News Archive

The Draft Annual Plan hearing in Whāngārei will take place at Council offices in Water Street.

Linda Stansfield, the Council’s Strategic Development Manager, says a recent one-month submission period on the Council’s Draft Annual Plan 2007/08 had attracted a total of 317 submissions.  Hearings for submitters who had indicated that they wished to outline their views in person will take place in Whāngārei on Monday (28 May) and Dargaville on Tuesday (29 May).

Ms Stansfield says Councillors will spend one of the two hearings days in Kaipara because of the large number of submitters commenting on the Council’s plans to introduce a new Kaihu River Rate to fund river protection work on the Kaihu River.  Roughly half of the total 317 submissions received had commented on the proposed rate.

Much smaller numbers had commented on Council proposals to part-fund a Marsden Pt rail link designation, establish an Infrastructure Development Authority, amend Council’s Navigation, Water Transport and Maritime Safety Bylaw Charges 2005 and address future dredging of the Hatea River.

The Whāngārei hearing will be heard in the Council’s Water St offices from 8.30am Monday and the Kaipara hearing from 9am Tuesday in the Dargaville Town Hall, Hokianga Rd.

Ms Stansfield says the Draft Annual Plan generally follows a direction set out in the NRC’s previously approved Long Term Council Community Plan 2006-2016.

She says any changes to the Draft as a result of public submissions will be incorporated in a revised Annual Plan intended to be presented to the full Council for adoption at its June meeting.  A final version of the Annual Plan will then be printed and distributed in late July.