Meeting of the Climate Action Joint Committee

 

 

Date:                       Monday 11 December 2023

Time:                      1.00pm

Venue:

Council Chamber

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

159 Dalton Street

NAPIER

 

 

 

Agenda

 

Item          Title                                                                                                                                           Page

 

1.            Welcome/ Karakia/ Housekeeping /Apologies

2.            Conflict of Interest Declarations

3.            Confirmation of Minutes of the Climate Action Joint Committee meeting held on 14 August 2023

Decision Items

4.            Climate Action Vision                                                                                          3

5.            Climate Action Joint Committee funding                                                     17

Information or Performance Monitoring

6.            Youth Action Climate Forum Presentation                                                  23

 


Climate Action Joint Committee

Monday 11 December 2023

Subject: Climate Action Vision

 

Reason for report

1.        This decision paper seeks Joint Committee endorsement of the proposed Vision and Strategy for the Climate Action Joint Committee, including priority domains and broad scope of actions in each domain.

2.        The proposals contained in this paper are a summary of the conversations and workshop activities carried out by Joint Committee members and Technical Advisory Group members during October and November 2023. The Vision and Strategy are the result of these discussions.

Officers’ recommendations

3.        Staff recommend that the Joint Committee reviews and endorses Tuhinga hukihuki rautaki / Draft Vision and Strategy for the Climate Action Joint Committee, and makes any necessary amendments.

Executive Summary

4.        Two externally facilitated workshops were held for members of the Climate Action Joint Committee and Technical Advisory Group so that members could discuss the scope of work for the committee and identify priority areas of focus.

5.        Workshops were well attended by elected members, Post-Settlement Governance Entities (PSGE) and Taiwhenua representatives. The activities were highly engaging with members developing 2050 visions and desired outcome states under a series of domains affected by climate change.

6.        This paper describes the process employed and attaches a draft Vision and Strategy resulting from the discussions. This will provide strategic direction to inform the workplan of the Technical Advisory Group.

Discussion

7.        During the workshops, fourteen domains for action were discussed: waste, transport, urban/housing, technology, moana/ocean, waimāori/ freshwater, forestry, energy, industry, infrastructure, biodiversity, primary industry, marae and whānau ora.

8.        In the first workshop, the facilitator led participants through a series of visioning exercises to imagine a desired state in each of these domains by 2050. In the second workshop, domains were prioritised for action based on feasibility, impact and desirability.

9.        Eight overarching themes with consistent support were identified from the discussions (in no specific order):

9.1.         Interconnectedness – integral connection between human wellbeing and environment health. Outcomes that care for Papatūānuku improve outcomes for people.

9.2.         Increased biodiversity – biodiversity on farms and in forestry, mixed practices, regenerative soil practices, low-emission farms. Mātauranga Māori-guided. More planting of diverse species required.

9.3.         Environmental Stewardship - efficient resource utilisation, land use planning shaped by community needs and aspirations. Mātauranga Māori-guided.

9.4.         Wellbeing / Oranga - sustainable urban living promoting wellbeing and community cohesion. Thriving, connected, inclusive & environmentally aware communities.

9.5.         Clean Water - aspiration for healthy, abundant, and clean water. Sediment management and removal, pollution prevention. Health-giving waters. Swim, drink and eat from rivers.

9.6.         Transformation – transitioning to new ways of doing things in equitable way, innovations, revolutionised energy, carbon zero transport and circular economy.

9.7.         Cultural values - Kaitiakitanga, Whanaungatanga, and Manaakitanga are important aspects of cultural identity and practices to achieve positive 2050 vision.

9.8.         Inclusive collaboration  - interconnectedness and partnerships between specialists, community, mana whenua and local government. Collective responsibility, work with youth and children.

10.      These themes were taken into account for the development of the vision for the Joint Committee as shown in the figure below.

Figure 1: Joint Committee vision for regional climate resilience

 

Climate Action Committee Strategy

11.      The proposed Tuhinga hukihuki rautaki / Draft Vision and Strategy prioritises six areas of focus based on feasibility, impact, desirability and regional contribution to climate change.

