While it might sound like I’m jumping the gun on my excitement for the ability of Councils to cost recover for more of their compliance work. I am hopeful that this one is a no brainer to make it through in the RMA amendment bill 2.

At this time of year everything seems to go crazy. Workloads escalate, members of the public become even more stressed heading into the Christmas break and we are in a time of enormous change. The Resource Management Act (RMA), which many of us have worked with and become familiar with is being replaced, central and local government jobs are at risk due to restructures, and we are having to grapple with big issues like climate change. At times like this it can feel as if we can’t do anything about it and that any effort we make as individuals will be meaningless.

Throughout my work in compliance and enforcement in Councils and now as a consultant helping councils, I have regularly come across compliance officers who feel uncomfortable using enforcement.

Last week I read about the case in the Court of Appeal – Page v Greater Wellington Regional Council [2024] NZCA 51 where the Court overturned 29 charges and set aside a $118,742 fine and three month prison sentence because Greater Wellington (GW) had not proved that the alleged wetlands support “a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions” as required by the definition of wetlands in the Resource Management Act (RMA).

I am not a climate change expert but have certainly seen the effects of climate change in my professional and private life. It is really worrying to see how little effective, practical action is being taken by many of the decision-makers in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Section 56 of the Natural and Built Environment Act (NBEA) introduced a new requirement for a local authority to have a compliance and enforcement strategy.

Throughout my time working in local government, one thing I have consistently noticed is how compliance and enforcement work is valued less than the other council work, and is chronically under-resourced.

One thing I noticed while working in regulatory compliance is that when everyone gets really busy, the first thing to suffer is training.

As a front-line officer for Council, a compliance officer can find that dealing with regulated parties can come with its challenges.

The new NBEA compliance provisions introduce some game changers for compliance officers and councils

What to expect when you're kicking off your compliance career.