Agenda of Maori Committee

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: Biosecurity - Regional Pest Management Plan and Pest Control Activities

Reason for Report

1. This item provides an overview of Biosecurity activities, including TB control, possum numbers and progress towards achieving predator free Hawke’s Bay.

Background

2. The HBRC Biosecurity function comprises of three core teams, Pest Animals (3.6 FTE), Predator Free Hawkes Bay (6 FTE’s) and Pest Plants (4.4 FTE). The budget includes just over $1.9m for internal staff time and an additional $1.6m for external operating costs. The primary role of these teams is to deliver the Hawke’s Bay Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP), a statutory document underpinned by the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act) that provides the framework for the management of animal, plant, marine and horticultural pests in Hawke’s Bay.

3. 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. Council therefore has a leadership role in pest management in the Hawke’s Bay region.

Discussion

4. Since the development of Council’s first Pest Management Strategy in July 1996, significant benefits have accrued to the region’s economy from pest plant and animal control. Although over the past 20 years approximately 80% of Council’s biosecurity resource have focussed on pests affecting agricultural production, there have been significant biodiversity gains arising from the delivery of these programmes. During the last RPMP review (2017-18), more emphasis was placed on managing environmental pests. As a result the revised RPMP (2018-28) includes new programmes to manage predators, feral goats, wilding conifers and marine pests, as well as the inclusion of exclusion pests and a framework to secure possum eradication long-term.

5. The RPMP operates within the administrative the boundaries of the Hawke’s Bay region and covers a total area (land and sea) of 1,419,153 hectares. The RPMP proposes to remain in force for a period of 20 years with a review being undertaken after 10 years from the date of commencement.

6. Staff manage Biosecurity programmes in both rural and urban areas, targeting specific species for control or eradication. This endeavour involves working closely with farmers, urban residents and a wide range of organisations to effectively manage and control a range of pests. Staff also work closely with other internal teams, including Biodiversity, Catchment Management, Science, Engineering, and Open Spaces,

7. The RPMP contains 33 pest plants, 23 pest animals, two marine pests and five horticultural pests. These pests sit within an Exclusion, Eradication, Progressive Containment, Sustained Control or Site-led programme. Some of the key programmes contained within the RPMP are as follows.

8. Council’s biosecurity functions are currently under review by an experienced external consultant. This review is intended to meet the requirements of S17a of the Local Government Act. This review will consider the biosecurity aspects of cost-effectiveness of current arrangements for meeting the needs of communities within its district or region for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions.

Possum Control Area (PCA) programme

9. Hawkes Bay Regional Council has been controlling possums through its Possum Control Area (PCA) programme since 2001. This is a flag ship biosecurity programme with over $15m invested directly by Council in the initial knockdown and maintenance of low possums numbers to date. There has been a very high level of support for the PCA programme, and a strong belief by most land occupiers within the programme that it is providing value for money for Biosecurity ratepayers. The PCA programme was initiated to deliver multiple benefits for ratepayers including lowering the risk of TB, reducing the economic and amenity damage caused by possums and improving biodiversity. A benefits report done by the Lincoln Agricultural economic unit in 2006 also cited economic benefits from reduced pasture browse by possums of up to $2/ha.

10. Although the PCA programme is currently achieving its target of <4% residual trap catch (RTC), the data (red line in Figure 1 below) suggests a slow increase in RTC monitoring results. Over the last decade staff have seen an increase in the number of farmers undertaking their own control rather than using a contractor and in some cases this own control may not be being carried out annually and effectively. Partly this is because possum numbers generally have been low for a very long time and a level of complacency is developing forsome landowners on the programme. Alongside this however some landowners within the programme have experienced extremely challenging climatic conditions such as drought and flooding and have had to carefully prioritise farm expenditure. This gradual increase of the RTC also reflects the increasing number of properties that we are having to follow up on as they a have failed their RTC requirements. These changes are of concern to staff as only 10-15% of the overall PCA programme is monitored annually, resulting in some properties going unmonitored for 8-10 years.

11. The areas of current concern raised in paragraph 10 will be considered and addressed in the S17a review underway. This review will be fully reported to council on completion.

Figure 1 – PCA possum monitoring results

Rabbits

12. Rabbits are included in the RPMP, with occupiers being responsible for maintaining population levels below Level 4 on the Modified McLean Scale. Rabbits can cause a number of adverse effects on economic well-being and environmental values particularly in the more rabbit-prone lands. Staff undertake the following duties:

12.1. Conduct targeted surveillance of rabbit prone areas (Figure 2)

12.2. Conduct periodic monitoring of rabbits at known or suspected Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) areas

12.3. Provide advice and education to land occupiers, including occupiers of small blocks, to help them control rabbits by the most efficient and effective means, and

12.4. At its discretion, and as set out in an approved management programme, meet up to 50% of the cost of rabbit control on rateable land where rabbit numbers exceed 4 on the McLean Scale.

13. Staff released RHDV1 K5 (a variant of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus) as part of a national release in 2018 but it has not had any detectible impact.

Figure 2 – regional annual rabbit night counts

Rooks

14. Rooks are declared a pest in the RPMP in the Eradication category. Rooks feed on maize, peas, squash, green feed and cereal crops at sowing and post emergent times, often causing extensive damage to these crops. Staff manage the rook eradication programme, targeting nests within all known rookeries during the breeding season. This involves large-scale aerial and ground control operations. Staff conduct annual rookery counts to determine the effects of the control. As shown in Figure 3 below, the rook programme has been very successful with rook numbers significantly decreasing from 2789 nests in 06/07 to just 494 nests this season. Operations are co-ordinated with Gisborne District Council and Horizons Regional Council. Council provide information to land occupiers on rook identification, the potential adverse effects that they cause, who to contact for rook control, and the risks of inappropriate control. While it is predicted that eradication will take approximately 30 years to achieve the success of the programme over the last decade has already seen the economic damage caused by rooks within the region significantly reduced.

Figure 3 – Rook trend data

Chilean needle grass (CNG)

15. CNG is a pest plant which can have significant negative impacts on animal welfare and poses a threat to the sustainability of farming in Hawke’s Bay. CNG is a very cryptic plant, which is hard to identify, seeds twice a year, is hard to kill without non-target impacts, has potential erosion issues post control and is spread by many vectors e.g. stock, people, machinery. Current measures undertaken have significantly slowed the spread of CNG across the region. Its current known extent is approximately 650ha, with an average of 11 new sites being detected annually. Most new sites detected are adjacent to properties with CNG and have gone undetected due to the cryptic nature of this pest pant. Staff have increased the advocacy surveillance programme and tightened pathway restrictions to minimise the further spread of CNG. The Pest Plant team focus almost exclusively on CNG during November-December, as there is a very short period where CNG can be identified and controlled. With additional properties being discovered each season, staff workloads have increased.

Old man’s beard

16. Old man’s beard is a significant environmental weed that smothers native vegetation. Its habitat is typically scrubland, wasteland, riverbanks, hedgerows and native bush margins. Old man’s beard is in the RPMP as a Progressive Containment pest and comprises of two areas:

16.1. North of SH 5 – old man’s beard is controlled across all land tenure with occupiers being responsible for the control of old man’s beard on their land. HBRC will at its discretion control some known infestations prior to seed set where it is practical to do so. Most properties qualify for a subsidy under the pest plant incentive scheme. HBRC undertakes an annual surveillance programme and works with land occupiers to undertake control.

16.2. Ruahine and Kaweka ranges – a buffer programme is in place to prevent the establishment of old man’s beard in the ranges. HBRC, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, control all old man’s beard within the park and a 500 metre buffer zone along the edge of the Ruahine and Kaweka ranges (as per map in RPMP 2018-38).

Marine Pests

17. Two of the most invasive marine pests have been include in the RPMP, being Mediterranean fanworm and clubbed tunicate. Marine pests have the potential to adversely affect our aquaculture and fishing industries, threaten human health and displace our native marine plants and animals. Marine pests are very difficult to control once established, with high control costs, rapid dispersal of very large numbers of juveniles, and a lack of safe, effective control technologies. Prevention is the best tool.

18. Currently there are only two known marine pests in Hawke’s Bay, Asian kelp and Australian tubeworm. In an attempt to prevent marine pests from establishing, a level of foul rule for hulls was also included in the RPMP. Risk pathway management can, at a relatively low cost, reduce the risk of marine pests. This is because, compared with other regions, Hawke’s Bay has a rugged coastline and limited number of ports/marinas.

19. Biosecurity staff have established strong working relationships with key stakeholders in the marine space (including MPI, Napier City Council, Napier Sailing Club, Harbourmaster, the Napier Port and the Top of the North Marine Biosecurity Partnership) and have developed a vessel risk assessment form that visiting vessels must complete. This process recently picked up a vessel with Mediterranean fanworm complete and carry out dive inspections of incoming vessels deemed high risk or suspect. Having this programme in the RPMP allowed staff to act immediately, removing adult farmworm with divers, wrapping the vessel and directing it to be hauled out of the water.

Exclusion pests

20. Recent amendments to the Biosecurity Act 1993 allow Regional Pest Management Plans to include ‘Exclusion Pests’. These are pests that not known to be established in the region. Alligator weed, marshwort, Noogoora bur, senegal tea, spartina, and wallabies have been included in the RPMP under this category. Declaring these species as pests under the Exclusion programme gives Biosecurity staff the appropriate powers under the Biosecurity Act to respond to a population or if a vector pathway is detected.

