|
Cr Rex Graham, as Council Chairman, reported on current issues
highlighting:
·
Napier Port consultation: the Port Consultation and public meetings have been very
successful with over 3500 submissions received. Cr Rex Graham and James
Palmer also met with all Port staff during the consultation process .
·
Te Mata Track: After consultation and
various meetings, HDC and Craggy Range are working to remove the track. Cr
Rex Graham met with various stakeholders (tangata whenua, Waimarama hapu,
etc) on this controversial matter.
·
A group of investors indicated interest in
buying the piece of land adjacent to Te Mata Peak track and donating it to
the Regional Council to use as a Regional Park, which also includes the land
the Te Mata Track is currently on. Council has responded that it would be
grateful for the land for a Park, but do not want the liability of the Track.
·
The Hutchens family agreed for a bicycle track
to be built on the lower hills of Te Mata Peak.
·
Tangata whenua still of the opinion that the
original track must be removed before any other arrangements can be
considered.
·
The water situation in Central Hawke’s
Bay is very complex and water allocation in the past (first in, first serve),
has carried forward many challenges. Six dairy farmers in CHB currently
amongst the biggest water users on the Ruataniwha Plains.
·
Disappointed with the response received from
Napier MP Stewart Nash to the letter from HBRC calling for a moratorium on
commercial eel fishing in the Region.
James Palmer reported on current issues and activities from the
CEO perspective, highlighting:
·
increased activities across Council over the
last few months, including new IT team, new staff and accommodation of all
staff in appropriate spaces.
·
The Planning Team is progressing the TANK Plan
Change and TANK remains a vast body of work, and currently working through
issues with the Regional Planning Committee.
·
Tukituki Taskforce activities in CHB and staff
engagement with landowners to explain the minimum flows which are now in
place.
·
Regional Council CEs from across NZ meet
collectively once every two months, with the next meeting scheduled on 30
November in Taranaki with Minister Andrew Little and Minister Mahuta in
attendance.
·
James has been asked to lead the conversation
with the Ministers around Treaty settlements and costs of implementing the
Treaty Settlements on Local Government as well as the capacity and capability
challenges for Post Settlement Governance Entities. Central Government is to
resource Post Settlement Governance entities to enable them to work
effectively on complex RMA issues.
·
As noted in the last meeting, Council has set
aside $30m over 10 years for grant funding, particularly around erosion
control and riparian planting, in its LTP. An application has been submitted
to the Government to leverage that funding.
·
Non-commercial environmental restoration and
enhancement to be scaled up, with teams engaging with landowners who have
indicated an interest. The first erosion control plans have started to flow
through.
·
Study underway called “right tree, right
place”, where a consortium of experts is investigating where commercial
opportunities exist for different types of forestry including native, manuka,
etc, across the whole region, and to help us understand whether the
Council’s commercial balance sheet could be directed towards commercial
and native forestry.
·
Expressions of Interest in the Kahutia Accord
have been received from landowners totalling around 16,000 hectares –
getting nursery stock purchased and land prepared. Proposed that Council loan
up to 100,000 of the Council’s carbon credits, (estimated value of
around $2.5m) to Kahutia Ltd, which they can sell to raise capital to get
planting underway and repay the Council as those trees accrue carbon.
Council will be considering a proposed contract and arrangement at its 28
November meeting.
·
Michelle McIlroy expressed her concern around
which parts of the region the million trees will be planted and water issues
raised to feed the trees.
|
