Archaeological Sites and Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori

The Part Operative District Plan 2025 lists archaeological sites and SASMs in SCHED3 – the Schedule of Archaeological Sites or Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori. They are also identified on the planning maps.

There are rules managing activities on and around archaeological sites and SASM such as land disturbance, earthworks and subdivision, plus the erection of, addition to and relocation of structures.

Because a site can be both an archaeological site and a SASM, two sets of rules may apply. The Historic Heritage Chapter applies to archaeological sites, while the SASM Chapter applies to SASMs.  These rules are largely the same, although the SASM rules differ in some places to reflect tangata whenua values and considerations.

The rules and mapping that apply to archaeological sites and SASMs can be complex depending on the property in question. This reflects New Plymouth District’s distinct history as outlined above. You can contact us for advice on how the rules and mapping apply. 

If you are looking to buy a property it is important to get a Land Information Memorandum (also known as a LIM). This will ensure you have all the information that NPDC has available regarding the property.

This means you may require a resource consent to undertake some activities 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, e.g. often a house and garage already exist. 

Although a site may be identified on your property, it 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 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, NPDC's Cultural Heritage Protection Fund may provide a partial contribution towards the cost of a specific heritage project or work for sites identified in SCHED3. Examples of what the fund may contribute towards include fencing, retaining walls or earthworks to prevent or remedy erosion, and structural repairs, cleaning and/or painting of stonework, monuments, memorials or headstones. 

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.  

Within the Part Operative District Plan 2025, a protocol for dealing with the discovery of sensitive material is set out in Effects Standard EW-S5 of the Earthworks Chapter and Information on Responsibilities Regarding Archaeological Sites is provided in Appendix 1.