Operative Waikato Regional Policy Statement (October 2000)

Glossary of Terms¹

Updated December 2007.

Accelerated erosion means erosion that is caused or accelerated by human activity.

Access strip* means a strip of land created by the registration of an easement in accordance with section 237B (of the RMA) for the purpose of allowing public access to or along any river, or lake, or the coast, or to any esplanade reserve, esplanade strip, other reserve, or land owned by the local authority or by the Crown (but excluding all land held for a public work except land held, administered or managed under the Conservation Act 1987 and the Acts named in the First schedule to that Act).

Ahi kaa² means literally keeping the fires burning on the land. It refers to the way in which the rights to occupy land and use resources are kept alive by actual occupation and resource use.

Air refers to all zones and components of the atmosphere which contribute to the functioning of the global environment.

Amenity values* means those natural or physical qualities and characteristics of an area that contribute to people's appreciation of its pleasantness, aesthetic coherence, and cultural and recreational attributes.

Bed* means:

In relation to any river, the space of land which the waters of the river cover at its fullest flow without overtopping the banks
In relation to a lake, the space of land which the waters of the lake cover at its highest level without exceeding its physical margin

In relation to the sea, the submarine areas covered by the internal waters and the territorial sea.

Bioaccumulative means any processes whereby substances that accumulate in living organisms as they breathe contaminated air, drink or live in contaminated water or eat contaminated food.

Biodiversity³ means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

Cleaner production⁴ means the conceptual and procedural approach to production that demands that all phases of the lifecycle of a product or process should be addressed with the objective of prevention or minimisation of short and long term risks to humans and the environment.

Coastal environment An environment in which the coast is a significant element or part, and includes the coastal marine area.

Coastal marine area* means that area of the foreshore and seabed:

of which the seaward boundary is the outer limits of the territorial sea
of which the landward boundary is the line of mean high water springs, except that where that line crosses a river, the landward boundary at that point shall be whichever is the lesser of:
1. one kilometre upstream from the mouth of the river, or
2. the point upstream that is calculated by multiplying the width of the river mouth by five.

Contaminant* includes any substance (including gases, liquids, solids, and micro-organisms) or energy (excluding noise) or heat, that either by itself or in combination with the same, similar, or other substances, energy, or heat:

when discharged into water, changes or is likely to change the physical, chemical, or biological condition of water; or
when discharged onto or into land or into air, changes or is likely to change the physical, chemical, or biological condition of the land or air onto or into which it is discharged.

Contaminated sites are sites at which hazardous substances are present in concentrations above naturally occurring local background levels and are likely to pose an immediate or long term risk to the environment and/or human health.

Costs and benefits* includes costs and benefits of any kind whether monetary or non-monetary.

Discharge* includes emit, deposit, and allow to escape.

Ecological sequence means a series of two or more connected ecosystem or vegetation types that retain natural transition zones along an environmental gradient. Ecological sequences that are not common in the Waikato Region include, but are not restricted to, native dune vegetation through to coastal scrub or forest, lake margins or geothermal systems to native forest, coastal to alpine vegetation. Such sequences should be largely intact (e.g. perhaps bisected by roads but not by large tracts of non-native land cover), such that they can be traversed by the majority of indigenous species that are reliant on such sequences for the completion of part or all of their life-cycles (either by deliberate movement or dispersal of propagules such as seed or pollen). An exceptional, representative sequence will be one of the best examples of its type, taking into account its intactness, composition, and ecological processes.

Ecological sustainability means a site’s ability to continue to exist as an area of indigenous vegetation or habitat for indigenous fauna when taking into account its size, shape, buffering from external effects, connection to other natural areas, and likely threats. It may change naturally into a different habitat but will remain essentially as indigenous species and of natural character.

Ecosystem⁵ means a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment, interacting as a functional unit.

Effect*, As defined in the RMA, unless the context otherwise requires, the term “effect” includes:

any positive or adverse effect
any temporary or permanent effect
any past, present, or future effect
any cumulative effect which arises over time or in combination with other effects - regardless of the scale, intensity, duration, or frequency of the effect, and also includes:
1. any potential effect of high probability
2. any potential effect of low probability which has a high potential impact.

