HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL
Corporate
and Strategic Committee
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Subject: Council's Strategic
Direction
Reason for Report
1. This report outlines a process for elected members to develop a new
strategic direction for the Council and a system for monitoring ongoing
performance in delivering the outcomes the Council seeks to achieve on behalf
of, and with, the Hawke’s Bay community. It is proposed that the existing
HBRC Strategic Plan is refreshed as the first step to shaping the agenda for
the triennium and set the context for the 2018-28 Long Term Plan (LTP).
2. The Strategic Plan is important as it defines the organisation HBRC
aspires to be and in turn will influence what activities and service levels
will be funded in the 2018-28 LTP, which may require re-prioritisation of
existing work and/or changes in the way HBRC delivers its functions.
3. The proposed process sets out a path for the Council to follow
between now and the start of the LTP project proper in July 2017 and begin
developing the mechanisms to monitor and report on outcomes.
Background
4. In October 2011, the Council adopted its Strategic Plan to outline
the strategic priorities for HBRC over the next ten years. The Plan provided a
framework for articulating the Council’s approach to the strategic
challenges and opportunities faced by the region. It is a non-statutory
document intended to inform the development of Council’s long term plans
(in particular the 2012 LTP) which articulate the outputs, or activities, the
Council intends to fund and deliver.
5. Since the current Strategic Plan was adopted five years ago, a
number of factors have changed that influence what decisions Council makes as
well as how Council makes decisions. Factors include new policy settings,
strategies and plans as well as external factors such as changes to
legislation, economic outlook and community values and expectations. In light
of these changes, it is timely to review the Strategic Plan.
Proposed Process
6. This proposed process is designed to run in parallel with the annual
planning process and assumes a largely business-as-usual approach to the third
and final year of the current long term plan. Annual plans are intended to
involve only minor modifications to the LTP in order to promote stability and
continuity in the Council’s work.
7. The proposed approach reinforces the three yearly planning cycle
embedded in the Local Government Act that focuses on the LTP as the vehicle to
consult on significant changes to Council’s business.
8. The LTP is the premier planning instrument for Council. It was
designed to be in year 2 of the triennium to overcome the challenge of short
electoral cycles relative to the long-term nature of Council’s business,
particularly the lifecycle of assets and particularly, for regional Councils,
the complexity of natural resource management decisions.
9. Whilst the Long Term Plan is the centrepiece
of the triennium, there is considerable preliminary work that needs to occur
over the next 6 months to ensure the LTP can give effect to the Council’s
desire for change. Done well this will lay the foundations for the next LTP and
position the organisation to deliver it.
10. This
paper looks specifically at the process to develop a new Strategic Plan.
A separate project plan will be developed for the broader, more resource
intensive LTP process. The LTP project plan will carefully sequence the many
process and content pieces required to produce a fit-for-purpose LTP. Councillor
leadership of the process will be essential, as ultimately the LTP, as well as
the Strategic Plan, are the Council’s expression of intent and help
define the organisation’s success.
11. The
proposed process includes some flexibility to respond to issues that the
Council considers requires more urgency than is enabled through the LTP
timeframe. For example, issues arising from the Havelock North water inquiry or
the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme (RWSS) review, may precipitate a need
to amend policy settings or adjust Council’s financial structures. These
more urgent issues can be isolated for action but should align with the
overarching strategic framework for the council and be delivered through an
integrated 2018-28 LTP.
Timeline
12. It is
proposed to hold three or four workshops in the new year to crystalize the
Council’s strategic direction. Suggested topics
for each workshop are:
|
Council
Workshop
|
Date
|
Topics
|
|
One
|
1 February, 1pm
(following FA&R)
|
Current
state and context setting (where
are we today and what lies ahead):
· Environmental scan of external influences
such as the demographic, economic, ecological and social factors that shape
the world we live in
· A high level view of the state of our
regional environment and economy
· Stocktake of current statutory and
non-statutory strategies and plans to ground the plan in the present
· An assessment of current
organisational state (including capability and capacity), resource allocation
and operating model
|
|
Two
|
15 March, 1pm
(following E&S)
|
High level*
outcome setting:
(what
success for HBRC looks like):
· Vision, values, high level objectives,
purpose outcomes, outcome measures
· Defining what a high performing,
fit-for-purpose HBRC looks like
* Note
detailed outcomes should be developed with the community through the
Long Term Plan
|
|
Three
|
19 April, 9am
(full day)
|
Future
state for organisational capability and capacity (what will we need to do and invest in to get
there):
· Finances
· Assets
· Capability
· Technology
· Partnerships, and
· Tangata whenua
|
|
Four
|
TBC
|
Risk and
opportunity workshop:
“The
road to the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan”
|
Workshop One: current state and context setting
13. Before
deciding where the Council goes next, and what future success looks like, it is
essential that we understand our current operating context and the drivers for
change.