12.      A 2050 vision in each domain is articulated with accompanying strategic considerations and action plans to be developed in mitigation (emissions reduction and carbon sequestration) and adaptation.


 

TE HURINGA ĀHUARANGI – CHANGING CLIMATE.   Climate Action Joint Committee.

TUHINGA HUKIHUKI RAUTAKI / DRAFT VISION & STRATEGY.

13.      Note that this is a draft Vision and Strategy document, based on outcomes from workshops of the Hawke’s Bay Te Matau-a-Māui Joint Climate Action Committee and Technical Advisory Group hosted in October and November 2023.

Kaupapa / Domain

Moemoeā / Vision 2050

Rautaki / Strategy

(subject to further development and due diligence)

Tātai Mahi / Actions to develop

 

     Biodiversity is rich, varied and everywhere.

     Native birds and plants are in every garden and public space, and able to move through green corridors across Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay.

1.    Include biodiversity as part of every project using enablers / incentives.

2.    Leadership, collaboration and investment

3.    Ensuing ongoing commitment,  e.g. management beyond planning and monitoring.

4.    Knowledge sharing and devolving power / empowering community.

5.    Pest control for enhanced biodiversity and sequestration.

Mitigation*Adaptation

     People are walking more and using active modes of personal transport.

     Public transport is frequent, accessible, affordable and well utilised.

     Our cities provide access to amenities within reach of active personal or public transport.

     Freight is delivered through a sustainable, carbon neutral, clean energy network.

     Infrastructure is resilient and future proof.

1.    Normalising walking and use of active modes of personal transport.

2.    Ensuring urban planning prioritises and provides access to amenity within reach of walking and active modes of personal transport.

3.    Enable and promote public transport.

4.    Making freight infrastructure more resilient, and potentially using freight corridors, as energy corridors, e.g. solar banks.

Mitigation*Adaptation

     Forestry mixes commercial species and selectively-harvested native plantings.

     Sustainable and resilient food production sector, operating within a mix of land uses and mosaic of landscapes.

     Agriculture, horticulture, viticulture and forestry take place under biodiversity management plans and land use regulations.

     Provisions are made for community access and kai.

     Regional food production is sustainable and meets market demands, adopting best practice technology and standards.

     Water & soil health monitoring and science regulates industry, behaviour and practices.

1.    Creating awareness, building knowledge and developing long term plans informed by best practices, Crown R&D, mātauranga Māori and youth aspirations.

2.    Enabling practice change to build resilience through investment, incentives and enabling regulations.

3.    Engaging community in land use planning.

4.    Supporting Industry-led approaches to achieving the vision.

5.    Enabling change through policy, planning and incentive.

 

Mitigation*Adaptation

     Circular economy is supported and enabled through principles of waste hierarchy.

     The planet’s finite resources are respected, used with care, reutilised and repurposed to provide for future generations.

     Waterways and environment are clear from pollution and litter.

1.    Keeping abreast with and utilising advances in technology in transport, waste, energy, materials and waste elimination, reduction and management.

2.    Supporting community initiatives to reduce waste.

Mitigation*Adaptation

     We have a higher density urban environment that has affordable resilient housing close to work, community facilities, amenities, recreation and active spaces.

     We have walkable streets that promote use of active and public transport, and car-sharing.

     People are planting their own properties and greening our urban environment.

1.    Ensuring District Plans and design principles and approaches promote climate resilience within the framework of the Regional Policy Statement and national legislation.

Mitigation*Adaptation

     We have abundant, flowing, healthy, clean water.

     You can drink water and eat kai from our rivers which are safe to swim in.

1.    Catchment plans are needed that address all of the identified strategies.

2.    Community engagement and support for community-led solutions.

3.    Develop enabling policies and incentives.

 

Mitigation*Adaptation

 

14.      For domains where the mitigation actions are indicated in bold with an asterix symbol, tables of action accompany this report in Attachments 1,2 and 3. Note that these tables of actions were developed by a working group that was established prior to the establishment of the Climate Action Joint Committee. As such, the initial focus was primarily to design actions that could be implemented through Council long term plans and further work is required to add community- and mana whenua-led actions in these areas.

