The work leading up to the launch of the next 100-year community resilience plan for the low lying areas of the Hauraki Plains is being described as a "labour of love" by Hauraki District Council's mayor.

At their November Council meeting, Hauraki District Council formed a Joint Working Party for governance of a community based adaptation and resilience plan for the Hauraki Plains, following the successful adoption of the four-years-in-the making Wharekawa Coast 2120 Community Plan.

“We believe the Wharekawa Coast 2120 Community Plan, which takes a 100 year approach to an adaptive and resilient future for the coastal area, is only the second of its kind in New Zealand," says Mayor Toby Adams.

"It’s been a labour of love for all concerned and I take my hat off to the Community Panel, local iwi, technical advisors and the teams at our Council, Waikato Regional Council and Waikato District Council for getting this complex plan over the line.

“There’s been enormous learnings along the way, so it’s with a sense of confidence that we launch into our next 100-year community resilience plan which will focus on the natural hazards and effects of changing weather patterns on the low lying areas of the Hauraki Plains.”

The council successfully applied for and received $1,070,000 from the Three Waters Better Off Fund for this project.

The Hauraki Plains Adaptation Community Plan will follow a similar structure to that used for the Wharekawa Coast 2120 project, relying on Community Panels to act as a sounding board to test ideas and gain feedback from the wider community.

Mayor Toby says the complexity of this project is not just the technical, scientific and ecological aspects, but the managing of numerous stakeholders and their involvement over a long period of time.

“We’re still in the branding, start-up phase, but we’ll be calling on members of the Hauraki Plains, mana whenua and interested parties to join the community panels in the New Year.

"The best thing about these adaptation and resilience plans is that they’re by the community, for the community. It’s one of the most essential aspects of the plan so I really encourage people to get involved and come on the journey with us," says Mayor Toby.