CIVIL LAW

The Environment Court is one of the specialist Courts in New Zealand.  It used to be called the Planning Tribunal. 

Judges of the rank of District Court Judges sit on the Court.  They are Judges who specialise in planning law and environmental matters. 

The Court hears Appeals from the decisions of Local Councils and Authority planning committees from around the country.  But it can also hear applications for specific declarations as well as grant injunctions so do not think that the Court just deals with Appeals.

The Environment Court's work includes :

• designations authorising public works such as energy projects, hospitals, schools, prisons, sewage works, refuse landfills, fire stations, major roads and bypasses; and also major private projects, for example, dairy factories, tourist resorts, timber mills and shopping centres.
• classifications of waters, water permits for dams and diversions, taking of geothermal fluids, discharges from sewage works, underground mines; maximum and minimum levels of lakes and flows of rivers, and minimum quality standards; and water conservation orders.
• land subdivision approvals and conditions, development levies, car parking contributions, reserve contributions, development levy fund distributions, road upgrading contributions, regional roads, limited access roads, and stopping roads.
• environmental effects of prospecting, exploration, & mining, including underground, open pit & alluvial mining.
• enforcement proceedings (including interim enforcement orders), declarations about the legal status of environmental activities and instruments, existing and proposed, and appeals against abatement notices.

See our related topics sites through the direct links in the boxes at the top and the bottom of this page but in particular see our following sites :

Building Consents - Applications

Resource Management Act 1991

We provide you with a direct link to the specific part of the Government Website which deals with the Environment Court.  Just click on and surf that site for a great deal of information, then return to this text.

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