National Policy Statements

   45. Purpose of national policy statements (other than New Zealand
 coastal policy statements)---(1) The purpose of national policy
 statements is to state policies on matters of national significance that
 are relevant to achieving the purpose of this Act.

   (2) In determining whether it is desirable to prepare a national
 policy statement, the Minister may have regard to---
   (a) The actual or potential effects of the use, development, or
         protection of natural and physical resources:
   (b) New Zealand's interests and obligations in maintaining or
         enhancing aspects of the national or global environment:
   (c) Anything which affects or potentially affects any structure,
         feature, place, or area of national significance:
   (d) Anything which affects or potentially affects more than one
         region:
   (e) Anything concerning the actual or potential effects of the
         introduction or use of new technology or a process which may
         affect the environment:
   (f) Anything which, because of its scale or the nature or degree of
         change to a community or to natural and physical resources, may
         have an impact on, or is of significance to, New Zealand:
   (g) Anything which, because of its uniqueness, or the irreversibility
         or potential magnitude or risk of its actual or potential
         effects, is of significance to the environment of New Zealand:
   (h) Anything which is significant in terms of section 8 (Treaty of
         Waitangi):
   (i) The need to identify practices (including the measures referred to
         in section 24 (h), relating to economic instruments) to
         implement the purpose of this Act:
   (j) Any other matter related to the purpose of a national policy
         statement.