14. An
environmental or horizon scan is important as it recognises that the Council
and its LTP do not exist in isolation. An understanding of the macro external
factors (such as political, economic, social, technological, legislative and
environmental) that are driving Council’s operating environment provides
Councillors with an outward-looking and outcomes focus for its LTP. This
session will also revisit the 2050 scenarios that underpinned the 2011
Strategic Plan.
15. This step
in the process will ensure that the Council takes a big picture approach and
the decisions it makes are to the extent possible future-proofed. The
environmental scan also feeds into other LTP content, including the infrastructure
and financial strategies, consultation documents and funding policies.
16. HBRC has
primary statutory responsibilities for regional natural resource management and
regional economic development. Developing a view on what success looks like for
HBRC, and what we need to do in the future to be effective, requires that we
understand current state and trends in both the state of the region’s
environment and our region’s economic performance. HBRC has a 5-yearly
state of environment monitoring programme that enables the Council to track
performance and measure outcomes from natural resource management activity. The
Council also has access to data sets that enable regional economic performance
to be analysed and monitored. It is proposed that data from these sets is
provided to create a snap shot of our region.
17. There are
a variety of other strategies, plans and policies that influence what Council
does. These could be national (such as National Policy Statements),
regional (such as the Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Strategy) or our own
internal strategies and plans. A stocktake involves assessing all of these
plans and strategies for currency and relevance leading into the next 10 years.
18. A
stocktake is important as it establishes the links between strategies and plans
which contributes to an integrated LTP and tests whether the objectives and
activity choices in the documents align with the strategic priorities of a new
Council. By doing this early, as part of strategic direction setting, it can inform
the development of community outcomes and any other priorities for the Council.
19. The
stocktake also provides much of the information that goes into the right debate
with the community as part of the LTP consultation by identifying those issues
that provide genuine choices and those decisions that have already been
consulted on via other processes. This is particularly relevant for
quasi-judicial processes such as plan changes, for which the LTP on its own
cannot change although an intention to make change may be signalled.
20. In order
to understand HBRC’s ability to deliver on new and different work in the
future it is critical to understand how HBRC is delivering its current work and
positioned to deliver on expectations in the future. In some areas of the
Council’s business there will be growing demand and the need to work
differently. Requirements arising from instruments of national direction under
the Resource Management Act, particularly in freshwater management, will create
further challenges to Council resources. HBRC is already challenged in meeting
community expectations in some of its current work, such as in the
implementation of Plan Change 6. It is proposed that an overview of the current
state of the capacity and capability of the organisation is provided to assist
Councillors in thinking about the ability to meet future challenges.
Workshop Two:
high-level outcome setting
21. The
purpose of this workshop will be to agree the high-level goals for the Council
and meaningful measures of success. This session is intended to shift the
Council from measuring and reporting outputs to managing for outcomes. This
step follows on from workshop one, in which the current strategic direction is
clarified through the stocktake of organisational drivers, existing plans and
strategies, as well as current capability and capacity.
22. This workshop will look at our current purpose, vision and values in light of what’s changed and consider their ongoing relevance.
22.1. Purpose: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has a long
term focus and we exist because of our statutory role in four core functions
–
22.1.1. Natural resource knowledge and management
22.1.2. Natural hazard assessment and management
22.1.3. Regional strategic planning
22.1.4. Regional scale infrastructure and services.
22.2. Vision: A connected and vibrant region with resilient communities, a prosperous economy, and a clean and healthy
environment.
