Agenda of Extraordinary Regional Council Meeting

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

19 July 2023

Subject: Annual Plan 2023-2024 feedback received from engagement

Reason for report

1. This item provides the Council with the feedback received for the Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document ‘Supporting our region’s recovery’.

Officers’ recommendation

2. Officers recommend that councillors read and consider the submissions and social media feedback (included as two attachments) in preparation for the deliberations, and to inform decision-making.

Background

3. At the Corporate and Strategic Committee meeting on 14 June 2023, HBRC adopted the engagement document Annual Plan 2023-2024 ‘Supporting our region’s recovery’ and agreed to the proposed public feedback process.

Financial implications

4. Around $14,600 was spent on the advertising and promotional costs.

5. All other costs have been staff time.

Feedback process

6. The community feedback process ran from 16 June to 2 July 2023.

7. Staff used several platforms to promote engagement and encourage people to provide feedback including:

7.1. A media release was sent out on 9 June 2023

7.2. print advertisements in HB Today (3), Wairoa Star (2), CHB Mail (1), Hastings Leader (1), and Napier Courier (1)

7.3. digital advertisements (mixture of targeted ads, banners, and promoted posts) with HB App, NZME, Stuff, and Facebook

7.4. promotion on HBRC website and staff e-signatures.

8. HBRC’s social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) delivered one post and six adverts concerning this feedback process, resulting in:

8.1. impressions (content served): 33,600

8.2. reach (content seen): 8646

8.3. engagement (interactions): 834.

9. A special Councillor ‘drop-in session’ was undertaken in Wairoa promoted by a rural flyer drop (print and insert), and posters. The drop-in session was held at Wairoa Yacht Club on Monday 26 June where the public could speak directly with Cr Roadley.

Submissions received

10. A total of 87 submissions were received.

11. An index of submissions and complete set of submissions are attached.

12. Feedback from posts on HBRC’s Facebook page is also attached.

13. Submissions were received from six out of our seven constituencies.

Decision-making process

14. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

14.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

14.2. The persons affected by this decision are those who submitted feedback to Council.

14.3. Council sought feedback from the community on the Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1. Receives and considers the Annual Plan 2023-2024 feedback received from engagement 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 Council can exercise its discretion and make decisions as the subject of engagement carried out.

3. Receives and considers the feedback submitted by members of the public on the Council’s Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document.

Authored by:

Sarah Bell

Team Leader Strategy and Performance

Mandy Sharpe

Senior Strategy & Corporate Planner

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1	Annual Plan 2023-24 Feedback received		Under Separate Cover
2 ⇩	2023-24 Annual Plan Social media posts and promoted content

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

19 July 2023

Subject: Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge

Reason for Report

1. This report provides Council with information to assist it to make a decision, pending adoption of the Annual Plan 2023-2024, on changes to rating required to raise the proposed $5.6 million (including GST) ring-fenced for cyclone recovery.

Officers’ Recommendation

2. Staff recommend that Council reviews the three options presented, to bring our uniform charges and rates to within the 30% limit, and agrees to Option 1.

Background

3. Section 21 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) requires that uniform annual general charges (UAGC) and targeted rates set on a uniform basis, must not exceed 30% of total revenue from all rates sought.

4. We have identified that with the inclusion of the $75 per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP) Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge, as consulted on, our rates set on a uniform basis exceed the 30% limit of total rates revenue. The proposed Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge of $75 per SUIP takes the UAGC plus our uniform targeted rates (UTR) to 32.3% of our total rates – 2.3% over the threshold.

5. All possibilities to bring HBRC back within the 30% limit have been explored and the only viable option is to reduce the fixed (uniform) amount per SUIP of the Cyclone Recovery Charge. Staff have aimed to get the percentage of uniform rates to a maximum of 29.5% to ensure there is some room for movement when we get the updated rolls from the territorial authorities.

Options Assessment

6. The three options presented are:

6.1. Option 1: split the Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge into two components – a fixed charge per SUIP of $55 and the remaining $1.5 million ($20/SUIP) allocated to all rating units based on equalised land value (LV).

6.2. Option 2: as above but allocate the remaining $1.5 million based on equalised capital value (CV).

6.3. Option 3: as above but allocate the remaining $1.5 million to the general rate (which is then allocated based on equalised land value (LV)).

