This chapter covers iwi/hapu matters and interests and guidance on how to effectively approach consultation with mana whenua within the district. The National Planning standards require Councils to include a chapter in their district plans to detail processes and context relating to mana whenua.

The National Planning Standards provides flexibility on the location and level of detail in the chapter, so councils and iwi can decide this locally. The Te Manawhenua Forum mō Matamata-Piako have contributed to our mana whenua chapter.  It provides information around the iwi and hapū that are mana whenua within the Matamata-Piako District. It includes iwi and hapū values, Treaty settlement interests, Council and mana whenua relationships, iwi and hapū planning documents, and engagement and consultation with mana whenua.  This is an important addition to the district plan and will help resource consent applicants and other plan users better understand their Resource Management Act obligations around consultation with Maori.     

The National Planning Standards provides a range of zones, each with a description, to recognise the differing scales of commercial type activity. The term ’Business Zone‘ is not included in the National Planning Standards. Council considers that the two zones;Town Centre Zone and Commercial Zone best reflect the existing core CBD areas, and outer commercial areas of our main towns.

The National Planning standards town centre description is:

• Areas used predominantly for:
  • in smaller urban areas, a range of commercial, community, recreational and residential activities.
  • in larger urban areas, a range of commercial, community, recreational and residential activities that service the needs of the immediate and neighbouring suburbs.

We consider there are some activities in the current district plan that are not suited to the new Town Centre Zone and propose they are not part of the new Town Centre Zone. These activities are vet clinics, fire stations, packhouses and cool stores, storage and warehousing.  If they already exist in the Town Centre Zone they will have existing use rights. If someone buys this type of business, they will be able to carry on the existing use right so long as they continue the activity. However, anyone looking to establish a new activity like these, would have to apply for a resource consent.

At the moment you can only have a smaller additional house on your site to house a “dependant” person”. Once the dependant person leaves the dwelling it must be removed from the site.

The National Planning Standards contained a new definition that Councils are required to implement into District Plans. This definition is “Minor Residential Unit: means a self- contained residential unit that is ancillary to the principal residential unit, and is held in common ownership with the principal residential unit on the same site.”  

This new definition means a larger range of people can live in a minor residential unit as opposed to the dependant persons dwelling. When this new more enabling definition of Minor Residential Unit becomes part of the District Plan, the Dependant Persons Dwellings definition and associated rules will be removed, as these are more restrictive than the new definition. 

The current rules allow for a residential unit on a site in the CBD, and industrial locations, as long as the residential unit is associated with the business on the site. Council now considers there would be benefit in allowing for residential units in these locations, independent of a business. This would help to provide additional living opportunities and increase the vibrancy of the town centres. New standards will allow these to occur as a permitted activity, with some rules to maintain the look and feel of the main shopping street, for example in the CBD the residential unit must be above the shop or business. A new definition “service area” will also be included. If people wanted to do something different, for example live behind the shop rather than above it, they could apply for a resource consent, and these will be considered on a case by case basis.  

Council have proposed rules, where as a permitted activity, people could live above a shop subject to certain standards. Council considers that this is the best way to maintain the look and feel of the main shopping street, while providing different living opportunities. If a person did want to live at the ground level of a shop, or at ground level behind the shop, they could make a resource consent application to Council and this would be considered on a case by case basis.  

The current setback in the rural and rural lifestyle zone for sideyard varies between five and 10 metres depending on the zone. The proposal is to increase the sideyard to 50m for “any building or enclosure used for the housing and keeping of any animals (including milking and calf rearing sheds, but excluding buildings for intensive farming) are not permitted within 50 metres of the boundary. This standard excludes stock loading races or stock loading yards associated with an agricultural activity and commercial stockyards, sales yards and holding paddocks.”

Council considers that the larger setback yard on the site where animals are kept will help limit any nuisances generated with the keeping of animals.

The National Planning Standards provides for three different types of reserve zone that must be applied across the different Council reserves managed under the District Plan. These reserve types are:

• Natural Open Space Zone
• Open Space Zone
• Sport and Active Recreation Zone

The use of a single zone to manage a reserve under the District Plan is different from the method the Council currently uses (see below). Council has selected and applied to each reserve, the new zone type that most closely reflects the types of activities currently already occurring on the reserve. The Natural Open Space Zone will continue with the same rules as the existing Kaitiaki zone as it is intended there will only be a very limited range of activities that can occur on these reserves. The Open Space and Sport and Active Recreation Zones will have new objectives, policies and rules to manage the activities on these reserves.  A lot of the activities will be permitted as long as they fit the standards for the zone. If they don’t fit the standards they will require a consent. There are some activities that will always require a resource consent, for example grandstands.  

For many years the existing District Plan has used a combination of the rules in the underlying zoning (which was the zoning of the land near a reserve, for example rural and residential) and reference Council’s reserve management plans to manage activities on reserves. The District Plan maps identified all the reserves with a reserve overlay. However, changes in best practice have now meant that the District Plan is limited in the ways it can refer to other documents i.e. reserve management plans. This is the reason why the references to the reserve management plans were taken out from the activity tables in the new zones.

However, those seeking to undertake activities on a reserve, for example building clubrooms, BBQ shelters or park benches, or undertaking a non-sporting activity such as a market or large public event, should also contact us to check that there are no additional requirements such as permits, required under the Reserve Management Plan or the Reserves Act.  If an applicant has requirements under these documents, as well as under the District Plan, Council staff will work with applicants to align the processes as much as possible.

Yes. The changes to the District Plan do not take away the requirements under the Reserves Act. If you are wanting to build a structure (for example picnic shelter, picnic table, etc.) or undertake an activity (for example a conservation project, replanting or pest control), you will  still need to contact us as the land owner or reserve manager, to check whether any approval or permits are required under the Reserves Act.   

A reserve management plan (RMP) is a statutory document under the Reserves Act 1977 that guides how we protect, develop and manage the reserves we look after.