What Does It Mean For Me?

The positive outcomes achieved through the District Plan generally go unnoticed for most people. It is often not until someone wants to start a new activity or redevelop their property that they become aware of the District Plan regulations and the intended outcomes...or worse, when something happens next to their property that they don’t like!

The District Plan affects the way you and your neighbours can do a range of activities, such as how you use and develop your property, as well as where activities should occur. 

The District Plan regulates these activities through objectives, policies, rules, and definitions. 

What's in it for me?

Some common ways the District Plan can affect you:

It affects:

  • How close to the boundary you can build or extend your house, garage, or other buildings
  • How many dwellings you can have on your property
  • Whether you can subdivide your property
  • Whether you can operate a business from your home
  • Whether you can rent your house as an AirBnB

What's in it for my community?

Some common ways the District Plan can affect our community 

  • It influences the shape and future feel of our towns and communities
  • It protects the uniqueness of our urban and rural communities
  • It makes us more resilient to natural hazards
  • It ensures there is accessible open space for recreation

What's in it for our environment?

Some common ways the District Plan can affect our environment

  • It protects our indigenous biodiversity
  • It affects what can occur in our special environments – like forestry
  • It protects our unique landscapes and geology

 

Watch videos or listen to the podcasts below to learn more about the key proposed changes in the Waitaki Draft District Plan and how they may impact you. 

What's in it for our towns?

In this video, we’ll look at how the Draft District Plan MAY change things for homes and businesses in the towns around our district.

Highlights:

  • Will people have more choice when they build a house? -0:25
  • Where will the small sections be? -0:48
  • Are there going to be more houses in town? -1:26
  • Can grandma come and live with us? -1:57
  • Will our towns keep getting bigger? -2:24
  • Will  it be easy to start a business from home? -3:01
  • Where will the factories go? -3:45
  • What can happen in a Mixed use zone? -4:30
  • How are we encouraging retail or living spaces in the town centres? -5:12

Listen to the Podcast

 

Watch the video

 

What's in it for our rural areas?

In this video, we’ll look at how the Draft District Plan MAY change things for households and businesses in the rural areas.

Highlights:

  • What has changed for our rural areas? -0:32
  • What happens if a farmer wants to do something different? -1:57
  • What are we doing about forestry and carbon farming? -2:53
  • Can people plant tress near their boundary? -3:21
  • Can I have a guest accommodation on site? - 3:47
  • I am worried about more people living in the rural areas and complaining about my activities. How am I protected from this? - 4:15
  • What else can I do in a rural area without a consent?  - 5:10
  • What's in the District Plan for farmers? - 5:33

Listen to the Podcast

 

Watch the Video

 

What's in it for our community?

In this video, we’ll look at how the Draft District Plan MAY change our community life in Waitaki. 

Highlights:

  • I am worried about the noise or glare from my neighbours. What protects me from this? -0:20
  • What is happening with our coastline, sea level rise and erosion?  -1:09
  • Will we get more flooding and have to move? -1:49
  • How are we looking after our old buildings? -2:12
  • What Maori values are recognised and protected? - 3:27

Listen to the Podcast

Watch the Video

  

What's in it for our environment?

The video explains environment issues from the Draft District Plan - landscapes and significant natural features, earthworks, native plants and animals and more.

Highlights:

  • What important areas or features are protected? -0:18
  • How are we looking after our native plants and animals?  -1:43
  • Are we doing enough to protect waterways? - 3:10
  • Who is going to pay for all of this? - 5:36

Listen to the Podcast

Watch the Video