7. The pros and cons of each option are detailed in the following table.

Option	Pros	Cons
Option 1 (preferred)
· Fixed $55 per SUIP · Variable based on LV to collective total of $1.5m	· Variable component in line with general rate allocation (similar to the original option presented to Council)	· Doesn’t account for value of improvements when allocating the variable component · Ratepayers will see two lines for the Regional Cyclone Recovery on their rates bill
Option 2
· Fixed $55 per SUIP · Variable based on CV to collective total of $1.5m	· Variable component based on total value of properties	· Some properties with large capital to land ratios will see large increases (in some cases the variable component of the cyclone rate will be the largest rate for them) · Ratepayers will see two lines for the Regional Cyclone Recovery on their rates bill
Option 3
· Fixed $55 per SUIP · Additional 3.8% on general rate	· Still applies a consistent value for each SUIP · Ratepayers will see one line for the Regional Cyclone Recovery on their rates bill	· Increases the average rate percentage rise to 9.8% (excluding the Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge)

8. Option 1 is preferred because it retains the $5.6m as ring-fenced for regional cyclone recovery and allocates the variable component on the same basis as the general rate.

Financial and Resource Implications

9. If any of these options are chosen, this will result in some large increases in rates for those with large land or capital values.

Decision Making Process

10. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the LGA. Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

10.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

10.2. The use of a special consultative procedure is not prescribed, however Council sought feedback from the community through engagement on the Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document.

10.3. The persons affected by this decision are all people with an interest in the Regional Council’s work.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1. Receives and considers the Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge 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 Council can exercise its discretion and make these decisions as they were the subject of a public engagement process.

3. Agrees to change the collection of the $5.6 million Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge to Option 1 – being split into two components made up of a fixed charge per separately used or inhabited part of a rating unit (SUIP) of $55, and the remaining $1.5 million allocated to all rating units based on equalised land value.

Authored by:

Sarah Bell

Team Leader Strategy and Performance

Vanessa Fauth

Finance Manager

Beth Postlewaight

Workstream Lead - Property & Rates Project

Chris Comber

Chief Financial Officer

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

Andrew Siddles

Acting Group Manager Corporate Services

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

19 July 2023

Subject: Deliberations on the Annual Plan 2023-2024

Reason for report

1. This deliberations report provides Council with information to assist it to make decisions ahead of adopting the HBRC Annual Plan 2023-2024 on 26 July 2023.

2. This report provides a high-level analysis of feedback received from public engagement on our Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document, and staff responses where appropriate.

Officers’ recommendations

3. Staff recommend that Council considers this report in conjunction with the written submissions from the public and decides whether to make any changes to the Annual Plan 2023-2024 ahead of its adoption on 26 July 2023.

Background

4. We had to revisit our Annual Plan 2023-2024 budget and work plans following Cyclone Gabrielle. The cyclone has had a huge impact on our organisation. We have incurred substantial unplanned costs in our response and recovery work, and we have taken on additional responsibilities across a wide geographical area.

5. Council took a hard-line approach with the Annual Plan budget and we proposed a 6% average rates increase, instead of the 14.5% forecast in our Long Term Plan 2021-2031.

6. We have paused some work and scaled back and deferred other work to help contain costs and enable staff to focus on the recovery.

7. We have ring-fenced additional costs being incurred because of the cyclone and are introducing a regional cyclone recovery charge (outlined in Agenda item 5) to help pay for cyclone costs we don’t expect will be covered by other sources.

8. We weren’t required to consult on our revised Annual Plan, however, we wanted to provide an update, and inform the community of the difficult decisions we faced and how we are working differently following the cyclone. We also wanted to provide an opportunity for people to let us know what they think and to get an understanding of what is important to them in the region’s long-term recovery.

9. Consultation ran from 16 June to 2 July 2023.

Scope of the consultation

10. The scope of the feedback process was twofold:

10.1. to ask what was important to the public in the region’s recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle

10.2. to ask for feedback on the focus of the Annual Plan 2023-2024.

11. Submitters were invited to add free text to the two open-ended questions.

Submissions received

12. A total of 87 submission were received.

12.1. Seven submissions were from organisations (including two from Wairoa District Council) and 80 were from individuals.

12.2. Most submissions referenced Cyclone Gabrielle and/or after-effects of the cyclone.

12.3. The majority of submissions, about 70%, asked for horse riding trails to be considered as part of recovery planning.

12.4. Four submitters mentioned the Regional Cyclone Recovery Charge (#73, #85, #88, and #89). The sentiment was generally supportive.

