Consultation closes: 5pm on 7 May 2008

The Minister of Conservation has prepared the Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008 (the proposal) under the Resource Management Act. A Board of Inquiry has been appointed to inquire into, and report on, the proposal.

Any person may make a submission on the proposal. You may do so by sending a written submission to: Board of Inquiry - Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement C/- The Department of Conservation, PO Box 10 420, Wellington 6143. Submissions may also be emailed to

Your submission should state whether you support or oppose the proposal; any changes that you want made; and reasons for your views. Your submission must state whether or not you wish to be heard on the submission.

Your submission should include your name, postal address, phone number and (if applicable) email address.

View the consultation documents

Copies of the Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008can be found on the Department of Conservation website.

You can also get the proposal and an evaluation document from Conservation House, 18-32 Manners Street, Wellington and all DOC Conservancy Offices.

Copies of the Public notice (PDF, 60K)

Strong>Have your say: Copies of the Submission form (PDF, 56K)

For further information contact: Conservation House +64 4 471 0726 or 0800 692 777 or email

Proposals

The Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008 states objectives and policies to achieve the purpose of the Resource Management Act 1991 in relation to New Zealand’s coastal environment. The proposal contains objectives and policies addressing (amongst other matters):

• Treaty of Waitangi and tangata whenua matters;
• Subdivision, use, and development (including coastal occupation charging);
• Natural character, including biodiversity and landscapes;
• Public access (Policies 39 to 43);
• Water quality (Policies 44 to 50);
• Coastal hazards (Policies 51 to 52);
• Historic heritage (Policies 55 to 57); and
• The definition of restricted coastal activities, for which the Minister of Conservation will decide applications for resource consent (Policy 37 and Schedule 1).

Policies includes:

1. a definition of coastal environment (Policy 1): In promoting the sustainable management of the coastal environment, policy statements and plans shall recognise that the coastal environment includes, at least: (a) the coastal marine area; (b) land and waters where coastal qualities or influences are a significant part or element; (c) land and waters affected by active coastal processes; (d) areas at risk from coastal hazards; (e) coastal vegetation and habitat; and (f) landscapes and features that contribute to the natural character, visual qualities or amenity values of that environment.
2. Consideration of the Treaty of Waitangi and tangata whenua (Policy 2).
3. A Precautionary approach requirement (Policy 5): A precautionary approach shall be adopted towards proposed activities whose effects on the coastal environment are uncertain, unknown or little understood, but whose effects are potentially significantly adverse to that environment.
4. Recognition of protected areas and proposed areas of protection (Policies 7 and 8)
5. Consideration of biosecurity issues (Policy 9).
6. Protection of Surf breaks of national significance (Policy 20).
7. Policies for reclamation (Policy 27 and 28 and Schedule III).
8. Policies of coastal occupation charging (Policy 24 and schedule II).
9. Policies for consideration of aquaculture (Policies 18).
10. Policies for subdivision and development (Policies 14 to 16).
11. Protection of indigenous biological diversity – including rare and threatened species and habitats (Policy 31).
12. Protection of Maui dolphin and habitat (Policy 38 and Schedule IV).

Download the publication at:

• Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008 (PDF, 5910K) (High resolution file)
• Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008 (PDF, 171K) (Low resolution file)

Review of the Proposals

The Minister has also released a report which summarises the evaluation process leading to the Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement, as required under Section 32 of the Resource Management Act. See Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement Section 32 evaluation report

This report summarises the evaluation process leading to the Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement, as required under Section 32 of the Resource Management Act. This report:

• reviews the purpose and contents of an NZCPS,
• summarises the review of the 1994 NZCPS;
• outlines the methodology used to prepare the report;
• summarises the evaluation undertaken of the objectives and policies of the Proposed NZCPS 2008.

See also: New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 1994 NZCPS

Independent Review of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement

An independent review of the NZCPS by Dr Johanna Rosier was Commissioned by the Minister of Conservation in 2002 and released on 6 August, 2004. (see Review of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement)

The NZCPS is the only mandatory national policy statement under the Resource Management Act 1991. It was first 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.

Summary

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: o only partially effective in influencing district plans o only generally referred to in resource consent applications.
• Dr Rosier recommends that the NZCPS be formally reviewed: o to revoke obsolete policies and o 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.

A copy of the Independent Review of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (PDF, 785K) can be downloaded

Coastal hazard policies review

A review of the effectiveness of the NZ Coastal Policy Statement in promoting sustainable coastal hazard management in New Zealand was also carried out by Mike Jacobson.

The report 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.

Download the publication at:

• Volume 1 - Report (PDF, 1100K)
• Volume 2 - Appendices (PDF, 850K)