Room to Grow: Plan Change A opens the door for growth
7 September 2026
Public consultation has opened on Tararua District Council’s Plan Change A, which proposes targeted changes to make room for future housing and industrial growth across the district.
Tararua is growing. We want more people and businesses to choose to live, work and invest here, creating opportunities for our communities. But for that growth to happen, there needs to be land where new homes and workplaces can be developed.
Plan Change A proposes targeted changes to the District Plan to provide that room.
The proposed changes include rezoning land for housing and industry, along with new rules to guide how those areas develop. Changes are proposed in Dannevirke, Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketāhuna, as well as at the Oringi and Pahiatua Fonterra industrial sites.
“Plan Change A is about making sure Tararua is ready for the future,” says Tararua District Mayor, Scott Gilmore.
“We have the space to grow, and a lot of work has gone into identifying suitable areas for that growth. This plan change is about making sure our planning rules allow that growth to happen in the right places.
“Growth can bring more homes, more jobs, more opportunities and more people contributing to and supporting our local communities.”
Plan Change A is deliberately narrow and does not represent a full review of the District Plan. It focuses on rezoning land for homes and industry, introducing rules to guide development in those areas.
The plan change follows several years of work on the wider District Plan review. That process began in 2022, but was paused following Central Government’s July 2025 announcement of changes affecting councils’ district plan review and change processes.
Council narrowed the focus to Plan Change A and applied for a special exemption to allow it to continue, which was approved in April 2026.
The proposed changes will affect people differently. They may be particularly relevant to people wanting to build or develop land, people living in areas where zoning is proposed to change, and existing or potential industry in the new growth areas.
“Most people won’t notice a major change to their everyday lives straight away,” says Aimee Charmely, Acting Regulatory Services Manager. “This is about what we make possible for Tararua over time.”
“We encourage people to take a look at what’s proposed, particularly if they live in or own land in an affected area, and make a submission if they would like to.”
Public consultation is open until 5pm, Monday 5 October 2026.
This is a formal consultation process, with specific requirements for how submissions must be made and the information they need to include.
View the proposed changes, maps of the new zones and information about how to make a submission at: www.tararuadc.govt.nz/plan-change-a
Read the story of Plan Change A in our interactive explainer: www.tararuadc.govt.nz/plan-change-a-explained
Plan Change A at a glance
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