The recently released Horowhenua District Council proposed plan 20 affecting rural subdivision and plan 21 affecting greenbelt and residential urban growth have some effect on Waikawa.
Plan 20 proposes that the coastal enviromental domain includes the presently established Waikawa and Strathnaver Drive and the land further inland is classified as coastal lakes domain. It has further proposed that any future subdivision in the coastal lakes domain has a minimum lot size of 5000 square metres. In the coastal environmental domain an number of policies have been proposed including protecting the natural character by avoiding inappropriate subdivision, subdivisions that result in unplanned expansions to existing areas or new areas and to minimise obtrusive buildings on dunes