15.      Presently, we seek feedback from the committee on the Draft Vision & Strategy contained in this report and high level feedback on the tables of actions in the attachments. Making any necessary amendments, the Technical Advisory Group will work to extend the scope of the actions, to align the work with the vision and strategy of the Joint Committee and to engage with community and mana whenua.

Options Assessment

16.      The priority domains proposed above were selected following a prioritisation exercise taking into account impact, feasibility, desirability and contribution to climate change. The domains in Table 1 below were discussed, but, based on the impact assessment, are considered to be medium priority for the Joint Committee. They will be considered at a later date in the Joint Committee work programme.


 

Table 1: Medium priority domains not included in Draft Vision & Strategy 1

Kaupapa / Domain

Moemoeā / Vision 2050

Rautaki / Strategy

(subject to further development and due diligence)

Energy & Industry

·        Energy in Hawke’s Bay is reliable, renewable, resilient, diversified, equitable, effective and affordable.

·        Industry works within environmental limits and maximises natural advantages to contribute positively to iwi Māori, community and local economy.

Energy:

1.    Local generation.

2.    Community energy solutions.

3.    Good spatial planning.

4.    Technological advancements.

5.    It is highly effective.

6.    It is diversified and therefore resilient.

Industry:

7.    Regulation, policy, incentives and penalties.

Oranga / Well-being

·        Whānau and communities are active in Te Taiao, our natural world, and actively looking after Papatūānuku our earth mother, improving the health of whānau, communities, the environment and wai & kai (water & food).

1.    Increasing whānau and community engagement and activity in land and river care.

2.    Sourcing renewable energy from Rangi (Sky) and Papa (Earth), as well as from their whānau; Tāwhirimātea (wind), Tangaroa (ocean), Parawhenuamea (rivers), Hinemoana (tides).

Moana / Ocean

·        Less carbon in atmosphere reducing pressure on marine environment.

·        80% of fisheries is aquaculture.  Doesn’t mean species are sitting in pens, it means we are farming species and monitoring numbers on migrations. Marine Reserves provide safe havens for those species we are harvesting so they can breed in safety.

·        We have sustainable sea temperature and the ocean is free of plastics and pollution.

·        Safe coastal communities for people working on and within the ocean.

·        Stable sea levels and coastal erosion reduced.

1.    Creating awareness: Crown R&D, LG & Community

2.    Stop treating the ocean as a dumping ground.

3.    Education.

4.    Better monitoring of ocean health including species and response.

 

Technology

·        We have a culture of innovation leading the world in some niche innovations tackling big problems.

·        We have an equitable system of technology and access to technology and spaces that uplift our community and promote innovation.

·        Government funding for technology aligns with problems we identify as a community.

·        There is competition without duplication.

·        Within the energy sector there has been huge change, we buy smart fabrics, purchasing is non-cash, we’ve got retinal and fingerprint transactions.

·        Advances in EnergyTech, HealthTech, FoodTech and EdTech mean benefits are equitable and community is thriving.

Focus on equity in technology development and societal benefit and value – through a focus on:

1.    Tech commons

2.    Resilience

3.    Equity

 


 

Role of the Joint Committee / Planned approach to the domains

17.      Discussions to date have highlighted the need for a multi-pronged response and approach, to catalyse and enable a community movement. These groups and actions are described in the table below.

Table 2: Focus for main groups involved in regional climate action and how Joint Committee engages

Group

Primary focus

How Joint Committee engages / supports

Local Government

Lead and coordinate local government response.

Aligning Council planning, policy, funding, programmes, projects and activity with collective vision and strategy.

Advocate for climate at all Council tables and in all Council divisions, plans, policies, programmes and activities.

Provide technical expertise.

Provide communities of interest with easy to understand information and communications.

Facilitate community engagement and support community response.

Catalyse and support region wide movement.

 

Mana Whenua

Develop own plans and priorities.

Align with National Iwi Chairs Forum strategy and other iwi / hapū strategies as relevant / useful.

Partner with local (& central) government to co-deliver.

Work with mana whenua to co-identify, co-design and co-decide.

Help build mana whenua capability and capacity.

