The Regional Coastal Environment Plan promotes sustainable management of the natural and physical resources of the Bay of Plenty's coastal environment.
Please note: when viewing the Operative Bay of Plenty Regional Coastal Environment Plan, please also consider the Proposed Plan (available below).
The Plan covers the entire coastal environment including the coastal marine area (the area between mean high water spring tides and the '12 mile limit' of the territorial seas) and the land backdrop. It includes:
The operative Regional Coastal Environment Plan (amended 22 February 2011) will remain active until the new plan is approved.
The planning maps cover the entire coastal strip of the region, including harbours and offshore islands and land backdrop at a scale of 1:25 000. The maps identify many of the special values of the coast that need protecting.
Coastal Marine Area and River Mouth Boundary Agreement 2008
Council, territorial authorities and the Minister of Conservation are required to agree on the location of river mouths in the region, which are then used to establish the boundary of the coastal marine area in rivers that enter the sea.
The Coastal Marine Area Boundary and River Mouths were redefined in 2008 by a new agreement signed by the relevant territorial authorities (Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Tauranga City Council, Whakatāne District Council and Ōpōtiki District council), Council and the Department of Conservation (acting on behalf of the Minister of Conservation). These boundaries replace those included in the Second Schedule of the Regional Coastal Environment Plan shown on the planning maps.
The following signed agreement and maps are available for you to download:
Provisions relating to restricted coastal activities were removed from the Regional Coastal Environment Plan on 22 February 2011 in accordance with the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010.
On 30 October 2018, Council adopted the Proposed Regional Coastal Environment Plan and agreed for it to be referred to the Minister of Conservation for her approval.
This version of the Proposed RCEP incorporates Environment Court decisions, consent orders, mediation agreements and minor amendments:
From 12 May 2017 all rules in the Coastal Plan have legal effect. This means that all rules which are beyond appeal are treated as operative and used to determine whether resource consents are needed for activities in the coastal marine area.
Back in 15 May 2014, Council determined to delay the legal effect of the rules. Now that most of the appeal points relating to the rules have been resolved, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council decided at its meeting on 29 March 2017 to rescind its earlier decision.
Council's decision was publicly notified on 11 April 2017 and will not affect any unresolved appeals.
Last updated 21 June 2019
Two outstanding appeal matters are yet to be fully resolved. These are geographically discrete topics.
Outstanding appeal topics:
The following decisions have been made by the Environment Court following an Environment Court hearing:
The following points of appeal have been resolved by way of consent order. Another consent order has been drafted but will not be granted until the rest of the natural heritage provisions are finalised:
The Ngā Whakaaetanga-ā-Ture ki Te Taiao ā Toi (Statutory Acknowledgements in the Bay of Plenty) is a compendium document to be read as an attachment to and in conjunction with the Operative Regional Coastal Environment Plan including any proposed regional plan or policy statement, and any variation or change notified by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Check out the Statutory Acknowledgements for more information.
The Plan is available to view at Bay of Plenty Regional Council offices, all public libraries throughout the Bay of Plenty and service centres of Bay of Plenty's City and District Councils.
If you need a hard copy, the costs are below (prices include GST):
Get in touch with Michal Akurangi regarding the Regional Coastal Environmental Plan on 0800 884 880, ext 9285.