Agenda of Council Meeting - Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Council Meeting item: 7.1

28 June 2022

TITLE:	Rates for the year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023
From:	Casey Mitchell, Management Accountant; Kim Harvey, Assistant Management Accountant and Shivam Shivam, Planning and Reporting Officer
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Pou Taumatua – Group Manager Corporate Services, on 22 June 2022

Executive summary/Whakarāpopototanga

Under sections 23, 24, 57 and 58 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 (LGRA), the council is required to set its rates, due dates and penalty regime by resolution.

This paper provides for the council to set its rates, due dates, and penalty regime for the year commencing on 1 July 2022 and ending on 30 June 2023.

This paper has been prepared in accordance with the revenue and financing policy and rates section (including the funding impact statement) contained within the 2022-2023 Annual Plan.

Recommendation(s)

1. That the report ‘Rates for the year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 by Casey Mitchell, Management Accountant; Kim Harvey, Assistant Management Accountant and Shivam Shivam, Planning and Reporting Officer and dated 9 May 2022, be received.

2. That council notes that it has had regard to section 100T of the Biosecurity Act 1993 and confirms that its analysis of Section 100T of the Biosecurity Act 1993, as included in the Long Term Plan 2021-2031, remains appropriate in relation to setting the Pest Management Rate for 2022-2023.

3. That the Northland Regional Council resolves to set the following rates under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 (LGRA) for the financial year commencing 1 July 2022 and ending 30 June 2023:

a. Targeted council services rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is calculated on the total projected capital value, as determined by the certificate of projected valuation of each constituent district in the Northland region. An additional $1.73 (including GST) per each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit is to be assessed across the Whangārei constituency to provide funding for the ongoing maintenance of the Hātea River Channel. The rate is differentiated by location in the Northland region and assessed as a fixed amount per each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit in the Far North and Whangārei districts, and on each rateable rating unit (RU) in the Kaipara district. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $140.02 per SUIP

Kaipara District $169.14 per RU

Whangārei District $158.26 per SUIP

The Whangārei District targeted council services rate amount of $158.26 (including GST) per SUIP includes funding for the Hātea River Channel amount of $1.73 (including GST).

b. Targeted land and freshwater management rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is assessed on the land value of each rateable rating unit in the region. The rate is set per dollar of land value. The rate per dollar of land value is different for each constituent district because the rate is allocated based on projected land value, as provided for in section 131 of the LGRA. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $0.0003835 per dollar of land value

Kaipara District $0.0003565 per dollar of land value

Whangārei District $0.0002780 per dollar of land value

c. Targeted pest management rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is calculated on the total projected capital value, as determined by the certificate of projected valuation of each constituent district in the Northland region. The rate is a fixed amount, differentiated by location in the Northland region. The rate will be assessed on each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit in the Far North and Whangārei districts, and each rateable rating unit (RU) in the Kaipara District. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $71.77 per SUIP

Kaipara District $86.69 per RU

Whangārei District $80.23 per SUIP

d. Targeted flood infrastructure rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is a fixed amount assessed on each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit in the Far North and Whangārei districts, and each rateable rating unit (RU) in the Kaipara District. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $33.24 per SUIP

Kaipara District $33.24 per RU

Whangārei District $33.24 per SUIP

e. Targeted emergency and hazard management rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is calculated on the total projected capital value, as determined by the certificate of projected valuation of each constituent district in the Northland region. The rate is a fixed amount, differentiated by location in the Northland region. The rate will be assessed on each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit in the Far North and Whangārei districts, and each rateable rating unit (RU) in the Kaipara District. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $40.15 per SUIP

Kaipara District $48.50 per RU

Whangārei District $44.88 per SUIP

f. Targeted emergency services rate

Including GST

Far North District $11.60 per SUIP

Kaipara District $11.60 per RU

Whangārei District $11.60 per SUIP

g. Targeted regional sporting facilities rate

Including GST

Far North District $16.60 per SUIP

Kaipara District $16.60 per RU

Whangārei District $16.60 per SUIP

h. Targeted regional economic development rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. This rate is assessed on the land value of each rateable rating unit in the region. The rate is set per dollar of land value. The rate per dollar of land value is different for each constituent district, because the rate is allocated based on projected land value, as provided for in section 131 of the LGRA. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $0.0000260 per dollar of land value

Kaipara District $0.0000242 per dollar of land value

Whangārei District $0.0000188 per dollar of land value

i. Targeted Whangārei transport rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is a fixed amount assessed on each rateable separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP) in the Whangārei District. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Whangārei District $38.47 per SUIP

j. Targeted Far North transport rate

A targeted rate as authorised by the LGRA. The rate is a fixed amount assessed on each rateable separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP) in the Far North District. The rate is set as follows:

Including GST

Far North District $8.79 per SUIP

k. Targeted Awanui River management rate

A targeted rate set under the LGRA, set differentially by location and area of benefit as defined in the Awanui River Flood Management Plan, and as defined in the following table:

The rate is set differentially as follows:

Category	Description	Rate including GST
UA	Urban rate class UA (floodplain location) $285.53 direct benefit plus $28.19 indirect benefit per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP).	$313.72 per SUIP
UA	Urban rate class UA – commercial differential.	$941.16 per SUIP
UF	Urban rate classes UF (higher ground) $28.19 direct benefit plus $28.19 indirect benefit per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit.	$56.38 per SUIP
UF	Urban rate class UF – commercial differential.	$169.14 per SUIP
Rural	Rural rate differentiated by class, $11.75 per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP) of indirect benefit plus a rate per hectare for each of the following classes of land in the defined Kaitāia flood rating district as illustrated in the following maps and table.	$11.75 per SUIP
Class	Description	Rate including GST
A & B	High benefit: rural land which receives high benefit from the Awanui scheme works due to reduced river flooding risk and/or reduced duration of flooding and/or coastal flooding – all rateable land other that in the commercial differential.	$23.33 per hectare
A & B commercial differential			$69.99 per hectare
C	Moderate benefit: land floods less frequently and water clears quickly – all rateable land other that in the commercial differential.	$10.90 per hectare
C commercial differential			$32.70 per hectare
F	Contributes runoff waters and increases the need for flood protection - all rateable land other that in the commercial differential.	$0.77 per hectare
F commercial differential			$2.31 per hectare

The rating classifications are illustrated in the following maps:

I. Targeted Kaihū River management rate

A targeted rate set under the LGRA, and set differentially by location and area of benefit as defined in the following table:

Class	Description	Rate Including GST
A	Land on the floodplain and side valleys downstream of Rotu Bottleneck.	$23.13 per hectare
B	Land on the floodplain and tributary side valleys between Ahikiwi and the Rotu Bottleneck and in the Mangatara Drain catchment upstream of SH12.	$11.39 per hectare
F	Land within the Kaihū River rating area not falling within Class A and Class B.	$1.60 per hectare
Urban Contribution – A contribution from the Kaipara District Council instead of a separate rate per property:		$5,015 per annum

The rating classifications are illustrated in the following map:

l. Targeted Kaeo-Whangaroa rivers management rate

A targeted rate set under the LGRA, set on a uniform basis in respect of each rateable separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit falling within the former Whangaroa Ward rating rolls of 100-199, as illustrated in the map below:

Including GST

Former Whangaroa Ward $54.52 per SUIP

m. Targeted Whangārei urban rivers management rate

A targeted rate set under the LGRA and assessed on all rateable properties defined by reference to the differential categories and differentiated by location (illustrated in the map below) and, for some categories, land use. It is set as a fixed amount per each rateable separately used or inhabited part (SUIP) of a rating unit, as follows:

Category		Including GST
1	Commercial properties located in the Whangārei Central Business District flood area:	$351.22 per SUIP
2	Residential properties located in the Whangārei Central Business District flood area:	$172.08 per SUIP
3	Properties located in the contributing water catchment area (including properties falling in the Waiarohia, Raumanga, Kirikiri and Hātea River Catchments):	$42.13 per SUIP

Differential categories for the Whangārei urban rivers management rate:

Residential properties in the Whangārei central business district

Residential properties in the Whangārei central business district (CBD) flood area are defined as all rating units which are used principally for residential or lifestyle residential purposes, including retirement villages, flats etc.

Residential properties also includes multi-unit properties, these being all separate rating units used principally for residential purposes, and on which is situated multi-unit type residential accommodation that is used principally for temporary or permanent residential accommodation and for financial reward, including, but not limited to, hotels, boarding houses, motels, tourist accommodation, residential clubs and hostels but excluding any properties that are licensed under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

Commercial properties in the Whangārei central business district

Commercial properties in the Whangārei CBD flood area are all separate rating units used principally for commercial, industrial or related purposes or zoned for commercial, industrial or related purposes in accordance with the Whangārei district plan. For the avoidance of doubt, this category includes properties licensed under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol 2012; and private hospitals and private medical centres.

n. Targeted Taumārere rivers management rate

A targeted rate set under the LGRA, set on a uniform basis in respect of each rateable separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit falling within the Tamārere, as illustrated in the map below:

Including GST

Taumārere $67.15 per SUIP

Map

Description automatically generated

4. That the Northland Regional Council resolves the following with respect to payment dates for rates and the penalty regime::

Far North District constituency:

The Northland Regional Council resolves that all rates within the Far North District constituency are payable in four equal instalments, on the following dates:

Instalment	Due date for payment
Instalment 1	20 August 2022
Instalment 2	20 November 2022
Instalment 3	20 February 2023
Instalment 4	20 May 2023

The Northland Regional Council resolves to add the following penalties to unpaid Far North District constituency rates:

· In accordance with section 58(1)(a) of the LGRA, a penalty of ten percent (10%) will be added to any portion of each instalment of Far North District constituency rates assessed in the 2022/23 financial year that is unpaid on or by the respective due date for payment as stated above. These penalties will be added on the following dates:

Instalment	Date penalty will be added
Instalment 1	27 August 2022
Instalment 2	27 November 2022
Instalment 3	27 February 2023
Instalment 4	27 May 2023

Kaipara District constituency:

The Northland Regional Council resolves that all rates within the Kaipara District constituency are payable in four equal instalments, on the following dates:

Instalment	Due date for payment
Instalment 1	20 August 2022
Instalment 2	20 November 2022
Instalment 3	20 February 2023
Instalment 4	20 May 2023

The Northland Regional Council resolves to add the following penalties to unpaid Kaipara District constituency rates:

· In accordance with section 58(1) (a) of the LGRA, a penalty of ten percent (10%) of so much of each instalment of the Kaipara District constituency rates assessed in the 2022/23 financial year that are unpaid after the relevant due date for each instalment will be added on the relevant penalty date for each instalment stated below, except where a ratepayer has entered into an arrangement by way of direct debit authority, and honours that arrangement. These penalties will be added on the following dates:

Instalment	Date penalty will be added
Instalment 1	21 August 2022
Instalment 2	21 November 2022
Instalment 3	21 February 2023
Instalment 4	21 May 2023

· In accordance with section 58(1)(b) of the LGRA, a penalty of ten per cent (10%) of the amount of all Kaipara District constituency rates (including any penalties) from any previous financial years that are unpaid on 5 July 2022 will be added on 7 July 2022.