Predator Free Hawke’s Bay

21. In 2011 Council partnered with the Department of Conservation and a range of other stakeholders in the Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project to explore if landscape scale predator control at lower cost was achievable on farmland. The strategic intention behind this was to see if the foundation of success provided by the PCA programme could be built on to leverage additional regional scale biodiversity and economic outcomes for ratepayers. That 8000 ha project Poutiri Ao ō Tāne then led on to an additional 26000 ha project Cape to City in 2015 to operationalize at scale what was learned in Poutiri Ao ō Tāne. In 2018 a four year project Whakatipu Mahia – Predator Free was initiated under the Predator Free 2050 vision with funding from a range of partners including PF 2050 Ltd. Whakatipu Mahia includes another 14000 ha of predator control and extended control to test what might be required for large scale possum eradication on farmland. It is currently the largest mainland possum eradication programme ever undertaken in New Zealand. The last decade of work has provided a regional foundation for Predator Free Hawkes Bay including:

21.1. The mechanism has been created within the Regional Pest Management Plan 2019-2039 for both Predator Control Areas and Possum eradication areas. This allows communities to support predator control or possum eradication based on the same model as the last two decades of PCA programme success.

21.2. Understanding some of the key research, technical and operational elements required for successful large scale predator control or possum eradication on farmland. This includes monitoring techniques, types of trap devices and placement, data management and in the case of eradication barrier options to reinvasion. In addition around 40 individual research and science projects have been completed by Manaaki Whenua (Landcare Research) considering a range of elements related to the programme. Research has been conducted on likely biodiversity outcomes, habitat connectivity, cutting edge techniques like pheromone lures and environmental DNA typing, wireless trap monitoring, education and engagement programmes.

21.3. Understanding how landscape scale predator control integrates into the range of other work programmes required to drive greater biodiversity outcomes for ratepayers. A number of Council activities deliver biodiversity benefits for example the ecosystem prioritisation programme, catchment management team planting activities, pest plant control and so on. Targeting landscape scale predator control to ‘clusters’ of biodiversity where council (or the community) has these additional investments will deliver better overall biodiversity outcomes for the ratepayer.

22. We are still some way away from being able to undertake landscape scale possum eradication. However the last ten years has seen a solid foundation built to step towards Predator Free Hawkes Bay through regional predator suppression at the scale and level of success we have enjoyed on our flagship possum control area programme. This will deliver significant additional biodiversity benefits. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment noted in her 2017 report "Taonga of an island nation: Saving New Zealand’s birds” predators are in the top three factors creating native birdlife decline.

Next Steps

23. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has a regional leadership role in pest management and Biosecurity has been core business of Council since its inception in 1989. The Council substantially delivers this through the Regional Pest Management plan which contains 61 pests. The Biosecurity team also supports and delivers pest control outside of this plan, including targeted control of environmental and agricultural pests at specific sites and working with community groups to protect and enhance high biodiversity value areas. Staff also play a key role in initiatives to support national coordination of Biosecurity practices such as the Biosecurity Working Group and Biomanagers.

24. Internally the Biosecurity team, works closely with other teams to integrate programmes, such as Predator Free Hawke’s Bay, Biodiversity and Catchment Management, to provide a holistic approach in environmental management.

25. Staff are in the process of conducting an LGA section 17a efficiency and effectiveness review of a range of Biosecurity operations in advance of the next LTP. The intention of this review is to test whether the current programmes are targeted and structured to deliver the best possible returns for ratepayer investment in biosecurity activities within the region.

Decision Making Process

26. 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 Māori Committee receives and notes the “Biosecurity - Regional Pest Management Plan and Pest Control Activities” staff report.

Authored by:

Campbell Leckie

Manager Catchment Services

Mark Mitchell

Team Leader/Principal Advisor, Biosecurity/Biodiversity

Approved by:

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: Review of HBRC Activities in relation to the Mohaka Valley TB Outbreak

Reason for Report

1. This item provides background on Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Possum Control Area (PCA) programme, our partnership with vector control activities delivered under the National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan, and how that relates to the recent Bovine Tuberculosis outbreak in the northern part of the region.

Background

2. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has played an active role in managing the risk of TB since 1996. In 2001 the first PCAs were formed. Since then the PCA programme has grown to cover approximately 775,000ha with over $15m invested directly by Council in the initial knockdown and ongoing maintenance of possums to low densities.

3. The PCA programme was initiated to deliver multiple benefits for ratepayers including lowering the risk of TB, reducing the economic and amenity damage caused by possums and improving biodiversity. A benefits report done by the Lincoln Agricultural economic unit in 2006 also cited economic benefits from reduced pasture browse by possums of up to $2/ha.

4. The PCA programme is implemented through the Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) which is underpinned by the Biosecurity Act 1993. A key feature of the RPMP is that once a PCA is created, land users within it have an obligation, enforceable by Council compliance action to keep possum numbers low on their property.

5. The RPMP recently underwent a review, with the new RPMP coming into effect on 1 February 2019. This Plan is not required to be reviewed until 1 February 2029, unless Council choses to.

6. Approximately $1million dollars is invested annually in the PCA programme, with about half internal staff time and half for external operational spend. We monitor approximately 10% of the PCA annually and it currently takes approximately 8-10 years to monitor all PCA’s within the programme.

7. Within the PCA area, possum monitoring is undertaken on between 80,000-100,000ha of land annually. This consists of approximately 1300 chew card lines across the monitored area to assess possum densities.

8. Residual Trap Catch (RTC), is the number of possum detections per unit of effort, according to a standard protocol specified by the National Pest Control Agencies (NPCA). This reflects the density of possums that remain after a control operation.

9. Land occupiers within the PCA programme must maintain possum densities at or below 4% RTC. This was recently decreased from 5% RTC during the Regional Pest Management Plan review. The following graph shows monitoring results across the PCA programme since its inception.

10. HBRC provides the following support to land occupiers in managing possums to the required densities:

10.1. Subsidised possum control products at Farmlands and PGG Wrightson

10.2. A PCA buffer control programme along the boundary of crown estate to minimise possums entering the PCA programme from unmanaged areas

10.3. A maximum possum contractor rate of $2/ha. If land occupiers use a contractor and the cost of possum control is greater than $2/ha, HBRC will cover the additional cost

10.4. HBRC also manages the DoC ‘exacerbator’ budget for smaller areas of DoC estate within the PCA programme.

11. Production forestry within the PCA programme is exempt from the RPMP rule, however a Good Neighbour Rule (500m buffer) applies. This means forests adjoining land within the PCA programme must manage possum densities at or below 5% RTC within a 500m buffer along the forestry edge. While this usually requires production forestry to manage a greater area than the 500 metre buffer to be confident that they comply with the good neighbour rule, this exemption does pose a risk to the PCA programme where forestry companies are not diligent in delivering annual control.

TB outbreak

12. In April 2019 a TB infected herd was detected in the Waitara Valley. Since then, further infected herds have been detected in Matahoura, Tutira, Waikoau, Waipataki, Patoka, and Rissington. The source of TB infection in this outbreak has been DNA strain-typed to wildlife from north of the Mohaka River which, as shown in attachment 1 (purple circle), is well within the OSPRI managed area.

13. OSPRI is the management agency in charge of managing TB in NZ. There has been some confusion in the community regarding each organisations roles and responsibilities, possibly due to HBRC undertaking vector control (possum management) on behalf of OSPRI until September 2013, when OSPRI transitioned this role to its own vector management department. In 2016 OSPRI reduced its national funding by $20m and reduced their staff in Hawke’s Bay. The vector management programme was then managed from Palmerston North.

14. HBRC contributed towards OSPRI’s vector control costs up till 2016 via a targeted TB rate. This was approximately 10% of the cost of annual vector control within the region. When the national funding model changed, Councils across NZ exited funding TB vector management. Council’s involvement with OSPRI operational activities, and therefore relationships, were not required to be as close post 2016 as they were previously.

15. In addition to this change, within Hawkes Bay there was an agreed RPMP mechanism and joint process (discussed below) to transition TB-Free vector control areas over to HBRC management on the PCA programme. This process has worked adequately till now and further reduced the need for the high level of communication maintained while HBRC managed vector management on behalf of OSPRI in the region.

16. When OSPRI declare an area TB free and cease possum management it is transferred into the HBRC PCA programme. During a three year period (2015-17) a large number of PCAs were rolled off OSPRI management and were entered into the PCA programme. The majority of these PCAs will now be affected by OSPRI’s planned vector management programme (shown in Map 1 – hatching). HBRC are working with OSPRI to notify affected PCA land occupiers of this change back to OSPRI led management.

17. HBRC undertook possum monitoring this financial year within nine PCA’s that are within the blue hatched area in attachment 1. These PCA areas had an average residual trap catch (RTC) of 2.9%, well below the 4% RTC requirement to meet the plan rule. This monitoring data has been shared with OSPRI.

18. HBRC staff were of the view that the transition process for vector control areas to the PCA programme was working adequately. Staff were not aware of, nor held information that could have made them aware of the imminent TB threat. This outbreak was a surprise to HBRC staff.

