Timely RMA Consents Far Surpass National Average

Residents in New Plymouth District seeking consents under the Resource Management Act are getting speedier service than in most other areas of the country.

The Ministry for the Environment has just released the results of its two-yearly survey of resource consents processed by all councils, and how many of the consents were processed within the statutory 20-day timeframe.

The survey shows that New Plymouth District Council processed 94 per cent of its RMA applications on time – far above the 69 per cent national average.

NPDC Manager Customer and Regulatory Services Simon Pickford says a great deal of effort in recent years has gone into making the consent process as easy as possible for applicants.

“While we’re always aiming to process 100 per cent of applications within the 20-day timeframe, achieving 94 per cent in the latest survey is particularly pleasing given that recent years have seen a greater number of consent applications coming through – and quite often those were very complex and time-consuming applications,” says Mr Pickford.

This survey used data from the 2007/08 year collected from 84 city, district and regional councils and unitary authorities.

Twenty-five councils – or 30 per cent of the total – processed between 90 and 100 per cent of their applications within 20 days. The remaining 70 per cent of councils had processing rates between 29 and 89 per cent.

NPDC processed 532 RMA applications in 2007/08, with its 94 per cent processing rate the fifth-highest ranking in its peer group of 24 councils. Those with higher rankings were Rotorua (95 per cent), Waipa (98 per cent), and Western Bay of Plenty and Kapiti Coast (both on 99 per cent).

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