Waimakariri council to review community strategy
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
A challenging environment has changed Waimakariri’s community priorities.
The Waimakariri District Council will review its community development strategy earlier than expected due to the challenges of Covid-19, climate change and the housing crisis.
The last strategy was written in 2015, in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes, and was expected to guide the council’s community team for the next 10 years.
‘‘A lot has changed since 2015, with Covid-19 and the emerging impacts of climate change, and we’ve seen increasing poverty and growing cultural diversity,’’ Waimakariri District Council community team manager Tessa Sturley said.
‘‘We think it’s important that we look at this afresh.’’
Speaking at last week’s community and recreation meeting, Sturley said the review would be conducted community wide.
Staff have already approached Mahaanui Kurataiao Ltd to ensure a bicultural, partnership approach is applied when developing the strategy.
‘‘It’s a strategic look at the wellbeing opportunities and connections of whole district, so it will include agencies that we work with and support,’’ Sturley said.
The aim of the community development strategy was to ‘‘provide a clear framework’’ for the community team in facilitating how to address local priorities, she said.
The council’s first community development strategy was developed in 2007 and identified the need for increased collaboration ‘‘to facilitate the creation of a safer, happier, healthier district’’.
It led to the establishment of the North Canterbury Family Violence Network, Waimakariri Health Advisory Group, Social Services Waimakariri and the North Canterbury Youth Services Network.
The 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes changed the social landscape, with a large influx of ‘‘earthquake refugees’’ from Christchurch and an increase in migrant workers.
A second community development strategy was prepared in 2015 with the goals of engaging with the community, informing the community about relevant issues and opportunities, and connecting people, groups and organisations.
It had resulted in the established of a migrants and newcomers group and the age-friendly plan.
Sturley said the new review would consider the social recovery from Covid-19, the impact of climate change and the importance of sustainability, inclusive communities and the housing crisis.
Council staff planned to develop a draft strategy by April next year, with the aim of it being adopted by the council in July, after a period of public consultation.
Waimakariri district plan faces more delays amid changing rules
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Changing Government legislation is causing headaches for council staff, as Waimakariri’s new District Plan is set to be delayed again.
Waimakariri District Council development planning manager Matt Bacon said he was relieved when the last of the public hearings ended last week.
But with final council reports due on December 13, staff will have just two working days to present the final District Plan on December 17. A district plan helps to control and manage the development of the district or city.
‘‘We are working through what it looks like and we will update the council at its meeting on December 3,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘But we will likely seek another extension from the environment minister and the Resource Management Act (RMA) minister.’’
The council first notified its draft District Plan in September 2021, but within months legislation was introduced with new medium density residential housing standards (MDRS).
‘‘We needed to call for further submissions and we had to create a separate hearing panel to consider the plan variations to allow for the MDRS,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘We have tried to merge the process as much as possible, as well as looking at re-zoning and incorporating other new legislation.’’
When the draft plan was first notified there was no National Policy Statement (NPS) for Indigenous Biodiversity, but an NPS was introduced - and then replaced.
The Natural and Built Environment Act came into being last year and then repealed, and then there is the NPS on Urban Development and the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.
The Government is now working on more RMA reforms and Environment Canterbury is working on the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement.
And then there is the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, which includes three proposed housing developments in Waimakariri - two of them outside of the future urban development areas identified in the Greater Christchurch Spatial Plan.
All three housing developments in the Bill have been included in submissions to the District Plan, including a proposed 850-home development at Ohoka, near Rangiora, which is also subject to an Environment Court appeal.
‘‘We haven’t seen the detail, so whether it is the same proposals, we don’t know, but they are different processes so we have to just keep doing what we are doing, until we are told otherwise,’’ Bacon said.
‘‘It might just be a timing thing, but we just don’t know.’’
Bacon said delaying the District Plan until new legislation is in place is not an option.
‘‘We are looking at what we can control and having a watching brief, and we will look at transitional timings because we don’t always have to immediately change planning documents when new legislation comes in.’’
Planning manager Wendy Harris said navigating changing Government legislation is a normal part of council planning work.
‘‘If we waited we wouldn’t do anything and we would go nowhere.’’
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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