Record-breaking submissions for Draft Long Term Plan

Published on 07 March 2025

This year’s consultation on the Draft Long Term Plan has seen a record response from the Waitaki community with 650 submissions made during the four week process. However we are still anticipating some submissions sent via post before the deadline to arrive, as well as receiving two late submissions.

The previous Long Term Plan submissions record was 487, set 15 years ago during the development of the 2012-22 Long Term Plan.

Four years ago, Council received 416 submissions – although nearly half of those were solely about the proposed Network Waitaki Events Centre. This year the total number of submissions covers the consultation topics, as well as other projects and ideas the community wishes Council to consider or make changes to. During February, Waitaki District Council’s communication and engagement team held six community meetings, one bus tour, weekly online Q&A’s and pop-up fit stops to hand out information and submission forms to the community at school gates, in townships and on the Oamaru main street.

Advertising for the consultation appeared in the Kurow Bugle, Oamaru Telegram, on Real Radio 104FM, Oamaru FM and Puketapu Radio. This year Council also decided to wrap the Oamaru Mail with consultation information and a submission form, which prompted many submissions.

Director of Community Engagement and Experience, Lisa Baillie, says: “One of our aims in Changing the Way We Waitaki is to increase engagement of our community in the Council. As part of changes to the organisational design of Council under our Transformation programme, we pulled together staff from across Council departments into a new Strategic Communications and Engagement Team.

This has allowed us to reach more of the community, try new methods of engagement, and has resulted in an impressive engagement from Waitakians on the Draft Long Term Plan. We’re looking forward to engaging further with the community, both as part of our consultations on plans and policies, but also more widely to gather feedback and ensure Council is delivering what the community expects”

Council will be contacting those people who wish to make an in-person submission either in the Council chamber or via Zoom at hearings to be held later this month.

ENDS