Boundary activities

If you are building or extending your home you may qualify for a boundary activity.

An activity is a boundary activity if:

  • resource consent is required due to the infringement of one or more ‘boundary rules’, and
  • no other District Plan rules are infringed, and
  • no ‘infringed boundary’ is a public boundary such as a park, road, river or the coast.

You will need to have your neighbours written approval. 

This means you can apply for a Deemed Permitted Boundary Activity instead of a resource consent. You may still need to apply for a building consent.

The District Plan has two ‘boundary rules’ in each zone as follows:

Residential Zone
  • Rule 13.10.6 – Height in Relation to Boundary
  • Rule 13.10.7 – Setbacks
Rural Zone  
  • Rule 12.10.6 – Height in Relation to Boundary
  • Rule 12.10.7 – Setbacks
Business Zones
  • Rule 14.10.6 – Height in Relation to Boundary
  • Rule 14.10.7 – Setbacks
Maori Purposes  
  • Rule 15A.10.7 and Rule 15B.10.8 – Height in Relation to Boundary
  • Rule 15A.10.8 and Rule 15B.10.8 – Setbacks

Apply for a deemed permitted boundary activity

With your application you will need to supply us with:

  • a description of the activity
  • a plan (drawn to scale) of the site at which the activity is to occur, showing the height, shape, and location on the site of the proposed activity
  • the full name and address of each owner of the property with an infringed boundary
  • written approval from each owner of the property with an infringed boundary, including their signatures on the plan - Written approval for deemed permitted boundary activity. If your boundary is next to a driveway, you will need to get approval from the neighbour on the other side of that driveway too. 

Once your application is complete, you will need to lodge BOTH a hard copy and an electronic copy with Council. You will also need to pay the associated Application Fee and until this is paid the Council will not accept your application. 

You can provide an electronic copy of your application via email to rmaconsents@kaipara.govt.nz

Your hard copy can be posted to the below address or you can also drop it off at the customer service centre in Mangawhai or Dargaville.

Resource Consent Applications
Kaipara District Council
Unit 6, 6 Molesworth Drive
Mangawhai 0505

Time frame

If we agree that your proposal is a boundary activity we will provide you with a written notice stating that the activity is permitted.

The Council has 10 working days to provide this, and unlike a resource consent application, the Council has no ability to request further information.

If you make an application for a boundary activity but don't provide the information listed above, or we determine that other rules are infringed, then your activity doesn't qualify and we must return the application to you.

Similarly, if you make an application for resource consent, but we determine that the application actually includes all the necessary information to qualify as a boundary activity, then we must provide a boundary exemption and return your consent application.