Rural Lifestyle Zone — Whangārei
Zone Overview
The Rural Lifestyle Zone covers identified rural areas within the District characterised by smaller site sizes, rural living activities and small-scale farming. The zone is designed to support rural communities while maintaining rural character and amenity through careful siting of buildings, landscaping, and enabling some smaller-scale rural land use activities.
Building Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum height | 8m above ground level | Principal buildings |
| Height in relation to boundary | 3m + shortest distance to site boundary | Alternative compliance standard |
| Maximum height (minor structures) | 10m above ground level | Non-complying if height relation to boundary not met |
| Front yard setback | 10m | From road boundaries |
| Side yard setback | 3m | From all other site boundaries |
| Waterbody setback | 27m | From Mean High Water Springs and top of bank of rivers exceeding 3m width |
| Site coverage | 500m² | Maximum per site |
| Impervious surface | 15% | Maximum of site area |
Residential Density & Unit Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Principal residential units | 1 per site | Maximum density |
| Minor residential units | 1 per site | Maximum; ancillary to principal unit |
| Minor unit separation | 15m | Maximum nearest distance to principal unit |
| Minor unit building coverage | 90m² | Combined with accessory buildings, garages, decking |
| Minor unit accessway | Shared | No separate accessway permitted |
Vegetation Clearance Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous vegetation clearance | 500m² per site per 10 years | From 12 December 2018; excludes within 20m of waterbodies |
| Routine maintenance clearance | 7.5m from building eaves | Including tree trunk removal within this distance |
Ancillary Residential Activities
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic movements | Less than 20 per site per day | For home-based businesses |
| Employees | Maximum 2 persons | In addition to principal operator |
| Floor area usage | 15% | Maximum of total gross floor area on-site |
| Operating hours | 08:00–18:00 | No machinery operation, customer receipt, or vehicle loading outside these hours |
| Principal operator requirement | Permanent resident | Must reside on-site |
| Car parking location | Not between residential unit and road | For ancillary business activities |
Reverse Sensitivity Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Setback from Quarrying Resource Areas (Mining Area) | 500m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from Strategic Rural Industries Zone | 500m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from Business Zones | 500m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from Rural Production Zone | 20m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from unsealed through roads | 20m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from plantation forestry (separate site) | 30m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from intensive livestock farming (separate site) | 250m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from farming/forestry ancillary activities (separate site) | 250m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from Fonterra Kauri Milk Processing Site Strategic Rural Industries Zone | 250m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
| Setback from ancillary irrigation farms | 250m | Sensitive activities excluding non-habitable buildings |
Minor Structures & Crop Support Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor buildings exemption | Exempt from RLZ-R3–R6 | Height, setback, and density rules do not apply |
| Crop support structures | Exempt from RLZ-R4 | Shall comply with RLZ-R14 |
| Artificial crop protection structures | Exempt from RLZ-R4 | Shall comply with RLZ-R14 |
Non-Complying Activity Standards
| Rule | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Structure height (non-complying) | Maximum 10m above ground level | When height in relation to boundary not achieved |
| Structure setback from boundary (non-complying) | Minimum 1m | When height in relation to boundary not achieved |
| Structure waterbody setback (non-complying) | 27m | From Mean High Water Springs and top of bank of rivers exceeding 2m width |
Permitted Baseline Activities
| Activity | Status | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| All activities not prohibited | Permitted | Resource consent not required; compliance with all applicable rules required |
Objectives & Policies
RLZ-O2: Living Opportunities
Consolidate rural living development in appropriate locations where existing subdivision pattern reflects a rural living environment and adverse effects (including reverse sensitivity effects) can be avoided. Provide for rural living opportunities while maintaining rural character and amenity.
RLZ-O3: Site Sizes
Provide a variety of site sizes to enable rural living, commercial activities ancillary to residential activities on the same site, and some rural land use activities.
RLZ-O5: Viability of Rural Settlements
Enable establishment of non-rural activities of appropriate and compatible nature, scale and character to the Rural Lifestyle Zone. Manage new or extensions to Rural Lifestyle Zones to protect viability of Rural Settlements.
RLZ-P1: Rural Lifestyle Zone Character and Amenity
Enable rural living while maintaining:
- Low levels of noise and lighting, particularly at night
- High degree of privacy
- Ample access to daylight and sunlight
- Generally low levels of traffic (except seasonal activities)
- Presence of rural production activities and associated activities
RLZ-P3: Compatible Uses
Ensure buildings and major structures are designed, constructed and located to minimise significant earthworks, loss of native vegetation and/or natural habitats. Limit commercial and industrial activities to those appropriate and compatible in nature, scale and character.
RLZ-P4: Traffic Movements
Maintain and enhance rural living character and amenity by limiting activities that generate high levels of traffic movements or are incompatible in nature and scale with zone character.
RLZ-P5: Reverse Sensitivity
Manage reverse sensitivity effects by avoiding establishment of sensitive activities within close proximity to Mineral Extraction Activities and the Rural Production Zone, Business Zones and Strategic Rural Industries Zones.
RLZ-P6: Privacy
Maintain rural amenity, privacy, open space and rural character by ensuring new buildings and major structures and rural land uses:
- Are of scale and character appropriate to the Rural Lifestyle Zone
- Are sited sufficiently setback from site boundaries to enable privacy, open space retention and sunlight access
- Avoid adverse effects on ecological values, water quality, versatile soils, open space character, historic heritage values or landform
RLZ-P7: Stormwater
Manage stormwater runoff effects utilising low impact design principles. Ensure additional stormwater flows from proposed subdivision and development do not result in increased peak discharge rates.
RLZ-P8: Wastewater
Manage wastewater discharge effects by requiring site-specific design and other evidence or mitigation measures to demonstrate adequate addressing of wastewater disposal effects.
RLZ-P9: Subdivision Design
Design subdivision and locate associated development to avoid urban form and character; maintain and enhance rural living character and amenity; protect and enhance environmental features by:
- Designing subdivisions to respond to topography and land characteristics
- Requiring minimum and average site sizes to avoid uniform development patterns
- Identifying building platforms responding to site topography and environmental characteristics
- Locating accessways, services, utilities and building platforms without significant earthworks, retaining, benching or site contouring
RLZ-P10: Site Size
Avoid uniform development patterns at minimum site size and maintain at least average site size of 2ha across the Rural Lifestyle Zone by providing single subdivision opportunity for titles created before 12 December 2018.