Council Meeting
19 February 2019
Northland Regional Council Minutes
Meeting held in the Council Chamber
36 Water Street, Whangārei
on Tuesday 19 February 2019, commencing at 10.30 am
Present:
Chairman, Bill Shepherd
Deputy Chairman, David Sinclair
Councillors:
John Bain
Justin Blaikie
Paul Dimery
Mike Finlayson
Penny Smart
Rick Stolwerk
Joce Yeoman
In Attendance:
Full Meeting
Independent Financial Advisor
NRC Chief Executive
GM – Strategy, Governance and Engagement
GM - Customer Service - Community Resilience
GM - Environmental Services
GM, Corporate Excellence
GM - Regulatory Services
Chairman’s Personal Assistant
Part Meeting
Finance Manager
Financial Accountant
Accounts Assistant Treasury and Projects
Chief Financial Officer – Far North District Council
Manager Transaction Services – Far North District Council
Māori Relationships Manager
Corporate Planning Manager
Policy Analyst
Economic Policy Advisor
Strategic Policy Specialist
Biosecurity Manager
CEO – Northland Inc.
GM – Investment and Infrastructure – Northland Inc.
Northland Inc. Directors (2)
The Chair declared the meeting open at 10.30 am.
Apologies (Item 1.0)
There were no apologies.
Declarations of Conflicts of Interest (Item 2.0)
It was advised that councillors should make declarations item-by-item as the meeting progressed.
Secretarial Note: The Chief Executive Officer advised that Item 9.5 in the Confidential Agenda had been withdrawn from the agenda based on additional information that had been received. Further work would be done and the item would be brought back to council at a later date.
The Chairman advised that additional pages would be tabled for Item 6.3. The additional pages were minor corrections for the Annual Plan 2019/20 Supporting Information.
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Receipt of Action Sheet (Item 4.2) ID: A1157209 Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager |
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That the action sheet be received. |
Secretarial Note: A council workshop to be scheduled within the next two weeks to discuss plans for addressing the shortfall in general funding.
Secretarial Note: The Land Management team were congratulated on their successful application to the Hill Country Erosion Fund.
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Council Working Group Updates (Item 4.4) ID: A1159587 Report from Nola Sooner, Land and Rivers Team Administrator/PA |
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That the report ‘Council Working Group Updates’ be received. |
Secretarial Note: The Chief Executive Officer explained the reasons for the large negative variances to budget.
The council’s Independent Financial Advisor confirmed that volatile markets can be expected. The response from management had helped and proved that council is able to respond appropriately.
Secretarial Note: Council is monitoring closely with each recommendation that comes through.
Secretarial Note: The Chief Financial Officer and Manager Transaction Services from Far North District Council were in attendance to answer any questions from councillors.
It was requested that Far North District Council put in place a process to notify Northland Regional Council about details of abandoned land.
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Emergency Services Fund Update - Funding Uptake, Engagement and Promotion Plan and Reserve (Item 5.6) ID: A1160121 Report from Tony Phipps, Group Manager - Customer Services - Community Resilience and Natasha Stubbing, Marketing and Engagement Manager |
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Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair) 1. That the report ‘Emergency Services Fund Update - Funding Uptake, Engagement and Promotion Plan and Reserve ’ by Tony Phipps, Group Manager - Customer Services - Community Resilience and Natasha Stubbing, Marketing and Engagement Manager and dated 5 February 2019, be received. Carried
It was further moved (Dimery/Bain)
2. That council approves the use and distribution of the Emergency Services Fund Reserve as follows: up to $10,000 a year can be spent on ESF engagement and promotion, and the remainder distributed to ESF recipients in direct proportion to current allocation.
Carried |
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Adoption of Draft User Fees and Charges 2019/20 and approval to consult (Item 6.2) ID: A1157911 Report from Robyn Broadhurst, Policy Analyst and Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager |
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1. That the report ‘Adoption of Draft User Fees and Charges 2019/20 and approval to consult ’ by Robyn Broadhurst, Policy Analyst and Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager and dated 31 January 2019, be received. 2. That council adopts the Statement of Proposal and the Draft User Fees and Charges 2019/20 (Attachment 1 pertaining to Item 6.2 of the 19 February 2019 council agenda) for the purposes of consultation, pursuant to section 150 of the LGA, and that this be carried out in conjunction with consultation on the Annual Plan 2019/20. 3. That council delegates to the Chief Executive the authority to make any necessary minor formatting, typographical and administrative changes to the Draft User Fees and Charges 2019/20 prior to formal public consultation. |
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Adoption of the Annual Plan 2019/20 Supporting Information (Item 6.3) ID: A1159110 Report from Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager |
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Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair) That the additional tabled pages be received. Carried |
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Recommendations Moved (Shepherd/Yeoman) 1. That the report ‘Adoption of the Annual Plan 2019/20 Supporting Information’ by Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager and dated 1 February 2019, be received. Carried It was further moved (Shepherd/Yeoman) 2. That council adopts the supporting information for the Annual Plan 2019/20 plus the additional tabled pages (Attachment 1 pertaining to Item 6.3 of the 19 February 2019 council agenda) for the purposes of consultation, pursuant to sections 95 and 95A of the LGA. Carried
It was further moved (Yeoman/Stolwerk) 3. That council delegates to the Group Manager – Strategy, Governance and Engagement the authority to make any necessary minor formatting, typographical and administrative changes to the supporting information prior to formal public consultation. Carried
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Adoption of the Annual Plan 2019/20 Consultation Document and Approval to Consult (Item 6.4) ID: A1158997 Report from Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager |
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1. That the report ‘Adoption of the Annual Plan 2019/20 Consultation Document and Approval to Consult’ by Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager and dated 31 January 2019, be received. 2. That council adopts and approves for release the Annual Plan 2019/20 Consultation Document (included as Attachment 1 pertaining to Item 6.4 of the 19 February 2019 council agenda) for consultation pursuant to sections 82, 95 and 95A of the Local Government Act 2002. 3. That council delegates to the Group Manager – Strategy, Governance and Engagement the authority to make any necessary minor formatting, typographical, and administrative changes to the Consultation Document prior to formal public consultation. |
Secretarial Note: Staff were complimented on producing a great document.
