Agenda of Council Meeting - Tuesday, 17 August 2021

Council Meeting item: 6.1

17 August 2021

TITLE:	Externally Managed Funds: 2020/21 Performance and Proposed Allocation of Gains
ID:
From:	Simon Crabb, Finance Manager
Authorised by Group Manager:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 05 August 2021

Executive summary/Whakarāpopototanga

Council’s externally managed investment portfolio generated annual gains of $8.7M in 2020/21, which is $6.9M greater than the corresponding and very conservatively set budget of $1.8M, that was prepared during the economic disruption of COVID-19, and the uncertainty around the timing and extent of any recovery.

A summary of the annual returns and the fund balances at 30 June 2021, is presented below, with supporting detail and individual fund manager performances provided in the EriksensGlobal report presented in Attachment 1.


30 June 2021	Annual Return	Target Return	Annual Gains	Closing Balance
Short Term (STF)	10.2%	3.3%	$2.0M	$16.3M
Long Term Fund (LTF)	18.7%	6.7%	$6.7M	$40.6M
Total Portfolio			$8.7M	$56.9M

Gains derived from council’s managed fund portfolio contributed $1.7M toward council’s general funding - as budgeted, with the additional gains of $7M contributing:

· $904K towards funding the future costs of the Enterprise System Replacement project - as previously approved by council;

· $200K in lieu of withdrawing monies from the IIF capital base (as originally budgeted);

· $150K in lieu of using council’s Equalisation Reserve (as originally budgeted);

· A proposed $596K top-up of the Opex Reserve to have sufficient funding set aside to completely cover the 2021/22 general funding contribution provided from managed fund gains;

· A proposed $649K transfer into the Equalisation Reserve; and

· A proposed $4.4M reinvestment back into the portfolio’s capital base.

Refer to Figure 1 for the level of reinvestment attributable to each Reserve.

The recommendations in this report have been incorporated into the operating result of $68K in the draft annual accounts.

Recommendation(s)

1. That the report ‘Externally Managed Funds: 2020/21 Performance and Proposed Allocation of Gains ’ by Simon Crabb, Finance Manager and dated 13 July 2021, be received.

2. That $596,453 of Short-Term Investment Fund gains are transferred to the Opex Reserve and invested in NZ registered bank fixed rate term deposits with rolling maturity profiles ranging from 30 to 180 days.

3. That $2,054,194 of the Long-Term Investment Fund gains attributable to the Community Investment Fund Reserve are reinvested, and that the Infrastructure Facilities Reserve closing balance (at 30 June 2021) of $55,203 is transferred to the Community Investment Fund Reserve.

4. That $1,005,248 of Long-Term Investment Fund gains and $1,298,506 of Short-Term Investment Fund gains, both attributable to the Property Reinvestment Fund Reserve, are reinvested into their respective investment funds.

5. That $648,915 of Long-Term Investment Fund gains attributable to the Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve are transferred to the Equalisation Reserve and invested in the Short-Term Investment Fund.

6. That $350,000 of Long-Term Investment Fund gains attributable to the Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve are withdrawn from the Long-Term Investment Fund in lieu of using the Equalisation Fund and the capital base of the Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve.

7. That $1,396,084 of targeted river scheme rates collected in 2020/21 for future debt repayment, and $205,066 of depreciation funding collected in 2020/21 are transferred to the Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve, and invested into the Long-Term Investment Fund

8. That in 2021/22, $1,646,084 representing the total debt repayments collected, and $579,436 representing the total depreciation funding collected, are transferred from the Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve into a newly established “Debt Repayment and Depreciation Funding” Reserve.

Options

No.

Option

Advantages

Disadvantages

Reinvest LTF and STF gains, and attribute to the reserves as recommended in this report.

Reinvest gains in accordance with the purpose of each reserve, develop a capital base to protect the future spending power of each reserve, and provide funding to assist delivery of council’s 2021/22 work programme.

There is no additional funding available for projects that could be funded from the CIF Reserve.

Do not reinvest the LTF and STF gains and attribute to the reserves as recommended in this report.

Release funding for additional operational work programmes/or projects.

The future spending power of the CIF and PRF is reduced and may become at risk of becoming eroded by inflation.

Allocation of gains to other work programmes may not comply with the purpose of the reserve.

The staff’s recommended option is 1.

Considerations

1. Environmental impact

Being a purely administrative matter, any decisions arising from this report will not have any environmental impact or environmental implications.

2. Financial implications

The manner and extent in which gains are allocated and reinvested will affect the level of future funding available to pay for projects and programmes aligned to the purpose of each reserve, however, the CIF Reserve is the only reserve that has a self-imposed minimum requirement, currently set at $13.5M.

3. Significance and engagement

In relation to section 79 of the Local Government Act 2002, this decision is considered to be of low significance because it is part of council’s day-to-day activities and is in accordance with the approved Treasury Management Policy.

4. Policy, risk management and legislative compliance

The activities detailed in this report are in accordance with council’s Treasury Management Policy, and the 2018–28 Long Term Plan, both of which were approved in accordance with council’s decision-making requirements of sections 76–82 of the Local Government Act 2002. The activities detailed in this report are also in accordance with council’s Opex Reserve Policy.

Being a purely administrative matter, Community Views, Māori Impact Statement, and Implementation Issues are not applicable.

Background/Tuhinga

1. Externally Managed Investment Funds

Council’s managed fund portfolio generated gains of $8.7M in 2020/21. $1.7M of these gains were used to fund council’s general operations in line with the adopted 2020/21 budget.

The additional $7M of gains are proposed to be utilised as presented in Figure 1.

Chart, treemap chart

Description automatically generated

2. Short Term Fund Investment Fund (STF)

The purpose of the Opex Reserve is to have sufficient funding set aside in liquid assets should the budgeted revenue stream from council’s managed fund portfolio not eventuate as anticipated. It is proposed that $596K of STF gains are transferred to the Opex Reserve to fully align the balance of this reserve with the 2021/22 gains requirement ($2.2M) thereby providing assurance and stability over the delivery of council’s work programmes. The $596K will be invested outside of the managed fund portfolio, and in low risk trading bank term deposits.

3. Long-Term Investment Fund (LTF)

3.1 Community Investment Fund (CIF) Reserve

(To be renamed Economic Development Reserve in 2021/22)

The purpose of the CIF Reserve is to represent funds set aside to support economic development activity including investment in community infrastructure.

It is proposed that $2,054,194 of surplus gains are reinvested back into the LTF and attributed to the CIF Reserve.

The Infrastructure Facilities Reserve was discontinued as part of council’s 2021-2031 Long Term Plan; therefore, the closing balance of this reserve at 30 June 2021 ($55K) has been transferred into the CIF Reserve.

Council’s position when preparing the 2020/21 Annual Plan was that $1.7M of the capital base of the CIF Reserve would be withdrawn to support the costs of economic development activities, and a further $200K of CIF capital would be withdrawn to support council’s general funding. Neither of these amounts were needed during the year.

Table One summarises the proposed CIF recommendation:

Table

Description automatically generated

3.2 Property Reinvestment Fund (PRF) Reserve

The purpose of the PRF Reserve is to represent funds set aside to be invested in income producing assets, pending the identification of approved property investments.

It is proposed that $2,303,754 of surplus gains are reinvested back into the LTF and attributed to the PRF Reserve as presented in Table Two:

Table

Description automatically generated

3.3 Infrastructure Investment Fund (IIF) Reserve

(To be renamed Regional Projects Reserve in 2021/22)

The purpose of the IIF Reserve is to represent funds set aside for approved infrastructure and economic development investments with a view to stabilising the impact of large irregular infrastructure projects on council’s income and capital requirements

The income generated from this reserve represents funds available for operational spend in other activities where needed.

In 2020/21 gains of $903,938 were transferred out of the IIF Reserve to the Enterprise System Replacement Reserve to reduce the overall burden of this project on ratepayers.

It is proposed that $648,915 of surplus gains attributable to the IIF Reserve are transferred to the Equalisation Reserve in 2020/21 to fund projects identified by Councillors during the 2021/22 year. $648,915 will be withdrawn from the LTF and invested into the STF.

Council’s position when preparing the 2020/21 Annual Plan was that $250K of the capital base of the IIF Reserve, and $150K from the Equalisation Reserve, would be required as general funding. In fact, only $350K was required, and gains attributable to the IIF Reserve were utilised instead – preserving council’s capital and the balance of the Equalisation Reserve.

Table three summarises the proposed IIF recommendation:

Table

Description automatically generated

4. Funding earmarked to repay future debt and capital renewals

Targeted River Rates collected and earmarked to repay debt, and depreciation collected and earmarked to fund river scheme capex renewals, are currently held in the LTF, and represented in the IIF Reserve.

It is recommended that $1,396,084 of 2020/21 targeted rates and $205,066 of 2020/21 depreciation funding are invested into the LTF and attributed to the IIF Reserve. These amounts will add to the corresponding balances already in the LTF resulting in an overall balance of $1,975,520 related to river schemes. ($1,396,084 for debt repayment; $579,436 for capital renewals).

It is recommended that when the IIF reserve is renamed to the Regional Project Reserve in 2021/22, the $1,975,520 of river related funding itemised above plus the $250,000 of debt repayments received from NEST are transferred to a newly established “Debt Repayment and Depreciation Funding” Reserve to maintain visibility and preserve such funding until it is required in the future (next loan matures in August 2032). Any gains and interest generated from funds earmarked for debt repayment will be returned to the corresponding activity that the debt was raised for.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Attachment 1: Externally Managed Investment Funds - EriksensGlobal Quarterly Report 30 June 2021 ⇩

Council Meeting item: 6.5

17 August 2021

TITLE:	Special Reserves at 30 June 2021
From:	Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 11 August 2021

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

At 30 June 2021, council has $30.61M of special reserves set aside to cover expenditure on specific projects and work programmes.

This report provides a breakdown of the special reserves held by council, including their purpose and balance as at 30 June 2021.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Special Reserves at 30 June 2021’ by Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant and dated 4 August 2021, be received.

Background/Tuhinga

The equity in council’s balance sheet represents the communities’ interest in council and is measured by the value of total assets less total liabilities. Equity is classified into a number of general and special reserves to enable a clearer identification of the specified uses for which various funds have been assigned.

A general reserve does not have a specific purpose, whereas a special reserve holds funds that are set aside to cover expenditure on specific projects. In addition, special reserves may facilitate the funding of works of an inter-generational nature, capital expenditure in particular, over the most appropriate time period.

The special reserves and their respective balances (surplus/(deficit)) in place at the end of the 2020/21 financial year are as follows:

Description	Closing Balance
Land Management Reserve	265,445
Awanui River Reserve	(273,317)
Awanui River FIR Reserve	(230,348)
Kāeo River Reserve	216,549
Kāeo River FIR Reserve	38,128
Whangārei Urban River Reserve	(8,131,193)
Whangārei River FIR Reserve	47,700
Infrastructure Investment Fund Reserve	16,649,598
Kaihu River Reserve	47,785
Waipapa Kerikeri River Reserve	363,699
Flood Infrastructure Reserve	(2,031,765)
Infrastructure Facilities Reserve	0
Property Reinvestment Fund Reserve	14,805,276
Equalisation Reserve	2,095,397
Hātea River Reserve	99,880
Investment and Growth Reserve	1,121,601
Approved Carry Forwards - General Funds	181,015
Whangārei Bus and TM Reserve	(126,469)
Emergency Services Reserve	70,285
Far North Transport Reserve	338,337
LIDAR Project Reserve	11,472
Regional Sporting Facilities Reserve	1,255,272
Opex Reserve	2,233,374
Enterprise System Reserve	1,553,584
Capital Subsidy Reserve	8,148
Total Special Reserves	30,609,555

Some special reserves earn or are charged interest depending on their closing balance being in deficit or surplus. For the 2020/21 year the protocol is for reserves in surplus of $50,000 or greater earn interest at 3.28% (as per STF SIPO of 3% plus the 90 day bank bill rate). Reserves in deficit are either charged at the corresponding external borrowing rate or at the internal rate of 3.93% (based on the average cost of council’s external borrowing).

A description of the purpose of each reserve, the transfers from and/or to the reserve for the year, and the closing balance of each reserve as at 30 June 2021 is provided below.

Land Management Reserve

The Land Management Reserve was created to allow council to set aside unutilised Land Management rates for the purpose of funding projects in future years.

The operational reserve movements of $250,764 to the Land Management Reserve constitute NRC funding of Freshwater Improvement Fund projects. This produces a closing balance of $265,445.

In 2021/22 the balance of the land management reserve is expected to be fully utilised on Freshwater Improvement Fund projects.

Awanui River Reserve

The Awanui River Reserve was created to hold any targeted Awanui River Management rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of the Awanui River Flood Management Scheme.

