19 May 2020
Northland
Regional Council Minutes
Meeting held remotely
on Tuesday 19 May 2020, commencing
at 10.30am
Present:
Chairperson, Penny Smart
Councillors:
John Bain
Justin Blaikie
Jack Craw
Colin Kitchen
Amy Macdonald
Marty Robinson
Rick Stolwerk
Joce Yeoman
In Attendance:
Full or Part Meeting
Independent Financial Advisor
Independent Audit and Risk Advisor
Chief Executive Officer
GM - Corporate Excellence
GM – Strategy Governance and
Engagement
GM – Environmental Services
GM – Regulatory Services
Finance Manager
Strategic Projects Manager
Biosecurity Manager –
Partnerships & Strategy
Financial Accountant
Online Services Officer
Governance Support Manager
The Chair declared the meeting open at 10.31am. Proceedings
commenced with a karakia by Councillor Craw.
Apologies (Ngā
whakapahā) (Item 1.0)
Moved (Stolwerk / Robinson)
That the apologies from the
Independent Financial Advisor for limited attendance and the Independent
Audit and Risk Advisor for delayed arrival 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.
Presentation - Emerging Leader of the Year
Award (Item 3.0)
ID:
A1314447
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
Moved (Yeoman/Macdonald)
That the presentation
‘Emerging Leader of the Year Award’ be received.
Carried
(unanimously)
|
Secretarial
Note:
·
The GM Environmental Services acknowledged the
‘outstanding achievement’ of the Biosecurity Manager – Partnerships
& Strategy, Kane McElrea, who had won the Brookfields Emerging Leader of
the Year Award made by the Society of Local Government Managers. This
award recognised an emerging leader (under 35 years) whose work had
positively influenced community based control initiatives.
·
The council commended the accomplishment, acknowledged the
Biosecurity Manager as a ‘true leader’ and wished him all the best
for the future.
|
Health and Safety Report (Item 4.0)
ID:
A1311465
Report from Beryl Steele, Human Resources Manager
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Kitchen)
That the report ‘Health
and Safety Report’ by Beryl Steele, Human Resources Manager and dated 1
May 2020, be received.
Carried
|
Confirmation of Minutes - 21 April 2020 and
6 May 2020 (Item 5.1)
ID: A1311929
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
Moved (Yeoman/Robinson)
That the minutes of the council
meeting held on 21 April 2020, and the Annual Plan Deliberations held on 6
May 2020, be confirmed as a true and correct record.
Carried
|
Receipt of Action
Sheet (Item 5.2)
ID:
A1312046
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
Moved (Macdonald/Bain)
That the action sheet be
received.
Carried
|
Matters arising from Item 5.2
·
Councillors
and the Well Being Committee were acknowledged for actioning the well being
cards to staff. The cards had been well received and the exercise had
proven a ‘reverse wellbeing experience’ for councillors as well.
|
Working Party Updates
and Chairpersons' Briefings (Item 5.3)
ID: A1311973
Report from Sally Bowron, Strategy, Governance and
Engagement Team Admin/PA
|
Moved (Blaikie/Yeoman)
That the report ‘Working
Party Updates and Chairpersons' Briefings’ be received.
Carried
|
Matters arising
from 5.3:
·
The Chair of
the Water and Land Working Party drew attention to the Taranaki Riparian
Planting Programme which had proven the benefits of riparian planting for the
ecology of streams and reduction in E.coli. He also noted that new
erosion data demonstrated that the National Environmental Standards for
Plantation Forestry was not reflective of the erosion risk in Northland.
·
The Chair of
the Planning and Regulatory Working Party stressed the benefit of having Te Taitokerau
Māori and Council Working Party
members represented. Key work programmes going forward included the
plan change to give effect to the NPS Freshwater and implementing the rules
signed off in the new Regional Plan. Progress was also being made on
the ongoing issue of outstanding marine farm bonds.
|
Financial Report to 30 April 2020 (Item 6.1)
ID:
A1312923
Report from Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant
|
Moved (Craw/Bain)
That the report ‘Financial
Report to 30 April 2020’ by Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant and
dated 6 May 2020, be received.
Carried
|
Key matters
arising from Item 6.1:
·
Appreciation
was extended to the finance team for keeping council informed during such a
rapidly evolving situation.
·
The
Independent Financial Advisor briefed the meeting, reiterating the
‘hugely changeable environment’ and stress that the finance team
was facing. It was suggested that the standard practise of monthly
reporting be suspended, and the finance team develop a more frequent
mechanism of reporting to council. It was suggested that while council
had ‘bounced back’ significantly during the month of April there
may be another down turn in the equity markets and council must remain
flexible and ready to respond.
·
It was
suggested that a sub group of councillors be identified to go through
finances more frequently and in greater detail.
·
Clarification
was provided that EriksensGlobal Actuary, Jonathan Eriksen, would be
addressing the Investment and Property Subcommittee the following week and
councillors would have the opportunity to ask questions.
·
Assurance was
provided that the finance team was constantly looking for opportunities for
improvement and ways to adapt to the climate of uncertainty.
·
It was noted
that council’s cashflow was currently under pressure due to large
welfare payments being made on behalf of the Crown; however, these would be
reimbursed in due course. There was also uncertainty regarding the
payment of quarter four rates.
·
The Finance
Manager provided a diagrammatic representation of the actual April
results. While there was substantial improvement from the
previous month, council was still $1m less than budget.
|
Local Government
Funding Agency - Amendments to Borrowing Documentation (Item 6.2)
ID:
A1313679
Report from Simon Crabb, Finance Manager
|
Moved (Yeoman/Stolwerk)
1. That
the report ‘Local Government Funding Agency - Amendments to Borrowing
Documentation’ by Simon Crabb, Finance Manager and dated 7 May 2020, be
received.
2. That
the revised Multi-Issuer Deed and Noted Subscription Deed pertaining to
Attachments 2 and 3 of Item 6.2 for the 19 May 2020 council agenda be
approved.
Carried
|
It was further moved
(Kitchen/Robinson)
3. That
the CEO, and the NRC Chair and the Investment and Property Subcommittee Chair
be delegated authority to sign the amending documentation.
Carried
|
Matters arising from
Item 6.2:
·
Clarification was provided that the proposed amendments to the
LGFA borrowing programme currently had little impact on NRC. However,
if it decided to increase its level of borrowing in the future the documentation
would need ‘greater scrutiny’.
|
Triennial Resolution to Re-form the
Māori Technical Advisory Group (Item 7.1)
ID:
A1312091
Report from Auriole Ruka, Kaiwhakahaere Hononga
Māori
|
Moved (Yeoman/Macdonald)
1. That
the report ‘Triennial Resolution to Re-form the Māori Technical
Advisory Group’ by Auriole Ruka, Kaiwhakahaere Hononga Māori and
dated 4 May 2020, be received.
2. That
council endorse the request to re-establish the Māori Technical Advisory
Group (MTAG) for the 2019 – 2022 triennium, for the purposes of
providing Māori technical advice and input for TTMAC into the
development and implementation of council’s plans and processes with an
allocation cap of 10 meetings per annum.
Carried
|
Matters arising from
Item 7.1:
·
It was stressed that the technical advisory group provided
crucial support for council and the Te Taitokerau Māori and Council
Advisory Group given its ability to progress detailed work programmes.
|
Te Taitokerau
Māori and Council Working Party - Nomination of New Member (Item 7.2)
ID:
A1312992
Report from Auriole Ruka, Kaiwhakahaere Hononga
Māori
|
Moved (Craw/Macdonald)
1. That
the report ‘Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party -
Nomination of New Member’ by Auriole Ruka, Kaiwhakahaere Hononga
Māori and dated 6 May 2020, be received.
2. That
council confirms Ngāti Hau hapū membership and their
representatives Mike Kake and proxy Paul Strongman, as non-elected
representatives on TTMAC working party.
Carried
|
Matters arising from
Item 7.2:
·
The work undertaken by the Māori Relationships Team was
acknowledged.
|
Chair's Report to Council (Item 8.1)
ID:
A1311319
Report from Penny Smart, Chair
|
Moved (Kitchen/Bain)
That the report ‘Chair's
Report to Council’ by Penny Smart, Chair and dated 1 May 2020, be
received.
Carried
|
Matters arising
from Item 8.1:
·
Appreciation
was extended to the Chair for her hard work and leadership to support the
council remotely during such a busy and challenging time.
|
Chief
Executive’s Report to Council (Item 8.2)
ID:
A1311514
Report from Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Blaikie)
That the report ‘Chief
Executive’s Report to Council’ by Malcolm Nicolson, Chief
Executive Officer and dated 1 May 2020, be received.
Carried
|
Matters arising
from Item 8.2:
·
It was
stressed that water and water security remained a critical issue in Northland.
While there had been a short term improvement, rain levels remained well
below average and unless there was significant Winter rain the region could
be in a similar situation the following Summer. This message needed to
be reinforced with the community and it was suggested that signage may be an
effective way of achieving this to Northlanders and visitors alike.
·
Appreciation
was extended to the maritime team for the effective surveillance undertaken in
conjunction with Police and customs during the lockdown period.
·
Appreciation
was also extended to the comms team for the successful social media
engagement; which was particularly critical during lockdown for conveying key
messages to the public.
·
The GM
Environmental Services undertook to circulate the NIWA Dune Lakes Review to
elected members.
·
Staff were
looking to initiate a piece of work, in conjunction with the district
councils and key industry, to look at opportunities for water conservation
and resilience.
·
There was
general agreement that the terrestrial impacts of drought needed to be
considered as ‘another strand of climate change resilience’.
·
Staff
undertook to look at options to obtain baseline data on the dieback of native
trees due to drought. Catchment groups and Facebook posts were a few
options.
|
Reporting on Long
Term Plan 2018-2028 Performance Measures for Quarter Three of the 2019/20
Year (Item 8.3)
ID:
A1313498
Report from Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager
|
Moved (Stolwerk/Bain)
That the report ‘Reporting
on Long Term Plan 2018-2028 Performance Measures for Quarter Three of the
2019/20 Year’ by Kyla Carlier, Corporate Planning Manager and dated 7
May 2020, be received.
Carried
|
Matters arising
from Item 8.3:
·
Attention was
drawn to the fact that this was the third quarter reporting on KPIs but did
not highlight the impact of COVID-19 on some of the performance
indicators. An assessment had identified potentially 10 KPIs that had
been directly impacted and as a result may not be met by the end of the
financial year. These performance indicators largely related to
environmental monitoring where staff had not been able to be out in the field
due to lock down. There were also performance measures relating to bus passenger
numbers where there was an obvious impact.
·
There was
general agreement that given the current pandemic event this was
understandable. It was also noted that the monitoring network was
under review and this would inform the redrafted KPIs within the Long Term
Plan.
·
In essence,
KPIs were council’s contract with the community and all effort would be
made to articulate reasons for any non-compliance and also highlight other
areas where the organisation had excelled during the pandemic response.
·
Response to
official information requests was one of the third quarter KPIs not
achieved. Clarification was provided that while a monitoring system was
in place there were on occasions extenuating circumstances that prevented
response within 20 working days. The detail of this was reported
monthly via the Chief Executive’s Report.
|
Receipt of Committee Minutes (Item 9.0)
ID:
A1312071
Report from Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
|
Moved (Kitchen/Bain)
That the unconfirmed minutes of
the:
· Civil
Defence Emergency Management Group meeting – 11 March 2020; and
· Audit
and Risk Subcommittee – 15 April 2020
be received.
Carried
|
Matters arising from
Item 9.0:
·
The appointed FENZ representative on CDEM to be clarified.
·
The Chair of the Audit and Risk Subcommittee advised it had
been a productive first meeting addressing key programmes of work.
·
Clarification was provided that the reporting back to council
from committees/subcommittees was via the minutes (and any additional commentary
from the respective Chair).
·
The Independent Audit and Risk Advisor advised that external
feedback should provide councillors confidence in the ‘internal
workings of audit and risk’.
·
The Chair of CDEM advised the workshop concentrated on the drought
response; given it was just prior to the situation with COVID-19 escalating.
Appreciation was extended to the response team who had been on call for over
four months due to the drought followed by COVID-19.
|
Business with Public
Excluded (Item 10.0)
Moved (Smart/Robinson)
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
|
10.1
|
Confirmation
of Confidential Minutes - 21 April 2020
|
The public
conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of
information, as stated in the open section of the meeting.
|
10.2
|
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).
|
10.3
|
Acquisition
Agreement for Properties
|
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 out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities
s7(2)(h) and 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).
|
10.4
|
Reappointment
of Northland Inc. Director
|
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).
|
3.
That the Independent Audit and Risk Advisor be permitted to stay
during business with the public excluded.
|
Open Meeting
Moved
(Smart/Blaikie)
That the council resumes in open
meeting.
Carried
|
Secretarial Note: Having resumed open meeting the council
confirmed the resolutions pertaining to Confidential Item 10.4: Reappointment
of Northland Inc. Director.
Reappointment of Northland Inc. Director (Item 10.4)
ID:
A1314367
Report from Dave Tams, Group Manager, Corporate
Excellence
|
Moved (Bain/Macdonald)
1. That
the report ‘Reappointment of Northland Inc. Director’ by Dave
Tams, Group Manager, Corporate Excellence and dated 11 May 2020, be received.
2. That
the current Director of Northland
Inc, Sarah Petersen, be reappointed for a term of one year, until 30 June
2021.
3. That the operational funding of $18,000
be reinstated to cover this position.
Carried
|
Conclusion
The meeting concluded at 12.39pm.