Appeals to the Decisions on the Ruakura Variation have been received and can be found here.
Decisions
The independent commissioners' decisions on the Ruakura Variation were notified on 2 November 2016.
Hearings
Council considered the submissions and further submissions to inform the preparation of evidence for the hearings, which started on
Wednesday 3 August 2016. The hearings were open to the public and were conducted by independent hearing commissioners. View the
Hearings Schedule here.
The schedule, tabled items and sound files for each day of hearings are available
here.
Closing submissions of Counsel for Hamilton City Council
Download the Closing Submissions of Counsel for Hamilton City Council and
Updated Variation - 2 September 2016 (14.3 MB).
Late submission
Hamilton City Council made a late submission to the Ruakura Variation. Further submissions on the late submission closed on 22 July 2016. Four further submissions were received (see Further submissions table below). The Hearing Commissioners issued Hearing Directions - Minute 3 and Hearing Directions - Minute 4 in relation to the late submission.
Staff reports
Staff reports on each of the sections of the Proposed District Plan affected by the Ruakura Variation are available in the table below. All deferred submissions from the Proposed District Plan in 2013 that relate to Ruakura will be heard as part of the Variation. The staff reports address the Variation and deferred matters. Guidelines for reading the tracked changes are available here.
Expert Evidence
Submitters intending to call expert evidence were requested to provide a brief of evidence by Friday 15 July 2016. This evidence is tabled below.
Rebuttal Evidence
Hamilton City Council staff and experts provided rebuttal evidence by Friday 22 July 2016.
| Author | Topic(s) |
| Murray Kivell (122 KB) | • Framework for the administration of LDPs – their prescription and mapping • Provisions for managing effects on the amenity values of the Percival-Ryburn Road rural residential enclave • Is the Ryburn Enclave Ruakura Logistics Zoning Pre-emptive? |
| Andrew Parsons (95 KB) | • Infrastructure planning matters |
| Alasdair Gray (67KB) | • Managing the effects of transport and transport infrastructure |
| Gavin Lister (113 KB) | • Landscape buffers • Development controls for medium density housing |
| Malcolm Hunt (165 KB) | • Noise and vibration matters |
| Jamie Sirl (108 KB) | • Indicative Ruakura Open Space • Ruakura Open Space and Infrastructure |
| Paula Rolfe (2 MB) | • Subdivision provisions |
| Sam Le Heron 328 KB) | • Administrative amendments • Third party approvals and non-notification • Planning and urban design provisions for the Ruakura Medium Density Residential Zone • AgResearch and Waikato Innovation Park provisions for the Knowledge Zone and Concept Plan Consents • University of Waikato • Transpower New Zealand • Scope of submissions – Transpower, AgResearch and Waikato Innovation Park |
| Laura Galt (1.7 MB) | • Landscaping and Planting Requirements • Indicative Open Space • Rezoning of Chedworth land to Medium Density Residential |
Decisions
After the hearings, the commissioners will make their decisions. If you made a submission or a further submission, you will be sent a copy of the decisions, which will also be publicly notified. As a submitter, you then have right of appeal to the Environment Court.
Queries
For any questions relating to the Ruakura Variation, please contact us on
districtplan@hcc.govt.nz or 07 838 6909. For queries relating to the administration of the Hearings, please contact Hearing Officer, Stu Rice on 027 540 1976 or
steve@riceres.co.nz.
Summary of Submissions
Submissions on the Ruakura Variation closed on 18 December 2015. Council received 50 submissions, which account for 675 submission points. You can read the submissions received by clicking on the submitter's name in the table below.
