Last night Council adopted the Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040. The strategy outlines where and how we propose to accommodate residential growth across the district over the next 20 years.

With Horowhenua growing faster than predicted – ahead of the forecasted 95th percentile in the Long Term Plan 2021-2041, and the trend expected to continue for the next 20 years, the growth strategy is an important and necessary tool to inform district plan changes and infrastructure planning.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says “We appreciate the work invested in this growth strategy and the unanimous decision to adopt the strategy, it shows Councils dedication to ensuring deliberate and sustainable growth for our district. The strategy will ensure Horowhenua is able to accommodate additional growth areas in each of our settlements. While planning for residential growth and zoning are at its core, it also sets out potential commercial zones, identifies underutilised land and will mean a more informed and coordinated approach to district plan changes over the coming years.”

Mayor Bernie continued “Greenfield areas adjacent to existing residential land are a top priority for accommodating future growth. It’s important that these prime areas are not underutilised and we promote better intensification of the land.”

District Plan Lead – Lauren Baddock says “Sustainable growth was a key consideration when developing the growth strategy. The District Plan changes that will follow will enable low impact, compact urban design and more intensive development, which means we should see better utilisation of land and allow for integration of the transport network to enable future public transport solutions.”

Ms Baddock continues, “Stormwater management is a major consideration in growth planning. The likes of Tara-Ika will see the introduction of individual rainwater tanks, and we are currently investigating other ways that new developments can manage stormwater and use water more efficiently, such as water reuse. Our intention is that new housing developments have the capacity and resiliency to withstand 1 in 100 year rain events and allow for any additional climate change impacts.”

Economic growth metrics from December 2021 support the pace at which the district is growing, and validate the necessity of a deliberate and future focussed growth strategy. GDP grew 5.6% in the period ending December 2021. Consumer spending rose 11% in the December 2021 year, Tourism spending was up 15.4%, unemployment fell to 4.3% and house values rose by 36% in the period ending December 2021 quarter.

Source – The Horowhenua Company – Economic Dashboard Horowhenua District – December 2021.

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