Ahu Ake Spatial Plan
Waipā’s district plan will be swept away in local government reforms, councillors have heard in a workshop.
Roger Gordon
Cambridge ward councillor Roger Gordon asked who planning authority would sit with if the district plan was withdrawn.
Cambridge Connections executive director Katie Mayes said Waipā would end up with a spatial plan developed by the region’s mayors.
Pirongia ward councillor Clare St Pierre asked about property owners.
“Who is going to be standing up for them? Who is going to be looking after their interest?”
Katie Mayes.
The National Party led Government’s Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill, introduced in December 2025, will establish what the Government is calling a modern framework for national direction, ensuring councils, iwi, and applicants experience a smooth transition and continued clarity.
Mayes suggested staff bring a one-page submission to the council’s next Strategic Planning and Policy Committee on February 18.
Council staff have been preparing a draft Climate Change Strategy with a 10-year framework for 18 months.
Staff said roads melting at the start of the summer, algal blooms in some of the district’s lakes, and extended spring conditions has shown the need for a strategy.
Waipā staff were out in force during one of the community engagement sessions earlier this year for the Ahu Ake Spatial Plan.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
