Waikato District Council is taking a new and different approach to planning across the entire district.

This new approach is called Blueprints and it will help bring life to Council’s vision of creating “Liveable, Thriving and Connected Communities” – “He noohanga aahuru, he iwi whai ora, he hapori tuuhono tahi”.

General Manager Community Growth Clive Morgan says the Blueprint will inform major Council strategies like the drafting of future Long Term Plans while also identifying community led initiatives and projects.

The drafting of the Blueprint has been a co-design approach between Council and the community, Mr Morgan says. “We’ve had great community support in getting the Blueprint to this stage and we’re now sharing the draft back with our communities to check we have captured their ideas correctly.”

Workshops were held in 10 of our towns between July and November 2018. Council heard from around 400 members of the public about what issues and ideas they had for their towns. Mr Morgan says it’s important to realise that the Blueprint might not include every idea that was raised at the workshops and it might include ideas that Council is not yet in a position to implement. “It may also include projects that Council might not fund. Instead, Council might take a support role and ask other agencies to deliver it, or the community themselves may take on some of the projects.”

Go online to have your say at www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/blueprints between Friday 8 March and 5pm Monday 8 April, 2019. Council will also be running a number of drop-in sessions around the district throughout March which will give you the opportunity to come and ask questions about the Blueprint process.

These are being held at:

Pokeno and Mercer, Pokeno Hall, Tuesday 12 March, 5pm-8.30pm

Meremere, Te Kauwhata, Rangiriri, Te Kauwhata Rugby Club, Wednesday 13th March, 5.30pm-7.30pm

Tuakau, Tuakau Library late night, Thursday 14th March, 5-8pm

Ngaruawahia, Horotiu and Taupiri, stall at Turangawaewae Regatta, Saturday 16th March

Te Kowhai and Whatawhata, Te Kowhai Hall, Tuesday 19th March, 5.30pm-7.30pm

Raglan, Raglan library late night, Wednesday 20th March, 5-8pm

Huntly and Ohinewai, Huntly library late night, Thursday 21st March, 5-8pm

Tamahere and Matangi, Tamahere Model Country School, Tuesday 26th March, 2pm-6pm

Ngaruawahia, Horotiu and Taupiri, Ngaruawahia library late night, Wednesday 27th March, 5-8pm

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