The Council is preparing Plan Change 1 to the 2024 District Plan. A recent Government announcement requires councils to pause most plan changes unless an exemption is granted by the Minister for the Environment. On 4 September 2025 the Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee resolved to accept the proposed plan change, and for Council officers to seek Ministerial exemption to progress with the proposed Plan Change. On 8 September 2025 a exemption application was lodged with the Minister.
At this stage we do not have a time frame for how long Ministerial approval may take.
The scope of Plan Change 1 is restricted is to:
- Minor Changes to improve implementation, clarity and certainty of provisions determined in the March 2024 Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee meeting.
- Matters directed by the Kōrau Tūāpapa │ Environment and Infrastructure Committee.
- Fixing identified minor errors that cannot be addressed using clause 20A of the RMA
- Updating documents incorporated by reference in the District Plan.
Should the plan change be approved for notification by Council and the Minister, details on how to make a submission will be made available at the time of notification.
Section 32 Evaluations Overview Report
Details of Proposed Plan Change 1 can be found in the associated Section 32 evaluation reports, which assess the rationale and effectiveness of the proposed updates to the District Plan.
Plan Change Overview Report
Appendices