· In accordance with section 58(1)(c) of the LGRA, a penalty of ten per cent (10%) of the amount of all Kaipara District constituency rates to which a penalty has been added under the point immediately above and which remain unpaid on 10 January 2023 will be added on 11 January 2023.

Whangārei District constituency:

The Northland Regional Council resolves that all rates within the Whangārei District constituency are payable in four equal instalments, on the following dates:

Instalment	Due date for payment
Instalment 1	20 August 2022
Instalment 2	20 November 2022
Instalment 3	20 February 2023
Instalment 4	20 May 2023

The Northland Regional Council resolves to add the following penalties to unpaid Whangārei District constituency rates:

· In accordance with section 58(1)(a) of the LGA, a penalty of ten percent (10%) will be added to any portion of each instalment of Whangārei District constituency rates assessed in the 2022/23 financial year that is unpaid on or by the respective due date for payment as stated above. These penalties will be added on the following dates:

Instalment	Date penalty will be added
Instalment 1	24 August 2022
Instalment 2	23 November 2022
Instalment 3	23 February 2023
Instalment 4	24 May 2023

· In accordance with section 58(1)(b) of the LGRA, a penalty of ten per cent (10%) will be added to any Whangārei District constituency rates (including any penalties) from any financial year prior to 1 July 2022 that still remain unpaid as at 5 July 2022. This penalty will be added on 7 September 2022.

The district councils have advised that their rates adoption dates are as follows:

· Far North District Council – 30 June 2022

· Kaipara District Council – 28 June 2022

· Whangarei District Council – 30 June 2022.

Should their collection and/or penalty dates change through the rate setting process we will need to amend our resolution accordingly.

Background/Tuhinga

The Northland Regional Council is scheduled to adopt its 2022-2023 Annual Plan at the council meeting to be held on 28 June 2022. Following the adoption of the Revenue and Financing Policy and the 2022-2023 Annual Plan, all formal requirements to resolve the rates for the year ended 30 June 2023 are in place and permit the following resolution to proceed.

The final rates have been calculated in accordance with the resolutions made by council on 24 May 2022; and the updated rating units, separately used or inhabited parts of a rating unit (SUIPs), capital values and land values provided by the district councils.

Under section 23 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 (LGRA) the council is required to set its rates by resolution. This paper provides for the council to set rates for the year commencing on 1 July 2022 and ending on 30 June 2023.

Rates for the 2022/23 year are set out on a GST inclusive basis. This means that the amount of the rates stated includes the council’s GST obligations. Penalties are added to the amount of unpaid rates.

Section 24 of the LGRA requires that the council state the due date for payment of the rates in its resolution setting rates.

Under section 55 of the LGRA, the council may provide for a discount on the rates if payment is made by a specified date before the due date or dates, in accordance with a policy made under section 55. Currently no council in Northland applies this policy.

Section 57 of the LGRA states that a local authority may, by resolution, authorise penalties to be added to rates that are not paid by the due date. The resolution must state how the penalty is calculated and the date the penalty is to be added to the number of unpaid rates. Section 58 of the LGRA sets out the penalties that may be imposed.

Pursuant to section 23(5) of the LGRA, within 20 working days after making a resolution, make the resolution publicly available on an Internet site maintained by it or on its behalf to which the public has free access.

Pursuant to section 28(4) of the LGRA the rating information database was made available for public inspection during May/June.

The full details of the rates calculations and rates collected from each constituent district of the Northland region will be as set out in the tables below:

Table One: Valuations by district (including equalised values)

SUIP = Separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit.

	Gross no. rating units (Kaipara) or SUIPs (others)	Net no. rating units (Kaipara) or SUIPs (others)	Capital Value $000's	Land Value $000's	Equalised Capital Value $000's	Equalised Land Value $000's	Equalised CV%	Equalised LV%
Far North District	37,327	36,351	$20,832,903	$10,194,639	$29,017,995	$14,313,191	34.86%	33.31%
Kaipara District	14,634	14,524	$10,861,036	$6,039,908	$14,005,327	$7,908,075	16.82%	18.41%
Whangārei District	46,421	45,073	$39,437,762	$20,400,298	$40,225,797	$20,743,990	48.32%	48.28%
Total Valuation - Northland	98,382	95,948	$71,131,701	$36,634,845	$83,249,119	$42,965,256	100.00%	100.00%

Table Two: Northland Regional Council rates for the 2022/23 financial year

Budgeted Rates 2022/23 (including GST)	Far North District	Kaipara District	Whangārei District	Total $ (gross)	Total $ (net)
Targeted council services rate
Rate per SUIP	$140.02			$5,226,527	$5,089,867
Rate per RU		$169.14		$2,475,195	$2,456,589
Rate per SUIP			$158.26	$7,346,587	$7,133,253
				$15,048,309	$14,679,709
Targeted land and freshwater management rate
Rate per $ of Actual LV	$0.0003835			$3,909,644	$3,878,687
Rate per $ of Actual LV		$0.0003565		$2,153,227	$2,142,590
Rate per $ of Actual LV			$0.0002780	$5,671,283	$5,621,215
				$11,734,154	$11,642,492
Targeted pest management rate
Rate per SUIP	$71.77			$2,678,959	$2,608,911
Rate per RU		$86.69		$1,268,621	$1,259,086
Rate per SUIP			$80.23	$3,724,357	$3,616,207
				$7,671,937	$7,484,204
Targeted flood infrastructure rate
Rate per SUIP	$33.24			$1,240,749	$1,208,307
Rate per RU		$33.24		$486,434	$482,778
Rate per SUIP			$33.24	$1,543,034	$1,498,227
				$3,270,217	$3,189,312
Targeted emergency and hazard management rate
Rate per SUIP	$40.15			$1,498,679	$1,459,493
Rate per RU		$48.50		$709,749	$704,414
Rate per SUIP			$44.88	$2,083,374	$2,022,876
				$4,291,802	$4,186,783
Targeted regional sporting facilities rate
Rate per SUIP	$16.60			$619,628	$603,427
Rate per RU		$16.60		$242,924	$241,098
Rate per SUIP			$16.60	$770,589	$748,212
				$1,633,141	$1,592,737
Targeted regional economic development rate
Rate per $ of Actual LV	$0.0000260			$265,061	$262,965
Rate per $ of Actual LV		$0.0000242		$146,166	$145,446
Rate per $ of Actual LV			$0.0000188	$383,526	$380,129
				$794,752	$788,540
Targeted emergency services rate
Rate per SUIP	$11.60			$432,993	$421,672
Rate per RU		$11.60		$169,754	$168,478
Rate per SUIP			$11.60	$538,484	$522,847
				$1,141,231	$1,112,997
Targeted Whangārei transport rate
Rate per SUIP			$38.47	$1,785,816	$1,733,958
Targeted Far North transport rate
Far North District	$8.79			$328,104	$319,525
Targeted Awanui River management rate
Far North District - Rural				$190,286	$190,041
Far North District - Urban				$850,144	$838,734
				$1,040,430	$1,028,775
Targeted Kaihū River management rate
Kaipara District (Kaihū river area only)				$79,869	$79,869
Targeted Kaeo-Whangaroa rivers management rate
Far North (Kaeo only)	$54.52			$121,860	$118,043
Targeted Taumārere rivers management rate
Far North (Otira-Moerewa/Kawakawa only)	$67.15			$116,102	$113,278
Targeted Whangārei urban rivers management rate
Rates per SUIP				$1,163,385	$1,142,580

Total rates				Gross $	Net $
Far North District				$17,478,737	$17,112,950
Kaipara District				$7,731,941	$7,680,348
Whangārei District				$25,010,434	$24,419,504
TOTAL RATES				$50,221,110	$49,212,802

Options

No.

Option

Advantages

Disadvantages

Adopt the recommendations presented in this report

Legally generate the rating revenue required to fund the council’s 2022/23 work programmes.

None

Do not adopt the recommendations presented in this report

None

Inability to legally strike the 2022/23 rates. Consequently, unless alternative funding streams were obtained, the council would fail to deliver all its 2022/23 work programmes.

The staff’s recommended option is to adopt the recommendations presented in this report.

Considerations

1. Environmental Impact

The work programmes that comprise the Annual Plan 2022-2023, funded by rates to the degree discussed in this paper, significantly increase council’s ability to respond to environmental issues and opportunities.

The risks and impacts of these proposals have been considered by council by way of a series of workshops, and in council’s deliberations on the proposals by way of extraordinary council meeting on 24 May 2022.

2. Community views

The impact of the 2022-2023 Annual Plan budgets on council’s rates has been consulted on with the community through the 2022-2023 Annual Plan consultative procedure in accordance with s82 of the Local Government Act 2002.

3. Māori impact statement

Consultation on the council’s rates funding requirement was undertaken with māori as part of the 2022/2023 Annual Plan consultation process using existing relationship channels.

4. Financial implications

This report discusses setting of rates for the 2022/23 financial year. The financial impacts of the recommendations in this report are significant as it determines council’s ability to collect rate revenue.

5. Implementation issues

No implementation issues are anticipated in setting rates for the 2022/23 financial year.

6. Significance and engagement

The council’s 2022-2023 Annual Plan has been developed in accordance with sections 93 and 93A-93G of the Local Government Act 2002, and contains details of the proposed rates.

The rates being set have been established as part of the 2022-2023 Annual Plan process that included consultation with the public who have had the opportunity to fully consider the issues and present their views to the council, which have in turn been taken into consideration.

Consequently, this resolution is required to enact previous decisions of council through the annual plan process and is an administrative decision that does not itself trigger the Significance and Engagement Policy.

The decisions in this report are in accordance with sections 76 to 82 of the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

The public will have access to the final 2022-2023 Annual Plan and rates resolution through the council’s website.

7. Policy, risk management and legislative compliance

This report has been independently reviewed by Lizzy Wiessing - Barrister, and meets all the statutory requirements under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 for the setting of 2022/23 rates.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Set and adopt the Annual Plan 2022/23	The relevant activities can be funded and delivered as planned, and rates set in a timely manner for the 2022/23 financial year	None
2	Do not set and adopt the Annual Plan 2022/23	None	Council will be in breach of its statutory obligations and the relevant council activities will not receive funding to allow delivery of the service

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Council makes submissions (either its own and/or a regional council sector submission)	The government is aware of council concerns with the proposals and council’s submission informs government decisions.	Staff time to prepare submissions
2	Council does not make submissions	No staff time taken up with preparing submissions	The government is not aware of councils concerns and therefore no chance of influencing government decisions.

