Mrs Dean yesterday entered the debate about whether the material is suitable for houses in a rural setting.
The Central Otago District Council has been under fire this week for its moves to exclude the stone as a finish on new rural houses.
The council's new planning rules governing building in rural areas say Oamaru stone is too visible and too reflective.
"Oamaru stone provides no more glare than the sparkling waters of the Clutha, or a glass brimming with locally produced pinot noir on a sunny Central Otago day," Mrs Dean said.
It weathered to "a beautiful honey colour, an effect prized the world over."
The stone was part of the area's heritage and to say it was incompatible with the natural landscape was incongruous, she said.
Council planning manager Louise van der Voort said the stone's "colour and reflectivity value makes it unsuitable in some sensitive landscapes where people do not want to see dwellings".
"It's the elevated and more sensitive areas where Oamaru stone may not be appropriate.
"Oamaru stone is fine in many places and likely to be approved on valley floors and areas where houses are less visible," Ms van der Voort said.
The 23 changes aimed at addressing rural development issues took effect from October 12 and the council has received 218 submissions about them.
The changes were only partway through the statutory process, and anyone could lodge a further submission to the plan changes by October 2, Ms van der Voort said.
"The effect of the plan change is that when someone applies for resource consent to build a dwelling in the rural area, they need to think about the sensitivity of the landscape, the siting of the dwelling and the design, and choose colours and materials in sympathy with that landscape."
The new rule about building materials was based on advice from a landscape architect that highly reflective colours such as whites and creams did not fit in some landscapes, she said.
