The Rural and Flood Channel Zones have not been comprehensively reviewed since they were first introduced in the late 1990s. National direction and regional policy introduced since then requires changes and updates to the District Plan. We also need to update the District Plan with the latest hazard information, including flood modelling from Horizons Regional Council.

At this point the changes have draft status, and no legal effect.

However, if you live or work in the Rural or Flood Channel Zones of the Manawatū District, Plan Change A might affect how you can use, develop, or subdivide your land in the future. Providing feedback will help Council understand issues and shape the formal plan change.

To find out if your land is affected by Plan Change A, you can use the online Planning Maps tool here

Manawatū District Council cannot change the highly productive land status or map extent through PCA.

We are directed under the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS:HPL) to use the interim definition to identify highly productive land. In brief this is any land mapped by the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory as Land Use Classification 1, 2 or 3.

Horizons Regional Council has the responsibility for mapping highly productive land and must do so by 2025.

Further information on the NPS:HPL is available on our Factsheet, or online https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/n...

Draft PCA includes two definitions relating to farming activities: farming and land based primary production.

The Council is required to protect highly productive land for land based primary production which is defined in the NPS:HPL as: production from agricultural, pastoral, horticultural or forestry activities, that is reliant on the soil resource.

Activities which are not reliant on the soil resource are not permitted to establish on highly productive land.

Council is aware of the diversity of farming activity in the Manawatū. For land not classified as highly productive the definition of land based primary production is considered too narrow. Amendments are recommended to the existing farming definition to cater for a wider range of farming and related farming practices, e.g. processing of farm produce grown or produced on the landholding, free range poultry, and research farming and associated facilities.

Nodal Areas in the current District Plan are not identified as specific zone. The underlying zone of Nodal Areas is the Rural 1 or 2 Zone.

Under the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land, lifestyle zoning is to be avoided on highly productive land.

Recent Case Law from the Environment Court is that you need to assess the nearest equivalent zone. In our case given the land is Rural Zone, then the nearest equivalent zone is General Rural Zone, not a Lifestyle Zone.

We have used the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) Guidelines to identify two types of flood hazard areas: Flood Hazard Avoidance Overlay and Flood Hazard Mitigation Overlay. These overlays consider factors like flood depth and velocity.

There is another flood overlay which identifies the floodways and spillways from Horizons Regional Council's One Plan (Schedule J – Floodways).

Refer to the Flood Hazard Factsheet for more information.

Using updated modelling and data from Horizons Regional Council, and local technical knowledge where the models don't exist, we are now better able to understand the flood risks and hazards in our rural areas. The changes proposed are vital for safeguarding our residents from the risk of flood hazards.

The new overlays have planning rules that categorize activities into two groups:

• Hazard Sensitive Activities (e.g., residential units, healthcare facilities) and
• Less Hazard Sensitive Activities (e.g., garages, temporary structures).

The rules restrict certain activities based on their sensitivity to flood hazards and risk to human health and safety.

This reflects the most recent modelling completed by Horizons Regional Council. Recent modelling is based on an entire catchment, not just the main river stem. This means that more overland flow paths and streams are likely to be identified. We expect all new models completed by Horizons to result in maps that will look similar.

Following the 2004 flood event, Horizons Regional Council completed stopbank works along the Ōroua River in this area. These works mean that the area near Kopane and Main Drain Road is no longer subject to flood risk and these areas do not need to be identified on the flood hazard overlays.

The area around Hansens Line and Ōroua Road was not previously identified as a Flood Channel Zone. The most recent flood modelling information from Horizons Regional Council identifies additional land located outside the existing Flood Channel Zone where there is a risk to human health and safety from flood events. The flood hazard overlays have been prepared using this more recent information.

The National Planning Standards require that hazard areas (including flood areas) must be identified as overlays:

An overlay spatially identifies distinctive values, risks or other factors which require management in a different manner from underlying zone provisions.

Yes, the Planning Maps will be updated to reflect the draft zone changes. We are proposing to rezone the majority of land previously Flood Channel Zone to the General Rural Zone.

There are a few areas where Flood Channel Zone will switch to Village Zone, reflecting the adjacent zoning. Some Council owned land will switch from Flood Channel Zone to Recreation Zone.

We are aware that Horizons Regional Council is completing new models in different parts of our District. As this new flood data becomes available, the District Plan will need to be updated to reflect these changes. This ensures that the District Plan remains current and responsive to evolving flood hazard risks. No new areas will be introduced into the District Plan without a public plan change process in the future.

Your comments provided on the draft Plan Change A proposal is the beginning of the Plan Change process (outlined in Schedule 1, Resource Management Act).

Following the closure of feedback in late 2023, we have been working through the feedback received and the changes to the District Plan that need to be made. In some instances, we have contacted people to discuss their feedback so that we can better understand the points that have been raised in the feedback.

The Council has recently decided to delay the public notification of Plan Change A until early 2025, due to indicated changes by the Government to the National Policy Statement: Highly Productive Land, and also the availability of further flood modelling by Horizons Regional Council.

Once the plan change is publicly notified, you can make a formal submission on the plan change and attend a hearing if you wish. The Hearing Panel will make a final decision on the Plan Change, and subject to any Environment Court appeals, the plan change will become operative.

The Council is required to implement national direction, (e.g. National Policy Statement or Environmental Standards) as part of our district plan review process. National direction can change. This could be an update of technical advice, or changes in government policy.

If required to respond to a change in policy direction, Plan Change A can be updated prior to notifying the plan change.