Help plan the future of the Far North
How should the Far North grow over the next 30 years? Now is your chance to tell us what your community and local area needs more of, what might be missing, and what should be planned for the long-term future of our communities and our mokopuna.
Here’s what we are proposing / Anei tā mātou e whakatakoto nei
Te Rautaki Mokowā ā Rohe – the District Wide Spatial Strategy guides the development of spaces, places and how we move from one to another. It factors in growth, and cultural and community values alongside investment priorities. It will be our strategy to guide where new homes, businesses, parks, roads, and other infrastructure go to support vibrant communities.
If you have an interest in how the Far North develops, please complete a short survey and tell the council what you like about your place, what you think could be better, and what your community will need in the years ahead.
What about Te Pātukurea / the Kerikeri Waipapa spatial plan?
Recently, we carried out targeted consultation for Te Pātukurea, the Kerikeri Waipapa Spatial Plan. This focused on significant growth pressures being experienced in that part of the district. You can view the plan here. We can now focus on the needs of the rest of the district and want you to share your views on future development.
We’re coming to you / E tae atu ana mātou ki a koe
This is a significant piece of work, and it will take time. At this stage, we’re getting out across the district to hear people’s whakaaro about where they live.
You can visit us at one of our pop-up sessions, kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face), to talk through the strategy and fill out a submission form. We’ll be at:
- Saturday 28 March – Mangōnui waterfront festival, 12pm to 6pm, Waterfront Drive
- Thursday 9 April – Paihia farmers market, 10am to 1.30pm, Village Green
- Thursday 9 April – Kaikohe markets, 3pm to 6.30pm, Broadway
- Friday 10 April – Kawakawa Library, 10am to 1.30pm, Gillies St
- Saturday 11 April – Kaitāia markets, 7am to 12pm, Matthews Ave
- Tuesday 14 April – Rāwene, 11.00am to 1.00pm, Opposite Wharf
- Tuesday 14 April – Ōpononi, 10.30am to 1.30pm, Ōpononi 4 Square
How can I have a say / E whai wāhi ai koe ki ngā kōrero
- Online submissions: Click here to have your say
- Email us: submissions@fndc.govt.nz
- In person: Drop off a written submission at any FNDC service centre or library. Include your name, address and contact details (Our friendly customer service team will scan and email to us).
- By mail: Far North District Council, Private Bag 752, Kaikohe 0440
Alternatively, you can request to share your feedback verbally by emailing us at submissions@fndc.govt.nz or by phone on 0800 920 029.
Feedback is open until Monday 4 May 2026 – we’d love to hear from you!
Frequently asked questions
The DWSS is a future plan that will guide how the Far North grows and develops over the coming decades. It will bring together land use, housing, infrastructure, environmental resilience, economic development, and community wellbeing to set one district wide direction. It is intended to be locally relevant, co-designed with partners, and technically robust to support future planning processes including the Regional Spatial Strategies.
The Far North faces unique challenges such as uneven population growth, socio economic deprivation, service gaps, natural hazards, and infrastructure constraints. The strategy provides a clear, districtwide plan to address these issues, build resilience, and make sure investment goes where it's most needed.
- clear objectives shaped by community aspirations and technical evidence
- spatial scenarios showing different future pathways
- priority areas for regeneration and investment
- community profiles for each major locality
- supporting evidence on growth, infrastructure, hazards, environment, and the economy.
What you tell us now will shape the vision, principles, and objectives of the DWSS. Early engagement is essential, your insights help us understand the issues that matter most, the opportunities that exist across the district, and the outcomes our communities want to see. Your input becomes the foundation we build the strategy on.
The DWSS will not duplicate Te Pātukurea. Instead, it will integrate and align with the priorities and lessons from it, ensuring a coherent long-term direction across the district.
The DWSS is being developed in partnership with iwi and hapū through dedicated forums. Māori economic development, cultural values, and land aspirations are incorporated throughout the evidence gathering, scenario development, and final strategic directions.
Because the planning system is changing, and the Far North needs to be ready. The new laws will require councils to help shape Regional Spatial Plans, so we need the DWSS now to make sure our district’s priorities and community aspirations are included.
Because the DWSS will shape the future of the places you live, work, and rely on. It’s about improving community wellbeing, supporting aspirations, tackling long-term challenges, and making sure the Far North has a strong voice in the new national planning system. What we decide now influences future investment, infrastructure, services, and opportunities across the whole district, including where you live.
Note: Anyone is invited to submit feedback on this consultation, whether as an individual or on behalf of an organisation, however, any submissions that are out of scope, offensive, inappropriate, or late may not be accepted by the council. You will be notified if your decision is not accepted and, where appropriate, invited to resubmit.Any submissions that are made will become part of the public consultation process. The collection and use of personal information by the Far North District Council is regulated by the Privacy Act 2020.
Please note that your submission or a summary of your submission will be treated as public information and may be published on the council's website and made available to elected members and members of the public as part of the consultation process. Your name and contact details (address, phone number, email) will only be used for administrative purposes - such as the council contacting you to update you on the outcome of this consultation and letting you know about future consultations.