Waikato Regional Coastal Plan (RCP)

On this page:

About the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan (RCP) •
Proposed Waikato Regional Coastal Plan •
Read the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan •
Variations and plan changes

Waikato Regional Coastal Plan

The Waikato Regional Coastal Plan (RCP) was made operative in 2005 (the operative plan).

The operative plan contains policy and methods to manage the allocation and use of coastal resources.

What area does the plan cover?

The plan applies across the coastal marine area (CMA) of the Waikato region, from the line of mean high water spring (MHWS) out to 12 nautical miles (approximately 20 km). Where the line of MHWS crosses a river, the landward boundary is determined by whichever is the lesser of one kilometre upstream from the mouth, or the point upstream calculated by multiplying the width of the river mouth by five. The CMA boundary has been fixed by agreement between the district council, Waikato Regional Council and the Minister of Conservation for some rivers – refer to Schedule 4.

Proposed Waikato Regional Coastal Plan

A proposed new plan was notified for public submissions in August 2023, and Council notified its decision on the proposed plan on 14 October 2025.

Learn more about the proposed plan

Read the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan

Access the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan online using the link below. Select 'View all Regional Plans', then Waikato Regional Coastal Plan from the list of available regional plans.

Read the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan online (ePlan)

View the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan in PDF format
3.6 MB

The Proposed Waikato Regional Coastal Plan is also available online. Provisions under appeal are shown with a yellow dotted line.

Area between Kaiaua and Matangarahi - boundary realignment and planning documents

Note: As a result of the realignment of the boundary between the Waikato Regional Council and the Auckland Council, the area between Kaiaua and Matangarahi was transferred from Auckland Council to the Waikato region.

Until the Proposed Waikato Regional Coastal Plan is operative, the Auckland coastal planning documents that applied on 1 November 2010 continue to apply in this part of the Waikato region coastal marine area. These are the Auckland Transitional Coastal Plan, the Auckland Regional Plan: Coastal, and Variation 2 to the Auckland Regional Plan: Coastal.

Variations and plan changes

Waikato Regional Council accepted a private plan change request to the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan from Pare Hauraki Kaimoana. The private plan change was made operative on 22 January 2025.

Plan Change 2 (Private) adds a new standalone rule in Chapter 16 (16.5 Marine Farming) of the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan to provide for subsurface anchor lines and anchor structures, along with any associated seabed disturbance to be located outside of the Coromandel Marine Farming Zone (CMFZ) where they anchor an aquaculture structure that is located wholly within the surface of the CMFZ, as a discretionary activity.

There is also an amendment to Rule 16.5.6 to make it explicit that such structures are not a prohibited activity.
Restricted coastal activities are activities that the Minister of Conservation determined that the Minister will be the consent authority for, rather than the regional council. The Resource Management Act was amended so that there are no longer restricted coastal activities and the Waikato Regional Council was required to remove all restricted coastal activities from the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan.
All references to restricted coastal activities have been removed from the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan effective from 24 February 2011.
A Marine Farming Variation was notified in October 1999. Decisions were released in July 2000, and are operative.
The variation inserted an entirely new chapter 6 into the proposed RCP as well as provisions in chapters 16 and 17, and appendices 1, 2, 3 and 6.
The Wilson Bay marine farming zone was established by a variation to the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan. Area C within the zone was created by the Resource Management Amendment Act (No 2) 2011.

Area C provides for 90 hectares of fed aquaculture such as fish farming. As required by the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, Waikato Regional Council has allocated of 20 per cent of Area C to the Māori Trustee.

You can view a diagram illustrating area that has been allocated to the Trustee below:

Map of Wilson Bay Area C showing allocation to trustee [PDF, 275 KB]
A Marinas Variation was notified in March 2003 and decisions were released in March 2004. The variation became operative on 21 December 2007.
The variation affects provisions in chapters 3, 16 and 17, and appendices 1, 2 and 6.
Plan Change 1 to the Regional Coastal Plan became operative on 1 October 2011. These amendments provide for the use of monitoring and sampling structures, and the use of dye tracers for research in the coastal marine area.
The passing of the Aquaculture Reform legislation in September 2011 directly amended parts of the RCP. The Resource Management Amendment Act (No2) 2011 inserted new provisions relating to fish farming, diversifying species and structures, and adding small extensions to marine farms outside the Wilson Bay Zone. That Act has also created a new zone of 300 hectares specifically for fish farming (see map 13 of the plan).