22.3. Values: LEIIP - leadership, excellence, innovation, integrity and
partnerships.
23. To clarify its purpose,
council’s business will be presented under each of the four core
functions. This will provide elected members with a sense of the size and
scale of what we do in each area and why we do it, particularly how much is a
legislative requirement and where there is more discretion.
24. Community outcomes were
narrowed in scope after the 2012 LTP and redefined as “the outcomes that
a local authority aims to achieve in meeting the current and future needs of
communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and
performance of regulatory functions”. These need to be factored into
strategic direction setting as well as disclosed in the LTP document. Community
outcomes inform the rationale for service delivery thus determining the levels
of service provided to the community.
25. HBRC’s current community outcomes were developed collectively
with the five Hawke’s Bay Councils in 2004. There is an opportunity
to review these in light of the new definition, and to streamline the current
multi-layered and therefore complicated strategic planning hierarchy. For
example, Council could consider aligning the Council’s vision statement
with its community outcomes and/or reviewing the resilience approach (Resilient
Ecosystems, Resilient Economy and Resilient Communities) that features in the
current Strategic Plan.
26. The 5-yearly State of the Environment Reports and regional economic
data used to provide a picture of the current state of the region in Workshop
One also provide a rich information base to measure the Council’s
outcomes in the future. Outcome measurement could build on this to monitor and
report on what Council is trying to achieve and the interventions it is taking
to make a difference.
27. It is proposed that through the LTP there would be a set of
organisation-wide outcome measures that cut across more than one functional or
activity grouping (such as planning, engineering, science). These measurable
outcomes can be used to drive integrated thinking within the organisation as
the outcomes become a driver of organisational alignment and effort. These are
outcomes that Council directly contributes to along with others but may not
have total control over.
28. To do this requires linking Council outputs to attributable impacts.
This will enable Council to evaluate how successful activities are at
delivering on outcomes. Under the LGA, Council must also consider whether
it has been efficient in achieving its outcomes. Together these measures of
impact on outcomes and efficiency create the basis for ongoing evaluation of
future LTPs and create a ‘strategy system’ of ongoing performance
monitoring and reporting.
Workshop Three: future state for organisational capability and capacity
29. This
workshop will focus on what resources and skills Council will need for the
future. It will look at our current resource base (including HR, IT,
asset and financial capability) and what will need to change to deliver the
Council’s strategic direction.
30. It will also look at organisational performance by domain or
functional areas and seek agreement, in what areas we should do more or less.
Focus areas for discussion could include:
30.1. Co-governance and Treaty partnership - embedding the principles and
obligations under the Hawke’s Bay Regional Planning Committee Act 2015
into business as usual as well as future treaty settlements
30.2. Economic development – where does the Council have leverage
and influence? Should Council’s role be explicitly bound to synergies with core competency in natural resource use? Who is
best placed to take a lead on tourism and other investment opportunities?
30.3. Marine management – marine management is highly fragmented
between multiple agencies with unclear leadership and little information is
collected to enable trend analysis or inform policy making. Marine pests
are an increasing issue for which the Council is responsible. What role should
HBRC play in the marine space?
30.4. Climate change – sea level rise and increasing coastal hazards
is a certain outcome of climate change. Extreme weather events, including
droughts and floods, are predicted. What is the Council’s role in
assisting the community to adapt and manage this change? What role, if any,
does the Council have in mitigating greenhouse gases?
30.5. Regulation - how does the Council approach its role as a regulator
(what mix of soft influencer and educator through to hard line compliance and
enforcement)? What skills and capability does it need to influence behaviour? How much compliance effort should it make?
Aligning the Strategic
Plan with the Long Term Plan
31. As well
as setting the general context for the LTP, the Strategic Plan will
specifically feature in the LTP in three key ways:
31.1. Levels
of service (LOS) review
31.2. Business
cases for new funding (either new activities or increases to LOS)
31.3. Key
topics in the Consultation Document.
32. Levels of
service are descriptions of what we do, why and for who. They can be described
as our commitment to our community. Service levels are information that must be
included in the LTP. Under Schedule 10 (4) of the Local Government Act (LGA),
Councils must include performance measures and targets for groups of activities
to enable the public to assess the LOS for major aspects of activities.
33. Reviewing
LOS is a tangible way to embed the Strategic Plan into Council’s
business. The objective of the review would be to assess the impact of any
changes signalled in the Strategic Plan and compare relative priority. In terms
of the LTP, the output would be an accurate description of the what we do in a
consistent manner and better performance measures.
34. HBRC’s
current LTP has 145 non-financial performance measures, many of which are
milestones of work produced rather than performance per se. This number is
significantly more than other regional Councils, many of whom have streamlined
their measures over progressive long term plans. For example, Bay of Plenty,
Waikato and Northland Regional Councils have around 40 measures. This is an
obvious area of focus for the 2018 LTP for HBRC.
35. The key
steps in a LOS review could include:
35.1. Reviewing
current LOS statements and performance measures from the 2015-25 LTP and updating them to reflect the Council’s new strategic
direction
35.2. Drawing
on ‘best in class’ non-financial performance measures used by other
regional Councils
35.3. Mapping
budget codes to LOS (to give size and scale)
35.4. Assessing
the impacts of external and internal drivers to build a strategic case for each
LOS (including interdependencies)
35.5. Testing
whether the current funding was sufficient to deliver on the LOS
35.6. Assessing
the impact of increasing or decreasing funding
35.7. Developing
business case for increased funding or LOS.
36. The
results would be workshopped with Council during the LTP development, including
recommendations for changes in LOS and new funding
through business cases. Council decisions on LOS would provide the basis for
the 10-year budgets and the major topics for consultation in the 2018-28 LTP
Consultation Document.
37. It is proposed to engage an independent facilitator with strategy
expertise to support and advise Council in this critical task. This may have
budgeting implications, depending on the extent of the external resource
desired by Council.
Decision Making Process
38. Council
is required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the
Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements
in relation to this item and have concluded:
38.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or
affect a strategic asset.
38.2. The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by
legislation.
38.3. The decision does not fall within the definition of Council’s
policy on significance.
38.4. The decision is not inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.
38.5. 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 the Corporate and Strategic Committee receives and notes the
“Council’s Strategic Direction” staff report.
2. The Corporate and Strategic Committee recommends that 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 and persons likely
to be affected by or to have an interest in the decision.
2.2. Endorses the process for developing
Council’s 2016-19 Strategic Plan as outlined in this report.
|
Authored by:
|
Desiree Cull
Programme Leader
|
|
Approved by:
|
James Palmer
Group Manager
Strategic Development
|
|
Attachment/s
There are no
attachments for this report.
HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL
Corporate
and Strategic Committee
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Subject: 2017-18 Annual Plan -
Requirements of the Local Government Act, Proposed Approach and Timelines
Reason for Report
1. This report clarifies the recent changes in the Local Government Act
that cover the Annual Plan preparation and consultation. Further, this report
sets out the proposed approach and timelines for the compilation of the Annual
Plan 2017-18.
The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA)
Covering Annual Plans
2. Section 95(1)
of the LGA states that the local authority must prepare and adopt an Annual
Plan for each financial year.
3. The purpose of
an Annual Plan is set out in section 95(5) as:
3.1. Contains the
proposed annual budget and funding impact statement for the year to which the
Annual Plan relates; and
3.2. Identifies
any variation from the financial statements and funding impact statement
included in the local authority’s Long Term Plan (LTP) in respect of the
year; and
3.3. Provides
integrated decision making and coordination of the resources of the local
authority; and
3.4. Contributes
to the accountability of the local authority to the community.
4. In regard to
the need to consult on the Annual Plan, this is covered in LGA section 95
(2)(A) which sets out that consultation need only be undertaken if the proposed
Annual Plan includes significant or material differences from the content of
the LTP for the financial year in which the proposed Annual Plan relates. In
these instances, the local authority must prepare and adopt a consultation
document.
5. This
consultation document needs to:
5.1. Identify
significant or material differences between the proposed Annual Plan and the
content of the LTP for the financial year to which the Annual Plan relates; and
5.2. Explain the
matters in 5.1 in a way that can be readily understood by interested or
affected people; and
5.3. Inform
discussions between the local authority and its communities about the matters
in paragraph 5.1.
