St Clair beach
Whether you live in coastal Otago or just love to be beside the seaside, we wanted to hear your views on the issues and opportunities for Otago's coast from a range of topics, from public access to water quality.
In 2026, the Otago Regional Council sought community feedback on the issues and opportunities facing Otago's coast. We heard from people who live, work, recreate, and have interests in coastal areas across the region. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share their perspectives.
The information gathered through this project has helped improve our understanding of the environmental, cultural, social, recreational, and economic values associated with Otago's coast, as well as the challenges and opportunities that may shape its future management.
The feedback received through the online survey, community drop-in sessions, and other engagement activities has now been analysed and incorporated into the following reports:
October 2026
PDF | 3 MB
This report identifies and discusses the key issues and opportunities raised through engagement and other sources of information. It provides a high-level overview of the matters relevant to the future management of Otago's coastal environment.
October 2026
PDF | 5 MB
This report summarises what we heard during the engagement process, including the themes perspectives, and priorities raised by participants.
The current Regional Plan: Coast remains the operative planning framework for managing activities in Otago's coastal marine area. However, coastal planning is occurring during a period of significant national resource management reform.
This project has been undertaken to improve the evidence base available to support future planning and management of the Otago coast trough both regulatory and nonregulatory initiatives. The information gathered will assist understanding of coastal values, risks, issues, and opportunities, regardless of how future planning frameworks evolve.
The Issues and Opportunities Report and Engagement Summary Report are not planning documents and do not propose specific rules, policies, or management approaches.
Email policy@orc.govt.nz
Phone 0800 474 082
