Council formally adopted Porirua’s new District Plan today that will protect Porirua’s environment while also enabling growth in the city.
“After years of dedicated work by staff, and critical feedback from the community, the new District Plan will soon become operative,” says Council Chief Executive Wendy Walker.
The District Plan plays a key role in the way land is used to grow a city to benefit us all. It will provide more housing choice, change the size of rural lifestyle blocks, and identify hazards and future resilience for the city. At the same time, it will look after the cultural, environmental, and historic values and places important to the people of Porirua.
The Proposed District Plan was notified in 2020, with a direction from the Government in 2022 to enable more medium-and high-density housing.
“After 480 submissions and eight hearings, all appeals have now been resolved and the plan can come into operation. It will replace the Council’s existing district plan and is a significant milestone for the city to help us get the right development in the right places.”
Porirua’s natural hazards are now more clearly shown so we understand where best to build. This protects the needs of our residents now and those who live here in the future.
“We support the government’s focus on providing more homes for people and have done our best to achieve that in a way that also takes care of the natural environment, particularly the health of Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour,” says Ms Walker.
“We’re grateful to our communities for engaging so constructively and providing valuable input that will help shape our city for years to come.”
The Council partnered with Ngāti Toa Rangatira in developing the plan. Some of the chapters were written by iwi and they reviewed the entire plan before it was notified to the public.
The District Plan becomes operative next month.
1 Oct 2025
