Dear Wellington City Council,

The Interpretations, Rules & Standards in the the 2024 District Plan (DP2024) are surprising, requiring clarificiation.

EW-R2: Earthworks for the purposes of constructing and maintaining tracks associated with permitted activities in the General Rural Zone

Is defined as Permitted, where Compliance is achieved with EW-S8.

From the above statement it is unclear whether compliance with only the called out standard (EW-S8) is required, or whether other Standards unspecified in the Rule must be met (and if so, why the specific call out to EW-S8?).

Assuming for now that other Standards beyond the specified EW-S8 standard must be met, the following Standard,

EW-S1: Area : The total area of earthworks must not exceed 250m2 per site in any 12-month period.

implies that Wellington Rural zone farmers are only permitted to Maintain (we're not even talking about creating here) a total of 41.66m per year (250m2/4m standard width track +2 m of adjoining cut and fill areas).

Was this the intended outcome?

If not, when will you be changing the District Plan’s standards to make clear that farmers retain their right to create and maintain tracks for permitted activities?

If it was, was it communicated to inhabitants and farmers within wellington’s rural zones that traditional rights were being curtailed?

If it was, where is this specified and communicated?

If it was, what is WCC’s expectations of process for farmers to follow when required for health and safety reasons to rapidly repair roads washed away or covered by slips, when the total area is larger than 250m2?

If it was, what is the process to follow to undo this new limit and/or lack of clarity?

Thank you for answering the above to better understand whether WCC's intent is to assist its rural residents or actively work against them.

Thank you.
Wellington Rate Payer