Tararua District Reserves Management Plan
Tararua District Council (the Council) is proposing to prepare a Reserves Management Plan for all reserves, domains and park areas they have decision-making responsibility for.
The reserves management plan will include reserve land held subject to the Reserves Act 1977 and Local Government Act 2002.
In accordance with section 41 of the Reserves Act 1977 the Council gives notice of its intention to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing Dannevirke Domain Reserve Management Plan and Ākitio Reserve Management Plan to create one integrated Reserves Management Plan for the Tararua District.
The Council invites the public to respond or submit written suggestions on matters that you would like considered in the plan.
For more information and to provide feedback please send comments to Fontayne Chase, Facilities Manager before 4pm on Sunday, 8 October.
Comments collected through this process will be considered when preparing the Draft Tararua District Reserves Management Plan, which is intended to be released for public submissions in early 2024.
Timeline:
Key Milestones | Timeline |
Round 1 notification - intention to prepare the management plan and invitation to provide suggestions | September – October 2023 |
Engagement with Iwi, Domain Boards and key stakeholders | July - October 2023 |
Prepare Draft RMP | October – November 2023 |
Seek council approval to publicly notify the draft RMP | October 2024 |
Round 2 notification – seek feedback from the public on the draft RMP | TBC |
Summary of submissions and preparation of formal report completed and made publicly available | TBC |
Public hearing | TBC |
Finalise Reserves Management Plan | TBC |
FAQS:
The Tararua District Council (TCDC) has decision-making responsibility for around 80 parks, reserves and other areas of open space across the district. Currently, only two parks, Dannevirke Domain and Akitio Reserve, are covered by existing reserve management plans.
The council want to develop a plan that will help them make good decisions that take into account what the community values about their parks and reserves, and their preferences for how they are managed in the future.
The plan will include:
- The term ‘reserve’ will be used to cover all parks, domains and reserves that Tararua District Council has decision-making responsibility for.
- Reserves subject to both the Reserves Act 1977 and Local Government Act 2002.
- A set of policies that govern the use of all reserves.
- Detailed information about each reserve, such as location, size, legal description, classification (i.e. recreation reserve), leases and licences, users of the reserve, reserve values, management issues and what facilities are existing on site (i.e. club building).
- Policies specific to individual reserves that identify where enhancement, development or future opportunities may be considered.
- Closed cemeteries.
What WONT the plan include?
- Cemetery or Road Reserves
- Any land that isn’t owned or administered by Council.
- Reserve maintenance methods and specifications, for example how often the grass is cut or the toilets are cleaned, it will also not be a tool to report maintenance issues such as damaged playground equipment.
- Investment priorities and implementation/action plans (i.e. detailed individual reserve development plans). This will be covered through Council’s annual plan and long-term plan processes.
- Reserves returned to Iwi through Treaty Settlement
No. This plan will be based on what the public values about reserves and will be outcome focused. The plan will be a high-level policy document that will assist the Council in making quality decisions about:
- how the reserves are used,
- how the special values of our reserves will be protected, and
- what needs to be considered when developing and enhancing our reserves over the next 10 years.
As part of developing an integrated reserves management plan, all existing reserve management plans will be formally reviewed in accordance with the Reserves Act 1977. Outcomes from the review will inform the new draft reserves management plan.
When the Tararua District Reserves Management Plan is approved by the Council, it will replace both existing reserve management plans.
N.B. the replaced reserve management plans will remain available, but only as reference documents.
The Reserves Act 1977 sets out a process for developing reserve management plans. This process is considered best practice and is required to ensure that Tararua District Reserves Management Plan legally meets the Reserves Act 1977 requirements as a reserves management plan.
This consultation process is undertaken in two rounds:
Round 1: Council will publicly notify their intention to prepare the reserves management plan and invites the public to provide comments and suggestions relating to what they want to see included in the plan. Round 1 will be open for comments for one month.
Round 2: Council will publicly notify the draft plan asking the public to provide comments (submissions) on the draft plan. Round 2 will be open for submissions to be received for two months.
We would like to understand (across all reserves or specific reserves):
- What you value about the District’s reserves network/ or at a specific reserve.
- For example, play opportunities, biodiversity, mature trees, multi-purpose spaces.
- What you think the key issues are across the District’s reserve network/or at a specific reserve.
- For example, limited carparking, lack of shade, lack of wayfinding signage, facilities that are not-all accessible.
- What do we need to improve across our reserves network/ or at a specific reserve.
- For example, bilingual signage, more youth facilities, more tracks suitable for e-bikes, eco-friendly facilities.
- Specific activities you think we could better provide for on our reserves network.
- For example, increase in picnicking areas, educational park programmes, community gardens increased opportunity for commercial activities.
Council staff will develop a draft plan based on the feedback in the first round of consultation. This draft will be workshopped with and approved by the Tararua District Council prior to the second round of consultation. After round 2 is completed, a hearing will be held where any submitters will have the opportunity to speak in support of their submissions.
The Tararua District Council have the statutory authority to approve and adopt the Tararua District Reserves Management Plan. It is likely that any submissions on the draft plan (round 2) will be heard by a panel of council members. However, the Council may engage the support of an independent commissioner to assist with the hearings process and will make this decision once the number of submitters who wish to be heard is confirmed.
After the hearing, the panel will provide recommendations to the full council, who will approve the final plan.