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The Waikato Regional Policy Statement (RPS) provides a framework for the integrated management of our region’s natural and physical resources. It is being reviewed, as is required every 10 years.
Submissions overview
At the close of submissions on the proposed RPS 2010 earlier this year, a total of 200 submissions had been received, with almost 4500 submission points.
Management of the Waikato’s built environment attracted the most comments. The objectives, policies and methods proposed for the region’s built environment were commented on in 23 per cent of submission points. This chapter deals with managing growth, in particular urban, rural-residential and industrial development.
How the Waikato Regional Council intends to manage freshwater bodies was commented on in 13 per cent of submission points.
Most submissions were either supportive or neutral of the proposed RPS, and most submission points came from the commercial and local government sectors.
In addition, 68 further submissions were received in July 2011.
The submissions in full, a summary of the submissions and the further submissions in full are all available online.
Submission points received on the proposed RPS 2010 by chapter
Hearing committee announced
A six-member hearing committee to consider submissions on the proposed RPS 2010 has been announced and will begin sitting from early 2012.
The hearing committee will be chaired by Alan Watson, an independent commissioner with specialist Resource Management Act (RMA) experience. The other five members of the hearing committee are:
· Councillor Paula Southgate – Chair of the council’s Policy and Strategy Committee
Councillor Simon Friar – Deputy Chair of the Waikato Regional Council
Councillor Phillip Legg – Chair of the council’s Finance and Audit Committee
Anthony Olsen – an independent commissioner with particular expertise in matters of significance to Maori
Andra Neeley.
Almost 170 submitters have indicated they wish to be heard. The location, format and timings of the hearings will be decided by the hearing committee in the next few months. The hearings are expected to last for 60 days and will run from early to mid 2012.
The verbal submissions presented by submitters during hearings are important to the development of the proposed RPS. They provide the opportunity for submitters to elaborate on their written submissions and provide additional more detailed information on an issue in their written submissions.
Hearings are open to the public and hearing dates and times will be notified in the Waikato Times and at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/rpsreview in late 2011 or early 2012, at least 15 days before the hearings start.
Information for submitters on the proposed RPS
Waikato Regional Council expects to contact all submitters on the proposed RPS 2010 in writing in late 2011 with timing and location of hearings.
If you made a submission or further submission on the proposed RPS 2010 and indicated that you wished to present your views at a hearing we will contact you after the staff recommendations report is released in January 2012, to arrange a time for you to present. If the hearing committee decide they wish to have any technical information that you will present circulated to them before your hearing, we will let you know.
Recommendations on RPS submissions due early 2012
A report providing Waikato Regional Council staff recommendations on changes requested in submissions on the proposed RPS 2010 is due for release in January 2012.
The staff recommendations report (also known as a section 42A report) will be an important source of information for the hearing committee as they make final decisions on submissions to the proposed RPS next year.
The report will contain Waikato Regional Council staff’s analysis of and recommendation on each of the 4465 submission points. The report will contain a staff recommendation to accept, accept in part or reject each point, and provides reasons for the recommendation.
Since the close of submissions earlier this year, staff have focused on completing the staff report as soon as possible. This is to allow more time for the hearing committee to deliberate and make decisions.
The hearing committee is tasked with making important decisions that affect the region over a 10 year period and into the future and it is important that enough time be allowed for robust decision making.
Changes to the Resource Management Act in 2005 put a 2 year time limit from notification of a proposed RPS to releasing a decisions version, thus constraining the time for each step of the process in between. To provide as much time as possible for the hearings, Waikato Regional Council has elected not to undertake or include significantstaff research on submitters’ requests for changes if submitters have not provided adequate explanation or rationale for their requested change. The onus will therefore be on submitters to demonstrate the necessity of their requested changes as part of their presentation to the hearing committee.
Next steps
The RPS review process needs to be flexible enough to allow for complex submission points to be fully responded to, so approximate timeframes only can be provided.
January 2012
Release of staff recommendations report
February/March to September 2012
Hearings and deliberations
October 2012
Council consideration of the hearing committee’s recommendations
2 November 2012
Public notification of decisions report and release of decisions version of RPS
The RPS review so far
March 2009
We released the RPS review discussion document, to initiate discussions with regional stakeholders, and held hui, workshops and meetings to hear stakeholders’ views.
December 2009
We released the RPS working draft, and 78 individuals and organisations provided feedback on it.
November 2010
The proposed RPS 2010 was notified, and 200 submissions and 68 further submissions were received.
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