The Waikato District Blueprint will help realise the overall vision established by Council for the district, which is to create Liveable, Thriving and Connected Communities – He noohanga aahuru, he iwi whai ora, he hapori tuuhono tahi.
In 2018 we came to your town to hear what was important to you and what you wanted to see in your community in the future. During these workshops we heard lots of great ideas and information.
In early 2019 we asked for your feedback on your top three priorities for your town, along with your priorities for the district. These priorities will be used by Council to help make some decisions as we move into the next Long Term Plan period.
In June 2019 the Waikato District Blueprint was approved by Council.
We visited again in June/July 2020 to discuss who should lead each of the Blueprint initiatives. This was followed up by asking for your thoughts on the priority ranking and who should be leading each initiative.
In 2021 we identified the need to expand the Blueprint by adding two more Local Area Blueprints, one for Port Waikato and one for Gordonton.
This was followed by a survey that was made available to Local Community Boards/Committees in 2023. The purpose of the survey was to be informed on which of the Local Area Blueprint initiatives should be considered in Council’s Long Term Plan, which should not be considered in the Long Term Plan, any amendments required, and suggested additional initiatives or commentary.
What's next?
The Blueprint has informed the current 2021-2031 Long Term Plan; a number of Blueprint initiatives have been funded and progressed (see implementation update below). Council is currently working towards the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan, and we will use the results from the 2023 survey to inform the development of the Long Term Plan. From the Blueprint, a number of the top priorities that are Council-led will be fed into the Long Term Plan considerations and may get funding. For the other initiatives, work can continue based on community priorities.
It’s important to note that just because a project or initiative might be in the Blueprint, it doesn’t mean it will happen straight away, or even at all. If it does happen, the project may not necessarily be Council funded. Instead this might be a perfect opportunity for a community to drive, with funding from other agencies and Council’s support.
Below are the most recent progress reports (from June 2023) on implementing initiatives in the Local Area Blueprints and the Districtwide Blueprint. The summary updates have been based on input from staff, Councillors and Community Board / Committee Chairs.
If you aware of any errors or can provide additional updates, please contact Jim Ebenhoh, Planning and Policy Manager, at jim.ebenhoh@waidc.govt.nz. The intent is for these progress reports to be updated every six months.
Some communities have developed, or are in the process of developing Community Plans, which also identify long term aspirations for their respective communities.
These have typically been led by Community Boards and Committees rather than Council, and in some cases have been superseded by Blueprints, but they continue to be valued as an important record of a community’s shared vision for the future.
Please find the Community Plans here.