Activity	22/23
A) Supporting tangata whenua in the freshwater planning process	$150k
B) Developing a Freshwater Mātauranga Māori framework	$100K
C) Implementing the Mātauranga Māori freshwater framework	$0
D) Investigating the use of mechanisms available under the Resource Management Act 1991 to involve tangata whenua in freshwater management (such as using transfer of functions and joint management agreements)	$0

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	Submission approved	A collaborative regional submission representing the views of the four (4) northern councils is a significant achievement. Retrospectively approving the submission confirms the strength and integrity of the regional partnership to address the climate crisis. It also positions Te Taitokerau as a leader in collaborative climate governance and serves to shine a light on the unique challenges we face.	None.
2	Submission not approved	None.	The submission has already been received by the Ministry for the Environment. If council were to not approve, the submission would have to be requested to be formally withdrawn. As our partner councils and Tiriti partners did not lodge their own submissions, they are relying on council approval to ensure their voices are heard. Not approving would have significant ramifications on the strength and integrity of our partnership and weaken the implementation of climate response actions.

Council Meeting item: 8.2

28 June 2022

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

Ngā mahi tūtohutia / Recommendation

That the report ‘Chief Executive’s Report to Council’ by Malcolm Nicolson, Tumuaki - Chief Executive Officer and dated 30 May 2022, be received.

8.2.1 Highlights

Education Days

A dune lake education day was held at Rotokawau with the help from Enviroschools, Biosecurity, Land Management, Te Uri o Hau and the Taurua whānau. 60 students from both Poutō primary and Te Kopuru school learnt about tuna and fish, biosecurity and kākahi (freshwater mussels). The inclusion of kākahi into this event was important due their presence in the lake and the significance of kākahi to Māori history in the area.

Northland Regional Council Environmental Awards – Kiwi Coast ‘Outstanding Group or Project Award’

A new addition to council’s environmental awards this year, the award aims to recognise the outstanding achievements of Northland groups and projects who have proven their commitment to restoring the health of their local native forests and wildlife, including kiwi. The winner of the inaugural award was Bay Bush Action Project for a truly outstanding, community led project with proven results in forest health regeneration and steadily increasing kiwi populations

Kiwi Coast outstanding group or project award winners Bush Bay Action.

8.2.2 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 Opua Boat Yard in Walls Bay, Ōpua	Court has advised that a hearing is required for these appeals. The council evidence to be with the Court by 15 June 2022.
Consent decision appeal	Irrigation of avocado orchards and horticulture crops	Court Hearing was held over a two week period from Monday 9 May to Friday 20 May 2022, with an additional day on Wednesday 22 May 2022. The Hearing was not closed and is adjourned until the end of June. The Court will undertake a site visit in mid June.

A write-off of $12,391.74 (excluding GST) was approved from the account of Otehei Bay Holdings Limited following the direction from the District Court to reach a settlement on unpaid costs sought by council in relation to the processing of a consent application originally made the company.

8.2.3 CORPORATE SERVICES

Fraud Declaration

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

Enterprise System Update

8.2.4 regulatory services

Consents in Process

During May 2022, a total of 119 Decisions were issued. These decisions comprised:

Ÿ Moorings	2
Ÿ Coastal Permits	27
Ÿ Land Discharge Permits	10
Ÿ Water Discharge Permits	4
Ÿ Land Use Consents	49
Ÿ Water Permits	20
Ÿ Bore Consents	7

The processing timeframes for the May 2022 consents ranged from:

Ÿ 224 to 2 calendar days, with the median time being 43 days;

Ÿ 42 to 2 working days, with the median time being 22 days.

Forty-eight applications were received in May 2022.

Of the 187 applications in progress at the end of May 2022:

Ÿ 29 were received more than 12 months ago;
Reasons for being more than 12 months old:
- Awaiting additional information (including CIAs)	12
- Consultation with affected parties/stakeholders	4
- On-hold pending new rules becoming operative	6
- Other	7
Ÿ 20 were received between 6 and 12 months ago (most awaiting further information from the applicant);
Ÿ 138 less than 6 months.

Appointment of Hearing Commissioners

No commissioners were appointed in May 2022.

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

The current level of notified application processing activities at the end of May 2022 is (by number):

Ÿ Applications Publicly/Limited Notified During Previous Month	1
Ÿ Progress on Applications Previously Notified	4
Ÿ Hearings and Decisions	0
Ÿ Appeals/Objections	2

COMPLIANCE MONITORING

The results of compliance monitoring for the period 1 – 31 May 2022 (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	34	28	4	0	0	2
Bore Consent	9	8	1	0	0	0
Coastal Discharge	25	18	5	2	0	0
Coastal Permit	131	64	23	30	7	7
Land Discharge	179	81	41	10	1	46
Land Use Consent	154	85	1	0	0	68
Water Discharge	116	78	17	9	2	10
Water Permit	95	60	2	0	0	33
Water Take	232	136	62	8	0	26
Total	975	558	156	59	10	192
Percentage		57.2%	16.0%	6.1%	1.0%	19.7%
Year to date	6477	4482	816	427	77	675
Percentage		69.2%	12.6%	6.6%	1.2%	10.4%

Coastal

Compliance reports following monitoring inspections for all marine farms were provided to consent holders. Follow-up enforcement action on marine farms will now be prioritised where moderate to significant non-compliances were recorded. Final coastal structure inspections for the Far North were undertaken and reporting on coastal permit inspections to consent holders was ongoing.

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

Ÿ Contaminated Land Management

Nine incidents involving the discharge of hazardous substances and 17 enquiries regarding contaminated land were received and responded to. 320kg of hazardous waste was disposed of at the amnesty day, and 5 sites were added to the Selected Land-Use Register.

· Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

WWTP/Consent Status	Issues (June 2022)	Enforcement Action/Response
Far North District
Ahipara Expires 2033	Ongoing non-compliance with bacteriological consent limits	Under AN FNDC investigating land disposal options; UV system to be installed in 2022/2023 to reduce bacteriological concentrations
Hihi Expires 30 November 2022	No recent issues; replacement consent application yet to be received	None currently
Kāeo Expires 31 October 2022	No recent issues; replacement consent application yet to be received	None currently
Kaikohe Expired 30 November 2021; Replacement consent application in process	Intermittent non-compliances with ADW flow, ammonia & bacteriological consent limits. System overdue for de-sludging	None currently Issues will be addressed in replacement consent
Kaitaia Expired 30 November 2021; Replacement consent application in process	No recent issues; FNDC discussing with iwi/hapu potential consent conditions	Under AN (reticulation overflows) Issues will be addressed in replacement consent
Kawakawa Expires 2036	No recent issues	None currently
Kerikeri Expires 2036	No obvious issues from new plant (commissioned in December 2020)	Under AN
Kohukohu Expired 2016; Replacement consent application on hold	Occasional issues with bacteriological conditions of consent; CIA still awaited before public notification occurs	None currently
Opononi & Ōmāpere Expired 2019; Replacement consent application publicly notified and on hold	Non-compliances with bacteriological consent limits; desludging overdue; still intended to jointly process with Kohukohu replacement consent application	Under AN Issues will be addressed in replacement consent; desludging to be undertaken
Paihia Expires 2034	Plant upgraded 2019; alkalinity issues preventing optimal ammonia treatment	None currently Alkalinity improvement project still in progress
Rangiputa Expires 2032	No recent issues	None currently
Rāwene Expires 2023	System overdue for de-sludging	Infringement notices issued in February 2022 in relation to a discharge from the reticulation
Russell Expires 2024	Occasional non-compliances with E. coli consent limit post UV	Under AN Infringement notices issued January 2022
Taipā Expires 2029	No recent issues	None currently
Whatuwhiwhi Expires 2025	Elevated TSS levels (consent limit may be unnecessarily restrictive)	FNDC to seek consent variation to address TSS levels – however this is not a priority
Whangarei District
Hikurangi Expires 2025	Intermittent issues with plant performance	None currently Plant performance being reviewed to identify improvements
Ngunguru Expires 2035	No recent issues	None currently
Ōākura Expires 2025	Occasional spikes in E. coli	None currently
Portland Expires 2024	No recent issues	None currently
Ruakākā Expires 2046	No recent issues	None currently
Tutukaka Expires 2024	No recent issues	None currently
Waiōtira Expires 2030	No recent issues	None currently
Waipū Expires 2030	No recent issues	None currently
Whāngārei City Expired 30 April 2022; Replacement consent application in process	Odour issues; replacement consent application received and will be publicly notified shortly	Abatement notice issued requiring actions to be implemented to mitigate the odour emanating from the treatment plant
Kaipara District
Dargaville Expires 30 June 2022: Replacement consent application in process	Non-compliances with WQ discharge volume consent limits, replacement consent application received	Under AN
Glinks Gully Expires 2024	No recent issues	None currently
Kaiwaka Expires 31 October 2022	No recent issues; replacement consent application yet to be received	None currently
Mangawhai Expires 2042	Odour complaints and occasional exceedances of TDS consent limit	Under AN
Maungaturoto Expires 2032	Intermittent non-compliances, generally due to high rainfall	Under AN
Te Kopuru Expires 2044	Intermittent minor non-compliances	Second aerator installed 2020

Environmental Incidents

There were no environmental incidents reported in May which resulted in a significant environmental impact.

ENFORCEMENT

Abatement Notices, Infringement Notices and Formal Warnings

The following is a summary of the abatement and infringement notices issued:

Action Type	Number
Abatement Notice	14
Infringement Notice	3

Other Enforcement

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. Witnesses from both sides gave evidence in court on 25 May 2022. Then the next step is to file submissions by June 2022. The set date for the decision to be released is 4 July 2022 at 10am.

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. According to the doctors’ reports confirming that the farm owner has mental health issues, the judge concluded the farm owner is to be discharged under section 25(1)(d) of the Criminal Procedure (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act. The case is concluded with no order for costs to the NRC.

· Vessel occupying CMA & removal of asbestos from CMA – Town Basin, Whangārei

An enforcement order was applied for on 23 November 2021 against an individual for occupying the coastal marine with a boat without consent, and for reimbursement of costs associated with work to remove and dispose of cladding material containing asbestos that had been deposited within the coastal marine area. A settlement on these matters was reached and has been executed.

· Earthworks & vegetation clearance within a wetland – Teal Bay

Charges were laid in the Whangarei District Court on 7 December 2021 against four parties for offences that occurred in December 2020. The offences relate to unconsented earthworks within wetland. NRC will put a proposal to the defendants’ lawyers for negotiation in charges.

