LAB

Coromandel Peninsula Blueprint Vision and Outcomes

The year is 2050:	Ko te 2050 te tau:
the Coromandel Peninsula is a place:	Ko Te Tara o te Ika a Maaui:
That embraces its natural taonga – treasures.	Ka whakanui i aana taonga aa-taiao
That has diverse and vibrant centres.	He putahi matahuhua, haurora tonu oona
Is a place where generations can live, work and enjoy.	He waahi e ora ai, e mahi ai, e ngahau ai ngaa whakatupuranga
That has resilient communities.	He hapori pakari tonu oona

LABs: the key facts

The Coromandel Peninsula Blueprint: Framework for our Future was adopted by the four partner agencies Thames-Coromandel District Council, Environment Waikato, Department of Conservation and Hauraki Whaanui in December 2009/ February 2010
Clear district-wide planning outlined in the Coromandel Peninsula Blueprint has now been matched with specific local planning through Local Area Blueprints (LABs)
LABS are the anchor stone and practical component of the Blueprint
We have now created the LABs – in an integrated, multi-agency approach involving community focus groups, workshops and public meetings held around the Peninsula during 2010
LABs are a chance to enhance the Blueprint vision [as outlined above] and be applied community-wide
For many of the actions outlined in the LABs there will be further opportunities for the community to comment as they will be used to inform the review of the District Plan, the Regional Policy Statement , the development of Ten Year Plans for EW and TCDC, and will inform other statutory documents and iwi management plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s a LAB?

It's a Local Area Blueprint (LAB). It's the way all the agencies and Tangata Whenua will work together with the local community to deliver the vision of the Coromandel Peninsula Blueprint (CPB) in their area.

Why do we need LABs?

We need them because the CPB is, by its long-term nature, more focussed on the long-term future goals. But we need something that anchors these goals firmly now, something that we can all see as working for us now, and forward into the future. LABs will do this by focussing on specific things in local areas, like defining where more houses can be built, and which landscapes are important.

How many LABs are there?

There are eight LABs as well as examples of spatial planning that can be applied to Iwi management plans, these examples are from Manaia and Harataunga (Kennedy Bay). The LABs are for the three main urban hubs, Thames, Whitianga and Whangamata, as well as Coromandel, Mercury Bay North, Mercury Bay South, Tairua and Pauanui.

How did these areas get chosen?

Through a combination of the feedback we got from you, the community, in the 'Preferred Futures' consultation, plus a common-sense approach based on geography and land-use on the peninsula.

How much did all of this cost? (LAB phase and implementation)

The LAB phase cost about $400K and this was already accounted for in the current rating year by both Environment Waikato and Thames-Coromandel District Council- this means you won't have to pay any more in your rates for them.

The cost for implementing the outcome of the LABs and what eventually gets recommended by communities is unknown. It's going to be up to you, our communities to tell us what you want, but there is a cost associated with delivering that. Some costs will be one-off; others will be spread over future years.

Isn’t this just another plan – when are things actually going to happen?

The LABS took most of 2010 and into 2011 to be developed and approved. After this, the actions recommended in each plan will start to happen through the inclusion of actions in various statutory documents like EW's RPS and Ten Year Plan, TCDC's District Plan and Ten Year Plan, DOC's CMS, and Iwi Management Plans. For many of the actions and strategies identified within the LABs there may be further opportunities for community input before they can be implemented. For example, any actions that have a major financial implication and have already been confimed may become, or will continue to be part of processes under the Long Term Plan for TCDC and EW which include written submissions and hearings of submissions. Similarly, for actions that may be implemented through TCDC's District Plan an EW's Regional and Coastal plan, there will be public submissions and hearings processes. These additional consultation opportunities will provide for community views to assist in any further refinement or prioritisation of LAB actions/strategies and in overal decision-making.

How will I be kept informed about progress?

Each LAB, as well as the CPB, has a monitoring programme. Key Outcomes have been identified and progress against these, using a range of measuring tools, will be reported back to each community.

What if things change in the future – is there a process to deal with this – will the LAB change?

Yes, things will change. In developing the CPB, a lot of research and analysis has been gathered, collated and analysed so many of the assumptions that have been made about the future, i.e. like population numbers and density, are factually based. But, there's always a chance we haven't been able to model all the possible scenarios (and that's something we don't claim to have done!)

LABs and the CPB have a review timetable, as do the statutory documents that will give effect to what's recommended in these plans.

Where can I see the LAB once it’s completed?

The Draft LABs are now available here:

Please note : The LAB document is the first three sections, ie. pages 1 -72

Appendix 1 is Consulation and community background, pages 73 -170

Appendix 2 is Local Area Blueprint Actions, Schedule and Rationale pages 171 - 222

Appendix 3 is the Transport strategy, pages 223- 232

Appendix 4 is the Employment strategy, pages 233 - 262

Appendix 5 is District-wide information, pages 263 -269

Draft LAB Summary

Draft Local Area Blueprints - Pages 1- 22

Draft Local Area Blueprint pages 23-48