MINUTES OF A meeting of the Hearings Committee

Date:                          Wednesday 16 September 2020

Time:                          8.30am

Venue:

Council Chamber Hawke's Bay Regional Council 159 Dalton Street NAPIER

Present:                     Cr M Williams - Chairman

Cr C Foss

T Huata (RPC Representative)(via Zoom)

K Kawana (Māori Committee Representative)(via zoom)

Cr H Ormsby

In Attendance:          E Lambert – Group Manager Regulation

L Hooper – Governance Lead

M Miller – Manager Consents

1. Welcome/Apologies/Notices

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. Conflict of Interest Declarations

Katarina Kawana declared a conflict of interest as a submitter on the Wairoa District Council resource consent application.

Tania Huata declared an interest as the representative of Ngati Pahauwera.

There were no further conflicts of interest declared.

3.      Confirmation of Minutes of the Hearings Committee meeting held on 12 February 2020

HC5/20

Resolution Minutes of the Hearings Committee meeting held on Wednesday, 12 February 2020, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record. Ormsby/Foss CARRIED

4.	Replacement Hearing Panel Appointment for Wairoa District Council Wastewater Discharge Resource Consent Application
	The Chair introduced the item, and discussions traversed: · Key issues include the discharge into the estuary and its effects on the ecology, timing the discharge with outgoing tide and tangata whenua values · Qualifications of the potential replacement panel member sufficient to deal with the key issues · Six or seven submitters will be heard
HC6/20	Resolutions That the Hearings Committee: 1.      Receives and considers the “Replacement Hearing Panel Appointment for Wairoa District Council Wastewater Resource Consent Application” staff report. 2.      Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that the Committee can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue in accordance with its Terms of Reference and without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision. 3.      Appoints Dr Malcolm Green to the Hearing Panel to hear and decide on the Wairoa District Council resource consent application (APP-123774) to discharge waste water to the Wairoa River along with those previously appointed. Ormsby/Foss CARRIED

Councillor Martin Williams declared an interest in item 5 as potential candidate for appointment so relinquished the Chair at 8.38am and Councillor Hinewai Ormsby assumed the Chair.

5.	Appointment of Wairoa District Council Wastewater Discharge Resource Consent Application Hearing Panel Chair
	Having declared a conflict of interest in this agenda item, Councillor Martin Williams did not participate in discussions or debate and did not vote on the item. · Liz Lambert introduced the item, which was taken as read, advising that Cr Williams will be Chair accredited by the time the Hearing is held, although being Chair accredited is not a prerequisite to acting in the Chair’s role. · In response to a query, Martin Williams provided an overview of his knowledge and experience in relation to Māori values.
HC7/20	Resolutions That the Hearings Committee: 1.      Receives and considers the “Appointment of Wairoa District Council Wastewater Discharge Resource Consent Application Hearing Panel Chair” staff report. 2.      Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that the Committee can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue in accordance with its Terms of Reference and without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision. 3.      Appoints Councillor Martin Williams as Chairman of the Hearings Panel for the Wairoa District Council wastewater discharge resource consent application. Huata/Foss CARRIED

Cr Hinewai Ormsby relinquished the Chair to Cr Martin Williams at 8.44am.

The group offered a karakia to close the meeting.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.46am on Wednesday, 16 September 2020.

Signed as a true and correct record.

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