The future direction of Gisborne’s growth will be influenced by changes to its resource management plan going forward for public consultation.
Gisborne district councillors met on Thursday for the first time in 2025, while public engagement opened on a review of the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan (TRMP) Te Papa Tipu Taunaki o te Tairāwhiti.
Earlier, councillors decided to direct an urban plan change to the TRMP for public notification to address a gap in urban growth provisions.
The TRMP is the combined planning document that holds all of the council’s resource management plans and sets the rules regarding how the council makes decisions on natural and built environments.
Council principal policy adviser Shane McGhie told councillors the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan was old.
Most “second-generation” resource management plans had reference to managing urban growth in their Regional Policy Statement.
That was not the case with the TRMP “whatsoever” because of its age.
It was being proposed there would be “quite significant urban growth management that hasn’t ever been anticipated previously”, he said.
The council’s Sustainable Futures hub director Jo Noble said the importance of the TRNP could not be overstated.
“It includes how and where we can build, outlines how we use and protect land, soil, coasts and freshwater resources, manages the risk of hazards, and enables economic activity,” Noble said.
“It’s key to achieving positive social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes, and affects almost everyone in Tairāwhiti in some way or other.”
Noble said because it was so large, the plan would be reviewed in a series of plan changes over the next four years.
“We’d like to hear our community’s thoughts on several of those changes now, including aspects on how our city should grow and the Regional Policy Statement.”
The Regional Policy Statement gave direction and set the scene for the rest of the plan, Noble said.
“We all know our region has a housing crisis. We need to allow for good-quality housing of a range of sizes and types. This will help meet our community’s needs, help bring housing costs down and create connected communities.”
The Future Development Strategy (FDS) was developed to achieve that goal.
“To implement the FDS, we’re making some Urban Plan changes around our medium-density housing zones, as well as asking for feedback on our masterplans, starting with the CBD, Kaitī, Elgin and Awapuni.
“Together with other projects, such as Trust Tairāwhiti’s catalyst initiatives, this work helps us reinvigorate our city into the future.”
The feedback link can be found at https://participate.gdc.govt.nz/trmp-rps-urbangrowth.
Other matters discussed at yesterday’s meeting included a proposed Easter Sunday trading policy, a cemeteries bylaw and the annual report on dog control.
People can learn more about the proposal on the council website, email TRMP@gdc.govt.nz or attend the district council public sessions at the following times and locations:
- City centre: Drop in any time from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on February 11 at the HB Williams Memorial Library.
- Elgin: Drop in any time from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on February 12 at the Gisborne Park Golf Club.
- Kaitī: Drop in any time from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on February 13 at the Ilminster School Hall.
