Subdivision

This guidance only includes changes to the RMA as a result of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2013 that are already in force. Part 3 of the Amendment Act will came into effect on 3 March 2015. For more information about the amendments please refer to the Ministry for the Environment’s - Fact Sheets available from the Ministry’s website.

This guidance note provides an introduction to subdivision and the subdivision process under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). It provides an overview of how subdivision can be managed in the district plan, including the development of objectives, policies and rules, and addresses the application of subdivision controls to address strategic planning issues.

This note emphasises that if you are intending to use subdivision controls as a method that you need to understand the effects of subdivision itself, and its relationship to potential changes in land use and subsequent environmental effects. Where subdivision controls are used as a method, plan provisions must be effective and robust given that all subdivision requires a resource consent, unless specifically permitted by a plan.

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