Our annual awards recognise excellence in the field of resource management

The Award

The RMLA occasionally makes awards to technical documentation which makes a significant contribution to the development of the practice of resource management and/or exhibits innovation and excellence in the technical approach(es) used.

Guideline

This award of the Association shall be made at the discretion of the National Committee. The nominees for awards should be appropriately qualified or recognised professionals within their field. The majority of the team is expected to be RMLA members, and diversity in team members is expected. Printed hard copies of documents are not a requirement, and in particular, where documents have been designed to be electronic, submissions in electronic format are welcomed.

Examples of technical documentation that may be considered include (but are not limited to): district and regional plans, iwi management plans, technical guidance, methods and standards, plain English guidance to assist interpretation, environmental management tools, Strategy documents and Assessments of Effects on the Environment (AEE).

Criteria

The overall criteria shall be that the document has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the law, theory and practice of resource management – usually with a technical or applied focus.

In the case of a Policy Statement, National Standard, Plan or document that is submitted for evaluation in accordance with the criteria for this award, the following are examples of the considerations taken into account:

Where relevant, has the plan or document complied with the requirements of the Act for its class of document (eg sections 59 to 76 and 80 of Act)?

Evidence of section 32 analysis.

Does the plan have a flow through issues, objectives, policies, methods and reasons to results?

Have the issues, objectives, standards and/or policies been expressed clearly and stated appropriately?

Is there consistency with other RMA documents?

Is there clarity in activity?

Has the Document or Plan applied best current knowledge or practice for various effects, and does it have any innovative techniques of merit?

Form

Clear expression, plain English

Consistent use of terminology

Logical pattern

Ease of finding all policies, objectives, rules for one activity

Typeface, size, leading, layout

Maps and diagrams of clarity

Unsuccessful candidates will have their documentation returned if requested in a covering letter. Reasons are not required to be given to any unsuccessful nominees.

Applicable to all awards, the recipient shall receive an award/plaque and a certificate and recognition of this award will occur at the RMLA Annual Conference.

The Award

The RMLA occasionally makes awards for publications which make a significant contribution to the advancement of best resource management practice. These may be in academic, technical or other industry journals – at the discretion of the National Committee.

Guideline

This award of the Association shall be made at the discretion of the National Committee. The nominees for awards should be appropriately qualified or recognised professionals within their field. The majority of the team is expected to be RMLA members and diversity in team members is expected.

Examples of Publications that may be considered include (but are not limited to): academic text books, academic papers, theses and dissertations, “coffee table” style books, commemorative books or publications.

Criteria

The overall criteria shall be that the document has made a significant contribution to the advancement or promotion of the law, theory and practice of resource management.

Has the publication or project clearly demonstrated exceptional research and/or teaching performance in the field of resource management?

Has the publication or project made a major contribution to, and has the potential to have a constructive and practical application within the profession of resource management?

Does the publication or project apply best current knowledge or practice?

Does the publication make a significant contribution to the wider understanding of the practice of resource management, including assisting understanding of a wider audience (e.g. general public)?

Does it employ innovative techniques and methods of merit?

Nominations may come from any sector but must be related to the practice of resource management.

Does the project promote diversity and inclusion?

Unsuccessful candidates will have their documentation returned if requested in a covering letter. Reasons are not required to be given to any unsuccessful nominees.

Applicable to all awards, the recipient shall receive an award/plaque and a certificate and recognition of this award will occur at the RMLA Annual Conference.

The Award

The RMLA occasionally makes awards to projects which make a significant contribution to the development of best practice and the implementation of the RMA’s purpose and principles.

Guideline

This award of the Association shall be made at the discretion of the National Committee. The nominees for awards should be appropriately qualified or recognised professionals within their field. The majority of the team is expected to be RMLA members, and diversity in team members is expected.

Examples of Projects that may be considered include (but are not limited to): applications for projects (including as demonstrated by Assessment of Effects on the Environment reporting), construction related documentation, business cases, environmental management plans, and visual imagery or photographical evidence (where relevant).

Criteria

The overall criteria for all projects shall be that the project has made a significant contribution to the advancement of best practice and the implementation of the RMA (or associated legislation’s) purpose and principles.

In relation to projects the following criteria may be relevant:

Does the project address existing issues in a new and innovative way?;

Does the project respond to new or novel circumstances arising through climate change or new infrastructure and/or housing requirements?;

Has the project complied with all relevant provisions of the Act?

Has the supporting documentation complied with all the requisite information requirements of the Act including Schedule 4?

Has the project demonstrated appropriate consultation practice both with tangata whenua and the community, including clear and jargon-free presentation of material?

Does the project demonstrate fairness between activities?

