Regional and District Policy Plan Development

Home Regional and District Policy Plan Development

Our team at Incite is highly skilled and experienced in policy and plan development for both regional and district plans. We enjoy working collaboratively alongside Council staff assisting with all stages of plan development, from plan drafting and Section 32 assessments, through to writing Section 42A reports and supporting hearing processes. We can assist with discrete pieces of work as part of a broader team, or help with managing large and complex plan processes. We aim to provide robust planning solutions for complex issues, with a focus on a fit-for-purpose plan that is both effective and useable. Our consent processing experience enables a sharper focus on end users and long term implications of decisions.

We also enjoy mentoring and assisting our clients to build their capability and confidence. We have assisted a number of clients by working alongside their less experienced team members in a peer review or mentoring role. This has allowed team members to be involved in plan processes and gain valuable experience, while ensuring robustness in their work.

Our extensive plan making and hearing experience also means Incite can assist with private plan requests.

Regional Policy and Plans

Incite have worked on a range of regional planning documents including regional policy statements, regional coastal plans, and other regional plans, undertaking work for multiple regional councils, including Canterbury, Marlborough, Otago, Southland and Waikato. We offer a range of services, including section 35 efficiency and effectiveness assessments of existing plans, which also provide key insights into what is and is not working to assist in ensuring plan reviews are targeted to key matters.

We are also highly experienced at plan drafting, preparation of section 32 evaluation reports, and assisting the council through those processes, including leading councillor workshops and assisting and mentoring internal staff members. We have prepared a number of section 42A hearing reports, including leading teams where there are multiple report authors, helping guide the council through the hearing process.

District Plans

Incite have provided a range of district planning services to councils around the South Island. This has included discrete plan drafting and section 32 evaluations for specific topics in plan reviews, drafting of Section 42A reports and hearing attendance. We have also participated in various Environment Court appeal processes, from providing preliminary advice on appeals, through to attending mediation and presenting evidence at the Environment Court.

Our team members were also centrally involved in all stages of the Hurunui District Plan review, providing project leadership, undertaking provision and section 32 evaluation drafting, preparing Section 42A reports and presenting these at the hearing, as well as assisting with the mediation of all appeals. Our team members have also provided planning assistance to Christchurch Independent Hearings Panel and Regenerate Christchurch, as well as preparing private plan changes applications.

Mentoring & Professional Development

If you would like to provide your team with the opportunity to lead or be involved in a plan process, but don’t have the in-house capability or capacity to assist them, we can help by providing support every step of the way. We can tailor our role to suit your needs – whether you need someone to lead the project but provide opportunities for team members to be involved, or if you just require a peer review service.

Incite also run in-house training sessions, designed to provide support to team members and to assist with building in-house capacity for RMA plan processes. Our experience running these with councils includes sessions on Section 32 analysis, plan drafting, Section 42A Reporting and providing specific, personalised feedback to those involved. We can work with you to tailor sessions around what your team would like to learn and build capability in.