In the 2020/21 financial year the Awanui River Management project had an operating surplus of $288,429 resulting in a closing reserve balance of ($273,317). Unused accumulated depreciation of $224,593 is held in the LTF IIF portion resulting in a closing cash balance of ($48,724).

Awanui Flood Infrastructure Rate (FIR) Reserve

The Awanui FIR Reserve was created to hold any targeted Awanui FIR rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of the Awanui River Flood Management Scheme. The Awanui FIR Reserve incorporates 30% of any related capital works with the other 70% being attributed to the Flood Infrastructure Rate Reserve.

In the 2020/21 financial year the Awanui FIR project had an operating surplus of $860,437. Capital expenditure of $902,920 was incurred producing a closing reserve deficit of ($230,348).

Whangaroa Kaeo Rivers Reserve

The Whangaroa Kaeo Rivers Reserve was created to hold any targeted Whangaroa Kaeo Rivers Management rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls of river works required as part of the Whangaroa Kaeo Rivers Flood Management scheme.

In the 2020/21 financial year there was an operating deficit of ($20,039) resulting in a closing reserve balance of $216,549. Unused accumulated depreciation of $27,937 is held in the LTF IIF portion resulting in a closing cash balance of $244,937.

Kāeo Flood Infrastructure Rate (FIR) Reserve

The Kāeo FIR Reserve was created to hold any targeted Kāeo FIR rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of the Kāeo River Flood Management Scheme. The Kāeo FIR reserve incorporates 30% of any related capital works with the other 70% being attributed to the Flood Infrastructure Rate Reserve.

In the 2020/21 financial year the Kāeo FIR project had an operating surplus of $21,426. Capital expenditure of $6,474 was incurred producing a closing reserve surplus of $38,128.

Whangārei Urban Rivers Reserve

The Whangārei Urban Rivers Reserve was created in the 2011/12 year to hold any targeted Whangārei Urban Rivers Management rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls of river works required as part of the Whangārei urban rivers management scheme.

The operating surplus of $420,223 has been transferred to the reserve which produces a deficit balance of ($8,131,193). Adding the unused accumulated depreciation of $326,907 held in the LTF IIF portion gives a cash balance of ($7,804,286).

Whangārei FIR Reserve

The Whangārei Flood Infrastructure Rate (FIR) Reserve was created to hold any targeted Whangārei FIR rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of the Whangārei River Flood Management Scheme. The Whangārei FIR reserve incorporates 30% of any related capital works with the other 70% being attributed to the Flood Infrastructure Rate Reserve.

In the 2020/21 financial year the Whangārei FIR project had an operating surplus of $60,373 producing a closing reserve surplus of $47,700.

Infrastructure Investment Fund (IIF) Reserve

The IIF Reserve was established to stabilise the impact of irregular large infrastructure projects on council’s income and capital requirements. It will help to spread the costs of such projects. The fund is also intended to provide more flexibility around when such large capital intensive projects can commence.

The balance of the reserve represents funds held in the LTF IIF portion. No gains are proposed to be reinvested this financial year. The large capital transfer relates to the repayment of borrowings after the sale of the rail corridor assets last financial year and rates collected on the river reserves decreased our required level of borrowing. The IIF Reserve retains $579,437 of unutilised accumulated depreciation and $1,396,084 of capital repayments collected and held to repay external borrowings.

Kaihu River Reserve

The Kaihu River Reserve was created to hold any targeted Kaihu River Management rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of the Kaihu River Flood Management Scheme.

In the 2020/21 financial year there was an operating surplus of $7,477 transferred to the reserve producing a closing balance of $47,785.

Kerikeri–Waipapa Rivers Reserve

The Kerikeri–Waipapa Rivers Reserve is set up to hold any targeted Kerikeri–Waipapa rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls of river works required as part of the flood risk reduction project for the Kerikeri–Waipapa area.

The Kerikeri–Waipapa targeted rate was discontinued in 2020/21 resulting in an operating deficit of ($26,537) and capital expenditure of $39,980 which has been transferred from the reserve producing a closing balance of $363,699.

Flood Infrastructure Rate (FIR) Reserve

The FIR Reserve was created to hold any targeted regional FIR rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls for river works required as part of Northland Flood Infrastructure Schemes. The FIR reserve incorporates 70% of any related capital works with the other 30% being attributed to the Awanui FIR, Whangārei FIR, or Kāeo FIR reserves depending on the particular project.

In the 2020/21 financial year the FIR reserve had an operating surplus of $2,238,148 and $2,499,888 of capital expenditure producing a closing reserve deficit of ($2,031,765).

Infrastructure Facilities Reserve

The Infrastructure Facilities Reserve was created to set aside any targeted Regional Infrastructure rates collected and not fully utilised in any given year for the purpose of funding future infrastructure projects.

In 2020/21 $166,125 of rates funding has been transferred into the reserve producing a closing balance of $0.

Property Reinvestment Fund Reserve

This reserve was established to represent the proceeds of commercial property sales and acquisitions and includes the proceeds of a special dividend (capital) payment made by Marsden Maritime Holdings Limited. The reserve represents property reinvestment funds invested in council's long-term and short-term investment funds that are set aside to be reinvested in income-producing assets, pending the identification of approved property investments.

During 2020/21 this reserve recognised $2,303,754 of reinvested gains and withdrawals of $8,931,795 for commercial developments leaving a closing balance of $14,805,276.

Equalisation Reserve

The Equalisation Reserve was created to set aside council’s forestry net income arising in any harvesting year. This reserve is intended to provide future funding of council’s general activities by allowing council to use these funds for any council activity to smooth future rating increases. Additionally this fund can be used to fund the cost of forestry operations in non-harvesting years.

During the 2020/21 financial year $256,000 of surplus dividends were transferred into the reserve to offset an expected reduction in 2021/22 pilotage income and $648,915 of IIF gains were transferred into this reserve to fund projects identified by councillors during the 2021/22 year. Operational transfers from the reserve of $272,604 for forestry work, LTP audit costs, and by-election costs resulting in a closing reserve balance of $2,095,397.

Hātea River Reserve

The Hātea River Reserve was created to set aside a component of the council’s Services Rate ($1.50+GST) specifically levied across the Whangārei constituency to ensure funding is available in the event dredging of the Hātea River is required.

This year there was an operating deficit of ($64,711) transferred to the reserve producing a closing reserve balance of $99,880.

Emergency Services Reserve

The Emergency Services Reserve was created to hold any targeted Emergency Services rates collected and unspent in any given year to ensure all collected rates go to emergency services in the future.

The closing balance of $70,285 represents targeted rates collected (and adjusted for non-collection) and not allocated to date.

Investment and Growth Reserve

The Northland Regional Council Investment and Growth Reserve was established in 2011/12. The reserve was created to set aside investment income to fund activities and projects that contribute towards the economic well-being of Northland.

The investment in the Long Term Investment Fund relating to the Community Investment Fund will represent a newly established reserve named the Economic Development Reserve on 1 July 2021 with an opening balance of $17,264,025.

Approved Carry Forwards Reserve

The Approved Carry Forwards Reserve was set up to record operational projects for council that have not been completed during the current year and need to be carried forward to the next financial year. This is the subject of agenda Item 6.2. At 30 June 2021 the closing balance of the operational projects proposed to be carried forward is $46,015. The carry forward reserve is also holding $135,000 of the Whangārei office changes capital expenditure carry forward (refer agenda item 6.4) which was originally funded from the Covid-19 reinstatement reserve.

Whangārei Transport Reserve

The Whangārei Transport Reserve was created to hold any targeted Whangārei Transport rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls in the Whangārei bus and total mobility programmes.

In 2020/21 Whangārei Bus made a deficit of ($110,946) and Total Mobility made a surplus of $24,437. This resulted in $86,509 being transferred from the reserve making the reserve balance a deficit of ($126,469). The negative reserve movement is predominately due to lower than budgeted Whangārei Citylink fare box income and higher than budgeted Whangarei bus CPI costs in the 2020/21 year. Had these variances not occurred the operational result would have been a surplus and would have reduced the value of the opening balance.

Far North Transport Reserve

The Far North Bus Service Reserve was created to hold any targeted Far North Transport rates collected and unspent in any given year to cover any future funding shortfalls of the Mid North Link, Hokianga Link, and Far North Link programmes.

$117,247 was transferred to the reserve during 2020/21 resulting in a closing balance of $338,337.

LIDAR Reserve

The LIDAR Reserve was created to hold any LIDAR contributions as this project is run over a number of years and includes funding from seven parties.

The reserve balance at 30 June 2021 is $11,472 which is unchanged from last year.

Regional Sporting Facilities Reserve

The Regional Sporting Facilities Reserve was established to set aside any targeted Regional Sporting Facilities rates collected and not fully utilised in any given year for the purpose of funding sporting facilities across Northland.

During the 2020/21 year $1,530,000 of grants were distributed and $1,378,511 of unspent rates were transferred to the reserve resulting in a closing balance of $1,255,272.

Opex Reserve

The Opex Reserve was established in June 2019 with a purpose (and cash holdings it represents) to ensure that the portion of annual operating costs in any financial year that is intended to be funded from managed fund gains is guaranteed and not exposed to market volatility.

Interest earned on the related term deposits of $17,327 and $596,453 of the 2020/21 surplus has been transferred to the reserve resulting in a closing balance of $2,233,374. This fully aligns the reserve to the gains required for general funding in the 2021/22 financial year to provide stability and assurance over the delivery of contracted work programmes in 2021/22.

Enterprise System Reserve

The Enterprise system reserve was established to put aside surplus investment income in order to offset the expected future cost of the enterprise system project. In 2021/22 the reserve will include rates and any expenditure relating to the enterprise system project.

During the 2020/21 financial year $1,553,584 of investment income was transferred into this reserve.

COVID-19 Reinstatement Reserve

The COVID Reinstatement Reserve was established in June 2020. The purpose of this reserve (and cash holdings it represents) was to reinstate works removed from the 2020/21 annual plan with $1,700,000 of the 2019/20 surplus. This reserve was mostly utilised during 2020/21 with the balance coming back to general funding.

Capital Subsidy Reserve

There is $8,148 of subsidy received held in this reserve to partially offset future depreciation costs associated with the Regional Integrated Ticketing Information System (RITIS).

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Amend the policy as proposed	Changes represent a significant increase in remuneration and are much better aligned with rates of other councils and institutions.	Some tangata whenua may be unhappy with the remuneration rates proposed as these are less than requested and be reluctant to participate in council processes. Will be an increase in costs to council but estimated to be within existing budgets.
2	Do not amend the policy	Less impact on existing budgets.	Tangata whenua may be unhappy with the remuneration rates remaining at $188/mtg and choose to disengage.
3	Delay amending the policy pending further review	Alternative funding models could be more fully explored.	Resultant rates may remain similar to those proposed in any regard. Further delay in having an agreed non-elected members’ allowance policy could result in continued frustration being experienced by those claiming under the policy.

No.

Option

Advantages

Disadvantages

Amend the policy as proposed

Changes represent a significant increase in remuneration and are much better aligned with rates of other councils and institutions.

Some tangata whenua may be unhappy with the remuneration rates proposed as these are less than requested and be reluctant to participate in council processes.

Will be an increase in costs to council but estimated to be within existing budgets.

Do not amend the policy

Less impact on existing budgets.

Tangata whenua may be unhappy with the remuneration rates remaining at $188/mtg and choose to disengage.

Delay amending the policy pending further review

Alternative funding models could be more fully explored.

Resultant rates may remain similar to those proposed in any regard.

Further delay in having an agreed non-elected members’ allowance policy could result in continued frustration being experienced by those claiming under the policy.

Council	Meeting allowance	Mileage	Travel time	Comment
EBoP	$200/mtg	$0.79/km	$37.50/hr	Pay for road tolls and other expenses as well.
Auckland	$90-$120/hr			Pay for parking fees. No standard rate but most working groups have limit of $600/mtg, some departments pay between $600-$1,200/hui participant.
Greater Wellington	$400/mtg			Allowance is inclusive of travel and meeting preparation time.
Kapiti Coast	Member $206/mtg Chair $294/mtg			Allowance is based on 5.5 hrs/mtg, including preparation time.
Kaipara	Member $50/hr Chair $75/hr	IRD rate		Maximum claim 3 hrs/mtg. Both iwi also receive annual payments to cover participation.
Tauranga City	$170/mtg			Also koha and other recognition at GM / Project Manager discretion.
Whangārei	$280/mtg	$0.79/km	$37.50/hr	For hapū representatives’ participation in Te Karere.
Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe Board	Member $275/mtg Chair $360/mtg	$0.74/km		Additional payments can be claimed for accommodation, meals, flights and parking within limits.
Kaipara Moana Remediation	$425/mtg

Council

Meeting allowance

Mileage

Travel time

Comment

EBoP

$200/mtg

$0.79/km

$37.50/hr

Pay for road tolls and other expenses as well.

Auckland

$90-$120/hr

Pay for parking fees. No standard rate but most working groups have limit of $600/mtg, some departments pay between $600-$1,200/hui participant.

Greater Wellington

$400/mtg

Allowance is inclusive of travel and meeting preparation time.

Kapiti Coast

Member $206/mtg

Chair $294/mtg

Allowance is based on 5.5 hrs/mtg, including preparation time.

Kaipara

Member $50/hr

Chair $75/hr

IRD rate

Maximum claim 3 hrs/mtg. Both iwi also receive annual payments to cover participation.

Tauranga City

$170/mtg

Also koha and other recognition at GM / Project Manager discretion.

Whangārei

$280/mtg

$0.79/km

$37.50/hr

For hapū representatives’ participation in Te Karere.

Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe Board

Member $275/mtg

Chair $360/mtg

$0.74/km

Additional payments can be claimed for accommodation, meals, flights and parking within limits.

Kaipara Moana Remediation

$425/mtg

Council Meeting item: 8.3

17 August 2021

TITLE:	Chief Executive’s Report to Council
From:	Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer, on 12 August 2021

Ngā mahi tūtohutia | Recommendation

That the report ‘Chief Executive’s Report to Council’ by Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer and dated 31 July 2021, be received.

8.3.1 Highlights

New Bronze and Green-Gold Enviroschools

In July, three Enviroschools celebrated new stages in their sustainability journeys. Ruawai Kindergarten revelled in becoming a Green-Gold Enviroschool, whilst Arohanui Early Learning Childhood Centre (Kerikeri), Educare Totara Park (Whangārei) and Hillcrest Kindergarten (Kaikohe) celebrated Enviroschools Bronze. Chair Penny Smart, Cr Marty Robinson and Cr Justin Blaikie officiated at the occasions.


Green-Gold for Ruawai Kindergarten	Bronze for Arohanui Early Learning Childhood Centre	Bronze for Hillcrest Kindergarten

End-of-year Financials

We have achieved a pleasing financial result for the year, driven largely by better than expected economic conditions. Council took a prudent approach when preparing its 2020/21 budgets given the outlook at the time and made a number of provisions to withstand the anticipated severe financial impact of COVID-19. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were not as severe as anticipated and it is pleasing that council’s capital base and reserves were not only preserved but, in many cases, enhanced over the past year.

8.3.2 CEO’s Office

Current Legal Proceedings

Department	Description	Status
Consent decision appeal	Two separate consent applications for replacement and new consents relating to a proposed expansion of, Doug’s Ōpua Boat Yard in Walls Bay, Ōpua	No further update.
Economics - REL	Draft proposal received from Maher Jammal and response provided.	Received and reviewed proposal.

8.3.3 Corporate Excellence

Fraud Declaration

I am not aware of any fraud nor am I investigating any incidence or suspected incidence of fraud at this time.

8.3.4 Regulatory Services

Consents in Process

During July 2021, a total of 100 decisions were issued. These decisions comprised:

Ÿ Moorings	6	Land Use Consents	40
Ÿ Coastal Permits	18	Water Permits	16
Ÿ Land Discharge Permits	8	Bore Consents	9
Ÿ Water Discharge Permits	3

The processing timeframes for the July 2021 consents ranged from:

Ÿ 1,183 to 4 calendar days, with the median time being 32 days;

Ÿ 775 to 3 working days, with the median time being 20 days.

Forty-three applications were received in July 2021.

Of the 96 applications in progress at the end of July 2021:

Ÿ Forty-eight were received more than 12 months ago, with the following reasons:

Ÿ Group of groundwater take consents (Aupōuri) in process of being determined	24
Ÿ Awaiting additional information (including CIAs)	10
Ÿ Consultation with affected parties/stakeholders	4
Ÿ On-hold pending new rules becoming operative	5
Ÿ Other	5

Ÿ Eight were received between 6 and 12 months ago (most awaiting further information from the applicant);

Ÿ Forty less than 6 months.

Appointment of Hearing Commissioners

No commissioners were appointed in July 2021.

Consents Decisions and Progress on Notified Applications in Process, Objections and Appeals

The current level of notified application processing activities at the end of July 2021 is (by number):

Ÿ Applications Publicly/Limited Notified During Previous Month	1
Ÿ Progress on Applications Previously Notified	2
Ÿ Hearings and Decisions	1
Ÿ Appeals/Objections	1

COMPLIANCE MONITORING

The results of compliance monitoring for the period 1 - 31 July 2021 (and year-to-date figures) are summarised in the following table and discussed below.

Classification	Total	Full compliance	Low risk non-compliance	Moderate non-compliance	Significant non-compliance	Not exercised during period
Air Discharge	19	17	1	0	0	1
Bore Consent	10	4	4	2	0	0
Coastal Discharge	36	29	1	3	3	0
Coastal Permit	7	4	1	0	0	2
FDE – Discharge Permit	27	22	0	5	0	0
FDE – Permitted Activity	10	9	0	1	0	0
Land Discharge	47	32	9	3	0	3
Land Use Consent	32	17	8	0	0	7
Water Discharge	52	33	15	2	1	1
Water Permit	31	18	9	3	1	0
Water Take	220	160	46	7	1	6
Total	491	345	94	26	6	20
Percentage		70.3%	19.1%	5.3%	1.2%	4.1%
Year to date	491	345	94	26	6	20
Percentage		70.3%	19.1%	5.3%	1.2%	4.1%

Three of the SNCs related to the Opononi and Omapere WWTP (exceedances of water quality limits in June and July), one was for the Kaitaia WWTP (water quality exceedances), and two were for Kaitaia public water supply (two take points have a shared meter – both have been given SNC, as both require a separate meter).

Coastal

The majority of consents monitored during the reporting period related to coastal discharges (treated municipal sewage, boat ramp maintenance and other industrial).

Farm Dairy Effluent (FDE) Monitoring

FDE inspections commenced on 21 July 2021. NRC staff and the FDE contractor will be visiting a total of 783 farms this monitoring season (five less than last year). To date approximately 4% of farms have been visited and reported on. Comparisons of this season’s results so far with those for last season are given in the tables below. It is too early to draw comparisons between years.

Consented Farms (592 to do)

Full Compliance		Moderate Non-Compliance		Significant Non-Compliance
This Year	Last Year	This Year	Last Year	This Year	Last Year
20	5	5	7	0	2
80%	36%	20%	50%	0%	14%

Non-consented farms (191 to do)

Full Compliance		Moderate Non-Compliance		Significant Non-Compliance
This Year	Last Year	This Year	Last Year	This Year	Last Year
9	9	1	2	0	2
90%	69%	10%	15.5%	0%	15.5%

Farm numbers over the past five years

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Number	919	898	855	816	789
Difference		-21	-43	-39	-27

Water, Waste, Air and Land Use (WWALU) Compliance Monitoring

Following the 2019/2020 drought and concern about the appropriateness of issuing water shortage directions to manage take limits for public water supplies, the NRC developed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on how this is expected to be managed in future in collaboration with the FNDC, WDC and KDC. The aim of the MOU is to ensure each district council public water supply is managed during periods of low rainfall to achieve consent compliance without shutting it down or, if this is not achieved, to minimise the adverse environmental effects, and period and extent of consent non-compliance. The MOU was signed by the CEOs of all four councils on 9 August 2021.

Ÿ Contaminated Land Management

Five incidents involving the discharge of hazardous substances and 22 enquiries regarding contaminated land were received and responded to. Four hundred and five kilograms of hazardous waste was disposed of at the household hazardous waste amnesty day, and 63 sites were added to the Selected Land-use Register.

Environmental Incidents

There were no environmental incidents reported in July which resulted in a significant environment-al impact.

ENFORCEMENT

Abatement Notices, Infringement Notices and Formal Warnings

The following enforcement actions were taken during the period:

Enforcement ID	Number of Recipients	Action Type	Served Date	Nature Of Offence(s)	Originated From
ENF.065895.01	1	AN	06-07-21	Burning and smoke nuisance	Incident
ENF.065896.01	1	AN	06-07-21	Illegal activity in coastal marine area	Incident
		IN	06-07-21	Illegal activity in coastal marine area	Incident
		IN	06-07-21	Illegal activity in coastal marine area	Incident
ENF.065900.01	1	IN	06-07-21	Other water discharge	Incident
ENF.065910.01	1	AN	06-07-21	Burning and smoke nuisance	Incident
ENF.065922.01	2	AN	01-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Incident
ENF.065922.01	2	AN	01-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Incident
ENF.065923.01	1	AN	01-07-21	Sewage (municipal)	Incident
ENF.065925.01	1	AN	15-07-21	Sewage (communal)	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065927.01	1	AN	15-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065927.01	1	AN	15-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065929.01	1	AN	15-07-21	Discharge to land	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065931.01	1	AN	21-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Incident
ENF.065932.01	1	AN	20-07-21	Illegal take, dam or diversion of water	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065933.01	1	AN	21-07-21	Discharge to land	Incident
ENF.065933.01	1	IN	21-07-21	Discharge to land	Incident
ENF.065934.01	1	AN	15-07-21	Earthworks/land use	Incident
ENF.065935.01	1	AN	22-07-21	Sediment	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065938.01	1	AN	22-07-21	Sediment	Routine Monitoring
ENF.065942.01	1	IN	29-07-21	Sewage (municipal)	Incident
ENF.065942.01	1	IN	29-07-21	Sewage (municipal)	Incident

Action Type	Number
Abatement Notice (AN)	16
Infringement Notice (IN)	6

Other Enforcement

Ÿ Earthworks without erosion and sediment controls – Tōtara North

Charges were laid in the Kaitaia District Court on 20 July 2020 against an individual for earthworks undertaken without controls, and work within a watercourse and the riparian management zone. The defendant has pleaded not guilty. A hearing was scheduled for 22-24 June 2021 which did not proceed due to the defendant being ill. We are now awaiting a new allocation for a hearing date as the Judge had no time the week commencing 2 August 2021.

Ÿ Open burning on industrial/trade property – Whangārei

Charges were laid in the Whangārei District Court on 27 November 2020 against an individual for open burning on industrial/trade premises; the burnt items also included prohibited items. There are two charges against the individual who pleaded not guilty on 30 April 2021. A case review hearing was completed on 22 June 2021 and the case was set down for hearing on the 6-7 September 2021.

Ÿ Farm dairy effluent – Tāheke

Charges were laid in the Kaikohe District Court on 30 March 2021 against a farm owner and his company for offences which occurred in August 2020. There are two charges against the company and one against the farm owner. The farm has a poor history of compliance with regional rules for animal effluent disposal. Disclosure was provided to the defence lawyers on 23 April 2021. A not guilty plea was entered on 23 June 2021. A case review hearing has been scheduled for 2 August 2021.

Ÿ Farm dairy effluent – Parapara

Charges were laid in the Kaitaia District Court on 6 May 2021 against a farm owner for offences which occurred in August 2020. There are four charges against the farm owner. The first court appearance was set down for 9 July 2021, which was adjourned until 25 August 2021 to allow the defence lawyer to consider the disclosure documentation.

NATURAL RESOURCES MONITORING

Coastal/Water Quality Operations

All routine water quality and ecological programmes were undertaken in July, including:

Ÿ Monthly sampling runs (coastal and freshwater water quality, periphyton, cyanobacteria)

Ÿ Monthly validations of all continuous monitoring stations.

Ÿ Quarterly water quality buoy deployments at the Town Basin and Waitangi.

Work commenced on building two new water quality buoys, that were developed in-house, allowing a more fit for purpose system at a fraction of the cost.

Natural Resources Data

Ÿ LAWA Water Annual Refresh: Details of the request were provided to councils in May 2021. Several data checks and analysis need to be completed by September 2021, ready to go-live for World Rivers Day. The updates to the Air Quality and Land Cover topics are now available on the LAWA production/public site (www.lawa.org.nz).

Ÿ The Data Team is also processing several national data requests as part of the Environmental Reporting project for freshwater data (i.e., the next iteration in the synthesis report series, Environment Aotearoa 2022).

Ÿ The go-live for the new environmental data portal is now delayed to August 2021. Testing with external customers is now underway.

Ÿ The electronic data collection form is now developed to collect hydrology data and will be operational in 6-8 weeks once the testing phase is completed.

HYDROLOGY

Hydrology Projects

Ÿ NRC attended the National Flood Management and Flood Forecasting workshop hosted by Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Prior to the workshop NRC contributed to a national maturity assessment on all council’s flood procedures, this work was completed by Tonkin Taylor and presented at the workshop. The report highlights that NRC needs to improve its flood forecasting capability, as currently NRC is one of two regional councils that do not operate a predicative model.

Ÿ Data quality assessment of five river stations was completed for the drought report.

Ÿ A datum level survey report was received from Cato Bolam Consultants Limited for 50 bore sites and 16 lakes.

Rainfall

Ÿ Near normal rainfall was recorded for most of the region. The Kāeo and the Bay of Islands catchments were wetter than normal, and the west coast from Kai Iwi Lakes south was drier than normal with around 70% of typical rainfall.

Ÿ The long-range climate outlook for the next three months suggests an equal likelihood of normal or below normal rainfall (NIWA).

Map

Description automatically generated

River Flows

Ÿ Overall for July 2021, recorded flows in most rivers along the east coast were “above normal” (above 60th percentile), rivers west of Whangārei were predominantly “normal” (40th-60th percentile) or “below normal” (25th-40th percentile) and rivers in Bream Bay and to the west were “normal” or “below normal” (25th-40th percentile).

Groundwater Ÿ Groundwater levels were “normal” or “above normal” in the far north and along the east coast, “low” in Poroti and “Very Low” in Mangawhai and Ruawai. Ÿ This reflects rainfall deficit occurring in those low groundwater areas with weather systems delivering higher rainfall to the north-east of the region and lower to the south, particularly the south-west.	Area	Status	Percentile
	Aupōuri	Above Normal	> 60^th
	Taipā	Above Normal	> 60^th
	Russell	Above Normal	> 60^th
	Kaikohe	Normal	40 - 60^th
	Whangārei	Below Normal	25 - 40^th
	Marsden-Ruakākā	Below Normal	25 - 40^th
	Porotī	Low	10 - 25^th
	Mangawhai	Very Low	5 - 10^th
	Ruawai	Very Low	5 - 10^th

NATURAL RESOURCES (NR) SCIENCE

Air quality and carbon emission

Ÿ Ambient PM₁₀ monitoring results for June 2021 for the Robert Street, Mairtown (Whangārei airshed) and Ruakākā (Marsden Point airshed) stations showed compliance with the National Environmental Standards (NES) for Air Quality.

Ÿ Ambient PM_2.5monitoring results for the Robert Street, Whangārei station for June 2021 were within the Ambient Air Quality Guideline value.

Ÿ Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) submitted the draft report of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 inventories for the Whangārei and Kaitāia airsheds. The final report is due in early August 2021.

Ÿ An updated version of LAWA Air Quality went live from 1 July 2021 (www.lawa.org.nz). Staff were engaged to check the validity of data and descriptions of monitoring sites.

Ÿ Council’s CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalent) monthly emissions in 2020 and 2021 are presented in the graph below. Since April 2021, council’s CO2-e emission has increased every month, compared with that for the same month in 2020. This is largely attributed to the COVID-19 restrictions/lockdown in 2020. The graph is based on live data and therefore figures for the last few months are subject to change.

Chart, bar chart

Description automatically generated

Freshwater Ecology

Ÿ Work has started on threatened fish species monitoring in the Whangārei Harbour, Bream Bay and Whananaki FMUs.

Ÿ The NR Science team begun the annual ecological monitoring programmes (including more in-depth periphyton monitoring and macroinvertebrates) and collaboratively designed a fish passage monitoring project with the Compliance Monitoring team.

Freshwater Quality

Ÿ The Environmental Monitoring Networks Review Stage 2 is nearly complete. Monitoring plans and associated documentation have been produced and will be released to the operational teams for feedback.

Ÿ River ecosystem metabolism based on continuous dissolved oxygen (DO): The purpose of this Envirolink funded project was to get advice and guidance from the nationally renowned freshwater expert Dr Roger Young from Cawthron Institute on data collection, data management, data analysis and reporting of the NPS-FM attributes related to continuous DO measurements. The draft report and guidance document, together with a data analysis automation tool (using R codes) have been delivered. It is currently being internally reviewed by key NRC staff.

Groundwater

Ÿ Aqua Intel Aotearoa - Water Projects in Northland: A collaboration between the Provincial Growth Fund (Kānoa) and GNS Science, focusing on regional water availability and storage. Aqua Intel Aotearoa has recently approved funding for the following four projects in Northland that align with NRC current priorities:

1. Te Hiku Water Project - The Te Hiku Water Project is a scientific investigation to improve understanding of the Aupōuri Aquifer. The $3.3M project is largely funded through Aqua Intel Aotearoa with co-funding from NRC, FNDC, Ngai Takoto and Te Aupōuri. The aim of the project is to improve our understanding of the:

Ÿ aquifer geometry (depth, extent and geology);

Ÿ connection to surface water bodies (wetland, lakes and streams);

Ÿ meeting point between groundwater and sea water; and

Ÿ groundwater recharge and flows.

The information gained will guide:

Ÿ environmental protection;

Ÿ sustainable economic growth and development; and

Ÿ future decisions on resource consents and water management.

The project has come from the Te Hiku community with the project team consisting of representatives from the Te Hiku Iwi, local landowners, DoC, FNDC and NRC. The project commenced with the collation and review of existing information on the Aquifer. Ground based surveying is being carried out in late July/early August 2021. Additional surveying, data collection and interpretation will occur in 2022 with the results being made available to interested parties in 2023. The project team held public huis in Kaitaia and Pukenui in July 2021, with further meetings planned throughout the project. Additional information including an outline of the hui presentations can be found at https://www.aquaintel.co.nz/te-hiku-water-study.

2. Northland Flow Harvesting Assessment: The aim of the project is to understand the opportunities and impacts of high flow harvesting in Northland and assess the impacts of various flow harvesting regimes on the instream environment. High flow harvesting is a favoured option for many new horticultural developments in water-short areas. The project is funded through Aqua Intel Aotearoa in the order of $100,000.

3. Northland Surface Water Flows Project: The aim of the project is to:

Ÿ increase the confidence of investors in the availability of water;

Ÿ sustainable economic growth and development; and

Ÿ provide improved spatial coverage of surface water flow monitoring across the region.

The specific sites will be selected based on ability to obtain accurate flow information, potential future demand, Māori land development and current flow information gaps in areas such as Te Hiku and Poutō. The project team consists of representatives from Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust, NRC and Aqua Intel Aotearoa. The latter is providing funding for this project in the order of $150,000.

4. Poutō Groundwater Investigation: The aim of this project is to improve understanding of the Poutō groundwater resource. The outputs will inform future decision on water availability and understanding of security of supply for future resource users and inform sustainable economic growth in the area. The project team is yet to be confirmed but is likely to include representatives of Te Uri o Hau, NRC, Aqua Intel Aotearoa and GNS. Aqua Intel Aotearoa is providing funding in the order of $250,000, with additional co-funding from GNS, the amount of which is yet to be finalised.

8.3.5 Environmental Services

LAND MANAGEMENT

Sustainable Hill Country and Regional Priorities

Milestones	Status
Farm Environment Plans (FEPs)	Erosion Control Plans (ECP) will replace FEPs for this deliverable. These plans will identify erosion and include a 3-year work programme to treat that erosion. In addition, the plans will include land use capability (LUC) mapping and soil fact sheets.
Stakeholder engagement	New engagement strategy in development to target farms with highly erodible land that are greater than 250 hectares. Environmental grants will be prioritised on these farms.
Land treatments – Retirement fencing	Land Management Advisors are preparing new applications for this year's funding totalling $304,500.

Poplar and Willow Nursery

Objective	Status
Harvest	Harvest is complete and direct sales to the public have taken place to distribute remaining poles including seconds and Shrub Willow. These poles are for non- soil con purposes such as stock shade and shelter. In previous years this material was given away or chipped/burned, but we are now selling it as a cost recovery exercise.

Environment Fund Progress

Environment Fund	$
86 completed grants	522,815
Northland Regional Council contribution to Government funded projects	482,000
Nursery	30,000
Total	1,034,815

The over allocation approved by Council in the sum of $134,800 at the start of the financial year allowed for the withdrawals and underspends totaling $131,141.

Whangārei Harbour Catchment Group

A meeting held on 14 June 2021 covered the following points:

Ÿ Wetland restoration at the council’s Kotuku Street property above the Hopua te Nihotetea detention dam and the possibility of allocating the catchment group’s $10,000 discretionary fund to this project.

Ÿ An update on the Whangarei Urban Awa project.

Ÿ The future focus of the group, including the current vacant chairperson position.

Actions from the meeting included:

Ÿ Lorna to canvas wider membership approval for the fund allocation towards Kotuku St wetland project

Ÿ Whangarei District Council staff to present update at next meeting about the Limeburner’s Creek monitoring and Blue Green Strategy.

Waimā Waitai Waiora partnership

Ÿ Million Metres (Sustainable Business Network) have raised $17,021.95 for the Waimā Waitai Waiora project so far, with team members Anahita Djamali and Chantez Connor-Kingi featuring in a Million Metres fundraising video.

Ÿ A quarterly Governance hui was held at Tau Henare marae in Pipiwai recently, which I attended, and we discussed potential future opportunities for the Waimā Waitai Waiora partnership with the interim Kaipara Moana Remediation Manager.

Ÿ The Te Kawa Waiora research component of the project held another Iwi and Hapū research training session facilitated through one of our partners, Reconnecting Northland.

Ÿ Two project plans have had the planting component completed, with approximately 4,000 native plants in the ground so far.

BIODIVERSITY

FIF Dune Lakes Project

Objective	Status
Aquatic weed and pest fish control	Resource consent has been granted to control Hornwort and Egeria in four lakes in Northland. Pre-herbicide monitoring of submerged plant beds was done at lakes Tutaki, Egg and Tohoraha / Mt Camel as required by EPA. A meeting was held with Te Uri O Hau Incorporation about their lakes on the Poutō Peninsula and an invitation has been made for NRC to visit Lake Karaka in the next month.
Sediment and nutrient mitigation	A planning day with mana whenua at Kai Iwi Lakes is being held in August to discuss sediment mitigation options. A meeting was held to plan sediment detainment bunds for some of the Freshwater Improvement Fund lakes.
Education Days	Dates have been set for dune lakes education days for this financial year.

Wetlands

Fish traps were set in kahikatea swamp forest which is being fenced by EFund on the Manganui River. Black mudfish listed as Nationally Threatened (At Risk –Declininig) were caught. The Northern Advocate ran a feature article on wetlands including their value, rarity and protection.

The Ministry for the Environment contracted a private consultant to produce a wetland map layer for Northland in order to test methodology for national roll out. Maps produced by machine learning were checked by three biodiversity and land staff. 75 wetland and wetland clusters were tested against Councils maps, known information about the wetlands and aerial oblique photography. The conculsion was that the level of accuracy using machine learning was too low for the maps to be adapted for use in Northland. This is possibly due to the complexity and fragmented nature of wetlands in Northland.

CoastCare

CoastCare dune planting days were held at Te Wairoa, Matapouri with Ngunguru school and Matapouri Kaitiaki and at Pouto Point with Pouto School and Pouto Waikaretu Marae. CoastCare dune planting has also taken place this month at Te Ngaere, Paraparea Bay and Tern Point - Mangawhai.

CoastCare site visits to provide advice and plan work were held at Tapuaetahi with Tapuaetahi Incorporation, Ahipara and Tauroa Point with Te Runanga O Te Rarawa and Matapouri with Whangarei District Council. Other site visits were made to Waipu Cove and Te Ngaere.

A group of people digging in the ground

Description automatically generated with low confidence

A group of people working in a field

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

CoastCare weeding and planting working bee at Te Wiaroa, Matapouri with Ngunguru School and Matapōuri Kaitiaki

BIOSECURITY

Rainbow Lorikeet Incursion

Between April 2020 and July 2021, council has received multiple reports of a small flock of rainbow lorikeets (between 5 and 10 birds) in the Piroa-Brynderwyn High Value Area, primarily on private properties in Kaiwaka and Mangawhai. An exclusion species in the Regional Pest Management Plan, there are no established populations in Northland.  Contractors engaged by council were unable to locate the birds, so a request has been made to Biosecurity New Zealand to initiate a formal response to eradicate these birds.   

WILD ANIMAL CONTROL

Russell Sika Eradication Project

Samples collected in the Russell Sika DNA proof of concept survey conducted in May 2021 are still being processed, but preliminary analysis has shown some interference from other species. Consequently, a goat cull over the Russell sika eradication operational area will be conducted so the sika DNA survey scheduled for January-February 2022 can be run without interference from goats. The cull is being used as an opportunity to work with hapū in the Russell area to identify local kaimahi inter-ested in joining a hunter training programme. This will help lead to long term sustainable control of goats in Northland.

KAURI PROTECTION

Kauri Protection Education Programme

The Kauri Protection Education Programme continues with a further three schools visited during the month. The programme has now been presented to 800+ children and 85 teachers across 22 Northland schools.

Kauri Dieback Track Mitigation Project

Work is continuing on three sections of the Te Araroa trail in the Kerikeri-Waipapa area. This includes basic track works such as clearing, slashing, shaping and aggregate laying.

Clean Card Workshops

The Kauri Protection Team presented a workshop at the Akerama Marae. Six local kaitiaki attended, all of whom benefitted from the wealth of kauri dieback knowledge shared with them on the day. Nine of these workshops have now been held for the year.

Hygiene Station Purchase

The kauri protection team have sold 24 of their innovative barrel and grate hygiene stations to the Department of Conservation in the Coromandel area. Two local Men’s Shed were engaged to construct the timber elements of the hygiene stations.

PARTNERSHIPS

Tutukākā High Value Area

Kiwi listening data collation is nearly complete, with some automated listening devices still being processed. Key listening sites have shown a return to the calling rates experienced three years ago, and the preliminary results from the automated listening devices also show significant increases in the call rate, some being over 15 calls per hour (with the overall average at ~13 calls per hour). A general observation is that birds appear to be calling later than the specified 6 to 8 pm window period

Mid North High Value Area

Support for existing groups is continuing, and with new additions, the total number of supported groups in the area has grown to 47. The collation of trap catch data showed that in 2020 calendar year, a total of 39,098 pests were removed from the Mid North. This included 12,175 possums, 13,237 rats, 450 stoats and 496 feral cats.

Pest Free Purerua (a programme receiving funding from Jobs for Nature – more information can be found at https://pfp.kiwi/ ) has a team of three trappers covering the majority of the properties from Kāpiro to Purerua. Trap intensity has been increased over the past quarter and trap checks fortnightly are removing possum, rats, and feral cats. Stoats are low in number and camera monitoring is confirming low pest numbers. The programme is on track and delivering to the Jobs for Nature key performance indicatiors with 1,810 traps installed as well as bait stations.

Piroa Brynderwyn High Value Area

The Piroa Brynderwyn High Value Area has completed analysis of their trap catch data with excellent results being obtained from the 23,000 ha landcare project. A total of 3,497 animal pests were removed from the high value area in 2020-2021.

Whangārei Heads High Value Area

· Kiwi monitoring: Analysis of the annual kiwi listening survey data is not complete, but early results are very encouraging. Call counts have jumped, and the population has now reached a significant milestone of a 1,055+ kiwi within the Whangārei Heads. An outstanding result when compared to the population of just 80 kiwi when work first started 20 years ago.

A picture containing tree, plant, flower, pink

Description automatically generated Usually, a sign to celebrate the passing of the winter solstice, but in the case of Taiwan cherry, a reminder to seek and destroy.

· Weed Action: The ‘Weed of the Month’ targeted in the community’s awareness program (via social media and roadside signs) was Taiwan cherry. The pink blossoms make the increasing spread of this plant more obvious at this time of year.

Western Northland High Value Area 

Two new Community Pest Control Areas have been approved and are starting in the 2021/2022 financial year:

· Waipoua Forest Trust: The trust occupies 265 ha of previously cleared land bordering the northern and southern edges of the Waipoua Forest and is made up of three reserves known as Millennium Forest, Wairau Summit, and Pukemiro Ridge.  The Waipoua Forest Trust is committed to restoring the natural balance of the forest ecosystem by replanting natives and controlling plant and animal pests. The Millennium Forest reserve is also important as it is part of the upper catchment of the Waipoua River which is the most pristine full catchment river system in Northland. Keeping this catchment free of weeds is of important ecological value to ensure this river ecosystem is protected from the invasion of water-borne weeds.  

· Native Forest Restoration Trust: The trust has four prominent reserves in the Western Northland High Value Area that adjoin the Waipoua Forest Conservation Park on the northern, southern and eastern edges. The four reserves are Professor W.R. McGregor Reserve (343 ha), Elvie McGregor Reserve (141 ha), Cynthia Hewitt Reserve (152 ha) and Wekaweka Reserve (120 ha). All four reserves are at different stages of restoration, but the general focus is on reducing rats, possums and stoats to low levels and maintain the weed control programme.

Both the new community pest control areas have similar visions of protecting and restoring native forest and they will work together on pest control projects on their reserves with adjoining boundaries. 

Predator Free Whangārei

The possum eradication team has been busy engaging with landowners and obtaining access agreements. The level of support for the project has been very positive, and to date 172 landowners have signed up, representing 4,822 ha (over half the eradication area). The team will be commencing installation of detection devices in the first week of August. Negotiations are being finalised with Bream Head Conservation Trust community group to deliver some of the device installation and ongoing camera detection work.

The team recently hosted DNA expert Andrew Veale from Manaaki Whenua. He presented information on the possible uses of possum DNA to the community as well as catching up with the team for an in-depth discussion. Consequently, the Predator Free team will be asking people in the Whangārei Heads area to gather possum ears to create a source population database.

MARINE BIOSECURITY

New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Conference, Tauranga 5 – 9 July

All staff from the marine biosecurity team attended the recent New Zealand Marine Sciences Society conference. This conference provided the opportunity to network with those involved in marine science from a range of institutions including regional and central government, universities, and community groups working throughout New Zealand. Highlights included the team presenting on the Clean Hull Plan, discussions on ‘green shipping’ (with Maritime New Zealand and the Ministry of Transport) and changes to the WorkSafe diving certification of competency and hearing about current research occurring in the marine space.

PEST PLANTS

Progressive containment plants – mile-a-minute

A survey of infestation sites outside of the containment zone found 8 out of 10 sites with active individuals. An extended survey of the only know Kaipara active sites found further infestation. All plants were treated.


This large infestation of Mile-a-minute at the only know Kaipara management site grew from a single stem (pictured right).

Progressive containment plants – Manchurian wild rice

A boat survey of the Northern Wairoa, Manganui and Wairua rivers was conducted to check for new Manchurian wild rice infestations. Some locations of interest were identified that will require ground truthing.

Weed Workshops

The first round of this year’s weed workshops was completed on 1 July in Dargaville. Over the five workshops 86 people attended to learn about Northland’s worst weeds and how to remove them. A further workshop has been requested by NorthTec and is scheduled for August.

RIVERS

Long Term Plan Projects

Rivers	Comments
Awanui	Earthworks has stopped for winter. Design and tendering for next year's works programme are underway.
Otīria/Moerewa	The preliminary design has been completed. Collaboration with Far North District Council and Northland Transport Alliance regarding bridge aliments will inform the detailed design. Landowner engagement is on-going.
Matangirau	Landowner engagement is progressing with expectations to start work next season.

NATURAL HAZARDS  

Work Streams	Status	Comments
Region Wide Coastal Hazard Erosion Mapping	100% complete	The feedback period has now closed. Appropriate and applicable submissions are being reviewed and analysed. No major changes are expected. Update on the finalisation of the maps will be publicised and ‘notified’ to District Councils by the end of August 2021.
Region Wide Coastal Hazard Flood Mapping	100% complete	The feedback period has now closed. Appropriate and applicable submissions are being reviewed and analysed. No major changes are expected. Update on the finalisation of the maps will be publicised and ‘notified’ to District Councils by the end of August 2021.
Region Wide River Flood Mapping	95% complete	All model results and maps have been received; quality assurance and control process ongoing to be completed by the middle of August, last deliverables are also expected during that time. GIS Website publication scoping is ongoing with a view to publicise during the month of September. Advice is being sought regarding the consultation requirements on the maps. These maps are in addition to the existing Priority Rivers Flood Hazard maps.
Whangārei (CBD) River Catchment Flood Model	In progress	Upgrade of model including new structures, updated LiDAR and sea level rise values and recalibration. Initial draft outcomes expected at the beginning of August 2021.
Website Natural Hazards Portal	In progress	Morphum Environmental have been engaged to develop the portal; first inclusive workshop was held; initial draft lay-out was received and discussed. The second draft is expected during the first week of August; feedback and then followed up by a second workshop.
Whangārei Inner Harbour Hydrodynamic Model	90% complete	Detailed, site specific. upgrade of the current coastal inundation model. Draft report received with the final deliverable expected first week of August.
Raupo Drainage Scheme – Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis & Mitigation Options	In progress	We are scoping out the requirements with Kaipara District Council for consultancy service, to develop a detailed hydraulic model for the drainage area in relation to Coastal and River (catchment) Hazards. The objective being to establish a detailed base model and to develop flood hazard mitigation options, particularly from a coastal perspective, adaptation planning.

CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE  

Work Streams	Status	Comments
NRC Climate Change Strategy “Ngā Tāmata o te Moana’ and implementation plan	Final design version complete	Final strategy and implementation plan was adopted at council meeting 27 July and is now publicly available on council website.
Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy	Draft complete – Territorial Authority review phase	Draft strategy completed and distributed to territorial authority for General Manager review. Draft will be presented to the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee at a workshop on 9 August and to the 30 August Joint Committee meeting.

MĀORI ENGAGEMENT

Long Term Plan Implementation - Mana Whakahono a Rohe (MWR)

Three meetings have progressed with Ngāti Rehia, Patuharakeke and key senior staff to begin implementation of the MWR. Discussions have included the following points:

Ÿ Moorings and concerns raised by Ngāti Rehia about the number of moorings and specifically the process involved regarding a potential plan change to remove mooring areas.

Ÿ Patuharakeke are considering applications for funding from Te Mana o Te Wai and how to work with council in allocation of resources or funding to support proposals and funding applications including IHEMP funding.

Ÿ Opportunity for keeping hapū well informed of future planning work so that they can participate in the process fully.

Ÿ Monitoring and the need for better communication by council on the State of the Environment monitoring network as hapū are not aware of the sites being monitored in their areas. The importance for hapū is how the data is shared and potential opportunities for working together in a more coordinated way.

Ÿ Development of a reporting template for Mana Whakahono a Rohe to keep track of all the work that is already being done and how it aligns to Tiriti and Treaty obligations.

Ÿ Training funds that are aligned more closely with kaitiakitanga rather than hearing commissioner Making Good Decisions training to be considered.

Ÿ Te Uri o Hau to sign Mana Whakahono a Rohe in September at next TTMAC regional marae-based hui.

Ÿ Te Hikutu hapū also keen to sign and follow the leadership within Mana Whakahono a Rohe hapū collective.

Te Whāriki Māori Responsiveness Policy in Action - Level 2

The first Level 2 workshop was held on Monday 26 July 2021 at Terenga Paraoa Marae, Porowini Avenue in Whangarei.

The main purpose of the workshop is council’s ongoing commitment to build the capability of staff to have authentic and meaningful engagement with tangata whenua. The higher-level outcomes are noted below:

Ÿ Continue to build a deeper understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the differences between the two versions and their application for local government.

Ÿ Recap the learnings of Level 1 and how staff have applied tikanga, te reo Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi in their daily practices

Ÿ Better understanding of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand 1835 and its application to the Te Taitokerau landscape

Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party (TTMAC) holds regional hui at Moria Marae in Whirinaki

On Thursday 1 July, TTMAC held their regional hui at Moria Marae in Whirinaki. Presentations included Climate Change by Mike Smith, Chair of the National Iwi Climate Change Forum.

Mr Smith spoke about bringing a Te Ao Māori Kaupapa or lens to global warming. "This is an issue that affects everybody. We all rely on this little capsule of atmosphere to keep us alive," Mike says.

He says Māori have much leadership and matauranga to offer in this space. They have been protecting the taiao throughout history. Māori are keen to share that knowledge as partners, to bring us all together to fight towards common goals and objectives across the world.

A picture containing person, outdoor, person

Description automatically generated

A group of people posing for a photo

Description automatically generated

Northland Regional Council's Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator and Jan Van Der Vliet, Natural Hazards Advisor, spoke about Ngā taumata o te Moana – Our strategy for tackling climate change at the hui.

The name of the Climate Change Strategy – Ngā taumata o te Moana – was provided by Pita Tipene (Ngāti Hine), co-chair of Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party. The whakataukī 'Titiro atu ki ngā taumata ote moana', was first uttered by the Ariki of Ngati Hine, Te Ruki Kawiti immediately after the battle of Ruapekapeka in Jan 1846. It means 'Look to the horizons of the ocean' and encourages us to think strategically and maintain a global outlook while appreciating the ground upon which we stand.

Topics discussed were Significant Natural Areas, Resource Consents, and an update on the Three Waters Reform. A common theme at the hui is to ensure that we work together to make a real tangible difference in preserving our taonga and resources in Te Taitokerau.

8.3.6 STRATEGY, Governance And Engagement

REGIONAL PLANNING

Proposed Regional Plan

Since the last update to council, the court hearing has been held on fishing controls/MPA (Topic 14) appeals. The hearing took three weeks and most cultural evidence was presented on Mokau Marae. The court will release its decision in due course.

The court has issued its decision on water quality (Topic 5). The decision requires a number of water quality standards be applied in considering resource consents for discharges. It also directs council to work with the appeal parties to prepare draft changes in accordance with the court’s decision and to circulate these to parties within 20 working days (by 27 August). Parties to the appeals have a further 15 days to respond to council, and then council has to report back to the court with its preferred provisions and explanation of differences and reasoning within a further 20 working days.

District Planning

Two appeals on private plan change 78 (Estuary Estates) to the Kaipara District Plan have been lodged opposing elements of the decision (plan change 78 sought adjustments to existing residential and business zoning for 130ha of land in Mangawhai). Council has joined both appeals as an interested party under section 274 of the Resource Management Act 1991 – council’s interest is in ensuring adequate water supply and wastewater are provided and that direction in the Regional Policy Statement is met. The Environment Court has accepted council’s 274 applications to join the appeals and the matter has been set down for mediation.

Bay of Islands Marine Mammal Sanctuary

The Department of Conservation has published submissions received on their proposal for a marine mammal sanctuary. They received a total of 645 submissions, 187 of which were a template submission from Forest & Bird members (60% of submissions were in support of the proposed marine mammal sanctuary).

Key marine mammal experts opposed the proposal, citing misleading and highly distorted information from DoC, whilst the proposal was supported by local businesses who already have permits for dolphin watching, and by hapū who wanted to have greater input as kaitiaki. No timeframe for decisions has been provided.

NATIONAL INITIATIVES

Proposed change to Livestock exclusion regulations and maps

Refer to agenda item 7.2

Freshwater Farm Plans – discussion document

Refer to agenda item 7.2

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Investment and Growth Reserve – Projects Report

Project	Update	Future developments / reporting
Extension 350	2020/21 quarter 4 report received as required. Contact made with evaluators regarding NRC data that could contribute.

Other Work Undertaken

Ÿ Joint Regional Economic Development Committee - documentation for inaugral meeting and workshop.

Ÿ Regional economic update document and presentation for ILGACE.

Ÿ Oruku Landing Conference and Event Centre - staff continue to meet regularly with WDC and NDC representatives to develop the project.

ONLINE CHANNELS

Most popular content on Facebook: Most popular post for July was the “Toxic Sea slug found on Mangawhai Heads estuary” posted on Wednesday 28 July 2021. We had a reach of 57,598 people with 5,633 people engaged.

*Engaged – number of people who ‘reacted’, commented, or shared the post

Key Performance Indicators	Mar-21	Apr-21	May-21	Jun-21	Jul-21
WEB
# Visits to the NRC website	77,800	39,000	35,400	34,100	36,300
E-payments made	0	2	9	9	54
# subscription customers (cumulative)	1,276	1,278	1,276	1,287	1,280
SOCIAL MEDIA (cumulative)
# Twitter followers	1,563	1,560	1,548	1,555	1,554
# NRC Facebook fans	10,300	10,300	10,400	10,441	10,454
# NRC Overall Facebook Reach	173,800	96,800	145,600	62,800	90,600
# NRC Engaged Daily Users	11,100	5,266	8,796	3,249	3,811
# CDEM Facebook fans	25,200	25,200	25,200	25,271	25,279
# CDEM Overall Facebook Reach	484,900	66,500	36,700	29,300	70,600
# CDEM Engaged Daily Users	53,700	1,625	2,416	1,410	3,324
# Instagram followers	1,337	1,360	1,383	1,399	1,408

NOTES:
May –Online payment figures for incomplete due to termination of BNZ service.

ENVIROSCHOOLS / EDUCATION

Mangere Catchment planting day

On 7 July, more than 80 Kokopu School students, plus accompanying teachers and whānau, planted 1,000 riparian plants – five species – in a wetland area on the Chestnut farm in the Mangere Catchment.

NRC Land Management and Enviroschools staff ran the annual catchment event, with Dairy NZ in attendance.

Project Pest Control – Whangārei Assessment Workshops

On 29 and 30 July, Project Pest Control assessment workshops were held at Rayonier’s Glenbervie Forest. Senior students from Te Kura Taumata o Panguru and five Whangārei secondary schools handed in their theory papers and were put through their practical paces of trapping a variety of animal pests, possum machine plucking and skinning. Council’s Biosecurity and Enviroschools teams joined with Can Train NZ and DoC Livestock to run the assessment workshops.

Enviroschools Communities Facilitated

Despite the school holidays, during July Enviroschools Facilitators visited and had specific interactions with 48 school and early childhood communities.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Environmental Leaders Fund

Council allocated $20,000 of funding via the annual Environmental Leaders’ Fund (ELF) to 23 early childhood centres and schools across Taitokerau.

Funding is provided for native planting and riparian restoration projects, fencing, shade house and nursery construction, and SHMAK kits for water quality monitoring.

On top of the ELF fund, another $6,575 worth of trapping hardware from council’s biosecurity fund was granted to eight schools carrying out pest control projects.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION (LGOIMA) REQUESTS

Total LGOIMAs	June 2020 to June 2021	June 2021 to June 2022
Total LGOIMAs	25	26
Number of LGOIMAs not responded to within 20 working days		0

8.3.7 Customer Service – Community Resilience

REGIONAL TRANSPORT PLANNING

Regional Land Transport Plan for Northland 2021/2027 (RLTP)

On Monday 28 June 2021, the Regional Land Transport Plan for Northland 2021-2027, approved by the Regional Transport Committee (RTC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC), was submitted to Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) through their Transport Investment online system for consideration for inclusion in the National Land Transport Programme 2021-2024.

Waka Kotahi are scheduled to release a detailed breakdown of the funding approved under each work category on 1 September 2021.

Regional Public Transport Plan 2021-2031 (RPTP)

Finalisation of the draft was delayed at the request of Waka Kotahi. All feedback has now been received on the Draft RPTP.

The completed Draft Regional Passenger Transport Plan 2021-2031 will be presented to the Regional Transport Committee at the 13 October 2021 meeting.

PASSENGER TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION

*BusLink figures are reported one month in arrears, due to the required information being unavailable at the time of the agenda deadline.

Bus Link stats for June 2021 (revenue ex GST)	Actual	Budget	Variance	Year/Date Actual	Year/Date Budgeted	Variance
CityLink Passengers	31,796	25,170	6626	326,894	330,550	-3,656
CityLink Revenue	$38,633	$33,980	$4,653	$408,449	$446,243	-$37,794
Mid North Link Passengers	227	156	71	2,213	1,872	341
Mid North Link Revenue	$816	$780	$36	$8,030	$9,360	-$1,330
Hokianga Link Passengers	89	78	11	1299	936	363
Hokianga Link Revenue	$463	$543	-$80	$6,712	$6,511	$201
Far North Link Passengers	398	447	-49	4,381	6,660	-2,279
Far North Link Revenue	$1,118	$1,713	-$595	$11,783	$19,205	-$7421
Bream Bay Link Passengers	66	24	42	601	312	289
Bream Bay Link Revenue	$430	$86	$344	$4,000	$1,123	$2,877
Hikurangi Link Passengers	21	24	-3	240	204	36
Hikurangi Link Revenue	$54	$62	-$8	$592	$530	$63
Whangārei Heads Link Passengers	8	24	-16	94	204	-110
Whangārei Heads Link Revenue	$34	$104	-$70	$396	$886	-490

Total Mobility (TM)

	Total Clients	Monthly Actual Expend	Monthly Budgeted Expend	Monthly Variance	Year/Date Actual Expend	Year/Date Budgeted Expend	Annual Variance
June 2020	1,632	$28,910	$25,000	$3,910	$220,489	$300,000	-$79,511
June 2021	1,316	$22,177	$25,000	-$2,823	$261,244	$300,000	-$38,756

Total Mobility continues to grow every year.

Compared to the last financial year, there was $40,755 more in Total Mobility fares, 3,578 more trips, and no COVID interruptions (lockdowns).

The number of SuperGold bus passengers using the CityLink service is low, indicating a shift in older person’s travel patterns towards using Total Mobility instead of public transport due to COVID.

Ridewise (RW) has now been live for three years. As Total Mobility cards expire 3-yearly, the renewal process and database cleanse has started:

Ÿ If a card is about to expire, a letter is sent to the TM client reminding them to renew.

Ÿ Cards that haven’t been used for 3 years are cancelled out of the system.

Ÿ Cards that haven’t been used for 2 years are suspended once they expire. Should the card be used again, it’s flagged in the system, and the council can then alert the relevant social welfare agency to try and contact the client again, reminding them to renew.

Our current Total Mobility database has 1,316 active clients. This is a 316-client decrease from the previous year – which is largely due to the database cleanse mentioned above.

For many years Northland (Whangārei District) has only had two taxi operators with two wheelchair-accessible vehicles. There wasn't a lot of confidence in the reliability and availability of these accessible vehicles. Now, our TM clients have more confidence in this service, as there are more operators to choose from and 6 wheelchair-accessible vehicles. There were 810 more hoist lift trips this year compared to last year.

ROAD SAFETY UPDATE

Road Trauma Update - 2021 Year to Date Road Death Statistics

Fatalities this year	Far North	Whangārei	Kaipara	Northland	National
Local roads	2	2	2	6	101
State highways	5	3	7	15	89
TOTAL	7	5	9	21	190

Since the June 2021 Council update, unfortunately there has been one more fatality in the Kaipara District, again on the State Highway network. Driver behaviour and mistakes continue to be key factors in Northland’s crashes.  

Motorcycle Safety - Ride Forever (R4E) Rider Training Update

For the 2020/21 financial year ending June 2021, 186 courses were completed. This is compared to the 2019/20 financial year, where 240 courses were completed.

The 2020/21 breakdown included riders participating in the following courses:

· Bronze Course 52 completed

· Silver Course (intermediate) 77 completed

· Gold Course (advanced) 57 completed

The decrease in numbers is believed to be due to the COVID-19 impacts and we expect there to be an increase in the uptake of courses going forward.

Road Safety Promotion/Media

Advertising themes in the Road Safety Advertising Calendar 2021/22 for the months of July and August are ‘Alcohol, Safe Vehicles, Speed and Restraints.’

Northland Road Safety have also sponsored the Northland Rugby Union NPC team with an important message of ‘Seatbelts On.’ The Northland Road Safety team were invited to an induction session with the players to present on this message and relay its importance, with the support of Northland Police. We also encouraged the players to have discussions with their communities about road safety.

The first competition match will be on Saturday 7 August, and the logo to the right will be on the player’s shorts each game.  

CUSTOMER SERVICES

Telephone inbound call statistics and enquiries

	July 2021	Target
Call volumes via Customer Services	2,027
Conversion rate	97.1%	>95%
Average wait time	6 sec
Calls answered in under 30 sec	95.8%	>90%

Call volumes have been relatively stable, and the Customer Services team have been able to maintain service levels while reception renovations are being carried out.

Mailroom email processing performance

Excluding physical invoices and circulars, customer services has processed over 750 enquiries through the mailroom up to the 29 July, with an average processing time of 3 hours and 31 minutes from time of arrival.

Satisfaction monitoring

Ÿ Feedback cards, compliments and complaints

Feedback cards have been included with the tallies for compliments and complaints, as appropriate.

Compliments received	Total
Service provided by a specific person/people Ÿ Land Management - T Bishop	1
Total compliments recorded	1

Complaints received	Total
Staff or contractor behaviour/attitude Ÿ Transport	1
Disagree with decision or process Ÿ Maritime (see note below)
Standard of service provided Ÿ Bus – Citylink	1
Total complaints recorded	2

There have been very few compliments or complaints formally recorded this month. Of the two complaints, one was about a late bus, and the other about a bus driver parking partially over the driveway of a business and that driver’s handling of the situation.

Although they have not been recorded in the complaints system, there have been several calls and emails relating to the increase in mooring fees.

All complaints received have been acknowledged and resolved.

Ÿ Residents’ Survey

The results of the 2021 Residents’ Survey have been finalised. Over 800 residents participated in the survey. There were key findings both in areas where we’ve performed well and in areas that need our focus. As with previous years, many participants were unclear about the distinction between Northland Regional Council and their district council. The report has been published on our website and social media.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Response

At 6.16pm on 29 July 2021, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred on the Alaska Peninsula. NEMA issued a National Advisory whilst the threat of a tsunami to New Zealand was assessed. At 7.57pm, NEMA issued an updated advisory indicating that coastal inundation (flooding of land areas) was not expected and at 9.13pm a ‘No Threat to New Zealand’ message was issued. The Northland CDEM Group responded to this event in accordance with standard operating procedures and provided updates to the community and stakeholders as required.

Staff Deployment to West Coast

As a result of the West Coast flooding event in late July, two Northland CDEM professionals, Shona Morgan and Jenny Calder, were deployed during the initial stages of the response as members of the national Emergency Management Assistance Team (EMAT). Shona’s deployment was for a total of 7 days and Jenny’s for 14 days.

National Emergency Management Agency - Law and Policy Reform

NEMA is working to deliver the largest change to Emergency Management policy in a generation. Called the Trifecta Programme, it includes bringing the legislation and its implementation into a more contemporary framework to ensure it is fit for purpose for future needs across all ‘4Rs’ (Reduction, Readiness, Response, Recovery) and the whole system.

As work on the Trifecta Programme has progressed, it has become clear that the scope and complexity of policy work meant that a new Emergency Management Act was more appropriate to progress than a simpler amendment bill.

The ‘Trifecta Programme’ is a comprehensive review of the CDEM Act 2002, National CDEM Plan and Guide to the CDEM Plan.

The Acting Minister for Emergency Management, Hon Kris Faafoi, has agreed to extend the timeline for legislative changes, allowing more time for engagement. The revised timeline will allow for substantive engagement from September to November 2021 including consultation on policy proposals and hui. New legislation is anticipated at the end of 2022.

CDEM Sector Strategy

NEMA and CDEM Group Managers met on 22 July to commence work on the co-design of an operational strategy focusing on how CDEM Groups partner with NEMA. This piece of work is in addition to the Trifecta work and will focus on ensuring that work programmes are aligned and that there is inter-operability.

Further development of the strategy will occur at the next NEMDG meeting on 18-19 August. A full update on the progress of the strategy development will be made available for the CDEM Joint Committee and Coordinating Executive Group at their next meetings in mid-September.

Resilience Fund

Emergency management preparedness grants have been available to local authorities to promote resilience for many years. The CDEM Resilience Fund enhances New Zealand's hazard risk resilience through the development of local and regional capability and practices. Funding is provided to specific projects that improve emergency management capability and contribute to resilience. Over the past financial year, the Northland CDEM Group has had $360k from this fund and has applied for further funding for projects for the coming year.

The process has been recently re-assessed to ensure the fund is being leveraged to its best effect. An external review of the Fund was carried out in September 2020. A Joint Working Group of NEMA staff and CDEM Group representatives reviewed the recommendations, and a new process has been developed with some small changes made following this review to focus investments on the objectives of the National Disaster Resilience Strategy.

Northland CDEM Group Plan

The 5-yearly review of the Northland CDEM Group Plan has progressed through the public submission stage. A number of submissions have been received and several changes to the plan are likely, prior to it being sent to the Minister of Emergency Management for comments. The final sign-off of the plan is scheduled for early December at the CDEM Joint Committee meeting.

Service Level Agreements

Service level agreements and work programmes for each of the territorial authorities are currently being reviewed and updated. Agreements are reviewed annually, and work programmes are adjusted as required.

MARITIME

There were only eight new incidents this month, despite some inclement weather:

· 3 lights were reported out, including the new light fitted at Parengarenga harbour. This turned out to be a defect, and the light has been returned under warranty.

· 2 vessels broke off moorings in high winds in the Bay of Islands. Both were recovered, one by the Maritime team, and one by the owner.

· A vessel partly sank in Kerikeri, which the owner resolved.

· A fishing vessel dragged anchor and grounded in Whangārei but was re-floated on the next tide.

Maritime staff are following legal process towards disposing of several derelict and abandoned vessels.

An investigation into an interaction between a tug and container ship in the Whangārei Port is ongoing after a tug experienced some damage and a crew member was injured.

One superyacht arrived in Ōpua from Tahiti and was piloted safely in and out.

The Pilot Manuals for both the Bay of Islands and Whangārei have been updated as per a four-yearly review process and are with Maritime NZ for re-certification.

Work is also ongoing to review the harbourmaster directions for shipping, the positions of the recommended anchorages, and pilot procedures for container ships.

The annual self-assessments of the safety management systems for both ports (Whangārei and Bay of Islands) have been completed.

The Harbourmaster and GM Customer Services – Community Resilience visited Napier to carry out a harbour safety review on behalf of the Port & Harbour Marine Safety Code Working Group.

The Harbourmaster chaired a successful Navigation Safety SIG in Wellington and met with the new director of Maritime NZ over concerns regarding Port State Control effectiveness. This was a key topic at the Navigation Safety SIG and is being followed closely by all harbourmasters.

Work has started on the design scoping for the Waikare replacement, with the project scoped and on time.

The Maritime team continue to be understaffed with unsuccessful recruitment of the outstanding Maritime Officer position, and the further resignation of an Administrator position. Both are being actively recruited.

The Maritime Team received a 3-yearly oil spill response audit and received high praise for up-to-date systems. The audit was undertaken by Maritime Pollution Response Services (MPRS), who reviewed Northland’s oil spill response plans, Tier 1 plans, number of trained responders, servicing of equipment, and reporting and administration.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

Council Meeting item: 8.4

17 August 2021

TITLE:	Reporting on Long Term Plan 2018-2028 Performance Measures for the year ended 30 June 2021
From:	Robyn Broadhurst, Policy Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Ben Lee, GM - Strategy, Governance and Engagement, on 12 August 2021

Whakarāpopototanga / Executive summary

This report presents the results of council’s key performance indicators, as set and adopted in the Long Term Plan 2018-2028, for the financial year 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Reporting on Long Term Plan 2018-2028 Performance Measures for the year ended 30 June 2021’ by Robyn Broadhurst, Policy Specialist and dated 27 July 2021, be received.

Background/Tuhinga

The Long Term Plan 2018–2028 comprises 51 key performance indicators that measure aspects of council’s service provision across five activity groupings:

· Governance and engagement

· Regulatory services

· Environmental services

· River management

· Customer services and community resilience.

Each performance measure provides a snapshot of the activity’s performance.

Of the 51 measures, 29 have been achieved, and 22 have not been achieved. It is important to note that a number of those measures not met are outside of council’s control. A summary of all measures is set out in the table below. The full results will be in the final annual report, which is scheduled to be presented to council for adoption in October this year.

This is the last report on the measures of this long term plan, with new measures being reported on in 2022 as a result of the adoption of the Long Term Plan 2021-2031.

Governance and engagement | Ratonga whakahaere whakauru

1.1 Governance
1.1.1 Maintain effective, open and transparent democratic processes
Percentage of official information requests that are responded to within 20 working days.	100% compliance	96% – not achieved 8 out of 187 LGOIMA requests were not responded to within 20 working days
Percentage of time that council receives a favourable ("unqualified") audit opinion on its Long Term Plan, Annual Plan, and Annual Report.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
Percentage of time that elected members attend council meetings.	90% compliance	98% – achieved
Percentage of the community surveyed that is satisfied with the way council involves the public in the decisions it makes.	Improve	Not achieved The 2021 survey changed focus to determine if people were getting sufficient information and opportunity to be involved in the consultation process, which 48% said they were. 34% were not aware of consultation opportunities, 12% found the information either difficult to understand or in an incompatible format, and 8% did not want to be involved.
1.2 Māori relationships
1.2.1 Establish enduring and robust governance relationships between council and Māori of Taitokerau
Ten meetings (five formal meetings and five marae-based meetings) of the Te Taitokerau Māori and Council Working Party are held each 12-month period.	10 meetings held annually	8 meetings – not achieved In total, six formal meetings and two regional hui were held. Cancellation of regional hui by the hapū/iwi hosts was due to COVID-19 concerns and, in one case, a clash with another significant hui that would have precluded many attending. It’s noted that there were 12 TTMAC subgroup meetings (Māori Technical Advisory Group, Economic Development Subgroup, Tangata Whenua Water Advisory Group Selection Panel, Strategic Priorities Workshop) as well as TTMAC tangata whenua attendance at other working parties (Water and Land, Planning and Regulatory, Biosecurity and Biodiversity, Climate Change).
1.2.2 Provide opportunities for Māori to participate in council processes
Percentage of time council meets all relevant requirements of Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation.	100% compliance	95.9% – not achieved This measure comprises three elements: the recording of statutory acknowledgements in regional plans; attendance and support of co-governance committees; and circulation of consent applications to Treaty settlement groups. Council has achieved two of these elements in full, with the third (the circulation of consent applications) achieved in part. This was due to 89 bore consents out of 637 failing to be circulated.
Percentage of time targeted pre-consultation engagement is undertaken with Māori during council's statutory Resource Management Act planning processes.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
1.3 Communication and engagement
1.3.1 Support and deliver environmental education initiatives
Percentage of schools and kindergartens participating in the Enviroschools programme. Schools include primary, intermediate and secondary schools.	Maintain or increase	68% – achieved 2019/20 result = 66%
1.3.2 Promote effective community engagement
Number of subscribers to online and social media channels (includes social media, eNewsletters and web alerts).	25% annual increase (number and percentage increase to be reported)	11% – not achieved 20,574 subscribers in total This is due to a shift in focus from increasing FB likes/followers to improving reach and overall engagement with our audience.
Frequency of engagement with council's Collaborative Community Engagement Groups.	Annual engagement with 100% of groups (Actual number of groups and percentage compliance to be reported)	87.8% – not achieved Of 140 groups, council achieved engagement with 123. Reasons for not achieving engagement included that the group wasn't functioning or active, that email contact only was sufficient (the criteria requires face to face engagement), or that contact was not able to be made. In one instance the group wasn't active because the marae was under repair, and in another instance a new group was actively being recruited but not yet established. In other cases, engagement was with other similar groups or groups under a different banner. Three groups were removed from the list as they no long exist.
1.4 Economic development
1.4.1 Invest in economic development projects and ventures within Northland to improve Northland's economic performance
Northland Inc's compliance with Local Government Act requirements relating to its Statement of Intent (SOI).	100% compliance	100% – achieved
Percentage of Northland Inc's SOI key performance indicators achieved by 30 June each year.	100% compliance	79% – not achieved Three of the 14 targets were not met. One relates to the development of a long-term economic development strategy for the region, which is being undertaken in 2021/22. The other two relate to the implementation of high impact projects and the number of inward delegations hosted. COVID-19 restrictions reduced the opportunities to achieve these, in addition to a Whangārei District Council decision to not proceed with the Oruku Landing Conference and Event Centre project as part of their LTP 2021-2031.

Regulatory services |Ratonga a ture

2.1 Planning and policy
2.1.1 Develop and maintain regional planning documents for the management of Northland's natural and physical resources
Develop a new Regional Plan.	2020/201: Notify any plan changes required to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS Freshwater)	Not achieved The Proposed Regional Plan is not yet operative – there are still Environment Court appeals to resolve. The process and timing for resolving the appeals is largely out of the council’s control.
Make changes to the new Regional Plan and Regional Policy Statement (RPS) as necessary to implement national direction and to respond to resource management issues.	2020/21: Notify plan change to identify and protect significant freshwater biodiversity sites in the Regional Plan (if not addressed through proposed plan process in 218)	Not achieved The release of the NPS Freshwater 2020 has largely made the targets redundant. These targets have been overtaken by the water quality plan change council has committed to implement the requirements of the NPS Freshwater 2020.
2.2 Consents
2.2.1 Provide efficient and effective processing and administering of resource consents
Percentage of all resource consent applications that are processed within the statutory timeframes.	98% compliance	99.4% – achieved
2.3 Monitoring (compliance monitoring)
2.3.1 Provide efficient and effective compliance monitoring of resource consents
Percentage of monitored resource consents that are not graded as significantly non-compliant.	90%	96% – achieved
Percentage of monitored permitted farm dairy effluent activities that are not graded as significantly non-compliant.	90%	88% – not achieved Of the 193 permitted activity dairy farms inspected in 2020/21, 170 of them were not significantly non-compliant. This measure is dependent on landowner behaviour which, while influenced by council activities, is also influenced by factors outside of council’s control.
Percentage of consents for industrial, municipal sewage and farm discharges, and major water takes requiring monitoring, that are monitored as per the council's consent monitoring programme.	100%	87.3% – not achieved Of the 964 regimes that required monitoring in the 2020/21 year, 842 were undertaken as per the programme. Non-achievement was largely due to staff resourcing issues.
2.3.2 Efficient and effective response to and resolution of reported environmental incidents
Percentage of environmental incidents with more than minor effects reported to the Environmental Hotline resolved within 30 working days.	80% resolved within 30 working days	76.6% – not achieved Of the 47 incidents that had more than minor effects reported, 11 were not able to be resolved within 20 working days. There were several incidents that took some time to satisfactorily resolve. In most cases, the adverse effects had ceased, but a final resolution had not been reached within the 20 working days.
2.4 Monitoring (State of the environment monitoring)
2.4.1 Gather and make available information on the suitability of water bodies for swimming and shellfish collection
Monitor at least 50 popular swimming sites weekly during the summer for faecal indicator bacteria and publish the results (sites are monitored weekly in the summer from late November/early December to late February/early March).	50 or more sites monitored weekly during summer	58 sites – achieved
Monitor at least 15 popular shellfish collection sites weekly during the summer and publish the results (sites are monitored weekly in the summer from late November/early December to late February/early March).	15 or more sites monitored weekly during summer	15 sites – achieved
2.4.2 Monitor the life-supporting capacity of water (fresh and marine), uses and values
Percentage of sites monitored for macroinvertebrates showing improved or maintained trend in their Macroinvertebrate Community Indices (MCI).	At least 90%	Not achieved The measure could not be assessed as insufficient data was collected. Also, the database KiECO is not fully set up yet. The trends could therefore not be calculated and assessed against baseline levels.
Percentage of fish monitoring sites showing improved or maintained trend in their Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI).	At least 90%	Not achieved The measure could not be assessed as insufficient data was collected. Also, the database KiECO is not fully set up yet. The trends could therefore not be calculated and assessed against baseline levels. The fish monitoring programme has not been fully completed since it was established at 25 monitoring sites due to resourcing issues.
Percentage of lake sites monitored for ecological status showing improved or maintained trend in their Submerged Plant Indices (SPI).	At least 90%	77% – not achieved Of 13 lakes that received submerged plant index monitoring, three showed a non-significant downward trend due to invasive weed expansion in one and a drop in native condition index or decreasing bottom limits in two (possibly linked to drought conditions and water quality). Five remained stable or showed slight improvements, two showed improvements above 5%, and three showed significant improvement above 15%. This resulted in a positive shift in overall ecological rankings. One lake had a significant decrease in invasive indices due to pest control.
Percentage of lake sites monitored for level of nutrient enrichment showing improved or maintained trend in their Trophic Level Indices (TLI).	At least 90%	100% – achieved
Comprehensively monitor at least 40 coastal sites monthly for general water quality.	40 sites monitored annually	42 sites – achieved
2.4.3 Monitor the standard of ambient air quality in Northland
Percentage of air sheds meeting the national air quality environmental standards.	100% compliance	100% – achieved

Environmental services | Ratonga i te taiao

3.1 Natural Hazard Management
3.1.1 Identify and make available information on areas potentially affected by natural hazards through mapping
Number (and percentage) of river catchments flood-mapped to identify river flooding hazards.	2020/21: 129 (100%)	100% – achieved
3.2 Hydrology
3.2.1 Provide information on water resources including rainfall, flood levels and ground water
Percentage of time that flood level monitoring is accurate to enable flood warnings to be developed.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
3.3 Biosecurity
3.3.1 Promote community involvement in pest management
Increase in hectares of land under Community Pest Control Area Plans (CPCAs) per annum.	Increase by 5000 ha annually	5,731ha increase – achieved
Increase in kiwi populations within council supported programmes monitored in accordance with the standardised Department of Conservation kiwi call count monitoring scheme.	Increase by 2% annually	Provisional data only TBC – achieved Baseline data = 7.2 calls per hour
3.3.2 Implement measures to slow the introduction and spread of new and established marine pests
Survey at least 2000 vessel hulls for marine pests each year as part of marine biosecurity surveillance programme.	2000 hulls annually	2,145 hulls inspected – achieved
3.4 Biodiversity
3.4.1 Maintain and enhance indigenous biodiversity and eco-systems around our rivers, lakes, wetlands and coastal margins
Number of wetlands (includes Top Wetlands) enhancement and protection projects funded via Efund annually.	2020/21: 15	16.5 wetlands – achieved
Number of plants provided through CoastCare programme.	2020/21: 13,000	14,779 – achieved
Number of objectives met that are set out in annual work plan for Freshwater Improvement (objectives are set out in Ministry for the Environment project work plans for the Northern Wairoa and Dune Lakes Freshwater Improvement Fund projects).	100% of objectives met	90% – not achieved One of the seven main tasks in the work plan agreed with MfE for the FIF dune lakes project was only partially agreed, while six were fully achieved. Of the one task not achieved (herbicide treatment of three lakes), one lake was successfully treated and a change request was approved by MfE to treat a different set of lakes. Plans were progressed to undertake this work in Year 5.
3.5 Land and water
3.5.1 Promote improved water quality by providing advice and funding on sustainable land management, soil conservation, and biodiversity through farm management and catchment management initiatives
Area in hectares (ha) of land being actively managed under a sustainable farm environment plan.	Increase 25,000 ha per annum	Not achieved As per a council decision, Land Management Advisors are no longer writing farm environment plans.
Area in (ha) of highly erodible land being actively managed under a farm environment plan.	Maintain or increase (from baseline data)	Not achieved As per a council decision, Land Management Advisors are no longer writing farm environment plans.
Number of subsidised poplar poles provided for erosion-prone land by the Flyger Road nursery.	2020/21: 8,000	Not achieved The extreme drought the previous summer killed a lot of poles and landowners were reluctant to replant until the ground had become wetter. In response, a range of hardier cultivars that are more tolerant of dry exposed conditions have been planted in the nursery. However, there will be a 3yr delay before these cultivars are available for planting.
Kilometres of waterway margins protected to reduce sediment, nutrient run-off and general contamination of water, funded by the Environment Fund.	Increase (from baseline data)	147kms – not achieved 2018/19 result = 297kms 2019/20 result = 181kms $300k was transferred to the Kaipara Moana Remediation for projects estimated to be 66.7kms of fencing. These projects have until November to do their fencing; therefore we won’t have an accurate measure of what fencing has been until then.

River management | Ratonga whakahaere a awa

4.1 River management

4.1.1 Build, monitor and maintain flood protection schemes to protect life and property

Number of flood events occurring as a result of failures of flood protection systems for the Awanui, Whangārei, and Kāeo schemes below specified design levels (the number of flood events arising due to the failure of the flood protections systems is considered to be the most direct measure of whether these systems are repaired and renewed to the standards set out in the activity management plans).

Zero

Zero failures – achieved

Customer services and community resilience | Ratonga manawaroa a hapori

5.1 Customer services
5.1.1 Providing meaningful customer service
Percentage of customers surveyed that are satisfied with the quality of service received following an interaction with council.	Maintain or increase (specific targets will be set once baseline established)	45% – not achieved 2018/19 result = 52% 2019/20 result = 58% Result have been distorted by small number of total respondents who have contacted the council in the last year (69). The drop reflects the views of five people. Many of the respondents also confused district council and regional council activities.
5.2 Civil defence emergency management
5.2.1 Provide accurate and timely flood warnings to enable communities to take precautionary measures to protect life and property
Percentage of time that accurate flood warnings are issued in accordance with the council's flood warnings procedures.	100% compliance	No weather events that required activation
5.2.2 Maintain an effective civil defence emergency management system
Percentage of time that emergencies (emergencies that require the activation of an emergency operations centre) are debriefed within one month, and noted improvements are incorporated into the appropriate emergency operating procedures and response plans.	100% annually	100% – achieved
5.3 Oil pollution response
5.3.1 Maintain an efficient and responsive oil pollution response
Maintain a regional oil spill response plan, including a minimum of 30 up-to-date trained responders.	Maintain a minimum of 30 responders at all times	30 responders – achieved
5.4 Harbour safety and navigation
5.4.1 Provide regional navigational safety control of shipping and small craft, provide aids to navigation to ensure the region's navigable waters are safe for people to use, and manage the region's moorings
Percentage of time that the operational safety management system for the pilotage areas of Whangārei and Bay of Islands complies with the Port and Harbour Safety Code.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
Percentage of time that pilotage in the Bay of Islands is provided in accordance with the safety management system.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
Percentage of reported aids to navigation faults that are responded to within five working days.	100% compliance	100% – achieved
Percentage of moorings either serviced within the past three years or booked to be serviced.	95% of moorings	98.33% – achieved
5.5 Transport
5.5.1 Provide an efficient and effective public bus service
Number of passengers for the Whangārei urban bus service (other bus services apart from Whangārei not included as they are either minor, temporary or trial services only).	Maintain 310,000 per annum	326,894 – achieved
Percentage of passengers satisfied with overall Whangārei bus service (passenger satisfaction rating of six or above on a 10 point scale).	95% compliance	92% – not achieved Citylink passenger survey was completed in April 2021 with the greatest dissatisfaction being around the frequency of the buses.
5.5.2 Plan for the future transport needs of the region
Develop and maintain statutory transport planning documents including the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) and Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP).	2020/21: Adopt RLTP	Achieved

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

Description	2020-21 Spent	2020-21 Budget	2020-21 Budget Unspent	Amount to Carry forward
Electronic swipe card system for Total Mobility (Ridewise)	11,841	20,967	9,126	9,015

Description	2020-21 Spent	2020-21 Budget	2020-21 Budget Unspent	Amount to Carry forward
IHEMP Projects	6,913	26,112	19,199	12,000

Description	2020-21 Spent	2020-21 Budget	2020-21 Budget Unspent	Amount to Carry forward
Report on feasibility of NRC collecting its own rates	0	25,000	25,000	25,000

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Approve carry forward of all requested unspent operational budgets	Allows the completion of 2020/21 projects.	Reduces retained earnings though at budgeted levels.
2	Approve no unspent operational budget carry forwards	Retains more surplus in the 2020/21 financial year.	Projects from the 2020/21 financial year do not get finished or 2021/22 programmes must be deferred to allow for 2021/22 work already contracted.
3	Approve some of the unspent operational budget carry forwards	Some projects will go ahead.	Some projects will not go ahead. Some of the 2021/22 programmes might be deferred to allow for 2020/21 work already contracted.

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Approve carry forward of all requested capital carry forwards	Allows the completion of the 2020/21 capital programme.	Reduces retained earnings at budgeted levels.
2	Approve none of the Capex carry forwards	Retains more earnings for other capital projects.	Projects underway or delayed won’t get the required funding to be completed.
3	Approve some of the Capex carry forwards	Some of the capital projects get to be completed.	Some of the capital projects don’t get completed.

TITLE:	Confirmation of Minutes - 28 July 2021
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager, on 12 August 2021

TITLE:	Receipt of Action Sheet
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager, on 12 August 2021

TITLE:	Request for Approval to Carry Forward Operational Budget from the 2020/21 Financial Year into the 2021/22 Financial Year
From:	Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 05 August 2021

TITLE:	Draft Financial Result to 30 June 2021
From:	Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 05 August 2021

TITLE:	Regional Rates Collection 2020/21
ID:
From:	Simon Crabb, Finance Manager
Authorised by Group Manager:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 05 August 2021

TITLE:	Review of Non-Elected Members' Allowance Policy
ID:
From:	Ben Lee, GM - Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Authorised by Group Manager:	Ben Lee, GM - Strategy, Governance and Engagement, on 12 August 2021

TITLE:	Environmental Fund Over Allocation
From:	Ruben Wylie, Land Management Programme Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 04 August 2021

No.	Scenario	Situation	Financial implication
1	Current scenario	No additional over-allocation of budget is authorised.	The Environment Fund budget is underspent due to withdrawals and underspends. If this were 20% of the general land/biodiversity Environment Fund budget, this would result in an unfavourable variation of $120,222.
2	Worst case	20% additional budget is allocated to account for withdrawals or underspends, but no withdrawals or underspends occur.	$120,222 unfavourable variation to land/biodiversity Environment Fund budget.
3	Most likely scenario	Based on the six-year average of 20% of underspends and withdrawals, it is likely that close to 20% of the total budget will be withdrawn or underspent.	Limited variation to budget. For example, a 5% variance to the land/biodiversity Environment Fund budget would be $30,055.

TITLE:	Freshwater farm plan regulations and Stock exclusion regulations: Proposed changes to the low slope map – Discussion Documents
From:	Ruben Wylie, Land Management Programme Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 11 August 2021

TITLE:	Emergency Services Fund Allocations 2021-2024
From:	Tony Phipps, Group Manager - Customer Services - Community Resilience
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Tony Phipps, Group Manager - Customer Services - Community Resilience, on 05 August 2021

Date	Addressed To	Subject
09.07.21	Margaret Hicks	Submission on the Long Term Plan 2021–2031

TITLE:	Adoption of the Investment Policy and Liability Management Policy
From:	Casey Mitchell, Management Accountant
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 05 August 2021

TITLE:	Health and Safety Report
From:	Kelcie Mills, Health and Safety Advisor
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Group Manager - Corporate Excellence, on 03 August 2021

TITLE:	Chair's Report to Council
From:	Penny Smart, Chair
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Penny Smart, Chair, on 11 August 2021

TITLE:	Legislative compliance for the period 1 January to 30 June 2021
From:	Kyla Carlier, Acting Strategy Policy and Planning Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Malcolm Nicolson, Chief Executive Officer, on 12 August 2021

TITLE:	Receipt of Committee Minutes
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Chris Taylor, Governance Support Manager, on 12 August 2021

Item No.	Item Issue	Reasons/Grounds
10.1	Confirmation of Minutes - Confidential Council Meeting Minutes 28 July 2021	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	Nomination of Directors to Marsden Maritime Holdings Limited	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).
10.4	Enterprise System for Approval to Execute Contract	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to protect information where the making available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information s7(2)(b)(ii) 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).
10.5	NIWA Kingfish RAS 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 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).
10.6	Introduction of Two New Fund Managers into the Long-Term Investment Fund	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to prevent the disclosure or use of official information for improper gain or improper advantage s7(2)(j).