8.2.5 ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

land management

Sustainable Hill Country and Regional Priorities

Milestones

Status

Farm Environment Plans (FEPs)

A change in process and reporting template from Farm Environment Plans to Soil Conservation Plans resulted in a slow start to the completion of plans. Consequently, by the middle of the year we had underdelivered on the number of plans/hectares covered leaving us in a position of playing catchup. A late flurry of completed plans (particularly large farms) meant we have now met the hectare target by completing 85 plans covering 27,864ha (100% of hectare target achieved).

Poplar and Willow nursery

Objective

Status

Harvest

Harvest is underway with delivery scheduled for later this month. We have orders for 8,440 subsidised poplar and willow trees, exceeding our 7000 target (120% of target achieved). We have additional demand for 1009 trees for non-erosion control purposes such as shelter belts and livestock shade. These trees will be supplied at full price if there is stock remaining after the subsidised tree orders for soil conservation purposes have been satisfied.

Whangārei urban awa project

Key updates for this project:

· The deed variation to include the Otaika catchment and extend the timeframe until January 2024 has been signed by both parties.

· The Year 3 annual work plan and Year 2 Quarter 3 report have been accepted by MFE.

· Planting projects continue to lag behind the projected KPI. There are currently only three projects approved for this planting season. The extension of the project into the Otaika catchment will hopefully improve this.

· The recruitment process to replace the previous Project Manager has been completed, with an internal applicant successful. Having a full-time team member focusing on this project again will help extend the outreach to landowners and achieve KPI’s.

biodiversity

Māori Partnerships

The Roto Tapokapoka Tūhono Wānanga (Dune Lakes Partnerships Wānanga) was held at Lake Waikare, in the Te Roroa rohe of Kai Iwi Lakes. This was considered a landmark wānanga, a first in gathering around 40 kaitiaki from 6 different hapū and iwi together to connect, build relationships and develop a vision for our dune lake taonga. With the FIF Dune Lakes Project is in its final year, we explored how hapū and iwi would like to work with NRC to look after dune lakes and what a partnership might look like moving forward. Each region shared their aspirations and expectations while learning practical monitoring skills and sharing understandings about the ecology and cultural significance of ngā roto in Te Tai Tokerau. Feedback has been very positive from each of the iwi/hapū that came.

Aquatic weed and pest fish control

Staff removed 107 invasive tench (Tinca tinca) from Lake Kapoai, Te Koporu. Adult tench had a mean length of 402mm and a mean weight of 0.85kg. A wider range of net mesh sizes were used compared to previous attempts and this was successful in targeting adult tench, providing insight into the size range of tench in the lake.

CoastCare

Biodiversity staff held a field trip with Renew School year science 13 students, which followed a pre visit lesson earlier in the week to introduce dune ecology, function and monitoring methods. We started with a 5-minute bird count, checked lizard shelters and then measured the four vegetations transects set up last year. The school has been set up as a site admin on the coastal monitoring database and will be entering the vegetation data collected.

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Dune monitoring with Renew School: checking lizard shelters, vegetation monitoring and five-minute bird count

A group of people working in a field

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Wetlands

Council staff continue to work with MWLR, as part of an Envirolink funded project, to identify what enhancements would be required to councils current wetland monitoring programme to meet the requirements of the NPS-FM.

Biodiversity staff are part of the Kaimaumau Ecosystem Technical Advisory Group (TAG) advising a multi-agency Governance Group on recovery of the wetland after a major fire swept through the area over summer. A site visit was made with mana whenua, Department of Conservation, and ecologists from the TAG considering issues around weed spread, drains, threatened species management and restoration opportunities

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Motutangi drain running through the Kaimaumau Wetland with firebreak and weedy wattle regeneration.

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Regeneration of native species in a heavily burnt area of manuka peat bog.

Natural resources

Coastal/Water Quality Operations

· Consultation with tangata whenua on new water quality State of the Environment sampling sites is being undertaken.

· Quarterly litter surveys were undertaken at Hātea and Onerahi sites (results pending). An additional four sites were also included (Church Bay, Pacific Bay, Matapōuri and Sandy Bay), all of which returned low yields of plastic pollution.

· All freshwater continuous water quality monitoring stations have been installed as per the recent monitoring network review and LTP budget. These stations collect data every 15 minutes, providing a wealth of information on the water quality of the site.

Natural Resources Science

Air quality and carbon emission

· Comparison of council’s CO₂-e (carbon dioxide equivalent) monthly emissions between 2021 and 2022 is presented in the graph below. The council’s monthly carbon emission in 2022 recorded lower than 2021 emission. The decreased emission in 2022 is attributed to the current COVID-19 restrictions. The graph is based on live data and therefore the figures for the last few months are subject to change.

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Freshwater quality

· The contract for procuring a LiDAR based high resolution digital river network (DRN) model with the Water Technology NZ Ltd is progressing well. The Rivers team is providing technical assistance.

· The draft GIS layers for the Northern Wairoa catchment has been reviewed and the deliverables are due by mid-June 2022.

Map

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An example snapshot of DRN catchments (dark grey lines) with river lines at 2ha (dark blue), and 0.2ha (light blue) scales in Tangiterōria. Dark brown dots indicate start and end points of each river segment. The yellow jagged lines are currently available coarser catchments (i.e. NIWA river network model).

· A river water quality workshop was presented by the Freshwater and Monitoring team to the Year 11 students from Whangārei Boys High School in the beginning of May, which received positive feedback from the school.

· Works related to the development of a NEMS (National Environmental and Monitoring Standards) protocol for sampling and processing planktonic cyanobacteria are ongoing. This NEMS protocol will mainly focus on lakes to assist in implementing the NPS-FM cyanobacteria attributes. The final draft of this NEMS protocol is currently being reviewed by the NEMS working group.

Natural Resources Data

· Data automation project for processing continuous data:

The contract for services for Phase 1 “feasibility and discovery” of the project is being finalised with Orbica Limited. This initial phase will involve regular workshops and meetings with Orbica Limited to define the needs, complete a gap analysis at NRC and understand the current data processing and handling methods. The contract for services for Phase 2 “Planning, Research & Development” will be finalised by the end of June 2022.

· The data team has contracted a consultant from HyQuest Solutions to help us with the final phases of the implementation of the KiEco biological database and historical data import.

Hydrology

Rainfall

· May 2022 was drier than normal.

· Overall autumn was a classic La Niña rainfall distribution across the region, with wetter than normal conditions on the East and dry to the North and the West.

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Rivers

· River flows generally reflect rainfall distribution across the region. The Kaihū and the Awanui Rivers are quite low for this time of year (note though, that flows are categorised relative to time of year, so flows are not as low as typical summer conditions; there are no water resourcing concerns).

· Most rivers on the east recorded “Normal” or “Above Normal” flows.

Groundwater

Groundwater levels continue to be categorised as “Normal” to “Above Normal”

POLICY AND PLANNING

Review of the Regional Policy Statement

Work is underway on the 5 yearly review of the RPS required under section 35 of the RMA. MTAG has selected a consultant to assist them in providing input to the review from a tangata whenua perspective and the district councils have had an initial briefing on the process. The project will be completed by the end of the year ready for consideration when the new council is convened and available for decision making.

Proposed Regional Plan Appeals

Staff continue to work towards resolving the remaining appeals on a range of topics. Key points arising since the last report are:

· Council is due to report progress to the Court on topics 1 (coastal activities), 6 (damming and diverting water and land drainage), 10 (infrastructure, energy, and natural hazards) and 1A (vehicles on beaches) by 30 June. If appeals remain unresolved after 30 June, council staff will confer with parties and request that these matters be set down for a hearing.

· In January’s CEO report staff advised that the Environment Court approved the process for mapping Outstanding Natural Landscapes in the Coastal Marine Area. Part of this process was to map cultural landscapes of significance to Tangata Whenua with support of a consultant with expertise in engagement with Tangata Whenua and Landscape Architecture. Unfortunately, staff were not successful in securing the required expertise within the allocated budget. At the time of writing, a workshop with council was scheduled for 21 June to discuss the next steps for councils before seeking direction from the Environment Court on how to proceed.

Freshwater Plan Change

Staff gave a presentation to key stakeholders (e.g., District Councils, Northland DHB, Fish and Game, Doc, Forest & Bird) on our freshwater plan change process, freshwater framework, and the opportunity for these parties to engage at this point in the freshwater plan change process.

Staff also met with Auckland Regional Council staff to discuss our respective freshwater plan change processes, particularly our alignment of planning provisions in the Kaipara catchment.

The NIWA mitigation scenario and costing information will be presented to the next Primary Sector Liaison Group meeting (21 June).

A meeting has been scheduled for 15 July with the ‘Wai Māori Group’ - a subgroup of the iwi members of ILGACE (Iwi and Local Government Chief Executives).

Staff will be presenting to the executive management team of Te Rūnanga-A-Iwi O Ngāpuhi on 22 June.

TTMAC approved the ‘Stage 1’ report prepared by the Tangata Whenua Water Advisory Group (TWWAG) at their 9 June meeting. The Stage 1 report sets out freshwater matauranga Māori to set the foundation for TWWAGs development of recommended freshwater planning provisions.

8.2.6 BIOSECURITY

WILD ANIMAL CONTROL

Feral deer

· Deer farm escape: A lone deer escape reported from a Paparoa deer farm was resolved with the farmer and council working together to recapture a young stag. However, continued surveillance with game cameras (left in situ after the recapture), have identified a further escapee – a red hind still on the outside of the fence. Council staff are continuing to work with the farmer to recapture the escapee.

A second deer identified by game camera
still outside the fence of the Paparoa deer farm.

· Reported fallow deer release: Extensive enquiries into the report of 20 fallow deer released at the Tangihua Range have produced no evidence to support the report after several days of investigation. The release information came from word of mouth that the liberation occurred rather than an actual sighting of the animals. Regardless of this, a leaflet drop to residents has been undertaken around the location.

· Kaitāia fallow deer sighting: A reported fallow deer sighting near Kaitāia last month is being followed up by the deer response contractor using thermal surveillance, tracker dogs and ground hunting. There are historic reports going back to 2020 of the fallow deer sightings in the area so it appears there is a small herd there. There are 19 landowners who have given permission to respond in the vicinity.

Feral pigs

There has been a small number of enquiries in relation to access to council pig traps as winter sets in and pig damage to pasture and sightings increase.

FRESHWATER PESTS

· Grass carp removal, Lake Swan: A grass carp removal operation at Lake Swan on the Poutō Peninsula involved setting 32 gill nets over two days and captured 11 grass carp.

· Tench removal, Lake Kapoai: A joint Biosecurity-Biodiversity operation to remove tench from Lake Kapoai on the Poutō Peninsula was conducted over 2½ days and removed 117 tench.

