Waipā mayor backs National Party’s housing proposal

Waipa Mayor Susan O'Regan. Photo / Dean Taylor

Waipā District Mayor Susan O’Regan is welcoming National’s new housing growth plans with open arms, saying it’ll absolutely provide better outcomes for Waipā.

National’s new policy provides more options for councils, such as giving more flexibility on where houses can be built and giving councils the ability to opt out of the medium-density residential zone law that was put in place in November.

For Mayor Susan, this makes complete sense and is exactly what council has been calling for.

“The current legislation forces the same medium-density housing requirements on our small rural towns like Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Kihikihi, as on large cities like Auckland and Wellington. That just doesn’t make sense,” says Susan.

“We know intensification is necessary and we want and need more housing in our district — that’s very clear — but we need to have some control in terms of what will work for our towns and communities.

“Density done well and giving people a variety of choices about how they will live is a big part of making our towns vibrant and liveable.”

National is also proposing that councils will be required to zone land for 30 years of housing demand.

This is something Waipā is already doing through its growth cell planning, and in fact has been doing for years.

“Waipā District Council has always taken great pride in how we plan well for the long-term future,” says Susan.

“It’s not new for us, and it’s essential to be able to do it right.

“As always planning is a balancing act, our council is well aware of the need for more housing, and is already working to increase the supply and range available locally.”

Council continues to respond to the Medium Density Residential Standards legislation through a plan change to its district plan (Plan Change 26).

Work will have to continue on this because council has a responsibility to act on the present legislation — even if changes may come down the track.

“Waipā has never supported the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) but has responded as required through processes such as our Plan Change 26 Review,” says Susan.

“We notified the changes to our district plan in August very reluctantly, we weren’t given any chance but to respond.

“We’ll be fully supportive of a legislative review of the medium-density rules that are currently in place.”

It is expected the independent hearing panel will release its recommendations to the council on Plan Change 26 either later in the year or early next year.