Building a minor dwelling has become an even bigger draw with rising land prices, so if you have the space to build, why not? We know navigating through the District Plan can be tough work so let us provide a basic run down for you on what you can and can’t do for the various zones around Whanganui. First of all, what is a Minor dwelling? WDC define this as “a self-contained residential unit that is ancillary to the principal residential unit, and is held in common ownership with the principal residential unit on the same site”. If we highlight the self contained part of that definition this specifically draws reference to cooking and washing facilities. So kitchen and laundry (any sink located in a room not a bathroom can be considered a laundry). This means if you are building a sleepout or garage/sleepout without these facilities then you don’t fall into the minor dwelling category.

See below a rundown on the main zones around Whanganui and their rules. If you are having trouble finding what zone you come under get in touch and we can quickly point you in the right direction.

General Residential Zone
Performance standard GRZ-S3 of the district plan states you are allowed:
1. One minor residential unit per allotment.
2. This is to have a maximum floor area (over cladding) of 60m2.

Rural Lifestyle Zone
Performance standard RLZ-S9 of the district plan states you are allowed:
1. One minor residential unit per allotment which has net area of 5000m2
2. This is to have a maximum floor area (over cladding) of 60m2.
3. All wastewater must be contained onsite (septic system) unless the property is already connected to council main.

General Rural Zone
Performance standard GRUZ-S11 of the district plan states you are allowed:
1. One minor residential unit which has a net site area of 1 hectare. Under the GRUZ rules one residential unit and one minor dwelling is allowed per 1 hectare of land.
2. This is to have a maximum floor area (over cladding) of 60m2.
3. All wastewater must be contained onsite (septic system).
In this zone the minor dwelling must also comply with GRUZ-S4
1. Not located within 20m of another residential dwelling.
2. Minimum of 10m from any boundary.
3. Must have access to fire fighting water supply.

Rural Production Zone
Performance standard RPROZ-S11 of the district plan states you are allowed:
1. One minor residential unit which has a net site area of 10 hectare. Under the RPROZ rules one residential unit and one minor dwelling is allowed per 10 hectare of land.
2. This is to have a maximum floor area (over cladding) of 60m2.
3. All wastewater must be contained onsite (septic system).
In this zone the minor dwelling must also comply with RPROZ-S4
1. Not located within 20m of another residential dwelling located on separate title.
2. Minimum of 10m from any boundary.
3. Must have access to fire fighting water supply.

Settlement Zone
Performance standard SETZ-S11 of the district plan states you are allowed:
1. One minor residential unit per allotment which has net area of 5000m2
2. This is to have a maximum floor area (over cladding) of 60m2.
3. All wastewater must be contained onsite (septic system) unless the property is already connected to council main.

So to summarise, when you think minor dwelling keep to a max of 60m2 floor area! There are other performance standards that you will also need to adhere to which of course we can help you navigate through. These are the rules directly relating to minor dwellings though, if you fall outside of these rules with your build you would need to apply for a resource consent as well as your building consent.