FAQs

The Waitaki District Plan is the community’s rulebook, setting out how we use and develop the land within our district. 

EVERYONE is affected by the District Plan because it helps shape how we live, work and play in the Waitaki district. Its provisions are designed to ensure the environment, and the things people love about living in the Waitaki are protected while still enabling our District to grow and prosper.

The District Plan outlines how Council will manage district resources. This might include:

• Growth – where we accommodate it and what it looks like
• Land use activities such as residential, commercial, industrial and farming
• Visitor accommodation
• Subdivision of land and associated earthworks
• Protecting historic heritage, landscapes, natural features and biodiversity
• Managing natural hazards
• Activities on the surface of water in rivers and lakes

The District Plan deals with these issues and many more.

We are required by law to review our District Plan every 10 years. As you can imagine, a lot has changed since 2010.

Our current plan requires updating for the following reasons:

• For us to comply with the ever-changing rules and regulations
• We’re living in changing times, a changing world, and our district faces new challenges when it comes to how land is used, including climate change, coastal erosion and natural hazards like flooding and fire
• Identify issues that affect our community and find ways to make the district plan work for the resources and our community values.
• Allows communities to reassess environmental outcomes and priorities and redefine their vision for the future of the district.

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Hard copies of the Proposed District Plan will be available at Council offices in Ōamaru and Palmerston and local libraries during business hours while submissions are open 1 March  - 9 May 2025 (check www.waitaki.govt.nz for hours).

Council Offices locations:

• Waitaki District Council Headquarters: 20 Thames Street, Ōamaru
• Oamaru Library & Service Hub: 62 Thames Street Ōamaru  
• Waihemo Service Centre: 54 Tiverton Street, Palmerston

Waitaki District Library locations:

• Ōamaru Library & Service Hub: 62 Thames Street, Ōamaru
• Palmerston Library, Waihemo Service Centre: 54 Tiverton Street, Palmerston
• Hampden Library: Hampden Hall, Main Road, Hampden
• Kurow Community Library: Waitaki Valley School, Settlement Road, Kurow
• Otematata Community Library: Lakes Centre, West Road, Otematata
• Ōmārama Library: Ōmārama School, Main Road, Ōmārama

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If you do not want to use the online submissions tool, written submissions will only be accepted if they are made using a Form 5, (as required by the Resource Management Act 1991). You can get this form from Council offices and district libraries. If you're not submitting online, you can submit your Form 5 by:

• Email: planreview@waitaki.govt.nz (subject line: Proposed District Plan Submission) 
• Post: Planning Unit, Waitaki District Council, Private Bag 50058, Ōamaru, 9444 
• In person: Drop off your Form 5 at Council offices in Ōamaru and Palmerston

The Proposed District Plan includes certain rules that have immediate legal effect, meaning they apply now and may require resource consent for activities that didn't need it under the Operative District Plan. The Council will decide how much weight to give to each plan's provisions based on their progress in the plan-making process.

Submissions on these rules can still be made, and hearings will follow if requested. These rules will remain in effect until decisions are made through consultation and any changes are finalized.

Rules with immediate legal effect are marked with an orange gavel symbol. Key rules effective from March 1 2025, include those related to stormwater, historic heritage, notable trees, sites of significance to Māori, ecosystems and biodiversity, natural character, and activities on the surface of water. Additionally, the Environment Court has ordered that certain rules related to outstanding natural features and landscapes also have immediate legal effect.

For more details please click on the link: Rules with Immediate Legal Effect(PDF, 60KB)

Under a Proposed District Plan, existing use rights allow activities or uses that were lawfully established before the new rules were notified to continue, even if they now contravene the new rules. These rights are governed by Section 10 of the Resource Management Act (RMA) in New Zealand

To qualify for existing use rights:

1. The use must have been lawfully established before the proposed plan was notified.
2. The effects of the use must be the same or similar in character, intensity, and scale as they were before the new rules

However, these rights do not apply if the activity has been discontinued for more than 12 months after the new rule was notified

Because some rules have immediate legal effect, once the Proposed District Plan is notified, some applications for resource consent will need to be made under, and assessed against, both the Operative District Plan and the Proposed District Plan. This can be quite complex, and we suggest that you consult a professional to assist with any applications for consent during this time.

If you would like to learn more about the weighting given between the Operative and Proposed District Plans please click here(PDF, 67KB).

The current government is taking a phased approach to the reform of the resource management system. For details on resource management reform and how it effects the Proposed District Plan, please click on the link: Resource Management Reform Summary(PDF, 438KB)

After submissions close, we’ll prepare a summary of the decisions requested by submitters, which will be publicly notified later in 2025.

If you have a strong public interest or a personal interest beyond that of the general public, you can make a further submission within 10 working days of the summary being notified, either supporting or opposing existing submissions. You’ll also need to send a copy of your further submission to the Council and to the original submitter.

The Council will then set up a Hearing Panel to review all submissions and hold public hearings where submitters can speak if they’ve indicated they want to be heard.

After the hearings, the Council will give a decision on the submissions (along with the reasons for accepting or rejecting submissions) and notify the public within two years. Everyone who submitted will be sent the decision at the same time.

Submitters then have the right to appeal the decision on the Proposed District Plan to the Environment Court.

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Individual assessment reports on heritage buildings, character contributing buildings, notable trees, outstanding natural features, significant natural features and significant natural areas are available on request. Please email planreview@waitaki.govt.nz with the site identifier number.

Council chose to release an informal Draft District Plan in 2022 for community feedback. This was a ‘first-cut’ of the new plan and we received over 300 submissions. This feedback was considered by District Plan Review Sub-Committee during 2023/2024 and informed what changes needed to be made before the Proposed District Plan was released for formal consultation. On 17 December 2024, Council approved the Proposed District Plan for notification. The notification date was set for 1 March 2025.