​Ōhaupō earmarked for growth, Karāpiro a tourism hub in draft plan

Ōhaupō has been signalled as an area for future growth and Karāpiro as a hub for tourism in a draft plan for the future of the district.

An interim draft of Ahu Ake – Waipā Community Spatial Plan was shared with Waipā District Council’s Strategic Policy and Planning Committee this morning and approved for community engagement in early 2023. Input from the wider community will now be sought on the plan.

It outlines what the future of the district could look like by 2050, including what towns and villages could look like, how Council will manage growth, bolster the economy and care for the environment among other things.

Council’s group manager, strategy Kirsty Downey said the plan was a starting point for conversations with the community.

“We’ve used feedback we’ve already received from our communities during past engagement and feedback from organisations across the district to get to where we are now.

“The next step is to go out and have some robust conversations about what the future of our district could look like using this plan as a stepping stone for discussion.”

The plan is broken down into eight areas including growth, the environment, the economy, transport, rural sector, heritage, arts and culture, parks and public facilities and papakāinga.

It illustrates what the future could look like in each of these areas and the actions Council and other partners such as the Government may need to take make it a reality.

“We’ll be asking whether this is the future residents see for themselves and their children, whether we have missed anything and what our priorities should be among other things,” Downey said.

Community engagement will start in mid-February and run for six weeks until late March 2023. Council is planning a roadshow, with stops in nine towns and villages.

“It is important we go to our communities and have those conversations with them about what is important to them,” Downey said.

“Ahu Ake will only be successful it we have this input and can further develop and refine the interim draft plan with people who will be impacted.”

Feedback received will be used to finalise the draft spatial plan before it is taken through a second round of engagement later in 2023.

More information about the roadshow will be shared in early 2023. The interim draft plan is available to view on www.ahuakewaipa.nz.