He Wāhi Noho mō te Katoa – Te Panonihanga o te Whakaritenga 9 | Housing for Everyone - Plan Change 9


The Section 42a Report for Plan Change 9 is now available to view. The Independent Hearings Panel has issued a direction on Hearing Procedures and Directions. The hearing for Plan Change 9 is scheduled to be from 14 August to 25 August 2023 -the Draft Hearing Timetable is now available to view here.

Housing for Everyone – Plan Change 9 incorporates giving effect to the government’s Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).

It also aims to:

  • Enable a greater supply and variety of homes that meet the needs of Rotorua residents;
  • Achieve a well-functioning urban environment and efficient use


The Section 42a Report for Plan Change 9 is now available to view. The Independent Hearings Panel has issued a direction on Hearing Procedures and Directions. The hearing for Plan Change 9 is scheduled to be from 14 August to 25 August 2023 -the Draft Hearing Timetable is now available to view here.

Housing for Everyone – Plan Change 9 incorporates giving effect to the government’s Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).

It also aims to:

  • Enable a greater supply and variety of homes that meet the needs of Rotorua residents;
  • Achieve a well-functioning urban environment and efficient use of land;
  • Better enable and encourage papakāinga development;
  • Ensure development is integrated with infrastructure planning and funding for open space;
  • Ensure that significant risks from natural hazards are appropriately managed in relation to increased development potential.

Te Whakamāramatanga o te Panonihanga | About this Change

Housing for Everyone – Plan Change 9 is a change we are making to our District Plan to encourage greater development and housing choice, and it forms part of a series of actions the Government has developed to address housing in New Zealand. Specifically, Housing for Everyone – Plan Change 9 proposes changes to better support intensification through enabling medium density living across most of our urban area, and high density living close to and in the city centre and in our commercial centres.

About Plan Change 9

Plan Change 9 presentation - the basics

The process for change

  • Some of the new rules that implement the Medium Density Residential Standards (“MDRS”) were required to be implemented by law, from 20 August 2022 and these are now in effect.
  • Others that do not form part MDRS are being considered through the formal plan change process, with recommendations on the final plan change to be made to Council by independent commissioners after the hearing of submissions.

Medium Density Zone

This is to be achieved by changing development standards in two of our city’s residential zones to enable landowners to build up to three homes of up to three storeys each on most residential sites without requiring a resource consent. These rules, referred to as the Medium Density Residential Standards, must be implemented under law from 20 August 2022.

High Density Zone

Council is also required to amend the District Plan across all urban zones so that heights and densities of development enabled by the plan are consistent with the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (2020). This requires heights and densities enabled to reflect how close the area is to services and the demand in that location. Council is therefore proposing to introduce a High Density Residential Zone aligned to the most accessible areas within Rotorua. This will enable more people to live in areas that can access amenities and employment through active and public transport modes.

City Centre and Commercial Zones

The Plan Change has further considered how to enable increased development density in the Commercial and City Centre Zones, due to their accessible location relative to amenity. The primary method of doing so is by enabling a greater height in these locations to accommodate for a wider range of activities that are supported by a greater density

Supporting Changes

We also have other proposed changes as part of Plan Change 9. This includes changes to provisions that:

  • Set the standards for papakāinga development throughout the district
  • Manage flooding and geothermal hazards
  • Protect heritage structures
  • Set financial contributions from development for reserves
Page last updated: 18 Sep 2023, 05:56 PM