More than
22,000 pieces of feedback from across the Western Bay are
now influencing how the District will grow and change over
the next 30–50 years.
The
results of Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Community
Quest show strong support for the early direction
of several long-term planning projects being developed across
the District.
Between
February and April, the Community Quest sought feedback through
four free, family-friendly events held in Waihī Beach,
Katikati, Te Puna and Te Puke, and an online
survey open to all residents.
More than
1000 people attended the events while 1058 online surveys were
completed. In total, the engagement generated 22,480 pieces of feedback.
Strategic
Policy and Planning Programme Director, Emily Watton, says the level of
participation shows how much people care about the future of their communities.
“More
than 2000 people took part across the Western Bay through our events and
survey,” she says.
“What
stood out was how practical and thoughtful the feedback was.
People weren’t just ticking boxes, they were talking about what
they value in their towns, what they want to protect, and how they want their
communities to feel in the future.”
Emily
says there was strong agreement across the key topics tested, including
housing, transport, infrastructure, community facilities,
cultural heritage and the environment.
“Across these areas, an
average of 75 per cent of responses supported the
direction we’re heading in, 22 per cent were somewhat
supportive, and 3 per cent did not support it.
“That
tells us we’re on the right track overall. It’s not about
having every detail right yet, but it does show we’re reflecting
what we’ve been hearing from people so far.”
The
engagement builds on earlier Community Ideas Forums, where residents worked
with Council to identify the key issues and priorities for
their towns before the wider community was asked to respond.
Emily
says these two stages of engagement are helping shape a clearer picture of
what people want.
“We
started by sitting down with people who know their communities really well, and
now we’ve gone out wider to check in with everyone,” she says.
“Bringing
these two pieces together helps make sure we’re hearing the full picture.”
The Quest
also included district-wide questions about Council priorities and future
investment.
Feedback
from this part of the engagement will help inform development of the 2027–2037
Long Term Plan, says Emily.
“This
feedback is really useful as we look at what we invest in and focus
on over the next decade.”
District-wide
feedback showed strong support for investigating a new landfill or
transfer station closer to home, and focussing on ease of movement for
cars, bikes and people through town centres.
People
also highlighted congestion, road safety and road maintenance as key
priorities for the transport network.
Council
is now moving into the next stage of work: drafting plans for
how Waihī Beach,
Katikati, Te Puna and Te Puke will develop. These
will be shaped by what the community has said, along with technical work and
other planning considerations.
The draft
plans will go out for formal public consultation in early 2027.
