Minutes of Regional Transport Committee

1. WELCOME/APOLOGIES

Councillor Dick welcomed everyone to the first Committee meeting of the new triennial, introduced the new Committee members, Councillors Remmerswaal and Kerr and requested that all members present introduce themselves. Councillor Dick also advised that Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Chairman Fenton Wilson was in attendance at the meeting.

Councillor Dick advised that Mr Chris Bain had replaced Mr Murray Douglas as the Economic Development Objective representative. Mr Bain had also retained his advisory position for coastal on the Committee.

The Committee noted the requests by Councillor Kerr, Mr Bain and Mr Mohi to leave the meeting at midday.

An apology was received from Mr Schwass.

Probert/Kingston

CARRIED

2. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS

There were no conflict of interest declared.

3.	Short Term Replacements on the Committee
	There were no short term replacements on the Committee for this meeting.

4.	Action Items from Previous Regional Transport Committee Meetings
	Ms Codlin commented on the action items listed and responded to questions from the Committee. Responding to a question from Mayor Probert , Ms Codlin advised a reply to the letter sent requesting the excess R funding from the Matahorua Gorge project to be returned to the region had not yet been received. In response, Ms Chetwynd said NZTA had responded to the letter and advised that the R funds are returned to the region but that any projects must still be assessed against national criteria for funding.
	Resolution: That the Committee receives the report “Action Items from Previous Regional Transport Committee Meetings”. Chetwynd/Kingston CARRIED
5.	GENERAL BUSINESS 1. Coastal Shipping Report – Gisborne to Napier

5.a	presentation cycling in hawke’s bay - MR PAUL McARDLE -
	Mr Paul McArdle gave a power point presentation promoting Hawke’s Bay has the cycling capital of New Zealand. Mr McArdle also outlined the benefits that the region does and would continue to receive with increased tourist numbers wishing to visit the Bay to participate in cycling around the region. He noted that local authorities were in the best position to be able to offer the public the opportunity to ride and bike and overcome the barriers that many people see as a reason not to ride. Following comments from Councillor Kingston and Mayor Probert that their districts although part of the Hawke’s Bay region had been excluded from any funding programmes for cycling, Mr McArdle offered to meet with them for further discussions. The Committee also noted the differences between recreational and commuter travel and agreed that there was a weakness in the economic models supporting walking and cycling. The NZTA funding criteria for walking and cycling infrastructure was also noted as focussing on reduced congestion in main centres. It was suggested by Cr Furlong that the introduction of helmets has led to a reduction in the number of cyclists over the years. Mr McArdle advised that in Holland, it was not compulsory to wear helmets when riding bikes as research had shown a greater negative impact which prevented people from riding. The Committee agreed that wearing helmets was important. Councillor Dick thanked Mr McArdle for his presentation. Following a brief update on the proposed Water Ride planned for Napier, it was agreed that any further updates would be circulated to Committee members.
	Resolution: 1. That the Committee receives the verbal report from Mr McArdle Kingston/Bramley CARRIED
6.	Regional Transport Committee Terms of Reference
	Ms Codlin advised that the Regional Council had requested that the Regional Transport Committee to review its Terms of Reference. The Committee discussed the Terms of Reference and agreed that the Advisory Positions should be included in the Terms of Reference.
	Resolutions: The Regional Transport Committee recommends that Council: 1. Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted policy on significance and that Council can exercise its discretion under Sections 79(1)(a) and 82(3) of the Local Government Act 2002 and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community and persons likely to be affected by or to have an interest in the decision due to the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided. 2. Adopts the Terms of Reference as amended for the Regional Transport Committee as attached, setting out the purpose, membership, voting, meeting frequency and meeting fee provisions. .Bramley/Remmerswaal CARRIED

Proposed Meeting Dates for 2011

Ms Bate presented this agenda item which set out the proposed meeting dates for the Regional Transport Committee for 2011.

The Committee discussed the dates and advised of conflicting meeting dates whilst NZTA would confirm dates following the confirmation of other Committee dates for 2011. The Committee requested that final meeting dates be confirmed by staff.

Resolutions:

The Regional Transport Committee recommends that Council:

1. Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted policy on significance and that Council can exercise its discretion under Sections 79(1)(a) and 82(3) of the Local Government Act 2002 and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community and persons likely to be affected by or to have an interest in the decision due to the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided.

2. Approves the number of meetings and the proposed dates for 2011 subject to agreement with NZTA and any other amendments required to avoid critical meeting conflicts.

Probert/Kingston

CARRIED

Regional Public Transport Plan - Appointments to Project Team

Mrs Gilbertson advised that Council was required to develop a Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) in accordance with the Public Transport Management Act 2008 and the Plan had to be adopted by January 2012. The RPTP would replace the Regional Passenger Transport Plan which was adopted in July 2008.