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Manea Footprints of Kupe - Request for a funding contribution from Council (Item 6.5) ID: A1132029 Report from Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor and Darryl Jones, Economist |
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1. That the report ‘Manea Footprints of Kupe - Request for a funding contribution from Council’ by Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor and Darryl Jones, Economist and dated 22 November 2018, be received. 2. That $500,000 be transferred from the Community Investment Fund into the Investment and Growth Reserve once the conditions of funding set out in recommendation 3 have been met. 3. That $500,000 (excluding GST) be allocated as Enabling Investment funding from the Investment and Growth Reserve to the Manea Footprints of Kupe project subject to the following conditions being met. a. All resource and building consents are obtained for all elements of the project to proceed; b. Fixed price construction tenders that permits all elements of the project to proceed is secured; c. All funding has been secured to cover the development of the entire project; d. A funding agreement is signed between Te Hua o Te Kawariki Trust, Manea Footprints of Kupe Ltd, Far North Holdings (FNHL), and council that includes: i. a list of key performance indicators; ii. a schedule of payment instalments that are linked to construction milestones with the first payment not occurring prior to 1 November 2019; iii. an undertaking that any cost overruns for the construction of the buildings will be covered by supplementary funding and not by reducing the experience/fit-out development; and iv. an undertaking that Manea will be held in perpetuity for the benefit of the local community and that should it ever be sold into private ownership that council will be refunded its $500,000 funding allocation. e. Confirmation that an overdraft facility of $200,000 has been secured. |
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Environment Fund Criteria Review (Item 6.6) ID: A1156376 Report from Imogen Field, Land Management Advisor - Freshwater Improvement Project; Lorna Douglas, Eastern Coast Manager and Duncan Kervell, Land Manager |
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1. That the report ‘Environment Fund Criteria Review’ by Imogen Field, Land Management Advisor - Freshwater Improvement Project; Lorna Douglas, Eastern Coast Manager and Duncan Kervell, Land Manager and dated 24 January 2019, be received. 2. That council approve the new Environment Fund criteria. Carried |
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Inter-regional Marine Pest Management - Discussion Document (Item 6.7) ID: A1160314 Report from Justin Murfitt, Strategic Policy Specialist and Don McKenzie, Biosecurity Manager |
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Moved (Sinclair/Stolwerk) 1. That the report ‘Inter-regional Marine Pest Management - Discussion Document’ by Justin Murfitt, Strategic Policy Specialist and Don McKenzie, Biosecurity Manager and dated 5 February 2019, be received. 2. That council approves the release of the draft discussion document and the associated consultation process. 3. That council delegates authority to the Deputy Chief Executive to make changes to the discussion document prior to the start of the consultation to add content relating to potential pathway plan implementation costs and for the purpose of formatting, adding agency logo’s and other minor changes to text for readability). Carried It was further moved (Bain/Yeoman) 4. That council appoint a political spokesperson for the purposes of consultation in Northland being Councillor Sinclair. Carried |
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Chair's Report to Council (Item 7.1) ID: A1156744 Report from Bill Shepherd, Chairman |
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That the report ‘Chair's Report to Council’ by Bill Shepherd, Chairman and dated 31 January 2019, be received. |
Secretarial Note: Councillor Dimery asked for it to be noted that he had also attended the Northland Inc. AGM.
Secretarial Note: Councillor Bain left the meeting at 11.42 am.
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Chief Executive’s Report to Council (Item 7.2) ID: A1156933 Report from Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer |
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That the report ‘Chief Executive’s Report to Council’ by Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer and dated 29 January 2019, be received. |
Secretarial Note: GM – Enviromental Services to circulate LiDAR report to councillors.
Councillor Yeoman congratulated staff on the scope of work council is doing and the effort being put in by staff.
Secretarial Note: Councillor Bain returned to the meeting at 11:46 am.
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Receipt of Committee Minutes (Item 8.0) ID: A1158061 Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager |
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That the unconfirmed minutes of the: · Investment Subcommittee - 28 November 2018 · Civil Defence Emergency Management - 4 December 2018 · Regional Transport Committee - 5 December 2018 · Property Subcommittee - 5 December 2018 be received. |
Business with Public Excluded (Item 9.0)
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1. That the public be excluded from the proceedings of this meeting to consider confidential matters. 2. That the general subject of the matters to be considered whilst the public is excluded, the reasons for passing this resolution in relation to this matter, and the specific grounds under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution, are as follows:
3. That the Independent Financial Advisor be permitted to stay during business with the public excluded |
The meeting concluded at 12.01 pm
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