Unconfirmed

MINUTES OF A meeting of the Regional Planning Committee

Date:                          Wednesday 9 May 2012

Time:                          1.30pm

Venue: Present: In Attendance

Council Chamber Hawke's Bay Regional Council 159 Dalton Street NAPIER F Wilson – Chairman E McGregor A J Dick T Gilbertson N Kirton C Scott L Remmerswaal K Rose R Spooner N Kirikiri T Waaka W Wilson K Brown T Hopmans A Newman – Chief Executive E Lambert – Group Manager – External Relations G Ide – Team Leader Policy I Maxwell – Group Manager – Resource Management M Drury – Committee Secretary

1.      PRAYER/WELCOME/APOLOGIES/NOTICES

Mr W Wilson offered the karakia.

         Chairman Wilson welcomed all present to the meeting and encouraged all members of the Committee to show respect to everyone present and noted that in order for a meeting to be successful it was necessary to have quality participation from all present.

Apologies:

         Councillors Gilbertson and Rose advised that they would leave the meeting at 3.00pm as they had other commitments.

RPC1/12    An apology was received from Mr C Rangi.

Gilbertson/Spooner

         CARRIED

2. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF the Regional Planning Committee held on 10 April 2012

RPC2/12

Minutes of the Regional Planning Committee held on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed following discussion. McGregor/Gilbertson CARRIED

4.      Matters Arising from Minutes of  the  Regional Planning Committee held on Tuesday 10 April 2012

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

5.	Action Items from Previous Regional planning committee Meetings
	Although there were no actions from the previous meeting, Mrs Lambert outlined the reasons why this agenda item was always included on all Council meeting agendas.
RPC3/12	Resolution: 1. That Council receives the verbal explanation from Mrs Lambert. Rose/Remmerswaal CARRIED

6.	Call for General Business Items
	1. Short Term Replacements   - 2. Standing Orders Workshop

7.	Joint Planning Committee - Proposed Legislation
	Mrs Lambert introduced Mr Mark Jacobs, Principal Advisor with the Office of Treaty Settlements (OTS) and Mr Ron Hooper, Senior Analyst at OTS. Mr Jacobs advised that his secondment was due to conclude in the near future however Mr Hooper would continue to engage with Council and the Committee on legislation. Mr Jacobs updated the Committee on progress and provisions of the Joint Planning Committee Bill which it was hoped would be introduced to Parliament in June or July of this year following receipt of further comments from relevant parties.  The Bill would then go through the Select Committee process and the Minister was reasonably certain that legislation would be passed in July 2013 ahead of the Local Government elections. Mr Jacobs also outlined the drafting instructions for the proposal for consultation for legislation to establish a Joint Planning Committee. Responding to a question, Mr Jacobs advised that in terms of the legislative process this amendment would be to Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act and not to the Treaty of Waitangi Empowering Act. Mr Jacobs also noted that most Council Committees are disestablished prior to the triennial elections.  However, this would not apply to the Joint Planning Committee as it would be established permanently under the proposed legislative amendments. Responding to a question, Mrs Lambert advised that legal advice would not be sought on the drafting instructions, but would likely be sought on any proposed Bill.
RPC4/12	Resolution: 1.    That the Regional Planning Committee receives the report. Gilbertson/Spooner CARRIED

8.	Policy Development Work Programme
	Mrs Lambert introduced Mr Gavin Ide, Team Leader Policy and outlined Mr Ide’s role with the Committee. Mrs Lambert reminded the Committee that at the 10 April workshop for the tangata whenua representatives a request was made that discussions be had on the resource management issues in the region and it would be necessary to have a further meeting to provide a korero on these issues and how they related to policy work programme. Mrs Lambert explained Council’s policy development work programme and the timing, the priorities contained within the work programme, the importance of Council’s Land and Water Strategy in work going forward and also main points raised by the tangata whenua at the workshop. Mr Ide advised that the work programme as set out in the Table within the agenda item was not set in concrete and there could be further modifications. The Committee then discussed the proposed timetable, the Regional Policy Statement and the freshwater management objectives.  Mrs Lambert advised that the Land and Water document was not a statutory document and it had been formed as a result of work undertaken by the Community, then adopted by Council and it was now the Committee’s role to put it into the RMA context. In response to questions from the Committee, Mrs Lambert noted the following points: · Council would make any required decisions about whether or not the Tukituki Plan Change would progress through the  Environmental protection Authority (EPA); · The RPC would be involved in the preparation of an application to be forwarded to the EPA; The Reference group for the Water Strategy has now been wound up;  The Committee will deal with the complete water management for the Ngaruroro and  Heretaunga basins; The focus of future plan changes would be on a catchment by catchment basis; Chairman Wilson also introduced Mr Iain Maxwell, Group Management Resource Management who then explained the Resource Management Section’s role with the Committee. Following further discussion and a suggestion from Mr Newman, it was noted that a standing agenda item would be included in each Committee agenda to give the Committee a brief update on current issues that Council was involved in.
	Resolution: 1.    That the Regional Planning Committee receives the report. Scott/Kirton CARRIED

9.

General Business

Short Term Replacements Mrs Lambert explained the current set up of the Committee and confirmed that there were no provisions for alternate or short term replacements for absent Committee members although there was provision for an apology. Mrs Lambert advised one of the main reasons was the continuity of any policy development programme which required ongoing consistency in order for the right decisions to be made. Standing Orders Workshop A workshop on Standing Orders had been arrange for Monday 28 May from 11.00am – 4.00pm for Committee members.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 2.25pm on Wednesday, 9 May 2012.

Signed as a true and correct record.

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