Gisborne District Council seeks exemption to progress Urban Plan change

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop holds up a copy of the Resource Management Act during the post-Cabinet press conference earlier this year. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Gisborne District Council has confirmed it will be seeking an exemption under the Government’s new Plan Stop legislation to progress its Urban Plan change.

The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act was passed into law on August 20.

Included with this legislation was the Plan Stop amendment, which stops councils from carrying out some plan-making work in advance of the Government’s replacement of the Resource Management Act (RMA).

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop signalled earlier in the year this change was coming as part of a package of broader RMA reforms.

According to information published by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) about Plan Stop, it is aimed at ensuring local authorities do not expend resources unnecessarily by stopping parts of the plan-making process between the time the act comes into force and the time legislation to replace the RMA comes into force, expected to be by the end of 2027.

Councils are required to stop progressing any plan changes and plan reviews that are not yet at the hearings stage or apply for an exemption within 90 days of the legislation being enacted.

MfE will assess exemption applications from councils and advise the minister, who makes the final decision.

The proposed Urban Plan change by Gisborne District Council (GDC) was part of the broader Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan review guided by the council’s Future Development Strategy 2024-2054, which identified where it could build, along with the infrastructure needed for housing and sustainable economic development.

Information published on the GDC website describes the Urban Plan change in two stages.

The first stage involves drafting a zoning plan to support housing choice and supply by developing residential, commercial and mixed-use zoning changes.

The next part of the first stage is a Residential Urban Design Guide, which “seeks to encourage developers and designers to look beyond the minimum standards set out in the plan’s rules as well as engineering standards to explore opportunities that will create a better-quality urban environment for current and future generations of Tairāwhiti”.

The council also aims, through this stage of the plan, to establish guidelines for the identification, protection and maintenance of notable trees, recognising their ecological, cultural and aesthetic value.

The second stage of the Urban Plan Change focuses on the remainder of the district provisions, which include rural areas.

Three focus areas in this stage are sustainable agriculture practices, coastal protection and heritage sites, according to the GDC website.

“The Urban Plan Change is about shaping the future of our urban area in a way that balances growth with resilience and environmental protection,” GDC director of sustainable futures Jocelyne Allen said in a statement.

Members of the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan committee supported progressing the Urban Plan Change and seeking an exemption earlier this month. Councillors endorsed that recommendation at a meeting last week.

If the exemption is granted, the council intends to proceed to public notification next year.

“It’s important to recognise the work that’s already gone into shaping the plan,” Allen said.

“Our communities, Treaty partners and stakeholders have been integral contributors and their input remains at the heart of what we’re proposing. While this pause at the national level brings uncertainty, we are committed to progressing what matters locally.”

In its statement, GDC said it would keep the community updated on the outcome of the exemption process and encouraged people to stay engaged by following its Participate engagement platform, signing up for its He Pānui emails and following national updates through the MfE newsletter.