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Kia ora Brendon

 

Official information request for Rohutu Block information

 

I refer to your official information request dated 13 August 2025 for “all
correspondence and documents regarding the erosion and any future plans
for the Rohutu Block, at East Beach, in Waitara” under the Local
Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

 

You requested all correspondence and documents regarding the erosion and
future plans for the Rohutu Block. This is a substantial request. There
has been substantial correspondence, both internally and with the Rohutu
Block Trustees, over many years regarding the erosion at the Rohutu Block.
It would require substantial collation or research by the Council that may
be refused under section 17(f) of the LGOIMA.

 

It appears likely that your original request will need to be clarified or
amended to enable us to respond. Please note, any clarification or
amendment of a request is considered to be a new request for the purpose
of calculating the maximum statutory timeframe for response—see section
13(7) of the LGOIMA.

 

Can you please consider amending the scope of your request so as to enable
us to fulfil it?

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Greg Stephens (he/him)

Climate Change Response Lead

DDI 06-759 2567

New Plymouth District Council | Liardet St | Private Bag 2025 | New
Plymouth 4340 | Ph 06-759 6060 | [1]www.npdc.govt.nz

 

The content of this email is confidential and may contain copyright
information and/or be legally privileged. The information contained in
this email is intended only for the recipient named in the email message.
If this email is not intended for you, you must not use, read, distribute
or copy it. If you have received this email message in error please notify
the sender immediately and erase the original message and any attachments
from your system. Thank you.

Statements in this email and any attachments do not necessarily reflect
the views of New Plymouth District Council.

For more information about New Plymouth District Council, visit our
website at [2]www.npdc.govt.nz

Are you a ratepayer? Did you know you can get your rates notices by email?
Sign up now at [3]www.npdc.govt.nz/home-and-property/rates-information/

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3. http://www.npdc.govt.nz/home-and-propert...

Kia ora Mr Mills

 

I refer to your request under the Local Government Official Information
and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) regarding the Rohutu Block in Waitara.

 

For context, he Rohutu Block is private Māori reserve land and managed by
Trustees, not New Plymouth District Council (Council). Council has been
supporting the Trustees address the ongoing coastal erosion at the Rohutu
Block and its threats to homes. Fundamentally, it is the decision of the
Rohutu Block Trustees as to the forward plans for that area, not Council
(outside of statutory consenting and regulatory matters).

 

Council has previously supported the Rohutu Block Trust, including a
previous process to work with the Trust and Massey University to consider
future options. Unfortunately that work was not completed due to budgeting
and health and safety issues and did not result in a plan. The two
documents I am releasing to you are part of this work.

 

At the Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 Council resolved to provide $100,000 per
annum to support the Trust address the coastal erosion threats to six
homes. The initial intention of this was to undertake this planning
process in 2024/25 and then provide a grant to the Trust to support the
relocation or demolition of high-risk homes. However, subsequent erosion
placed these homes at greater risk of further severe weather events and
resulted in the Trust and Council altering its approach. Council and the
Trust collaborated to demolish six homes – five in 2024/25 and one in
2025/26, all funded by Council. This has been a significant legal process
to ensure that the homes are fully in the hands of the Trustees and then
Council being appropriately authorised to undertake demolition work. This
has involved extensive correspondence between Council, the Trust, lawyers
and demolition contractors. This has also included carefully managing
budgets within my team to effectively bring forward some of the funding.

 

Council and the Trust are now in a position where future options are being
assessed. We have outlined, however, that other funding sources will need
to be explored as Council’s budget for this is nearing completion (with
some contingency left for another property that is now at risk). This is a
work in progress at this stage. We have been working with Professor Bruce
Glavovic from Massey University to secure funding so that he can undertake
an adaptation plan work. This has not been successful so far, and Council
and the Trust have had limited resourcing to focus on that forward
planning work while the demolition process has been underway. However, we
are intending to meet and discuss this in the coming weeks to seek other
community funding sources.

 

In regards to the future plans, New Plymouth District Council has no
‘future plan’ for the Rohutu Block per se. However, I am releasing two
documents undertaken several years ago from Tonkin+Taylor that outline the
various options that could be explored. Neither of these documents provide
a clear ‘what is the forward plan’ for the Rohutu Block as this work still
needs to occur.

 

You may also be aware that Tiritiri o Matangi: The Waitara Spatial Plan
(currently in draft for consultation) includes a potential future
workstream on Resilient Waitara. This workstream would bring together the
natural hazard risk and climate change adaptation requirements across
Waitara into a local adaptation plan process. This process could also
include working with the Rohutu Block Trustees, and could then become a
Council plan. More information on this is available at [1]Tiritiri o
Mātangi: The Draft Waitara Spatial Plan | Have Your Say

 

Your request is therefore very extensive and involves a considerable
amount of correspondence, even within a reduced timeframe to consider.
However, I do appreciate that the focus, as you note, is on the future
plans. I am therefore formally declining your request for all
correspondence under section 17(f) LGOIMA, after having considered the
matters under s17A, as it would involve substantial collation and
research. And I can confirm that New Plymouth District Council has no
documentation on future plans for the Rohutu Block – although we are
intending to support the Rohutu Block Trustees with that as I have
outlined the situation above and provided two relevant documents.

