Expansion and the addition of accommodation at Western Bay packhouses will be permitted under new zoning created by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
The District Plan is to be revised to include a post-harvest zone to provide for ongoing expansion of larger scale post-harvest kiwifruit and avocado operations considered to be strategic players in the region's horticultural industry.
Council has made this change to the District Plan to recognise the key role that kiwifruit and avocado industries play in the sub-region's economy.


Some construction at packhouses will be easier under new Western Bay of Plenty District Council zoning.

The new post-harvest zone will apply to 15 post-harvest operations in the Western Bay and will allow expansion of packhouse and coolstore capacity at these sites as a permitted or controlled activity.
The zone is part of a strategy to cater for the increased tonnage expected from the industry, including new kiwifruit varieties. The strategy provides for the expansion of existing large operations through the application of the new zone.
Smaller operations can still expand through the resource consent process and any new facilities are expected to be located in the industrial zones throughout the district.
Operations located within the new post-harvest zone will have a financial contribution regime so that there is no automatic right to expand without contributing to infrastructure.
The proposed District Plan includes a new provision for accommodation for up to 75 seasonal workers to be a permitted activity in the post-harvest zone, with particular controls on proximity to neighbours.
On-site activities such as catering and storage facilities directly associated with the post-harvest operation also will be permitted activities on these large strategic sites. Similarly, expansion of coolstore facilities to cater for existing fruit throughput will be a permitted activity.
In response to a call from smaller packhouse operators, who are not in the new post-harvest zone, council has retained the old rule in the former District Plan that allows these operators to expand as a discretionary activity.
The council intends that all new post-harvest operations will be located in industrial zones in the future in recognition of the nature and effects of their operation.
The post-harvest zone is recognition that there is significant investment in many of the existing facilities and it is unrealistic to place a moratorium on their expansion.
The importance of the kiwifruit sector has been further reinforced by central government's commitment of $15.2 million over seven years, with a further $20.5 million contribution from Zespri to form the world's largest and most significant research and development programme into new kiwifruit varieties.
New cultivars will be significant export earners for New Zealand and will have considerable economic benefits for the region.
Submitters have 30 working days to appeal the decisions, up until 15 March. Appeals must be lodged directly with the Environment Court.