13. Submitters that said they wished to present their submissions to Council have been informed hearings are not being held. While it is common practice for this council to provide the opportunity for submitters to speak to their submission, given the circumstances and temporary severe weather legislative changes to the Local Government Act, hearings were not offered for this Annual Plan engagement.

14. Comments on HBRC Facebook posts were presented with the Annual Plan feedback paper (Agenda item 4) but are not considered formal submissions and, therefore, not part of the analysis.

Staff high-level analysis of submissions

15. Four themes emerged from an analysis of the submissions.

15.1. Theme 1 – As part of a longer-term strategy we need more horse-riding trails, better quality and safer trails, and better access to them.

15.2. Theme 2 – People needing to feel safe.

15.3. Theme 3 – Build back, and better.

15.4. Theme 4 – Help people that have been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

16. With the equestrian-themed words removed, a Word Cloud was created with key words within the submissions:

Key themes of submissions

Theme 1 – As part of a longer-term strategy we need more horse-riding trails, better quality and safer trails, and better access to them.

17. This was the main theme of submissions, with about 70% advocating for horse-riding trails, pointing to the horse-riding community being particularly active in providing feedback en masse. The Hawke’s Bay Horse Trails Access Advocacy Group and the New Zealand Equestrian Advocacy Network are among those who submitted.

18. Submitters were keen to see current tracks maintained and/or repaired, and new trails developed. Safety was a top concern for submitters, with many noting roads were not safe. Unleashed dogs, people, and other vehicles such as motorbikes or pushbikes were other safety concerns raised.

19. Submitters also noted the need to have safe and accessible parking for horse trucks or floats.

20. There was also sentiment that horse-riders felt forgotten – cyclists and walkers were well catered for in the region but not horse-riders. Some felt that horse-riders are a big part of the community and play a significant economic role, and that having more horse tracks would be an asset for the region.

Staff response

21. The Annual Plan includes budget for ongoing maintenance for the existing horse-riding trails, and the priority will be achieving current levels of service. The ongoing development of horse-riding trails will be reviewed in the next Long Term Plan 2024-2027 as part of the level of service review.

22. HBRC manages and maintains two of the main trail areas for horse-rider recreation – Clive - Tukituki Horse Trail and Awatoto - Puketapu Pub Horse Trail (temporarily closed). Maps and information can be found on hbrc.govt.nz, search: #horsetrails

Theme 2 – People needing to feel safe

23. This was the next strongest theme. Feedback included being prepared for future weather events, the importance of dredging and cleaning out rivers to keep them deep, letting contractors take shingle from the river, having adequate protection through stopbanks, having a good or better warning system, training for people working in civil defence, and better communication from Council.

Staff response

24. Learning to live with rivers safely is a top priority for the Regional Council. Our immediate focus is completing permanent repairs and reinstating our flood infrastructure to what it was before Cyclone Gabrielle. We have made great progress in this area. Our longer-term focus is to reconfigure our flood protection to improve resilience with climate change increasing the likelihood and severity of rainfall events. Reviews of all our flood infrastructure – stopbanks, river channels, pump stations, hydraulic structures, and culverts – both individually and how these performed as a whole, will inform how we rethink this work.

25. Additional money has been allocated in this Annual Plan to immediately boost capacity in our Civil Defence team. The team will be seeking further increased funding in our next Long Term Plan 2024-2027.

26. An independent review is planned of the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group’s operational response to Cyclone Gabrielle 2023. Review outcomes will focus on improving resilience and ensuring that the Group has robust emergency management capability and capacity before, during and after an emergency that supports better emergency management outcomes for Hawke’s Bay communities.

Theme 3 – Build back, and better

27. To a lesser degree the sentiment of build back and better was viewed as being important in the region’s recovery. This ranged from providing appropriate replacements to the affected infrastructure, getting on with strengthening and repairs of high-risk roads, slips, bridges and storm/river banks, building resilience and rebuilding access to safe areas for exercise (for dogs, walkers, horse riders and cyclists) along the water ways, strengthening stopbanks for larger events, to shifting stopbanks further from the rivers (to give them more room) and to allow for more flood plains.

Staff response

28. Once our flood infrastructure is reinstated to what it was before Cyclone Gabrielle, the Council will turn its focus to betterment. In some places this will involve community-scale interventions to find solutions for Category 2 areas to manage risk so homes can be rebuilt on current sites. Beyond this, the Council’s focus will be on solutions to build resilience. These solutions will emerge through technical reviews and the independent review capturing community views. These will include both engineering solutions such as spillways, secondary stopbanks, and catchment or nature-based solutions such as tree-planting and wetlands.

