Archaeological Sites and Sites of Significance to Māori

The Operative District Plan 2005 and Proposed District Plan – Appeals Version 2023 contain provisions to protect our cultural heritage from activities that may compromise cultural, spiritual and heritage values. 

The sites managed in the District Plan are scheduled in Appendix 26: Waahi Taonga/Sites of Significance to Māori and Archaeological Sites. You can check if there is a site on or in close proximity to your property by referring to the planning maps where the sites are identified with a triangle.

Some triangles are displayed with a broken line because they are silent sites. The location of silent sites is accurate to the property only because they are sites of particular importance for iwi/hapū. A mapped extent is shown is for some sites to provide for their setting. 

If a site is listed in the Operative District Plan this means that resource consent may be required for:

• new buildings or extensions to buildings or new structures on or within 50m of a site. 
• undertaking earthworks, filling of land, and clearance of vegetation, on or within 50m of a site
• subdivision of an allotment containing a site.

The Proposed District Plan – Appeals Version 2023 includes SCHED3 – Schedule of Archaeological Sites or Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori.  

Where information is available, the mapped extent of a site is shown on the planning maps and a setback provides for the setting of the site and for the possibility that the site is larger than its observable surface extent.  

Two sets of rules may apply to sites listed in SCHED3 – Schedule of Archaeological Sites or Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori: 

• For sites and areas of significance to Māori, the Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori Chapter of the Proposed District Plan – Appeals Version 2023 applies.  

• For archaeological sites, the Historic Heritage Chapter of the Proposed District Plan – Appeals Version 2023 applies.  

These rules manage activities on and around archaeological sites and sites and areas of significance to Māori such as land disturbance, earthworks and subdivision, plus erection of, addition to and relocation of structures. 

This means you may require a resource consent to undertake particular activities such as earthworks and placing structures on or near the site. It does not mean development cannot occur. The resource consent process allows the Council to look at any proposed activities and ensure they recognise the significant values of the site. 

It is possible that a resource consent may never be required because many properties are already highly developed, i.e. often a house and garage already exist. 

Although a site may be identified on your property, it still remains private property, and access to the site is controlled by you. 

Resource consent applications are made to, and decided on, by the Council. 

In most cases you will be required to consult with iwi/hapū as part of your application. We can provide advice on which iwi/hapū might be affected by, or be interested in, your proposal and can help facilitate consultation. 

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga will also need to be consulted for any application involving an archaeological site, especially those that are registered on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero.  

In most cases, consultation will help in the smooth processing of an application. Time and effort spent in the early stages to identify any potential issues can mean avoiding lengthy delays as well as costly hearings and appeals. 

To ensure ongoing protection, the Council’s Built, Cultural Heritage Protection Fund and Natural Heritage Protection Fund may provide partial funding for the maintenance and protection of sites listed in the District Plan. Examples of what the fund may contribute towards include fencing around a site or cleaning and/or painting of monuments, memorials or headstones associated with a pā site. 

Under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 it is unlawful to destroy, damage or modify an archaeological site (regardless of whether the site is scheduled in the District Plan or not) without obtaining an archaeological authority from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga before work starts.  

Information on Responsibilities Regarding Archaeological Sites is provided in Appendix 1 of the Proposed District Plan – Appeals Version 2023 and a protocol for dealing with the discovery of sensitive material is set out in Effects Standard EW-S5 of the Earthworks chapter.