Hurunui District Council’s Corporate Planner Maria Edgar is encouraged at the ideas put forward by Hurunui’s communities, who have been shaping their future plan for their reserves.

Residents have fed back their suggestions to update the General Policies in the Reserves Management Plan to dictate how the reserves are utilised and managed within the district.

“Thank you to everyone who provided us with feedback – we have received some great suggestions. Now that we have received your feedback, an updated draft Reserves Management Plan will be prepared,” Edgar said.

Suggested updates to the General Polices include providing for planting with natives for carbon credits; utilsing species resilient to climate change; providing for information boards on reserves about the characteristics and history of the reserves; utilising native flora to mitigate erosion; improving accessibility of reserves, walkways and playgrounds for people with diverse needs; and broadening the scope of the policies to allow for unique attractions on reserves, such as a water garden and dog parks.

Council’s Chief Strategy and Community Officer Judith Batchelor said that an updated Reserves Management Plan will return to the community for formal submissions on the content of the draft plan. This will be publicly notified in 2024.

“We last reviewed our Reserves Management Plan over 12 years ago, so this feedback is very valuable to us. We are fortunate to have such wonderful reserves and green spaces in Hurunui, and we want to ensure the community’s voice is forefront in how we utilise these spaces and protect their future use,” said Batchelor.

Feedback on the General Polices closed on Thursday November 16 2023.

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