Emergency
Council Meeting
25 March 2020
Northland
Regional Council Minutes
Emergency meeting held in the Council
Chamber
36 Water Street, Whangārei
on Wednesday 25 March 2020,
commencing at 9.00am
Present:
Chairperson, Penny Smart
Councillors:
John Bain
Justin Blaikie
Jack Craw (via electronic link)
Amy Macdonald (via electronic link)
Marty Robinson
Rick Stolwerk
Joce Yeoman (via electronic link)
In Attendance:
Full Meeting
Chief Executive Officer
GM - Corporate Excellence
Governance Support Manager
Part Meeting
GM - Customer Service/Community
Resilience
GM - Strategy, Governance and
Engagement (via electronic link)
Secretarial
Note:
·
Prior to the Chair opening the meeting, the GM - Customer
Service/Community Resilience provided an update on the Civil Defence
Emergency Management (CDEM) COVID-19 response. The Northland CDEM
response must be consistent with the national response and key messages were
for people to self-isolate, be supportive and maintain community networks
without compromising isolation.
·
The Chair opened the meeting at 9.12am and proceedings
commenced with a karakia by Councillor Macdonald.
·
The Chair addressed the meeting. Key points included:
-
Appreciation was extended to the CEO/staff for the NRC COVID-19
response and it was stressed the team had council’s full support.
-
Over 100 staff were working remotely, continuing business as usual,
and as such would receive full remuneration.
-
The CDEM team would remain in the office during the four weeks’
lock down period.
-
It was stressed that COVID-19 was bigger than NRC/Northland/New
Zealand and ‘business as usual will be no longer’.
Apologies (Ngā whakapahā) (Item 1.0)
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Bain)
That the apologies from
Councillor Kitchen for non-attendance be received.
Carried
|
Declarations
of Conflicts of Interest (Nga whakapuakanga) (Item 2.0)
It was advised that councillors should make declarations
item-by-item as the meeting progressed.
|
Verbal Briefings
(Item 3.1)
ID:
A1298484
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
|
Moved
(Robinson/Stolwerk)
That the report ‘Verbal
Briefings’ by Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager and dated 23 March
2020, be received.
Carried
|
Secretarial
Note:
·
The GM - Corporate Excellence provided a financial update,
focussing on:
-
Rates remissions and postponements given the current volatile
situation; and
-
Modelling and planning for different financial scenarios.
·
The Chief Executive Officer and GM - Strategy, Governance and
Engagement provided an update on council’s internal pandemic response,
focussing on:
-
Business continuity and ensuring essential levels of service were
maintained;
-
Confirmation of council support to retain the original consultation
period/timeframes for the Annual Plan process;
-
Alignment of NRC’s pandemic plan with the Crown response; and
-
Ensuring the resilience of the CDEM team as a whole as well as
individual staff welfare/support.
|
Clarification of
Emergency Decision Making Delegations (Item
3.2)
ID:
A1298311
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Robinson)
1. That
the report ‘Clarification of Emergency Decision Making
Delegations’ by Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager and dated 23
March 2020, be received.
2. That
council’s delegation to make an urgent/emergency decision (in
accordance with Part 6 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA)) be amended to
specifically include reference to a pandemic event (where it is difficult to
convene a council or subcommittee meeting) as included in Attachment One (pertaining
to Item 3.2 of the 25 March 2020 Emergency Council Meeting agenda).
For the avoidance of doubt this delegation is made pursuant to clause 32,
Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act and includes all powers and functions
of council other than those listed in clause 32(1), Schedule 7 of the Local
Government Act.
Carried
|
|
Emergency Delegations (Item 3.3)
ID:
A1298396
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
|
Moved (Bain/Blaikie)
1. That
the report ‘Emergency Delegations’ by Chris Taylor, Governance
Support Manager and dated 23 March 2020, be received.
2. That,
in the event the Chief Executive Officer is unable to fulfil his duties due
to COVID‑19, the GM - Environmental Services/Deputy Chief Executive
Officer, Bruce Howse, is appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer and must
perform all the responsibilities and duties, and may exercise all the powers,
of the Chief Executive Officer.
2b. That,
in the event the Deputy Chief Executive Officer is unable to fulfil such
duties (resolution 2) due to COVID-19, the Chief Executive Officer’s
delegated authority and powers will transfer to the next designated Group
Manager, as follows:
· GM - Strategy,
Governance and Engagement – Jonathan Gibbard
· GM - Customer
Services/Community Resilience – Tony Phipps
· GM - Regulatory
Services – Colin Dall.
3. That
in the event one of the Group Managers is unavailable to fulfil his duties
due to COVID-19, their Deputy GM must
perform all their responsibilities and duties; and may exercise
all their powers. In the event the Deputy GM is unable to fulfil these
duties due to COVID-19 these will be delegated to the officer nominated in
the table below:
|
Group Manager
|
Deputy Group Manager
|
Nominated Officer
|
|
GM - Customer Services/Community Resilience
|
Customer Services Manager, Sue Brookes
|
Civil Defence Emergency Management Manager, Graeme
MacDonald
|
|
GM - Strategy, Governance and Engagement
|
Strategy, Policy and Planning Manager, Ben Lee
|
Strategic Policy Specialist, Justin Murfitt
|
|
GM - Corporate Excellence
|
Information Services and Technology Manager, Carol
Cottam
|
Finance Manager, Simon Crabb
|
|
GM - Regulatory Services
|
Compliance Monitoring Manager, Tess Dacre
|
Natural Resources Monitoring Manager, Jason Donaghy
|
|
GM - Environmental Services
|
Land Manager, Duncan Kervell
|
Rivers and Natural Hazards Manager, Joseph Camuso
|
Carried
|
|
It was further moved
(Bain/Robinson)
That in the event neither the
Chair or Deputy Chair (of council) are
able to fulfil their duties due to COVID-19, Councillor Stolwerk (being Chair of the Civil Defence Emergency
Management Group Committee and Chair of the Investment and Property
Subcommittee) be appointed Acting Chairperson and must perform all
the responsibilities and duties, and may exercise all the powers, of the Chairperson.
Carried
|
|
Amendment to Subcommittee and Working Party Quorums (Item 3.4)
ID:
A1298519
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Robinson)
1. That
the report ‘Amendment to Subcommittee and Working Party Quorums’
by Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager and dated 23 March 2020, be
received.
2. That
the quorum for the Investment and Property Subcommittee and the Audit and
Risk Subcommittee be reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic response to two
members.
3. That
the quorum for all council working parties be suspended during the COVID-19
pandemic response.
4. For
the avoidance of doubt, recommendations 2 and 3 (above) remain in force until
the pandemic is declared over by central government agencies or by council
resolution.
Carried
|
|
|
Conclusion
The meeting concluded at 10.15am