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Wairarapa's coastal strategy
Great Wellington Regional Council’s (GWRC) approach to Wairarapa’s Coastal Strategy shows how neighbouring local authorities can work together.
There is scope for partnership between elements of local government. It makes sense to work together, as we seek a sustainable region, says John Allard, corporate policy manager, Greater Wellington Council. “We did not chose to work together because of the law. It is that we cannot achieve some of the community’s goals by working alone,” he says.
The Wairarapa Coastal Strategy was an initiative of the Carterton, Masterton, South Wairarapa District Councils, Rangitaane o Wairarapa, Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
The Wairarapa Coastal Strategy and Caring for our Coast, a guide for coastal visitors, residents and developers, were published in March 2004. They followed three years of consultation between the local authorities and with other key stakeholders such as local affected communities, major coastal landowners, fishing clubs, residents associations, Forest and Bird Society, Federated Farmers, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment. “The key point is: none of us work effectively alone,” says John Allard.
While the Strategy is 'non-statutory' and is a 'community document', it was written with existing legislation and policies in mind. The legislation included the Resource Management Act and the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act. The Strategy builds on the guidance provided by such national documents to provide a local context, and incorporates community feedback. It has also taken into consideration existing District and Regional Plans. It is intended parts of the Strategy will be incorporated into future editions of these plans. Any proposed changes to District and Regional Plans will go through the normal statutory process including public consultation and submission.
The Wairarapa Coastal Strategy gives a clear direction on the community’s vision for the coast. The Strategy is intended to influence people planning or making decisions about the Wairarapa Coast – such as Long-Term Council Community Plans, community and individual actions, and education.
“Long-term community council plans should flow from a common vision of
what we are trying to achieve. At the outset we should get clear what we want
to achieve, then decide on investment and timing aspects," says John
Allard.
Coastal strategy
The Wairarapa Coastal Strategy was a local response to local opinion. The coast is a popular area to consider for development. Some local authorities and politicians, advocating economic development, felt the GWRC and other agencies were being unnecessarily obstructive for 'environmental' reasons. But they came together around the Strategy’s consultation process, leading South Wairarapa CEO Griff Page to say that the GWRC has cause to be proud of the coastal plan it released in 2004. His Mayor, John Reid, chaired the consultations on the Strategy.
The Wairarapa illustrates how cooperation can be achieved between numbers of local authorities. Cooperation has worked for issues such as coastal strategy, which leads to cooperation on planning, says Griff Page.
Steve Blakemore, the GWRC’s Masterton based project manager for the Strategy sees lesson from the project. These included
- taking time to identify the process for consultation
- identifying stakeholders
- rrafting vision
- facilitating relationships between local authorities
- undertaking significant public consultation over several years
- convincing people that those consulting genuinely wanted their input
- separating management from policy makers - identifying choices and briefing political leaders so that they could make decisions.
The Wairarapa, although with a relatively small proportion of the Wellington Regional Council’s population, has a relatively long coast and large land area of valleys and hills from Mt Bruce in the North to the Rimutaka hills in the south. The Tararua hills on the western side of the Wairarapa divide this region from the west coast communities such as Kapiti, with their rapidly growing population in search of beachside life, retirement living and a range of business. The Wairarapa’s eastern hills lead to the rugged east coast, with its small population and the opportunity to plan for use before the growth takes off. The Wairarapa Coast neighbours Wellington coastal features such as Cape Palliser and other recreation spots reached through Eastbourne’s road and other southern routes.
Combined planning
The Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa district councils were working together in 2004 to design their Combined District Plan. Advancement of the goals of the coastal strategy was one of the possibilities through the wider scope of the combined district plan. The plan of course also deals with other issues that benefit from cooperation between councils.
The councils meet two or three times a year, with reporting on progress in design of the combined plan, and an open agenda that makes it easier to bring up issues of current concern. The three councils sometimes jointly fund particular projects.
CEOs work together, and sometimes work jointly with the mayors to get the necessary political input to progress issues.
Greater Wellington Regional Council, with its chair, CEO and head office based in the capital city, helps communication on issues such as the Coastal Strategy, and planning, through a Masterton-based GWRC office.
Particularly for the classroom, in the educational activities,
in the Wairarapa Coastal Strategy and Caring for our Coast documents,
on
www.gw.govt.nz/em/coastal.htm