Special Audible Characteristics

SAC Record and Methodology

How special audible characteristics are treated within the NCTP, NZS 6808:2010 and the Trustee's Annex B record.

Plain English

What SAC means

Special Audible Characteristics are features of wind farm noise that may affect how noise is perceived, including tonality, modulation or other identifiable characteristics. The repository treats SAC as a procedural and documentary issue: what was required, what was observed, what was reported, and what the disclosed record permits an independent reader to verify.

NZS framework

NZS 6808:2010 provides the technical context for identifying and assessing special audible characteristics.

NCTP procedure

The NCTP records attended observation and reporting procedures for SAC identification during compliance monitoring stages.

Annex B

Annex B and Annex B Version 1.1 organise the disclosed SAC record, including attended-observation material, timing, reporting and evidentiary limits.

Core verification questions

QuestionWhy it matters
Were attended observations undertaken as required?The NCTP adopts attended observation procedures as part of SAC identification.
Were observations conducted at appropriate stages?Annex B records the relationship between attended observations and monitoring periods.
Was there a complete night-time attended observation set?Night-time observations matter because amenity impacts often arise during night periods and the NCTP identifies night-period requirements.
Were turbine-proximate observations undertaken?The NCTP includes informative turbine-proximate observations as part of the SAC framework.
How were SAC findings reported?The repository focuses on whether the disclosed record permits independent verification of the SAC reporting pathway.
Repository note: This page does not assess audibility, tonality, modulation or penalty application. It records the procedural and documentary framework for SAC identification and directs readers to Annex B and the Documentary Verification Schedule.