The ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
Environmental Data PortalThe ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
The Regional Policy Statement (RPS) sets out what we want for Otago, what is stopping us achieving this, and how we will solve these problems. The Proposed RPS 21 identifies the Significant Resource Management Issues for the region. It also explains how national direction on resource management will be applied in Otago and provides direction on how to balance potentially conflicting requirements.
The Proposed RPS 21 (pORPS21) does not contain rules like a regional or district plan. Its role is to provide high-level guidance by way of policies and objectives and establish the framework for Otago's regional and district plans in which more specific resource management policies, objectives and rules will sit.
Submissions and further submissions on the Proposed RPS 21 (Non-freshwater parts) are now closed. Council has appointed a hearing panel to hear all submissions and make recommendations to Council.
Click here for information on the RPS hearings process.
The Hearing Panel provides information on the hearings process. This generally takes the form of Minutes that are available from the link above. As well as uploading Minutes to the ORC webpage, the Hearing Panel also uses ORC’s existing 'Address for Service' list so, if you are a submitter or a further submitter, please keep us updated with any changes to your contact details.
The Proposed Regional Policy Statement was notified on 26 June 2021.
At its meeting on 15 September 2022 the Council determined that parts of the RPS 21 were directly related to the maintenance and enhancement of freshwater and therefore comprised a freshwater planning instrument. Those parts must now be excluded from consideration under the Schedule 1 to the Resource Management Act process. The excluded parts are listed in this table.
The Section 32 Report provides the reasoning supporting the notified Proposed RPS 21:
The summary of the decisions requested (SoDR) summarises the decisions requested by submitters on the Proposed RPS21. Named 'SoDR with Further Submissions and Errata', this report includes all submissions received as well as all further submissions received on those submissions. It does not include submissions without an address for service (recorded in Part B of the original SoDR).
The documents below do not include further submissions.
The full submissions on the Proposed RPS 21:
Date | Action |
26 June 2021 | Proposed Otago Regional Policy Statement is notified. Submissions period opens. |
3 September 2021 | Submissions period closes. |
September to October 2021 | ORC staff develop the 'Summary of Decisions Requested'. |
30 October 2021 | 'Summary of Decisions Requested' is notified, and further submissions called for. |
12 November 2021 | Further submissions period closes. |
17 November 2021 | The 'Summary of Decisions Requested – Corrigendum' is notified to allow further submissions on submission points that were incorrectly transcribed in the 'Summary of Decisions Requested'. |
1 December 2021 | Further submissions process for 'Summary of Decisions Requested – Corrigendum' closes. |
4 May 2022 | ORC pORPS Section 42A report released |
22 July 2022 | Otago Regional Council v Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand decision issued. |
24 August 2022 | Council appoints pORPS (Non-freshwater parts) hearing panel. |
30 September 2022 | ORC publicly notifies the freshwater planning instrument parts of the pORPS21. The remainder of the previously notified pORPS21 is subject to the Schedule 1 RMA processes. |
3 October 2022 | Non-freshwater Hearing Panel issues Minute 1. |
7 October 2022 | Council releases on its website the updated s42A Report. |
21 October 2022 | Non-freshwater Hearing Panel issues Minute 2. |
27 October 2022 | Non-freshwater Hearing Panel issues Minute 3. |
30 November 2022 | All primary evidence available on website |
30 November 2022 | Notice of Hearing issued |
19 December 2022 | All rebuttal evidence available on website |
When ORC notified the Proposed RPS 21, it was satisfied that the Proposed RPS 21 is a freshwater planning instrument in accordance with the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). Questions were raised whether the Proposed RPS 21 is a freshwater planning instrument in terms of section 80A of the RMA.
To resolve these questions, ORC brought proceedings in the High Court in Dunedin under the Declaratory Judgments Act 1908.
Read more about the development of the Proposed RPS 21 here.
These documents provide further help with using the ePlan: