Minutes of Council Meeting

Council Meeting

16 April 2019

Northland Regional Council Minutes

Meeting held in the Council Chamber

36 Water Street, Whangārei

on Tuesday 16 April 2019, commencing at 10.30am

Present:

Chairman, Bill Shepherd

Deputy Chairman, David Sinclair

Councillors:

John Bain

Paul Dimery

Mike Finlayson

Penny Smart

Rick Stolwerk

Joce Yeoman

In Attendance:

Full Meeting

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

GM – Strategy, Governance and Engagement

GM - Corporate Excellence

GM - Regulatory Services

Governance Support Manager

Part Meeting

Finance Manager

Strategy Policy and Planning Manager

Natural Resources Policy Manager

Transport Manager

Economic Policy Advisor

The Chair declared the meeting open at 10.30am.

Apologies (Item 1.0)

Moved (Shepherd /Yeoman

That the apologies from Councillor Blaikie and the Chief Executive Officer for non-attendance be received.

Carried

Declarations of Conflicts of Interest (Item 2.0)

It was advised that councillors should make declarations item-by-item as the meeting progressed.

Health and Safety Report (Item 3.0)

ID: A1180111

Report from Beryl Steele, Human Resources Manager

Moved (Dimery/Stolwerk)

That the report ‘Health and Safety Report’ by Beryl Steele, Human Resources Manager and dated 1 April 2019, be received.

Carried

Confirmation of Minutes - 19 March 2019 (Item 4.1)

ID: A1180519

Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager

Moved (Shepherd/Yeoman)

That the minutes of the council meeting held on 19 March 2019 be confirmed as a true and correct record.

Carried

Receipt of Action Sheet (Item 4.2)

ID: A1181362

Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager

Moved (Sinclair/Stolwerk)

That the action sheet be received.

Carried

Working Party Updates and Chairpersons' Briefings (Item 4.3)

ID: A1177491

Report from Sally Bowron, Strategy, Governance and Engagement Team Admin/PA

Moved (Dimery/Bain)

That the report ‘Working Party Updates and Chairpersons' Briefings’ be received.

Carried

Council Working Group Updates (Item 4.4)

ID: A1177832

Report from Nola Sooner, Land and Rivers Team Administrator/PA

Moved (Shepherd/Yeoman)

That the report ‘Council Working Group Updates’ be received.

Carried

Financial Report to 31 March 2019 (Item 5.1)

ID: A1180892

Report from Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant

Moved (Sinclair/Bain)

That the report ‘Financial Report to 31 March 2019’ by Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant and dated 3 April 2019, be received.

Carried

Secretarial Note: The Financial Manager provided a presentation detailing the results of council’s externally managed fund portfolio during March 2019 and the effect on work programmes going forward.

2019 Local Body Triennial Election (Item 6.1)

ID: A1150215

Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager

Moved (Yeoman/Bain)

1. That the report ‘2019 Local Body Triennial Election’ by Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager and dated 1 April 2019, be received.

2. That the report ‘2019 Triennial Election’ by the Electoral Officer and dated 12 March 2019, be received.

3. That the ‘Local Authority Elections 2019 – Election Protocols for Elected Members’ be adopted.

4. That council resolves for the 2019 triennial election to adopt the alphabetical order of candidate names on voting documents (in accordance with Regulation 31 of the Local Electoral Regulations 2001).

Carried

Proposed Regional Plan for Northland - Decisions on provisions and matters raised in submissions (Item 6.2)

ID: A1176915

Report from Michael Day, Natural Resources Policy Manager

Moved (Yeoman/Stolwerk)

1. That the report ‘Proposed Regional Plan for Northland - Decisions on provisions and matters raised in submissions’ by Michael Day, Natural Resources Policy Manager and dated 22 March 2019, be received.

Carried

It was further moved (Yeoman/Finlayson)

2. That council accepts and adopts the recommendations of the Hearing Panel on decisions on provisions and matters raised in submissions to the Proposed Regional Plan for Northland (included as Attachment 1 pertaining to Item 6.2 of the 16 April 2019 council agenda) as the council’s decisions.

Carried

(Councillor Smart abstained from voting; having submitted on the Proposed Regional Plan for Northland)

Secretarial Note: Appreciation was extended to:

- Staff for the quality of legal/planning/technical advice on which to base decisions and their willingness to work with submitters and the Panel

- The Independent Panel, with its extensive knowledge and experience, for its willingness to listen to the local perspective and ultimately proposing pragmatic changes in the final plan.

- The previous council which had initiated the amalgamation of the current operative plans.

It was further moved (Yeoman/Sinclair)

3. That council approves the public notification of the Council Decisions version of the ‘Proposed Regional Plan for Northland’ (the provisions set out in Attachment 1), in accordance with Clause 10, Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991.

4. That public notification of the Council Decisions version of the Proposed Regional Plan for Northland (the provisions in Attachment 1) be on or before 4 May 2019.

5. That council delegates to the Strategy, Policy and Planning Manager, the authority to make any necessary minor formatting, typographical and administrative changes to the Council Decisions version of the ‘Proposed Regional Plan for Northland’, pursuant to Clause 16, Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991.

