Update on District Plan changes

Taupō District Council has been working on updates to the District Plan to make sure our rules support growth and reflect community needs. These updates have been in the pipeline for two years and include changes to residential areas, neighbourhood centres, open spaces, Māori purpose zones, designations as well as some minor corrections.

Recently, the Government introduced new legislation called Plan Stop, which means councils can’t continue with plan changes unless they meet certain criteria or get an exemption. We applied for an exemption because all of our proposed changes help provide more housing and supporting infrastructure. We have now heard from the Government and some of our plan changes have been approved, some approved in part and some declined.

Here’s what this means for Taupō District:

• Residential and Neighbourhood Centre changes (Plan Changes 44 and 45) – Only the parts that rezone land for housing or neighbourhood centres can go ahead.
• Open Space changes (Plan Change 46) – This has been declined and will be discontinued.
• Māori Purpose Zone, Designations, and Minor Corrections (Plan Changes 47–49) – These have been approved in full.

Keep an eye on our website from February for updates on when plan changes will be notified and we'll be inviting submissions on the proposed changes. We will confirm whether it makes sense to progress Plan Changes 44 and 45.

Why does this matter?

These changes help shape where and how our community grows. The approved changes will allow more housing and ensure infrastructure keeps pace with growth.

For more details about Plan Changes 44-49, visit our District Plan changes page.