Agenda of Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Meeting of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Date: Friday 22 September 2023

Time: 10.00am

Venue:

Council Chamber

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

159 Dalton Street

NAPIER

Agenda

Item Title Page

1. Welcome/Karakia/Notices/Apologies

2. Conflict of Interest Declarations

3. Confirmation of Minutes of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee held on 11 August 2023

Information or Performance Monitoring

4. Current coastal projects update 3

5. Project Manager's update 7

6. Follow-up actions update 11

7. Communication and Engagement Plan 2023-24 15

8. Hawke’s Bay Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives Stocktake 21

Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Friday 22 September 2023

Subject: Current coastal projects update

Reason for Report

1. This report provides an opportunity for the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to update the Joint Committee on various coastal projects that members have expressed an interest in keeping abreast of.

Rangatira Revetment

2. Construction of the wall is about 80% completed.

3. We are now working on getting the footpath, reserves gardens, and grass installed in the next 2-3 weeks.

4. October is the expected completion month.

5. We have booked 18 November 2023 as the opening date.

6. It is noted that clause 7.5 of the Coastal Hazards Memorandum of Transition (MOT) requires consultation with HBRC for any new coastal hazards assets not listed in the MOT. In accordance with this clause, a letter was sent by Napier City Council’s Chief Executive to HBRC on 9 November 2022.

Westshore resource consent renewal

7. This work package is to secure a new consent for the renourishment of Westshore Beach that expires in 2027.

8. Due to Cyclone Gabrielle response and ongoing recovery works, staff availability has been limited and therefore this work package has not progressed. Emergency renourishment works after the Cyclone Gabrielle and during July / August have been completed.

9. Discussions have been held with Napier City Council (NCC) regarding the alignment of the gravel bund and the option to extend the rock armouring of the Rangatira sea wall.

10. Next step is to undertake and complete the review of the beach renourishment works. The review of the beach renourishment works is planned to commence in the next month. Commencement of the annual survey for the renourishment works.

11. Consent costs will vary depending on what type of works will be considered in the future.

11.1. Costs associated for the continuation of the beach renourishment option will be similar.

11.2. For the construction of a structure on the foreshore (i.e. groynes or rock revetment) the consent requirements will increase due to additional engineering and environmental investigations and consultation will be required. For comparison, an initial cost estimate of $1.4M, has been received, for the extension of the rock armouring (79m) to the Rangatira sea wall.

12. On completion of the beach renourishment works review, the consenting costs for the preferred option will be able to be better defined.

Haumoana Shingle Crest Height

13. Replenishment of the Te Awanga to Haumoana shingle crest has continued to help maintain a consistent crest height profile, with the works typically carried out by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Works Group.

Haumoana 18

14. There has been no recent interaction between Hastings District Council (HDC) and the H18 residents during this period.

Maraetotara River at Te Awanga

15. Damage to the foreshore adjacent to the Maraetotara River at Te Awanga was caused by floodwaters from the Cyclone. This damage left some properties at risk from water intrusion from high seas. A public meeting was held within the community on 26 April to discuss possible solutions and how they might be funded.

16. The Heretaunga Recovery Plan includes for consideration, a proposed action to construct a revetment to repair damage to the Maraetotara River channel in order to increase the resilience of the area to future weather events and protect homes in Wellwood Terrace and Kuku Street.

17. Further erosion and sea water intrusion occurred on 10 July 2023 in the Te Awanga lagoon area, with some metres of erosion to a 200m section of coast, impacting the beach access and parking area, as well as causing power outages.

18. Discussions are ongoing with a landowner representative group, following an HDC councillor update on the issues at an August council workshop, to consider a range of possible protection options, which will be presented to the wider community and to support ongoing discussions with HDC as to possible funding mechanisms. This issue is being considered alongside Cyclone recovery challenges. RMA Emergency provisions are also being explored as it relates to this problem.

Whirinaki

19. HDC Council staff have continued to engage with North Shore Road representatives as the erosion problems in this area are aggravated by recent cyclone and sea events.

20. The Cyclone Gabrielle event has caused a greater level of damage to the coastline immediately north of North Shore Road and to a section at the Esk River end of North Shore Road. The section of road near the Esk River section has required a response from the HDC Roading section and has involved the placement of limestone rock as foundation and protection works along with backfilling and reinstatement to road level. This work was carried out as part of emergency works associated with the Cyclone. Further investigations are required to determine the next steps for the northern section.

21. The erosion to the north of North Shore Road has eroded the access track, back into private property and residents are seeking advice and assistance to address this issue. The priority has been a commitment to cyclone related works however the area forms part of the Whirinaki Resilience project area and the opportunity has been taken to inspect the area with Tonkin & Taylor coastal engineers to further consider possible approaches.

Coastal Inundation Assessment Project update

22. The report was workshopped with the Joint Committee after their May meeting. It was agreed that the report would be presented to Councillors from all three Council however it has not yet been possible to find a suitable date due to existing Council commitments and pressures. Officers will continue to try and secure a suitable date.

Hawke’s Bay Climate Action

23. The Climate Action Committee met on 14 August and the amended Committee Terms of Reference were adopted.

24. Chris Holland from the Climate Change Commission presented on national and regional emissions reduction targets.

25. A workshop was then held for whakawhanaungatanga for committee and TAG members to get to know each other better and to plan for a wānanga to be held later in the year.

26. The emissions reduction actions in waste and transport were not considered.

27. The Committee next meets in December.

Decision-making process

28. 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 Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives the Current coastal projects update.

Authored by:

Simon Bendall

Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager Asset Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Friday 22 September 2023

Subject: Project Manager's update

Reason for report

1. This report provides an update on project-related matters including timeframes, budgets and tracking towards milestones.

Project Dashboard

2. The following project dashboard (Table 1) is provided to summarise current project status for budget, timeline and all eight Strategy Workstreams (WS). An assessment of each project element is made on a ‘traffic light’ basis, with a brief commentary provided to explain the rating given.

3. Where a rating has changed from the preceding report, the metric is shown in red underline with an arrow showing the change in status.

Table 1: Project Dashboard Report: September 2023

Status:

On Track

Under Stress

Key Risk

Metric	Status	Commentary
Project Budget		Pause and delay to Strategy notification in response to Cyclone Gabrielle has led to project budget being underspent in 2022/2023 Financial Year. Partner Councils have agreed to carry forward unspent funds into 2023/2024.
Project Timeline		New August 2024 target for notifying proposed Strategy on track to be achieved. However, continued delay in progressing Strategy presents challenges and uncertainty for communities experiencing ongoing effects from coastal hazards.
WS1: Funding / Governance		Funding model is most significant and challenging task to complete in order to produce a complete Strategy - external expertise engaged to assist with development process. Funding Group of TAG formed and have held workshops recently to progress. Work underway and on track.
WS2: LGA Consultation		LGA Consultation now taking place in 2024.
WS3: Comms & Engagement		HBRC Comms team has previously supported Strategy Communications and Engagement. HBRC resource limitations prompted TAG to seek external resources which have now been secured. Comms and engagement plan now developed with key elements to be discussed in today’s meeting.
WS4: Design		Substantially complete – no significant additional design work required prior to Strategy notification. Note very limited internal resources available.
WS5: Mātauranga Māori		Workstream scope confirmed by Joint Committee in September 2022. External contractor engaged to provide expertise and capacity. Project plan developed and workshopped with TAG recently. HBRC Māori Committee and Regional Planning Committee briefings undertaken in August. Work due to commence in October.
WS6: Coastal Ecology		Draft coastal ecology monitoring plan has been received by TAG and is currently in review. HBRC science team assisting. Mana Whenua engagement sought to expand / refine monitoring plan.
WS7: Regulatory		Limited progress in last 6 months. National regulatory framework is going through period of significant change. Strategy will need to set out how a revised regulatory approach will align with it to avoid moral hazard risks. Work in progress with internal resources.
WS8: Signals and Triggers		Thresholds development process completed. TAG has assessed the development of signals and triggers and has determined to pause further work until the Strategy has been adopted with confirmed thresholds. Workstream currently on hold.

4. There are no status changes to report for this period.

5. The Project Timeline status remains as a key risk. Coastal hazard risks are not diminishing, while Strategy timelines have been extended.

Central Government Update

6. There is regular discussion at Joint Committee about the development of central government policy and legislation relevant to climate change adaptation, the significant changes expected through resource management system reform (RM Reform) and the potential implications for the Strategy.

7. There have been some recent developments in this space that are highlighted for Joint Committee interest, and potential involvement.

8. Much of the focus for RM Reform to date has been on the Natural and Built Environment Act and Spatial Planning Act, both of which were given Royal Asset by the Governor-General in August 2023. The proposed Climate Change Adaptation Bill is still in development.

9. In August 2023, Parliament’s Environment Committee Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Taiao initiated an inquiry into climate adaptation, and has called for public submissions. The submissions period closes on 1 November.

10. While there are currently no Select Committees following the dissolution of the 53rd Parliament on 8 September 2023, submissions can still be made for open items of business.

11. In support of this Inquiry, the Ministry for the Environment has published a supporting ‘Community-led retreat and adaptation funding – issues and options’ paper. It lays out the challenges in the current system and presents options for the future, exploring who could make adaptation decisions, how they could decide, how the community could be involved, and how the costs could be shared. It also considers how a Te Tiriti-based system could work for iwi, hapū and Māori communities, especially for decisions affecting whenua and whānau. The full report can be accessed here:

https://environment.govt.nz/publications/community-led-retreat-and-adaptation-funding-issues-and-options/

12. Also in August, the technical report “Report of the Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat: A Proposed System for Te Hekenga Rauora/Planned Relocation” was published.

13. The Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat was commissioned to develop advice about the practical, legal, and financial aspects of enabling managed retreat. Their objective was to develop detailed design options for an equitable and enduring managed retreat system as one part of the development of the Climate Change Adaptation Bill. This report will be considered by the Environment Committee (when reconvened) as part of its Inquiry.

14. The report can be accessed here:

https://environment.govt.nz/publications/report-of-the-expert-working-group-on-managed-retreat-a-proposed-system-for-te-hekenga-rauora/

15. This Inquiry is highlighted as an opportunity for the Councils (and potentially the Joint Committee) to engage in central government policy development.

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 Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives and notes the Project Manager’s update.

Authored by:

Simon Bendall

Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager Asset Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Friday 22 September 2023

Subject: Communication and Engagement Plan 2023-24

Reason for Report

1. This report discusses the communications and engagement plan for the period October 2023 – July 2024.

Background

2. Over the past two years there has been regular but fairly low levels of community engagement as the Strategy development process tracks towards a formal consultation process.

3. Engagement activity has included a community survey and letter box drop, two community drop-in sessions, newsletters, and a workshop series which included participation by former community panel members.

4. With the Strategy consultation process now deferred to August 2024, and in acknowledgement that this is a complex project that will succeed with broad community support, a plan is required to guide engagement activity in the lead up to the formal consultation process.

Discussion: Communication and Engagement Plan 2023-24

5. A communications and engagement strategy has been developed to support reconnecting with the community over the next year in the lead up to formal Strategy consultation.

6. This Joint Committee paper outlines the key strategic components of the Strategy for discussion with the Joint Committee. This covers objectives, audience, strategic approach, key messages, and campaign approach. Discussion is provided under these headings in the following paragraphs.

7. The full operational detail of the plan itself has not been attached to this paper. This is because the plan is detailed, a fluid ‘living’ document that will change over time as engagement occurs, and lists individual groups.

8. In support of this paper, there will be a presentation during the Joint Committee meeting to further explain the plan, the thinking behind it, and detail the innovative engagement options available.

Objectives

9. There are three objectives for this plan:

9.1. Maintain and increase community understanding of, interest in, and build buy-in to the coastal hazards mahi.

9.2. Enable and facilitate meaningful engagement with communities using effective and innovative approaches.

9.3. Align with and complement engagement activities occurring through the Mātauranga Māori Workstream.

Audience

10. An audience analysis exercise was undertaken with Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members who work closely with different sectors of the community in relation to coastal hazards. Analysis was carried out to identify who all the groups are and how engagement should be tailored for each group.

11. The key purpose for this analysis is to ensure that we are reaching the right people and groups, while also managing limited resources by targeting engagement in the most effective way.

12. The audience list is extensive, and is likely to change over time as engagement identifies further interested groups, and engagement effort responds to identified needs.

