Assessing environmental effects

All resource consent applications must include an assessment of environmental effects (AEE). This is an assessment of any actual and potential effects that your proposed activity will have on the environment. It should also include how you plan to mitigate any adverse effects. 

If you're in doubt about how to prepare your AEE, please contact the Duty Planner or seek advice from a Planning Consultant.  

The Ministry for Environment has a prepared a guide to preparing a basic assessment of environmental effects which may be helpful.  

An assessment of the activity's actual or potential effect on the environment, including: 

• any effect on those in the neighbourhood and, where relevant, the wider community – including any social, economic, or cultural effects 

• any physical effect on the locality, including any landscape and visual effects 

• any effect on ecosystems, including effects on plants or animals and any physical disturbance of habitats in the vicinity 

• any effect on natural and physical resources with aesthetic, recreational, scientific, historical, spiritual, or cultural value, or other special value, for present or future generations 

• any discharge of contaminants into the environment, including any unreasonable emission of noise, and options for the treatment and disposal of contaminants 

• identification of people who will be affected by the activity (for example, neighbours or mana whenua), any consultation undertaken, and any response to the comments of any person consulted 

• if it is likely that the activity will result in any significant adverse effect on the environment, a description of any possible alternative locations or methods for undertaking the activity 

• a description of the mitigation measures (including safeguards and contingency plans, where relevant) to be undertaken to help prevent or reduce the actual or potential effect on the environment (for example sediment control from earthworks) 

• if the scale and significance of the activity’s effects mean that monitoring is required, a description of how and by whom the effects would be monitored (for example ongoing noise monitoring) 

• if the activity will, or is likely to, have adverse effects that are more than minor on the exercise of a protected customary right, a description of possible alternative locations or methods for the exercise of the activity (unless written approval for the activity is given by the protected customary rights group) 

• any risk to the neighbourhood, the wider community, or the environment through natural hazards or the use of hazardous installations 

• if any permitted activity is part of the proposal, a description of the permitted activity that demonstrates that it complies with the requirements, conditions, and permissions for the permitted activity.