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Draft decision and conditions
On 11 March 2026, the Ashbourne expert panel issued Minute 23 releasing its draft decision and conditions.
The expert panel proposes to decline the retirement village component and part of the residential development proposed to be located on highly productive land.
The expert panel proposes to grant most of the residential zone (subject to amendments), both solar farms and the greenway.
Minute 23 of the expert panel (PDF, 144KB)
Proposed draft decision for the Ashbourne application (PDF, 1.7MB)
Appendices
- Appendix A0 – Document List (Word version) (DOCX, 289 KB)
- Appendix A0 – Document List (PDF, 1 MB)
- Appendix A1 – MPDC LUC (DOCX, 317 KB)
- Appendix A1 – MPDC LUC (PDF, 834 KB)
- Appendix A2 – MPDC SUB (Word version) (DOCX, 90 KB)
- Appendix A2 – MPDC SUB (PDF, 286 KB)
- Appendix A3 – WRC (PERMANENT – Diversion and damming) (DOCX, 87 KB)
- Appendix A3 – WRC (PERMANENT – Diversion and damming) (PDF, 225 KB)
- Appendix A4 – WRC (PERMANENT – Groundwater take) (Word version) (DOCX, 57 KB)
- Appendix A4 – WRC (PERMANENT – Groundwater take) (PDF, 161 KB)
- Appendix A5 – WRC (PERMANENT – Structure in water) (DOCX, 79 KB)
- Appendix A5 – WRC (PERMANENT – Structure in water) (PDF, 226 KB)
- Appendix A6 – WRC (PERMANENT – Stormwater) (Word version) (DOCX, 70 KB)
- Appendix A6 – WRC (PERMANENT – Stormwater) (PDF, 198 KB)
- Appendix A7 – WRC (PERMANENT – Wastewater) (Word version) (DOCX, 64 KB)
- Appendix A7 – WRC (PERMANENT – Wastewater) (PDF, 193 KB)
- Appendix A8 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Dewatering – Groundwater take) (DOCX, 72 KB)
- Appendix A8 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Dewatering – Groundwater take) (PDF, 265 KB)
- Appendix A9 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Discharges to water) (Word version) (DOCX, 64 KB)
- Appendix A9 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Discharges to water) (PDF, 208 KB)
- Appendix A10 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Land disturbance) (DOCX, 118 KB)
- Appendix A10 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Land disturbance) (PDF, 318 KB)
- Appendix A11 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Drilling below the water table) (Word version) (DOCX, 69 KB)
- Appendix A11 – WRC (TEMPORARY – Drilling below the water table) (PDF, 133 KB)
- Appendix B – Resource Consent Triggers (Word version) (DOCX, 37 KB)
- Appendix B – Resource Consent Triggers (PDF, 115 KB)
Declining approvals under section 69 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024
Under section 69 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 (the Act), if an expert panel proposes to decline an approval, they must first invite the applicant to respond. The applicant may do so by:
proposing conditions on, or modifications to, any of the approvals sought; or
withdrawing the part of the substantive application that seeks any of the approvals sought.
The panel set a deadline of close of business on 18 March 2026 for receiving this response.
Comments under section 70 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024
Under section 70 of the Act, an expert panel must invite comments on the draft conditions from:
the applicant
every person or group that provided comments under section 35 or 53
any local authority or other body with a statutory responsibility to enforce or monitor compliance with the conditions.
The panel must also issue the panel’s draft decision document for each approval in accordance with section 70(2)(b).
The panel set a deadline of 5:00pm on 18 March 2026 for receiving this response.
The panel also set a deadline of 5:00pm on 25 March 2026 for the applicant to respond to comments received under section 70.
Comments under section 72 of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024
Under section 72 of the Act, an expert panel must also invite comments on the draft decision, including any draft conditions, from:
the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti
the Minister for Māori Development.
The panel set a deadline of 5:00pm on 25 March 2026 for receiving this response.
Extension to timeframes for comments
On 19 March 2026, the expert panel issued Minute 26 granting the applicant's request for a suspension of processing of the application from 11:59pm on 17 March 2026 until 11:59pm on 20 March 2026.
Minute 26 of the expert panel (PDF, 167KB)
Comments from the applicant pursuant to section 69 and section 70 must now be received by 5:00pm Monday 23 March 2026.
Comments from invited parties pursuant to section 70 must now be received by 5:00pm Monday 23 March 2026.
Comments from the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti and the Minister for Māori Development pursuant to section 72 must now be received by 5:00pm Monday 30 March 2026.