Theme 4 – Help people that have been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle

29. Helping people that have been affected by the cyclone was important to several submitters. Sentiments included helping people clear their properties, being able to move back home, and supporting people more and in every way possible.

Staff response

30. The clean-up from Cyclone Gabrielle is an enormous job. We are continuing to remove silt as part of the Silt Recovery Taskforce (with Hastings District Council), enabled through central government funding. The Taskforce is also collecting other waste. A temporary law change now enables rural landowners to burn cyclone and flood waste on commercial-scale horticultural and agricultural properties not located in the Hastings or Napier airsheds. A fire management plan must be submitted to the Regional Council and people need to follow the advice of Fire and Emergency NZ.

31. We continue to manage the Hawke’s Bay Disaster Relief Trust on behalf of the region’s councils. As of 30 June 2023 just over $7 million has been paid to applicants.

32. We have also re-deployed many staff in our Integrated Catchment Management teams to support our farmers and growers.

33. Regarding Regional Council rates, we invite and encourage those ratepayers who are experiencing financial hardship because of the cyclone to contact our rates team for a confidential discussion about how we can assist you.

Other points to note

Roadside drainage in Wairoa

34. Wairoa District Council (WDC) made a submission (#78) about drainage, including the following recommendations (summarised, not verbatim):

34.1. A request to treat Wairoa District Council as a priority and increase inspections and follow up works in flood-affected areas.

34.2. A request to ensure that the river, stream, and drainage network that HBRC is responsible for is well maintained and that adequate funding is allowed for this in our Annual Plan 2023-2024.

34.3. A joint approach is needed to clarify HBRC and WDC responsibilities.

34.4. Better communication between WDC and HBRC to plan drainage work programmes together to maximise availability of funds and resources.

34.5. Significant Wairoa district rivers need to be recognised as key rivers in Hawke’s Bay, with adequate HBRC funding budgeted for their maintenance to protect people and property.

Staff response

35. Cyclone Gabrielle impacted access to Wairoa and came during our busy operational time. Since Gabrielle, HBRC and WDC have initiated six weekly meetings where issues are raised and discussed, and actions agreed on. Part of this conversation also involves ascertaining which entity is responsible for which assets. HBRC has also initiated scheme reviews for two schemes in the Wairoa district and are planning to complete a third review. The outcomes of these reviews will be used to inform capital delivery plans in our next Long Term Plan 2024-2027. Work programmes have been developed for the 23-24 year that will extend the work that is undertaken currently.

36. WDC and HBRC have also formed a Wairoa Resilience Group. This is made up of members from both councils and is working with the community to develop resilience to flood events.

Wairoa Regional Park

37. In our Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document we articulated that we planned to defer construction expenditure for Wairoa Regional Park to the following financial year. WDC made a submission that did not support this, and another submitter wanted the Regional Council to honour our commitment to start this work in the 2023-2024 financial year.

38. WDC made the following recommendations (again, these are not verbatim) that:

38.1. HBRC partners with WDC and take a staged approach in implementing the project

38.2. HBRC sets the Wairoa Regional Park as a priority of work and does not defer it

38.3. Alongside meaningful engagement with the Wairoa community, a Wairoa community-based approach to the project is needed

38.4. HBRC carries out due diligence in relation to including and considering Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa as part of the process.

Staff response

39. We thank Wairoa District Council for their response and commitment to recreation in the community. We are intending to begin with communication and planning in the 2023-2024 financial year and will look to move into full consultation, design, and construction in the 2024-2025 financial year.

Planned reduction in funding for biodiversity and pest control

40. In our Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document we said we planned to reduce funding in biodiversity and pest animal and pest plant activities and research while staff are being deployed to rural recovery.

41. Forest & Bird (submitter #89) opposed our plan to cut back funding on biodiversity specifically regarding reconfiguration of flood protection works (asking for the Regional Council to consider nature-based solutions when planning our flood protection approach) and the reduction in funding in pest control activities.

42. The organisation wanted Annual Plan deliberations to re-accelerate programmes to support biodiversity beyond current initiatives once the initial recovery phase is completed. It said that because the cyclone recovery charge is likely to be collected over several years, it will not only help with the immediate recovery but also be available to accelerate work programmes that were impacted by recent weather events.

Staff response

43. We take on board the submission from Forest and Bird. Making room for the river is a focus for river management into the future. We have constraints in this as we have invested significantly in stopbanks adjacent to our major rivers and these provide protection to a large section of the population of Hawke’s Bay and have allowed for the development of cities such as Napier and Hastings. Recent events have required HBRC to invest further in these stopbanks to ensure protection to these communities.

44. Our other constraint is that the land adjacent to the river is owned by private landowners. Land use adjacent to the river can have significant effects on the ability to gain width in the river systems.

45. HBRC is undertaking a number of reviews on the performance of the river schemes. We have received funding to undertake studies on the nature-based attenuation measures and will be carrying these out over the coming financial year. This will feed into long term planning for our river schemes.

46. Soft engineering measures are often used in river management activities and it is our intention to increase the use of these measures in our scheme maintenance works.

47. The reduction in funding for the Biodiversity and Biosecurity programmes is for the next 12 months only, this will allow us to focus on remediation of our existing priority ecosystem sites and support wider rural recovery of the region. We remain committed to the long term protection and enhancement sites including pest animal control and the role this plays in building the region’s resilience to similar events. While our HBRC spend is reduced we have leveraged significant external funding to allow the continuation of biodiversity work programmes, including site restoration and pest control.

48. The majority of our Biodiversity and Biosecurity work programmes occur on private land therefore supporting our community in rural recovery over the next 12 months is crucial to allow for the increase delivery of these programmes in the future.

49. These programmes will be revisited during the Long Term Plan process.

Annual Plan focus

50. Interestingly, all submitters (except WDC and Forest & Bird) provided answers to the question of what was important to people in the region’s recovery. Less people (52 submitters) provided feedback where we asked for people to tell us what they think of our Annual Plan. A possible explanation could be that people are more focused on the bigger picture. We received a range of feedback, with many commenting on the need for horse trails.

Decision making process

51. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

51.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

51.2. The use of a special consultative procedure is not prescribed, however Council sought feedback from the community through engagement on the Annual Plan 2023-2024 engagement document.

51.3. The persons affected by this decision are all people with an interest in the Regional Council’s work.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1. Receives and considers the Deliberations on the Annual Plan2023-2024 staff report in conjunction with the written submissions received and considered by Council.

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 Council can exercise its discretion and make these decisions as they were the subject of public engagement carried out.

3. Makes no changes to the proposed Annual Plan 2023-2024 as a result of submissions received.

4. Directs staff to respond to submitters in line with the staff responses in this report, subject to any wording changes agreed on the day.

Authored by:

Sarah Bell

Team Leader Strategy and Performance

Mandy Sharpe

Senior Strategy & Corporate Planner

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

19 July 2023

Subject: Local Government NZ Annual General Meeting - Voting on Remits

Reason for Report

1. This item seeks resolutions of Council to:

1.1. Confirm Councillor Hokianga as attending the upcoming 2023 Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Annual General Meeting (AGM), and as being delegated to vote on Council’s behalf.

1.2. Agree Council’s voting position on any remits relating to regional council statutory functions and/or responsibilities.

Background

2. All local authorities who are full financial members of LGNZ as at 25 July 2023 are entitled to be represented at the LGNZ AGM to be held on 26 July 2023. Representatives may be elected members or staff.

3. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is entitled, as determined by the population of the region, to 3 votes and up to 3 delegates.

4. The cCouncil must appoint one presiding delegate to vote on its behalf in order to participate, and may appoint two additional delegates to attend including an alternate for the presiding delegate.

5. This yea’rs LGNZ AGM coincides with a meeting of the Council.

Remits

6. As part of the AGM, all councils were invited to submit proposed remits. Proposed remits relate to issues of the moment. Remits must have formal support from at least one sector group meeting, or five councils, prior to being submitted.

7. The remits (11) submitted to LGNZ are attached.

8. Remits 01 – Allocation of risk and liability in the building sector, 06 – Parking infringement penalties, and 09 – Earthquake-prone Buildings are relevant only to the responsibilities of district and city councils.

9. Details about the following remits which are relevant to the activities of the Regional Council are contained in the attachment.

