Bluff residents keen to have their say on the future of their community are being invited to have a kōrero with Invercargill City Council as part of the Long-term Plan 2024 – 2034 process.
A range of issues facing the Bluff community, from safe swimming options to the future of wastewater disposal, are on the agenda in Council’s draft of the next Long-term Plan, with the vision ‘Our City with Heart – He Ngākau Aroha’. The 10-year planning process takes economic, cultural, social, and environmental wellbeing into consideration in order to set out a strategic framework for the next decade.
As part of the process, the Bluff community is also invited to meet with elected members and Council staff at a potluck dinner at Te Rau Aroha Marae on March 11.
Bluff Community Board chairman Ray Fife said it was crucial residents in Motupōhue had their say.
“Taking part in the decision-making process isn’t just for people elected to community boards or onto Council. It’s vital that something like the Long-term Plan, which sets out the key priorities for our community in the next 10 years, and the steps we intend to take to get there, is developed with the input and feedback of the people who call Bluff home,” he said.
“Bluff is really fortunate in that we are a pretty tight-knit community, and we take a lot of pride in where we come from. To help our Council make the decisions that will be best for the future of our town, residents have to get involved and share what is really important to them.”
The community event in Bluff will be the opportunity to talk about the things which are important to Bluff, including safe swimming options for the town, looking at parks and reserves land that may no longer be needed – and alternative uses, and the renewal of the resource consent for the Bluff Wastewater Treatment Plant, he said.
Invercargill City Council is in the process of securing a new resource consent for the Bluff Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant, located in McGorlick St in Bluff, is currently operating under an Environment Southland-issued 25-year resource consent that will expire in 2025.
The plant was built in 2000 to treat the wastewater effluent from residential and commercial properties in the town. At the moment, the wastewater is treated before being discharged into Foveaux Strait via a 50-metre outflow pipe. Council is working with Te Ao Mārama to assemble a team to deliver the project, which will include consultation with iwi, residents, and stakeholders to identify the best practicable option to manage Bluff’s wastewater in the future.
“These are the kinds of things that don’t just impact residents today – they affect our kids and grandkids too,” Fife said.
Councillor Grant Dermody said he encouraged residents to have their say on the draft LTP.
“There’s a lot to be proud of in Bluff, and a lot of work already being done that will help revitalise the community, such as the Bluff Hill Motupōhue Active Recreation Precinct development and the upgrade of the boat ramp. The question is about what are the priorities for Bluff residents,” he said.
“Now is the time for residents to let those making the decisions know what they want Bluff’s future to look like.”
Public consultation on the draft Long-term Plan will run until April 2. People can make submissions online here, at the Bluff Service Centre, or via post.
Bluff community event
Monday 11 March
5.30pm – 7pm
Te Rau Aroha Marae: 8 Bradshaw St, Bluff