6. The LGA states
that the content of a consultation document must be concise and presented in a
simple manner.
7. Accordingly the same approach as was taken with the development of
the LTP 2015‑2025 and the Annual Plan 2016-17 will be undertaken for this
Annual Plan. This will mean that supporting accountability documents which will
include financial statements, funding impact statements (rating) and detailed
explanations of variances from the LTP will be presented to Council for
adoption. These documents need to be adopted prior to a “Consultation
Document” if one is issued.
8. It is worth noting that a significant number of local authorities
did not issue a consultation document for the 2016-17 Annual Plan. They
believed that, for their Council, there were no material or significant
variances from the LTP and hence no consultation was required.
9. For the 2016-17 Annual Plan, HBRC did issue a consultation document,
which covered:
9.1. Staff resources covering the management and monitoring of land use
activities
9.2. Increased investment in technology
9.3. Retention of Wellington leasehold property
9.4. Changes in drawdown of cashflow for the RWSS.
10. An
amendment to the 2015-25 LTP was also issued on the proposal to purchase
environmental flows from the RWSS. This amendment was audited, as required by
the LGA.
Local Government Act Audit Requirements
for Annual Plan
11. There is
no requirement in the LGA for an audit to be carried out on the Annual Plan.
The only exception in this regard is if there is an amendment to the LTP which
affects that Annual Plan year and the variations/amendments have been included
in the Annual Plan. Amendments to the Annual Plan which require special
consultation can be triggered by section 97 of the LGA which includes
significant changes to the intended level of service or a decision to transfer
ownership or control of a strategic asset from the local authority. It is not
envisaged that this Annual Plan will trigger either of these provisions under
section 97 of the LGA.
12. An
amendment to an LTP can also be triggered where there is a significant change
to revenue and financing/funding impact statements. As significant changes to
these policies are normally included in an LTP and form part of the
consultation for that Plan, it is not envisaged that there will be an LTP
amendment for these policies as part of this 2017-18 Annual Plan process.
Principles Supporting the Compilation of
the Annual Plan 2017-18
13. Significant work has been
undertaken during the LTP 2015-2025 to include strategies and projects,
including both financial and performance management information. The Annual
Plan for 2016-17 made changes to the LTP and these changes, where material,
were consulted on in the Annual Plan Consultation Document. It is therefore
proposed to use the current Annual Plan 2016-17 figures as the base for the
development of the 2017-18 Annual Plan, and make adjustments to incorporate any
additional items included in the LTP that relate to that year.
14. The LTP
showed a surplus position of $16,000 for the year 2017-18. The objective of the
revised Annual Plan is to maintain the LTP position as far as possible. This
operating result was achieved on the back of a cost efficiency exercise
undertaken by Council, specifically $1M in cost reductions achieved during
2013-14 and a further $300,000 in 2015-16.
Issues to be Addressed in the Annual Plan
Development
15. As part
of the Annual Plan 2017-18 development, there are a number of issues that may
require consideration by Council and these issues will either be the subject of
separate papers to Council over the next few months, or be part of the Council
workshop on the Annual Plan which is proposed to be held on 23 February
2017. Some of the issues that will be covered at the workshop are:
15.1. Rates
Increase: The LTP for the year 2017-18 was based on
a rates increase of 5.51%. this rates increase included a further $300,000
being made available to Hawke’s Bay Tourism. The financial strategy in
the LTP set down the policy for the increases in levels and services. As part
of the Annual Plan preparation there needs to be consideration of any current
movements in the local government cost index or in the increases in level of
service that Council wishes to provide.
15.2. Interest
Rates: Interest rates on term deposits have been
subject to a number of fluctuations during the current financial year. The
Official Cash Rate (OCR) was reduced to 1.75% in November 2016. Council is
currently receiving 3.5% on term deposits.
15.3. Sale
of Land Investment Reserves: At the commencement of
the Annual Plan year (1 July 2017) Council will have approximately $60M in the
sale of land investment reserves, therefore the interest rate on term deposits
used for projection purposes will have a major influence on the Plan.
