Central government can issue national policy statements on any aspect of resource management which is of national significance. An example might be national policy statements on wetlands or energy conservation. National policy statements will provide direction for district and regional councils. The Minister for the Environment is responsible for initiating the statements, but members of the public will have the opportunity to be involved in the preparation of all statements. The Minister of Conservation is responsible for the New Zealand Coastal Policy statement, which is mandatory.
Regional councils are responsible for the mandatory regional policy statements.
These statements will consider issues of significance to the region, outline the community's goals for the environment and the policies necessary to achieve these goals. The statements will draw together land, air and water management in the region, so as to provide a much more thorough and consistent approach to problems such as soil erosion, flooding or pollution. Such plans could, for example, include a water plan for the whole region or a plan for an area facing major erosion problems. These plans will set rules for people using resources in that region. Territorial authorities will continue to be responsible for land use planning, along the lines of existing district schemes.