Te Tai o Poutini Plan FAQS
What is the TTPP Committee’s decision on the proposed TTPP, Variation 1 and Variation 2?
On 24 September 2025, the TTPP Committee voted to:
- Accept the Independent Hearing Panel’s recommended decisions as the Committee’s decisions on the submissions and further submissions received on the proposed TTPP and Variations 1 and 2.
- Accept two amendments of its own to the Independent Hearings Panel’s Recommendations with respect to Policy 1 of the Ecosystems and Biodiversity Chapter.
Resolutions of the TTPP Committee are available at https://ttpp.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TTPP-Committee-Resolutions-24-Sep-2025.pdf.
How did the TTPP Committee make its decisions?
TTPP Committee delegated the hearing of submissions and further submissions on the proposed TTPP, plus Variations 1 and 2 to an Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) made up of Five Commissioners.
The IHP considered all submissions and further submissions, presided at hearings for submitters who wished to be heard, commissioned and considered further specialist advice, and deliberated extensively before reporting back to the Committee on their recommended changes to the Plan.
TTPP Committee considered the IHP’s recommendations and made the decision to adopt them subject to a further amendment to Ecosystems and Indigenous Biodiversity Policy 1.
The IHP Recommendation Reports are available here https://ttpp.nz/recommendations-reports/.
How do the TTPP Committee’s decisions change the proposed TTPP?
In some cases there are changes to the objectives, policies, rules and other methods (known collectively as the provisions) in the Plan. Some of these changes are minor in effect or improve the functionality of the provisions, while other changes are more substantial.
There are also changes to the planning maps including the rezoning of land, and updating of overlays.
The TTPP E-Plan at https://westcoast.isoplan.co.nz/eplan/ has been updated to reflect these changes.
How do I find the decision on my submission in the decision report
The Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) considered and relied on the comprehensive summaries of submissions and recommendations within the s42A reports on each hearing topic.
To avoid unnecessary repetition or duplication, the IHP adopted the s42A summaries of submissions and recommendations, except where they did not agree with the s42A recommendations. Where they did not agree, they have outlined their reasons and recommendations within their relevant topic report.
The IHP Recommendation Reports and S42A reports are under the relevant topics in the Hearings Tab.
Why isn’t my submission directly discussed in the decision report?
The decision report was written on a “by exception” approach, meaning it only directly addresses submissions where the Independent Hearings Panel (IHP) had a different view to that recommended by the s42A reporting officer.
The IHP Recommendation Reports and s42A reports are under the relevant topics in the Hearings Tab at https://ttpp.nz.
What does “accept in part” mean in the decision report?
Accept in part is used where only part of a submission is accepted, or where an alternative solution has been developed by the Independent Hearings Panel to address the concerns raised.
How can I view the TTPP decisions version?
The E-Plan is the official decisions version of the TTPP and can be viewed at https://westcoast.isoplan.co.nz/eplan/. The decisions version has been updated in its entirety in response to the Commissioners’ Recommendations and the Committee’s Decisions. This also includes any required changes to the mapping.
A PDF version of the Plan is available on the TTPP Website at Te Tai o Poutini Plan Decisions Version PDF – Te Tai o Poutini Plan | West Coast District Plan. This is a tracked changes version which shows where the original text has been replaced as strikethrough and highlighted in pink, and the replacement text underlined and highlighted in green. Hard copies of the pdf are also available at the ten locations listed in the Public Notice https://ttpp-public-notice-notified.pdf
Some pdf maps are also available at https://ttpp.nz
Frequent changes to both text and maps are expected as a result of appeals, and only the E-Plan version will be kept up to date, with all hard copy and pdf versions of the text and maps being removed at the conclusion of the appeals period.
How does consenting change now a decision on TTPP has been made?
Since the decisions version of TTPP was notified on 10 October 2025, all of its provisions now have legal effect. The three Consent Authorities (Buller, Grey and Westland Districts) must now consider the relevant provisions of both Plans when applications for resource consent are received. A greater degree of weighting on TTPP provisions will now be applied, but corresponding provisions in the Operative Plans cannot yet be “disregarded”.
Replacement of the old plans will occur progressively once the Appeal period has closed. TTPP provisions which are not appealed will become operative, while other provisions will progressively be made operative as the Appeals concerned are resolved. Once TTPP provisions are operative, councils will no longer consider the Buller, Grey and Westland plans in their decision making on those matters.
Importantly, as TTPP is the combined District Plan for Buller, Grey and Westland Districts, the three Councils remain the Consent Authorities, and all resource consent applications must still be made to your district council.
What happens now that the TTPP Committee has made its decisions?
The next step in the process is appeals through the Environment Court. If you were a submitter and disagree with TTPP Committee decisions on your submission, you can appeal the part of the decision you oppose to the Environment Court within 30 working days of decisions being notified.
Who can make an appeal?
Any person who made a submission on the proposed TTPP can appeal the TTPP Committee’s decision, provided the submission referred to the provision or matter it seeks to appeal.
Appeals on TTPP need to be lodged with the Environment Court by 5.00pm, Monday 8
December 2025.
You can also join an appeal as a Section 274 Party if you support, oppose or are neutral on the nature of an appeal lodged by another party. You could become a Section 274 party if you lodged a submission on the proposed TTPP on the same subject matter as the appeal, or if you have an interest in the appeal greater than the public generally.
After the close of the appeal period there is a 15 working day period for someone to apply to become a Section 274 Party to an appeal.
A Section 274 Party is a party to the appeal, and has the right to be involved throughout the Environment Court process determining the appeal.
Section 274 notices, to become a party to proceedings on appeals on the TTPP, must be lodged with the Environment Court by 5.00pm, Monday 2 February 2026.
Information is available on the TTPP website here https://ttpp.nz/how-to-lodge-or-join-an-appeal/. Information on the Environment Court is available at https://www.environmentcourt.govt.nz/.
Appeals and Notices to become a Party to Proceedings must be lodged with the Environment Court in the appropriate forms as set out in the Schedule 1 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees and Procedure) Regulations 2003 – see https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2003/0153/latest/DLM195260.html. Form 7 is for lodging an Appeal, with Form 33 to be a Party to Proceedings.
Most importantly, the Environment Court has agreed to streamline the lodging of Appeals and Section 274 Notices on TTPP by waiving certain service requirements. Please read the Notice of Motion available at https://ttpp.nz/environment-court-waivers-and-directions/ before lodging your appeal or Section 274 notice.
Please refer to the E-Plan version when lodging Appeals as the PDF version has some formatting issues and does not include a reprint of all the maps