Proposals of national significance

Nationally significant proposals are exceptionally large and complex proposals with regional or national impacts. Decisions on these are made by a Board of Inquiry or the Environment Court.

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The Environmental Protection Authority administers the nationally significant proposals process.

Visit RMA proposals [Environment Protection Authority website].

 

How projects can attain nationally significant proposal status

There are three ways that a project can attain nationally significant proposal (NSP) status.

  • If an application has been lodged with a local authority,
    • the Minister may make a direction that it is an NSP on their own initiative (and ‘call it in’), or
    • the authority may request that the Minister makes a direction that it is an NSP.
  • The applicant may lodge the proposal directly with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), who will then make a recommendation to the Minister whether to make a direction on its NSP status.

The EPA administers the NSP process.

For more information see RMA proposals [Environment Protection Authority website].

Proposals of national significance before 2009 (these were administered by us).