Mrs Gilbertson said it was necessary to appoint a project team and it would be useful to have members in the team from this Committee.

Mrs Gilbertson then outlined the consultation process next year which would take part in two stages and also outlined the timetable that the project team would work towards.

Responding to a question, Mrs Gilbertson hoped that the project team would consist of 7 members which must include a representative from NZTA. Specialists in other fields would be consulted with on an as and when required basis. The Committee discussed the composition of the project team and the Chairman sought confirmation of interest from Committee members.

Resolutions:

That the Regional Transport Committee :

1. Notes that a special consultative process will be followed for the development of the Regional Public Transport Plan, as specified in the PTMA.

2. Approve the appointment of Committee members to the Project Team to develop the Public Transport Plan in line with the timeline presented and advise the Council of this membership which is:

Hawke’s Bay District Health Board representative to be nominated
Councillor K Furlong – Napier City Council
Mr Mark Clews – Hastings District Council
Councillor Alan Dick – Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’
NZTA representative to be nominated
Mr David Murray – Objective Representative – Access and Mobility

Dick/Furlong

CARRIED

Regional Transport Committee Roles and Responsibilities

Ms Codlin presented this agenda item and provided background information for the incoming Committee on its roles and responsibilities. Ms Codlin outlined the four key work areas of the Committee and explained the legislation and national policy context under which the Committee operates. This includes regional policy and planning as well as passenger transport which is a key component in the economic development and social wellbeing of Hawke’s Bay.

Ms Chetwynd explained the NLTP and the funding links the Regional Land Transport Programme has as well as the Government’s funding programme noting that the funds were for transport related benefits not social benefits.

Concern was expressed that in order to access national funding, it was imperative that the strategy was aligned with the GPS and did not give the Committee the opportunity to prepare a strategy which strongly reflects the region’s aspirations.

Ms Codlin advised it was important the region’s objectives and aspirations were taken into account on a broader scale and that there were no regional disadvantages as a result of a regional flavour included in the Plan. It was necessary to look realistically at what the region could afford however this would also be progressed through strategic developments.

Following a suggestion, the Committee agreed a short regional transport vision could be included at the front end of the strategy document.

Resolutions:

1. That the Committee receives the Regional Transport Committee Roles and Responsibilities report.

2. That the Regional Transport Strategy for Hawke’s Bay incorporates a broader regional vision and outcome statements while also complying with the requirements of the Land Transport Management Act with respect to the Government Policy Statement.

Bramley/Furlong

CARRIED

14.	mINISTRY OF tRANSPORT UPDATE
	Ms Shaw gave a powerpoint presentation which outlined the NZ Government Transport sector, its duties and responsibilities and the reviews currently being undertaken. Ms Shaw updated progress on the Safer Journeys programme which includes the Land Transport (Road Safety and other Matters) Amendment Bill and the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Amendment Bill. She also noted that the review of the Land Transport Management Act had been put on hold pending the review of the RMA Phase II amendments which deals with spatial planning. Responding to a question, Ms Codlin confirmed that a submission on the RMA Phase II discussion document had not yet been sent but noted that the closing date was 17 December 2010. Ms Shaw advised that the Port of Napier Ltd was one of 4 NZ ports which had signed up to the Freight Information Gathering System trial. Mr Bain explained that there was concern around clear data available around freight movement and over the duration of the project which was 2-3 years, it was hoped to try and improve understanding of freight output movements around the country. Councillor Kerr left the meeting at 11.55am
	Resolution; 1. That the Committee receives the Ministry of Transport update from Ms Shaw. Probert/Chetwynd CARRIED

11.	Regional Transport Committee Work Plan 2011-2012
	Ms Bate outlined the proposed work plan for 2011and 2012 which was then discussed by the Committee. Ms Chetwynd drew the Committee’s attention to the time lines around the NLTP and the implications for the development of the RLTP. Ms Chetwynd also advised that a streamlining process would be investigated in the near future to alleviate the ongoing difficulties experienced with the current NLTP. Following discussion by the Committee, Ms Chetwynd confirmed she would update the Committee at the February 2011 meeting on streamlining the RLTP/NLTP process. Councillor Dick queried when dialogue would commence about the issue of improvement of State Highway networks to facilitate the movement of freight and timber from the central North Island to the Port of Napier. Ms Chetwynd confirmed a report would be prepared for the February 2011 meeting. Responding to a question about the NLTP / RLTP timelines, Ms Codlin advised that the scale of the RLTS review will need to be tailored to meet the timeframes.
	Resolution: 1. That the Committee receives the amended report on the Regional Transport Committee Work Plan. Kingston/Chetwynd CARRIED

11.

