All you need to know about Your Place

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Our little corner of paradise, the Western Bay is one of the fastest growing areas of Aotearoa New Zealand.

And so when it comes to managing this growth and development in the Western Bay, our District Plan is the guiding document we turn to.

The District Plan sets out rules and areas in our District where we’d expect to see certain activities, events and development to occur. Like how close to the boundary you can build or extend your house, garage or other buildings. Or whether you can operate a business from your home.

We developed these rules back in 2008 and have made some necessary changes along the way. But given the growth of our District we want to check in to make sure this plan still meets the needs of everyone.

Over the next couple of years we will be wanting to have a kōrero with you on all the environmental topics the District Plan contains. We’ll start at a high level from climate change to housing, and then move right down to the detail such as how high you can build a fence, to the distance your garage needs to be from your neighbour.

There is a lot to cover and we need the support of our communities to help identify what matters. We need to understand what opportunities exist, and what issues we need to address.

We will need to stay connected throughout the process as we develop ideas and feedback into words on a page that will then replace the rules we currently have in place.

All you need to know about this project, how to get involved and how to stay connected can be found here.

A summary of our first kōrero – here’s what we heard you love about Your Place.

Thanks for all your feedback about what you love about your neighbourhood, your ideas, and what your priorities are for your place as we prepare for growth.

Your responses to our pre-engagement survey for Your Place / Tō wāhi are in. We asked you about our homes, our rural places, our businesses, our changing climate, and more. More than 1100 residents shared what they want us to prioritise when it comes to planning for tomorrow.

You’ve told us transport, the natural environment, and housing are the top three priorities for us to plan for growth.

We’ve heard that three-quarters of respondents believe our transport routes need improvement.

You’ve let us know that you perceive the biggest risk to our natural environment being how we use and change the land. Two-thirds of respondents also think we’re not building and developing in the right places too.

You told us the top three types of housing you would like to see are rentals, stand-alone homes, and one or two-bedroom properties. You also told us in terms of making room for more homes, it’s important to be able to build up as opposed to just out.

We’ve also taken note of 92 percent of respondents telling us we should be doing more to encourage sustainable living and two-thirds telling us we should be doing more to reduce emissions.

Around two-thirds of people who responded to our pre-engagement survey believe businesses are operating in the right places and are grouped logically.

We received lots of fantastic feedback, and we want to take the time to understand it all thoroughly. In the meantime, the ‘raw’ free text comments for each topic are available to view on the project pages. Or check out this summary of what you told us.

In early 2023, we’ll be coming back to you to start an in-depth conversation about local issues and what you’re experiencing in your place. We want to continue this meaningful kōrero, and get to the heart of local issues.


Until then here is a little insight into what we have discovered already:


You can view the full document of all topics, graphs, and free text here.

Please note: free text comments are a ‘raw’ extract from the survey results, categorised by topic and location. Some comments will need redirecting to other sections as part of the analysis, and some relate to other processes (such as the Long Term Plan). It is provided as an overview for your information, in advance of analysis to be completed.

Our little corner of paradise, the Western Bay is one of the fastest growing areas of Aotearoa New Zealand.

And so when it comes to managing this growth and development in the Western Bay, our District Plan is the guiding document we turn to.

The District Plan sets out rules and areas in our District where we’d expect to see certain activities, events and development to occur. Like how close to the boundary you can build or extend your house, garage or other buildings. Or whether you can operate a business from your home.

We developed these rules back in 2008 and have made some necessary changes along the way. But given the growth of our District we want to check in to make sure this plan still meets the needs of everyone.

Over the next couple of years we will be wanting to have a kōrero with you on all the environmental topics the District Plan contains. We’ll start at a high level from climate change to housing, and then move right down to the detail such as how high you can build a fence, to the distance your garage needs to be from your neighbour.

There is a lot to cover and we need the support of our communities to help identify what matters. We need to understand what opportunities exist, and what issues we need to address.

We will need to stay connected throughout the process as we develop ideas and feedback into words on a page that will then replace the rules we currently have in place.

All you need to know about this project, how to get involved and how to stay connected can be found here.

A summary of our first kōrero – here’s what we heard you love about Your Place.

Thanks for all your feedback about what you love about your neighbourhood, your ideas, and what your priorities are for your place as we prepare for growth.

Your responses to our pre-engagement survey for Your Place / Tō wāhi are in. We asked you about our homes, our rural places, our businesses, our changing climate, and more. More than 1100 residents shared what they want us to prioritise when it comes to planning for tomorrow.

You’ve told us transport, the natural environment, and housing are the top three priorities for us to plan for growth.

We’ve heard that three-quarters of respondents believe our transport routes need improvement.

You’ve let us know that you perceive the biggest risk to our natural environment being how we use and change the land. Two-thirds of respondents also think we’re not building and developing in the right places too.

You told us the top three types of housing you would like to see are rentals, stand-alone homes, and one or two-bedroom properties. You also told us in terms of making room for more homes, it’s important to be able to build up as opposed to just out.

We’ve also taken note of 92 percent of respondents telling us we should be doing more to encourage sustainable living and two-thirds telling us we should be doing more to reduce emissions.

Around two-thirds of people who responded to our pre-engagement survey believe businesses are operating in the right places and are grouped logically.

We received lots of fantastic feedback, and we want to take the time to understand it all thoroughly. In the meantime, the ‘raw’ free text comments for each topic are available to view on the project pages. Or check out this summary of what you told us.

In early 2023, we’ll be coming back to you to start an in-depth conversation about local issues and what you’re experiencing in your place. We want to continue this meaningful kōrero, and get to the heart of local issues.


Until then here is a little insight into what we have discovered already:


You can view the full document of all topics, graphs, and free text here.

Please note: free text comments are a ‘raw’ extract from the survey results, categorised by topic and location. Some comments will need redirecting to other sections as part of the analysis, and some relate to other processes (such as the Long Term Plan). It is provided as an overview for your information, in advance of analysis to be completed.