NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 148

4 NOVEMBER 2010

The coastal environment is facing the following key issues:

• The ability to manage activities in the coastal environment is hindered by a lack of understanding about some coastal processes and the effects of activities on them;

• loss of natural character, landscape values and wild or scenic areas along extensive areas of the coast, particularly in areas closer to population centres or accessible for rural residential development;

• continuing decline in species, habitats and ecosystems in the coastal environment under pressures from subdivision and use, vegetation clearance, loss of intertidal areas, plant and animal pests, poor water quality, and sedimentation in estuaries and the coastal marine area;

• demand for coastal sites for infrastructure uses (including energy generation) and for aquaculture to meet the economic, social and cultural needs of people and communities;

• poor and declining coastal water quality in many areas as a consequence of point and diffuse sources of contamination, including stormwater and wastewater discharges;

• adverse effects of poor water quality on aquatic life and opportunities for aquaculture, mahinga kai gathering and recreational uses such as swimming and kayaking;

• loss of natural, built and cultural heritage from subdivision, use, and development;

• compromising of the open space and recreational values of the coastal environment, including the potential for permanent and physically accessible walking public access to and along the coastal marine area;

• continuing coastal erosion and other natural hazards that will be exacerbated by climate change and which will increasingly threaten existing infrastructure, public access and other coastal values as well as private property; and

• the use of vehicles on beaches causing ecological damage and creating conflicts with other recreational uses and values of the coastal environment.

For the coastal environment of the Hauraki Gulf, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 requires that sections 7 and 8 of that Act must be treated as a New Zealand coastal policy statement issued under the Act. Section 10(2) of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 states that if there is a conflict between sections 7 and 8 and the provisions of the NZCPS, the NZCPS prevails.

APPLICATION OF THIS POLICY STATEMENT

This NZCPS is to be applied as required by the Resource Management Act 1991 ("the Act") by persons exercising functions and powers under the Act. The Act itself should be consulted, but at the time of gazettal of this statement, its requirements in relation to this NZCPS are, in summary, that:

• regional policy statements, regional plans and district plans must give effect to this NZCPS (sections 62(3), 67(3)(b), 75(3)(b) refer);

• local authorities must amend regional policy statements, proposed regional policy statements, plans, proposed plans, and variations to give effect to NZCPS provisions that affect these documents as soon as practicable, using the process set out in Schedule 1 of the Act except where this NZCPS directs otherwise (section 55 refers);

• a consent authority, when considering an application for a resource consent and any submissions received, must, subject to Part 2 of the Act, have regard to, amongst other things, any relevant provisions of this NZCPS (section 104(1)(b)(iv) refers);

• when considering a requirement for a designation and any submissions received, a territorial authority must, subject to Part 2 of the Act, consider the effects on the environment of allowing the requirement, having particular regard to, amongst other things, any relevant provisions of this NZCPS (sections 168A(3)(a)(ii) and 171(1)(a)(ii) refer);

• when considering a requirement for a heritage order, a territorial authority must, subject to Part 2 of the Act, in addition to having regard to certain matters, have particular regard to, amongst other things, all relevant provisions of this NZCPS (section 191(1)(d) refers);

• in considering an application for a water conservation order, a special tribunal, in addition to having particular regard to certain matters, must have regard to, amongst other things, the relevant provisions of this NZCPS (section 207(c) refers);

• in conducting an inquiry in respect of the report of a special tribunal on an application for a water conservation order, the Environment Court, in addition to having particular regard to certain matters, must have regard to, amongst other things, the relevant provisions of this NZCPS (section 212(b) refers).

INTERPRETATION

In this NZCPS:

• numbering of objectives and policies is solely for convenience and is not to be interpreted as an indication of relative importance; and

• section and policy headings indicate general subject matter and are relevant to the interpretation of objectives and policies.

Where bullet points in an objective or clauses in a policy take the form of a list:

• where the list is cumulative, the word "and" is used before the last clause in the list; and

• where clauses are alternative, the word "or" is used between all clauses.

Definitions contained in the Act are not repeated in the Glossary.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1

To safeguard the integrity, form, functioning and resilience of the coastal environment and sustain its ecosystems, including marine and intertidal areas, estuaries, dunes and land, by:

• maintaining or enhancing natural biological and physical processes in the coastal environment and recognising their dynamic, complex and interdependent nature;