Comments received on draft conditions
- Jason Kranenburg and Clare Vosper, Beth Vosper and Maurice Vosper (PDF, 80 KB)
- Station 143 Ltd and Highgrove (PDF, 374 KB)
- Roger Coutts (PDF, 73 KB)
- Angela Jones (PDF, 1 MB)
- John and Maria van Heuven (PDF, 142 KB)
- Dundas Investents Ltd (PDF, 984 KB)
- R.A. Hemmings Limited (PDF, 373 KB)
- Department of Conservation (PDF, 1 MB)
- Ian Hayes (PDF, 99 KB)
- Roger Slattery (PDF, 2 MB)
- Eldonwood Residents Association (PDF, 394 KB)
- Matamata-Piako District Council – Attachments A and B (PDF, 181 KB)
- Matamata-Piako District Council – Attachment C (DOCX, 1 MB)
- Matamata-Piako District Council – Attachment D (DOCX, 110 KB)
- Matamata-Piako District Council – Annexure to Appendix D: Day 0 Scheme Plan Lots [M] with Easement Schedule (PDF, 616 KB)
- Waikato Regional Council (PDF, 256 KB)
- Waikato Regional Council – Attachment A: Suggested Changes to Draft Consent Conditions (DOCX, 65 KB)
- Joanne and Ian Morgan (PDF, 121 KB)
- Corinne Bagur Imbert and Ian Hammond (PDF, 514 KB)
Comments received from the applicant
- Ashbourne Planning Memorandum – Response to Draft Conditions – 23 March 2026 (PDF, 723 KB)
- C130-STAGING PLAN (PDF, 1 MB)
- C150-SCHEME (PDF, 3 MB)
- C160-LUC PLAN (PDF, 6 MB)
- C400-STORMWATER (PDF, 20 MB)
- C500-WASTEWATER (PDF, 8 MB)
- C600-WATERSUPPLY (PDF, 10 MB)
- Day 0 Scheme Plan Lots [O] with Easement Schedule (PDF, 674 KB)
- Landscape Drawings – Ashbourne Residential Planting Buffer (PDF, 3 MB)
- Landscape Memo (PDF, 1012 KB)
- Transport Memo (PDF, 926 KB)
- UD-Memo-to-Draft-Decision-and-Conditions.pdf (PDF, 188 KB)
- UD Memo – Attachment 1 – Boundary Treatment Plan (PDF, 1 MB)
- UD Memo – Attachment 2 – Revised Design Guideline – CLEAN (PDF, 15 MB)
- UD Memo – Attachment 2 – Revised Design Guideline – Tracked Changes (PDF, 1 MB)
- LUC – Northern Solar Farm – MPDC (DOCX, 235 KB)
- LUC – Residential and Commercial – MPDC – Ashbourne (DOCX, 206 KB)
- SUB – Day Zero – MPDC (DOCX, 177 KB)
- SUB – Resi-Commercial-Greenway (DOCX, 133 KB)
- WRC – Drilling – Northern Solar Farm (DOCX, 165 KB)
- WRC – Drilling – Resi-Commercial-Greenway (DOCX, 167 KB)
- WRC – Drilling – Southern Solar Farm (DOCX, 165 KB)
- WRC – Groundwater Diversion & Damming – Resi-Greenway-Commercial (DOCX, 180 KB)
- WRC – Land Disturbance – Resi-Greenway-Commercial (DOCX, 205 KB)
- WRC – Stormwater Discharge – Resi-Greenway-Commercial (DOCX, 187 KB)
- WRC – Structure in Water Body – Greenway (DOCX, 178 KB)
- WRC – Temp De-watering – Northern Solar (DOCX, 173 KB)
- WRC – Temp De-Watering – Resi-Commercial-Greenway (DOCX, 178 KB)
- WRC – Temp De-watering – Southern Solar (DOCX, 172 KB)
- WRC – Temporary Discharges to Water (Panel Conditions) (DOCX, 66 KB)
Applicant's response to comments received on draft conditions
Memorandum of counsel for MDL – 30 March 2026 (PDF, 504KB)
Summary table – Applicant's response to comments under s70 (PDF, 21MB)
Response to Matamata-Piako District Council's LUC comments (Attachment C) (DOCX, 1.3MB)
Response to Matamata-Piako District Council's SUB comments (Attachment D) (DOCX, 111KB)
Late comments received
1 April 2026
The expert panel received a comment on the draft conditions and decision from Minister for Māori Development and Minister for Māori Crown Relations outside of the timeframe set for comments to be received under section 72.
The expert panel directed that these comments be accepted for consideration.
Minute 30 of the expert panel (PDF, 103KB)
10 April 2026
The Panel has accepted a comment received from Station 143 Ltd and Highgrove as additional information to supplement their comments on the draft conditions. The Panel advises that it does not encourage further unsolicited comments.