Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) mapping

• Project typeResearch project
• Contractor nameWildlands Consultants

Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) in the Whangārei District have been plotted on maps through a recent study by Wildlands Consultants, who were engaged by all district councils in the Northland region.

Council has been listening to the concerns of the community and hapū and has decided to proactively release the draft maps via a mapping tool that will allow an address to be entered, and will show the information about that site.

Draft Significant Natural Area maps

Plan change timeline

Plan changes relating to these SNAs are not imminent. We are waiting for central government to clarify its National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity before starting any district plan changes relating to SNAs.

Proposed National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity

Government has indicated that the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity may come out at the end of 2021. We have paused the mapping project and are waiting until the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity is finalised, before beginning consultation for any plan change process.

Next steps

We will take a precautionary approach to SNAs. We will wait for central government direction through the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity process.

Government will hold another round of consultation on the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity before it is finalised.

We are listening to concerns of the community and hapū and will use this opportunity to encourage central government to find pragmatic solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders.