Kāeo River - Whangaroa Catchment Working Group

4 September 2025

Kāeo River - Whangaroa Catchment Working Group Record of Actions

 

Meeting held in the Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club

573 Whangaroa Road, Whangaroa

on Thursday 4 September 2025, commencing at 10:30 am

 

 

Tuhinga/Present:

Chairperson - NRC Councillor, Marty Robinson

Ratepayer Representative, Ngaere Manning

Area Representative, John Richardson

Te Runanga O Whaingaroa, Stephen Rush

Area Representative, Nyze Manuel

Area Representative Thomas Hawtin

Area Representative, Les Jackson

I Tae Mai/In Attendance:

Full Meeting

NRC Rivers Manager, Joe Camuso

NRC Rivers Project Manager, Meg Tyler

FNDC Councillor, Kelly Stratford (online)

Raniera Kaio (online)

Cara Harrison – Digger Solutions

Mike Harrison – Digger Solutions

Maggie Rudolph

Owen Kingi

Eljon Fitzgerald

Rob Rush

NRC Councillor, Joe Carr

Phil Andrew

Manaki Hape

Jane Wright

 

The meeting commenced at 10.30am with karakia from Cara.

Ngā Mahi Whakapai/Housekeeping (Item 1.0)

Ngā Whakapahā/Apologies (Item 2.0)

Cr Court, Thomas Hawtin, Bruce Mills, Michael Hayes, Mooch Rudolph, Cr Craw, Cr Crawford, Tammy Wooster, Louisa Gritt, Sarah Gauden-Ing

 

Record of Actions – 6 March 2025 (Item 3.1)

Presented by: Cr Robinson

Agreed action points:

·            NIL

 

Receipt of Action Sheet (Item 3.2)

Presented by: Meg Tyler

A request was sent to the remaining roading team members at FNDC to attend future meetings. Following a recent structural change; attendance is pending, and the importance of their presence was reiterated by Cr Stratford and acknowledged by FNDC.

Discussed the ongoing work of the ecological assessment subgroup, noting that community members are encouraged to participate in design discussions. A recent community led environmental meeting provided valuable input now being incorporated into project planning.

A Gantt chart for Stage 2 is available and can be distributed via email to interested parties.

Agreed action points:

·            NRC Rivers Project Manager to provide the Gannt chart for Stage 2 for sending with the meeting minutes

 

Presentation Slides (Item 3.3)

Presented by: Meg Tyler and Joe Camuso

Budget

Presented a detailed review of the 2024-2025 budget, including income, expenditure, depreciation, and the impact of central government funding, addressing questions from participants regarding accounting practices and project funding sources.

    • The budget review covered insurance, consultant fees, river clearance work, rate collection charges, depreciation, and labour costs, with explanations provided for each line item and clarification that the labour charges are high because time has been committed from NRC staff for helping in contractor management for works that is funded through the 'Better Off' central government fund management by TROW and FNDC. This time is charged back to Better Off funding.
    • Questions were raised about the calculation and reporting of depreciation, NRC to clarify discrepancies with the finance team and ensure accurate reporting in future updates.
    • Noted a $15,000 deficit for the year, offset by depreciation adjustments, and confirmed a carried surplus of approximately $350,000, ensuring ongoing project viability.
    • Significant funding was secured from Crown Infrastructure Partners and the 'Better Off' fund (BOF), allowing the group to leverage additional work in the catchment without drawing solely on local rates.
    • Provided an explanation of BOF - A financial support package provided to local authorities under the three waters infrastructure programme, enabling councils to invest in their local communities. FNDC was allocated $600k which they manage in partnership with TROW and NRC administers the work/manages the projects for the BOF and once a certain amount has been paid, NRC invoices FNDC. This enabled us to leverage work in the catchment.

Stage 2 Update

Received a comprehensive update on Stage 2, including resource consent approvals, archaeological authority processes, land purchases, ecological and environmental management plans, and the status of construction tenders, with active discussion and questions from the group.

    • Resource consents from both NRC and FNDC have been received, with conditions covering sediment control and environmental management; an archaeological authority is in place, and exploratory test pits are planned with archaeologists and cultural monitors present throughout construction. The resource consent for the construction can be sent to the working group; it provides NRC with conditions when carrying out work to ensure adverse effects have been considered and actions have been put in place to eliminate and minimise them.
    • Two land parcels will be purchased for the project, and community input from previous ecological meetings has been incorporated into engineering designs, with further feedback sought from the working party.
    • Tender documents for construction are being finalised with an internal review underway and will then be released via the governments electronic tendering system called GETS. This will be communicated to the working party when live. Once the tender for construction has been awarded, there will be a meeting before work commences. The land is being grazed until construction starts. The land will be sold after construction to recoup/offset the costs to the local ratepayer for the initial purchase of the land. The committee be able to make recommendations around the land sale.
    • A cost-saving arrangement for rock supply from a local subdivision is expected to save approximately $60,000. The only costs associated, will be the transport of the rocks. These will be carted in before construction starts to support the timing.
    • An environmental management plan, including wetland enhancement and ongoing ecological monitoring, is being developed, and a planting plan for the project area will be discussed in a future dedicated meeting.
    • The river and wetlands are intended to be fenced with the land sold after completion to make the $ back to help pay down any debt incurred by the scheme. 

Discussed the importance of transparent consultation with Māori and local stakeholders, the need for improved communication, and the inclusion of Treaty of Waitangi principles in project documentation.

