Waikato Local Authority Shared Services have established the Waikato Resource Consent Forum with the aim of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of resource consent processing in the Waikato region.
The forum is made up of senior planning staff reps from each participating council and is focused on achieving greater regulatory efficiency from a user or ‘business-friendly’ perspective without compromising resource management outcomes.
To achieve this end the Forum has adopted the following principles:
– Alignment and process change ultimately leads to an enhanced experience for the customer
– Standardization and consistency provide a reliable basis on which common expectations can be shared
– The quality of applications and applicant relations can be positively influenced by upfront investment
– Proactive and responsive actions can enable practicable solutions for the customer
– To be truly effective alignment must be universal within teams, within local authorities and across the Waikato Region
– Availability and approachability build trust and confidence and increase certainty for the customer
– Statutory resource management requirements and the ability to make sound resource management decisions remain the cornerstone of the resource consent process.
The first project the forum has completed is a suite of resource consent application forms and guidance common to all participating territorial authorities in the region. The forms and guidance may be used for making applications at the following councils:
– Hamilton City Council
– Hauraki District Council
– Matamata-Piako District Council
– Rotorua Lakes Council
– South Waikato District Council
– Thames-Coromandel District Council
– Waikato District Council
– Waipa District Council
– Waitomo District Council
All forms and guidance documents are available on each council’s website.
