Maps marred by embarrassing technical glitches have put a dampener on the launch of the new draft combined district plan for the West Coast.
Kumara man Russell Spaan with the incorrect Te Tai Poutini Plan letter. Photo: Local Democracy Reporting/ Greymouth Star -Brendon McMahon
The admission of errors in the mapping comes after some West Coast ratepayers received letters advising them of new rules coming into immediate legal effect, including landowners who were wrongly advised their land was designated as a 'site of significance to Māori' in the draft plan.
Te Tai o Poutini Plan is a combined plan to replace individual district plans for the Buller, Grey and Westland districts. The draft plan is currently out for consultation, and public submissions close on 30 September.
Mapping errors have so far been identified at Gladstone and Kumara, neither of which contain sites of significance to Poutini Ngāi Tahu.
Plan committee chairman Rex Williams said problems started with the digital mapping of some sites in the plan, especially those close to bodies of water.
The digital map had "misaligned with the physical maps," and authorities would contact the affected landowners in the the next weeks to explain the problem and fix it, he said.
The recently notified 800+ page Te Tai o Poutini Plan. Photo: Supplied / Greymouth Star
"We are also aware that there have been some problems accessing the plan on-line, either due to an incorrect web address or slow loading speed," he said.
"These issues are not ideal. I want to thank the community for their interest in the proposed plan, as well as their patience as we work through these issues."
Project manager Jo Armstrong said "ironing out" the technical glitches needed to be done quickly.
As well as mapping problems with some Kumara properties near the Taramakau River, others bordering the Paroa-Saltwater lagoon were also incorrectly mapped.
Technical staff were now "rejigging" the maps, and new corrected letters of advice would be sent out to all affected landowners, she said.
In the original letters, ratepayers were invited to search the 'e-plan' and the on-line maps for more insight.
Kumara property owners Russell and Mandy Spaan, and Leanne and Ian Stewart, were among those who tried to look on-line for more detail about their properties, which they were advised had been identified as sites of significance to Māori.
However, the web address in the letter was incorrect. The correct address [www.ttpp.nz to access the e-plan is: ttpp.nz].
Efforts were also being made today to boost the speed for website traffic, given unprecedented interest in the new plan.
Some property owners had also been in contact to point out that pieces of property identified as theirs on maps were actually "in the river".
"It's just the (map) edges are very blurry around the edges of waterways."
Armstrong said while "a huge amount" of central Greymouth had been identified as of significance to Māori, that did not mean any new restrictions.
This lined up with the historic Mawhera Pa and original Māori reserve boundaries which were noted simply as a historic acknowledgement for planning purposes.
Just two rules applied as a direct result: prohibition of landfills, and disposal of sewage to land;
"Apart from that there are no rules."
Committee chairman Williams said the volume of feedback at this stage was pleasing.
He noted the committee had already adopted a longer submission period than legally required.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
** LDR disclosure: Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chairman Paul Madgwick is also the editor of the Greymouth Star. He took no part in the commissioning, writing or editing of this LDR story.