    • Community members raised concerns about the visibility of Treaty of Waitangi principles and Māori consultation in project documentation; the chair confirmed ongoing collaboration with hapū and iwi, and committed to providing supporting documentation and ensuring transparency.
    • Rivers team agreed to circulate all relevant process documentation to interested parties and acknowledged the need to address gaps in communication and ensure all stakeholders are kept informed.
    • The group discussed mechanisms for community involvement, including the environmental forum and opportunities for local participation in ecological and archaeological activities. Suggested posting updated on the local Whangaroa Community Facebook page.

Ecological Impact Assessment

This is part of the resource consent requirements and was the basis for the community input meeting for what the working group could do to feed into these plans.

Outlined the ecological impact assessment, wetland enhancement plans, fish salvage protocols, and ongoing monitoring, responding to questions about archaeological oversight, species protection, and the integration of community and expert input.

Hapu, ecologists and fish experts are being used to support the work.

Community Session / Environmental Plans

    • Three delineated wetland areas have been identified for restoration, with plans to fence off from stock, plant native species, and monitor ecological recovery, as required by resource consent conditions. There is opportunity to revert back to wetlands with ecosystem function.
    • Archaeologists and cultural monitors will be present during all ground-disturbing activities, with protocols in place for accidental discovery of taonga, artefacts, and structure in project design to accommodate any significant finds. The Archaeological Authority is granted by Heritage NZ.
    • The test pits will observe the different layers of soil and what might be found at the different levels. The indicative date is 26 September due to ground conditions needing to be drier (this is weather dependant). Test pits will be dug down to the water table, the same depth as the existing channel approx. 2m – the purpose of digging is to examine the ground material and its suitability to be used in construction of the deflection bank. Also, as an exploratory archaeological dig to see at what stages monitoring of excavation are most critical.
    • NRC obtained the appropriate permits and will conduct fish salvage operations with local representatives, relocating species prior to construction and recording data on fish populations, with protocols reviewed and approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
    • The project includes a two-year post-construction ecological monitoring programme, with regular reporting and opportunities for community involvement in data collection and review.
    • Feedback sought from the community on the planting plan – there may be a separate meeting called to discuss this matter. The planting plan doesn’t need to be done this season; it can be staged. It's more of a longer-term plan. The deflection bank is compacted earth, and roots can create water pathways which could destabilise the structure, so there is a restriction on planting around the deflection bank.

Any other business

The chair clarified the governance structure, meeting frequency, and opportunities for ongoing community engagement, noting upcoming changes in leadership and the importance of maintaining transparent communication channels. The working group typically meets twice a year, with additional meetings for specific topics; updates are distributed via email, and participants are encouraged to join the mailing list for future notifications. Cr Robinson announced his departure as chair, with new candidates present, and confirmed that work will continue under new leadership after the next council term. It is important that working party delegates are informing their local people on the updates provided at these meetings and note that these meetings are open for the public to attend. Mention was also made of the 4 Square notice board for informing the community (as well as Whangaroa Whispers).

Agreed action points:

·            NRC Rivers Manager to clarify with the finance team why the depreciation figure for infrastructure assets is not aligning with expectations and ensure the correct number is reflected in the accounts.

·            NRC Rivers Project Manager to provide NRC Secretariat the received resource consent documents and associated conditions to be emailed with the minutes to all interested parties.

·            NRC Rivers Project Manager to send an email to the working group with a plan suggesting 26th September as the date for the archaeological test pits, and request alternative suggestions if necessary, noting the date is weather dependent.

·            NRC Rivers Project Manager to share details of the archaeological monitoring protocol, including the accidental discovery protocol and involvement of hapū and Heritage New Zealand, with interested parties.

·            Explore and establish additional communication platforms (e.g., social media, local noticeboards) for project updates and inform the group how to access these updates.

·            Working party members to be informed by email when the tender is live on GETS

·            Interested individuals to put their names forward to be involved in the community environmental forum to ensure they are added to the communication list.

·            NRC Rivers Manager to provide supporting information and documentation to interested parties detailing the consultation process, engagement with hapū, and transparency measures undertaken throughout the project.

·            Feedback requested from the committee on the proposed environmental and recreational additions to the project design, attendees encouraged to reach out to the Rivers Project Manager if interested in contributing.

 

Sediment discussion (Item 3.4)

Presented by: Cr Robinson

Discussed the broader catchment management strategy, including sedimentation risks, the impact of upstream land use, and the limitations of flood infrastructure as a short-term solution, with reference to past and ongoing modelling and resilience planning.

o      Concerns about sedimentation from upstream forestry and land use were addressed, with explanations of current NRC Hill Country Erosion Fund and the need for coordinated action among all land users in the catchment.

o      Provisions have been made for rock-run –of- quarry in the bed to help stabilise the bed and grade control to control scour. The work is very similar to what was done in Kaitaia for JNL spillway.

o      The group acknowledged that flood infrastructure provides short-term protection while longer-term catchment restoration is pursued, and that ongoing community engagement is necessary to adapt to changing conditions and improve resilience.

o      Extensive flood modelling, including scenarios for 10, 50, and 100-year events plus climate change, has been conducted and peer-reviewed, informing the design and expected performance of the new infrastructure.

Agreed action points:

·       NIL

Whakamutunga (Conclusion)

The meeting concluded at 12.40pm with karakia by Cara