19. What has become apparent through the TB outbreak, largely across TB-Free vector control areas, is that more regular operational communication is required again between HBRC Catchment Services and OSPRI TB-Free staff. While OSPRI is the statutory authority to manage bovine tuberculosis, any TB outbreak potentially impacts on both HBRC’s management of the PCA programme and farmer relationships within outbreak areas which HBRC values.

Discussion

20. For absolute clarity, the current outbreak is not the result of HBRC failing in respect to any of our operational or legislative requirements. While enhanced communication between HBRC and OSPRI is desirable in future, a lack of communication between the agencies was equally not the cause of this outbreak.

21. HBRC is committed to maintaining low possum numbers within the PCA programme to help minimise the risk of TB spreading in Hawke’s Bay. It is important to note, however, the roles and responsibilities of each organisation.

22. HBRC has a regional leadership role under the Biosecurity Act in managing pests, such as possums. OSPRI is a not-for-profit limited liability company comprising a group of companies inclusive of TBfree NZ Ltd and NAIT Ltd. TBfree NZ Ltd is the statutory management agency for the National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan, pursuant to the Biosecurity Act 1993 and the Biosecurity (National Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Plan) Order 1998. The implementation of this legislation is funded through government contributions and levies. HBRC has not has any formal input into the OSPRI vector management programme since ceasing management of it in 2016.

23. It is important that HBRC and OSPRI have a strong operational relationships and work collaboratively. HBRC sits on the Hawke’s Bay TB Free committee and works with the local OSPRI team in transitioning properties out of TB vector managed areas into the HBRC PCA programme.

24. HBRC staff were not approached nor privy to the recent review undertaken by OSPRI and raised in discussion by OSPRI staff during the council presentation on 8 April 2020. Accessing this review might be useful in supporting the necessary closer relationship between OSPRI and HBRC staff to assist in the coordinated management of possums within the region. Staff are working with OSPRI to access this report.

25. The BioManagers Special Interest Group has formally approached OSPRI to take a sector led process of re-engagement at a strategic level with OSPRI leadership. We are particularly wanting to minimise risks of future outbreaks, and to discuss how councils can better engage with OSPRI.

26. HBRC has been working with OSPRI, attending community meetings, providing PCA data offering assistance with land occupier contact information. The HBRC Communications team has also offered to work with OSPRI in getting key messages out.

Next Steps

27. Staff are in the process of conducting an efficiency and effectiveness review of a range of biosecurity operations including the PCA programme in advance of the next LTP. This will be fully reported to Council at a future meeting.

28. The Group Manager – ICM has approached OSPRI leadership to request that discussions about our collective issues and exploration of how the two organisations can work more collaboratively in future continue. This has been positively received and we will seek to ensure engagement occurs both at a senior leadership level and operationally within each organisation.

Decision Making Process

29. 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 Māori Committee receives the “Review of HBRC Activities in relation to the Mohaka Valley TB Outbreak” report.

Authored by:

Mark Mitchell

Team Leader/Principal Advisor, Biosecurity/Biodiversity

Campbell Leckie

Manager Catchment Services

Approved by:

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

Attachment/s

⇩1

PCA OSPRI Map 3

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review

Reason for Report

1. This report provides an update on progress of the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review examining the merits of upgrading the scheme from current level of protection 1 in 100 year (1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP)) to a new level of protection 1 in 500 year (0.2% AEP).

Executive Summary

2. The current levels of service are based on legal requirements, community expectations and physical restrictions inherited over the evolution of the Scheme. The flood control river assets are designed and maintained to provide protection from flooding with up to a 1% chance of being exceeded in any one year.

3. The Scheme, as we know it today, has evolved over the last 130 years from the effort of Local River Boards in the late 1800s, through to the Hawke’s Bay River Board, the Hawke’s Bay Catchment Board and since 1989, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. Improvements in the scheme have followed significant flood events and specific catchment and asset reviews.

4. Council operates and maintains a network of stopbanks, live edge protection zones, hydraulic structures and pump stations, as well as managing the river, stream and drainage channels to ensure they work as expected during flood events. The overall aim of the scheme is to reduce the risk of flood and erosion damage while maintaining a high quality river environment.

Background

5. The Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme covers the low lying historic river plains of the Tutaekuri, Ngaruroro, Clive and lower Tukituki Rivers. It provides protection against frequent flooding to most of Hastings, Flaxmere, Havelock North and Napier urban areas. The area directly benefiting from the Scheme covers approximately 39,000 hectares with a population of around 138,000 people living within the scheme boundary. This equates to approximately 82% of the Hawke’s Bay population.

6. Anticipated projection of climate change in the Hawke’s Bay region suggests lower total overall rainfall but more frequent, more intense, rain events in the future. Seasonal changes are also anticipated with lower rainfall in winter and spring and greater rainfall in summer and autumn. Greater intensity events are likely to result in increased frequency of flooding and may be a key driver for increasing the design level of protection afforded by the flood control scheme.

7. The most recent upgrade of the flood control scheme was undertaken more than 20 years ago when land use on the plains was less intensive and land values much lower than they are today.

8. Through the 2012 LTP process, HBRC noted that Level of Services would be reviewed over time, but no further specific consultation was carried out. In the 2018-28 LTP consultation document “Facing our Future,” the Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review was not specifically consulted on however the project was included as a major works in the pipeline and potential for future consultation was identified. The project Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme named in this document states “Improve flood carrying capacity from a “1 in a 100-year” event level to a “1 in a 500-year” level, in response to climate change.” No further consultation with the public has been carried out since the Facing the Future document was released.

9. In recent years, the Ministry for Environment provided guidance to local government on the significance of climate change and therefore this puts additional emphasis on understanding the impact of climate change and considering the level of service provided. (Climate Change Effects and Impacts Assessment – A Guide Manual for Local Government in New Zealand (2^nd edition 2008)).

10. A budget of $20M has been allocated for the next 10 years (2018-28).

Discussion

11. The paragraphs below describe a high level schedule, key deliverables and project gateways. Alternatively, Attachment, Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review shows a diagram of key project activities.

12. July 2018 – The project was approved for delivery through approval of the LTP. During the 2018-19 financial year, flood frequency analysis (based on existing hydrological records), has been carried out on Tutaekuri, Ngaruroro, Clive and lower Tukituki rivers. Flood frequency analysis is a technique used to predict flow values corresponding to specific return periods for a given river. The information is used as an input to the hydraulic modelling.

13. July 2019 – A dedicated project manager was assigned and project team briefed on deliverables, timeframe and budget was allocated to specific tasks.

13.1. Hydraulic Modelling – 1:500, 1:200 and 1:100 event scenarios are being developed for each river.

13.2. Asset Condition Assessment – Assessing the condition and likely performance of the existing flood protection assets. To date we have completed the assessment for the Tutaekuri River and the assessment for remaining assets in the scheme will follow this year (2020).

13.3. Consultation and Communication – One of the key steps moving forward is to understand how we proceed with communication and consultation with iwi and stakeholders. A detailed plan is currently being developed.

13.4. Iwi engagement – We are seeking early engagement from effected iwi group so the cultural assessment and effects of this project on these values is encounter from the beginning.

13.5. Land Management Investigation – This includes land identification, risk assessment, ownership, land use and what future land acquisition we may require for the potential engineering work. Also looking into significant cultural sites which are likely to be effected by the flooding.

13.6. Engineering Optioneering – It is possible that a 1:500 year flood protection may be unachievable in some areas due to financial constraints, land constraints, engineering limitations, economic analysis or environmental impact. This part of the work will indicate what other options there might be for enhancing the current flood protection to deal with the effects of climate change.

14. July 2020- Project Gateway for Design

14.1. Preliminary Design and Economic Analysis – Preliminary/concept design work and economic analysis from engineering optioneering work.

14.2. Business case and refined budget approval – Final report and council paper with refined budget for 10 year period with design options for each river including a detailed project risk assessment.

15. July 2021- Project Gateway for Procurement

15.1. Engineering design and detailed design – This process allows us to identify, refine and solve problems for recommended options and it will also allow us to define phases for construction, land requirements, consents, tendering, contract preparation, etc.

15.2. Construction phase 1 – Contract Award and commencement of construction on high priority locations.

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 Māori Committee receives the “Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review” staff report.

Authored by:

Martina Groves

Acting Regional Asset Manager

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager
Asset Management

Attachment/s

⇩1

Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme - Level of Service Review Project

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: Hawke's Bay Summber 2019-20

Reason for Report

1. Drought conditions developed in Hawke’s Bay and across the North Island during summer 2019-20, leading to the declaration of a “large scale adverse event” by the Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor on 12 March 2020. This paper places the rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels and soil moisture levels of summer 2019-20 in an historical context and describes how the dry conditions evolved.

Executive Summary

2. Hawke’s Bay had below normal rainfall, above average temperatures and relatively high rates of potential evapotranspiration from November 2019 to April 2020. Rainfall accumulations from November to April were lower in 2019-20 than in the 2012-13 drought in all areas of the region, apart from Waikaremoana and the Kaweka Range.

3. River flows have generally tracked below normal this summer. Northern parts of Hawke’s Bay did not experience extreme low flows. Ngaruroro River experienced levels comparable to the 2012-13 drought. The Tukituki River recorded the lowest mean flows on record.