Tench removal, Lake Kapoai, Te Kōpuru; (clockwise from top left):
Setting gill nets, field examination of removed tench, measuring tench, Lake Kapoai, some of the 117 removed fish.

KAURI PROTECTION

Waitangi marae wānanga

A council kauri protection officer arranged a wānanga for approximately 20 rangatahi at Waitangi marae. Biosecurity officers presented topics including kauri protection, pest animals, pest plants, Predator Free 2050 and marine biosecurity. The young people were very engaged and the possibility for extending this to a day of practical application was discussed for further opportunities such as this in the future.

Waitangi Treaty Ground hygiene stations

Discussions are underway with Waitangi Treaty Ground staff and the Ministry for Primary Industries regarding installation of hygiene stations at the grounds and advocacy for kauri protection.

PARTNERSHIPS

Northland Regional Council – Kiwi Coast partnership

· Annual Regional Pest Control Workshop: For the first time the wānanga was an online workshop (or “Zui”). The online workshop was well received with 176 people registered from Northland, wider New Zealand and even Australia, Europe, and USA! Topics covered were based on three themes of “Northland Research and Results”, ‘Perspectives and Projects’, and “Trappers and Tools”. The online workshop was very well received by participants and received a lot of unsolicited positive feedback which is best summed up as “brilliant job”.

Kiwi Link High Value Area

· Pest control results 2021: Pest control results for 2021 have been collated with a grand total of 9,038 pest removed during the year. Over half the total pest (4,598) were possums, of which over half (2,830) were trapped by the Owhiwa Landcare and Whareora Landcare groups. In the five years the Kiwi Link project has been running a total of 36,487 pests have been removed from the project area.

Whangārei Heads High Value Area

· Annual kiwi call count: The annual kiwi count is well under way with keen counters at most of the 20 sites throughout the Whangārei Heads area counting kiwi calls and working out approximate kiwi locations. The call counting period started well with a good week of calm weather, but the wind, rain, and surf noise (and busy lives) are making things tricky for those trying to finish their four nights counting.

Tutukaka High Value Area

· Predator control: Whilst possum catches have generally decreased since January, the high value area’s total catch for2020-2021 is 1,026.

· Biodiversity – uncommon species: A special kākā sighting was made in Sandy Bay in mid-May (Figure 2.), in an area where they have not been seen before. It is hoped that these sightings are an indicator of the habitat improvements being achieved.

A special kaka sighting in Sandy Bay.

Tānekaha Community Pest Control Area

A scheduled transmitter change for Ellis the kiwi in the Tānekaha Community Pest Control Area provided the opportunity for kiwi liaison with Ngāti Hau.

A Ngāti hau member with Ellis the kiwi
at his transmitter change.

PREDATOR FREE

Predator Free Whangārei

· Project area activities: The project has been busy with continuous servicing of traps and bait stations in Working Block 1 and surrounding areas. Both possums and kiwi are being detected by trail cameras in the project area.


Whangārei Heads PF2050 project trail camera detections since August 2021 of possums (left - red) and kiwi (right – green).

MARINE BIOSECURITY

Hull surveillance

In the past month, divers surveyed 372 vessels as part of the hull surveillance programme with an additional 20 vessels surveyed by kaitiaki using a pole camera. Most vessels surveyed were based in berths at either Marsden Cove Marina or Ōpua Marina. There was 18 incidents of Sabella spallanzanii (Mediterranean fanworm), two incidents of Styela clava (clubbed tunicate) and 58 incidents of Eudistoma elongatum (Australian droplet tunicate) found on vessel hulls. Eudistoma elongatum were present in small buds which is typical for this time of year because of colder water temperatures. Most incidents where S. spallanzanii was found located on vessels were determined to be local recruitment and were removed by divers. However, one detection was the result of a vessel moving when it was unclean and arriving infected with Sabella- the owner was subsequently directed to haul and clean and this was undertaken the following day at the owner’s cost. In addition, there were two incidents of Clavelina lepadiformis (lightbulb ascidian) at Marsden Cove Marina where this species is known to be present.

Table 1: Hull Surveillance Programme Results to 9 June 2022

Hull Surveillance Programme Results	Total this period	Total YTD
Pathways Plan Compliance if Moving*
Number of vessels surveyed this period	392	1999
% Pathways Plan Compliance if Moving (all vessels) *	53.1	52.5
Vessels found with Marine Pests
Sabella spallanzanii (fanworm)	18	59
Styela clava (clubbed tunicate)	2	47
Undaria pinnatifida (Japanese kelp)	0	0
Eudistoma elongatum (Australian droplet tunicate)	58	86
Pyura doppelgangera (sea squirt)	0	0

* This is the percentage of vessels surveyed that complied with the acceptable level of ‘light fouling’ as defined in the Marine Pathway Plan. Note: actual compliance is higher given not all these vessels will move from one designated place to another.

Hutchwilco Boat Show

Council marine biosecurity staff attended the Hutchwilco Boat Show in Auckland alongside colleagues from the Top of the North Marine Biosecurity Partnership (DOC, MPI, Auckland Council, Gisborne District Council, and Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Hawkes Bay regional councils). This event provides an excellent opportunity to engage with boaties from all regions about the importance of keeping vessels clean and communicate important, up to date information about current marine biosecurity issues.

Top of the North staff explaining identification tips for
marine pests to visitors at the Hutchwilco Boat Show

Student Seminars

Marine biosecurity staff have continued engagement with both the Bay of Islands College and NorthTec students studying management of environmental and biodiversity issues. The Papa Taiao class at Bay of Islands College aims to have a marine biosecurity focus on their upcoming assessment, using Mediterranean fanworm in Ōpua as a case study. Students will use eDNA sampling to delimit the current population of this pest thus adding a valuable element to council’s ongoing efforts. NorthTec students will also take a more analytical approach to marine biosecurity by working with staff to assess gaps and challenges faced by those working in Biosecurity in New Zealand.

Top of the North Webinar Series

Council marine biosecurity staff, along with other council representatives from the Top of the North (TON) partnership, presented a webinar about marine pests in the Top of North region. The webinar attracted more than 40 participants from all over New Zealand who were engaged and encouraged about the progress the TON collaboration has made in recent years. The webinar series (jointly coordinated by TON and the Top of the South partnerships) has been running for most of the year, attracting hundreds of viewers. The series has provided accurate and accessible information to boat owners, regulators, treaty partners and important stakeholders about marine biosecurity issues and the progress Aotearoa has made in this space.

PEST PLANTS

Eradication Plants

· Batwing passionflower: The Kamo bush blocks grid search and control rounds are nearly complete and are on track for completion in early June.

· Spartina: A drone survey of inlet in the Whangārei and Kaipara Harbours has been conducted to identify new infestation areas. Results of the survey will be available in June.

Progressive containment plants

The resumption of fieldworks has allowed a much-needed catchup on inspections that had fallen behind schedule.

· Mile a minute: Five reports generated by a recent mailout at Bayleys Beach were followed up with a further 16 new infestation sites identified in the extended survey area.

· Manchurian wild rice: The second round of Manchurian wild rice control is 95% complete and are on track for completion by mid-June. The quarterly report to the Ministry for Primary Industries has also been completed.

· Manchurian wild rice infestation – Matakohe forestry block:
An infestation of wild rice was found in a forestry block in Matakohe early in the new year. The infestation has been treated twice with pleasing results.

Treatment of a Matakohe forestry block Manchurian wild rice infestation
is showing good results.

Sustained control plants

Staff continue to work through the backlog of sustained control pest plant species requests that built up whilst Covid-19 restrictions impacted on delivery of this work. A total of 13 notices of direction were in different stages of enforcement during the month.

8.2.7 GOVERNANCE AND ENGAGEMENT

MĀORI ENGAGEMENT

Te Whāriki Core Cultural Competency Programme

As an ongoing commitment to develop staff and council cultural competency a Level 1 Te Whariki workshop was facilitated by the Kaiarahi Kaupapa Maori for new council staff at Terenga Paraoa Marae on May 16, 2022.


Facilitators David Tapine presenting importance of te reo Māori me ōna waiata o Te Taitokerau.

Te Tiriti Health Check

This work is progressing well for recommendations to be provided to council by August 2022. This will be conducted in Partnership with TTMAC to guide and advise the process alongside independent contractors as noted below:

Independent contractors Paul Beverley, Buddle Findlay and Tai Ahu, Whaia Legal have been engaged to work at Governance, Executive Leadership Team and TTMAC with leadership in the process provided by the tangata whenua caucus of TTMAC.

A full staff survey is being worked on and due to go live shortly aligned with the Te Arawhiti framework and its recommendations.

Analysis and recommendations will be provided by independent contractors focused on areas of development as identified by TTMAC which include Governance, Relationships with Maori, service design and delivery.

Kete of resources developed and shared end May with iwi, hapū and promoted via appropriate communications platforms.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Investment and Growth Reserve – Projects Report

Project	Update	Future developments/ reporting
REL	Received draft repayment proposal. Made changes following council workshop and discussion with lawyers and provided revision back to Maher Jammal.	Waiting for response from Jammal.
Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery	Received final project costings and marketing report as per funding agreement.	Completed.

Other Work Undertaken

Ÿ Water storage – Council workshops held to present investment options of the Kaipara and Mid-North water storahe schemes being developed by the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust. Multiple discussions were held in preparation for this with members of the Trust and Tupu Tonu.

Ÿ Walking and Cycling – Led meeting of key stakeholders (district councils, Waka Kotahi, DoC, WAC, Bike Northland, Te Araroa Northland Trust, etc) on implementation of the Strategy.

Ÿ Digital – Provided briefing to the Northland Mayoral Forum on various digital-related actions including information for the hope-to-soon-be-arranged meeting with the Minister.

Ÿ Land Use Geospatial Layer Project – RFP was published on GETS on 17 May, and answers to questions provided. Tender closes Monday 13 June.

Ÿ TTMAC – Assisted with organising an update on economic development to be provided to TTMAC by Northland Inc members.

Ÿ CLUES scenarios and costings – Continued working with the Policy and Planning Team on scenario costings and additional scenario options.

ONLINE CHANNELS

Most popular content on Facebook: Facebook post of congratulations for our Marketing and Engagement Manager, Natasha Stubbing. Co-winning the Taituarā — Local Government Professionals Aotearoa Emerging Leader Award (26 May 2022). Reaching 4,434 customers with engagement of 808.