Have all relevant mitigation mechanisms been applied?

Does the supporting documentation clearly present information suitable for its target audience?

Does the project apply best current knowledge or practice for various effects?

Does it employ innovative techniques and methods of merit?

Does the project promote diversity and inclusion?

Unsuccessful candidates will have their documentation returned if requested in a covering letter. Reasons are not required to be given to any unsuccessful nominees.

Applicable to all awards, the recipient shall receive an award/plaque and a certificate and recognition of this award will occur at the RMLA Annual Conference.

Background

The RMLA has an annual awards process in which awards are made for outstanding contributions to the law, theory and practice of resource management. Eligibility for this award is open to any member of the RMLA who is practicing in a field that is related to resource management.

Guideline

The RMLA personal award is to be made for outstanding contributions only. For this reason it is not necessary to make an award each year. The Outstanding Person Award is required to include the following extent of details:

A cover letter, signed by the nominator.

The nominee’s CV or biographical information.

Two or three letters of recommendation from RMLA members.

Criteria

It is desirable that the person should be nationally recognised for their activities and contribution.

The award is not for long service but is for a contribution that results in further development and understanding of the law, theory and best practice in resource management.

The contribution could be made to a person within any one or more of the relevant sectors, including government, the judiciary, industry, private practice or the general public.

An Outstanding Person nominee must be an RMLA member and diversity in applicants is encouraged.

The promotion of diversity and inclusion will be considered in assessing suitability of nominees for this award.

Meritorious nominees for the Outstanding Person award not selected in a given year may be held over for consideration by the Committee for the next year, but not held over for any further years. The names of these nominations will be conveyed to the following years’ Awards Committee for future consideration.

Only one person should receive the Outstanding Person award in any year and a recipient may receive the honour only once.

Any nominee for the Outstanding Person award should not have been a member of the National Committee at any time within 2 years of the date of the nomination.

The nominator of the successful candidate will be advised a minimum of two weeks prior to conference and is expected to arrange for the successful candidate to be in attendance at the RMLA Annual Conference.

The Award

This is an award presented to an individual to recognise their outstanding services to the RMLA profession over the course of the individual’s lifetime career. This is an award that would only be expected to be given out to exceptional individuals and on occasion, rather than in any particular year. It would be expected there would be many years it would not be awarded.

Guideline

The Lifetime Commemorative Award is to be made for outstanding lifetime contributions only. For this reason the award will not be made each year.

The Award is required to include the following extent of details:

A cover letter, signed by the nominator.

The nominee’s CV or biographical information.

At least three letters of recommendation from current RMLA members.

Criteria

The person should be nationally and/or internationally recognised for their expertise in, and contribution, to the theory and practice of resource management in New Zealand over a prolonged period (in most cases, the recipient’s lifetime career).

The person may still be practising or may be retired but generally if the latter the award would be made within 2 years of the retirement rather than many years after retirement.

The person may have been a recipient of the Outstanding Person Award, although this is not a prerequisite.

The award could be made to a person within any one or more of the relevant sectors, including government, the judiciary, industry, private practice, tangata whenua or the general public.

Meritorious nominees for this award not selected in a given year may be held over for consideration by the Committee for the next year, but not held over for any further years. The names of these nominations will be conveyed to the following years’ Awards Committee for future consideration.

Only one person may receive this award in any year and a recipient may receive the honour only once.

Any nominee for this award should not have been a member of the National Committee at any time within 2 years of the date of the nomination.

The promotion of diversity and inclusion will be considered in assessing suitability of nominees for this award.

The nominator of the successful candidate will be advised a minimum of two weeks prior to conference and is expected to arrange for the successful candidate to be in attendance at the RMLA Annual Conference.

The Award

A RMLA Regional Committee can nominate a person within their region to give recognition to individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth and development of the field of resource management with a local / regional focus in any particular year. Such contribution may include encouraging debate and best practice and/or promoting a Regional Committee’s RMLA work.

Guideline

These nominations would be forwarded to the National Committee and 1-2 overall regional awards could be given in a particular year at the National Committee discretion.

Criteria

Where persons are on the Regional Committee and National Committee, they cannot be nominated themselves until two years after they have sat on the relevant committee.

In special circumstances, where there is a particularly current or relevant contribution made by a person, that the Awards sub-committee considers warrants an alternative approach, and there is a high degree of support from the regional or national committee (i.e. more than two thirds of committee members), consideration will be given to those circumstances and whether an exception may be made to the two year requirement.

The nominator of the successful candidate will be advised a minimum of two weeks prior to conference and is expected to arrange for the successful candidate to be in attendance at the RMLA Annual Conference.