Endemic to the Waikato Region means currently only occurs naturally within the Waikato Region.

Energy is the capacity of a body to do work.

Environmental education means the provision of practical information and support to people and communities, with the aim of changing the way resources are cared for and used, for the purposes of promoting sustainable management of natural and physical resources.

Environment* includes:

ecosystems and their constituent parts, including people and communities; and
all natural and physical resources; and
amenity values; and
the social, economic, aesthetic, and cultural conditions which affect the matters stated in paragraphs a) to c) of this definition or which are affected by those matters.

Environmental results anticipated means the intended result or measurable outcome expected on the environment, which occurs as a consequence of implementing a policy or method.

Esplanade area means an area of land vested as esplanade reserve or esplanade strip

Esplanade reserve* means a reserve within the meaning of the Reserves Act 1977:-

which is either-
1. A local purpose reserve within the meaning of section 23 of that Act, if vested in the territorial authority under section 239, or,
2. A reserve vested in the Crown or regional council, under section 237D; and,
which is vested in the territorial authority, regional council, or the Crown for the purpose or purposes set out in section 229 of the RMA.

Esplanade strip* means a strip of land created by the registration of an instrument in accordance with section 232 for a purpose or purposes set out in section 229 of the RMA.

Fresh water is defined in the RMA.

Geothermal characteristics: Attributes or values that are included in the make-up of any part of the regional geothermal resource. A geothermal system has a particular set of characteristics, a geothermal feature has another set of characteristics, and the characteristics of the regional geothermal resource include these plus another set of attributes specific to the wider resource.

Geothermal energy* means energy derived or derivable from and produced within the earth by natural heat phenomena; and includes all geothermal water.

Geothermal energy source: heated body of magma embedded many kilometres below the surface of the Earth, which supports a convective system supplying geothermal water to aquifers nearer the Earth’s surface.

Geothermal features: Are surface manifestations of geothermal processes or discharges, including steam-fed features, geothermal water-fed features, and remnant features such as hydrothermal eruption craters and ancient sinters. Some geothermal features are defined as Significant Geothermal Features. Those that are not so defined, include but are not limited to:

Fumaroles producing steam of less that 100 °C
Heated or steaming ground
Geothermally altered ground
Geothermal collapse pits
Geothermal springs or seeps
Ancient sinter.

Geothermal ground water: Geothermal water found within the earth.

Geothermal steam: See definition of geothermal water.

Geothermal system: An individual body of geothermal energy and water not believed to be hydrologically connected to any other. The system includes material containing heat or energy surrounding any geothermal water, and all plants, animals and other characteristics dependent on the body of geothermal energy and water.

Geothermal water* means water heated within the earth by natural phenomena to a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius or more; and includes all steam, water, and water vapour, and every mixture of all or any of them that has been heated by natural phenomena.

Habitat⁶ is the place or type of site where an organism or population normally occurs.

Hapu⁷ means band, subtribe.

Hazardous substances are any substances listed under the Dangerous Goods Act 1974, the Toxic Substances Act 1979, the Pesticides Act 1979 and their associated schedules and regulations or, any substance that has one or more of the following properties:

an explosive nature
an oxidising nature
a corrosive nature
flammability
acute, chronic, immediate or delayed toxicity
environmental persistence/ecotoxicity.

Implementation method describes an action which outlines how a policy will be implemented, and can include specific procedures, programmes, or techniques.

Impoundment⁸ means the collection or confinement of water (e.g. dams).

Indigenous vegetation means vegetation that occurs naturally in New Zealand or arrived in New Zealand without human assistance.