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

Key Performance Indicators	Jan-22	Feb-22	Mar-22	Apl-22	May-22
WEB
# Visits to the NRC website	41,600	34,400	35,900	37,900	31,600
E-payments made	7	16	14	7	11
# subscription customers (cumulative)	1,263	1,385	1,378	1,368	1,366
SOCIAL MEDIA (CUMULATIVE)
# Twitter followers	1,567	1,566	1,564	1,570	1,580
# NRC Facebook fans	10,510	10,600	10,600	10,600	10,700
# NRC Overall Facebook Reach	157,700	207,200	189,900	62,700	44,000
# NRC Engaged Daily Users	2,755	4,807	8,442	3,838	3,507
# CDEM Facebook fans	26,117	26,200	26,300	26,300	26,300
# CDEM Overall Facebook Reach	214,100	171,100	103,300	111,100	37,000
# CDEM Engaged Daily Users	26,600	19,500	5,564	7,168	1,895
# Instagram followers	1,488	1,506	1,520	1,526	1,540

ENVIROSCHOOLS / EDUCATION

Enviroschools’ sustainability milestones celebrated
On 4 May, Cr Jack Craw arrived on his bike to Geckos Early Learning Centre to celebrate them becoming a Bronze Enviroschool. They are enjoying a ‘wild’ area housing lizards and insects, growing their own kai and creating a uniquely-Aotearoa space of plants and structures. The centre looks forward to further exploring te ao Māori through pūrākau and ngā atua.

On 9 May, Renew School also celebrated becoming a Bronze Enviroschool with Cr Jack Craw. The students’ plant and animal pest control mahi, stream studies and involvement in the wider community is admirable.

On 23 May Cr Joce Yeoman joined in Oromahoe School’s Enviroschools Silver celebration. This school community includes a junior class of skink experts, meaningfully embraces te ao Māori with embedded tikanga and looks forward to exploring leadership at all levels of the school.

Teachers pest control workshop held
On 24 May, 20 teachers gathered to learn more about using trapping hardware, how to integrate pest control into the curriculum and how to help their local ngahere thrive. The Enviroschools and Biosecurity teams ran the workshop in conjunction with Tiakina Whangarei and the Pukenui Forest Trust.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

2022 Whakamānawa ā Taiao Environmental Awards

Winners of the fourth annual Whakamānawa ā Taiao Environmental Awards were announced on Thursday 26 May, at a celebration in Dargaville attended by over 150 finalists and supporters.

The 2022 overall winner of Te Tohu Matua - Supreme Award went to Te Kotahitanga e Mahi Kaha Trust - Project Ngā Wai Ora o Ngāpuhi for their community focused restoration of waterways around Kaikohe. The project won the Environmental Action in Water Quality Improvement award and also placed Highly Commended in the Kaitiakitanga category.

The 2022 category winners are:

Ÿ Environmental action in the community - Vision Kerikeri and Friends of Wairoa Stream

Ÿ Environmental action in pest management - Kerikeri Peninsula Conservation Charitable Trust

Ÿ Environmental action in education - Tangiteroria School

Ÿ Environmental action in water quality improvement - Te Kotahitanga e Mahi Kaha Trust - Project Ngā Wai Ora o Ngāpuhi

Ÿ Environmental leadership - Hori Parata

Ÿ Kaitiakitanga - Te Toa Whenua

Ÿ Youth environmental leader - Curtis Robinson & Jayden Edwards - Junior Fishery Officers.

Also new in 2022 is the Kiwi Coast Outstanding group or project award, recognising high achieving Northland groups and projects who have proven their commitment to restoring the health of their local native forests and wildlife, including kiwi. This special award has been introduced to broaden the reach of the awards and to support NRC partners to celebrate and recognise mahi specific to their core focus.

The Kiwi Coast Outstanding Group or Project Award went to Bay Bush Action.

More information about the Whakamānawa ā Taiao Environmental Awards programme, details of all the winners and photos from the awards celebration is available at awards.nrc.govt.nz. A full-page spread will also feature in the Northern Advocate in late June.

Emerging Leader Award

Our Marketing & Engagement Manager, Natasha Stubbing, has been named one of two winners of the AskYourTeam Emerging Leader of the Year Award at the 2022 LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards.

The award recognizes an emerging leader, aged 35 or under, who has a proven track record of designing or delivering innovative and successful programmes, projects, processes or practices with an identifiable community impact.

As her prize, Natasha will travel with the Taituarā President and Chief Executive to the ICMA Conference in Columbus, Ohio in September this year.

2022 Tū i te Ora Scholarship winners

The eight recipients of Northland Regional Council's Tū i te Ora Scholarships programme for 2022 were confirmed as: Aya Morris, Fern Donovan, Josh Otene, Maria Secker, Rosa Harper, Shavonne Toko, Taiawhio Wati, and Tayla Bamber. Each received $3000 toward their tertiary studies.

More details on the winners and what they are studying can be found here: https://www.nrc.govt.nz/our-northland/story/?id=74458

Communications

Ÿ Communications issued in May included seven media releases covering the following topics:

Ÿ Duck shooters, eel fishers asked to help stop weed spread

Ÿ Air Force to help Piroa/Brynderwyn conservation work

Ÿ ‘Wallaby’ spotted in Kaipara likely a hare

Ÿ First region-wide climate adaptation strategy adopted in Northland

Ÿ Eight $3000 Tū i te ora Scholarships awarded

Ÿ Young leader recognised at national awards

Ÿ Project Nga Wai Ora ō Ngāpuhi named Whakamānawa ā Taiao

LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL INFORMATION (LGOIMA) REQUESTS

Total LGOIMAs	Apr 2020 to May 2021	Apr 2021 to May 2022
Total LGOIMAs	14	16
Number of LGOIMAs not responded to within 20 working days		0

CUSTOMER SERVICES

Telephone inbound call statistics and enquiries

	Mar 2022	April 2022	May 2022
Call volume via Customer Services	2254	1847	2072
Average wait time	7.6 secs	5.4 secs	7.8 secs

Telephone call volume over the last three years

	1 July 2018 – 30 June 2019	1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020	1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021
Call volume via Customer Services	20,812	30,566	31,130

Mailroom email processing performance

	March	April	May
Mail processed	851	716	913

Satisfaction monitoring

No compliments in the month of May.

The complaint is being resolved

Feedback cards, compliments, and complaints

Compliments received	Total
Feedback cards	0
Total compliments recorded	0

Complaints received	Total
Ÿ City Link	1
Total complaints recorded	1

8.2.8 COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

TRANSPORT

REGIONAL TRANSPORT PLANNING

Speed Limit Rule

Settings of Speed Limit Rule

A new Setting of Speed Limits Rule came into effect on 19 May 2022. This new Rule replaces the 2017 Rule and creates a new focus on speed management and promotes a regionwide approach to setting safe and appropriate speeds on both the local and State Highway network.

Regional Speed Management Plans

The purpose of the Regional Speed Management Plan is to ensure regional consistency in the approach to setting safe and appropriate speed limits. The Plans are also intended to enable better integration of speed management with infrastructure investment by aligning with the RLTP.

The District Council, as a Road Controlling Authority (RCA) has the principal role of identifying proposed speed limits. This includes undertaking the technical assessment of the proposed speed limit that ensures the proposed limits are compliant with the technical requirements set out in the new Rule and must be considered under the Rule.

The Regional Transport Committee (RTC) has a role to prepare the Consultation Draft Regional Speed Management Plan. This includes:

· Compiling the information received from the District Councils into a single cohesive plan.

· Determining if the approaches to speed limits across the region are consistent and working with the RCA’s to make appropriate changes to ensure consistency.

· Provide the Regional Council with the Consultation Draft.

The RTC role is principally that of coordinator, editor and approver of the Draft Speed Management Plan. Once finalised, the RTC is responsible for providing the Draft Plan to the Director of Waka Kotahi for certification.

The Regional Council has a new role to facilitate public consultation on the Draft Plan. Consultation includes but is not limited to publishing the Plan and accepting written submissions.

PASSENGER TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION

*Bus Link 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 April 2022   (revenue ex GST)	Actual	Budget	Variance	Year/Date Actual	Year/Date Budgeted	Variance
CityLink passengers	20,577	25,289	4,712	223,410	264,040	40,630
CityLink fares	$23,996	$32,623	$8,627	$249,835	$340,612	$90,777
Mid North link  passengers	99	96	3	1,370	1,464	94
Mid North Link  fares	$354	$480	$126	$5,033	$7,320	$2,287
Hokianga Link  passengers	66	48	18	730	726	4
Hokianga Link  fares	$410	$334	$76	$3,865	$5,760	$1,895
Far North Link  passengers	276	377	101	2,342	3,823	1,481
Far North Link  fares	$553	$954	$401	$5,615	$9,671	$4,056
Bream Bay Link passengers	73	24	49	465	258	207
Bream Bay Link  fares collected	$502	$87	$415	$2,831	$929	$1,902
Hikurangi Link  passengers	22	24	2	199	246	47
Hikurangi Link  fares	$58	$63	$5	$478	$673	$195

Bus Link stats for May 2022 (revenue ex GST)	Actual	Budget	Variance	Year/Date Actual	Year/Date Budgeted	Variance
CityLink Passengers	31,953	27,027	4,926	255,287	291,067	35,780
CityLink Revenue	$36,130 *	$34,865	$1,266	$305,637	$375,476	-$69,839
Mid North Link Passengers	228	108	120	1598	1572	26
Mid North Link Revenue	$893*	$540	$353	$5,787	$7,860	$2,073
Hokianga Link Passengers	94	54	40	828	780	48
Hokianga Link Revenue	$367 *	$376	-$9	$4,410	$5,426	$1,016
Far North Link Passengers	334	405	-71	2,676	4,227	1,551
Far North Link Revenue	$710 *	$1,024	-$314	$5,920	$10,695	$4,775
Bream Bay Link Passengers	38	24	14	503	282	221
Bream Bay Link Revenue	$312 *	$86	$226	$2,987	$1,015	$1,972
Hikurangi Link Passengers	5	24	-19	204	270	-66
Hikurangi Link Revenue	$14*	$63	-$56	$485	$735	-$250

* = 50% Farebox + 50% Waka Kotahi

*The fares collected are recorded at 50% actual fares taken + the 50% funded by Waka Kotahi (to be claimed)

Waka Kotahi have stated that the government's COVID-19 Farebox Recovery Funding Policy will be terminated on 30 June 2022. Staff will be working on the potential financial impact that move may have on all Northland Regional Council contracted bus services.

National Bus Driver Shortage

The national driver shortage continues to have an impact on our Citylink services with the current CityLink contractor being unable to provide the necessary levels to implement our proposed School Services.

Half Price Fares

There was a definite increase in passengers carried during the month of May due in large to the half price fares. However, this government initiative, which has been open to all passengers, will cease at the end of August 2022 and will only be available to Community Card holders.

