More than 22,000 pieces of feedback from across the Western Bay are now influencing how the district will grow and change during the next 30-50 years.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council says the results from its Community Quest event this year show strong support for the early direction of several long-term planning projects being developed across the district.

Between February and April, the Community Quest sought feedback through four free, family-friendly events in Waihī Beach, Katikati, Te Puna and Te Puke, and an online survey open to all residents.

More than 1000 people attended the events and 1058 online surveys were completed. In total, the engagement generated 22,480 pieces of feedback.

Council strategic policy and planning programme director Emily Watton said the level of participation showed how much people care about the future of their communities.

“More than 2000 people took part across the Western Bay through our events and survey,” she said.

“What stood out was how practical and thoughtful the feedback was. People weren’t just ticking boxes, they were talking about what they value in their towns, what they want to protect, and how they want their communities to feel in the future.”

Watton said there was strong agreement across the key topics tested, including housing, transport, infrastructure, community facilities, cultural heritage and the environment.

“Across these areas, an average of 75% of responses supported the direction we’re heading in, 22% were somewhat supportive, and 3% did not support it.

“That tells us we’re on the right track overall. It’s not about having every detail right yet, but it does show we’re reflecting what we’ve been hearing from people so far.”

The engagement builds on earlier Community Ideas Forums, where residents worked with the council to identify the key issues and priorities for their towns before the wider community was asked to respond.

Watton said the two stages of engagement were helping shape a clearer picture of what people wanted.

“We started by sitting down with people who know their communities really well, and now we’ve gone out wider to check in with everyone,” she said.

“Bringing these two pieces together helps make sure we’re hearing the full picture.”

The quest also included district-wide questions about council priorities and future investment.

Feedback from this part of the engagement would help inform development of the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan, Watton said.

“This feedback is really useful as we look at what we invest in and focus on over the next decade.”

District-wide feedback showed strong support for investigating a new landfill or transfer station closer to home, and focusing on ease of movement for cars, bikes and people through town centres.

People also highlighted congestion, road safety and road maintenance as key priorities for the transport network.

The council is now moving into the next stage of work: drafting plans for how Waihī Beach, Katikati, Te Puna and Te Puke will develop. These would be shaped by what the community has said, along with technical work and other planning considerations, Watton said.

The draft plans will go out for formal public consultation in early 2027.

Read the Community Quest feedback summary at: https://tinyurl.com/6y7y8982

Watch a wrap-up video of the Community Quest events at: https://tinyurl.com/ykm5u58v