Integrated management means managing (i.e. identifying, prioritising and acting on) issues from the use, development and protection of natural and physical resources as a whole, and includes:

integration across resource systems by recognising that natural and physical resources exist as part of complex and interconnected biophysical ecosystems
integration of resources across and within management agencies by recognising the need for co-operation and co-ordination and for consistency of approach in carrying out varying functions, powers and duties under the Act, particularly in areas of shared responsibility, and by recognising opportunities that other agencies acting under other Acts may have to contribute to the sustainable management objectives of the Region
integration of methods to be used to implement policies, recognising that there is usually more than one way of implementing policies in an efficient and effective way
integration of actions across a range of time scales, recognising that effects on natural and physical resources and the environment may occur immediately, may have already occurred, may be delayed or may be cumulative
integration with social and economic interests, by considering differing social economic and cultural factors in the management of natural and physical resources
integration with the cultural and spiritual values of tangata whenua.

Intractable hazardous waste means any hazardous substance for which there is currently no satisfactory method of disposal available in New Zealand.

Intrinsic values*, in relation to ecosystems, means those aspects of ecosystems and their constituent parts which have value in their own right, including:

their biological and genetic diversity
the essential characteristics that determine an ecosystem's integrity, form, functioning, and resilience.

Io: The Supreme Being for Maori.

Issue: A statement of a concern or problem as it relates to an aspect of natural and physical resources or the management of those resources within the Region. This includes those matters identified in section 62 of the Resource Management Act.

Iwi⁹ means tribe, people: an iwi authority can refer to any group which legitimately represents Maori tribal interests.

Iwi authority* means the authority which represents an iwi and which is recognised by that iwi as having authority to do so.

Kaitiaki¹⁰ means guardian, steward: the meaning of kaitiaki in practical application may vary between different hapu and iwi.

Kaitiakitanga* means the exercise of guardianship; and, in relation to a resource, includes the ethic of stewardship based on the nature of the resource itself.

Karst¹¹ means a limestone region with underground streams and many cavities.

Kawanatanga¹² means governorship, government.

Lake* means a body of fresh water which is entirely or nearly surrounded by land.

Land* includes land covered by water and the air space above land.

Local authority* means a regional council or territorial authority.

Mana whenua* means customary authority exercised by an iwi or hapu in an identified area.

Mineral* means a naturally occurring inorganic substance beneath or at the surface of the earth, whether or not under water; and includes all metallic minerals, non-metallic minerals, fuel minerals, precious stones, industrial rocks and building stones, and a prescribed substance within the meaning of the Atomic Energy Act 1945.

Minimise: Adverse effects are minimised when they are avoided to the maximum practicable extent. The degree to which adverse effects should be avoided will be determined while having regard to:

the nature of the adverse effects and the sensitivity of the environment to adverse effects; and
the relative costs and benefits of reducing adverse effects; and
the current state of technical knowledge and the likelihood that any option for reducing adverse effects can be successfully applied.

Mouth*, for the purpose of defining the landward boundary of the coastal marine area, means the mouth of the river either:

as agreed and set between the Minister of Conservation, the regional council and the appropriate territorial authority in the period between consultation on, and notification of, the proposed regional coastal plan
as declared by the Planning Tribunal under s310 of the RMA upon application made by the Minister of Conservation, the regional council or the territorial authority prior to the plan becoming operative.

National policy statement* means a statement issued under s52 of the RMA.

Natural character¹³ means the qualities of the coastal environment that together give the coast of New Zealand recognisable character. These qualities may be ecological, physical, spiritual, cultural or aesthetic in nature, whether modified or managed or not.

Natural and physical resources* includes land, water, air, soil, minerals, and energy, all forms of plants and animals (whether native to New Zealand or introduced), and all structures.

Natural diversity means the variety of biological or physical resources indigenous to a particular area (such as a country or a region within it).

Natural hazard* means any atmospheric or earth or water related occurrence (including earthquake, tsunami, erosion, volcanic and geothermal activity, landslip, subsidence, sedimentation, wind, drought, fire, or flooding) the action of which adversely affects or may adversely affect human life, property, or other aspects of the environment.

New Zealand coastal policy statement* means a statement issued under s57 of the RMA.

Noise* includes vibration.

Non-degradation¹⁴ means the maintenance or enhancement of the status quo. In respect of water resources, this means the protection and maintenance of the existing quality of a water body, including its physical and chemical characterisation and the integrity and health of associated biological communities.

Non-point discharges are contamination sources which are diffuse and do not have a single point of origin or are not introduced into receiving waters from a specific outlet.

