The day after the Alliance's first Stakeholder Meeting, we wrote to the NPDC raising serious concerns about the consultation process.
On 21st April the Ratepayers Alliance had our very first Stakeholder meeting with the NPDC – with the Bell Block Spatial Plan.
By the end of the following day we wrote to the Council with serious concerns about how the process of consulting with the community is being handled.
- For a very long time many in the community have said the Council knows what they are going to do with plans and projects, and it’s pointless participating in the consultation process, as they are going to do what they want anyway.
- What have found with the Bell Block Spatial Plan process it looks like there may be some truth to that.
We had hoped to get answers to our concerns about the Spatial Plan Consultation last Friday, with our quarterly NPDC Senior Management meeting, but the meeting was postponed due to a staff member being unwell.
One of the concerns we raised with the NPDC is that a current open Consultation for Bell Block has not been spoken about in either the Citizen’s Panel or Ratepayers Alliance workshops.
We would have preferred to have a meeting with the NPDC before raising our consultation process concerns publicly, but there are only 9 days left to respond to the Bell Block District Plan Change open consultation on the NPDC website, so we need to let people know about this situation now. (There is a link to this consultation further down the page).
We have attached some key wording for the Local Government Act 2002 – which highlights how Councils should consult with their communities. We strongly question how this Bell Block Spatial Plan process has complied with this legislation when information has not actively been disclosed – including face to face in public workshops.
There is a bit to unpack with what we found out after our Stakeholder meeting – so this is the short bullet point version for busy people:
- There is a current District Plan out for consultation for Bell Block – this was not mentioned in workshops.
- In our workshop we were told by staff a Puketapu Hub idea was “possible” and asked for our thoughts. In reality, The District Plan Change currently out for consultation has a small shopping centre (Hub) as part of that plan. No mention was made to our group they could participate now in an open consultation to give actual real time feedback.
- Several people at our workshop specifically mentioned they want to subdivide their land. This district plan out for consultation shows more about what they can actually do. No mention was made they could see that now, and put in feedback about that now.
- The day after the workshop we found an NZTA plan as an update on the NPDC Have Your Say website page for the Spatial Plan. Several times across the night it was mentioned ideas from the public wouldn’t be able to be used because of NZTA rules, so the ideas weren’t written down. Ideas were not wanted unless they fitted with the NZTA viewpoint.
- The NZTA plan on the NPDC Website shows very clearly what NZTA has in mind for the new housing area in Bell Block. There is the usual “active transport” mentioned – like the cycleway on Devon Street West – but worse – no cars or carparks at all this time.
- We have attached the NZTA Plan documents with 4 pages.
- It was mentioned in our workshop that the Citizens’ Panel specifically covered that they do not want to be another Auckland. Auckland is experiencing major issues in neighbourhoods with parking on only one side of the street. This NZTA plan proposes Bell Block has no parking at all on streets. There is no clear picture of how many streets this will affect.
- Mentioned in the District Plan Change open consultation is an NPDC Subdivision Design Guide document. This was written in 2023. This document is not a legal requirement in legislation, it is a guide being used by NPDC staff for developing new subdivisions. No mention was made of this guide in our workshop.
- Does anyone recall being consulted on introducing a subdivision standard in 2023 ?
- These workshops run into the Long Term Plan – but they are actually based on many ideas put forward by NPDC staff and NZTA – without the knowledge of the local people participating in the ideas gathering process.
- In our letter of serious concerns to the NPDC we stated – “This is not acceptable”.
- We have requested a meeting to discuss the entire consultation process being used by the NPDC. We have asked for specific issues to be addressed and we have asked for changes in how this process is run by Council staff.
- Links to the documents we mention are in the rest of this story.
- It’s becoming a bit of a habit that the Alliance is finding things quite by accident, when the Local Government Act 2002 legislation states the NPDC is to “conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner”.
- We are likely to need support from the community to bring about change with how consultations are being done by the NPDC.
The following is the full story about what has happened since our Bell Block Spatial Plan workshop:
At the end of our first Stakeholder meeting we were told where we could find more information about how the Bell Block Spatial Plan was progressing. The next day we followed up on that information, so we could update our supporters on anything that wasn’t covered in the planning session.
Some of what we found was totally unacceptable, and makes a complete mockery of the ideas gathering process with the public.
There is a current District Plan out for consultation for Bell Block – this was not mentioned in our session.
A Puketapu Hub idea was “possible” according to the NPDC staff member running a group session with us on 21st April. The District Plan change currently out for consultation has a small shopping centre (Hub) as part of that plan. No mention was made to our group they could participate now in an open consultation to give actual real time feedback.
