The Minister for the Environment granted Waikato District Council a four-month extension of time to give a decision on the Proposed Waikato District Plan, under clause 10A Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act. This meant that the decision was released on 17 January 2022.
The Minister for the Environment gave reasons for his decision, including that the extension would enable additional time to implement the National Planning Standards, and that the benefits of a well-integrated decision that incorporates national direction will lead to greater plan certainty for all parties.
The Minister previously granted Waikato District Council a 14-month extension until 18 September 2021 with reasons including that this extension would enable a more integrated decision across the two stages of the plan, the entire plan would be issued earlier than if the stages progressed separately, the integrated decision ensures informed and well-considered plan provisions, benefits outweigh costs, and the plan will deliver on the requirements of the National Policy Statement - Urban Development Capacity.