Minutes of Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee

1. Karakia/Welcome/Apologies/Notices

The Chair, Rick Barker welcomed everyone and Pieri Munro offered a karakia to open the meeting.

Resolution

EICC10/20 That the apology for absence from Cr Rex Graham be accepted.

Barker/Ormsby

CARRIED

2. Conflict of Interest Declarations

Group Manager Asset Management, Chris Dolley, declared a conflict of interest in Public Excluded Item 17 Waipatiki Reserve.

There were no further conflicts of interest declared.

Roger Maaka arrived at 9.05am

3. Confirmation of Minutes of the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee meeting held on 5 February 2020

EICC11/20

Resolution

Minutes of the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee held on Wednesday, 5 February 2020, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record.

van Beek/Ormsby

CARRIED

Follow-ups from Previous Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee Meetings

· It was noted that work on the Ahuriri Estuary operational plan is under way and a briefing will be provided to the next meeting of the Ahuriri Working Group and subsequently to Council.

· Work is underway with an external provider to expand the coverage of reporting on carbon reduction initiatives across all of Council’s activities

· In the area of Climate Change the engagement of a consultant to carry out a stocktake of TLA & HBRC activities and a regional greenhouse gas footprint assessment were advised.

Call for Minor Items not on the Agenda

Recommendation

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee accepts the following “Minor Items Not on the Agenda” for discussion as Item 15.

Topic	Raised by
Regenerative farming practices and water security	Cr Martin Williams
Regenerative farming seminar	Cr Will Foley

6.	Cr Rick Barker Notice of Motion: Climate Mitigation Hawke's Bay
	Cr Barker introduced the item by moving his Notice of Motion as follows, seconded by Cr Martin Williams.
	Recommendations That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee: 1. Notes the range of Council actions connected to climate change, including: 1.1. The decision by Council on 27 June 2019 to declare a climate emergency 1.2. Council’s activities in climate adaptation such as the work on the Coastal Hazards Strategy with initiatives to strengthen the regions stop-banks. 1.3. Council’s contribution to reducing greenhouse gases with its tree plantings and the plans for further extensive plants in the ‘right tree right place’ initiative. 2. Notes that central government will lead a country wide approach to climate change but observes that currently at the regional level there is a lack of organised and structured activity focused on mitigating the effects of climate change which needs to be effected by individuals, households and at the enterprise and industry levels. 3. Recommends to Council that it takes timely steps to address this by undertaking the following. 3.1. Set up a semi-autonomous unit similar to Civil Defence; to be called “Climate Mitigation Hawke's Bay” (CMHB) 3.1.1. That it have a governance structure of Regional Council Chair, the region’s four Mayors and the Chair of Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated. 3.1.2. That it have a minimum staff of three, with the necessary facilities and support to be effective. 3.2. The remit for the unit is to be the catalyst for encouraging the regions individuals, households, whanau, enterprises and industries to take reasonable and measurable steps to reduce and mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions. To encourage and annual reduction by all to ensure the region is carbon neutral by 2050. 3.2.1. CMHB can bring forward proposals to the Regional Council and to Government on policies and initiatives that will alleviate the effects of climate change. 3.2.2. CMHB will report at least every six months to the region’s councils on its activities. 3.2.3. CMHB will in the initial stages be funded from the Regional Disaster Damage Relief Fund. This arrangement be reviewed after two years and should CMHB prove effective Council at that point can resolve to make CMHB part of the Council's plans and if not the entity be abandoned. 4. The Committee notes that CMHB will not be supported by legal powers to bring about change that it will be reliant on the moral case of all making changes to avert a climate disaster for future generations. That Hawke’s Bay cannot solve this issue alone but that the region has an obligation to do its very best to mitigate the effects of climate change and this Council and region will be judged not on what it said about climate change but what it did. Barker/Williams
	James Palmer spoke to the motion, advising: · At the time of the HBRC climate change emergency declaration, raised as a councillor notice of motion, staff proposed a regional approach including the establishment of regional governance body which would develop a regional climate change response work programme, which was unsuccessful. Subsequent discussions have taken place with HB Leaders Forum about regional collaboration and action on climate change as a priority in the Triennial Agreement. · The Notice of Motion is very specific and prescriptive rather than a concept for exploration and not supported by the necessary analysis of the issues to be addressed and due diligence including assessment of options before the most effective method of delivery can be decided · Staff recommendation to continue work already underway with the Climate Change Working Group established by this committee, to develop a work programme for consultation with the community through the LTP to design an effective, evidence based package of interventions to deliver the outcomes the community wants · The purpose of the Disaster Damage Relief Fund is to have funds available for responding to specific disaster events and not to fund ongoing operational expenditure, and ideally any regional operational structure would not be funded solely by the regional council but co-funded by all participating entities Discussions and queries covered: · Need for focused energy to bring together a comprehensive picture of all of Council’s Climate Change adaptation activities, with work under way to package up and communicate the work council already does · Responses to a survey of community perceptions of climate change issues will be used to tailor Council’s response programme to meet the community needs · Council has a leadership role in climate change adaptation, with a comprehensive programme of work including water storage, flood protection and coastal hazards · Councils have not seen Climate mitigation as their responsibility as they don’t have levers to deliver on outcomes and mitigation interventions and tools are managed by Central Government · Largest greenhouse gas emissions in the region are from transport and ruminant agriculture and lowest cost mitigation activity is afforestation of marginal land · Risk that launching this specific initiative without undertaking due diligence could be ineffective at a cost of $1.5M to ratepayers over the next 3 years · Plan for carbon zero region through next review of the Regional Policy Statement · Integration of greenhouse gas footprinting into Farm Environmental Management Plans is the focus of work being carried out at the national level and national programme run by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority works with individual businesses to reduce their carbon footprints including providing grants · Council’s role to encourage the region’s individuals, businesses and industries to take reasonable steps and change behaviours to reduce and mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions · Organisational energy efficiency, waste minimisation and vehicle fleet optimisation initiatives will be independently audited and reported to Council. · Exploration of the proposal to go through the development process for the 2021-31 LTP, through which staff intend to provide an analysis of national government and private sector initiatives and programmes for council to consider how and where to best focus their efforts in responding to climate change · As per the Strategic Plan, climate change is at the heart of everything we do · Overall support for Council’s prioritisation of Climate Change action · Need to be realistic about what we can achieve and prioritise the most effective measures · Need to seek support of HB Leaders Forum and other councils as well as Ngati Kahungunu, understand implications for ratepayers and investigate potential Central Government funding assistance · Moved to refer the matter directly to Council for consideration along with options for funding. In addition, request funding options be taken to the Finance, Audit and Risk Sub-committee for initial assessment, a report from the HB Leaders Forum on their views and a subsequent report on the consequential processes for implementation.
EICC12/20	Resolution The Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee adjourns debate and refers the Notice of Motion to the 29 July 2020 Hawke’s Bay Regional Council meeting for consideration as accompanied by a staff report providing options and processes available to progress the proposal. Williams/Kirton CARRIED