15.4. Ruataniwha
Water Storage Scheme: This Annual Plan will need to
review the assumptions made in the previous Annual Plan (2016-17) which had all
$80M of RWSS funding drawn down by HBRIC Ltd by the end of June 2017. If this
project proceeds, the timing of cash drawdowns needs to be revised.
15.5. LTP Capital Budgets: LTP
capital budgets for 2017-18 need to be reviewed, and then amended if necessary.
Included in this evaluation of additional capital requirements will be the
implementation of the computer system for resource management activities.
Proposed Timelines
|
Task
|
Timing
|
|
Annual
Plan compilation/scrutiny by Executive
|
December
2016/January 2017
|
|
Workshop
papers to be distributed to Council
|
Thursday
15 February 2017
|
|
Summary of Annual Plan
proposals and strategy to be presented to Council workshop
|
Thursday 23 February
2017
|
|
Further Council workshop
to consider any Annual Plan issues, the draft Consultation Document (CD) and
supporting accountability documents
|
Wednesday 8 March 2017
|
|
Adoption of final Annual
Plan CD and supporting accountability documents
|
Wednesday 29 March 2017 (papers
out Thursday 23 March 2017)
|
|
Special consultative
period of five weeks’ duration
|
Monday 10 April
– Friday 12 May 2017
|
|
Staff responses and
submissions to be sent to Council
|
Wednesday 7 June 2017
|
|
Council hears
submissions
|
Monday and/or Tuesday 12
& 13 June 2017
|
|
Council adoption of
final Annual Plan
|
Wednesday 28 June 2017 (papers
out Thursday 22 June 2017)
|
Decision Making Process
16. Staff have assessed the
requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have
concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making
provisions do not apply.
|
Recommendation
That the Corporate and Strategic Committee
receives and notes the “2017-18 Annual Plan - Requirements of the
Local Government Act, Proposed Approach and Timelines” staff
report.
|
Authored by: Approved
by:
|
Leeanne
Hooper
Governance & Corporate Administration
Manager
|
Paul Drury
Group
Manager
Corporate Services
|
Attachment/s
There are no
attachments for this report.
HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL
COUNCIL
Corporate
and Strategic Committee
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Subject: Update on Matariki:
Regional Economic Development Strategy
Reason for Report
1. This report provides the Corporate and Strategic Committee with an
update on activities relating to Matariki, the Hawke’s Bay Regional
Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan 2016, launched in July 2016.
Background
2. Following a mandatory review process Hawke’s Bay councils
committed to build upon the collaborative initiatives championed by the 2011
REDS strategy and undertake a refresh of that document.
3. Matariki was designed in partnership between “the public
sector at all levels and the private sector of all sizes”, and Maori via
Te Kahui Ohanga o Takitimu (TKO) – a collective of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi
and Hapu post treaty settlement groups. Matariki “is focused on building
from the whanau level to generate a healthier, wealthier, more inclusive and
fulfilled population”. The Matariki Governance group comprises
representatives from central government, all councils, TKO, business, EIT and
the District Health Board.
4. Matariki identifies 6 strategic directions:
4.1. Improve pathways to and through employment
4.2. Identify and support existing businesses wanting to grow
4.3. Promote greater innovation, productivity and agility
4.4. Become a beacon for investment, new business, and skilled migrants
4.5. Lead in the provision of resilient physical, community, and business
infrastructure
4.6. Enhance visitor satisfaction and increase spend.
5. In addition, Matariki identifies actions to enhance the overall
strategic framework regional economic development in Hawke’s Bay. For
example, Action 1.1 requires the Matariki Governance Group to “Undertake
a stock take of the organisations involved in economic development in the
region and recommend the regional economic delivery model to give effect to
this strategy.”
