Town Belt Legislative & Policy Review

Aerial view of the city looking south

The Wellington Town Belt is a 420-hectare reserve on the hills around the inner city suburbs.

Wellington Town Belt Map (244Kb PDF)

For more than a 100 years, Wellingtonians have used and enjoyed the Town Belt in many different ways.

The Town Belt is an important part of Wellington's character.

Key features include:

parks, reserves and vegetated slopes visible from the central city
the continuous horse shoe shape of undeveloped hills between central city and surrounding suburbs
a wide range of sporting and recreational activities.

How the Town Belt is Currently Managed

The Town Belt is held in Trust by Wellington City Council, under the Town Belt Deed 1873. The Town Belt is also a reserve under the Reserves Act 1977 and managed as a recreation reserve.

In 1995, the Council adopted the current Town Belt Management Plan.

Stage One - Development of the Town Belt Guiding Principles

The Council has been reviewing how the Town Belt is managed. The first stage of the review was to develop and consult on some guiding principles for the management of the Town Belt.

Guiding principles are a way to make sure community wishes and values are reflected in the day-to-day management of reserves.

In 2010, a high level analysis of the legislative and policy framework for the Town Belt indicated a need for:

a clearer Statement of Purpose or Guiding Principles in the Town Belt Management Plan to help ensure that the community aspirations were reflected in the policies and operational practice
clarity on how the Council's ongoing relationship with mana whenua with respect to the Town Belt should be incorporated in the Town Belt Management Plan.

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Following workshops, discussions with stakeholders, market research and additional research, a draft set of guiding principles was developed and released for public consultation in July 2011.

In December 2011, following analysis of submissions, the Council approved an updated set of guiding principles for the Town Belt.

Town Belt Guiding Principles (16Kb PDF) | Text version (6Kb RTF)

Stage Two - Review of the Town Belt Management Plan 1995 and the Town Belt Reinstatement Policy 1998

The Council will use the principles to guide its review of the Town Belt Management Plan, the Town Belt Reinstatement Policy and any future legislative changes that might be needed.

This review will follow the intent of the Deed. That is, the Town Belt will continue to be used as a public recreation ground for the people of Wellington.

The review of the Town Belt Management Plan will begin in 2012 and will involve further community engagement. Consultation on the draft Town Belt Management Plan opens on 27 August 2012.

Next Steps

Review the current Town Belt Management Plan and Town Belt Reinstatement Policy (with further community input).
Prepare the Town Belt Management Plan for public consultation from 27 August to 19 October 2012.
Receive and analyse the submissions on the Draft Town Belt Management Plan.
Prepare the final Town Belt Management Plan for the Council's approval.

Project Updates

If you want to be kept informed about this project, email townbelt with these details:

your name
email address
whether you're representing an organisation and if so, which one.

You can also keep up to date with the project, share photos, stories and views about the Town Belt on our social media pages.

Current Management Documents

There are currently three documents used in the management of the Town Belt.

Key achievements of these policies include:

the gradual removal of exotic trees and replanting of large areas with native vegetation
improved access for recreational enjoyment including the development of the City to Sea Walkway and upgrade of dual use tracks at Mt Victoria
return of alienated Town Belt lands including the Chest Hospital
improvements to sporting facilities including Newtown Park and Rugby League Park
improvements to visitor facilities including the lookouts at Mount Victoria and Te Ahumairangi Hill (Tinakori Hill), and redevelopment of Central Park.

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Town Belt Deed (1873)

The Town Belt Deed identifies the Town Belt land to be held in trust for the inhabitants of the City of Wellington. It also set out the terms and conditions under which Wellington city is to manage that land. In particular, the deed limits use of the land to recreational purposes and does not allow for alienation or disposal.

Town Belt Deed (244Kb PDF)

Town Belt Management Plan (1995)

The Council approved the Town Belt Management Plan to guide the management and development of the Town Belt.

Town Belt Management Plan

Town Belt Reinstatement Policy (1998)

The aim of this policy was to outline the Council's approach on land 'lost' from the Town Belt as originally envisaged in the 1840 map. The policy identifies specific areas of land that should be returned to the Town Belt should the Crown no longer require them, for example, the Chest Hospital on Mount Victoria.

History of the Town Belt

For information about the history of the Town Belt, refer to:

Reserves and Town Belt - History

Chapter 6 - The Town Belt and Other Public Reserves:

Report on the Wellington District - Waitangi Tribunal website

More Information

Mike Oates
Manager Open Space and Recreation Planning

Phone:	(04) 499 4444
Email:	michael.oates