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Kia ora Wellington City (Brooklyn) Rate Payer,

Thank you for your email dated 10 December requesting information.

Our team will manage your request under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

Please note, the period 20 December 2025 to 10 January 2026 inclusive is not considered working days. The 20 working days allowed for your response will be on hold over this period and will continue again from 10 January 2026. As a result, we will respond as soon as possible but no later than 28 January 2026. You can read more about this on the Ombudsman website here: https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/agen...

The reference number for your request is IRC-9545

Please contact us if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,

Official Information & Privacy Team
Te Kaunihera o Pôneke | Wellington City Council
E [Wellington City Council request email] | W wellington.govt.nz

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-----Original Message-----
From: Wellington City (Brooklyn) Rate Payer <[FOI #33223 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 10 December 2025 8:33 pm
To: BUS: Official Information <[Wellington City Council request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Discussed Motives Behind District Plan Change 1 (EW-R2 Amendment)

[You don't often get email from [FOI #33223 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear Wellington City Council,

I request the following information under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

This request relates to the development, internal rationale and decision drivers for District Plan Change 1 (EW-R2 amendment: Earthworks for constructing and maintaining tracks in the General Rural Zone).

I am seeking information about Wellington City Council staff acting in their official capacity. Please note that the identities, communications and actions of staff acting in the course of their public duties are not protected by s7(2)(a) of the Act unless special circumstances exist. Please keep this in mind when assessing any withholding for privacy.

If any part of the following query requires refinement, please identify exactly which item and why, rather than asking to narrow the whole request, so as to be able to continue on collecting the rest while the requested part is refined.

1. Internal memos, briefings and decision rationale Please provide documents created between 1 January 2023 and the date of this request:
- Any internal briefing notes, issue assessments, or memos prepared by Planning Policy, Resource Consents or Compliance teams that identify a need to amend EW-R2 or initiate Plan Change 1.
- Any documents discussing risks, gaps, or loss of regulatory coverage following the removal of the Ridgelines and Hilltops Overlay (RLHTO) in the Council Decisions version of the Proposed District Plan.
- Any internal reports that compare the former RLHTO controls with the proposed EW-R2 controls, including analysis of how regulatory ability may shift.

2. Communications regarding the Planning Bill or amenity-based effects Please provide:
- Any emails, meeting notes, summaries or internal communications relating to the Planning Bill or the shift away from regulating amenity and visual effects, where these discussions relate to rural earthworks or EW-R2.
- Any internal or external (MfE to WCC or WCC to MfE) communications in which staff discuss how the Planning Bill may affect the Council’s ability to regulate rural tracks, visibility-based effects, or earthworks.

I am not requesting all Planning Bill correspondence, only the material where EW-R2, rural earthworks, or the implications of losing amenity-based controls are discussed.

3. Internal discussions about regulatory control or gaps Please provide:
- Any internal emails or meeting notes in which staff discuss concerns about retaining regulatory oversight of rural land modification, the impact of RLHTO removal, increased construction of tracks associated with permitted activities, or the need to strengthen earthworks triggers due to enforcement difficulties.
- Any internal descriptions of EW-R2 as a mechanism to maintain or restore regulatory control following the removal of visibility-based or amenity-based tools.

4. Drafts, comments and approvals
Please provide:
- All versions of the Plan Change 1 proposal where wording relating to EW-R2 differs materially from the notified version.
- Any comments or instructions from senior planning staff, managers or legal advisors explaining the purpose of the rule change or expressing concern about loss of regulatory ability under the new planning system.
- Any documents showing who authorised the drafting of Plan Change 1 and the reasons cited for initiating it.

5. Withholding and clarification
If any information is withheld, please specify for each item:
- whether a redacted or summary version can be provided.

If any part of this request requires refinement, please identify which item and why so that I can adjust that specific element, while you continue collecting the rest in a timely manner.

Thank you very much for your help with this.

Ngâ mihi,
Wellington City (Brooklyn) Rate Payer

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