Feb-March 2024 Effective Regional Council RMA Consents Process Workshop
Why is technical consent process critical? Many regional councils and consultancies have internal RMA consents process training or procedures for new and existing staff to build-up consent processing capabilities. However, very few if any have guidance in dealing with technical issues related to a range of consent applications (e.g. bed disturbances, structures, wastewater discharges or takes). In the absence of any technical guidelines, consents professionals tend to rely on internal or external scientists or senior staff for technical advice.
Assuming consents professionals having access to technical guidance to draft consent conditions, often the rationales behind technical consent conditions are not clearly understood. Confidence is critical in drafting consent conditions for - an AEE for a consent application, s42A reports, decisions or the Environment Court appeal mediations or decisions. With this in mind, ENVIROKNOWLEDGE® has developed technical guidelines to deal with regional council consents process under the RMA and offers a 2-day interactive workshop without any assignments or tests to advance consent process technical knowledge.
Who can benefit?
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Regional Council Consents Staff (All levels)
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RMA Hearings Commissioners
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Legal professionals and
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Consultancy Staff.
About the workshop knowledge sharer: Dr Selvarajah has 21 years of regional council experience. Under his directorship at the Otago Regional Council (2001-2013), many contentious consents were processed successfully (visit www.enviroknowledge.co.nz for reports and publications). Owing to his hands-on involvement by council delegation coupled with his wider technical knowledge in soil, water and air management, he has acquired detailed knowledge in technical consent process.
To date he has held a series of a range of technical workshops in Nitrogen in the Environment, consents monitoring, consents process and wastewater and farm environment management since 2015, which have attracted >400 NZ professionals to participate, enjoy and benefit.
Workshop topics examples:
1. ENVIROKNOWLEDGE® techniques for efficient, legally defensible and cost effective consent process
2. Freshwater NPS and NES 2020
3. Effective legal and technical consent process of,
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Riverbed disturbances (e.g. gravel extraction) or river structures applications;
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In-stream damming consents;
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Coastal structures, bed disturbances;
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Treated sewage or industrial discharges to water;
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Land treatment and disposal of effluent;
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Contaminated sites;
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N leaching limit for farming;
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Discharges to air (odour and particulates) and
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Water takes and uses
3. How to deal effectively with (not restricted to)
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Mixing zone for discharges to water;
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Water take transfers; and
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Retrospective consents.
Please register with your full name, name of your employer, position and location you wish to attend at sustain@enviroknowledge.co.nz. Seats are limited to 15 per location. You can request for any further information on the workshop at the same e-mail address or call on 03 4776111.
Registration closing date: 23 February 2024
Workshop fee/person $1475 (Excluding GST)
Workshop time: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily
Venues & Dates:
Christchurch (26 & 27 February) and Hamilton (4 & 5 March) and Dunedin (11 & 12 March)
Workshop fee: Includes lunch, tea/coffee, hard-copy colour manual (162 pages), certificate of attendance and 3-month clarification support on workshop contents.