10. Remit 02 – Rates Rebate, proposed by Horowhenua District Council and supported by LGNZ Zone Three, advocates to central government to:

10.1. Raise the income threshold for rates rebate eligibility to enable more low and fixed income property owners access to the rebate

10.2. Adjust the rebate amount in line with inflation and the cost of living

10.3. Investigate options to make rates rebates more accessible for residents by implementing an income data sharing process similar to that of Horowhenua District Council and Levin MSD office. This will enable Councils to obtain benefit income on behalf of the ratepayer and make it easier to apply for the rates rebate

10.4. Investigate options for data sharing between Councils, Internal Affairs and Ministry of Social Development to proactively identify households that qualify for a rates rebate rather than waiting for people to apply.

11. Remit 03 – Roading/Transport Maintenance Funding, proposed by New Plymouth District Council and supported by 22 district councils, asks that LGNZ:

11.1. Publicly lobby all political parties to increase Crown funding for state highway and local road maintenance budgets.

11.2. Considers and pursues other avenues including the Office of the Auditor General to seek resolution of the issues facing the country in relation to the systemic rundown of our national roading infrastructure.

12. Remit 04 – Local election accessibility, proposed by Whangārei District Council and supported by LGNZ Zone 1, asks that LGNZ:

12.1. ensures Local Government Elections are fully accessible by advocating to central government to make local government candidates eligible for the Election Access Fund.

13. Remit 05 – Ability for co-chairs at formal meetings, proposed by Northland Regional Council and supported by LGNZ Zone 1, asks that LGNZ:

13.1. explores and promotes options that enable councils to make greater use of co- chair arrangements for standing committees, joint committees and sub committees

14. Remit 07 – Rural and regional public transport, proposed by Waikato Regional Council and unanimously supported by LGNZ Zone 2, asks that LGNZ:

14.1. Acknowledges the Government-stated support for a major uplift in all urban bus networks nationwide under New Zealand’s first emission reduction plan.

14.2. Calls on the Government and opposition parties to commit to increasing investment in public transport for rural and regional communities to support access to essential services and amenities, vibrant rural communities and just transition to a low emission transport system.

15. Remit 08 – Establishing a resolution service, proposed by Hutt City Council and supported by 7 city and district councils, asks that LGNZ:

15.1. Investigates the creation of an independent national process to handle Code of Conduct complaints or concerns, ensuring fairness, protection, and accountability in local government.

15.2. Works with the Local Government Commission to implement findings from its September 2021 Report – Local Government Codes of Conduct.

16. Remit 10 – Kiwisaver contributions for elected members, proposed Hamilton City Council and supported by 5 city/District councils, asks that LGNZ:

16.1. asks the Government to amend the law to enable councils to make contributions to an elected members’ KiwiSaver scheme.

17. Remit 11 – Audit NZ Fees, proposed by Whanganui District Council and supported by 5 councils, asks that LGNZ calls on central government to take action to reduce council audit fees by:

17.1. Revisiting the scope and requirements of reporting and auditing on councils.

17.2. conducting a review on the practice of audit in councils and work on best practice guidance to streamline this process.

Decision Making Process

18. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

18.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

18.2. The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by legislation.

18.3. The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy.

18.4. There are no persons affected by this decision as it relates to policies that have yet to be developed.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1. Receives and considers the Local Government NZ Annual General Meeting - Voting on Remits staff report.

3. Confirms that Councillor Thompson Hokianga will exercise Council’s votes on the remits as follows:

3.1. Remit 01 – Allocation of risk and liability in the building sector – either Support or Oppose

3.2. Remit 02 – Rates Rebate – either Support or Oppose

3.3. Remit 03 – Roading/Transport Maintenance Funding – either Support or Oppose

3.4. Remit 04 – Local election accessibility – either Support or Oppose

3.5. Remit 05 – Ability for co-chairs at formal meetings – either Support or Oppose.

3.6. Remit 06 – Parking infringement penalties – either Support or Oppose.

3.7. Remit 07 – Earthquake prone Buildings – either Support or Oppose.

3.8. Remit 08 – Rural and regional public transport – either Support or Oppose.

3.9. Remit 09 – Establishing a resolution service – either Support or Oppose.

3.10. Remit 10 – Kiwisaver contributions for elected members – either Support or Oppose.

3.11. Remit 11 – Audit NZ Fees – either Support or Oppose.

4. Confirms that Councillor Thompson Hokianga, as presiding delegate, will vote on behalf of the Council on other matters arising at the Annual General Meeting.

Authored by: Approved by:

Allison Doak

Governance Advisor

Leeanne Hooper

Team Leader Governance

Attachment/s

Local Government New Zealand 2023 Annual General Meeting Remits

Under Separate Cover