4. This pattern was reflected in the groundwater levels, with the Ruataniwha basin (in the Tukituki catchment) having the highest proportion of monitoring wells at their lowest recorded water levels.

5. The weather pattern in 2019-20 featured higher than normal mean sea level pressure to the northwest and east of New Zealand and lower than normal pressure to the southwest. A relatively deep, warm and stable layer of air over the North Island meant that active systems approaching from the southwest weakened as they moved north. Above average sea temperatures contributed to the hot weather and high evaporation rates.

6. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation was in a neutral phase through summer and is expected to remain that way through the coming autumn and winter. A westerly flow was predominant during the summer and seasonal forecast models continue with that pattern for the next few months.

Background

7. Prior to summer 2019-20, the most recent drought experienced in Hawke’s Bay was in the summer of 2012-13. The 2012-13 drought affected much of the North Island and was declared a medium scale adverse event on 15 March 2013 by the Minister for Primary Industries. With respect to different parts of Hawke’s Bay, NIWA assessed the 2012-13 drought as either the worst in 40 years or second only to 1997-98. The summer weather was dominated by “blocking” high pressure systems which prevented rain-bearing fronts from moving over New Zealand¹.

8. Following the 2012-13 drought, NIWA developed a New Zealand Drought Index (NZDI) based on four common indices of climatological drought. Throughout summer 2019-20 the NZDI typically categorised Hawke’s Bay as very dry or extremely dry, with parts of the region in drought or severe drought. Drought or severe drought levels were largely along the western ranges, particularly the Ruahine Range and adjacent hill country and surrounds. At the end of April the NZDI still categorized eastern Hawke’s Bay as dry but extremely dry or in drought on the Heretaunga Plains, the Ruataniwha Plains and southern coastal areas.

Discussion

Rainfall and Potential Evapotranspiration

9. The 2019-20 drought began its development in November and followed a wetter than average early spring. November was not only a month of below normal rainfall, but temperatures were very hot. Daytime temperatures reached 3°C above the monthly average and the average potential evapotranspiration (PET) rate for the month was the highest recorded on the Ruataniwha Plains for November since monitoring began in 2007. PET is the amount of moisture that would be lost by evaporation and transpiration from a reference crop, such as grassland, if sufficient moisture is available.

10. Both December and January had below normal rainfall and temperatures between 0.5 -1°C warmer than average. The dry conditions that developed during late spring and into summer rapidly worsened in February when all, but northern areas of the region received approximately 10% of normal February rainfall. Temperatures were again very hot and reached 3°C above the February average, resulting in high but not record rates of PET.

11. March brought some welcome rain to northern Hawke’s Bay and to the south coast. However the remainder of the region received less than half the March average and even the rain on the south coast didn’t bring its total into the month’s normal range. The region received only 30% of average April rainfall and the areas worst affected were the Heretaunga Plains (13%), Tangoio (14%), southern Hawke’s Bay (15%) and the Ruataniwha Plains (23%).

12. Table 1 shows the percentage of average rainfall received in different parts of the region from November to April inclusive and compares it to 2012-13. Most of the region shared similar or more severe levels of below normal rainfall in 2019-20 than in
2012-13 except for the Kaweka Range and Waikaremoana.

Area	2012-13 % Average Nov-Apr Rainfall	2019-20 % Average Nov-Apr Rainfall
Waikaremoana	52	64
Northern Hawke’s Bay	56	54
Tangoio	47	41
Kaweka	48	52
Ruahine	59	45
Heretaunga Plains	42	36
Ruataniwha Plains	46	36
Southern Hawke’s Bay	51	44
Hawke’s Bay Region	50	47

Table 1: November to April rainfall totals for 2012-13 and 2019-20 for different parts of Hawke’s Bay as a percentage of average November to April rainfall totals. Areas where the dry conditions appear worse in 2019-20 than in 2012-13 are highlighted in red.

13. The November to February rainfall totals in the Ruahine Range and Ongaonga were the lowest recorded in the past 50-60 years, surpassing those of 1997-98 and 2012-13.

14. Much of Hawke’s Bay is considered “summer dry”, i.e. PET exceeds the amount of rainfall typically received. The difference between rainfall and PET can be used to gauge the magnitude of dry conditions. Figure 1 shows cumulative rainfall minus cumulative PET for the hydrological year (July to June) at the Ongaonga Climate site and includes average conditions as well as the 2019-20 and 2012-13 levels. The graph indicates a greater moisture deficit than average for most of the period and greater than that of 2012-13. This is not the case at Bridge Pa on the Heretaunga Plains (Figure 2), where early spring rainfall raised 2019-20 above both average levels and those of
2012-13, before dipping below average in February.

Figure 1: A comparison of average, 2012-13 and 2019-20 levels of cumulative rainfall – PET at Ongaonga Climate station over the hydrological year. Data for 2019-20 is shown up until 30^th April 2020.

Figure 2: A comparison of average, 2012-13 and 2019-20 levels of cumulative rainfall – PET at Bridge Pa Climate station over the hydrological year. Data for 2019-20 is shown up until 30 April 2020.

Soil moisture

15. The lack of rainfall and high rates of PET from November to April resulted in soil moisture levels tracking below normal, apart from northern areas where soil moisture followed median levels. For many areas, such as around and south of the Heretaunga Plains and also to the north up to Taharua, soil moisture levels were typically in the lowest 10% of readings at individual sites. Levels were comparable to 2012-13 for much of summer, especially on the Ruataniwha Plains where the onset of dry conditions mirrored that of 2012-13 (Figure 3). Elsewhere the onset tended to be delayed by a month by the early spring rain. However by the end of April, soil moisture levels were below 2012-13 and the lowest in the 15-20 year records of the Ongaonga, Bridge Pa and Crownthorpe sites.

Figure 3: Soil moisture levels at Ongaonga Climate Station for 2019-20 compared to median levels and 2012-13. Data for 2019-20 is shown up until 30^th April.

River Flows

16. With below normal rainfall in November, river flows began dropping across the Hawkes Bay. The dry, hot summer resulted in average river flows below 25% of their long-term average, particularly in the southern Hawke’s Bay. In comparison, 2018-19 was within 75% of the long-term average river flow.

17. In the Northern Hawke’s Bay, river flows have been below 50% of their long-term average. However, river levels have remained above those seen in the dry season of 2012-13. Hangaroa River dropped throughout the summer months, but has seen a rise in its average level in March due to rain in northern Hawke’s Bay during this period. The Esk River has steadily dropped below the normal range through the summer months, reflecting similar river levels to 2012-13. River levels from February to March saw very little change.

18. The Ngaruroro River dropped below the normal flow range from December onwards, declining significantly through the summer months. February average river levels were the lowest for the month on record (1980-2020). Current data for March shows river levels have remained steady with no further decreases.

Figure 4: River flow levels at Ngaruroro – Fernhill for 2019-20 compared to river levels of 2018-19 and 2012-13. Data for 2019-20 is analysed up until late March.

19. Central Hawke’s Bay river levels have been below 25% of the long-term average from November onwards. The Tukituki River dropped to below normal in November to similar drought levels of 2012-2013. River levels continued to drop in the following months with December-March mean flows the lowest on record. However, flow recession has levelled off in March, with the dry season coming to an end.

Figure 5: River flow levels at Tukituki – Red Bridge for 2019-20 compared to river levels of 2018-19 and 2012-13. Data for 2019-20 is analysed up until late March.

20. Despite the lower average river flows recorded for 2019-20, compared to 2012-13, the 7-day mean minimum flows recorded are comparable with those recorded in 2012-13 (Table 2). Minimum flows of the Ngaruroro and Tukituki have been similar to those recorded in the 2012-13 drought period and are considerably lower than the 2018-19 minimum flow records.

River	2012-13 Minimum River Flow (l/s)	2018-19 Minimum River Flow (l/s)	2019-20 Minimum River Flow (l/s)
Northern Hawkes Bay – Hangaroa River	284	866	594
Esk Central Coast – Esk River	1669	2918	1816
Heretaunga Plains – Ngaruroro River	1330	7089	1514
Central Hawkes Bay – Tukituki River	2888	7003	2774

Table 2: Minimum river flows (7-day mean, L/s) so far this year at key sites across the Hawke’s Bay region for the hydrologic years; 2012-13, 2018-19, and 2019-20.

Groundwater

21. Groundwater levels began their normal seasonal decline in late October and early November 2019. Early spring rainfall, coupled with increased river flows, provided much needed recharge to the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains aquifer systems. This caused groundwater levels to measure near normal for November and December. Since December, below normal conditions became increasingly more prevalent in addition to an increasing number of wells measuring lowest ever monthly measurements.

22. Groundwater level conditions for March measured below normal with only 5 wells out of 50, measuring normal or above for the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains (see pie chart below).

23. On the Ruataniwha Plains, over 60% of wells measured their lowest-ever levels for March. Here, the less transmissive aquifers, with lower storage properties, experience deeper drawdown impacts and slower recovery in response to water use. In contrast, on the Heretaunga Plains, aquifers are highly transmissive with strong surface-water connections resulting in shallow and widespread drawdown impacts despite an overall greater volume of pumping than in the Ruataniwha.

Figure 6: Groundwater level conditions for March in the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains. Note: Numbers within the maps represent years of monitoring. Sites less than 5 years are excluded from the analysis.