Rose Street Bus Terminus Upgrade

The Stage 1 project for the upgrade of the Rose Street bus terminus is scheduled for completion at the end of June 2022. The CityLink service bus stops will then move back from their temporary location in Vine Street.

Youth Week – Free CityLink buses

Northland Regional Council teamed up with Whangarei Youth Space and Whangarei District Council to provide free bus passes for Youth week 9-14 May 2022, to encourage our youth to try public transport, this resulted in 562 free tickets being presented.

Total Mobility (TM)

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

Total Clients

Monthly Actual Expend

Monthly Budgeted Expend

Monthly Variance

Year/Date Actual Expend

Year/Date Budgeted Expend

Annual Variance

April 2022

1,284

$20,710

$25,000

-$4,290

$193,229

$250,000

-$56,771

Total Mobility half price fares

From Friday 1 April 2022 until Wednesday 31 August 2022, Total Mobility journeys will have an additional discount applied to the already subsidised fare. This has been made available as part of the Government’s 50% public transport Initiative. These fares are 100% claimable from Waka Kotahi, for the month of April, the fares forgone were $10,305, making the sum of Total Mobility figures - $31,015. This government initiative will cease at the end of August 2022.

Total Mobility Scheme – Far North

NRC staff continue to work on the Far North Total Mobility Scheme, going live 1 July. The Far North District Council endorsed the development of a Total Mobility Scheme as one of the planning activities in its “Far North District Council Integrated Transport Plan”. $31,000 local share to assist the NRC in the development of trial Total Mobility services in 2022 has been included in the Far North District Council Long Term Plan 2021-2031. The Far North Scheme will have an annual operational budget for the first year of $75,000. 40% ($31,000) of this is funded through local share and 60% ($45,000) through national funding assistance.

ROAD SAFETY UPDATE

Road Trauma Update

Road Fatalities Statistics for the period 1 January 2021 – 10 June 2021

Fatalities Jan – June 2021	Far North	Whangārei	Kaipara	Northland	National
Local roads	2	2	1	5	80
State highways	5	2	4	11	67
TOTAL	7	4	5	16	147

Road Fatalities Statistics for the period 1 January 2022 – 10 June 2022

Fatalities Jan – June 2022	Far North	Whangārei	Kaipara	Northland	National
Local roads	3	2	0	5	96
State highways	3	2	2	7	71
TOTAL	6	4	2	12	167

Motorcycle Safety - Ride Forever (R4E) Rider Training Update

· R4E – 2020/2021 – 186 riders completed the three courses

· R4E – 2021/2022 – 165 riders have completed courses to date:

o Bronze Course – 72

o Silver Course – 45

o Gold Course – 48

Waka Kotahi & NZ Police Road Safety Promotion/Media themes for May 2022

Road safety promotional and media related themes for the above-mentioned months will concentrate around:

· Speed, Safe Vehicles, Drugs & Young Drivers

At the local level, Northland continues to produce radio, print, bus backs along with other social media to promote road safety messages specific to Northland and complimenting the ‘Road to Zero’ and ‘Safe System Approach.’

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

National Partnership Charter

Over the past 15 months NEMA and the CDEM Group Managers have collaborated on the development of a Partnership Charter that sets out how NEMA and CDEM Group offices will collaboratively work together. This is a new initiative, having been developed by NEMA officials and the 16 CDEM group managers.

The purpose of the Partnership Charter is to outline a shared vision for an effective and enduring strategic partnership at the regional and national level, which will provide a strong “back-bone” that supports the broader emergency management sector and stakeholders, and the roadmap to achieving this. It includes:

• A shared Kaupapa (vision)

• How our functions align and support each other

• How NEMA and Groups work together

• Partnership aspirations

• What actions to take to support the achievement of our partnership aspirations.

Trifecta Programme

At the National Emergency Managers Development Group (NEMDG) meeting in May, NEMA officials ran a workshop to further refine and develop policy proposals for the Bill. The purpose of the NEMDG session was to gather any final feedback to inform the proposals to be presented to Minister Allan. Consultation with Minsters and departments will then follow before final approval from cabinet is sought, hopefully in late July and August, which will allow sufficient time for the Bill to be drafted and go into the House towards the end of the year (post local body elections).

Recently released cabinet papers, which can be located at: https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/publications/Proactive-Release-Emergency-Management-System-Reform.pdf summarise the policy proposals forming the changes to the new bill.

The key areas where changes are being made are:

1. Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of CDEM Groups and local authorities. NEMA is proposing to allocate separate functions through the Bill to clarify that: CDEM Groups are responsible for regional coordination and governance; and local authorities are responsible for delivering local emergency management in their communities and for participating in the CDEM Group.

2. Enabling equitable outcomes. NEMA is proposing to include a requirement in the Bill for CDEM Groups and their local authorities to consult with disproportionately impacted communities in their regions when preparing the CDEM Group Plan.

3. Roles and responsibilities lead and support agencies. NEMA proposes a new provision in the Bill that enables the making of regulations which establish the roles and responsibilities of (lead and support) agencies with regards to the management of hazards and emergencies.

4. Strengthening Māori participation. NEMA proposes six changes through the Bill to strengthen Māori participation in emergency management including: adding a Te Tiriti / Treaty clause. Māori members on Joint Committees and CEGs and establishing a National Māori Emergency Management Advisory Group.

Monitoring, Alerting and Reporting (MAR) Centre

As part of NEMA’s response to the 2018 TAG Report, work to stand up a 24/7 ‘awake’ capability

to replace the current ‘on call’ Duty System is nearing completion. This capability (the MAR

Centre) will be focussed on gathering and sharing information during the early stages of an

event (including sending National Warning System messages or Emergency Mobile Alerts) or

until the NCC/NCMC is activated.

Service Level Agreements

The Service Level Agreements between the Northland Regional Council and the Far North, Kaipara and Whangārei District Councils are currently being reviewed to ensure alignment with the recently reviewed Northland CDEM Group Plan 2021-2026.

RNZ Kaitaia Mast removal

Northland Civil Defence have been advised that the Radio New Zealand (RNZ) Kaitaia AM transmission mast located at Waipapakauri is at risk of structural failure and is beyond repair. It is required to be removed urgently and is unlikely to be replaced. The Kaitaia site provides AM radio transmissions for the northernmost areas of Northland from 20km north of Kerikeri to the top of Cape Reinga.

Tsunami Information Boards

An annual regional wide check of all the tsunami information boards has been completed. Only one board has had to be replaced.

Northland Lifelines Group

The Northland Lifelines Group met on Friday 13 May 2022. The agenda included presentations on the response to Cyclone Dovi by Northpower and Top Energy and an update on the draft results of the Northland Region Infrastructure Climate Change Assessment by Tonkin and Taylor.

MARITIME

There were 18 Maritime Incidents reported in May. Seven incidents involved abandoned vessels or vessels that were sinking and were removed by Maritime staff. A collision in Whangarei Harbour between a fishing vessel and pleasure craft was also being investigated.

A logging truck that crashed into the Hokianga Harbour had 250 litres of Diesel removed by Maritime staff that prevented a spillage into the Harbour. The truck was then recovered.

The rest of the incidents mainly involved moorings and damaged aids to Navigation.

The ‘Waikare’ was out of the water for 10 days for antifouling. Once the vessel was antifouled and back in the water the Ninepin weather buoy was removed for servicing and maintenance.

12 large navigation signs were refurbished, and new sign panels installed.

The port and harbour safety management systems received their 3 yearly reviews by a panel of experts drawn from other ports and regions, along with a Maritime NZ representative. This is part of the national peer review system that is in place. The results of the review have not yet been received; however, the review did go well with visits to the Bay of Islands and Marsden point.

The Harbourmaster, along with staff Peter Thomas, and Cathy Orevich participated in a national oil spill exercise Whai Manu in Auckland over three days. The exercise was testing systems from a high level of incident control from Wellington, through to a full incident command centre based at the spill in Wellington. These large-scale exercises are only held every few years.

NRC have nine staff on the national response team, probably the highest representation amongst the regions. All costs of staff time are borne by the oil pollution fund.

The navigational safety bylaw review has been progressing but will most likely go on hold Maritime NZ have informed that the related maritime rule part 91 is being reviewed at the same time. Staff will update council at a workshop.

RIVERS AND NATURAL HAZARDS

RIVERS

Awanui

Favourable Autumn weather conditions and 3 contracts currently in progress (1 completed).

Contract 21/05 - Northern Stopbanks. Approx. 70% complete. Satisfactory progress with stopbanks and benching earthworks with minimal issues. Reinstatement of first few sites now complete and prep for over-wintering of remaining sites in hand.

Contract 21/09 - Switzer Bench. Earthworks are now 90% complete and rock revetment at rear of Bell’s Produce well underway (25%) and will progress into winter (materials supply & river levels permitting).

Contract 21/10 - Rugby Club. Earthworks 80% complete. Rock revetment is phased to continue into winter (materials & river levels permitting) and has the advantage that we have rock storage on hard stand, so less risk from wet weather.

Primary School bench now 100% complete and community incredibly happy with reinstatement of Showgrounds areas. FNDC cycle path ties in very nicely with NRC reinstatement.

Planting planned for several completed areas and local (Māori-owned) contractors being lined up for this work.

Otīria/Moerewa

Stage 1 is nearing completion. Stage 2 Bridge tender is live on GETS closes 23 June

Kerikeri

Waipapa Industrial Estate Flood Mitigation is approximate 85% completed. Because of the wet weather we have decided to winterise the site for completion next year.

