Kāpiti Coast District Council meets GWRC for joint-discussion

Kāpiti Coast District Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) met late last week in Paraparaumu to discuss how they could work together to face some of the most pertinent issues facing both councils today.

Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan says that collaborating with GWRC is a strategic move that enables a unified and faster response to community issues and meeting central government legislative requirements.

“There is a very real tension in balancing ecological and community objectives. We are facing very similar resiliency issues to those of GWRC, and this combined discussion between our council and Greater Wellington can only be a good thing as we look to the future.”

GWRC Chair Chris Laidlaw shares Mayor Gurunathan’s viewpoint.

“As a region, we need to begin future-proofing against the impacts that we know are coming. The Kāpiti coast is particularly vulnerable to these and last week’s meeting was a positive step toward a process for identifying options,” says Chair Laidlaw.

Mayor Gurunathan says that both GWRC and Kāpiti Coast District Council have two of the longest-standing iwi partnerships in the country that have strengthened over time.

“These commonalities create a solid platform for moving us all forward, with the unified goal of working together for better, stronger communities tomorrow.”

Issues discussed together last week included Waikanae River flood protection and walking tracks, maintenance of open drains and watercourses, stormwater discharge consents, hazard management (including coastal hazards), public transport, Natural Resource Regional Plan update, and ground water issues relating to the Expressway.