Plan Change 25 - Shelter belts and Crop Protection Structures

Background

Traditionally, the Waipā District has had a primarily pastoral farming environment, with some horticulture. These are both 'farming activities' under the District Plan. More recently, climate change and a need to diversify have seen horticulture become more common in the district. With this, the need for shelterbelts and artificial crop protection and support structures has increased in the Rural Zone.

Status

This plan change has been paused.

Government changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) paused all council-led plan changes until December 31, 2027, while a new national planning framework is developed. Councils can only move ahead if they are granted an exemption from the Minister for the Environment.

Council lodged an exemption application with the Minister for the Environment on October 2, 2025. We are currently awaiting a decision on this application.

What is Plan Change 25?

Draft Plan Change 25 seeks to amend provisions in the Rural Zone of the Operative Waipā District Plan relating to the protection of crops.

Draft Plan Change 25 will be considering provisions relating to:

The establishment and maintenance of shelterbelts
The construction of crop structures (artificial crop protection structures, artificial screens, and crop support structures) associated with farming activities, mainly horticulture.

The objectives of the plan change are to ensure:

The efficient and effective use of rural land for farming purposes is maintained
Adverse effects on the environment arising from shelterbelts and artificial crop protection structures are appropriately mitigated
That the District Plan accounts for the changing land use pattern in a manner consistent with national direction (National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land)
Avoidance of unnecessary resource consent requirements.

What has been done so far?

In August 2023, the council resolved to prepare a draft plan change (Plan Change 30) to address minor technical amendments, which included crop protection structures and shelterbelts.

The focus under Plan Change 30 was amending the shelterbelt rule relating to species, amending yard setbacks, and introducing standards for shade cloth materials related to crop protection structures in the Rural Zone.

The current District Plan provisions were reviewed following contact with industry representatives and concerned landowner groups. This review resulted in the council resolving to separate these topics into Plan Change 25.

From September to October 2024, the Council had conversations with Mana Whenua, Iwi, and other stakeholders, and engaged with the community on the topic of Artificial Crop Protection Structures and Shelterbelts. Over 70 people and groups shared their thoughts through the 'Have Your Say' platform. Responses to all the feedback can be found below in the ‘Plan Change Documentation’ section.

From November 2024 to February 2025, the Council continued meeting with Mana Whenua, Iwi, stakeholders, and interest groups. Staff also visited properties near existing kiwifruit orchards and toured orchard operations in Parallel and Kaipaki Roads.

Based on the feedback received and ongoing discussions with Mana Whenua and Iwi, industry groups, landowners, and utility operators, the July 2024 draft of provisions were updated in January 2025.

In February 2025, the proposed changes to the draft provisions were discussed with Elected Members in a workshop.

Following the workshop, staff shared the updated draft planning provisions with the community boards; Mana Whenua and Iwi, stakeholders and interest groups, and is available on the webpage.

On 30 April 2025, the draft section 32 Evaluation Report was provided to Iwi Authorities in accordance with Clause 4A of the Resource Management Act.

Council resolved to adopt the draft plan change for notification and for the plan change to be notified on 25 June 2025.

Council lodged an exemption application with the Minister for the Environment on October 2, 2025. We are currently awaiting a decision on this application.

What is in the Operative Waipā District Plan?

The District Plan has provisions for ‘farming activities’, these include:

Crop protection structures are deemed to be a building for the purposes of the bulk and location standards (eg. setbacks from boundaries, height, site coverage) and are associated with the permitted farming activities.
Shelterbelts are controlled by the maximum height a shelterbelt plant species can grow to – being 6 metres.
Crop protection structures, and in certain instances for shelterbelts, require resource consent when located in identified landscape areas.

Community, industry, and council have raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of these provisions, and how the flow-on effects from these structures and shelterbelts should be managed and mitigated.

The intent of Plan Change 25 is to address these concerns and provide greater certainty on how crop protection can occur in the Rural Zone.