Strategic spatial planning in Aotearoa New Zealand: an appraisal of lessons learned and what we should apply to future planning : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning at Lincoln University

Abstract

In recent times, significant pressure has been placed on New Zealand’s natural and urban environments, which has ultimately led to reform of the Resource Management Act 1991. In place of the Resource Management Act 1991, three new Acts have been proposed. One of these is the Strategic Planning Act, which will require the creation of regional spatial strategies across the nation. Strategic spatial planning has been limited in New Zealand for the past 30 years and with the introduction of the Strategic Planning Act looming, it is timely to assess a New Zealand example of a strategic spatial plan as this has not been done before. This research took a qualitative approach and aimed to assess the Auckland Plan 2050 against the ‘best practice’ evaluation framework for strategic spatial planning which was created based on a literature review. This assessment explored the key lessons that can be learned from the Auckland Plan 2050 and applied to future strategic spatial planning in both New Zealand with the introduction of regional spatial strategies, and overseas. Through the assessment of the Auckland Plan 2050, several key lessons were identified which are explored throughout this dissertation. The results indicated that in addition to what is considered to be ‘best practice’ for strategic spatial planning in the literature, there is always more to learn, and often the biggest lessons arise from those plans which have been put into action. In this sense, we learn best from ‘doing’.