Long-term Plan 2021–41 (closed 5pm, 10 May)

The ramp is on the west side of Old SH1, on the Coastlands side. The decision to remove it or not will be made once revocation of the Old SH1 is complete.

Consultation on the Long-term Plan closes 5pm today (10 May). If you haven't already, please have a say online or email longtermplan@kapiticoast.govt.nz. 

Kia ora Jackie, 

Council currently has no plans to install a pedestrian crossing point on the residential part of Rimu Road. Right now, the priorities for installing crossing points are in the town centres and near schools. 

If you would like to make a request for this, we encourage you to make a submission on the draft Long-term Plan. You can do this online or by emailing longtermplan@kapiticoast.govt.nz. Please note, submissions close at 5pm today.  

Kia ora Barbara,

Thank you for sharing your views. We encourage you to make a formal submission by completing the online survey or click here to see the other ways you can have you say.

You don't have to have a say on all aspects of the plan, just the bits that matter to you.

Consultation closes 5pm, this Monday (10 May).

We hope to hear from you soon. 

Seawall:

Council is committed to renewing the almost 1 kilometre seawall in some way. The seawall protects community infrastructure on the Paekākāriki foreshore such as roads and water assets for which the Council is responsible. We’re also committed to improving access to the beach and along the Parade for all users.

Like many coastal communities around Aotearoa, Kāpiti is facing significant environmental challenges from our changing climate and associated rising sea and groundwater levels.

While there is still much uncertainty about how significant these challenges will be and how quickly they will happen, likely climate change effects need to be anticipated, prioritised and planned for in the Kāpiti District.

We’ve established Takutai Kāpiti – a community-led coastal adaptation project to help guide our response, as a community, to the impacts of changing weather patterns on our environment, people and the way we behave.

Takutai Kāpiti follows the Ministry for the Environment’s Coastal Hazards and Climate Change Guidance for Local Government and reflects advice and lessons learned from similar coastal adaptation projects around the country. The recommendations from the Ministry for the Environment is to work with communities to enable them to map out a range of adaptation solutions over a 100- year period.

Recently, Former NZ Prime Minister and Waikanae resident, Rt Hon James Bolger ONZ PC, was appointed as Chair of Takutai Kāpiti’s Community Assessment Panel (CAP). The CAP will consider our district’s response to the impacts of climate change on the coast.  Recruitment for CAP members is currently underway and closes on Wednesday 5 May 2021.

To find out more about Takutai Kāpiti www.takutaikapiti.nz

Housing: 

Intensification requirements have recently been established by the Government. 

In mid-2020 the Government released a National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD), which enables a much greater level of intensification in certain areas.

In particular, it requires intensification of development in and around urban centres and in the vicinity of rapid transit stops. In many of these areas the default minimum height of developments, to be enabled in the District Plan under the NPS-UD, is 6 storeys. Council will be working through the detail of meeting these requirements in the coming months.

In relation to amenity, the NPS-UD sets an expectation that amenity will change over time and is not something that decision makers can take into an account.   

In response to the NPS-UD Council needs to update our District Plan in the next few years, and anticipate urban design guidelines as part of that.

You can read the NPS-UD at National policy statement on urban development | Ministry for the Environment.  Objectives 3 and 4 and Policies 2, 3 and 6 specifically relate to intensification and amenity.  This document has current legal effect and the Council is legally required to implement it.

You can also read about Council’s work in housing at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/your-council/projects/housing/.

Improving the Kāpiti Island departure point and providing an iconic visitor experience has been discussed in our community for many years. Te Uruhi (the Gateway project) aligns with and supports the aspirations of Toitū Kāpiti, our current Long term plan 2018–38, and has the potential to deliver numerous social, cultural, environment and economic benefits to the Kāpiti Coast community. 

The Government has committed to provide 50 percent of the estimated $4.46 million project cost from its COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund towards Te Uruhi and Council staff are continuing to explore a range of additional funding opportunities for Te Uruhi to help to reduce the potential cost to Kāpiti ratepayers. This includes additional sources of capital funds and ongoing sponsorship to help offset operating costs. For example, Electra have confirmed sponsorship of solar panels for the building, up to the value of $20,000.

We encourage you to read the consultation document, Securing our future, to see the other major projects and initiatives council has planned to contribute to the wellbeing of our communities, from stormwater upgrades, to footpaths, to an indoor sports centre. You can read it online at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/longtermplan or you can pick up a copy at your local library, pool or Council service centre. 

Please have your say on the draft Long-term Plan by Monday 10 May 2021.

The charge would be $1.00 per head. It also depends on the hireage arrangement for the event. For example, if an event has hired the whole facility there would be no additional per head charge. 

We’re proposing an average rates increase of 7.8 percent for 2021/22, this is the difference (after projected growth) when comparing the Kāpiti Coast District Council’s 2020/21 budget to the 2021/22 proposed budget. Your proposed increase may be higher or lower than the average depending on its value, type, and location, as well as the impact of last year’s revaluation, proposed rating system changes and Greater Wellington Regional Council’s proposed rates changes.

Thanks for your question.

Revenue from rates makes up around three-quarters of Council’s income. Council’s view is that, while we would absolutely prefer to have a lower rates increase, the district’s key need at this time is for investment to help stimulate our economy and prepare for the future. We’re also facing rising costs on all fronts – from the flow on effects from the COVID-19 pandemic to material prices. The Council have no choice but to pass these costs on (depreciation and inflation accounts for 6.2 percent of the proposed average rates increase).

We’ve received strong feedback from our community that while people would prefer lower rates increase, they do not wish to see services and facilities cut to reduce rates.  For this proposed Long-term Plan we’re proposing just one specific change, that is to close the Waikanae green waste and recycling site from 1 August 2021. The rates impact for closing this facility is 0.2 percent. If we do not make this change, the average rates increase would be higher by 0.2 percent.

Council is concerned about the impact increased rates will have on people living in Kāpiti. Some of what we’re consulting on in this Long-term Plan signals how we might be able to reduce our dependency on rates income in the future.

Last but not least, the Paekākāriki seawall is still going ahead. In this Long-term Plan we are consulting on renewing it a different way. Click hear to read about the options.

Please share your views by taking our survey 

Thanks for your question. Rates are paid by all ratepayers and applied to services which benefit the whole community, for example, maintaining parks and walkways, operating our libraries and pools, and renewing our local roads and infrastructure. 

We’re aware that not all communities in our district benefit from these services in the same way but they do have a districtwide impact.

Please share your views on the draft Long-term Plan and the proposed rates increase for 2021/22 – this will ensure elected members are well informed when making final decisions

Thanks for your question. Our first one   

Councillors have spent a lot of time looking at our future needs, the challenges we are facing and the outcomes we want to achieve. The decisions made in the draft plan were not made lightly and take into account priorities already agreed with the community and views shared since the last Long-term Plan and in the What matters most engagement (haveyoursay.kapiticoast.govt.nz/what-matters-most).

One of our new community outcomes (we are proposing five outcomes that guide our response to our challenges and opportunities and contribute to the community’s wellbeing), is that communities are resilient, safe, healthy and connected. Everyone has a sense of belonging and can access the resources and services they need.

Currently Council supports a range of community organisations through its social investment funding (kapiticoast.govt.nz/our-district/our-community/social-investment/).

 If you feel we should be doing more, we encourage you to have a say kapiticoast.govt.nz/longtermplan