NATURAL HAZARDS    

Work Streams	Status	Comments
Whangārei (CBD) River Catchment Flood Model	75% complete	Upgrade of the hydraulic model catchment(s) including new structures, updated LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and sea level rise values and recalibration. Specific river/stream structures inspections have been completed over the last month. Following discussions with WDC (Whangārei District Council), Ewaters (consultants on the project) will now also be engaged to include the CBD stormwater network as part of the same package (variation). WDC will be funding the additional costs, approximately $90,000, related to the additional tasks. Our aim was to complete the project, including the additional tasks, but has been delayed until the end of 2022 due to resources issues by the consultant.
Website Natural Hazards Portal	91% complete	Morphum Environmental has been engaged to develop the portal with support and input from colleagues across various departments. The third phase of the development of the portal is ongoing, e.g., landing page, flooding and Te Ao Māori aspects, story maps, property viewer and sea level rise viewer. It is our vision to ‘go public’ has been delayed until the beginning August 2022 due to internal GIS (Geographic Information System) resourcing. Prior to that we will be presenting this to our Councillors, and other appropriate platforms, for feedback. Simultaneously it is our intention to share this with our District Council colleagues before going live.
Raupo Drainage Scheme – Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis & Mitigation Options	90% complete	Water Technology (WT) have been engaged to do detailed hydraulic modelling from all perspectives, i.e., catchment, river and most importantly coastal. The objective is to establish a detailed base model and to develop flood hazard mitigation options, particularly from a coastal perspective, and adaptation planning. The project team consists of NRC and KDC staff, Chair of the Drainage Committee, and Consultants. NRC are taking the modelling analysis lead on this project, i.e., contract management (NRC Budget). KDC are collating the assets data covered under their budgets. Surveys, data collection, assets inspection and ‘building’ of the hydraulic model have been completed. First draft ‘results’ have been reviewed by the project team. Further analysis and ‘flood event scenarios’ are underway with results expected at the end of April. The project is on target to be completed by the end of June 2022. This project will support the pilot project under the Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy (TTCAS) in which scoping, and planning process is underway; early engagement has commenced with KDC.
Natural Hazards technical and planning support to District Councils on Plan Changes and Rules	Ongoing	Following the publication of our coastal hazard maps and the regionwide flood maps, complimentary to the priority rivers flood maps, further technical, consultative, and planning support / guidance is provided to the DCs. This follows the commitments to DCs prior to the publication of the coastal hazard maps.
Te Taitokerau Climate  Adaptation Strategy (TTCAS): Professional Services Panel	Ongoing	NRC, in collaboration with and on behalf of Kaipara District Council, Whangarei District Council and Far North District Council will be going out for Request(s) for Proposal (RfPs), 6^th May 2022, to establish a regional Panel of Professional Services to support the implementation of the TTCAS actions, e.g., district’s pilot projects and beyond. This will provide all four Councils with informed and preselected providers, being able to have shared services, cost, and time effective. Subsequent contracts will be directly with the respective Council as per respective procurement procedures. A total of 42 high quality submissions were received; assessment completion and agreement with preferred respondents has been delayed to the 23^rd June 2022 due to the high volume of respondents. The assessment will be conducted by representatives from all four councils.

CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE

NRC Climate Change Strategy “Ngā Taumata o te Moana” and Implementation Plan

Progress is ongoing. This Strategy touches every aspect of Council business. In undertaking a ‘stocktake’ of current actions, staff are meeting with teams across Council to build relationships, identify current climate-related actions and areas where more could be done. This stocktake will form a baseline for work to set up a monitoring, evaluation, review, and reporting system to track our progress.

Discussions over the past month have traversed Council’s procurement framework, communications and engagement, economics, biodiversity, river and natural hazards forward planning and strategy, EVs, transport planning and emergency management.

Staff have also recently met with Northpower, Northland Inc and attended the Collaboration Te Taitokerau agricultural forum in Waitangi. Staff have also participated in workshops on the Carbon Neutral Government Program and attended the Carbon and Energy Professionals conference in Rotorua. A number of educational opportunities have also been seized including working with EnviroSchools on Te Kete Aronui about climate change as well as a presentation planned for Whangārei Girls High.

Two papers were presented to the most recent Climate Change Working Party meeting, one on climate governance and another on monitoring and reporting. Both papers generated significant discussion. Staff are working on next steps.

There continues to be significant volume of new climate related policy and legislation in development. This is not insignificant and continues to challenge staff’s ability to be proactive and contribute meaningfully consistently. NZ’s first emissions budgets and Emission Reduction Plan were released this month.

Toitū have been engaged to baseline our GHG emissions, certify our accounting and provide advice on where further reductions could occur. Initial kick off meetings will be held in coming weeks.

Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy (TTCAS) - Programme Implementation

Joint Strategy now adopted by all four (4) Councils.

See www.catt.org.nz

There are 46 'priority actions' listed in the Joint Strategy. Coordinating and reporting on these actions will happen through the JCCAC (Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee) and CATT (Climate Adaptation Te Taitokerau).

Staff continue to support KDC’s adaptation pilot project at Raupo/Ruawai. Open days are planned for the middle of June – see https://www.kaipara.govt.nz/news/post/350-Ruawai-Flats-Our-Stories-Our-Future

A submission was prepared on behalf of the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee into the draft National Adaptation Plan. This was consulted within each Council’s governance, collectively and submitted to MfE.

NORTHLAND WIDE LIDAR SURVEY

Work Streams	Status	Comments
Regional LiDAR Survey	In progress	Payment for final delivery initiated and dataset expected within 1^st Quarter.

8.2.9 KAIPARA MOANA REMEDIATION

KMR continues to accelerate programme delivery, with ongoing progress in key KPIs:

· Growing the pipeline of Sediment Reduction Plans (SRPs), with 35 new Expressions of Interest for SRPs received from landowners since last reporting, covering 5856 Ha and 29kms of fencing

· Good results from the winter 2022 Foundation Planting campaign, with a 320% uplift in contracted planting over the March-May period (from 41,000 to 130,000 stems).

· A further contractor has been accredited to KMR, bringing the total to 22. The contractor affiliates to iwi/hapū in the catchment. Te Uri o Hau Environs is also in the process of accreditation.

· Two further Field Advisor workshops have been developed (17 June, 5-7 July) to upskill current contractors and train new ones, working with Ngā Maunga Whakahii and Te Roroa on the latter.

· Two KMR Kaitiaki Workforce Coordinator roles are shortly to be advertised, as part of KMR’s contribution to the MSD-led Workforce Hub.

· On 14 June, an inaugural workshop to co-design and develop the Workforce Hub was held in Dargaville, with a focus on identifying priorities for the KMR Workforce Development programme.

· Lifting external communications via in-person and online engagement (e.g. via 2 public Zui, KMR Partnership Forum, inaugural Digital Tools Reference Group meeting, regular partner meetings).

· Issue of regular, 6-weekly Pānui, with a reach of over ~1100 people across Auckland and Northland.

· KMR has established social media profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram platforms, with a content workplan in development. This work is being undertaken with NRC, as well as others.

Soil Conservation Strategy

A draft project plan is complete and work is starting to establish a project advisory group and commission analysis. Northland Regional Council is undertaking a refreshed soil conservation strategy on similar timeframes, and we are working closely with the NRC team (and Auckland Council Healthy Waters, among others) to align KMR activity and use a shared evidence base.

While we are now scaling up sediment reduction funding, the programme costs and expenditure remain lower than originally budgeted. As in previous years, we will carry over unused budget.

Attachments/Ngā tapirihanga

Nil

[2] Approved by council at their 23 March 2022 meeting

TITLE:	Confirmation of Minutes - Council Meeting 24 May 2022 and Annual Plan Deliberations 24 May 2022
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist
Authorised by:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist, on 21 June 2022

TITLE:	Receipt of Action Sheet
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist
Authorised by:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist, on 21 June 2022

	May YTD	April YTD
Gross salary variance	$1.25M	$1.19M
Add: unbudgeted KMR salaries offset with budgeted grant expenditure	$523K	$441K
Less: Subsidised work programmes	($152K)	($133K)
Less: Annual leave earned not taken	($286K)	($218K)
Net salary variance	$1.33M	$1.28M

Priorities	22/23	23/24	24/25
1. Supporting tangata whenua in the freshwater planning process*	$150k ($111k already allocated + additional estimated $39k)	$50k	$50k
2. Developing a Freshwater Mātauranga Māori framework	$100K	$0	$0
3.a. Implementing the Mātauranga Māori freshwater framework	$0	$150k	$150k
3.b. Investigate transfer of functions, JMAs etc	$0	$50k	$50k

Date	Addressed To	Subject
03.05.2022	Eight successful Tertiary Students who live in and/or whakapapa to Te Taitokerau	Tū I te ora Scholarship
03.05.2022	Future for Local Government Review Panel	Future for Local Government Review – follow up
06.05.2022	Chairperson, Environment Committee Chairperson, Primary Production Committee	NRC response to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Space invaders report: A review of how NZ manages wees that threaten native ecosystems
18.05.2022	Minister of Forestry, Parliament, Wellington	Sediment and Forestry Issues in Northland

TITLE:	Financial Report to 31 May 2022
From:	Vincent McColl, Financial Accountant and Taka Skipwith, Financial Accountant
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Pou Taumatua – Group Manager Corporate Services, on 21 June 2022

TITLE:	Adoption of Annual Plan 2022/23
From:	Nicola Hartwell, Corporate Planner
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Pou Taumatua – Group Manager Corporate Services, on 15 June 2022

TITLE:	Adoption of User Fees and Charges 2022/23 \| Kaupapa Here a Utu
From:	Robyn Broadhurst, Policy Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Bruce Howse, Pou Taumatua – Group Manager Corporate Services, on 22 June 2022

TITLE:	Biosecurity Operational Plan 2022-2023
From:	Don McKenzie, Pou Tiaki Pūtaiao - GM Biosecurity
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Don McKenzie, Pou Tiaki Pūtaiao - GM Biosecurity, on 14 June 2022

TITLE:	Submissions on freshwater and indigenous biodiversity national instruments
From:	Ben Lee, Planning and Policy Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Jonathan Gibbard, Pou Tiaki Taiao – Group Manager Environmental Services, on 15 June 2022

TITLE:	Te Mana o Te Wai Funding
From:	Ben Lee, Planning and Policy Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Jonathan Gibbard, Pou Tiaki Taiao – Group Manager Environmental Services, on 15 June 2022

TITLE:	Tangata Whenua Environmental Monitoring Fund - draft allocation policy
From:	Justin Murfitt, Strategic Policy Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Auriole Ruka, Pou Manawhakahaere - GM Governance and Engagement and Jonathan Gibbard, Pou Tiaki Taiao – Group Manager Environmental Services, on 22 June 2022

TITLE:	Formal endorsement of submission made into the National Adaptation Plan by the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee
From:	Tom FitzGerald, Climate Change Manager
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Victoria Harwood, Pou Tiaki Hapori - GM Community Resilience, on 13 June 2022

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

TITLE:	Receipt of Committee Minutes
From:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Chris Taylor, Governance Specialist, on 22 June 2022

TITLE:	Working Party Updates and Chairpersons' Briefings
From:	Sally Bowron, Strategy, Governance and Engagement Team Admin/PA
Authorised by Group Manager/s:	Auriole Ruka, Pou Manawhakahaere - GM Governance and Engagement, on date 22 June 2022

Item No.	Item Issue	Reasons/Grounds
10.1	Confirmation of confidential minutes - council meeting 24 May 2022	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 - May 2022	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	Regional Projects Reserve: Investment proposal for Kaipara Water Scheme	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to enable council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities s7(2)(h) and the withholding of which is necessary to enable council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) s7(2)(i).
10.4	Purchase of Whangārei CBD Properties	The public conduct of the proceedings would be likely to result in disclosure of information, the withholding of which is necessary to enable council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities s7(2)(h) and the withholding of which is necessary to enable council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) s7(2)(i).