 

For the decision to decline part of your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at [2]Ombudsman New
Zealand | Tari o te Kaitiaki Mana Tangata or freephone 0800 802 602.

 

Please let me know if you have further questions, queries etc as I
appreciate that this is a complicated response to a simple request.

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

Greg Stephens (he/him)

Climate Change Response Lead

DDI 06-759 2567

New Plymouth District Council | Liardet St | Private Bag 2025 | New
Plymouth 4340 | Ph 06-759 6060 | [3]www.npdc.govt.nz

[4][IMG]

 

show quoted sections

Sorry, the attachments weren’t attached. Please see attached now.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Greg Stephens (he/him)

Climate Change Response Lead

New Plymouth District Council

 

From: Greg Stephens
Sent: Wednesday, 10 September 2025 4:58 pm
To: Brendon Mills <[FOI #31998 email]>
Cc: LGOIMA <[email address]>
Subject: RE: CSM25/505580 LGOIMA: Rohotu Block, East Beach, Waitara

 

Kia ora Mr Mills

 

I refer to your request under the Local Government Official Information
and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) regarding the Rohutu Block in Waitara.

 

For context, he Rohutu Block is private Māori reserve land and managed by
Trustees, not New Plymouth District Council (Council). Council has been
supporting the Trustees address the ongoing coastal erosion at the Rohutu
Block and its threats to homes. Fundamentally, it is the decision of the
Rohutu Block Trustees as to the forward plans for that area, not Council
(outside of statutory consenting and regulatory matters).

 

Council has previously supported the Rohutu Block Trust, including a
previous process to work with the Trust and Massey University to consider
future options. Unfortunately that work was not completed due to budgeting
and health and safety issues and did not result in a plan. The two
documents I am releasing to you are part of this work.

 

At the Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 Council resolved to provide $100,000 per
annum to support the Trust address the coastal erosion threats to six
homes. The initial intention of this was to undertake this planning
process in 2024/25 and then provide a grant to the Trust to support the
relocation or demolition of high-risk homes. However, subsequent erosion
placed these homes at greater risk of further severe weather events and
resulted in the Trust and Council altering its approach. Council and the
Trust collaborated to demolish six homes – five in 2024/25 and one in
2025/26, all funded by Council. This has been a significant legal process
to ensure that the homes are fully in the hands of the Trustees and then
Council being appropriately authorised to undertake demolition work. This
has involved extensive correspondence between Council, the Trust, lawyers
and demolition contractors. This has also included carefully managing
budgets within my team to effectively bring forward some of the funding.

 

Council and the Trust are now in a position where future options are being
assessed. We have outlined, however, that other funding sources will need
to be explored as Council’s budget for this is nearing completion (with
some contingency left for another property that is now at risk). This is a
work in progress at this stage. We have been working with Professor Bruce
Glavovic from Massey University to secure funding so that he can undertake
an adaptation plan work. This has not been successful so far, and Council
and the Trust have had limited resourcing to focus on that forward
planning work while the demolition process has been underway. However, we
are intending to meet and discuss this in the coming weeks to seek other
community funding sources.

 

In regards to the future plans, New Plymouth District Council has no
‘future plan’ for the Rohutu Block per se. However, I am releasing two
documents undertaken several years ago from Tonkin+Taylor that outline the
various options that could be explored. Neither of these documents provide
a clear ‘what is the forward plan’ for the Rohutu Block as this work still
needs to occur.

 

You may also be aware that Tiritiri o Matangi: The Waitara Spatial Plan
(currently in draft for consultation) includes a potential future
workstream on Resilient Waitara. This workstream would bring together the
natural hazard risk and climate change adaptation requirements across
Waitara into a local adaptation plan process. This process could also
include working with the Rohutu Block Trustees, and could then become a
Council plan. More information on this is available at [1]Tiritiri o
Mātangi: The Draft Waitara Spatial Plan | Have Your Say

 

Your request is therefore very extensive and involves a considerable
amount of correspondence, even within a reduced timeframe to consider.
However, I do appreciate that the focus, as you note, is on the future
plans. I am therefore formally declining your request for all
correspondence under section 17(f) LGOIMA, after having considered the
matters under s17A, as it would involve substantial collation and
research. And I can confirm that New Plymouth District Council has no
documentation on future plans for the Rohutu Block – although we are
intending to support the Rohutu Block Trustees with that as I have
outlined the situation above and provided two relevant documents.

 

For the decision to decline part of your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at [2]Ombudsman New
Zealand | Tari o te Kaitiaki Mana Tangata or freephone 0800 802 602.

 

Please let me know if you have further questions, queries etc as I
appreciate that this is a complicated response to a simple request.

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

Greg Stephens (he/him)

Climate Change Response Lead

DDI 06-759 2567

New Plymouth District Council | Liardet St | Private Bag 2025 | New
Plymouth 4340 | Ph 06-759 6060 | [3]www.npdc.govt.nz

[4][IMG]

 

show quoted sections