The detail of this hub/shopping centre, and the zones and laws that will apply, is out for actual feedback for the residents who will live within this plan area. It closes on 19th May. The Hub idea is already written in to a District Plan change. The Link is here:
https://haveyoursay.npdc.govt.nz/planchange2
Several people at our workshop on 21st April specifically mentioned they want to subdivide their land. This district plan out for consultation shows more about what they can actually do. No mention was made they could see that now, and put in feedback about that now.
We see there is an NZTA plan attached as an update with the Spatial Plan documents on the NPDC Have Your Say website page. Several times across the night it was mentioned ideas from the public wouldn’t be able to be used because of NZTA rules, so the ideas weren’t written down. Ideas were not wanted unless they fitted with the NZTA viewpoint.
The NZTA plan which is attached with the Spatial Plan update Document Library shows very clearly what NZTA has in mind for the new housing area in Bell Block. There is the usual “active transport” mentioned – like the cycleway on Devon Street West the NPDC is still trying to unravel – but on steroids for Bell Block.
We have attached 4 pages of the NZTA Plan document.
This is the actual link to the NZTA Plan on the NPDC Have Your Say website. It is under the Bell Block Spatial Plan – In the Document Library from Pages 75 to 78.
People will note – there are NO cars on these streets. Not just Devon St West – yet again – but NO cars at all this time.
There are rows of houses with no carparking at all near homes and only public transport, foot or cycle use available. There are clear pictures and words of how this is proposed to look, but no mention of how much of an area this will cover and what zones this will be applied to.
This NZTA document was not mentioned to anyone on 21st April – but is completely relevant to the future of the Bell Block expansion.
It was mentioned in our workshop that the Citizens’ Panel specifically mentioned they do not want to be another Auckland. Auckland is experiencing major issues in neighbourhoods with parking on only one side of the street. NZTA proposes Bell Block has no parking at all on streets.
Mentioned in the District Plan Change open consultation on the “Have Your Say” page is an NPDC Subdivision Design Guide document. This was written in 2023.
This document is not a legal requirement in legislation, so it does not have to be introduced by law – but it is a guide being used by NPDC staff for developing new subdivisions.
Does anyone recall being consulted on about introducing a subdivision standard in 2023 ?
The community has virtually no knowledge this document exists and all new subdivisions are being built according to a guide full of concepts many in the community have had no say about and would not approve of.
The open District Plan Change Consultation is also to be read with the NP Subdivision Design Guide put in place in 2023. This is the link to the NP Subdivision Design Guide put out in 2023.
https://www.npdc.govt.nz/media/quwes03v/subdivision-design-guide.pdf
This guide is being used to develop the new Bell Block subdivision. This guide was not disclosed to the people participating in our workshop on 21st April.
None of this information has been presented when these ideas gathering workshops have been run.
These workshops run into the Long Term Plan – but they are actually based on many ideas put forward by NPDC staff and NZTA – without the knowledge of the local people participating in the ideas gathering process.
In our letter of serious concerns to the NPDC we stated – “This is not acceptable”.
We have requested a meeting to discuss the entire consultation process being used by the NPDC. We have asked for specific issues to be addressed and we have asked for changes in how the process is run by Council staff.
Major changes are needed with the NPDC consultation process so the people who live here actually have a chance to put in place what they want – not some faceless Government employees from the NZTA, or in planning workshops, where documents known to be part of the process, are not made known to the public.
We will let you know how we get on, but we are likely to need your support to bring about change.
P.S At the start of our planning meeting with the NPDC staff, a presentation was done on a screen, and a 20 page document was made available for participants. No mention was made in the presentation on the screen of the active transport options with NZTA, or any mention made that pages 12 to 15 of the handout had diagrams of what NZTA is planning for the Bell Block Spatial Plan.
Participants didn’t read the 20 page document as from the moment we sat down we were participating in activities.
There was a specific table at the workshop to discuss transport – but the NZTA diagrams were not present, or discussed at that table, when those ideas were being gathered.
There was a specific table for planning and housing – but the subdivision guide was not present, or discussed at that table either, when those ideas were being gathered.
P.P.S If you live in Bell Block you may want to look at the District Plan change and where you live, to see if you are affected, and whether you want to give feedback. If you are planning on subdividing you may want to check what guidelines the NPDC is using in their Subdivision guide, which may affect you.
The District Plan Change consultation closes on 19th May. The link is here:
https://haveyoursay.npdc.govt.nz/planchange2
P.P.P.S One of our team found the NZTA plan on page 78 of the updated Document Library on the NPDC Have your Say website page, which is the only way we knew this existed. Page 78 ? It takes some dedication to get that far through a document that long.
And, we stumbled across the subdivision plan, on one line, part way through the District Plan change consultation.
It’s becoming a bit of a habit that the Alliance is finding things quite by accident, when the Local Government Act 2002 legislation states the NPDC is to “conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner”
Posted: Sun 10 May 2026