Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas said it was always tricky to get the balance of the Long-Term Plan right. Photo / Andy Taylor
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas said it was always tricky to get the balance of the Long-Term Plan right. Photo / Andy Taylor
Taupō District Council has received the highest level of feedback to a draft Long-Term Plan in more than a decade.
The consultation process for the 2024-34 plan saw more than 1400 submissions from across the Taupō district, a volume not seen since 2012 when the council’s strategy proposed switching from a land value rating to a capital value rating. Long term plans are updated every three years.
One of the council’s key proposals set out in the draft plan was “to do the essentials well”; predominantly focusing on roads, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, due to the current economic climate.
A spokeswoman for Taupō District Council said this was one of the areas they received most public feedback.
Another area where the public was keen to have its say was on the council’s “bag it or bin it” proposal, which would see residents switch from using rubbish bags and recycling crates to a set of wheelie bins and caddies.
The move is proposed for several reasons, the council said, including previous public feedback on bins, bringing the district in line with the rest of New Zealand, and improved health and safety for contractors.
The proposed new bin system would be similar to that of many areas in New Zealand, including Hamilton. Photo / Hamilton City Council
The new collection system would begin in July 2025, and would see each household provided with at least four bins; wheelie bins for waste and recycling, a food scraps caddy and up to two glass recycling crates.
For residential areas, bins would be collected every two weeks, moving to weekly during peak times, and food waste would be collected every week.
Taupō District Council “put a lot of effort into connecting with the community” to ensure a good volume of feedback on all aspects of the Long-term Plan, the spokeswoman said.
This comprised advertising across a range of media, hui with iwi and hapū, and 19 community engagement events from Rangitaiki to Marotiri, with several in Taupō and Tūrangi including pop-up events at the towns’ markets.
Tours were also given to the public of two areas involved in the draft plan - the East Urban Lands and the Taupō Wastewater Plant.
The East Urban Lands development proposal would see the council, which owns the land, engage development partners to create housing which included a stock of homes offered at rates suitable for first-time buyers.
Meanwhile, proposed wastewater plans would ensure Taupō's capacity for growth, with wastewater storage tanks and strengthened wastewater connections.
In Tūrangi, alternatives are being sought for the town’s current management system, which discharges treated wastewater into wetlands of Lake Taupō.
With the public consultation period now closed, Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas said the submissions would now be collated so feedback could be considered.
Next, verbal submissions will be held at the end of July, then councillors will deliberate any potential amendments.
Getting the balance right is always difficult, he said.
“Opinions are so varied of what people want and don’t want, that’s something that’s strongly come through.
“You get a handful of people saying ‘do less of this thing’, and conversely other people will come through and ask us to do more of the exact same thing.
“The question will be how to strike the balance when you have such opposing views. It’s really hard because you can’t please everyone.”
Milly Fullick is a journalist based in Taupō. She joined the Taupō & Tūrangi Herald team in 2022.
