A Lower Moutere resident is taking it upon herself to host an event for the community to have better information about an “underutilised” Tasman District Council (TDC) policy.
Zola Rose says she is a community development and community engagement practitioner, and her event this Saturday at Riverside Community Hall - Cooperative Living Opportunities, Top of the South - sets out to explore the opportunity for the public to develop cooperative rural living in the district.
The Cooperative Living planning rule was written into the Tasman Resource Management Plan, and it came about through public submissions and Tasman District Council’s Plan Change 60 in 2016, which proposed better policy support for co-operative living. The policy permits multiple dwellings on rural land without needing to rezone or subdivide, if the land and buildings are owned cooperatively.
Zola says, since the policy’s inception only one entity has made use of it.
She believes shortcoming public information about the policy from the council is the cause of the district’s rural areas making slow progress in more cooperative living.
“My question to the council was ‘why, after spending so much energy with your planners on the submission process and writing [the policy] up, has there been no dissemination?’,” she says.
“I said to them ‘I’ll host an event, because I’m a community-led development practitioner, and I like to let people know about policies that are useful to them’.”
However, Tasman District communication and change manager, Chris Choat, says council did make a specific effort to publicise the new PC60 provisions, including those related to co-operative living.
He says they held a set of information dissemination meetings at rural venues around the district after decisions on the PC60 were made.
“Also, at the time, a guide to the PC60 changes was developed and circulated. This guide is still on the council website.”
Zola says iwi, community-based organisations, developers, builders, engagement professionals, council staff, elected members, students, and general members of the public are invited to Saturday’s event.
“I’m hoping that people pick up the policy and that those people who have either been under the radar doing this informally or have tiny homes on their property, actually use this policy,” she says.
“I’m promoting regenerative development and opportunities for people to live in housing that best suits their needs, aspirations and their culture so that we see more of these kind of developments springing up that are affordable and resilient.”
Cooperative Living Opportunities, Top of the South, 20 April, 4pm to 6:30pm, Riverside Community Hall, Lower Moutere. Register here or contact Zola on 027 449 0422 for more information.
