Future Development Strategy consultation opens

Published on 03 August 2024

Update: Our draft Future Development Strategy (FDS) consultation closed for comment and submissions on 2 September 2024.

“If you are interested in plans for the way the Whangārei District will develop and change over the next 30 years, now is your chance to contribute,” says Council’s Senior Strategic Planner, Hamish Sykes.

“The draft Future Development Strategy (FDS) is open for comment and submissions until 2 September 2024. We are keen to hear what the community thinks about the plans for the future of Whangārei. 

“We will be holding community drop-in sessions and meeting with groups of residents, including hapū representatives. The FDS and a submission form are on our website, and hard copies are available at libraries and our council offices.”

Mr Sykes said, in the next 30 years, 40,000 new people are set to call Whangārei home, meaning the District’s population is set to grow to 142,000.

“We need 17,000 new homes to support a range of different needs. While our communities will change over the next 30 years, we also need to build in a way that responds to future environmental changes.

“The aim of the FDS is to collectively build a plan for the kind of future the community wants, so we can plan the most efficient way to organise, expand and intensify our infrastructure to support this growth.

“Planning ahead for the roading, wastewater, stormwater, freshwater, parks, reserves and all the services our communities need, helps to ensure the costs can be managed, and the right things can happen in the right order. The FDS is Whangārei's roadmap for where the growth should happen, and what sort of development should happen in different parts of the District.”

The FDS is a vision-led strategy about what Whangārei can become in 2054. This includes where houses, shops and industry will go, how people will get around the District, and what infrastructure decisions need to be made to ensure the community is provided for and the environment is protected. While the FDS is Whangārei orientated, the direction of Whangārei District’s role is also an important part of the long-term prosperity for Te Tai Tokerau.

Mr Sykes said tangata whenua, Central Government agencies, infrastructure and asset owners, developers and other commercial and social sectors were involved in drafting the FDS.

“We also engaged with the wider community using print and social media.”