Council planning ahead for Tauranga's environmental challenges

Rapidly-growing Tauranga is facing environmental challenges and the city council is surveying residents on its environmental strategy. Photo/file

Rapidly-growing Tauranga is facing environmental challenges and the city council is surveying residents on its environmental strategy.

Nationally and locally there is an increasing focus on preserving the quality of the natural environment, which is vulnerable to degradation as the population grows.

Tauranga City Council has set a goal for Tauranga to be an internationally competitive city with a higher standard of living for all.

The council, led by the Environment Committee, has decided to review the state of the city's environment and help create a city-wide environment strategy.

Steve Morris, chairman of the Environment Committee, said he wanted the strategy to ensure that Tauranga grew in a way that protected and enhanced the city's natural resources and demonstrated kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over the environment.

"We live in a fantastic place, surrounded by environmental treasures. We need to maintain and improve the quality of our natural environment," Cr Morris said.

"It plays such an important role in our quality of life and in our attractiveness as a city to visitors, future residents and even investors. And, most of all, we need to preserve a healthy, beautiful and sustainable environment for our children while supporting the growth of our city."

The environment strategy will look at atmosphere and climate, air quality, freshwater, marine and coast, and land - including natural environments and resource management.

It will also consider links with other council functions, like the role of transport and urban form.

The Environment Committee has set up an online survey to gather people's views on the city's environment as it is now and how people how it will be in future.

The survey will be open until September 1 and the community's feedback will contribute to shaping the environment strategy.