What is the District Plan?

The district plan is a legal document which sets out Whangarei District Council's policies and objectives for managing the natural and physical resources of the Whangarei District.

The rules in the plan adopt an effects-based rather than an activities-based approach. While the plan does identify types of activity, this has only been done where the specific identification of that activity is the most appropriate way to manage effects. Most rules in the plan relate to "any activity".

The intention of the plan is to deal with each effect through a separate rule and the general presumption that every activity, except subdivision, is permitted unless otherwise regulated by the plan.

The District Plan is a statutory document which can only be changed through a legal process and is therefore rather static i.e. it does not report on property descriptions and the like. Being a statutory document it does not lean itself to manipulation or search opportunities.

The GIS map system, however, is an interactive system that records all sorts of information including the District Plan Zonings and Resource Areas. People can identify their property and drill down through all the layers to find the information they require including the District Plan information.

To find out which Rules, Policy and Objectives are applicable people will have to go back to the Statutory Document of the District Plan. To receive all information applicable on the property the public are advised to apply for a Land Information Memorandum (LIM).

Related Links
GIS Maps
Land Information Memorandum (LIM)