24. In Ongaonga, groundwater levels are at their lowest-recorded (monitoring started 2004) and measured 42cm lower than the previous annual minimum measured in January 2017. Telemetered data from our new multi-level wells for the Ongaonga and Tikokino indicates groundwater levels in the shallow system are still declining. In the deeper bores, there are indications groundwater levels maybe beginning their normal seasonal rise back toward winter levels. On the Heretaunga Plains, telemetered groundwater levels indicate groundwater levels are beginning to recover.

Figure 7: Telemetry from the Ongaonga wells. Black line represent the shallow well (30m) and the blue line represents the deeper system (90m).

25. The conditions experienced this summer have been, for many wells, the most extreme on record. This means that at many wells’ (but not all) groundwater levels are lower than the water levels measured in 2012-2013. The plot below shows that a larger proportion of wells experienced the lowest recorded water levels in 2020, and represents about 20% of the number of our monitoring network.

Figure 8: The number of wells experiencing the lowest water levels recorded, expressed as a percent of the total number of wells monitored that year.

Weather pattern

26. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a broad-scale climate mode known to influence Hawke’s Bay’s weather¹. The El Niño and La Niña phases are typically associated with higher and lower risk respectively of a dry Hawke’s Bay summer. Neither of these phases were in place for recent droughts and instead neutral ENSO conditions existed for both the 2012-13 and 2019-20 droughts.

27. Another climate mode that can play a role in the region’s spring weather is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Positive IOD events increase the probability of a drier than normal Hawke’s Bay spring². The IOD was strongly positive during spring 2019 and although the season had a very wet start, the event may have contributed to the onset of dry conditions in late spring and into summer.

28. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is another climate driver of New Zealand’s weather. The SAM index refers to the north-south movement of the mid to high latitude westerly wind belt of the southern hemisphere. During a negative SAM the belt shifts north and westerlies increase over New Zealand while lighter winds and anticyclones are expected in the positive mode. Average monthly values of SAM were mostly negative during late spring and most of summer.

29. Dominant weather features during the dry conditions included the presence of higher than average mean sea level pressure (MSLP) in a zone extending northwest of New Zealand and to the east (Figure 9). Ridging was also evident in the upper atmosphere indicating a depth of warm, stable air. Lower than average MSLP occurred to the southwest of the country and over the lower South Island. Sea surface temperatures were above average around New Zealand and significantly higher than normal in an area to the east of New Zealand (Figure 10).

Figure 9: Mean sea level pressure anomalies (mb) for November to March 2019-20 inclusive (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis using the1981-2010 climatology).

Figure 10: Sea surface temperature anomalies (degrees Kelvin) for November to March 2019-20 inclusive (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis using the1981-2010 climatology).

30. The anticyclones and an upper level ridge, extending from east of New Zealand to the northwest, meant active fronts struggled to make progress over the North Island as they moved onto the country from the low pressure systems to the southwest. More often than not, the fronts weakened considerably as they moved north and delivered very little rain to Hawke’s Bay and many parts of the North Island.

31. The sea level pressure pattern and predominantly negative SAM lead to a westerly wind anomaly over Hawke’s Bay (Figure 11). Tropical cyclones tended to track east of New Zealand or down the western Tasman Sea as they moved southward. The warm sea surface temperatures around and to the east of New Zealand contributed to the warm summer temperatures that were experienced. All of these factors produced a scenario of low rainfall and high rates of PET that particularly affected southwestern areas of the region.

Figure 11: Vector wind anomaly (m/s) for November to March 2019-20 inclusive (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis using the1981-2010 climatology).

32. The pattern of weather observed in 2019-20 was different to that in 2012-13. In 2012 /13, higher than normal pressure extended across all of New Zealand and the Tasman Sea (Figure 12). Sea temperatures around the North Island were cooler than in 2019-20 (Figure 13). The dominance of anticyclones brought a prevalence of fine days to much of the country and the cooler sea temperatures reduced the moisture holding capacity of weather systems.

Figure 12: Mean sea level pressure anomalies (mb) for November to March 2012-13 inclusive (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis using the1981-2010 climatology).

Figure 13: Sea surface temperature anomalies (degrees Kelvin) for November to March 2012-13 inclusive (NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis using the1981-2010 climatology).

Outlook

33. ENSO neutral conditions are expected to persist through autumn and winter and possibly into spring. The tropical cyclone season closed at the end of April but it doesn’t preclude tropical lows or depressions influencing our weather in the months ahead.

34. The dry conditions since late spring stemmed from lower than normal pressure over southern New Zealand and higher pressures to the northwest and east, which resulted in a predominantly westerly flow. Seasonal forecast models persist with this pattern over the next few months, with normal or below normal rainfall expected.

35. The most recent NZ Drought Index map from NIWA is shown in Figure 14. While the drought in parts of Hawke’s Bay might not have been as intense as in northern regions, the event has persisted longer. This means that drought-breaking rain is now unlikely to bring immediate relief to primary production because winter is nearly upon us and pasture growth will be limited by colder temperatures and short daylight hours.

Figure 14: NZ Drought Index map from 27 April 2020. The Drought Index combines rainfall, evaporation and soil moisture indices into one map.

¹Porteous, A. and Mullan, B., 2013. The 2012-13 drought: an assessment and historical perspective. NIWA Client Report No. WLG2013-27.

²Fedaeff, N. and Fauchereau, N. 2015. Relationship between Climate Modes and Hawke’s Bay Seasonal Rainfall and Temperature. NIWA Client Report No. AKL2015-016.

Next Steps

36. An update is expected to be provided if this paper is presented to the Māori Committee, to provide more recent information if the situation has changed since this report was finalised.

Decision Making Process

37. 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 Māori Committee receives the “Hawke’s Bay Summer 2019-20” report.

Authored by:

Simon Harper

Senior Scientist

Dr Kathleen Kozyniak

Principal Scientist (Air)

Dr Jeff Smith

Manager ScienCE

Approved by:

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

Tom Skerman

Group Manager
Strategic Planning

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: Climate Change Working Group Update

Reason for Report

1. Reason for this report is to provide a brief report back on preliminary discussions amongst the climate change working group.

Executive Summary

2. The Working Group has met on one occasion to date (16 March). Discussions traversed a range of matters. There are two key dimensions to the work – adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change. Both are essential. There are also two key focus areas:

2.1. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council as an organisation; and

2.2. Hawke’s Bay as a region.

3. The working group has prioritised several matters that warrant progress sooner rather than later, bearing in mind the modest budgets currently available for work in the 2020-2021 financial year. But importantly, these matters were prioritised before the COVID-19 lockdown period.

4. Due to staffing commitments to the COVID-19 and drought response effort, the pace of progress on this project has slowed considerably since the working group’s initial meeting.

Background

5. At its meeting on 5 February 2020, the Committee had agreed to form an interim climate change working group. The working group is to assist staff in shaping a regionally coordinated programme for responding to climate change. Councillors Rick Barker, Hinewai Ormsby and Martin Williams are group members. The Māori Committee had nominated Michelle McIllroy and Dr Roger Maaka to join the group. After the working group’s first meeting, tāngata whenua members of the Regional Planning Committee nominated Apiata Tapine to also join the group.

6. The working group met with key HBRC staff on Monday, 16 March for a semi-structured discussion on relative priorities and other suggestions arising from the Committee’s discussions in February.

Discussion

7. The working group’s preliminary discussions focused on two areas:

7.1. HBRC as an organisation undertaking corporate business activities and activities relating to mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change

7.2. Hawke’s Bay as a region, with wide ranging community interests and capabilities to take action responding to climate change.

HBRC as an organisation

8. As an organisation, HBRC must lead by good example and continue to drive reductions in its own direct emissions, energy consumption, and waste etc.

9. Further to that, we should begin with a ‘stocktake’ of existing and planned actions as to both adaptation and mitigation. Earlier staff briefing papers to this Committee have documented several iterations of the actions HBRC has underway or planned that directly and indirectly relate to climate change.

10. From there, evaluate ’gaps’ in HBRC’s actions compared to other regions. This can help build a more complete picture of potential initiatives and their relative cost-effectiveness. The stocktake and gap assessment can be completed by staff.

11. In parallel to that work, we would complete a fulsome assessment of HBRC’s own carbon footprint. That would provide us with better understanding of HBRC’s current baseline and to target further ongoing improvements in its own corporate operations such as energy use, waste reduction, travel and procurement policies. A comprehensive carbon footprint assessment requires specialist external consultants.

12. While we may aspire to do lots of things with many other agencies and groups, limited budgets for remainder of 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years pose tight fiscal constraints. Nevertheless, we will look for opportunities with partner agencies to leverage co-resourcing of some initiatives where relevant.

13. The 2021-31 LTP presents an opportunity to further boost priority and associated resourcing of a regionally coordinated programme of climate change response actions. In the meantime, our focus ought to be on developing community awareness and changing behaviours through various media, publicity and communication-related initiatives.

Hawke’s Bay as a region

14. At a regional level, we need to understand our region’s current carbon emissions profile if we are serious about a time bound net carbon zero target. A regional inventory of the emissions profile will paint a ‘snapshot’ picture of where we are today, so we’re better informed of pathways to our region becoming carbon neutral in a few decades. This is key to understanding the policy priorities and settings for any interventions and support. Based on similar inventories done by other regions, this work can be done by specialist consultants (estimates are around $50,000).

