You may require resource consent from the Auckland Council if your project will have an impact on the environment or if it could affect other people. A resource consent is a formal written approval from the Council for you to go ahead with your project, as long as the project meets all Council regulations.

When the Council processes your application, they review (amongst other things) how your application relates to the Auckland Unitary Plan provisions, whether your proposal is appropriate for its location (there are different rules for different zones), the environmental effects of your proposal, and any proposed measures to reduce those effects and whether there are affected parties (such as neighbours, adjoining landowners).

The Council also considers if there are adverse environmental effects or any affected persons who have not provided written approval, if your planned activity is in a hazardous area (e.g. coastal erosion, land instability), and whether any specialist input is required for any aspect of your consent (earthworks, ecology, land stability and suitability, water or air quality, flooding issues, heritage, etc.). The Council will also assess whether any specific conditions need to be attached to your consent, and if so, what they should be.

You must apply for resource consent in the following situations:

• When planning a new residential or commercial build, land development or subdividing land.
• For earthworks, damming or redistributing water, discharging contaminants into water, soil or air and using, or occupying, coastal spaces.

For a complete and standard application, the Council will confirm acceptance of your application in writing within 10 working days and give you a reference number.

For more complex applications, a planner may need to commission a report on an aspect of your application. A planner will assess your application within 20 working days and will keep you updated on its progress.

For notified applications (where the public needs to be consulted) the process may take a lot longer.

Converting crosslease titles to freehold ownership is an underutilised service in New Zealand’s property market.

Crosslease properties involve multiple owners sharing an undivided interest in the land, with each owner leasing a specific part of the property. It was something that was fairly common in New Zealand in the 1970s-1990s but is not so common today. Converting to freehold (or fee simple) means transitioning to individual ownership of the land beneath your property. This change provides clearer ownership rights and often can increase the market value of the property.

McKenzie & Co regularly undertake this work to simplify property titles for their owners.