A resource consent is a formal approval needed when a building or activity contravenes rules in District Plans or Regional Plans, or where one of these plans states that resource consent is required for a particular activity. Resource consent is also needed for all subdivision of land. Resource consents are sometimes referred to as ‘land use consents’, depending on the type of project.
There are different categories of resource consents, set up in a hierarchy from controlled activities, to non-complying activities. The different types of activities require different types of assessment.