From today, councils will incur financial penalties for delays in resource consent processing.

The Resource Management (Discount on Administrative Charges) Regulations 2010 require councils to apply a minimum 1% discount for each day a consent is processed beyond the 20-working day statutory requirement up to a maximum of 50%.

The regulations are intended to reduce delays and help the economic recovery, Environment Minister Nick Smith said in a press release today.

The Resource Management Act’s consent processes in the Far North are under review and a great improvement has been reported, but local authorities say government help in the matter is too little too late.

In the 2007/2008 financial year, only a low 37% of consents in the Far North region were processed in the required 20 day timeframe.

Last month 98% of non-notified resource consents were handled in 20 days or less.

Far North mayor Wayne Brown said that it was typical government action to send out help too late and to the wrong address.

The processing of consents for TrustPower's hydro proposal on Marlborough's Wairau River shows the need for Resource Management Act (RMA) changes, Environment Minister Nick Smith says.

TrustPower's plans for a $275 million hydro scheme in Wairau Valley was granted resource consents in August last year.

A report on the processing of the consent application said it was difficult for small councils, like the Marlborough District Council, to process major infrastructure consents.