Gisborne erosion plan: Councillors vote to seek exemption from RMA pause

Gisborne councillors at the last meeting of the year earlier this month agreed to seek an exemption from the Government's pause on plan changes. Screenshot / Gisborne District Council

Gisborne District Council seeks another exemption under the Government’s “Plan Stop”, this time to progress the sustainable transition of high-risk erosion-prone land.

Councillors, at their last meeting of the year earlier this month, voted in favour of applying for an exemption for its sustainable land use plan change proposal, Plan Change 7 (PC7).

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) expected at the end of 2027.

Earlier this year, the council confirmed it sought an exemption to progress its Urban Plan change.

The council’s PC7 was initiated in response to councillors’ direction, findings in the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use after Cyclone Gabrielle, and community concern.

Council policy planner Kelsey Goldsmith, in the meeting agenda, wrote that “The plan change focuses on the land most susceptible to slope failure and debris delivery and provides a pathway to transition the land toward permanent vegetation to improve long-term resilience within catchments and communities”.

Exemption applications must demonstrate why any planned action cannot be delayed.

Goldsmith wrote in the agenda that the council believed any delay would prolong the region’s exposure to risk.

Gisborne, with vulnerable land, remained highly exposed to severe weather events.

Council staff have narrowed the scope of the plan change to focus on high-risk land and extremely erosion-prone areas to help meet the criteria for a possible exemption.

All councillors, except for Colin Alder, voted in favour of the recommended option to seek the exemption before the end of 2025.

Alder was in favour of the second option, waiting until the start of 2026.

At the meeting, Alder said he was not against the Plan Stop exemption, but did not like rushing the application through Christmas.

“I would just like more time.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz said she was “at a loss” to understand Alder’s position.

Councillors had time to ask “all the questions” at the current meeting.

“I think it’s a case well made.”

The community was asking the council to address the issue, she said.

Councillor Samuel Gibson, who moved the motion, said if the council did not further the matter, it would indicate to the community that councillors were not taking the matter seriously.

“We need to signal to our community that this is top of mind – this is a high priority," Gibson said.

“Looking after our high-risk land and our rivers and our oceans is really key.

“We are doing this alongside industry.”

The Transition Advisory Group (TAG) – consisting of sector, science and Maori landowners – supported it, said Gibson.

“Central Government has indicated they are supportive of it and the community is asking this is of it.”

Director of Sustainable Futures, Jocelyne Allen, in a statement made before the council vote, said the exemption request was only the first stage.

“Seeking an exemption doesn’t predetermine the outcome of the plan change - it simply positions council to keep developing the essential science, mapping and policy work needed to develop a proposal that addresses our high-risk land.

“Seeking an exemption will allow council to continue developing Plan Change 7 and undertake the full Schedule 1 consultation process with our community, iwi and stakeholders before any proposed regulations are formally considered.”