Waikato District Council is kicking off a further round of community consultation on the Waikato District Blueprint.
A year ago Council adopted the Waikato District Blueprint and from next week it will seek to confirm with the community that the prioritisation of the Blueprint initiatives is still correct. Council also wants to confirm who will be leading the community –led aspects of the Blueprint.
At the various community hui, Council will provide an update on progress to date and will also seek suggestions on who might lead some of the initiatives, which have been prioritised by the communities themselves.
Through the adoption of the Blueprint, Council demonstrated that it wants to take a new and different approach to planning.
Getting the Blueprint to where it is now has been a co-design approach between Council and the community, General Manager Community Growth Clive Morgan says. “We’ve had great community support in getting the Blueprint to this stage and I want to thank the community for their input so far. The Blueprint will always be a work in progress and we will continue to check in with you to make sure we are all travelling down the right path together.”
In developing the Blueprint, workshops were held in 10 of the district’s townships between July and November 2018. Council heard from hundreds of members of the public about what issues and ideas they had for their towns. Council then issued a draft Waikato Blueprint for consultation in March 2019. During this consultation, the community was asked to indicate their top five district-wide priorities and their top three priorities for each of the Local Area Blueprints. In total, 439 submissions were received.
Starting next week, community meetings will be held for each town in the Blueprint. You are invited to attend any and all that are relevant to you. A district-wide session will also be held electronically (not in person) via Zoom and will also be recorded so you can watch it later if you can’t attend. If you are interested in attending this session, please email communications@waidc.govt.nz. The link to the meeting will then be sent back.
Hui:
| Date & time | Town | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 23 June, 7pm-8pm | Tamahere | Tamahere Community Centre |
| Thursday 25 June, 7pm-8pm | District-wide initiatives | Virtually, via Zoom |
| Monday 29 June, 7pm-8pm | Raglan | Raglan Hall Supper Room |
| Taupiri, Ngaruawahia & Horotiu | Ngaruawahia War Memorial Hall | |
| Tuesday 30 June, 7pm-8pm | Meremere | Meremere Hall |
| Matangi | Matangi School Hall | |
| Wednesday 1 July, 7pm-8pm | Ohinewai & Huntly | Huntly War Memorial Hall |
| Te Kowhai & Whatawhata | Te Kowhai Hall | |
| Thursday 2 July, 7pm-8pm | Te Kauwhata & Rangiriri | Simmons Hall, Aparangi |
| Tuakau | Tuakau Combined Sports Society, Escotts Rd | |
| Tuesday 7 July, 7pm-8pm | Pokeno & Mercer | Pokeno Hall |
ENDS
What is a Blueprint?
The Blueprint is a high-level ‘spatial picture’ of how the district could progress over the next 30 years. It addresses the community’s social, economic and environmental needs, and responds to its regional context. The Blueprint will be used to develop the 2021-31 Long Term Plan.
More information can be found at www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/blueprints.
For more information please contact:
Teresa Hancock
Senior Communications & Engagement Advisor
Waikato District Council
027 706 5776
communications@waidc.govt.nz
