New compliance monitoring and enforcement charges for consents and permitted activities

The funding of some environmental compliance, monitoring and enforcement activities has shifted from a ratepayer expense to direct charges for resource users. From 1 July 2026, councils can charge a wider range of resource users for the actual and reasonable staff time spent monitoring and administering certain compliance activities.

Three key areas can now be charged to resource users: monitoring compliance with permitted activity rules; responding to complaints where a breach is confirmed; and issuing and following up abatement notices or enforcement orders. For example, a farmer may be invoiced for an effluent system inspection and related administration; a business may be invoiced for staff time responding to a substantiated complaint; or a consent holder may see charges for the time and administration involved in issuing and following up an abatement notice.

Before the RMA was amended in August 2025, councils could not recover costs for many common compliance and enforcement activities, so this work was funded through targeted rates paid across the region. The change enables a move towards a user-pays model, so the people whose businesses or activities require monitoring or compliance work bear the related costs.

The changes were made by the Government and apply nationally. The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act became law on 20 August 2025 as part of wider changes intended to strengthen the compliance regime, improve deterrence and expand councils’ ability to recover the costs of compliance and enforcement work.

The proposed changes were publicly consulted on between 27 January and 10 February 2025. After the legislation was passed in August 2025, organisations including the Ministry for the Environment shared information about the changes publicly.

The changes took effect on 1 July 2026, enabling councils to introduce charging when their systems are ready. Waikato Regional Council expects to begin using the expanded billing system from October 2026.

Yes. All councils in New Zealand can now directly charge a wider range of resource users, although each council can decide how and when to use the expanded charging options, so approaches may vary by region.

There is nothing you need to do unless you receive an invoice or are contacted by the council about compliance work, at which point they will take you through the process.

Your invoice relates to work council staff have carried out to check compliance with environmental regulations, including permitted activity rules, national environmental standards or resource consent conditions, so not everyone will be affected. This is a timely reminder that you are responsible for understanding the rules that apply to your business or activity; these are available in the Waikato Regional Plan.

Our staff have been trained to work with a detailed list of charge codes for many different tasks they may undertake on your property. This means they are able to be quite specific about how their time has been used. In most cases, not all staff time is charged and we endeavour to keep our charges fair and proportionate to the work completed. 

Your invoice will itemise the actual and reasonable staff time spent monitoring and administering the relevant compliance activities. Fees and staff charge-out rates are set annually and published in the 2026/27 Mahere ā-Tau Annual Plan. 

Your annual charge mainly funds broader environmental monitoring across the region, such as monitoring coastal areas, rivers and streams, groundwater, and land and soil. A separate invoice covers our site-specific consent compliance and monitoring work, including staff visits and checks against your consent conditions.

Not immediately. Over time, the council hopes the new billing approach may allow the region wide  rates currently used to fund compliance work to decrease, but it will first need to establish the system and understand how invoice revenue balances the cost of compliance, monitoring and enforcement.

If you believe you have been charged incorrectly or unfairly, request a formal review through the council’s online contact form or write to Waikato Regional Council, Private Bag 3038, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, including your invoice number, full name and postal address. You may also be able to apply for a remission of annual charges under section 36(5) of the RMA; remission decisions are at the council’s discretion.

Your invoice will explain how to contact us to query a charge. Please get in touch if you believe any part of the invoice is incorrect or would like to discuss how the charge was calculated. Please complete an online request form or call us on 0800 800 401.