Public Transport Update

Mrs Gilbertson advised that this item was to provide the Committee with an update on public transport services including trends since the last update in September 2010. It was noted that as passenger numbers and revenue numbers continue to increase it was now opportune to implement improvements to the current services.

It was noted that as a result of good communication, efficient operators and the work undertaken by Hastings and Napier Councils, improvements had already been undertaken to the bus stop infrastructure which in turn made it easier for commuters.

The Committee acknowledged that the fare box recovery trend which is subsidised 60% by NZTA showed a good result and compared very positively against national standards.

Responding to a question about progress of bikes on buses, Mrs Gilbertson advised that it was hoped to consult with the public and key stakeholders through the Public Transport Plan however the main concern appeared to be around insurance and who pays for any damages incurred at any time.

Resolution:

1. That the Regional Transport Committee receives the Public Transport Update and notes the improvements being made to Council’s contracted bus services.

Furlong/Remmerswaal

CARRIED

12.

NZTA Central Region Regional Director’s Report

Ms Chetwynd presented her report and advised the report would now be prepared in a new format which would highlight the NZTA’s role in the delivery of the Regional Land Transport Strategy and the NLTP in the Hawke’s Bay region and to update the Committee on key initiatives that may impact on the strategic development of the regional transport network.

Ms Chetwynd advised that the current transport programme had been running for 18 months and an update on the current state of the programme would be given at the February 2011 meeting of the Committee.

It was noted that the State Highway Classification project will incorporate the ‘key freight route and tourism route’ criteria as contained in the Investment Strategy and that will also be reported to the February meeting.

Ms Chetwynd and Mr Kinvig then answered questions from the Committee about ongoing roading projects in the region.

In response to a question from Mayor Probert, Ms Chetwynd advised that NZTA had received several requests similar to Wairoa’s request for consideration be given to the sealing of SH38 and said it was very challenging to prioritise the function and spend of the request. Ms Chetwynd stated progress by NZTA re the costing of the sealing option needed to be made.

In reply, Mayor Probert reiterated the point that SH38 was an integral part of the future economic development of the Wairoa region particularly for tourism and sought the Committee’s support for the Wairoa submission. The Committee noted that to date Mayor Probert a reply had not been received to the submission.

Resolution:

1. That the Regional Transport Committee receives the NZTA Regional Director’s report.

Probert/Remmerswaal

CARRIED

Mrs Gilbertson left the meeting at 12.50pm

13.

Kiwi Rail Update on Napier-Gisborne Rail Line

Mr Santer updated the Committee on the Napier-Gisborne rail line and advised that the Hikirangi project in Gisborne would not be proceeding in the short to medium term. This project had been a key factor in the retention of the line however there had been an increased demand from Ravensdown on the line. A sales push was planned for the Gisborne area in the new year to aggressively pursue business opportunities for the line.

Mr Santer advised that a media release had been issued announcing that improvements had been undertaken on the line and hi cube containers were now able to be utilised.

Mr Bain advised a summary of data contained in the Napier Coastal Study had been prepared however he was awaiting a response from Kiwi Rail. Mr Bain explained that the study had looked at 4 scenarios of freight use but had only highlighted costs comparisons of high volume. It was anticipated that the report would be released next week.

Resolution:

That the verbal report presented by Mr Santer of Kiwi Rail be received.

Chetwynd/Kingston

CARRIED

16.

Objective and Advisory Representative Reports

The Objective and Advisory Representatives provided the Committee with verbal update reports and the following highlights were noted:

Alistair Bramley – Environmental

NZTA research had been undertaken about bikes on buses which indicated a BCR of 9 and no concerns internationally about insurance issues ( see NZTA website for report).

David Murray - Access and Total Mobility

Petrol prices were once again increasing however General Motors and Nissan were also fast tracking electric options.

Chris Wallace – Public Safety

There had been an increased trend of accidents involving young children being run over.
Fatalities in the region for this year were 17 compared with 14 at this time last year.
Currently heading into a high vehicle movement time and a high alcohol time – drive safely.

Mike Mohi – Cultural

The Maori Committee of the Regional Council has representatives from 4 districts in the region and are happy to be of assistance to NZTA if needed at any time.

Resolution:

That the verbal reports of the Objective and Advisory representatives be received.

Dick/Kingston

CARRIED

17.

General Business

Coastal Shipping Report – Gisborne to Napier

This item was discussed in Item 13.

Closure:

Prior to closing the meeting, Councillor Dick wished all present a happy and safe Christmas.

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 1.00pm on Thursday, 9 December 2010.

Signed as a true and correct record.

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