Hamilton City Council will begin work on a District Plan change after new information provided a more detailed picture of areas around the city’s gullies, streams and riverbanks that may be more sensitive to slope instability and erosion.
Today (3 September) the City Prosperity Committee approved progressing work on a proposed District Plan change so the new information can be properly considered and tested through the statutory planning process.
The new information gives Council a more detailed understanding of where development close to slopes may need further site-specific geotechnical assessment, as well as locations where erosion is occurring or may affect gullies, streams and riverbanks.
Deputy Mayor and City Prosperity Committee Chair Geoff Taylor said the work was about making sure Council was using the best available information when making decisions about Hamilton’s growth and development.
“We now have a much more detailed picture of some of the land around our gullies, streams and riverbanks, and it’s important our planning keeps pace with the information available to us,” Taylor said.
“Being on a slope does not mean a property is unsafe or unsuitable for development. It may just need additional considerations as part of future development.”
Most properties that are on or near slopes are already identified as having slope or erosion considerations. However, the new information extends beyond those existing areas in some locations.
Hamilton City Council Urban and Spatial Planning Unit Director Dr Juliana Reu Junqueira said the Committee’s decision did not introduce any new District Plan rules.
“This is the start of the process. We now need to work through the new information and determine whether changes to the District Plan are appropriate and, if they are, what those changes could look like,” Dr Reu Junqueira said.
“Slope assessment areas identify locations where further geotechnical assessment may be needed, while erosion hotspot information helps Council understand and monitor erosion within gully systems. An erosion hotspot does not automatically mean new land-use rules will apply to nearby properties.”
The work was already underway before the recent slip at Mount Maunganui and is not a response to that event. The information has been collected as part of Council’s Integrated Catchment Management Plan work.
Staff will now undertake the technical, planning, legal and engagement work needed to prepare the proposed plan change. Any proposed changes would go through the statutory process, including opportunities for affected people and the community to have their say.
The Committee also accepted the recommendations to Plan Change 9 – Historic Heritage and Natural Environment, following resolution of the final outstanding appeal. The plan change will now go to the Ordinary Council meeting on the 17 September 2026 for approval and is expected to become fully operative in October 2026.
Plan Change 9 strengthens the identification and protection of Hamilton’s Significant Natural Areas, notable trees, archaeological sites, historic heritage areas and built heritage. Becoming fully operative will complete the statutory plan change process.