Land and Water Regional Plan

On this page:

Get involved; give your feedback

Find a drop-in discussion (kōrero)

Join an online discussion (kōrero)​

The Plan's status

The journey so far

Find a drop-in discussion (kōrero)

Join an online discussion

The Plan's status

Proposed new rules in the Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) for Otago will give new, comprehensive direction for managing land and water resources in the region. The plan is required in New Zealand law, replacing an outdated Otago Regional Council planning framework that is no longer fit for purpose. The Government’s National Policy Statement on Freshwater 2020 gives effect to new protection for our waterways.

Our planning now must prioritise Te Mana o te Wai, a national policy emphasising that the health of our waterways must come first, above other needs. This national directive applies to all waterways in New Zealand. Our Otago draft plan is one of the first in the country heading towards public notification and a subsequent submission and hearings process from June 30, 2024. Parts of the plan will have legal effect at this time.

Give your feedback

The public engagement between September and November 6 involves communities who use and care about Otago’s lakes, rivers, and streams — and who may rely on them for their well-being. Share your thoughts on the draft Plan online. The feedback form is available until 11:59pm, Monday November 6, 2023.

Give your feedback

You can read the proposed changes and share your feedback in other ways as well:

• Come along to a drop-in session near you, ask questions and speak with councillors and staff

or

• Join an online discussion

The journey so far

We began this journey in 2019 when the Minister for the Environment asked the Otago Regional Council to prepare a new Regional Policy Statement and Land and Water Plan. Previous planning rules and regulations were no longer deemed fit to provide protection for Otago’s waterways and surrounding environment.

Between 2020 and 2022 we engaged with our community around the visions and values people wanted for our waterways and the land affecting them in this new, more in-depth Plan. We also spoke with communities about actions that would help us reach positive environmental outcomes – these were that Otago's freshwater and land activities need to be:

• Healthy for plants, animals, and people and look after our region for future generations
• Safe for activities like swimming
• Beneficial for activities like fishing
• Sustainably managed; and
• Respectful of cultural and historical places.

Proposed new rules and regulations (provisions) have now been drafted, with mana whenua Kāi Tahu. This Plan will align with a government goal to improve freshwater quality within one generation.