The meeting adjourned at 10.40am and reconvened at 10.55am

Heretaunga Water Security

Tom Skerman introduced the item and invited Amanda Langley to answer any questions, with discussions traversing:

· Propose to bring back a shortlist of sites to be advanced to prefeasibility phase

· storage solutions need to provide storage volume sufficient to maintain environmental outcomes for future climatic conditions and additional supply for the needs of future generations

· The need to increase the scale and pace of this programme, particularly in response to the Drought in the region

· Heretaunga project can leverage and build on previous investigations completed in 2010-11

· Aim is to mitigate the impacts of declining groundwater levels and protect water dependent ecosystems, to improve overall health of waterways, to secure reliable water supply and promote tāngata whenua wellbeing

· Promising sites will be weighted towards their ability to harvest surface water to provide for growth and supply to existing water users

· Tonkin & Taylor will identify the most favourable sites that meet all or some of the criteria

· Storage solutions to include dollar amounts to indicate costs of climate change and growth impacts, and long term future proofing for the community

· Note options to reflect a staircase (stepped) solution.

EICC13/20

Resolutions

1. That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and considers the “Heretaunga Water Security” staff report.

2. The Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee recommends that Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

2.1. Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that Council can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring directly with the community or persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

2.2. Directs staff to prepare a business case for recommendations of a Heretaunga water storage site or sites to be committed to pre-feasibility investigations based on the final report from Tonkin and Taylor and that meet the following objectives:

2.2.1. Maximum Requirement - The site(s) provides a storage volume sufficient to maintain environmental outcomes for future climatic conditions, and provide additional supply to meet the foreseeable needs of future generations.

