19 August 2004

New web resource to improve consent processing

A new resource to help councils improve the way they manage their resource consent processing is now available, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs announced today.

“Consent Processing Resource or CPR is a web-based resource for council consent planners. It is a one-stop-shop for councils wanting to adjust and improve their resource consent processing systems,” Marian Hobbs said.

“CPR is a practical tool with guidance notes on all steps of the resource consent process. Each guidance note contains best practice tips, information and resources such as model letters and templates, gathered from councils all over the country.”

CPR builds on resource consent guidance released in 2001 by the Ministry for the Environment and Local Government New Zealand. It is one of a number of Business Compliance Cost Projects, which aim to reduce Resource Management Act (RMA) compliance costs on New Zealand’s business community.

The launch of CPR coincides with the third anniversary of the Quality Planning website, a popular resource for councils and resource management practitioners.

The Quality Planning website is a joint initiative between the Ministry for the Environment, the Planning Institute of New Zealand, the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, the Resource Management Law Association and Local Government New Zealand. It promotes and shares best practice in planning, implementing and monitoring plans under the RMA.

The Quality Planning website has had an average of 80,000 hits a month this year, up from the average of 10,000 hits a month in 2002.

“CPR and the Quality Planning website are all about improving practice. They need to be viewed as part of the bigger picture – of helping us move from the environment we have to the environment we want,” Marian Hobbs said.

CPR is available on the Quality Planning website at www.qualityplanning.org.nz

ENDS

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