Property Problems: Maori sites can influence resource consents

icular property that may affect its development potential.

The difficulty is identifying any Maori interests before you propose to develop the land.

This issue is most likely to arise in the context of the Resource Management Act 1991. When assessing applications for resource consent to develop your land, the local council must consider the relationship Maori have with "waahi tapu" (areas of cultural or traditional importance), their ancestral lands, waters and other significant sites.

These considerations can, in some cases, justify a resource consent being declined, or granted subject to conditions to address the effects on Maori.

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