We're reviewing the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan as it is outdated. It no longer meets legislative outcomes, our community's needs and our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan is a combined unitary plan under section 80 of the Resource Management Act (RMA), meaning it guides the use of our natural and physical resources, including land development.
Why we're reviewing the plan
Our region has changed in the last 10 years. Development, Covid, extreme weather events, cost of living increases and a changing population have altered our communities' requirements on our natural and built resources.
The Resource Management Act 1991 requires all parts of a resource management plan to be reviewed at least once every 10 years so most provisions are now overdue.
A fit for purpose resource management plan needs to align with our obligations both to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our Tairāwhiti Piritahi policy, that promotes and facilitates Māori participation in decision making. We need a plan which serves and uplifts a modern community for a prosperous Tairāwhiti.
Developing a new Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan will:
- Protect what’s important.
- Provide an aspirational and strategic view and direction that reflects the voice of mana whenua and our communities.
- Enables activities that contribute positively to Tairāwhiti and helps achieve our community outcomes.
- Respond to future change.
Our Long Term Plan includes significant investment to support this review and deliver our freshwater planning programme.
How it's being reviewed
The review is being conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 from 2022 to 2025 and Phase 2 from 2025 to 2028.
There are 4 primary workstreams, the:
- Regional Policy Statement sits as the high-level guide. It explains how national policy is applied in Tairāwhiti.
- Urban Growth workstream includes review of the urban-related chapters, part of the district provisions of the plan.
- Freshwater workstream includes the Regional Freshwater Plan and the 7 Catchment Plans.
- Forestry workstream includes forestry plan changes brought forward since the damage caused after cyclone's Hale and Gabrielle.
Timeline for the review
The development of our region's Spatial Plan Tairāwhiti 2050 provides the vision for Tairāwhiti for the next 30 years. We'll use the feedback we received and the aspirations in the Spatial Plan to inform the review.
This includes 3 workstreams
- Review provisions of the Regional Policy Statement to provide the overarching direction and set the scene for the rest of the plan.
- Continued implementation of regional freshwater planning provisions and catchment plans required under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020.
- Review the urban-related chapters of the district provisions of the plan. Implement the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 to support urban growth and development planning, including housing outcomes.
Phase 1 Milestones
- Develop an Implementation Plan for the FDS (Jul 2024)
- Public Engagement on the Regional Policy Statement challenges (February 2025)
- Public Engagement on the four master plans – one each for Kaiti, City Centre, Awapuni, Elgin (February 2025)
- Public Engagement on Urban Plan Changes (February 2025)
- Public Engagement on draft Regional Policy Statement (May 2025)
- Public Engagement on Regional Freshwater Plan and select Catchment Plans (May 2025)
- Formal Consultation on Urban Plan Change (July2025)
- Update urban-related chapters – mainly of the District Plan provisions of the TRMP to implement the FDS (2025)
- Public notification of proposed plan changes are changes to the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan are planned to occur in 2025 and 2026. This is when we ask for formal submissions on the proposed changes.
We don't need phase 1 approved before moving to phase 2, but everything we're doing in phase 1 will shape what happens in phase 2 and we'll complete most of phase 1 before starting on phase 2.
Phase 2 will include the following regional and district plan provisions.
- Regional Coastal Plan
- Rural matters
- NPS-IB 2023 - identify and include in District Plan new Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) by 2027
- Non FDS/urban related aspects of the District Plan
- Submissions on the Regional Policy Statement and the district plan provisions can be heard by councillors sitting alongside independent commissioners.
- Submissions on freshwater provisions are required to be heard by an independent freshwater panel appointed by a national freshwater commissioner.
We have an ambitious work programme for the TRMP review but we’ve put a lot of thought behind it.
Public notification of the proposed changes are planned for 2028.
Why we need to do this review
Government has been clear that we need to go ahead with our current policy work programmes under the RMA.
The National Objectives Framework in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 sets out the process for regional councils, to work with tangata whenua and the wider community to manage freshwater in their regions. We're in the process of reviewing all our river catchment plans and the Regional Policy Statement for Freshwater to align with this process.
Central government has been very clear that councils should push ahead with their current policy work programmes under the RMA. Transitioning into the new system will take some time (potentially up to 10 years).
There'll be opportunities to align current policy work developed under the RMA with the new system.
Council will remain engaged in the process and work closely with the Ministry for the Environment and mana whenua to ensure that implications of the reform are understood and the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan aligns with the new direction.
An up to date TRMP means we can make better decisions about our natural resources and the built environment, which reflect the aspirations of iwi and the community.
Reviewing and keeping the TRMP up to date is also a legal requirement. Under the RMA, councils must review regional policy statements, regional plans, and district plans every 10 years.
Does the spatial plan need to be refreshed to feed into the review of the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan, or does it happen without being refreshed?
Tairāwhiti 2050 (Spatial Plan) is our vision for the next 30 years and provides a good base to launch the review of the TRMP. This includes:
- identification of our region’s key challenges
- our communities’ aspirations, which will provide direction for developing resource management policy.
We intend to refresh the Spatial Plan to reflect the outcomes of the TRMP review and meet the new requirements of the Strategic Planning Act which is under development.
- The updated Spatial Plan will create a more detailed picture of where infrastructure and urban development should go, and priority areas for restoring biodiversity and for optimising land uses.
Video - review of the TRMP
Upcoming Public engagements
June 2025 - Public engagement on the draft Regional Policy Statement & Freshwater Provisions
July 2025 - Formal Consultation on the Urban Plan Changes
How to get involved in the review
- Check for any open engagements - kōrero mai via our engagement portal
- Ask us a question - email the team at trmp@gdc.govt.nz
- Sign up for Council News | He Pānui - using this form