Key Messages about Monitoring

The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) provide the basis for monitoring and signal that an integrated approach is required. Ensure that your RMA monitoring is interlinked - as well as being linked to broader monitoring of community outcomes being undertaken as part of the Long Term Planning process.

Think before you start monitoring; start with what you know is required and build from there. What are you trying to achieve and what is the best way of achieving it? What information is already available?

Develop an integrated strategy or methodology for monitoring. Think through all the steps that will be involved, who needs to be involved and how you'll resource it. Prioritise and start with what is most important.

Ensure that monitoring provides meaningful information for decision-making.

Ensure you have good quality, robust data and that you have carefully thought through a data management system.

Aim to recognise cause and effect relationships where possible - what has changed, and how does this relate to the policy or plan, and the environment? Accept that you will often be making decisions on the basis of some uncertainty.

Developing indicators can help focus monitoring effort.

Once you have developed indicators, it is important to re-check that the information generated will be directly useful for measuring the outcomes of your policy or plan, and the quality of the environment.

Don't forget that monitoring is a tool for management, not an end in itself. Ensure that the results of monitoring are fed back into review of relevant policies and activities.

When reporting the results of monitoring, one size does not fit all. Think about the purpose of the report and the audience you want to reach before deciding on the report format and timing.