Carried

(Councillor Smart abstained from voting; having submitted on the Proposed Regional Plan for Northland)

Joint WDC and NRC Whangārei Public Transport Working Party Update and Relocation of the CityLink Bus Service Route Terminus (Item 6.3)

ID: A1179735

Report from Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Transport Alliance

Moved (Bain/Sinclair)

1. That the report ‘Joint WDC and NRC Whangārei Public Transport Working Party Update and Relocation of the CityLink Bus Service Route Terminus’ by Chris Powell, Transport Manager - Northland Transport Alliance and dated 1 April 2019, be received.

Carried

It was further moved (Bain/Sinclair)

2. That the Northland Regional Council approve the proposed move of the CityLink service from the Rose Street Terminus to Vine Street.

Carried

Secretarial Note: NRC’s representatives on the Joint WDC and NRC Whangarei Public Transport Working Party, being Councillors Bain, Dimery and Sinclair, undertook to stress the message that the move of the terminus to Vine Street was fundamental to the future of the bus service.

It was further moved (Bain/Dimery)

3. That the Northland Regional Council approve that Expression of Interest process for trial public passenger service options including Community Vehicle Trusts (CVT’s) be undertaken for the proposed Hikurangi, Waipū, Whangārei Heads and the Waipū/Ruakākā services.

4. That the Northland Regional Council approve the combining of Route 1 – Okara Park and Route 8 – Port Road services in an effort to increase occupancy.

Carried

Northland Inc. Limited: Draft Statement of Intent 2019–2022 (Item 6.4)

ID: A1180250

Report from Darryl Jones, Economist and Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor

Moved (Yeoman/Sinclair)

1. That the report ‘Northland Inc. Limited: Draft Statement of Intent 2019–2022’ by Darryl Jones, Economist and Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor and dated 2 April 2019, be received.

2. That the ‘Northland Inc. Limited Draft Statement of Intent 2019–2022’ be received.

3. That the Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with council Chairman and Deputy Chairman, be delegated authority to provide feedback to Northland Inc. Limited by 30 April on its draft SOI 2019–2022, in line with the recommendation detailed in this report.

Carried

Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party: Reconvening the Māori Technical Advisory Group (Item 6.5)

ID: A1180590

Report from Rachel Ropiha, Kaiarahi - Kaupapa Māori

Moved (Dimery/Stolwerk)

1. That the report ‘Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party: Reconvening the Māori Technical Advisory Group ’ by Rachel Ropiha, Kaiarahi - Kaupapa Māori and dated 2 April 2019, be received.

2. That the council resolve to reconvene the Māori Technical Advisory Group for up to three meetings for the purposes of reviewing the effectiveness of the Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party.

Carried

Chair's Report to Council (Item 7.1)

ID: A1177843

Report from Bill Shepherd, Chairman

Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair)

That the report ‘Chair's Report to Council’ by Bill Shepherd, Chairman and dated 29 March 2019, be received.

Carried

Chief Executive’s Report to Council (Item 7.2)

ID: A1177666

Report from Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Environmental Services

Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair)

That the report ‘Chief Executive’s Report to Council’ by Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Environmental Services and Acting Chief Executive Officer and dated 26 March 2019, be received.

Carried

Secretarial Note: A correction was noted that the court appearance for the Waipū farmer regarding farm dairy effluent discharges had occurred 15 April 2019 (not 18 April 2019 as reported).

Receipt of Committee Minutes (Item 8.0)

ID: A1180509

Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager

Moved (Stolwerk/Finlayson)

That the unconfirmed minutes of the:

· Civil Defence Emergency Management – 6 March 2019

· Property Subcommittee – 3 April 2019

be received.

Carried

Business with Public Excluded (Item 9.0)

Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair)

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:

Item No.	Item Issue	Reasons/Grounds
9.1	Confirmation of Minutes - 19 March 2019	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, as stated in the open section of the meeting -.
9.2	Receipt of Confidential Committee Minutes	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, as stated in the open section of the meeting -.
9.3	Human Resources Report	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons s7(2)(a).
9.4	Northland Water Storage and Use Project	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to enable council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) s7(2)(i).

Carried

Secretarial Note: At the conclusion of the business of the meeting held with the public excluded, the council resumed in open meeting.

Open Meeting

Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair)

That the council resumes in open meeting.

Carried

Confirmation of Resolutions in Open Meeting - Northland Water Storage and Use Project (Confidential Item 9.4)

ID: A1182403

Report from Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor, and Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager – Strategy, Governance and Engagement

Moved (Shepherd/Sinclair)

That council confirms the following resolutions pertaining to Confidential Item 9.4, ‘Northland Water Storage and Use Project’, in open meeting:

1. That the report ‘Northland Water Storage and Use Project’ by Jon Trewin, Economic Policy Advisor and Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Strategy, Governance and Engagement and dated 8 April 2019, be received.

2. That council formally endorses the project and authorises the Chief Executive Officer to finalise and sign the contract with MBIE to secure up to $18.5M funding from the Provincial Growth Fund.

3. That council approve the allocation of $100,000 in co-funding from the Investment and Growth Reserve as council’s contribution towards the Pre-Feasibility Stage of the project.

Carried

Conclusion

The meeting concluded at 11.35am.