Williams/Foss

CARRIED

11.

Urbanisation of Heretaunga Plains

The chair introduced Richard Gaddum and Michael Donnelly who presented their views on the Urbanisation of the Heretaunga plains. Discussions traversed:

· unsustainable growth of urban developments across the Heretaunga Plains with 5,550 ha of fertile soils gone forever.

· Suggest that urban development moves to building ‘up’ on existing land rather than out across more land, and creating satellite subdivisions into little towns and villages off the Plains

· Must preserve every inch of productive soils for the region to survive and prosper in times of adversity as fundamental to the long term wellbeing of the region

· Urges HPUDS Implementation Working Group to take actions to protect and preserve productive soils.

EICC14/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee:

1 Receives and notes the “Urbanisation of Heretaunga Plains” presentation

2 Notes the significant increase of the urban footprint, the irretrievable loss of production land and the fundamental importance of productive soils to the region’s long term wellbeing

3 Urges the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy, with Hastings District Council and Napier City Council, to take urgent actions to protect and preserve fertile land and productive soils.

Barker/van Beek

CARRIED

Cr Jerf van Beek left at 12.03pm.

Farm Environment Management Plans

Liz Lambert introduced Shane Gilmer who provided a presentation about Farm Environment Management Plans (FEMPs) which covered FEMP content, how they work to achieve their purpose and fit into the Council’s regulatory framework. Discussions traversed:

· Proposed ‘scale-up’ in 2021-31 LTP to achieve goal of all farms in the region having a FEMP by 2025 – which means another 3000 FEMPs over the next 4 years

· FEMP targets four major contaminants from agriculture that degrade water quality - sediment, phosphorous, E. coli/ Faecal contamination and nitrogen

Neil Kirton left the meeting at 12.21pm

· Mahinga Kai is now a mandatory metric regional councils are required to measure and implementation within the FEMPs is being developed at the national level as part of Freshwater reforms, in a joint partnership between regional councils and the Kahui Wai Māori Advisory Group.

EICC15/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the “Farm Environment Management Plans” staff report.

Ormsby/Foley

CARRIED

Councillor Kirton re-joined the meeting at 12.26pm

Integration of Predator Free Hawke’s Bay With Council’s Strategic Objectives

Iain Maxwell introduced the item and Campbell Leckie made a presentation where Council’s 2018 investment in predator control networks has got to, how it integrates with other Council activities and how predator control activities might be measured and reported to Council, as well as level of service to be proposed as part of Long Term Plan development.

· Joint HBRC-Ospri reporting to Council annually

· A field trip to Mahia Peninsula was suggested

EICC16/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the “Integration of Predator Free Hawke’s Bay with Council’s Strategic Objectives” staff report and requests that a recommendation for a field trip to Whakatipu Mahia is brought to the next meeting for the Committee’s consideration.

Barker/Williams

CARRIED

The Committee adjourned at 12.45 and reconvened at 1.17pm.

10.

Right Tree Right Place Update

Iain Maxwell introduced the item before Campbell Leckie provided a presentation, with queries and discussions traversing:

· Seeking feedback on four potential scenarios for 2021-31 LTP investment

· A range of solutions available to partner with the farmer and others to drive the range of beneficial outcomes

· need to determine the scale and pace Council wants to deliver

· potential third party investor partner interested, to provide capital towards an integrated planting programme and provide a broader afforestation service

· Delivery of the business case in October 2020 for proposal to Council for 2021-31 LTP investment

· A proposition to plant 7000ha per year over the next 30 years (total 210,000ha) is unrealistic for lots of reasons – and not being proposed by staff

· Asking how quickly Council wants to progress and how much it wants to invest

· Fundamentally, asking if Council is happy for staff to progress development of a business case based on an impact investment where revenue streams from the planting programme are driven back (recycled) into the programme so it becomes self-funding (and runs at no cost to Council) on the basis that it presents the best opportunity for maximum leveraged impact on regional afforestation

· It was suggested that the concept model and business case are presented to a workshop before finalising it for the LTP development process.

EICC17/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee:

1. receives and notes the “Right Tree Right Place Update” staff report.

2. requests that staff develop a Right Tree Right Place Business Case for consideration through the 2021-31 Long Term Plan development process

3. requests that concept model financials for the business case are considered by the Finance, Audit and Risk Sub-committee

4. requests that staff present the Right Tree Right Place Business Case to a Council workshop at the earliest opportunity.

