Effectiveness of Planning to Preserve Natural Character in New Zealand's Coastal Landscapes

Abstract

The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) was New Zealand's first national policy statement prepared under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) by the Minister of Conservation to guide regional and local planning for coastal environment management. Preservation of the natural character of the coastal environment is one of the most significant issues facing councils. Therefore, this article reports on the part of the 2004 NZCPS review relating to the assessment of natural character policies and methods in plans and policy statements in terms of their consistency with the NZCPS. Because this is the first assessment of national policy under the RMA, there are lessons which may guide the preparation of future national policy statements. The 2004 NZCPS review concludes that NZCPS policies have been comprehensively accepted by regional councils in preparing regional coastal plans. However, the policies have only been partially implemented by local government. Implementation of the RMA requirements for monitoring the effectiveness of environmental outcomes of all coastal environment policy statements and plans needs to be substantially improved in order to improve the effectiveness of NZCPS policies.