The Further Submission period closed on 8 March 2011. Further submissions were received from 31 people.

Under clause 8 of the first Schedule to the Resource Management Act 1991, only the following people were able to make a Further Submission

1. Any person representing a relevant aspect of the public interest;
2. Any person that has an interest in the proposed policy statement or plan greater than the interest that the general public has;
3. The local authority itself.

The Council needed to determine (for each of their individual submission points) which of the people who lodged further submissions, were eligible to do so.

The Council decided to hold a Hearing to assist with this. As a result some further submitters were deemed eligible in full, some in part and some not eligible.