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Home Kaunihera | Council Projects Draft strategies and policies Completed – Growth strategy

Completed – Te Tupu Pai – Growing well

Last updated: 31 March 2022

Kāpiti is growing and we want to grow well. This means planning boldly and holistically so we can flourish.

Our growth strategy, Te tupu pai – Growing well, outlines our vision and framework for diverse, high quality development over the next 30 years. 

Adoption and publication | What a growth strategy does | Our new growth strategy | What we considered | Media releases | Related links | Reports

Adoption and publication

Council adopted the growth strategy, Te tupu pai – Growing well, at its meeting on 24 February 2022. The final strategy can be found at Te Tupu Pai – Growing Well.

The strategy emphasises well-designed compact urban centres, gradual greenfields development, low carbon living, and protecting and enhancing our environment. 

The report to Council, including consideration of submission and proposed changes to the strategy, can be found at item 10.2 in the Council agenda.

An analysis of submissions received, and copies of all submissions are available at Have your say – Growing well.

A Summary of Feedback and Decisions [PDF 722 KB] is also available. This document outlines the themes arising from submissions and how the Strategy was amended in response. 

Te Tupu Pai replaces the Development Management Strategy, which was published in 2007.

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What a growth strategy does

Our growth strategy gives us a framework for where, when, how, and how dense, we want growth to be in our district. It helps us shape land development and manage activities across our town centres and urban, rural and business areas, to support our district’s needs now, and in the future.

It also informs detailed changes to the District Plan and infrastructure plans to support a coordinated and integrated approach to shaping growth and development across the district.

We need to plan carefully to make sure we're ‘growing well’ with a thriving environment, vibrant economy and strong communities. Our population has increased by 1.5 percent per year on average over recent years and this same rate is expected to continue in future. This would mean our population will grow by about 32,000 people over the next 30 years – the current population of Paraparaumu and Raumati combined.

We need to plan carefully to avoid increased pressure on housing and rental stock and costs, our infrastructure, and our environment. We need to make sure our growth protects the things we value, and creates opportunities like housing choice, jobs, skills training, transport choices, and new and improved open spaces. Our new growth strategy provides a vision and road map for delivering on these opportunities.

Our new growth strategy is a key tool in how we respond to climate change impacts while working within the physical constraints of the district, and for protecting our environment as we adapt to low-carbon future.

Our growth strategy will complement existing policies and strategies like the Climate Emergency Action Framework, and the Economic Development and Sustainable Transport strategies, and is being developed beside others, like the Open Spaces and Stormwater strategies.

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Our new strategy

Te Tupu Pai – Growing well will complement existing policies and strategies like the Climate Emergency Action Framework, and the Economic Development and Sustainable Transport strategies, and is being developed beside others, like the Open Spaces and Stormwater strategies.

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What we considered

We consulted with our iwi partners and communities in developing Te tupu pai – Growing well, to ensure we expressed our shared vision and values in our growth strategy. We also applied the Government’s requirements for housing development and land use, other legislative requirements, and planning our district’s growth in line with the rest of the Wellington region. (See below for further detail on these legislative and regional policy requirements). 

New legislation, policy and supporting work

Housing business assessment

The Housing and Business Assessment (HBA) compares current and future demand for housing and business with the available development capacity in the Wellington Region. The HBA identified long-term shortages in residential development capacity in Kāpiti, and the need to increase this capacity. Higher levels of growth and demand are now forecast than those used in the last assessment.

National Policy Statement for Urban Development

The Government recently introduced the National Policy Statement for Urban Development (NPS-UD), which requires growth councils like Kāpiti to plan for growth and to ensure they deliver well-functioning urban environments for all people, communities and future generations.

In December 2021 new rules amending the Resource Management Act were enacted. These are referred to as medium-density residential standards. The standards are required to be enabled in all residential zones within the district, except – as specified in legislation – on sites where there are “qualifying matters”, such as natural hazards, ecological sites and sites of significance to Mana Whenua. The standards provide for infill development of up to three dwellings up to three storeys in residential areas.

This will require changes to our District Plan to enable intensification; allowing for growth both upwards and outwards. The Growth Strategy is a vital to informing this work.

Wellington Regional Growth Framework

The Wellington Regional Growth Framework (WRGF) outlines a long-term vision for how the region will grow, change and respond to key urban development challenges and opportunities. It was developed by central and local governments and mana whenua. The framework has been adopted by councils across the region, including Kāpiti.

Our growth strategy considers this regional framework and gives more detail on how Kāpiti plans to manage its future growth through intensification and greenfield development.

Kāpiti's Long-term Plan 2021–41

Our Long-term Plan 2021–41 (LTP) outlines Council’s plan for delivering services and activities over the next 20 years, particularly around infrastructure planning to support growth.

We received community feedback on "good growth" through the What matters most survey and Long-term Plan 2021–41 consultation. Our updated strategy reflects this feedback and will inform future long-term and infrastructure management plans.

The Growth Strategy will also inform District Plan changes around the NPS-UD, and the WRGF directions for intensification and future greenfield development.

Supporting information

The following reports outline growth scenario assessments and development potential that were taken into account when developing our proposed approach for consultation:

Our Housing page also outlines the work we're doing on housing and information on the housing continuum, which shows the housing types needed to meet the range of needs in our community.

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Media releases
Related links
Reports