15. Commissioning a climate change community perceptions survey (phone/mail/digital) will also provide insights beyond what was the 2019 HBRC Residents Perception Survey.

16. HBRC alone cannot ‘fix’ climate change or make our region carbon-neutral. HBRC must lead work with others to strengthen local community messages about efforts to mitigate human-induced effects of climate change. There are already a variety of agencies, organisations and businesses doing really valuable work showing what can be done. To this end, a number of suggestions were made during the working group’s meeting about communications and messaging for community engagement so HBRC does not duplicate others’ work.

Preliminary Priorities

17. The following are three of the ‘big ticket item’ priorities for 2020 arising from the working group’s initial discussion. These are being presented to the Committee for information update purposes at this time.

17.1. Build a ‘stocktake’ of existing and planned actions as to both adaptation and mitigation, then a ’gaps’ assessment of those actions compared to other regions

17.2. Undertake a regional inventory of greenhouse gas emissions in Hawke’s Bay^{^[1]} as a present day ‘snapshot,’ yet repeatable at regular intervals in future years

17.3. Undertake a community survey of HB residents’ climate change perceptions etc.

18. The three big-ticket priorities for 2020 above can be readily augmented by a variety of smaller-scale initiatives which can be progressed within existing staff capacity. Some examples of these include:

18.1. refreshing webpage content

18.2. developing a collection of short videos profiling examples of what individuals can do themselves to reduce their own carbon footprints

18.3. developing closer ties with other councils in the region to better align climate change-related actions and activities

18.4. further reducing energy use and waste disposal across HBRC’s buildings and facilities.

COVID-19 and next steps

19. COVID-19 poses some challenges for immediate term and an indefinite time period. For example, limits on public gatherings, meetings, workshops, conferences etc.

20. COVID-19 is disrupting many of the day-to-day activities of businesses and people. Commissioning new research work, developing digital tools, media packs or making general contact with people is no longer simply as it used to be.

21. COVID-19 also presents some opportunities for lessons and behaviours to transfer across to climate change response, e.g. increased use of virtual meetings in lieu of travel for in-person meetings. This may also be a good time to develop the stocktake, inventory and preliminary thinking on the future policy options ahead of 2021-31 LTP preparation. However, many of the project’s key staff are likely to continue assisting with the CDEM Group’s response to the COVID19 and drought. That ongoing involvement will certainly influence the pace and degree of progress that key staff can make on this project over at least the April/May period.

Decision Making Process

22. 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 Māori Committee receives the “Climate Change Working Group Update” report.

Authored by:

Gavin Ide

Principal Advisor
Strategic Planning

Approved by:

Tom Skerman

Group Manager
Strategic Planning

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: FRESHWater SECURITY Update

Reason for Report

1. This item provides Committee members with an update on the Regional Freshwater Security programme with a specific focus on the aligned work streams addressing medium term supply certainty for all water users in the Heretaunga and Central Hawke’s Bay districts.

2. The paper then provides context for a presentation by Dr Bob Bower on a proposed groundwater replenishment pilot study in Central Hawke’s Bay which forms a part of the programme.

Introduction and Executive Summary

3. Regional freshwater supply security is one of Council’s core responsibilities, particularly in the context of climate change. Such is the importance of freshwater to the environment, iwi, the broader community and the economy, certainty of freshwater supply arguably represents HBRC’s most important area of impact on the long term wellbeing of the community.

4. The Regional Freshwater Security programme is a discrete work stream which forms a subset of Council’s wider freshwater responsibilities and work streams, including freshwater quality initiatives that bridge both instream and land-based activities, allocation and enforcement regimes, continuous improvement in the region’s regulatory framework (e.g. implementing the NPSFM), and the establishment and execution of key non-regulatory interventions that will deliver multi-value outcomes (e.g. the Erosion Control Scheme). In total, the focus on freshwater occupies a significant proportion of HBRC’s overall resourcing and activity.

5. The programme is capital funded with $5m through the current Long Term Plan and guided by the Freshwater Security Scheme Policy approved by Council in March 2019. Council has also secured approx. $4.7m co-funding from the Provincial Growth Fund to support and accelerate the delivery of the programme’s objectives:

5.1. the completion and delivery of the Regional Water Assessment

5.2. the conclusion of full feasibility on an option(s)/solution(s) for a Heretaunga flow maintenance scheme

5.3. the conclusion of full feasibility on an option(s)/solution(s) for improving Central Hawke’s Bay freshwater supply security.

6. Staff are continuing to initiate a multitude of work streams across these three projects. While the Regional Water Assessment is more straightforward, the physical and social complexity of the Heretaunga and Tukituki projects commands the requirement for a clear and transparent decision pathway for governors in order to ensure wider community trust and confidence in these critical projects. Accordingly, the work under commission is focussed on scoping (problem definition, issues assessment and options analysis) so that governors can make decisions whether and how to proceed to pre-feasibility as soon as possible.

Regional Freshwater Security Programme – Why?

7. In 2010 Stephen Solomon, author of “Water – The epic struggle for wealth, power and civilization” wrote:

“Every era has been shaped by its response to the great water challenge of its time. And so it is unfolding – on an epic scale – today.”

8. Climate change will impact our freshwater systems in many ways and a transition to more extreme drought-flooding hydrological patterns could have profound consequences for freshwater ecosystems, and severe social and economic impacts. The effects of higher temperatures, declining precipitation and more frequent extremes will have implications not only for land and water management, but also community resilience and well-being (see also paragraphs 45 – 48).

9. That HBRC carries the highest level of responsibility for meeting this challenge in this region is reflected in the significance of its resourcing dedicated to improving freshwater quality and quantity, which is in turn driven by its statutory obligations under legislation, national direction and regulation. A qualitative analysis of the Strategic Plan demonstrates that over 50% of the organisations 23 Strategic Goals are directly linked to freshwater objectives. A similar exercise for the Long Term Plan identifies approximately 35% of HBRC’s 48 core function Level of Service Measures as contributing to and resourcing improved freshwater outcomes.

10. This effort represents a core public-good function of this organisation and one which the ratepayers of this region rightly expect local government to provide. Measuring the objective impact of Council’s provisions of public goods is difficult and in this instance presents the challenge of quantifying the value of loss avoidance as opposed to value of wealth creation. Whereas economic development traditionally focusses on economic growth in absolute terms, ensuring that the region’s freshwater supply provides for both the environment’s needs and the broader community’s will ensure the region avoids both the costs and opportunity costs of mismanagement of our freshwater resource.

11. The impacts of failing to avoid a water-scarce future should not be underestimated. The summer of 2019-20 has witnessed multiple local and regional authorities having to grapple with acute and unexpected water deficits. Independent economic analysis completed for the TANK plan change demonstrated that the impacts of even relatively modest alterations to the reliability of water takes from the Ngaruroro River translated to negative GDP impacts in approaching $100m per annum. Furthermore is was found through social and cultural assessment that poorer communities were likely to disproportionality bear the impact of lower water security. In this regard, sensible and sustainable management of our freshwater supply delivers long term benefits in an order of magnitude over and above other economic development and growth initiatives. A key part of the “Why” of this work will be captured in supporting analysis that will be provided to decision makers that will assess the economic and social impacts of inaction, or the ‘do nothing’ scenario.

12. The potential impacts of lower water security are increasingly coming into focus at a time when the demands for water security are only escalating. The 2018 census revealed that Hawke’s population increased at the rate of 10% over 5 years, the highest rate of increase in the lower North Island. This growth likely reflects the buoyant economic growth the region is experiencing with Hawke’s Bay annual GDP growth last year outstripping the national average. These statistics reflect the activity within the region including residential and commercial property growth, horticultural expansion on both the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha plains and the significant transport infrastructure investments completed in recent years to manage the movement of people and goods. The Port of Napier’s capital requirements for Wharf 6 were a driver behind its successful listing by this Council.

13. The main focus of the Tukituki and Heretaunga projects is the investigation of water storage to carry winter water surpluses through to periods of summer deficit. However, regional freshwater security will not be achieved through storage alone. Our freshwater plan changes will continue to attempt to make more water available for the environment and communities through tighter allocation regimes as well as requirements for conservation and efficient use by all water users. Accordingly, this programme of work should be viewed as one of a matrix of interventions by HBRC to deliver a more certain freshwater future.

14. Therefore it is important to be transparent about the ideological driver behind this body of work. Climate change will inevitable intensify the competing tensions associated with freshwater use and allocation. Water storage is seen by many as a maladaptation that only sustains unsustainable water use (particularly associated with agriculture and horticulture) in areas already experiencing environmental stress and now threatened by lower rainfall, drought and other climate disruption. A February 2020 report supported by MPI’s Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Fund observes how “debates over irrigation highlight the deeply held social, cultural and environmental values held by many New Zealanders about their natural environment, privileged groups and the delays in addressing the lock in of unsustainable intensification pathways, leading to overuse and compounding nutrient run-off, leaching and degradation of water quality.”

