What zone is my property in and what rules apply?

To find out what you can do on your property you need to know what zone it is in.

Each property has a zone within the District Plan. The District Plan is a rule book to manage how different parts of the District are used, developed, and protected. 

You can find what zone your property is in by searching your address in our GIS Maps.

Finding your property zone

The Whangārei District Plan 2022 is operative in part and there are appeals to the Transport Chapter which are not yet resolved.  

  1. Open the District Plan GIS Map
  2. Start typing your address or legal description in the search bar on the left-hand side of the screen.
  3. Click on your full address or legal description to select it, when it appears in the drop down box. 
    Image of the property search box dropdown to select your address.
  4. Click on your property on the map to display the full ‘Details’ of your property on the right side of the screen.
  5. Under ‘Details’ you can arrow across, and your zone will display under the heading of Zones, e.g. ZONE – General Residential Zone.
    Image showing your property zone.

What can I do in my zone?

Once you know what zone your property is in you can find the rules that apply to your zone.

Each zone has rules about:

  • where you can build
  • how high you can build
  • what you can use land and buildings for (e.g. residential, commercial or, industrial use)

The rules specify things like how far apart houses need to be, how close you can build to your boundary and how many houses you can build on a site.

Find rules that apply to your zone

You can find the rules that apply to your zone by following the instructions below:

  1. Find your property zone. 
  2. Once you have found your property zone, under 'Details' click on the 'More info' link next to 'Chapter' and beneath 'Zone'.
    Image showing how to open the District Plan Zone Chapter for your property.
  3. Chapter of the District Plan will open for your zone.
  4. To find out what rules apply to your property zone scroll to the rules section of the Chapter.

Each zone chapter sets out a description and expectation for the zone, objectives, policies and rules (in that order). The rules set out bulk and location requirements for buildings and tell you what types of activities are allowed in your zone. If a rule in the chapter is highlighted yellow this means it is subject to an outstanding Appeal.

We recommend in this case that you contact the Duty Planner or make a request for planning advice. 

Additional rules to check

In addition to your zone rules, a precinct or development area may apply to your property.

Rules for a precinct or development area are additional to the zone rules and / or replace those of the zone.

You can find out if your property is in a precinct or development area by following the step by step instructions for Finding your property zone.  

Finding your property zone 

The table that follows lists all the precincts where the rules for these can be found in the District Plan.

District Plan

Precinct Number Precinct Name Chapter
PREC1 Northland Christian Camp Precinct (NCCP) General Residential Zone (GRZ)
PREC2 Western Hills Drive Precinct (WDDP) Medium Density Residential Zone (MRZ)
PREC3 Maunu Town Centre Precinct (MTCP) Local Centre Zone (LCZ)
PREC4 Hihiaua Peninsula Precinct (HPP) Mixed Use Zone (MUZ)
PREC5 South Whangarei Gateway Precinct (SWGP) Light Industrial Zone (LIZ)
PREC6 Marsden Point Energy Precinct (MPEP) Heavy Industrial Zone (HIZ)
PREC7 Bream Bay Marine Science and Research Precinct (BBMSRP) Heavy Industrial Zone (HIZ)
PREC8 Light and Heavy Industry Setback from Water Exemption Precinct (SWEP) Precincts (PREC)
PREC9 Ruakaka Environmental Benefit Precinct (REBP) General Residential Zone (GRZ)
PREC10 Waterfront Commercial Precinct Zone (WZ) Waterfront Zone (WZ)
PREC11 Onerahi Industrial Precinct (OIP) Light Industrial Zone (LIZ)
PREC12 Parihaka Environmental Benefit Precinct (PEBP) Low Density Residential Zone (LRZ)
PREC13 Vinegar Hill Road Precinct (VHRP) Precincts (PREC)
PREC14 Marsden Technology Park Precinct (MTPP) Light Industrial Zone (LIZ)
PREC15 Pyle Road West Precinct (PRWP) Precincts (PREC)
PREC16 Marsden Urban Expansion Precinct (MUEP) General Residential Zone (GRZ)
PREC17 O’Shea Road Environmental Benefit Precinct (OEBP) Low Density Residential Zone (LRZ)
PREC18 Site Specific Environmental Benefit - 734 Pataua North Road, Whareora (Part Lot 1 DP 94742) Rural Production Zone (RPROZ)
PREC19 Site Specific Environmental Benefit - 128 and 172 Awaroa River Road, Whangarei (Lot 3 DP 317977 and Lot 2 DP 87364) Rural Production Zone (RPROZ)
PREC20 Site Specific Environmental Benefit - 2487 Whangarei Heads Road, Whangarei (Part Allot 17 PSH of Manaia) Rural Production Zone (RPROZ)
PREC21 Site Specific Environmental Benefit - 1007 Cove Road, Waipu (Lot 3 DP 67636) Rural Production Zone (RPROZ)
PREC22 Site Specific Environmental Benefit - 995 Cove Road, Waipu (Part Lot 1 DP 69511) Rural Production Zone (RPROZ)

Depending on what you want to do with your property, other District Wide rules may also apply.

Some of these rules are linked to mapped information such as natural character areas and flood susceptible areas. Others apply to specific types of activities, for example subdivision or signs.

The following District Plan chapters contain different rules that may apply to the work you want to do.  These chapters can be found within the Part 2: District Wide Matters section of the plan.

District Plan - Part 2: District Wide Matters

  • Transport
  • Three Waters Management
  • Natural Hazard Resource Area Rules
  • Historic Heritage
  • Notable and Public Trees
  • Sites of Significance to Māori Resource Area Rules
  • Subdivision
  • Coastal Area
  • Earthworks
  • Light
  • Noise and Vibration
  • Signs

Natural hazards

If you need help to understand how the rules apply to your property you can make an appointment with the Duty Planner.  

How we can help

Disclaimer

The information on this page provides an indication of District Plan rules which frequently apply to what you can do with your property. They are not a comprehensive list of all rules that might apply to a particular use or development.

The District Plan should be referred to in all cases for a comprehensive list of applicable rules.  

The Whangārei District Plan 2022 is operative in part and there are appeals to the Transport Chapter which are not yet resolved.

In resolving outstanding appeals, additional rules may be added to the District Plan which may change what you are permitted to do on your property. 

District Plan

Enquiries

Use our online forms to get help finding your zone or understanding the District Plan rules.

Property zoning enquiry

District Plan rules enquiry

Phone:  09 430 4200 

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