Our neighbouring local authorities are Northland Regional Council and Kaipara District Council to the north and Waikato Regional Council, Waikato and Hauraki District Councils in the south. The RMA requires the RPS to state the process that will be used to resolve or manage cross-boundary issues. Issues which affect Auckland and its neighbouring councils are:

•Population Growth

The alignment of regional and local growth management strategies within the upper north island, in particular between Auckland, Northland and Waikato to provide an integrated approach to accommodating future population growth among the cities, towns and settlements in these areas.

•Transport Linkages

The alignment of transport planning across the upper north island. This includes recognising and facilitating the different transport linkages between Auckland, Northland and Waikato. This is in terms of people and freight movement, the use and expansion of the roading and passenger transport network and maintaining accessibility to Auckland International Airport and Ports of Auckland as multi-regional transport nodes.

•Economic Development

Supporting economic development in both urban and rural parts of the three regions and facilitating the movement of goods, services and employees across Auckland's administrative boundaries. This includes the role of the Waikato region’s infrastructure and mineral/aggregate industry for supporting the growth of Auckland.

•Natural Environment

The natural environment does not recognise local government administrative boundaries. Consistent cross boundary approaches are important for the management of natural resources such as the coastal environment, particularly the Kaipara Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, indigenous biodiversity and weed and pest control and management of water takes from aquifers and streams that flow between regions.

Processes for dealing with cross boundary issues
The council will use a number of processes to manage or resolve cross-boundary issues. Many of these processes operate outside the statutory framework of the RMA, but provide opportunities for both political and technical discussion of important issues and the development of agreed outcomes, which can be subsequently reflected in RMA documents. These processes also reflect that there are a broad range of stakeholders that will need to be involved in resolving cross boundary issues. Processes include:

1.Strategies, policies and processes set out in the Auckland Plan.

2.Participation in the following bodies to address the management of cross boundary issues:

a.the Hauraki Gulf Forum

b.integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group

c.joint Kaipara Harbour Political Working Party

d.Upper North Island Strategic Alliance Agreement

e.the regional planners’ forum.

3.Consultation requirements of the RMA Schedule 1, relating to the preparation and change of policy statements and plans by local authorities.

4.Participation in joint policy and research projects eg Hauraki Gulf and Kaipara Harbour Marine Spatial Plans.

5.Technical co-operation on research and monitoring projects and the development of environmental indicators.

6.Cross boundary notification of significant resource consent applications and participation in joint hearing processes.