13. The below table shows a simplified version of the analysis.

Audience	How we’ll engage
Tangata whenua	TBC, to be developed working with Mātauranga Māori workstream
Councillors (HBRC, JC, NCC, HDC, RPC, MC)	Direct engagement through council meetings
Coastal communities	Newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Environmental groups	Direct engagement, newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Coastal businesses	Industry groups, newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
MPs	Direct engagement
Coastal schools	Direct engagement, newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Lifelines	Direct engagement, newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Council staff	Direct engagement, social media, media, website
Recreational users	Newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Industry groups	Direct engagement, newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Tourism sector	Newsletters, community meetings, social media, media, website
Ministers (Civil Defence, Local Government, Climate Change)	Social media, media, website

Strategic Approach

14. The strategic approach of the engagement plan focuses on three parts to support the objectives:

14.1. Build trust - the Strategy and councils are seen to be doing what they say they will, put the community first, and take action to respond to coastal hazards.

14.2. Make this relevant and build buy-in – the causes and impacts of coastal hazards and the proposed responses through the Strategy are made relevant and understandable.

14.3. Drive participation and partnership – the community gets involved and inputs into the Strategy for coastal hazards.

Key messages

15. Key messages have been developed and grouped into three buckets: ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘what.

16. Key message one: Why we’re here

16.1. Hawke’s Bay’s coast is a part of us, a place where we live, play, or work.

16.2. Our way of life along the coast is being challenged by climate change, with our communities being impacted more and more by coastal erosion, sea level rise, and flooding by the sea (inundation).

16.3. The sea level in Hawke’s Bay is expected to rise by 30cm by 2050, and could be over 1m by 2120.

16.4. We’re already living through what this means for our community with houses damaged, insurance costs increasing, assets requiring repair, and roads being damaged.

16.5. These impacts will continue and will increase over time.

16.6. We need to support Hawke’s Bay’s coastal communities, businesses and key infrastructure to be resilient to hazards and be able adapt to the changing climate.

17. Key message two: How we’ve developed a plan to manage coastal hazards

17.1. We can’t solve the challenges along our coast with one solution, and it might seem complex and too big a task to solve.

17.2. As the area of Hawke’s Bay coast with the most communities and businesses, we’ve been working on a plan to respond to coastal hazards between Clifton and Tangoio. We plan to roll this approach out to other parts of the coast in the future.

17.3. The Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 is a collaboration between tangata whenua and three councils, Hastings District, Napier City, and Hawke’s Bay Regional councils.

17.4. We’ve worked closely with key members of the community and experts using what we already know, community experiences, and scientific data to look at our current levels of risk from coastal hazards and how these risks could be managed over the next 100 years.

17.5. The Strategy identifies the areas that may be affected by coastal hazards over the long term and the associated risks, and sets out pathways for managing these risks, creating more resilient coastal communities.

17.6. In reality, the solutions to these problems are quite limited, and different locations will require different solutions. We can avoid making the problem worse by building away from hazard-prone areas, protect where we are through renourishing beaches or building sea defences, accommodate risk through design (e.g. increased floor levels), or retreat away from the coastline.

18. Key message three: How we’re going to turn this into action

18.1. We need to work with our community to make this plan part of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Long Term Plan so it can be implemented.

18.2. We need to check with our community the options set out in the plan for managing coastal risks over the next 100 years. We also need to check with the community how we’ll pay for it, looking at how we rate different property owners based on where they live and how much they will benefit from the work.

18.3. Sea level rise and increasing inundation and erosion is inevitable so we can’t sit back and do nothing.

18.4. The more we do to build climate change resilience into our coast now, the more options we will have to meet the challenges later.

18.5. Let’s make this plan a reality and give our tamariki and mokopuna a coast they can continue to enjoy.

Campaign approach

19. The campaign approach is split into two sections:

19.1. There will be ongoing communications throughout the year (now-July 2024) using newsletters, web content, case studies, videos, social media, and media releases as the foundation for engaging the community.

19.2. For the pre-engagement period (May-June 2024), there will be key opportunities planned to engage harder to reach communities kanohi ki te kanohi.

20. The below shows the key engagement tools proposed by the plan which focus on building trust, making it relevant and building buy-in, and driving participation and partnership. The presentation will go into more detail about the different tools and techniques.

20.1. Video (council case studies alongside community voices)

20.2. Media (releases and opinion pieces)

20.3. Advertising (paid)

20.4. Social media (using HBRC, NCC, HDC and other partner and community channels)

20.5. Community champions

20.6. Events (tailored or going to where the community are)

20.7. Container (movable information)

20.8. Survey

Next Steps

21. With any feedback from the Joint Committee, TAG will commence implementing the communications and engagement plan, including planning for consultation pre-engagement.

