Conservation covenants
Certain rateable land within the district may be protected for outstanding landscape, cultural, heritage or ecological purposes. In the Rating Relief Policies 2018 Council has included a policy on rates relief for land protected in this manner.
Conservation covenants can protect areas such as:
- Historical sites, areas of significant European / Māori interactions, or historical buildings.
- Cultural sites of significance to Māori, for example, pa sites or waahi tapu.
- Ecological habitats, such as forested habitats supporting regionally important or threatened species or wetland areas.
- Outstanding landscapes with high coastal amenity, significant vegetation patterns, or sensitive areas that would be threatened by development.
How to apply
1. Apply
Landowner completes and returns a Request Form with a recent certificate of title.
2. Initial assessment
District Plan staff arrange a specialist to carry out an initial assessment of the property.
3. Site visit and assessment report
The specialist arranges a site visit with the landowner and writes a report identifying the historical, cultural, ecological or landscape values on the property and recommends whether these values justify formal protection.
4. Covenant agreement
If the report recommends formal protection, District Plan staff provide a draft covenant to the landowner.
We recommend the landowner gets legal advice on the terms of the covenant.
5. Final covenant signed
Landowner returns signed copies of the covenant agreement to District Plan staff, the agreement is signed by Council and one of the signed copies is returned to the landowner.
6. Application for rates relief
Landowner completes an application for rating relief.
7. Covenant registered on property title
Council arranges for the registration of the covenant on certificate of title but this cost is for the landowner.
What is the approximate amount of the rate reduction? Is it done on a 'pro rata' basis based on land area? For example, my current annual rates for the whole property is total $2,500; if I covenant say 75% of the total land, is the rate payment reduced by 75%?
The rate reduction is not pro rata. The value of the “non-covenanted area”, say 25%, and the improvements on this part of the property are the aspects which attract rates charges. The reduction occurs against those items that are based on ‘land value’ – see typical rates charges below. The items in bold are the ones that are affected by rating relief, the other items are not affected by the covenant so that full figures still apply.
COUNCIL - FNDC rates
RUAC - Roading Rate Uniform Rate
RLIFE - Roading Rate Lifestyle Differential - LV - Land Value
06U01 - General Rate Uniform Annual General Charge
06U5C - Ward Service Rate
06WSG - General Rate General Differential - LV - Land Value
EXTERNAL - Regional Council rates
NRCSERV - NRC Council Services Rate
NRCH2O - NRC Fresh Water Management Rate
NRCPEST - NRC Pest Management Rate
NRCFLOOD - NRC Flood Infrastructure Rate
NRCCIV - NRC Civil Defence and Hazard Management Rate
NRCEMSERV - NRC Emergency Services Rate
NRCSPORT - NRC Sporting Facilities Rate
NRCBUS - NRC Far North Transport Rate
06NR2 - NRC Land Management Rate - Far North District
NRTI - NRC Infrastructure Rate - Far North District
Once the covenanted area has been established, the covenanted and non-covenanted areas will be revalued. Bearing in mind that the non-covenanted area is the ‘developed area’ and will have the greater value, even if the covenant covers the greater proportion of the land, that land may have a lower valuation than the relatively small ‘developed’ land area.
- The cost to have the ecologist visit and inspect the property; the initial visit and the monitoring visits (in year 1, 5 and 9 after covenant commencement) are borne by FNDC. The drafting of the covenant is also at the expense of Council.
- We recommend landowners seek legal advice prior to signing the covenant and this cost as well as the registration of the covenant on the title is for the landowner.
- In some particular cases a survey may be required and this cost is for the landowner.
- Interest and an administration fee are charged on the postponed rates. The current policy is that these costs are remitted along with the postponed rated rates they relate to at the 10th anniversary.
Rating relief will occur in the financial year following commencement of the covenant, that is from the following July. If the covenant is signed in August, rating relief will only occur from the following July.