by Geoffrey Churchman

Local MP Tim Costley addressing the audience.

Last Saturday the Waikanae Garden Precinct Protection Society‘s AGM took place at which the public was invited to hear what the four main general election candidates for the Kapiti electorate had to say.

Last year, the number of AGM attendees totaled about 80; this year the number swelled to over 250 with standing room only. Chairer Michelle Court said the society had largely been on standby mode this year because of the pending law changes since the last AGM and the commitee has only met about every two months (the Concerned Ratepayers Kapiti committee meets about every 2 weeks). The hope was that the candidates for each main party would clearly state their interpretation and views of the new laws.

The former complex Resource Management Act (a goldmine for certain lawyers) has now been replaced with two separate laws: the Planning Act and the Natural Environment Act.

Key changes are:

  • Replaces more than 100 separate council planning documents with 17 combined regional plans.
  • Removes roughly 45% of current resource consent categories and streamline approval pathways.
  • Introduces nationally standardized land-use zones to provide regulatory consistency across regions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The new Planning Act excludes subjective neighbourhood character and visual amenity from regulation, effectively phasing out general special character area protections unless they qualify strictly as significant historic heritage. Only formally identified significant historic heritage is protected, meaning standard character overlays that do not meet high heritage thresholds will not be preserved. (Section 14 — “Effects outside scope of this Act”)

Under the housing intensification rules made by the Jacinda regime, Kapiti Coast District Council did not outright remove special character areas from the conversation, but enabled medium-density housing within them because the central government directed that “special character” is not a legally recognized “qualifying matter” to block housing supply.

The housing intensification rules introduced via Draft Plan Change 2 to comply with Central Government’s density mandates, the KCDC removed existing rules that restricted development density in designated “special character” areas to enable “medium-density housing” across these zones.

It doesn’t seem that has changed.

Property businessmen Palmer & Cook moved into the hitherto specially defined Waikanae Garden Precinct with their 19 townhouses at 14-16 Ngarara Road which had previously been a single large architect-designed dwelling on 4,864 square metres of tree-covered land (1.2 acres). Oh, but it’s nicely designed, they protested in reaction to the heavy criticism. Maybe, maybe not, but it still replaced a lot of desirable trees with concrete and row houses. At least it wasn’t the glaring eyesore that those responsible for 10-12 Utauta Street created, small mercies.

Palmer & Cook are still pursuing their pack ‘n’ stack plans in Eruini St which are likewise widely opposed.

So what did the candidates say?

Tim Costley was the most impressive, making points and answering qustions authoritively. He said that KCDC has plenty of land available for 30 years of population growth, although what that projected figure is wasn’t mentioned; Mayor Holborow didn’t offer a contribution on that. What he was able to say, however, is that there is still plenty of pasture land between Waikanae and Peka Peka that can be convered into dwellings of whatever nature.

Sophie Handford said that Labour will change aspects of the new laws, but was vague about what and in what timeframe. My hunch is that she’s not a fan of what Palmer & Cook have done — she lives in a nice bush-fringed property close to me — but is loyal to the party’s policy as stated above. Like Penny Gaylor, she made a lot of ideological statements that weren’t enlightening and didn’t say whether she was for or against what has happened locally.

Penny Gaylor mostly said simply, “NZ First is part of the coalition government and I support what it has done.” Green Party member Melody Willis, a 20-something female who appeared in green slacks, admitted she doesn’t live in the electorate, rather in the Left stronghold of Aro Valley in Wellington, and knew little about Waikanae. She’s not expecting people to vote for her, but is there as a flag waver for the party vote.

ACT is also after the party vote and is telling people to vote for Tim Costley as the electorate MP.

More will analysed probably early in the new year.