Meeting of the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee

 

Late Item

 

Date:                       Wednesday 21 September 2022

Time:                      9.00am

Venue:

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council

28/32 Ruataniwha Street

Waipawa

 

Agenda

 

Item          Title                                                                                                                                           Page

  

Decision Items

14.          Biosecurity Operational Plan and Annual Report                                        3

 


HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee  

Wednesday 21 September 2022

Subject: Biosecurity Operational Plan and Annual Report        

 

Reason for Report

1.        This item presents the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Biosecurity Annual Report for the
2021-2022 year and Operational Plan for the 2022-2023 year.

Officers’ Recommendation(s)

2.        That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the ‘Biosecurity 2021-22 Annual Report and 2022-23 Operational Plan’ staff report.

3.        That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee recommends that Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

3.1.        Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that Council can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community or persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

4.        Adopts the Biosecurity Operational Plan for 2022-2023.

Executive Summary

5.        Pest management is an important part of the sustainable management of natural resources in Hawke’s Bay. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (Council) manages risks posed by pests and other organisms through its Biosecurity programme. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) 2018-2038 is the core document behind this and establishes the regulatory basis for pest management in Hawke’s Bay.  The RPMP was made operative in February 2019.

6.        As the management agency, Council is directed by the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act) to prepare an Annual Operational Plan (AOP) that sets out how the RPMP is to be implemented. Following the end of each financial year, Council is required to produce an Annual Report (AR), recording progress in implementation of the RPMP via the Operational Plan.

Background

7.        Regional councils have a mandate under Part 2 of the Act to provide regional leadership in activities that prevent, reduce, or eliminate adverse effects from harmful organisms that are present in their region. Therefore, HBRC has this leadership role in the Hawke’s Bay region.

8.        The purpose of the RPMP is to provide for the efficient and effective management or eradication of specified harmful organisms in the Hawke’s Bay region. It builds on the 2013 Strategy and previous pest management programmes. The purpose of the plan is to:

8.1.        minimise the actual or potential adverse or unintended effects associated with those organisms, and

8.2.        maximise the effectiveness of individual actions in managing pests through a regionally coordinated approach.

9.        Many organisms in the Hawke’s Bay region are considered undesirable or a nuisance. The RPMP only addresses pests where voluntary action is insufficient, due to the nature of the pest or the related costs and benefits of individual action or inaction. The Act specifies criteria that must be met to justify such intervention.

10.      The RPMP empowers Council to exercise the relevant advisory, service delivery, regulatory and funding provisions available under the Act to deliver the specific objectives identified within the Plan.

Discussion

11.      The RPMP contains 63 pests, comprising of 33 pest plants, 23 pest animals, two marine pests and five horticultural pests.

12.      Some of the key outputs during the 2021-2022 financial year were:

12.1.      The Pest Plant team visited 1,845 properties undertaking weed control or auditing

12.2.      Staff undertook six biocontrol releases (Californian green thistle beetle)

12.3.      No exclusion pest plants were confirmed present in the Hawke’s Bay region

12.4.      The marine biosecurity surveillance programme detected three marine pest incursions

12.5.      Three Notices of Direction were issued

12.6.      A total of 190 active rook nests were treated

12.7.      A total of 688 feral goats were controlled within the Mahia and Maungaharuru feral goat coordinated management areas (CMA)

12.8.      30 rabbit enquiries were responded to

12.9.      Staff worked with 39 land occupier/community groups in managing site specific pests, primarily predators

12.10.    Possum monitoring was undertaken across 14,534 ha (approximately 15% of the PCA area) with the overall trap catch across this area being 1.1%

12.11.    Predators were controlled over 54,000 ha, removing 10 feral cats, 31 ferrets, 29 stoats, 460 hedgehogs and 178 rats

12.12.    Outcome monitoring showed increases in native bird abundance within the predator control areas.

13.      Although almost all programme objectives were achieved, the following areas of concern were identified:

13.1.      142 possum monitoring lines were above a 4% RTC, resulting in 40 properties failing their monitor (6.6% of properties monitored). Staff followed up with these properties requiring possum control to be undertaken

13.2.      Rabbit enquiries continue to increase, particularly in urban areas. Rabbits are a difficult pest to control, requiring expensive ongoing management. Regional night-count lines indicate an increase from 5.8 to 13.7 rabbits per spotlight kilometre. National conversations regarding rabbit management continue across the biosecurity sectors due to their impact and difficultly in managing long-term.

14.      The number of properties with pest plants (primarily Chilean needle grass) continues to grow, resulting in increased pressure on Pest Plant budgets and staff.

Strategic Fit

15.      Regional pest management sits within a biosecurity framework for the Hawke’s Bay region, which includes the RPMP, the Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Strategy and the HBRC Strategic Plan. Neighbouring Regional Pest Management Plans and national legislation, policy and initiatives have also influenced Hawke’s Bay’s RPMP.

16.      The activity that is reported in the Operational Report and Annual Plan support Council’s healthy functioning biodiversity in its Strategic Plan and the strategic outcome that agricultural and environmental pests are managed and eradicated through the Regional Pest Management Plan.

Financial and Resource Implications

17.      Council’s Long Term Plan 2018 – 2028 provides the necessary funding, via rates and user charges, for the operational and planning activities associated with pest management. The 2022-2023 expenditure budgets are summarised within the 2022-23 Operational Plan.

Decision Making Process

18.      Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002. Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

18.1.      The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan

18.2.      The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by legislation

18.3.      The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy

18.4.      The persons affected by this decision are all persons in the region with an interest in the region’s biosecurity activities and biodiversity outcomes

18.5.      Given the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided, and also the persons likely to be affected by or have an interest in the decisions made, Council can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision.

 

Recommendations

1.        That Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and considers the Biosecurity 2021-2022 Annual Report and 2022-2023 Operational Plan staff report.

2.        The Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee recommends that Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

2.1.         Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that Council can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community or persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

2.2.         Adopts the Biosecurity Operational Plan for 2022-2023.

 

Authored by:

Alice McNatty

Team Leader Pest Plants & Marine Biodiversity

Mark Mitchell

Team Leader Principal Advisor Biosecurity Biodiversity

Approved by:

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

 

 Attachment/s

1

2022-2023 Combined Pest Plant and Pest Animal Operational Plan

 

 

2

HBRC Biosecurity Annual Report 2021-2022

 

 

  


2022-2023 Combined Pest Plant and Pest Animal Operational Plan

Attachment 1

 

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator


HBRC Biosecurity Annual Report 2021-2022

Attachment 2

 

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator

PDF Creator