Have your say on proposed flood management and earthworks rules
Christchurch City Council Newsline: 4th November 2026
Residents are being encouraged to have their say on proposed changes to the District Plan aimed at more effectively managing the city's flood risk and the effects of earthworks, in line with the latest environmental standards and climate science.
The Council has notified Plan Change 17 (PC17), which proposes updates designed to make District Plan rules easier to use, reflect the latest technical information, and respond to issues identified through monitoring and feedback from planners, engineers, developers, and the community.
Find out if your property will be affected by PC17's proposals for flood management and activities near the Waimakariri stopbanks.
The proposed changes focus on three areas: flood management areas, activities near the Waimakariri River stopbanks, and earthworks.
Mark Stevenson, Council Head of Planning and Consents, says the proposed changes are about ensuring the District Plan keeps pace with updated information and supports better management of natural hazards.
"As our understanding of flood risk changes over time, it's important that our planning rules are based on the most up-to-date information available.
“These proposed changes will help ensure people have access to current flood hazard information and that the District Plan remains effective and practical to use.”
One of the key proposals would remove the general Flood Management Area overlay from District Plan maps and replace it with a new “Christchurch Inundation Area” written definition.
Flood hazard information would instead be available through the Council's Flood and Floor Levels Viewer, allowing information to be updated as new modelling and climate science become available, rather than require a formal plan change process.
The proposal would also continue to require developments in flood-prone areas to meet minimum floor level requirements and update floor level calculations to reflect current understanding of flooding and vertical land movement.
Changes are also proposed for land near the Waimakariri River stopbanks. The updated provisions would align District Plan mapping with the stopbanks' actual location following completion of Environment Canterbury's Waimakariri Flood Protection Project. They would also reinstate rules that were accidentally left out from some downstream stopbank setback areas during the previous District Plan review.
The earthworks proposals include new requirements for erosion and sediment control measures for all permitted earthworks, updated provisions to better protect water quality, and changes intended to reduce the need for resource consent for some smaller-scale earthworks activities.
Depending on where they live and what activities they are planning, PC17’s proposed changes may affect property owners, people looking to build or undertake earthworks, developers, and those living near the Waimakariri River stopbanks.
Under the Resource Management Act, the proposed rules relating to flood management areas, Waimakariri River stopbank setbacks, and some earthworks already have immediate legal effect.
"We encourage anyone who may be affected, or who has an interest in how growth, development and natural hazards are managed across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, to take a look at the proposals and make a submission," says Mr Stevenson.
Get information on PC17’s proposed changes, supporting documents, and submission details. Submissions close 5pm on 11th December 2026.