Be part of shaping our region’s future!

Te Rautaki Whanaketanga ki tua a
Wairarapa- Wellington- Horowhenua

Future Development Strategy
Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua

Hearings coming soon

Consultation has now closed, and submissions are being reviewed.  Hearings and deliberations will take place in person and online on Monday 11th December and Wednesday 13th December 2023.

The full submissions are available under hearing documents and a schedule of speakers and hearing reports will be uploaded once finalised.

What is the Future Development Strategy?

The Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua Future Development Strategy (the Strategy) sets out how we plan to deliver well-functioning urban environments in our existing and future towns and cities over the next 30 years. The Strategy proposes where to prioritise housing and business development, as well as investment in infrastructure to support this development. The Strategy guides regional policy development, including Regional and District Plan changes in the future, as well as Land Transport Plans, infrastructure strategies, councils budgets (Long Term Plans) and other policies.

The Future Development Strategy builds on work done previously across the region and will replace the Wellington Regional Growth Framework (WRGF).

A growing region

During the next 30 years the Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua region will grow and change.

The Future Development Strategy will help us plan for:

• projected 200,000 more people
• projected 99,000 more homes
• a greater supply of business and industrial land
• new community services and amenities in accessible locations
• upgraded and new infrastructure to meet our current and growing needs
• the region becoming more climate and natural hazard resilient.

Our vision for the future

We want to be responsible ancestors and provide sustainable growth for future generations. We want a future region founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and realised through the tino rangatiratanga of tangata whenua.

The key proposal in the Future Development Strategy is for most new development to be concentrated in and around existing towns and cities and public transport networks (as opposed to spreading development into the green areas at the edges of existing urban areas). This helps us to promote sustainable growth by reducing emissions, avoiding development in natural areas and being cost-efficient by maximising the use of existing infrastructure.

Priorities for development in our region

The strategic direction in the draft Future Development Strategy is made up of these 6 key areas:

Webinars on the FDS

We will host two webinars on the FDS, to share information about the FDS such as how it was created, what it means for you, and also you can ask questions to the FDS project team.

Option 1: FDS Overview – 10am 17th October (finished)
This ‘FDS-101’ webinar, was for those who are not familiar with the FDS to learn what it is all about, and ask questions:

Option 2: FDS Dive into the Details – 10am 19th October
This ‘FDS-for-experts’ webinar, was aimed at professionals in the housing and planning sector who are more familiar with the basics of the FDS and have more technical questions:

Consultation Closed

Consultation on the Draft Future Development Strategy closed at 5pm Thursday 9th November 2023. Thank you for having your say. A report is now being prepared summarising the submissions in preparation for a hearing in December. For more information the Future Development Strategy Team Email  future.developmentstrategy@wrlc.org.nz