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National environmental standards for electricity transmission

Detailed guidance and upcoming workshops

The Ministry for the Environment has prepared detailed guidance on the NES for councils, industry and the public. Comments on any aspect of the guide to improve its usefulness are welcome. Feedback can be made to standards@mfe.govt.nz

Guidance has also been prepared on the implementation of the NPS on Electricity Transmission.

The Ministry for the Environment is holding workshops during March covering implementation of both the National Environmental Standards for Electricity Transmission Activities (NES) and the National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission (NPS). See below for further information.

The Ministry for the Environment is holding 5 workshops during March covering implementation of both the NES and the NPS. Workshop details are as follows:

Thursday 11th March                    Wellington Regional Council

Monday 15th March                       Nelson City Council

Thursday 18th March                     Rendezvous Hotel Auckland

Monday 22nd March                      Rotorua District Council

Friday 26th March                          Environment Canterbury

All workshops are scheduled to run from 10 am to 1 pm (lunch provided). The NPS guidance will be covered first, followed by presentation on the NES and NES guidance

Please note that it is now a half-day workshop and there will only be a short break between presentations.

Feel free to pass workshop details to other interested parties.

Transpower New Zealand Ltd representatives will be attending the workshops.

Please use the following link to register for the workshops http://www.mfe.govt.nz/survey/x10neselect.htm

The National Environmental Standards (NES) for Electricity Transmission came into effect on 14 January 2010.

The NES sets out a national framework of permissions and consent requirements for activities on existing electricity transmission lines. Activities include the operation, maintenance and upgrading of existing lines.

The NES:

  • specifies that electricity transmission activities are permitted, subject to terms and conditions to ensure that these activities do not have significant adverse effects on the environment
  • specifies the resource consent requirements for electricity transmission activities that do not meet the terms and conditions for permitted activities.

The NES only applies to existing high voltage electricity transmission lines. It does not apply to the construction of new transmission lines, nor to substations. The NES does not apply to electricity distribution lines – these are the lines carrying electricity from regional substations to electricity users.

Copies of the NES

You can view the standards online on the NZ Legislation website, or order a copy from Government Bookshops.

Material incorporated by reference in the regulations is available for viewing during working hours, free of charge at the Ministry for the Environment Wellington Office, 23 Kate Sheppard Place, Thorndon, Wellington.

Copies of the New Zealand and German acoustics standards incorporated in the regulations are available for purchase from Standards New Zealand.

Guidance on the NES

General guidance

Detailed guidance

The Ministry for the Environment has prepared detailed guidance on the NES for councils, industry and the public.

Further guidance is also being developed by the Ministry to address how councils review and amend their planning documents to remove duplication of, or inconsistencies with the requirements of the NES. Guidance has been prepared on the implementation of the NPS on Electricity Transmission.

Background to the NES

A discussion document setting out the resource management issues which arise from managing the operation, maintenance and upgrading of New Zealand’s electricity transmission network, and how a NES could potentially resolve some of these issues, was released for public comment in October 2007.

The Ministry for the Environment received eighty-four submissions, and the issues raised are reflected in the summary of submissions. Refer to the Report on submissions for the Proposed National Environmental Standards for Electricity Transmission.

In September 2008, Cabinet decided the NES should proceed and agreed that regulations should be drafted to give effect to the standards. Refer to the Cabinet paper: report back on development of national environmental standards for electricity transmission – May 2008.

The Cabinet paper was accompanied by a regulatory impact statement, presenting the costs and benefits of the policy. Refer to the Regulatory impact statement: National environmental standards for electricity transmission activities.

The section 32 report evaluated the efficiency, effectiveness and appropriateness of the NES. This is a requirement under the RMA when developing a regulation, including a NES. The report also includes a response to public submissions.

Supporting Material

To read more about the NES and the process by which it was developed see:

If you would like more information about the NES for electricity transmission activities please contact standards@mfe.govt.nz.

Last updated: 12 March 2010