Objective is a statement of a desired outcome or end state.

Operative*, in relation to a policy statement or plan, or a provision of a policy statement or plan, means that the policy statement, plan, or provision has become operative in terms of Clause 20 of the First Schedule of the RMA and has not ceased to be operative.

Outstanding water bodies means waters of superior water quality, where impacts of human activities are absent or minimal. Examples include waters in National Parks, Wilderness Areas, Forest Parks, Reserves and other areas of high ecological significance.

Persistent substance means a substance that does not break down, or only very slowly, in the environment (e.g. by decay, degradation, transformation, volatilisation, hydrolysis or photolysis).

Point source discharges refers to a stationary or fixed facility from which contaminants are discharged or emitted.

Policy is a specific statement of the course of action (or type of intervention) which will be taken in order to achieve a stated objective.

Precautionary approach: recognising the relative lack of knowledge about the environment by providing for prohibited, non-complying, or discretionary activities. Where:

there is insufficient knowledge to predict the effects of an activity; or
there is reason to believe that the activity will have significant adverse effects; or
it is not practicable to require the applicant to gather sufficient information prior to granting a consent to be able to predict the impact of the effects of the activity;
then provision shall be made to treat these activities as either discretionary, non-complying, or where appropriate, prohibited.

Preservation¹⁵ in relation to a resource, means the maintenance, so far as is practicable, of its intrinsic values.

Primary energy: is the energy we use that comes directly from natural sources such as the sun, gas and oil, wood, coal and geothermal energy.

Protection, in relation to a resource means its maintenance so far as is practicable, in its current state; but includes:

its restoration to a former state
its augmentation, enhancement or expansion.

Pristine in regards to an area means an area having its original purity, unspoilt by human intervention.

Region* means, in relation to a regional council, the region of the regional council as determined in accordance with the Local Government Act 1974.

Regional coastal plan* means an operative plan approved by the Minister of Conservation under the First Schedule of the RMA and includes all operative changes to such a plan (whether arising from a review or otherwise).

Regional council* has the same meaning as in the Local Government Act 1974.

Regional geothermal resource includes all geothermal energy (including geothermal water), material containing heat or energy (derived from within the earth) surrounding any geothermal water, and all plants, animals, micro-organisms and characteristics dependent on the geothermal energy located in the Region.

Regional plan* means an operative plan (including a regional coastal plan) approved by a regional council or the Minister of Conservation under the First Schedule of the RMA; and includes all operative changes to such a plan (whether arising from a review or otherwise).

Regional policy statement* means an operative regional policy statement approved by a regional council under the First Schedule of the RMA; and includes all operative changes to such a policy statement (whether arising from a review or otherwise).

Regional significance means one or more of the following:

matters or values of national significance
issues and/or effects that are of concern to substantial parts of the regional community
values associated with natural and physical resources or any structure, place or feature which are rare or unique within the Region;
the existence of significant cross boundary issues and cumulative effects, where resources or effects cross administrative boundaries, and where co-ordination or integration of policies, actions or decision-making is required;
matters or effects which are of greater than local significance to tangata whenua.

Regional rule* means a rule made as part of a regional plan in accordance with s68 of the RMA.

Regulations* means regulations made under the RMA 1991.

Resource pool means a reserve of biological or physical resources and the processes that are required for their perpetuation (may include, for instance, genetic resources, reproductively mature organisms, or resources important for the long-term viability of species).

Riparian margin means a strip of land, usually of varying width, adjacent to a waterway and which contributes, or may contribute, to the maintenance and enhancement of the natural functioning, quality and character of the waterway and its margins.

River* means a continually or intermittently flowing body of fresh water, and includes a stream; but does not include any artificial watercourse.

Rohe¹⁶ means a territory or boundary which defines the area within which a tangata whenua group claims traditional association and mana whenua.

Significant¹⁷ means noteworthy, or of considerable amount, effect or importance.

Significant Geothermal Features: In Development and Limited Development Geothermal Systems are those Geothermal Features that are considered significant and are listed and mapped in the Waikato Regional Plan. In Protected, Research and Small Geothermal Systems are those Geothermal Features that meet the description of one or more of the identified Significant Geothermal Feature Types in Appendix 5.

