Planning

Your Neighbourhood Experts

Laser-sharp detail & unrivalled know-how

Our team works closely with you to understand your vision and develop an approach that is based on your specific objectives. We adopt a client focused approach to all things we do and value the relationships we have developed with our clients over the last 100 years.

We have experience in the delivery of all types and scales of subdivision and land use consents. We work in the residential, rural, commercial and industrial sectors and on all types and sizes of projects. Our expertise covers the full range of planning services, including development feasibility, pre-application meetings, stakeholder engagement, resource consents, and the preparation of Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE). We are also experts in Plan Change work and council hearings.

Our team will guide you through the entire process and ensure that you understand what will be involved. Your headache is our field of expertise.

in detail

Services Offered

Our suite of integrated development services ensure the highest degree of quality, safety, efficiency and innovation on your projects.

Auckland and Waikato District Council are going through major planning rule changes, and it’s crucial to stay on top of these changes to ensure the best possible outcome for your project.

With a history of developing subdivisions in Auckland and Waikato, we understand the nuances of regional regulations like the back of our hand.

Contact us to find out how the latest updates could benefit your property.

Subdivision consent is required to develop a subdivision of any scale including:

  • Detached dwellings (low density)
  • Terrace houses (medium density)
  • Apartments (high density)
  • Vacant lots
  • Allotments around existing development (residential, commercial and industrial)
  • Shifting existing boundary on your legal title (boundary adjustment and boundary relocation)
  • Commercial or industrial development
  • Rural (rural lifestyle and in-situ subdivision through environmental feature protection)

Tripp Andrews’ experienced planners have long standing relationships with council. We work closely with council to complete your application, work through any challenges and ensure a smooth road to consent approval.

Your resource consent application will need:

  • A planning report which assesses the subdivision proposal against the relevant district plan subdivision rules.
  • A subdivision scheme plan.
  • Specialist reports depending on the scale of the proposal.

An approved subdivision consent from council is valid for five years. It will usually include several conditions that need to be addressed before new titles can be issued by Land Information New Zealand.

Land use consent may be required for several different reasons, including changes of use, earthworks, works within or near a stream, or breaches of District Plan rules for a building location.

Some subdivisions require a number of different land use consents, and our planning team have the expert knowledge to identify when these additional consents are required.

Contact us to begin the consent process.

Jobs that will affect the environment, including air, soil and water, may require regional consent alongside a Land Use Consent.

Robust knowledge of council requirements is essential to successful projects, and our team has unrivalled knowledge of regional planning requirements.

Contact us  to begin the consent process.

As part of your building consent process, the council planning team will always check your application for planning compliance and resource consent requirements. If your building consent gets flagged for this, we can advise you on the next steps. It may be that a resource consent is required, and, in that case, we’ve got you covered. It may be that council haven’t got it quite right, and, in that case, we can liaise with council on your behalf.

Contact us if you need help with your building consent.

If subdivision is not the right fit for your site because of council restrictions, secondary residential dwellings may be an alternative option.

Minor dwellings and workers’ accommodation can be built in some rural and residential areas in Auckland. These are secondary to the main residence and can be a cost-effective way to add value to your property for a fraction of the price of a subdivision. There are certain restrictions placed on both options by council, but our planning team has successfully obtained consents for plenty of these, so we understand how to get the job done.

Contact us to discuss if a minor dwelling or workers’ accommodation is right for you.

As well as guiding numerous resource consents through to approval, our team has extensive experience in plan changes, including private plan changes to change rural zoned land into residential zoned land and ready to develop.

The plan change process is highly complex one, so you need to engage the services of a planner experienced in plan change work. There is a process that must be followed under the Resource Management Act and you need accurate expert advice and project management throughout to ensure a successful outcome.

Our team is skilled in this work and can advise at the initial consultation stage what is involved. If you proceed, our team ensures that the process runs smoothly.

Our team can prepare submissions and undertake expert witness work on your behalf for notified resource consent applications and plan changes, as well as Local Board meetings and Urban Design Panels. This includes preparing evidence and in-person presentations.

Our team are experts at presenting evidence, effectively getting key points across to decision makers, and have a proven track record of success.

Good communication between us, your legal and technical advisors, will help you reach a favourable outcome. We can achieve the best results when we work together as a team.

Our clients include seasoned campaigners all the way through to first time developers and everything in between.

The most common questions we get are:

  • “Can I develop my property?”
  • “What can I do with my property?”
  • “What is the potential of my property?”


In most cases, there are a range of options on the table and the right answer will usually not a one-size-fits-all. Whether you want to maximise the potential of your property or generate profit as quickly as possible, we can help you with tailored advice based on your specific objectives. That is why we ask the right questions and listen. We utilise your responses and our knowledge and expertise to determine the potential of your property.

We will identify and advise you about information council will likely require for the consenting processes such as transport, urban design, ecology and geotechnical input. This advice will give confidence about what form of development is likely to achieve Resource Consent.

We can also provide estimates of development costs for the consenting and the completions phases as required.

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