7 August 2026
Gisborne District Council acknowledges the Minister’s decision to decline its exemption application to progress Sustainable Land Use Plan Change 7 under the current legislative framework.
Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher-Swann says while the formal plan change now cannot proceed, the issues it was designed to address have not gone away.
“Plan Change 7 was intended to strengthen how we manage erosion-prone land and support more resilient land use across Tairāwhiti.
“Erosion, sediment loss and the impacts of increasingly severe weather continue to affect our communities, waterways and whenua. Addressing these challenges remains a priority for Council.”
Council will continue to build on the significant work already completed and strengthen the evidence base needed to inform future planning under the Government’s new resource management system.
“The work undertaken to date is not lost. It gives us a stronger foundation for the decisions that will need to be made as the new planning framework is developed and implemented,” Ms Thatcher-Swann says.
“We want to make sure Tairāwhiti is well positioned to respond to the new system and that our future planning approach reflects the particular land-use challenges facing our region.”
Council is disappointed it took around seven months to receive a decision on the exemption application, which was submitted in December 2025.
“We sought the exemption early because we wanted certainty before committing significant further resources to detailed policy development and public engagement.
“The length of time taken to receive a decision created uncertainty, but we now have clarity about the planning pathway ahead.”
Ms Thatcher-Swann says Council’s broader Sustainable Land Use transition programme will continue regardless of the Plan Change 7 decision.
“This work is much bigger than a single plan change.
“We will continue working alongside iwi, landowners, industry and communities on practical land-use transition across Tairāwhiti and help landowners identify the right land use in the right place and continue the collaborative work already underway to reduce erosion risk and build more resilient catchments.
“The need for change remains and we are committed to continuing that mahi.”