Significant Geothermal Feature Types: See Appendix 5

Soil conservation¹⁸ means the management of land to maintain New Zealand's soil and water resources to provide the widest range of sustainable benefits for the needs and aspirations of present and future generations, and includes:

the maintenance of the productive potential of the nation's soil resources to retain sustainable land use options for present and future generations
the maintenance of catchments to provide high quality water resources for downstream users
land management practices that further enhance the protection of waterways from suspended sediments, nutrients, harmful micro-organisms and other pollutants
the mitigation of the impacts of land related hazards including flooding, subsidence and erosion
the maintenance of aesthetic, scientific and cultural values related to land and water.

Structure* means any building, equipment, device, or other facility made by people and which is fixed to land.

Surface water means water in all its physical forms which is over the ground, whether flowing or not, but excludes coastal water and geothermal water.

Sustainable management* means managing the use, development, and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well being and for their health and safety while:

sustaining the potential of natural and physical resources (excluding minerals) to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations
safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil, and ecosystems
avoiding, remedying, or mitigating any adverse effects of activities on the environment.

Tangata whenua*, in relation to a particular area, means the iwi, or hapu, that holds mana whenua over that area.

Taonga¹⁹ means treasure, property: taonga are prized and protected as sacred possessions of the tribe. The term carries a deep spiritual meaning and taonga may be things that cannot be seen or touched. Included for example are language, waahi tapu, waterways, fishing grounds and mountains.

Territorial authority²⁰ means a city council or a district council.

Territorial sea* means the territorial sea of New Zealand as defined by Section 3 of the Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 1977.

Tino rangatiratanga²¹ means chiefly authority, chieftainship, full authority. According to the Waitangi Tribunal's Manukau report (1985), tino rangatiratanga “...refers not to a separate sovereignty but to tribal self management on lines similar to what we understand by local government... rangatiratanga denotes the mana not only to possess what one owns but, and we emphasise this, to manage and control it in accordance with the preferences of the owner.”

Toxic substance²² means an agent or material capable of producing an adverse response (effect) in a biological system, seriously injuring structure or function or producing death.

Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) means the Treaty of Waitangi as set out in English and Maori in the First Schedule of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.

Waahi tapu²³ means sacred site: these are defined locally by the hapu and iwi which are the kaitiaki for the waahi tapu. Typically includes burial grounds and sites of historical importance to the tribe. In order to protect particular sites from interference and desecration, some tribes will refuse to disclose the exact location to outsiders.

Water*:

means water in all its physical forms whether flowing or not and whether over or under the ground
includes fresh water, coastal water, and geothermal water
does not include water in any form while in any pipe, tank, or cistern.

Water body* means fresh water or geothermal water in a river, lake, stream, pond, wetland, or aquifer, or any part thereof, that is not located within the coastal marine area.

Wetland* includes permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water, and land water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions.

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Footnotes

All terms marked with a * are defined by the RMA, 1991.
Stokes, E., Taupo Sewage Disposal Options: Maori Perspectives, Taupo District Council, February 1991.
Ministry of External Relations and Trade and Ministry for the Environment, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development: Outcomes of the Conference, 1992.
United Nations Environmental Programme, as cited by the Ministry for the Environment, Cleaner Production Guidelines
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, cit. op.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, cit. op.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Proposed Guidelines for Local Authority Consultation with Tangata Whenua, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Wellington, 1992.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, new edition for the 1990's.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
Oxford Reference Dictionary, 1986.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
Department of Conservation, cit op.
Water Quality Standards Handbook, Washington, December, 1983.
From the Conservation Act.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
The application of the term significant will be determined on a case by case basis depending on the context in which it is used within the RPS.
N.W.A.S.C.A., Soil Conservation Policy Circular No. 1987/13.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
Local Government Act 1974, s2(1).
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.
Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council, Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters, November 1992.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, cit op.

Operative Waikato Regional Policy Statement (October 2000)

Glossary of Terms1

Footnotes

Glossary of Terms¹