Draft District Plan Engagement Concludes After 3 Months

The Draft Waitaki District Plan engagement period has now closed after 3 months of extensive engagement with the community across the district. During this time, the Council managed to engage with different sectors of the community including residents, land owners, community groups, schools, businesses, and churches. 

We have received huge interest from our community during the engagement period, meeting over 500 people across the district during our drop-in sessions, as well as fielding calls and email enquiries from our community. Thank you Waitaki for having a say in the refinement of our Draft District Plan. The Council visited many locations in the district, including Ōmārama, Ōtematata, Kurow, Duntroon, Kakanui, Weston, Hampden, Moeraki, Macraes and Palmerston. We also had a dedicated drop-in centre in Ōamaru and had drop-in sessions at the Ōamaru Farmers Market once a month. 

The Draft District Plan means different things to different people, so topics of interest were varied. In Ōamaru, the building height in medium density zone was one of the main topics of interest as well as individual property-related enquiries topping the list. In rural areas, the topics of interest were the suggested increase in minimum lot size for the General Rural Zone, Wāhi Tūpuna (Sites and Areas of Significance for Māori), landscape protection and rural provisions. 

Talking about the wins of the engagement process, Gary Kircher the Mayor of Waitaki said, “We took a personalised, “What's in it for me?”' approach to the Draft District Plan, focusing more on how the  Plan affects residents at a personal and community level. This approach filtered through to our drop-in sessions, where we had our planning team on site to help community members on the spot with their property-related questions and to clarify any issues or concerns. This approach has helped the community to be more informed on the changes, empowering them to give more informed feedback.” 
 
“The team is still collating all the data received and we will give an update on the feedback received in due course. It is very encouraging to see the interest that our residents have shown in having a say on the future of our district - thank you Waitaki for your participation! The Council will be analysing the feedback, using it to inform what will then become the Proposed District Plan, which then gives further opportunities for feedback''. 

”This Proposed Plan will be worked on over the next year or so prior to notification in early 2024. Very importantly, there has been and will be significant engagement with the public to shape and develop the Proposed District Plan, and we have appreciated all those members of the public who have taken the time to engage.” said Gary Kircher. 

As the plan proceeds through its various stages, Council will continue to share details on that progress, so stay tuned to our website www.waitaki.govt.nz/district-plan-review