Share your voice

Give feedback on an open consultation, find a past project we consulted on, or read about how we used your feedback.

Be part of the conversation and help us shape Hamilton.

Share your voice. Shape your city.

Open for feedback

  • Proposed Safer Speed Area – Mears Road area (St Andrews)

    As part of our ongoing focus to make our streets safer for everyone, we’re proposing to change the speed limit from 50kph to 40kph on all residential streets within the Mears Road area (in St Andrews). This area is indicated on the map above. We would like to understand if there are any road safety concerns that you have related to this area to ensure that any changes made will help to...

    Closes 4 June 2023

  • Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy Review

    Hamilton City Council (Council) has reviewed its Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy and is recommending minor changes to the policy. We want your feedback on the proposed changes. Why are we doing this? The policy was first adopted in 2018 in consultation with the community and sets out the approach we will take to identify and deal with dangerous and insanitary buildings. The...

    Closes 12 June 2023

  • Hayes Paddock neighbourhood changes

    Tell us what to do … Exciting changes are coming to the intersection of Jellicoe Drive and Plunket Terrace to make this a safer and more accessible neighbourhood for everyone. These changes will enhance Hayes Paddock’s reputation as Hamilton’s best walkable and recreational neighbourhood destination. Change one = road layouts Change two = new community space

    Closes 16 June 2023

Here’s what we did with your feedback

Here are some of the issues we have consulted on and their outcomes. See all outcomes

We asked

Since 2020 central government reset the rules for how big cities can grow. They did this by introducing the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021.

These new rules direct big cities like Hamilton to increase the number of multi-storey homes across our city. They don’t give Council much ability to control things like how they will look, how much backyard they have, the impact on our city’s roads and pipes, and how they affect neighbouring properties.

In response to this, we proposed Plan Change 12. This will change Hamilton’s District Plan to provide more housing, and different types of housing, within the city. However, it doesn’t go as far as the Government wants us to.

Our research shows housing intensification will impact our environment, particularly the Waikato River. So, what we proposed will provide housing in a way that protects the health and wellbeing of the river as we grow. This means housing development will be restricted in some areas based on the infrastructure we need to support more homes, and more requirements will be put in place to support our environment.

Submissions to Plan Change 12 were open from 19 August to 30 September 2022.

Further submissions to Plan Change 12 were open from 28 November to 12 December 2022.

You said

We received 350 submissions and 36 further submissions to Plan Change 12 on a range of topics. There is now a formal process to follow under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Hearings to Plan Change 12 opened in February 2023, joint with similar plan changes in Waikato and Waipaa districts. This is when anyone who chose to speak to their submission in person can present their evidence to commissioners.

The rest of the hearings will be held from 4 September to 22 September 2023.

We did

A panel of commissioners will consider all the submissions and make recommendations to Council on the final plan change in early 2024.

Keep up-to-date on the plan change here.

We asked

The Hamilton Urban Growth Strategy guides where, when and how Hamilton Kirikiriroa will grow over the next 50 years. The previous strategy was more than 10 years old and since then a lot had changed.

The draft strategy proposed three outcomes to respond to those changes and achieve our vision that Hamilton Kirikiriroa is the best place to live and work with connected, vibrant and prosperous communities.

  • Grow up and out from the central city
  • Grow along transport corridors
  • Support the development of quality greenfield neighbourhoods.

Public consultation on the draft strategy took place from 18 October to 20 November 2022.

You said

We received 91 responses, 60 from individuals (66% of submissions) and 31 from organisations, groups, or businesses (34% of submissions).

A majority of the 31 organisations and groups were supportive of the strategy though would like amendments to be made. The most common themes were:

  • Give consideration to the environment as Hamilton grows (e.g., consider the impact on the river, on climate change, and biodiversity).
  • Support growth up and out from the central city.
  • Support encouraging active modes of transportation, and the use of public transport, (to allow for less reliance on cars) in the design of how Hamilton grows.
  • Support growth along transport corridors.

Of the 60 responses received from individuals, most people supported the outcomes proposed by the draft strategy. The most common themes were:

  • Concern regarding lifestyle factors.
  • Support growth up and out from the central city.
  • Support encouraging active modes of transportation, and the use of public transport, (to allow for less reliance on cars) in the design of how Hamilton grows.

We did

We made some changes to the draft Hamilton Urban Growth Strategy based on feedback from submissions. This included adding a new key consideration ‘People at the heart’ and making some changes to Outcome 1: Grow up and out from the central city.

The final strategy was adopted at the Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee on 20 April 2023. You can read it here (PDF, KB or head to our strategies page here.

The strategy will inform the 2024-34 Long Term Plan alongside other key Council strategies such as Access Hamilton, Our Climate Future and Nature in the City.

We asked

Council plays a critical role in identifying and protecting Hamilton's heritage and natural environment, in all its forms.

Through Plan Change 9 we’re proposing changes to our District Plan, and the rules in it, that’ll enable growth in Hamilton while protecting our unique historic heritage and natural environments, namely:

  • Archaeological and cultural sites.
  • Built heritage.
  • Historic Heritage Areas (HHA).
  • Notable trees.
  • Significant Natural Areas (SNA).

The proposed changes outline how these heritage and natural elements are identified, set out how they’re protected and guide how development can happen in or around them.

Submissions to Plan Change 9 were open from 22 July to 2 September 2022.

Further submissions to Plan Change 9 were open from 28 October to 18 November 2022.

You said

We received 468 submissions and 345 further submissions to Plan Change 9 on a range of topics. There is now a formal process to follow under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Hearings to Plan Change 9 will open in May 2023 and go through to November 2023.  This is when anyone who chose to speak to their submission in person can present their evidence to commissioners.

We did

A panel of commissioners will consider all the submissions and make recommendations to Council on the final plan change in mid-2024.

Keep up-to-date on the plan change here.