15. With these factors in mind, this programme of work may be criticized for a lack of ambition by some who believe that our focus should be on larger scale storage solutions that solve for the environment, for growth and for future-proofing our communities all at once. The primary, but not sole, focus of this programme is to identify solutions, in the Central Hawke’s Bay and Heretaunga catchments, that seek to offset the collective environmental impact of our current use of water, and to recover the cost of this offset from water users as the price to pay for continuing to access existing reliability of supply (or reliability standards set down in a regional plan change). Apart from relatively small “growth” water opportunities (see Maori development below), the first objective is to find water for the purpose of environmental flows other than by way of radical and disrupting reductions in exiting water allocations. That is not to say that through the options analysis pathways ahead decision makers will not have opportunities to consider or direct a focus on storage options that can deliver on both environmental and growth objective (and in this regard it is further worth noting that in the Heretaunga Catchment the need to future-proof municipal and industrial water security will be equally as important as the issue of irrigation water security).

16. Policies guiding the funding of this programme (see next section) overtly refer to the requirement for Māori social and economic wellbeing to be addressed through the delivery of the programme. The proposals are consistent with the Crown’s and Local Government’s treaty partner obligations and that the programme provides concise, prioritised and specific opportunities to participate and benefit from individual projects. Identifying and developing solutions for undeveloped Māori owned land, or creating a pathway to take advantage of the TANK proposal to set aside an iwi-allocation of high-flow water on the Ngaruroro River are two such examples of opportunities that might be advanced through these projects, over and above the environmental objectives that will be on interest to tangata whenua and the wider community (see also paragraphs 49 – 51).

Regional Freshwater Security Programme – What?

17. The 2018-28 LTP proposed the establishment of a $5m fund to be available for water augmentation, not fixed to any particular programme but available for technical investigation and feasibility.

18. In late 2018 a guidance policy in respect of this funding was developed and the Freshwater Security Scheme Policy (Attach) was adopted by Council in March 2019. The policy states:

“Through experience and engagement, the Regional Council understands the region is demanding an integrated and holistic set of freshwater solutions. The Programme is part of a multi-layered approach to identifying and supporting the development of water management solutions that maximise the benefits of water available for users today, without compromising current and future ecosystem health or the ability of people to meet their needs in the future. Two concurrent work streams will set an evidence-based platform for community engagement and investigate opportunities for water security and reliability through conservation, efficiency or storage.”

19. The policy proposed the $5m be allocated between a technical investigation of the entire region’s long term freshwater supply and demand balance and a ‘ready reaction fund’ to enable targeted investment for further investigation into and support for specific initiatives. It was intended that the ready reaction fund be used where the Council has completed issues and objectives assessments with the community, such as the Tukituki and TANK catchments. These projects are described in greater detail in the next section.

20. Concurrently with the development of the Freshwater Security Scheme Policy the coalition government launched the Provincial Growth Fund, including a specific funding pool allocated to support water storage. The objectives of PGF investment are to:

20.1. strengthen regional economies by shifting to higher value sustainable land uses

20.2. address disparities in Māori access to water for land development

20.3. support micro to medium-scale water storage projects that strengthen regional partnerships and provide wider public benefits

20.4. support land use that does not increase - and ideally reverses – negative impacts on water quality, and maintains and improves the health of waterways.

21. In meeting these objectives, PGF investment will also consider how investment can:

21.1. contribute to a transition to a low emissions economy and/or

21.2. contribute to building community resilience to climate change

21.3. provide an incentive to change land use that risks degrading the environment to high value more sustainable uses.

22. In early 2019 staff made a suite of applications to the PGF with a view to leveraging HBRC’s Freshwater Security Scheme funding. The specifics of the PGF applications mostly mirrored what was originally proposed under the Freshwater Security Programme projects but with allowances for better alignment with the PGF’s objectives.

23. Note that the 3D Aquifer Mapping project which secured PGF funding as a part of the application package is in fact a HBRC science project promoted and managed by the Integrated Catchment Management group. HBRC’s co-funding share sits in ICM budgets and is not sourced from the $5m sitting within the Freshwater Security Programme.

24. The four projects encapsulated under the Freshwater Security Programme are depicted in Diagram 1 including a breakdown of the primary funding sources and where this budget resides within the Council.

Diagram 1 – Freshwater Security Programme composition and funding sources

25. The 3D Aquifer Mapping project uses the airborne electromagnetic technology developed by SkyTEM that provides imagery of our sub surface to depths of approximately 300m. It will provide a detailed coverage horizontally and to depths we haven’t seen before. The data captured through this project will significantly enhance our understanding of the region’s key aquifer systems in the Heretaunga, Ruataniwha and Poukawa/Otane Basins and provide information critical for effectively managing our freshwater resources in the future. The aerial operation was recently completed within budget and ahead of schedule. Now follows a two and half year comprehensive science work programme to process, analyse, interpret the data and develop (or enhance) select models.

26. The Regional Freshwater Assessment will put in place the framework and tools to collectively shape and generate pathways via a range of solutions for long term water use and management (with a horizon of 30-50 years). In pursuing an assessment of the region’s water resources, linkages and synergies to environmental reporting and natural capital accounting practices are being employed to enhance the ability of local authorities, iwi and other stakeholders to make informed policy and investment decisions. This work is designed to support the region in taking a long-term outlook to ensure that our natural assets are valued, managed effectively and continue to balance the region’s economic, social and cultural well-being.

27. The Central Hawke’s Bay Water Security project, centred around the Ruataniwha plains, will identify and assess viable option(s) or pathways to:

27.1. Mitigate the depletion impacts (both ground and surface)

27.2. Recover the aquifer and groundwater system improving the health of the waterways and

27.3. Provide reliable access to a level of water necessary to secure a sustainable supply to the Tukituki Catchment.

28. These solutions are necessary to provide for growth water to provide viable options to the district in transitioning to lower emission land use (such as horticulture or other feasible alternatives) that demand increased water and certainty of supply.

29. The Heretaunga Flow Maintenance Project’s origins lay in findings and recommendations of the TANK collaborative group and ultimately the policy direction of the draft TANK plan change. The Council, in conjunction with the TANK Community group, explored options strongly focussed on mitigating the impact of groundwater abstraction on the environment as well as maintaining acceptable standards of water security to current consent holders. This project aims first and foremost to mitigate the impacts of declining groundwater levels from groundwater abstraction to:

29.1. Protect ground water dependent ecosystems and improve the overall health of our waterways and

29.2. Provide existing consent holders confidence of a secure and reliable water supply to sustain their current level of investment.

30. Additionally the solution aims to deliver “new” water to”:

30.1. Promote iwi well-being through access to a new allocation of water available at times of high and medium flow

30.2. Allow issuing of new consents to support smart growth to continue to contribute to the region’s economic future.

31. The Heretaunga and Tukituki projects aim to develop and implement schemes that deliberately targets both the avoidance of loss in the region’s economy (given the inevitable negative economic consequences of reduced levels of water security - particularly in relation to investment decisions and community confidence) alongside the aim to unlock further potential and enable ‘new’ water to support smart growth.

Regional Freshwater Security Programme – How?

32. The Regional Freshwater Security Programme is planned to be delivered over the next 3.5 years. Whilst projects will leverage resource and intelligence across the programme where applicable they are managed as individual projects and run to their own timelines. The Regional Water Assessment is due to be delivered within 12 months (Dec 20) and the 3D Aquifer Mapping project is scheduled to be completed by March 2023 with the first of the products released in March 2021. Both the 3D Aquifer Mapping project and Regional Water Assessment project plans are approved and in varying stages of design and delivery.

33. The Central Hawke’s Bay and Heretaunga projects differ somewhat in that each phase of project development is seeking to explore and assess viability to manage investment risk. They will follow a standard and accepted infrastructure development process and staged with clear and definitive decision points for Governors approvals. The plans for each phase will be submitted for approval following an assessment of ongoing viability and commitment.

34. The infrastructure process that the Tukituki and Heretaunga projects will follow is depicted in diagram 2 and whilst they will ultimately run to different timelines the process and decision points are consistent.

Diagram 2 – Infrastructure project development process

35. The Central Hawke’s Bay Water Security Project scoping and options analysis phase will draw upon previous studies completed and look to revise the outputs and assumptions based on current objectives. We propose a two-part study running on simultaneous but different tracks (and timelines) as storage options are explored and a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) field pilot is run. This is an investigation to determine whether groundwater replenishment might form a tool or option that supports freshwater security objectives. In this respect we are looking to investigate MAR so as to ‘rule it in or rule it out” as a long-term option in this catchment.

36. Exploring an optimal groundwater scheme is dependent on a related HBRC project that is building a Ruataniwha groundwater model (managed through HBRC’s science team). Part one of the prefeasibility is planned to be completed by December 2020 and Part two by June 2021.

37. Staff have met with CHBDC who have expressed a strong desire for HBRC to step up momentum and engage community stakeholders during the process to help support and shape solutions. The Tukituki Leaders Forum, a group comprising key stakeholder representatives from across the district, has been mandated by the CHB District Council for the project to engage with to provide input and community intelligence. A consulting group, Catalyze, who specialise in supporting organisations with complex decisions and multi-stakeholder engagement was identified by the District Council as a necessary resource to support that forum. This will be similar to the role the consultancy Mitchell Daysh played in supporting the development of the Coastal Hazards Strategy.

