Core Planning Services

A photographic realism image of a large, wall-mounted planning strategy board in a minimalist office, dedicated to a New Zealand coastal town development. The board features a central printed aerial image of a township near the sea, surrounded by color-coded sticky notes, neatly printed policy excerpts, and small zoning diagrams indicating residential, commercial, and rural zones. Colored thread or thin tape subtly connects related notes, hinting at plan changes, submissions, and review processes. Cool, even daylight from overhead skylights creates a clear, neutral illumination with minimal glare. Captured straight-on with sharp focus and a balanced composition, the atmosphere is strategic and forward-looking, illustrating the complexity and structure of planning policy work while remaining uncluttered and highly professional.

Core Planning Services is your friendly local planning and resource management specialist. Based in the Nelson/Tasman region, we assist clients with a wide range of planning services, providing expert knowledge and practical planning solutions.

Our Services

Planning Advice

From due diligence and feasibility checks to pre-application advice and Council liaison, we help identify opportunities and constraints for development proposals and provide practical guidance tailored to the Nelson-Tasman area.

We have extensive experience with Council processes, including the Nelson and Tasman Resource Management Plans and the shared Nelson Tasman Land Development Manual, gained through working for both Councils. We also maintain strong professional networks with technical experts and key Council staff.

Resource Consents

We guide you through the resource consent process and make complex planning rules easy to understand. We prepare resource consent applications and effects assessments for land use and development, subdivision, and natural resource proposals.

We have extensive experience with Council processes and Resource Management Plans gained through working within local government. We also have substantial experience preparing applications and coordinating inputs from multidisciplinary project teams in the private sector. In addition, we maintain strong local professional networks and work collaboratively with technical experts and Council staff.

Hearings and Evidence

A dramatic yet clean photographic image of a resource consent application package assembled on a dark, matte slate surface. In the center lies a stapled, white proposal document with a crisp cover page titled “Resource Consent Application – Nelson/Tasman” in understated typography. Around it are neatly aligned supporting elements: a folded site plan, a color elevation drawing of a small residential development, and a USB drive labeled “Expert Evidence & Reports.” A fine-point graphite pencil and a metal paperclip tray add subtle detail. Side lighting from the left casts defined but soft-edged shadows, highlighting textures of paper and slate. Shot from a slightly elevated angle with shallow depth of field, the mood is precise, confident, and methodical, emphasizing the thoroughness of planning advice and consent preparation.

We provide full support through the notification and decision-making process, including professional representation and clear, well-reasoned expert planning evidence at hearings. Our services cover submitters, applicants, and roles as reporting officer and hearings commissioners.

We have extensive experience in community consultation and the preparation of planning evidence for public hearings. This includes drafting hearing reports and expert evidence, preparing notices and engagement materials for plan reviews, and providing representation at smaller, limited notified resource consent hearings.

Council Processing

A realistic wide-angle photographic scene of a tidy planning studio interior in the Nelson/Tasman region, featuring a long white desk against a wall-mounted pinboard filled with printed resource consent diagrams, site plans, and neatly annotated aerial photos. A large computer monitor displays a GIS map of a coastal township with zoning overlays. Beside it, bound planning documents and a stack of labeled lever-arch files are lined up in precise order. Natural overcast light streams through a nearby window, creating soft, even illumination and barely-there shadows, establishing a focused, thoughtful atmosphere. Composed at eye level with moderate depth of field, the space feels organized and contemporary, visually representing a professional, detail-oriented planning consultancy environment without any human presence.

We assist councils with processing a wide range of applications, including large or complex proposals and notified applications, and can take the lead planner role where needed.

We have extensive experience navigating Council processes as reporting officers, from resource consent applications through to plan reviews. We also have a strong track record in managing key project phases and coordinating inputs from multidisciplinary project teams.

Designations and Infrastructure

We provide local advice for network utility operators, from preparing resource consents, Outline Plan of Work applications and Notices of Requirements for Requiring Authorities, to strategic planning process such as plan reviews.

We have extensive experience with infrastructure projects and designations, from preparing notices of requirement through to supporting plan review processes. We are highly familiar with local planning requirements, maintain strong professional networks in the region, and work collaboratively within multidisciplinary project teams and with Council staff.

Plan Changes and Policy

We provide support with strategic and policy planning projects, including plan changes and plan reviews, and national direction implementation. Our services include evaluating and drafting effective and efficient plan provisions; managing key project phases, preparing submissions and reporting.

We have extensive experience in plan making on behalf of councils, acting as reporting officers for Historic Heritage, Commercial Centre Zones, Rivers and Margins, Earthworks, Transport, and Designations, from initial drafting through to decisions, as well as on other policy projects and reporting. Our work includes close collaboration with council staff, elected members, iwi partners, and expert advisers, and consultation with key stakeholders such as government agencies and the wider community.

Who we are

We are a small owner-operated consultancy serving clients across the Nelson-Tasman region, offering personal service, expert knowledge, and practical planning solutions.

Tina Carlson-McColl is the Director of Core Planning Services

Tina is a planning professional with more than a decade of experience, and is an accredited hearings commissioner.

She has worked for both Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council as well as in the private sector and have established local industry relationships.

Tina supports clients and project teams across a wide range of planning processes. Her experience includes preparing applications, policy development, consent assessment, hearings, and technical reporting, as well as project management, and she brings reliable, well‑reasoned planning advice to each project.

Get in touch

We’ll assess your site, explain options, and outline a clear path to consent or policy change.

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