6. Supporting the strategic themes are 45 Actions, each of which have
been allocated to a lead agency together with identified key partners. As a
part of local government and in its own right HBRC is designated as a key
partner for over 20 actions, and is designated lead agency for the following
actions.
|
Strategic Direction
|
HBRC Lead or Co-Lead
|
|
Lead in the
provision of resilient physical, community, and business infrastructure.
|
4.1 Improve
access to the Port of Napier to increase regional economic performance
(Regional Transport Committee)
|
|
4.2 Support
the timely implementation of the key strategic initiatives in the Regional
Transport Plan. (Regional Transport Committee)
|
|
4.2.1
Support the combined approach with Tairawhiti to achieve significant upgrades
to SH2 between Napier and Opotiki (Regional Transport Committee)
|
|
4.3
Accelerate the deployment of Ultra-Fast Broadband throughout the Region, in
particular to rural communities and marae. (Co Lead with all councils)
|
|
4.4 Ensure
regional and district plans take a coherent and consistent approach to
regulating common activities. (Co Lead with all councils)
|
|
4.5
Investigate a common approach to consenting and regulatory approval. (Co Lead
with all councils)
|
|
4.6 Identify
land available to support new business growth by liaising with councils. (Co
Lead with all councils)
|
|
4.7 Explore
opportunities arising from water storage schemes, should they proceed, in
order to promote increased regional productivity. (HBRC lead)
|
|
Promote
greater innovation, productivity and agility.
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5.4 Work
with primary sector producers to ensure productivity gains deliver the
improved environmental performance required for freshwater reform. (HBRC
lead)
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5.5 Support
natural resource users to identify and proactively manage business risks and
opportunities arising from a changing climate. (HBRC lead)
|
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5.6 Ensure
sustained funding for productivity and innovation development programmes to meet
the needs of businesses in Hawke’s Bay (Via Callaghan Innovation and
the Regional Business Partner Program)
|
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5.9 Conduct
a regional natural-capital stock take of primary sector productivity
potential. (HBRC lead)
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Become a
beacon for investment, new business, and skilled migrants
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6.2 Develop
a targeted regional strategy for the attraction of businesses, investment and
migrants. (Co Lead with all councils and Business Hawke’s Bay)
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Enhance visitor satisfaction and increase spend
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7.1 Improve
collaboration between organisations tasked with tourism product development
and infrastructure spend and establish a coordinated approach to developing
tourism products and a programme of initiatives in order to optimize visitor
spend in Hawke’s Bay. (HBRC lead)
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Current
Activity
7. Although not the designated lead agency, in addition to the above
HBRC is providing resource to Action 1.1 – Economic Delivery model
review. MBIE is funding an independent review of current economic development
activity within the region to generate a recommendation on a model that will
give best effect to Matariki (see para 5). A consultancy has been appointed to
undertake the review which is expected to be completed by March 2017.
8. In the meantime, MBIE, the Matariki Governance Group and Councils
have agreed to the appoint a Programme Manager (1 year fixed-term) to
coordinate progression on all action plans during the review process. The
position will report to the governance group. HBRC is coordinating the
recruitment process and the position will formally sit within this
organization. MBIE is funding 50% of the role with all councils contributing to
the balance.
9. HBRC is also supporting Action 6.1 – Working with Rocket Lab
to develop opportunities to leverage business attraction off the Te Mahia
initiative. Here HBRC has co-funded an independent assessment of the tourism
opportunities as well as providing ongoing resourcing for the Rocket Tourism
Steering Committee, established to support WDC’s management of the
test-launch phase and its analysis of the tourism opportunities and challenges
of a regular commercial launch operation.
10. HBRC is
providing advice and input into the business case development, led by NCC, for
a significant expansion of the National Aquarium for tourism, education and
research.
11. As
advised to the previous council on 31 August 2016, HBRC has agreed to lead
actions that leverage existing work areas of the council. All councils have
committed to actions on the basis of any significant new activity or expenditure
being subject to council planning process. Due to recent resource pressures
staff have not begun detailed implementation planning for the HBRC-led Matariki
actions. This work will commence early in 2017 and further advice will be
provided to the committee on proposed work programmes and associated resourcing
implications.
Decision Making
Process
12. Staff have assessed the
requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have
concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making
provisions do not apply.
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Recommendation
That the Corporate and Strategic Committee
receives and notes the “Update on Matariki: Regional Economic
Development Strategy” staff report.
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Authored by:
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Tom Skerman
Economic Development Manager
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Approved by:
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James Palmer
Group Manager
Strategic Development
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Attachment/s
There are no
attachments for this report.