38. Subsequent discussions with the Tukituki Leaders Forum secured that group’s approval to fulfil the role of community reference group and to receive presentations from Catalyze and Bob Bower from WGA (a hydrology consultancy) Dr Bower will discuss MAR and the opportunity to conduct a field pilot as part of the prefeasibility investigations. The project will subsequently be seeking a decision from Council to approve a MAR field Pilot, estimated at approximately $1M, to be run for 12 months commencing during the pre-feasibility stage. The pilot would test whether MAR is a viable and effective tool that can work in tandem with water storage to replenish groundwater within Ruataniwha area. Dr Bower has recently presented to both HBRC and the Tukituki Leaders and the committee will receive that presentation at the meeting.

39. The Heretaunga Flow Maintenance project, as with the Tukituki project, will explore storage options that deliver the environmental outcomes in the first instance with an option of additional storage for “new” water. Similar to the Tukituki project, this work will revisit expert analysis completed in 2011 that identified medium-scale storage sites in the Ngaruroro catchments but this time seeking to identify small scale sites that are ideally located to feed water back into waterbodies affected by groundwater takes during periods of low flows. This information will be presented to decision makers as soon as it is available so that directions can be made in respect of a transition to prefeasibility investigations on preferred options. The pre-feasibility is planned to be completed by December 2020.

Programme Governance

40. The 3D Aquifer Mapping project and the Regional Water Assessment sit as HBRC work streams with dedicated project management structures and operate according to normal internal accountability and governance structures.

41. However, for the substantially larger Tukituki and Heretaunga projects, the Provincial Development Unit’s funding agreement directs HBRC to investigate a broader governance model that is consistent and aligned with the regional leadership’s support of the application. Specifically, the agreement proposes that:

[HBRC] undertakes to comply with the following additional undertakings:

In recognition of the representations made by Hawke's Bay's regional leaders that water security was the agreed priority they wished the Ministry to consider and support for Provincial Growth Fund funding, [HBRC] undertakes that it will use reasonable endeavours, within 6 months from the date of this agreement to:

investigate and propose a model for the ownership, structure and governance of the Project, being the pre-construction phase of the Scheme, that is appropriate for Hawke's Bay and consistent with the priority of and interests in water; and

if required, transfer this Agreement and all other interests to an entity established under such a model;

subject to the Ministry's approval.

42. Council have affirmed that staff are to engage with local government and treaty partners to progress the Crown’s direction by writing to seek feedback from:

42.1. Ngahiwi Tomoana, Chair of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc (NKII)

42.2. Liz Graham, Chair of Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust (PSGE)

42.3. Mike Paku, Chair of Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga

42.4. Dr Roger Maaka, Chair of Te Taiwhenua o Tamatea

42.5. The Mayors of NCC, HDC and CHBDC.

Climate Change Considerations

43. Climate change will impact our freshwater systems in many ways and a transition to more extreme drought-flooding hydrological patters could have profound consequences for freshwater ecosystems, and severe social and economic impacts. The effects of higher temperatures, declining precipitation and more frequent extremes will have implications not only for land and water management, but also community resilience and well-being.

44. It is safe to say that we expect more extremes, which includes becoming more drought prone and more severe rainfall events leading to flooding, and this impacts the reliability and quality of the region’s water resources. We expect temperatures to increase in our lakes, rivers and streams which will affect the freshwater ecology.

45. A February 2020 report supported by MPI’s Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Fund recorded that, under extreme climate scenarios, the Karamu catchment could experience up to 60 additional ‘hot days’ per year, 10% less spring rainfall and 10% more extreme rainfall and a 160mm increase in PED (potential evapotranspiration deficit or drought proneness).

46. In general, rainfall is projected to decrease across the region but there are seasonal differences. Even under a moderate climate change scenario, decreases in annual rainfall of up to 5% are projected for most of the region. The exceptions are coastal areas where an increase in annual rainfall of up to 5% is projected. At the seasonal scale, spring exhibits a drying signal across the region. In parts of the Hastings district the decrease in spring rainfall is projected to be up to 15%. Winter is the season with the largest increase in rainfall projected, with up to 10% more rainfall projected for parts of the Hastings district.

Considerations of Tangata Whenua

47. The Provincial Development Unit’s position paper “Water Storage and the Provincial Growth Fund” includes the following statement under the heading “PGF Investment Principles”

Māori land development: Projects will be prioritised that support Māori to achieve higher returns from their land by addressing access to water. There are catchments where Māori have undeveloped land but low levels of access to water, which creates a barrier to Māori land development. A comparison of Kerikeri and Kaikohe illustrates the issues, where differences in levels of water storage and Māori ownership of land drive very different land prices and economic returns between the two towns. In parts of Northland and East Coast, Māori communities lack water as a key enabler of development.

48. HBRC’s applications to the PGF specifically references the opportunities for these projects to contribute to Māori.

49. TANK has identified that higher temperatures and declining rainfall may reduce water availability, while demand for water is likely to increase. Freshwater resources also have significant cultural significance for Māori. Shading along riverbanks, stream flow and water quality have effects on aquatic habitats which support mahinga kai – food gathering – which is highly valued.

Financial and Resource Implications

50. This paper has identified the existing LTP and PGF funding sources for this programme. Perhaps the greater risk right now is a failure to conclude full feasibility before June 2021 as a result of time delays in relation to the PGF application process and allocation of dedicated staff resourcing, combined with the general availability of both internal and external subject matter experts.

51. However, it is likely that HBRC will need to continue to resource a comprehensive work programme focussed on regional water security into the next LTP and beyond. Staff will be addressing the longer term resourcing requirements via the business cases for the 2021-31 LTP.

52. In respect of HBRC’s financial contribution to or involvement in the ownership and/or construction of infrastructure, it is premature to speculate what shape or form that will be until such time a preferred options are under investigation. It is unlikely that this can or will align with the 2021-31 LTP consultation window, but it is a possibility. In any regard, Council’s usual Significance and Engagement criteria will apply which will trigger the need for appropriate community consultation.

53. 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.

Decision Making Process

54. 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 Māori Committee receives and notes the “Water Update” staff report.

Authored & Approved by:

Tom Skerman

Group Manager
Strategic Planning

Attachment/s

⇨1

Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec Central Hawke's Bay MAR Pre-feasibility Assessment report

Under Separate Cover

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Wednesday 06 May 2020

Subject: HBRC 28 April 2020 Organisational Activities Update

Reason for Report

1. The commentary attached provides updates from across the Council, on the status of initiatives and work programmes.

Decision Making Process

2. 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 Māori Committee receives and notes the “HBRC 28 April 2020 Organisational Activities Update” staff report.

Authored by:

Drew Broadley

Community Engagement and Communications Manager

Jenny Brown

Principal Business Advisor - RBP

Vicki Butterworth

Cycle Network Coordinator

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Projects Leader

Peter Davis

Manager Environmental Information

Ceri Edmonds

Manager Policy and Planning

Russell Engelke

Team Leader Open Spaces

Dean Evans

Manager Catchments Delivery

Hamish Fraser

Works Group Manager

Olivia Giraud-Burrell

Business Analyst

Craig Goodier

Team Leader Engineering

Martina Groves

Manager Regional Projects

Mark Heaney

Manager Client Services

Nathan Heath

Catchment Manager (Wairoa/Mohaka)

Dr Andy Hicks

Team Leader/Principal Scientist Water Quality and Ecology

Leeanne Hooper

Governance Lead

Gavin Ide

Principal Advisor Strategic Planning

Dr Kathleen Kozyniak

Principal Scientist (Air)

Campbell Leckie

Manager Catchment Services

Dr Barry Lynch

Team Leader/Principal Scientist (Land Science)

Anna Madarasz-Smith

Team Leader/Principal Scientist Marine and Coast

Louise McPhail

Principal Advisor (Policy Implementation)

Malcolm Miller

Manager Consents

Mark Mitchell

Team Leader/Principal Advisor, Biosecurity/Biodiversity

Thomas Petrie

Project Manager Environmental Hotspots

Stacey Rakiraki

Facilities and Fleet Manager

Anne Redgrave

Transport Manager

Gill Riley

People and Capability Manager

Helen Shea

Principal Advisor Communications

Andrew Siddles

Acting ICT Manager

Bronda Smith

Chief Financial Officer

Dr Jeff Smith

Manager Scientist

Nick Zaman

Manager Compliance

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager Asset Management

Jessica Ellerm

Group Manager Corporate Services

Liz Lambert

Group Manager Regulation

Joanne Lawrence

Group Manager Office of the Chief Executive and Chair

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management

Tom Skerman

Group Manager Strategic Planning

Attachment/s

⇩1	Asset Management Group Significant Activities Update
⇩2	Corporate Services Group Significant Activities Update
⇩3	Integrated Catchment Management Group Significant Activities Update
⇩4	Maori Partnerships Group Significant Activities Update
⇩5	Office of the CE & Chair Significant Activities Update
⇩6	Regulation Group Significant Activities Update
⇩7	Strategic Planning Group Significant Activities Update

[1] We know there are national inventories but they are not fit for local/regional inventory purposes. Many of those inventories are on a sector-by-sector basis and have been used by Central Government for negotiating international agreements.

⇩1	Heretaunga Taiwhenua Report
⇩2	Kahungunu Executive report
⇩3	Tamatea Taiwhenua Report
⇩4	Te Whanganui ā Orotu Taiwhenua report

Topic	Raised by