Barker/Foss

CARRIED

12.

Scheme Ecological Management and Enhancement Plans- Braided River Bird Census

Chris Dolley introduced Martina Groves, Acting Manager Regional Assets, and Keiko Hashiba, Territorial Ecologist, who presented the results of the river bird census carried out across the Tutaekuri, Ngaruroro and Tukituki rivers as part of Ecological Management and Enhancement Plans (EMEP) monitoring.

· EMEPs were implemented in 2011 for the 3 rivers to avoid or mitigate any potential adverse impacts of flood protection activities on braided rivers, including specific protocols for braided river birds such as banded dotterel and black-billed gull

· Need to consider environmental ecology before maintenance activities can proceed and all work carried out must be in accordance with the Environmental Code of Practice for River and Drainage work 2017 (including rules for herbicide application) and the river specific EMEP

· banded dotterel has shown no obvious decline in Hawke’s Bay rivers since 1960s, despite declines nationally

· re-Survey is planned for spring/summer 2020-21 to provide comprehensive information on river birds to determine the effectiveness of EMEP.

EICC18/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the “Scheme Ecological Management and Enhancement Plans- Braided River Bird Census” staff report.

Ormsby/Foley

CARRIED

13.

Lincoln University 2019 Survey - Public Perceptions of NZ's Environment: 2019

James Palmer introduced the item, which was taken as read.

EICC19/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the “Lincoln University 2019 Survey - Public Perceptions of NZ's Environment: 2019” staff report.

Kirton/Ormsby

CARRIED

14.

Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review Update

Martina Groves and David Keracher updated the Committee on progress with the process of reviewing the level of service provided by the Heretaunga Plains flood control scheme, including that the next reporting stage will be at the completion of the modelling in September-October this year.

EICC20/20

Resolution

That the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee receives and notes the “Heretaunga Plains Flood Control Scheme Level of Service Review Update” staff report.

Barker/Ormsby

CARRIED

15.

Discussion of Minor Matters Not on the Agenda

Topic

Raised by

Regenerating farming practices and water security

· A 27 June article noted the need to ensure that Council is doing its best to encourage regenerative farming practices

· Need to ensure that the public understands the holistic Council workstreams addressing water security

· Requests staff consider how Council can incorporate regenerative farming as part of the water storage solutions picture

Cr Martin Williams

Regenerative farming seminar

· Opportunity to learn more about regenerative farming at seminars to be held in Clive (9am) and Waipukurau (2pm) on 8 July and will share links to information with all councillors

Cr Will Foley

16.

Whittle Reserve

EICC21/20

Resolution

That Council excludes the public from this section of the meeting, being Agenda Item 14 Whittle Reserve with the general subject of the item to be considered while the public is excluded; the reasons for passing the resolution and the specific grounds under Section 48 (1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution being:

GENERAL SUBJECT OF THE ITEM TO BE CONSIDERED	REASON FOR PASSING THIS RESOLUTION	GROUNDS UNDER SECTION 48(1) FOR THE PASSING OF THE RESOLUTION
Whittle Reserve	s7(2)(i) That the public conduct of this agenda item would be likely to result in the disclosure of information where the withholding of the information is necessary to enable the local authority holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).	The Council is specified, in the First Schedule to this Act, as a body to which the Act applies.

Foss/Kirton

CARRIED

17.

Waipatiki Reserve

EICC22/20

Resolution

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council excludes the public from this section of the meeting, being Agenda Item 15 Waipatiki Reserve with the general subject of the item to be considered while the public is excluded; the reasons for passing the resolution and the specific grounds under Section 48 (1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution being:

GENERAL SUBJECT OF THE ITEM TO BE CONSIDERED	REASON FOR PASSING THIS RESOLUTION	GROUNDS UNDER SECTION 48(1) FOR THE PASSING OF THE RESOLUTION
Waipatiki Reserve	s7(2)(i) That the public conduct of this agenda item would be likely to result in the disclosure of information where the withholding of the information is necessary to enable the local authority holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations).	The Council is specified, in the First Schedule to this Act, as a body to which the Act applies.

Foss/Kirton

CARRIED

The meeting went into public excluded session at 2.42pm and out of public excluded session at 3.10pm

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 3.10pm on Wednesday, 1 July 2020.

Signed as a true and correct record.

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