FAQs

The Hearing Panel consists of four councillors and three independent commissioners who will hear submissions and evidence on the Proposed MEP and decide if any changes should be made to the Plan.

Go to the Meet the Panel page for more information

In its first Minute, dated 14 September 2017, the Hearings Panel directed interested parties to make submissions on the proposed hearings procedure. In response to the submissions received, the Panel issued a second minute, dated 18 October 2017. Together, these minutes outline how the hearing will proceed.

The minutes can be found under “Important Documents”.

The hearings commence on Friday 20 November 2017. Please refer to the hearing schedule for specific topic dates.

Hearing weeks will generally run Monday to Thursday, except when Panel members have previously confirmed commitments such as Council meetings

All 17,521 submission points have been coded to a plan topic. If you stated in your submission that you wish to be heard at the hearing, you will be invited to the hearing(s) on the topic(s) that your submission relates to. This may mean you will be required to attend more than one hearing if you submitted on multiple parts of the proposed Plan.

The hearing notice you receive will direct you to provide further evidence/information by a specified date. If you only intend on speaking to the original submission you lodged with Council, there is no need to provide the same information again. All submissions will be read by the Panel ahead of time.

An expert will need to provide a brief statement in their written evidence about why they are an expert on a specific topic/subject matter, based on formal qualifications, past experience, knowledge and skills.

Hearings are open to the public to observe and there will be an area where you can sit and listen for as long as you like. When it is your turn to speak, you will be asked to come forward to a table for submitters to sit at. As the hearings are being recorded, there will be a microphone positioned on the table.

The Hearing Panel is likely to ask you questions, to assist them in their decision making.

If you have any questions, or are unsure of anything, our Hearings Facilitator will be present throughout the hearings to offer support.

View the Chambers layout

• Council Chambers (PDF, 1.7MB)

This is a report written by a Planning Officer (as set out in section 42A of the Resource Management Act – which is where the name comes from). In this report the Council Officer evaluates the issues raised in submissions and makes recommendations to the Hearing Panel. Each hearing topic will have an associated Officer’s s42A report. The Officer’s s42A report will be sent out with the relevant hearing notice to those who wish to be heard on that topic. All reports will also be published on the Council website.

The Officer’s s42A report is just one part of the evidence the Hearing Panel considers in making their decision, alongside information provided by submitters and evidence from their experts. All information and evidence provided carries equal weight and is considered equally by the panel.

Because there is so much information to be considered by the Hearing Panel on each topic it would take too long for this all to be read during the hearing itself. The Hearing Panel will read everything in advance of the hearing and use the hearing time predominantly for asking questions. This will help to speed up the hearing process.

No. Hearings are an opportunity to speak directly to the Hearing Panel on the content of your submission should you choose to. If you choose not to attend, your submission will still be considered by the Hearing Panel in its entirety.

If you no longer wish to be heard at the hearing, please let us know.

If you stated you did not wish to be heard when you put in your submission, you will not be invited to a hearing. However, your submission will still be considered in its entirety by the Hearing Panel.

All submissions, irrelevant of whether you appear at the hearing, will be read and considered by all panel members.

Please contact Louise Walker or Sue Bulfield-Johnston on 03 520 7400 as soon as possible.

If you are unable to attend for whatever reason, you can ask someone to present on your behalf. However, the Panel will not be able to ask your representative any questions of clarification.

If you no longer wish to be heard at the hearing, please let us know. Your submission will still be considered by the Panel. If you have further evidence or information you would like to make available, it is possible to have this provided to the Panel for consideration. Please discuss this with the Hearings Facilitator.

• Iwi
• Water Allocation and Use
• Public Access and Open Space
• Heritage Resources and Notable Trees
• Natural Hazards
• Urban Environments
• Coastal Environments
• Rural Environments
• Resource Quality
• Waste and Discharges to Land
• Transportation and Signage
• Subdivision
• Nuisance effects
• Soil Quality and Land Disturbance
• Utilities and Designations
• Zoning
• Forestry
• General
• Natural and Physical Resources
• Indigenous Biodiversity
• Climate Change and Energy
• Natural Character and Landscape

Requests are to made in advance of the topic to which they relate. The closing date for receiving such requests will be stated on the hearing notice (generally two weeks prior to the commencement of the relevant hearing block). More information about these requests can be found in the Hearing Panel’s Minutes 1 & 2. Please note, the Panel have stated that requests will be granted for exceptional circumstances therefore logical and compelling reasons will need to be provided.

We ask that you lodge your requests as early as possible in case further clarification is required by the Panel.

Each day is split in to two sessions, one morning and one afternoon. If you are booked into the morning session please arrive at the venue no later than 8:45 am for a 9:00 am start. If you are booked in the afternoon session, please arrive at the venue no later than 12:45 pm for a 1:00 pm start.

Due to the number of people presenting at the hearings it is difficult to estimate when people will be called to speak during a session.

We ask you to be flexible with your time. However, if your time is limited, please contact the Hearings Facilitator for assistance.