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  3. Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1

Following notification of the decisions version of Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 (PC1), a number of parties appealed. Since then, Waikato Regional Council staff have been working with appellants to better understand concerns raised and to start seeking resolution to appeal matters.

On 11 August 2021, the Government released the findings of a review of Overseer and a response to those findings. Concerns were raised about the use of Overseer for regulatory purposes. This is significant for PC1, which requires the use of Overseer for some tasks. Waikato Regional Council staff have been working with appellants to understand the implications of the review for the appeal process. This conversation has also considered the implications for the appeals process of government directions released since the PC1 decisions version, including the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020, the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater, the Stock Exclusion Regulations, and the pending Farm Plan Regulations. Addressing these matters has caused some delay in the appeals process.

The Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries are now overseeing the redevelopment of Overseer and the development of a Risk Index Tool for councils to use in plan development. The tool will allow scoring of the relative risk of nitrogen leaching, which can be used to determine if consents are needed in regional plans. These options will be considered through the appeals process as appeals scope allows.

The Environment Court manages the appeals process. The process will likely include court assisted mediation, expert conferencing and court hearings. More information on the appeals can be found in the section below.

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Why we are doing Healthy Rivers | Wai Ora

Our rivers are showing the signs of being affected by contaminants, with an increase in algal blooms and decrease in swimmability. The longer we wait to address these effects, the harder and more expensive it will be to fix. 

That’s where Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora comes in. It’s the bold first step in an 80-year journey to achieve rivers that have improved water quality, are safe for food gathering along their entire length and meet the requirements of Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato, the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River.

It is a change to the Waikato Regional Plan, with rules to manage both point source discharges (such as sewage from towns and waste from factories) and non-point source discharges linked to agriculture. Developed with the community, it allows for the management of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and bacteria in the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

Decisions on Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1

At an extraordinary meeting of council on 18 March 2020, the recommendations made by the Hearings Panel for Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1: Waikato and Waipā River Catchments were adopted, subject to the correction of minor errors, as the council’s decisions on proposed plan change 1.

The decisions version of Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 was notified on Wednesday, 22 April 2020. From the date of the public notice (22 April 2020) Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 is amended in accordance with the Decisions Version.

The decisions version of proposed Plan Change 1 has been appealed by a number of parties. Notices of appeals, 274 parties and court documents can be found here.

Plan stages and information

  1. Plan Change 1 in development - 2012 to 2016
  2. Plan Change 1 and Variation 1 notified - 2016 to 2018
  3. Submissions (Plan Change 1 and Variation 1) - 2016 to 2018
  4. Hearings - March to September 2019
  5. Decision notified - 22 April 2020
  6. Appeals
  7. Plan operative

Image - Healthy Rivers Wai Ora timeline

Policy and process of development