Tauranga City Council is asking the Ōtūmoetai, Matua, Brookfield, Bellevue and Judea communities what they want the future of their area to look like.

‘Take me to the future: Ōtūmoetai 2050' will use interactive maps, webinars and in-person community sessions to help develop a 30-year plan to support growth in the area and ensure it has enough houses, suitable ways for people to get around and community spaces to support wellbeing.

Tauranga is projected to grow by around 78,500 residents by 2063 and will need approximately 34,400 new houses to be built. This means the Ōtūmoetai Peninsula will see big changes during the next 30 years.

Until the end of April, people can tell council what they think should be better or different by dropping a pin with their comments onto a series of online interactive maps. The five maps look at future commercial/retail centres, public transport, walkways and cycleways, community amenities and facilities, and feeling safe in the community.

Alternatively, residents and community groups can email or post feedback to the project team.

Feedback will be collected and fed into a draft plan – also known as a ‘spatial plan' – that people will be able to provide further feedback on later in the year.

A series of online webinars and in-person community sessions will be held to support the project.

To access the online interactive maps and to register for webinars/in-person community sessions, visit: www.tauranga.govt.nz/otumoetai2050