MINUTES OF An extraordinary meeting of the Regional Council

 

 

Date:                          Wednesday 13 May 2020

Time:                          9.04am

Venue:

Online by Zoom Invitation

 

Present:                     R Graham - Chairman

R Barker

W Foley

C Foss

N Kirton

C Lambert

M McIlroy (Māori Committee Co-Chair)

H Ormsby

M Paku (Māori Committee Co-Chair)

A Tapine (RPC Representative)

J van Beek

M Williams

 

 

In Attendance:          J Palmer – Chief Executive

J Ellerm – Group Manager Corporate Services

I Maxwell – Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

T Skerman – Group Manager Strategic Planning

E Lambert – Group Manager External Relations

J Lawrence – Group Manager Office of the CE & Chair

L Hooper – Governance Lead

B Smith – Chief Financial Officer

 


1.      Karakia /Welcome/ Apologies/Notices

Mike Paku, Māori Committee Co-chair, led the group in offering a karakia to open the meeting.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

 

2.      Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

 

3.      Confirmation of Minutes of the Regional Council Meeting Held on 29 April 2020

RC57/20

Resolution

Minutes of the Regional Council Meeting held on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record.

Barker/Foley

CARRIED

 

4.

13 May 2020 Update on Significant Organisational Activities

 

James Palmer introduced the item, which was taken as read, with queries and discussions traversing:

·    The commentary on the Risk framework development work is included in the Office of the CE & Chair section of the update

·    The TANK plan change was notified on 2 May and there has been quite strong associated activity on Council’s Facebook page and posts.

Neil Kirton joined the meeting at 9.13am

·    A full debrief (review) of the Council’s Covid-19 response will be undertaken and the full picture provided to councillors. Query whether an internal audit of the response can be added to the work programme for FARS and communications from CDEM Group to iwi outposts in Wairoa and Central Hawke’s Bay raised as a concern.

·    Request for the letter staff wrote to Minister Parker to seek relief for the deadline date for Tukituki requirements, and the minister’s response.

·    Michelle McIlroy advised that Pakowhai, Ruataniwha, Takitimu and Whakapou completed tree work on riverbank and planning, with blessing of marae trustees, to make this area part of Te Waihirere regional park connecting to walkways.

RC58/20

Resolution

That the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and notes the 13 May 2020 Update on Significant Organisational Activities.

Williams/van Beek

CARRIED

 

5.

CE’s Verbal Report on the HBRC Operational Response to Covid-19

 

James Palmer advised:

·    Bulk of work now relates to transition to level 2

·    Bringing staff back into the Dalton Street office and Works Group in bubbles as prioritised, including all field based staff, and the Dalton Street office will be open to the public from Monday next week within health and safety protocols and contact tracing controls in line with national guidance

·    Regional Civil Defence welfare response will move to a more sustainable regional model being developed with Central Government which will allow Civil Defence staff to take a break and recover in readiness for the next response, whatever and whenever that might be

·    Suggest HBRC accommodation review look at continuing to have staff working from home as an alternative to needing more office space

·    Civil Defence will commence an intensive debrief/review of the regional and national responses, and HBRC will carry out a review of the organisational contribution to the response.

Charles Lambert joined the meeting at 9.35am

·    Looking at initiatives to contribute to the regional economic recovery with regional partners

RC59/20

Resolution

That the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and notes the “CE’s Verbal Report on the HBRC Operational Response to COVID-19”.

Barker/van Beek

CARRIED

 

6.

Call for Minor Items Not on the Agenda

 

Recommendations

That Council accepts the following “Minor Items Not on the Agenda” for discussion as Item 10

Topic

Raised by

Stock water

Cr van Beek

Drought relief

Cr Williams

 

 

 

7.

Councillor Report-back from External Meetings

 

Councillor Craig Foss introduced the item, which seeks a formal monthly agenda item to provide an avenue for councillors to report back significant issues of interest from meetings of outside bodies they have been appointed to, for example TBfree HB Tourism and Future Farming Trust.

RC60/20

Resolutions

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1.      Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant and that Council can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring with persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

2.      Agrees to the establishment of a ‘standing information item’ on Regional Council agendas to provide the opportunity for councillors to report on discussions of interest from meetings of Outside Bodies they attend as appointed by Council.

Foss/Barker

CARRIED

 

8.

Organisational Performance Report for Period to 31 March 2020

 

James Palmer introduced the item, with discussions covering:

·    Report predates the substantive Covid-19 response however preparation of this report occurred during the level 4 lockdown period

·    Current financial systems upgrade will give much better real-time financial reporting to Council. It’s anticipated that the 2021-31 LTP budgets will be set up in the new system, and the transactions modules be operational by 1 July 2021.

·    For future reporting and the LTP staff are looking at how to provide ‘place based’ reporting, in particular for places like Ahuriri Estuary where teams across Asset Management, Regulation, Science and Catchment Management are all involved.

·    Sustainable homes has a 10 year cap on expenditure

·    Staff for science and technical roles are hard to get and potential for a regional staffing profile through the People & Capability managers across the region’s TAs, as well as an initiative across the Regional Council sector

·    Request for reporting on tangata whenua relationship and partnership building including meeting Treaty obligations

·    work on Plan B for Tukituki water security started immediately following Council decision to halt RWSS, however nothing to solve immediate crisis and seeking advice from Rural Support Trust, community and farmers on potential additional support that Council can provide to those impacted by the drought

·    consents team achieved 100% of applications processed within timeframes

·    query whether repurposing funding is possible to get ‘shovel ready’ projects up and running, and potential to use Erosion Control Scheme for nursery/planting projects

·    Whakaki is a multi-year project in partnership between Tangata Whenua, MfE and Council with hotspots and Freshwater Improvement funding – to improve water quality in Lake Whakaki.

RC61/20

Resolution

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and notes the “Organisational Performance Report for period to 31 March 2020”.

Foley/van Beek

CARRIED

The meeting adjourned at 10.42am and reconvened at 10.56am

9.

Financial Results for the 2019-20 Financial Year, for the Period to 31 March 2020

 

Jessica Ellerm introduced the item, with discussions covering:

·    Will be some delay to the 2019-20 spend due to the pandemic and investment returns will be less than forecast

·    CDEM costs include budgeted operational spend, are combination of staff and Covid-19 and drought welfare, and full impact of the Covid-19 response will come together at year-end

·    Integrated Catchment Management underspend is due to delays with projects and the detail will be distributed

·    Consents and compliance have 80% recovery component and Compliance recoveries were over-budgeted in error

·    Accounts payable within 5 days currently, and some receivables only occur annually

·    Treatment of the Napier Port IPO proceeds and dividend payments.

RC62/20

Resolution

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and notes the “Financial Results for the 2019-20 Financial Year, for the Period to 31 March 2020” staff report.

Williams/Barker

CARRIED

 

10.

Discussion of Minor Matters Not on the Agenda

 

 

Topic

Raised by

Stock water and issues with security of supply during drought. Investment in reticulation paid for itself within 1.5 years and potential for Council to develop a Strategy to enable farmers to put in reticulated systems.

Cr van Beek

Drought relief articles in HB Today highlight the ferocious severity of the drought, and potential for Council to provide a “drought relief” fund to help farmers.

Cr Williams

 

Concerns raised about nitrogen levels in shallow wells and impacts on human health, as well as methods of reticulating stock water without impacting on stream/river ecology.

 

Mike Paku offered a karakia to close the meeting.

 

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 11.26am on Wednesday 13 May 2020.

Signed as a true and correct record.

 

 

 

DATE: ................................................               CHAIRMAN: ...............................................