal Plans but is:
- only partially effective in influencing district plans
- only generally referred to in resource consent applications.
- Dr Rosier recommends that the NZCPS be formally reviewed:
- to revoke obsolete policies and
- to provide improved policy guidance on topics including a definition of the coastal environment, identification of coastal landscapes and seascapes, and criteria for assessing appropriate use and development of our coast.
- The report states that the timing of the Minister's decision whether to review the statement depends on the outcomes of the Foreshore and Seabed Bill and the future Oceans Policy regime.
Coastal hazard policies
The contributing Jacobson report on the NZCPS coastal hazard policies (link below) recommends more specific policies that recognise and address the particular challenges of coastal hazard management, and draws attention to the many barriers to sustainable coastal hazard responses.
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The author
Dr Jo Rosier is a senior planning lecturer at Massey University. A member of the New Zealand Planning Institute, the Royal Australian Planning Institute and the Environment Institute of Australia, she was also involved with the preparation of the Wellington Regional Coastal Plan.