Council ‘fixes’ signs bylaw after sponsorship worries

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Kaikōura District Council has moved to address an ‘‘unintended consequence’’ of its new signs bylaw.

The move to regulate road signs, which took effect in December, banned signs being placed off-site from a business’ main premises.

It also included rules about minimum text sizes and the maximum numbers of letters and words that can be included on signs placed on State Highway 1 properties.

But a delegation from the Kaikōura Golf Club told councillors in July it prevented clubs from displaying sponsorship signs, which was a source of income.

The council has since added a new clause to the bylaw allowing clubs to display a sponsorship sign.

‘‘It is a good example of how we take on feedback from the community,’’ council chief executive Will Doughty said.

‘‘Even though it was outside of the formal submissions process, it was necessary to fix an unintended consequence.’’

Too ensure the new exemption is not abused, a club or society is now defined in the bylaw.

‘‘It means you can’t just set up a club or society to get around the bylaw, as a club or society has to be something anyone in the community can join,’’ senior operations manager Dave Clibbery said.

Businesses are also limited to two sponsorship signs anywhere in the district, except where a business has naming rights for a public facility granted by the council, such as the Takahanga Mainpower Multisports Court.

Mayor Craig Mackle said he supported the changes.

‘‘Local businesses will often support more than two clubs in the community, but they often don’t advertise it to anyone anyway, so I don’t see the new rules as being restrictive.’’

Councillors adopted the changes at a council meeting last week, with immediate effect.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.