Commissioners appointed to PDP hearings panel

The Council has agreed the final composition of the panel which will make decisions on submissions to the Proposed District Plan (PDP) for the Kāpiti Coast District.

Deputy Mayor Mike Cardiff and Councillor Diane Ammundsen, chair of the Regulatory Management Committee, will join the panel along with Miria Pomare as iwi commissioner.

Councillor Penny Gaylor, who took the chair for the selection of elected member commissioners, says having a full panel in place is an important milestone in the PDP process and followed robust, carefully considered debate.

“Progressing the PDP is one of the most important things the Council will do this triennium and getting the right commissioners in place is vital. Councillors Cardiff and Ammundsen have a wealth of experience as commissioners that will add real value to the work of the panel,” Councillor Gaylor says.

Ms Pomare has more than 10 years’ experience as a commissioner, having sat on a number of major hearings panels considering large infrastructure projects and various land use and planning matters. Her appointment has been endorsed by Te Whakaminenga O Kāpiti, the partnership between tāngata whenua and the Council.

Councillor Gaylor says it is important that the panel includes a commissioner with proven expertise in matters of interest to iwi the PDP covers.

The appointment of three commissioners today follows a decision by the Council last December to appoint an independent chairperson, former Kāpiti Borough Councillor Alistair Aburn, and an independent commissioner, Wellington urban planner David McMahon. Both are very experienced hearing commissioners.

The Hearings Panel is expected to open the hearings in February to decide on logistics, with the hearing of submissions beginning in April.