Getting to grips with Hamilton city's proposed 10-year District Plan is a weighty and expensive matter.
The two volume document - 1400-odd pages comprising graphs, maps and tables and 20 pages of definitions - is available for $330. An online version of the entire plan is available free and a CD version can be purchased for $15.
The proposed plan is currently out for public submission. The submission deadline was originally today, but after submissions to council from individuals and commercial groups, an extension has been granted until the end of March.
Long term council campaigner and now Hamilton Citizens and Ratepayers Association member Brian Haskell and Russelle Knaap are concerned about the cost of the tome - and some of the proposals it contains.
Mr Haskell printed off his own copy and bound it in four ringbinders for an estimated $200.
Council refused to sell only one of the two-volume plan.
"It is impossible to properly compare and make a detailed analysis of facts and figures when you are online or working on a CD," he says.
"It is not a friendly read - hence the number of pages of definitions.
"The size, the cost and the presentation together with the submission period over Christmas and through the holidays, could be taken as undemocratic."
However, Mr Haskell is pleased council has extended the period for public submissions.