The Summary of Submissions is available in two formats:
| Surname / organisation name | Submitter Number |
| AgResearch (292 KB) | 47 |
| Alexander, Deanna-Rose (133 KB) | 41 |
| Bothwell, Jenny (67 KB) | 04 |
| Broadbent, Morris (332 KB) | 15 |
| Browne, Clare (183 KB) | 20 |
| Byron, Nigel Christopher (42 KB) | 01 |
| Carmichael, Natasha and Bryce (209 KB) | 19 |
| Chedworth Properties Limited (749 KB) | 33 |
| Chibnall, David Evan and Karlene (2.2 MB) | 31 |
| Cooper, Russell (Rusty Racing) (69 KB) | 39 |
| Cowie, William (361 KB) | 30 |
| Cycle Action Waikato (56 KB) | 10 |
| DSE Nominees Limited (333 KB) | 25 |
| Eastside Apostolic Foundation, Hamilton (1.7 MB) | 12 |
| Fairview Downs Residents and Owners Association (362 KB) | 43 |
| Fellowship Baptist Church (2.67 MB) | 45 |
| Freight Logistics Action Group (520 KB) | 46 |
| Future Proof Implementation Committee (627 KB) | 28 |
| Gallagher, Fiona (201 KB) | 22 |
| Gallagher, Peter Murray (38 KB) | 03 |
| Gibbons, Matthew (62 KB) | 06 |
| Goodwin, Graeme Ernest (48 KB) | 05 |
| Hamilton City Council (6.65 MB) | 32 |
| Hamilton City Council (LATE SUBMISSION) | 51 |
| Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (527 KB) | 44 |
| Innovation Waikato Limited (321 KB) | 38 |
| Julian, Alan and Barbara (869 KB) | 29 |
| Kalnins, Alex | 14 |
| Kellaway, Laura; Beaumont, Louise; and Adam, John P (14 MB) | 49 |
| KiwiRail Holdings Limited (152 KB) | 17 |
| Madarang, Domingo (2.47 MB) | 35 |
| Marsters, Derrick and Robyn (542 KB) | 18 |
| McIntyre, Isaac (41 KB) | 07 |
| Medhurst, David Gordon (41 KB) | 08 |
| New Zealand Transport Agency (284 KB) | 34 |
| Poirier, Robert (42 KB) | 02 |
| Progressive Enterprises Limited (PEL) (142 KB) | 24 |
| Property Council of New Zealand (213 KB) | 11 |
| Roughton, Judith Annette (561 KB) | 13 |
| Ruakura Residents Group (379 KB) | 37 |
| Silsbee, Scott and Lori (189 KB) | 16 |
| Smith, Noel Gordon (632 KB) | 09 |
| Spirig, Wendy and Roland (112 KB) | 36 |
| Tainui Group Holdings Limited (3.6 MB) | 48 |
| The University of Waikato (500 KB) | 26 |
| Transpower New Zealand Limited (4.7 MB) | 23 |
| Waikato Regional Council (3 MB) | 21 |
| Waikato-Tainui Te Kauhanganui Incorporated (223 KB) | 27 |
| Wang, Meggie (950 KB) | 42 |
| Wang, Yun-Chin and Kung-Yao Lin (288 KB) | 40 |
| West, Jennifer (110 KB) | 50 |
Further submissions received
How to read the Variation
The easiest way of reading the Variation is by downloading the Ruakura Variation (Volumes 1 and 2 combined). To understand how the text is presented in the Variation and the scope of submissions, please view these guidelines.
In addition to the documents below, the Ruakura Variation has been integrated into the relevant chapters of the Proposed District Plan - Appeals Version.
| Document name | Open here |
| Ruakura Variation (Volumes 1 and 2 combined) | PDF (9.3 MB) |
| Ruakura Variation - s32 Analysis | PDF (4.7 MB) |
| Ruakura Variation Area (map) | PDF (2.9 MB) |
| Public Notice 11 November 2015 (Waikato Times, New Zealand Herald, Hamilton Press) | PDF (122 KB) |
| Ruakura Variation Notification Document (Council Resolution 29 October 2015) | PDF (8.7 MB) |
| Fact Sheet | PDF (517 KB) |
| Technical Report - Landscaping | PDF (3.8 MB) |
| Technical Report - Feasibility Study | PDF (966 KB) |
| Technical Report - Transport | PDF (4.8 MB) |
| Assessment of Waikato-Tainui Environmental Management Plan | PDF (440 KB) |
| Referenced documents (updated) | PDF (516 KB) |
Drop-in information session material
| posters (28 MB)
information material (97KB)
|
| Public Notice 17 February 2016 - Further Submissions | public notice |
| Public Notice 6 April 2016 (amended summary) | public notice |
| Updated Hearing Notice Letter (13 May 2016) | Hearing Notice letter |
For any questions or clarification on the Ruakura Variation, please contact us on districtplan@hcc.govt.nz.