Rangitīkei District Council to apply for exemption to Government’s plan-change halt

Mayor Andy Watson has written to the Government to inquire about an exemption to the plan-change stop. Photo / NZME

Rangitīkei District Council will “be brave” and apply for an exemption to the Government’s halt on all plan changes.

The councillors voted in favour of continuing work on the district’s Proposed Plan Change 3 (PPC3) and apply to the Minister for the Environment for an exemption to the plan-change stop.

The plan change provides for urban growth across the district over the next 30 years, focusing on the residential and rural lifestyle zones within the Rangitīkei District Plan and a “significant amount of work” has been done on it.

In July, the minister responsible for Resource Management Act (RMA) reform, Chris Bishop, said the Government would stop councils “wasting their officers’ time and their ratepayers’ money”, with the RMA to be replaced by two new acts by the end of the year.

Those acts will be the Planning Act and the Natural Environment Act, which are currently still under development.

Councils were required to withdraw plan reviews and changes that have not started hearings as soon as possible.

Mayor Andy Watson has written to the minister and indicated that the council has commenced PPC3 and an exemption would be appropriate for this plan change.

The council’s strategy manager Tiffany Gower said the recommendation from council officers was for the council to endorse the continuation of work and apply for the exemption.

“We’ve started this process, we’ve done a significant amount of work, we’ve identified a need for this and we don’t wish to wait until the new entity,” Gower said.

Gower said housing development is one of the key reasons for the RMA repeal, which the council aligned with.

“I would say that there has been a laser focus on the metropolitan areas and [Government] have been largely silent on councils like ourselves, but it doesn’t mean that we are not important and we have made that clear to them,” she said.

“We do align for the fact that [PPC3] is providing for housing growth and urban development.”

Deputy Mayor Dave Wilson said he found it “incredibly disappointing” the council often found itself in these situations.

“This is a classic example that we have seen constantly from our political leaders down in Wellington. They’ve just thrown this out without any real indication and support of what the alternative might look like,” he said.

Wilson said council must endorse the continuation of work on PPC3 and apply for an exemption because of all the work that has been done until now.

“We are 90% of the way through this work, I think we run a big risk here that if we don’t continue to push on and get this work done, we are going to be left behind the eight-ball and, all of a sudden, the game will have started and we’re going to be stuck in the changing rooms putting our shoes and socks on.

“Let’s be brave, let’s apply for the exemption, let’s justify why it is that we want to do it and let’s be clear about what our objectives are for this council and our community.”

Councillor Coral Raukawa agreed.

“As a council, we take it very seriously that our urban growth plan is something of a priority for us – I believe our growth aligns with what the Government is doing,” Raukawa said.

“It is a risk because the minister could turn around and say no to our exemption but we have got to be brave, courageous and stick to our guns.”