The Tauranga City Plan provides the rules for how people can build or develop the land they own in our city.
This can be land that is residential, commercial or industrial. The City Plan covers all subdivision, land use and development, how and where the city grows, how infrastructure is located and how natural and physical resources are managed. It is the blueprint by which any development in Tauranga is managed. It also includes rules on other things that are covered by the Resource Management Act – including hazards, signage, reserves, noise, heritage, etc.
Purpose of the City Plan
The purpose of the City Plan is to enable the Council to carry out its functions under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA); promoting the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. The City Plan meets the Council's functions under the RMA. Set out in section 31 of the RMA, these functions are:
- The integrated management of the effects of the subdivision, use, development or protection of land and associated natural and physical resources;
- The control of any actual or potential effects of the subdivision, use, development or protection of land, including:
- The avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards;
- Matters relating to hazardous substances and the use of contaminated land;
- The maintenance of indigenous biodiversity.
- The control of the emission and effects of noise;
- The control of any actual or potential effects of activities in relation to the surface of rivers and lakes.
The City Plan has been developed through an extensive process of identifying the significant resource management issues in the city. The plan is also guided by other high order statutory planning documents such as the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement, Regional Policy Statement, Regional Plans and SmartGrowth.
How to use the City Plan online
The City Plan online is an interactive electronic version of the Tauranga City Plan.
It aims to make it easy to find information relevant to your property and to have your say on changes to the City Plan.
You can use the City Plan either like a book by reading it in full or by viewing it section by section. You can also use the interactive map viewer. This allows you to search for a specific property or area of the City and see map layers on your property. It can also help direct you to the most relevant parts of the City Plan and produce a property report.
See the tips below to help you get the most out of the City Plan online.
About the City Plan
The City Plan is split into Part A and Part B. Part A sets out objectives, policies and rules. These lay out the requirements for all subdivision, land use and development. Objectives describe the desired outcome for a particular resource management issue. Policies describe the direction to be taken to achieve the objective, and outline the considerations specific to the achievement of a particular objective. Rules implement the direction of the policies.
In Part B of the City Plan are the plan maps. Here, your starting point is to identify on the maps your site or the area where the activity is being considered (e.g. a house you want to build, a sign you want to put up). The maps help you determine what zone or zones the proposed activity falls within, and whether any special sections of the City Plan apply. Read more below on how to use the city plan maps.
Now you can determine what status your activity will have in this zone. Activities are set out in the Table of Activity Status which is located at the beginning of each zone-based chapter (e.g. Chapter 14: Residential Zones). The status table will tell you if the activity you’re considering requires a resource consent (controlled, restricted discretionary, discretionary, non-complying activities), if it doesn’t (permitted activity) or if it’s prohibited altogether in that zone.
When is a resource consent needed?
In most circumstances an activity that is not classified in the status table is identified as a discretionary activity by default. The activity status table will also tell you what rules apply to the activity you’re considering.
Chapter 3 – Definitions contains definitions of specific terms.