22. Reporting at each Joint Committee meeting will be provided to update on engagement activities and outcomes.

23. In addition, Joint Committee members will be advised of key engagement activities by email so they have the opportunity to participate.

Decision Making Process

24. 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 Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives and notes the Communication and Engagement Plan 2023-24 update.

Authored by:

Rebecca Ashcroft

Consultant Frank Engagement

Simon Bendall

Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager Asset Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee

Friday 22 September 2023

Subject: Hawke’s Bay Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives Stocktake

Reason for Report

1. This report presents a high level overview of council-led climate change adaptation initiatives relevant to the work of the Joint Committee.

Background

2. At the last meeting of the Joint Committee on 11 August 2023, a question was asked about the Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference, noting that it currently includes tsunami as within scope for the Strategy.

3. In 2015, work under the Strategy modelled tsunami hazards and risks (alongside coastal erosion and coastal inundation). Following this work, the Joint Committee determined that it would focus on coastal erosion and coastal inundation, as tsunami was primarily considered a civil defence matter. However, its Terms of Reference were not changed at that time.

4. Since then, tsunami modelling has been updated and further work undertaken through the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Joint Committee.

5. During the discussion at the 11 August meeting, it was noted that the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) were working on a scan or stocktake of current climate change adaptation initiatives and projects across the Councils in order to better capture current work and interconnectivity. It was requested that an update on this work be presented to the Joint Committee for information and discussion in relation to their Terms of Reference and any changes the Joint Committee may wish to make.

6. Provided as Attachment 1 to this paper is the current output of this stocktake exercise. The following limitations and assumptions are noted:

6.1. This is a preliminary outcome, presented in draft for Joint Committee information.

6.2. The stocktake does not yet include initiatives or activities undertaken by Central Hawke’s Bay or Wairoa District Council.

6.3. Climate change adaptation is occurring through most activities of the councils (e.g. financial planning, asset management planning, reserves planning, RMA processes, etc.) and across a significant number of discrete projects. For practical purposes, at this stage the stocktake has been limited to core governance structures and projects that are relevant to coastal adaptation.

Discussion

7. While preliminary, this exercise has highlighted the broad range of initiatives and projects currently underway. In some cases, it may be beneficial to improve coordination of work programmes and interconnectivity.

8. With respect to the Joint Committee’s discussion on whether tsunami should remain in their Terms of Reference or not, the following points are noted:

8.1. Currently, the tsunami work is being led through the CDEM Joint Committee. It has not been contemplated by the Community Panels established for this Strategy or this Joint Committee, beyond the initial hazard and risk work in 2015.

8.2. There are additional natural hazards (such as ground water, river flooding and others) that are significant for coastal areas, but are not currently included in the Strategy. This reflects an early decision of the Joint Committee where it determined the hazards in scope for this iteration of the Strategy. The current approach is to build in additional hazard information and adjust the Strategy if required through future reviews and as more information (data, modelling, etc.) becomes available. Developing effective multi-hazard risk assessments will be an important future initiative, and is the subject of developing and evolving practice and research.

8.3. There is a minor disconnect between the Strategy that is being developed, and the Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference. Specifically, in Appendix 1 Project Background (under the heading Project Scope) it notes that the Strategy will respond to “the risks posed by the natural hazards of coastal erosion, coastal inundation and tsunami.”

Next Steps

9. It is recommended that the Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference would benefit from minor changes to provide clarity and confirm its approach to consideration of tsunami and other coastal hazards. This could be achieved through a minor update to Appendix 1 to confirm:

9.1. That the current focus for the Strategy is on the priority hazards of coastal erosion and coastal inundation; and

9.2. That future reviews of the Strategy will consider new information on additional hazards and multi-hazard assessments.

10. It is also suggested that TAG consider opportunities for increased interconnectivity across the various governance structures identified in Attachment 1 to this report to ensure that the Strategy is effectively positioned within a broader programme of climate change adaptation initiatives. Further discussion on this opportunity is welcomed at the meeting.

Decision Making Process

11. 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 Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives and notes the Hawke’s Bay Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives Stocktake staff report.

Authored by:

Simon Bendall

Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager

Approved by:

Chris Dolley

Group Manager Asset Management

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

Hawke's Bay Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives Stocktake [preliminary]