Proposed Plan Change 2

Waihi – Residential and Industrial Re-zoning

Hauraki District Council prepared Proposed Plan Change 2 to the Operative Hauraki District Plan – Hauraki Section.

Proposed Plan Change 2 sought to implement directions signalled in the ‘Hauraki District Growth Strategy Te Rautaki Whakatipu 2050’ by re-zoning three distinct and geographically separate areas of land in and around Waihi to facilitate either residential (at Thorn Road and Bradford Street) or industrial land uses (at Ford Road), with structure plans proposed to guide future growth for two of the areas. The Proposed Plan Change also sought to amend existing Low Density Residential Zone and Subdivision provisions in relation to a fourth area (Bradford Street Extension) to allow for an increased density of development.

At its meeting on 18 December 2024 the Hauraki District Council resolved to approve Proposed Plan Change 2 for public notification. There were submissions and further submissions on what the Council was proposing, along with a hearing and then, on 11 March 2026, Council decisions on submissions and further submissions.

The chart below shows the process to develop Plan Change 2:

Making Operative

The Environment Court appeal period (for submitters and further submitters) ran from 25 March to 8 May 2026.

No appeals were received and Plan Change 2 became operative from 1 July 2026.

Decisions

The ‘Recommended Decisions’ of the Hearing Panel were considered and adopted by the Hauraki District Council at its meeting on 11 March 2026, consisting of:

Commentary on submissions received and evidence presented at the hearing
Decisions, with reasons, on matters raised in submission

Recommended District Plan Provisions’ were attached to the Recommended Decisions of the Hearing Panel (as Attachment A) consisting of:

Amended Section 5.8 (Low Density Residential Zone – Zone Development Standards)
Amended Section 9.4 (Subdivision Rules - Low Density Residential Zone)
Amended Section 8.6 with new Structure Plans for Ford Road and Bradford Street
Amended Planning Maps (current and proposed maps) for Ford Road (Map 31), Thorn Road (Map K3), Bradford Street (Map K5) and an amended Map Legend

Council Decisions’ on Proposed Plan Change 2 were publicly notified on 24 March 2026 with decision documentation consisting of:

The Hearing

A hearing took place from 9am on 25 November 2025 in the Council Chambers in Paeroa (1 William Street).

At the hearing, which was before a Hearing Panel made up of RMA accredited Councillors, submitters on Proposed Plan Change 2 who wished to be heard in support of their submission/s appeared and spoke to the points made in their submission/s.

Hearing Report

Council staff and technical experts assessed the matters raised in submissions and further submissions. A Hearing Report (also known as a Planning Report) was prepared and is available below:

Public Notification and Submissions

Public notification of Proposed Plan Change 2 occurred on 18 February 2025 with the submission period running until 21 March 2025. In total 27 submissions were received (including 1 submission that was received late).

The summary of decisions requested in submissions was prepared and further submissions were called for from 7 May 2025. By the close of the further submission period (on 20 May 2025) three further submissions had been received.