Community input helps shape final Māpua Masterplan

After nearly two years of extensive community engagement, Tasman District Council's Strategy and Policy Committee has approved the Māpua Masterplan and Māpua Catchment Management Plan for formal adoption.

The Mayor and Councillors voted 12–1 in favour at the deliberations hearing held on Thursday, 5 June at the Council Chambers in Richmond. Formal adoption by the full Council is expected on 31 July 2025.

This approval marks a major milestone and reflects the valuable contributions made by the Māpua and Ruby Bay communities throughout the process. Community feedback played a key role in shaping the final plan — from public meetings and surveys to written submissions, a wide range of ideas and perspectives were considered. While we recognise the plan may not satisfy everyone, we believe it represents a balanced approach that meets future growth needs while honouring community aspirations.

Key outcomes in the Masterplan include:

• Securing Kite Park’s future as a recreational area

• Preserving the cultural heritage of Grossi Point

• Supporting diverse housing options to accommodate future residents

• Enhancing recreational linkages while protecting natural habitats

Community support for housing diversity was especially clear in feedback and is reflected in the final plan.

Although the Masterplan is a long-term guide, we are preparing to implement key actions, including initiating a change to the Tasman Resource Management Plan in August 2025. This will involve collaboration with landowners and completing a heritage assessment of Grossi Point.

We will continue to provide regular updates as implementation progresses.

Thank you to everyone in the Māpua and Ruby Bay communities for your engagement, patience, and ideas — your input has helped shape a plan that reflects both community values and future needs.

We’re planning for future growth and development in Māpua, and we need your feedback to guide our future conversations.

In te reo Māori, Māpua translates to ‘a place of abundance’ and there are plenty of reasons why people choose to live in or visit this wonderful part of Tasman. How we go about maintaining its character while managing key projects and changes in the years ahead requires careful consideration.

The aim of the Māpua Masterplan is to develop an integrated plan, in collaboration with the community and iwi, that brings together Council planning processes to address key issues and opportunities. More importantly, it should reflect the aspirations of this growing coastal community.

The Council decided to bring together several major Council planning processes in Māpua – the structure plan, catchment management plan, reserve development, Council land commercial development, and waterfront area development, into a single plan - the Māpua Masterplan.

The result of pulling together the various Council processes into a single plan will ensure that consultation is effectively coordinated, and decision making is cohesive in Māpua.

We have heard from community members through the 2022 Māpua Structure Plan process and various other councils projects and we will be building off what we have learnt and know are the issues in Māpua to develop the masterplan including the structure plan documentation.

The Māpua Masterplan will guide multiple council processes including infrastructure strategies, catchment and asset management plans, the Long term Plan and policies and rules which form part of the Tasman Environment Plan and TRMP Plan Changes.

It is an important document for the future of the area and we are engaging with iwi, stakeholders and the community to ensure it reflects the aspirations of this growing coastal community.

Note: In 2021 and 2022 Council consulted with the public regarding the use of the reserves within the Māpua Masterplan area and prepared and adopted the Moutere-Waimea Ward Reserves Management Plan (2022) under the Reserves Act 1977.

This reserves management plan (RMP) contains management objectives and policies for all Council-administered park and reserve areas located within the Masterplan area. The RMP has a 10-year life, meaning that management of these reserves will not be included within the Māpua Masterplan, however, three reserves were identified within the RMP as requiring further public consultation: Māpua Recreation Reserve, Grossi Point Recreation Reserve, and Māpua Waterfront Park. Consultation on these reserves will be included in the Māpua Masterplan Project.

Council also contributed to the review of the non-statutory ‘Waimea Inlet Management Strategy 2050 and Action Plan 2023-2026’, which was adopted by the Strategy and Policy Committee on 24 August 2023. The Māpua Masterplan will seek to align with the policy direction of the Waimea Inlet Strategy and Action Plan.

Both documents (including an extract of the Moutere-Waimea Ward RMP) can be found in the ‘Resources’ section on this page.

Any questions?

If you have any questions and/or comments for the team please email us at mapuamasterplan@tasman.govt.nz