Support mana whenua to undertake the mahi needed to develop mana whenua led strategy and action.

Communities*

Communities develop their own place-based approaches in line with agreed priority foci.

Community lead community responses and partner with local (&central) government to co-deliver.

Carry out wānanga-a-rohe (regional wide workshops) to ensure location based strategy and activities are both supported by local government, but also inform local government strategy and approach.

Inform and support community led approaches that can deliver impact.

Support community capability building.

Industry

Industries develop own approaches in line with agreed priority foci.

Industry lead industry responses and partner with local (& central) government to co-deliver.

Carry out industry workshops / forums and activities are both supported by local government, but also inform local government strategy and approach.

Develop regulations and policy to give effect to agree strategies.

*Communities might be geographically based or based on a community of interest e.g. schools.

Strategic Fit

18.      The work of the Joint Committee aligns with the regional goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.

Significance and Engagement Policy Assessment

19.      Staff have considered this item against the HBRC’s Significant and Engagement Policy and consider it to be not significant as this early strategy and vision setting stage.

Climate Change Considerations

20.      The strategy of the Joint Committee will directly contribute to reducing our regional contribution to climate change and responding to the impacts to increase resilience for communities.


 

Considerations of Tangata Whenua

21.      Tangata whenua understanding, preparedness and response to climate change is critical to the success of any regional climate action initiative. The workshops were well attended by PSGE members and continued engagement will be fundamental to the process of development of further actions.

Financial and resource Implications

22.    This is no financial impact from adopting the Vision and Strategy.  Implementation costs will be considered by the Joint Committee at a later date.

Decision-making process

23.      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:

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

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

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

23.4.      The persons affected by this decision are all residents of Hawke’s Bay.

23.5.      Given the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided, and also the persons likely to be affected by, or have an interest in the decisions made, the Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision.

 

Recommendations

That Climate Action Joint Committee:

1.        Receives and considers the Climate Action Vision staff report and associated attachments.

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 Joint Committee 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.

3.        Endorses the Tuhinga hukihuki rautaki / Draft Vision and Strategy for the Climate Action Joint Committee, with any changes agreed on the day.

 

Authored by:                                                                        Approved by:

Pippa Mckelvie-Sebileau

Climate Action Ambassador

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

 

Attachment/s

1

Table of mitigation actions in Biodiversity

 

 

2

Table of mitigation actions in Transport

 

 

3

Table of mitigation actions in Waste

 

 

 

 


Table of mitigation actions in Biodiversity

Attachment 1

 

PDF Creator


Table of mitigation actions in Transport

Attachment 2

 

PDF Creator

PDF Creator


Table of mitigation actions in Waste

Attachment 3

 

PDF Creator


Climate Action Joint Committee

Monday 11 December 2023

Subject: Climate Action Joint Committee funding

 

Reason for report

1.        This paper seeks support for a shared funding model for the Joint Committee and its work programme. The work programme includes undertaking a climate change risk assessment and measuring and reducing our regional contribution to climate change.

2.        If supported, it asks the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee to write to partner councils recommending they allocate funding in their long term plans.

Officers’ Recommendation

3.        Council officers recommend that the Joint Committee consider the budget items and funding split proposed in this paper and ask Partner Councils to allocate funding in their long term plans to cover it. 

Executive Summary

4.        The Climate Action Joint Committee was established in 2023 with membership from councils, Post-Settlement Governance Entities (PSGE)  and Taiwhenua in the region.

5.        We are approaching the end of the first calendar year of its existence. The first year’s activity, has been focused on establishing a technical advisory group, ways of working together, strategic direction setting, establishing priority domains for action and scope of work. The activities identified for 2024 (notably, measurement of regional emissions and regional risk assessment) onwards incur costs for which we seek a joint funding model.

6.        This funding proposal identifies the areas where efficiencies of scale can be obtained by taking a collaborative regional approach to climate action through the Joint Committee and proposing a coherent and consistent regional plan.

Background

7.        The Climate Action Joint Committee was established by resolution of each Partner Council as part of the governance arrangements for this electoral triennium.  The most recent changes to the Terms of Reference were adopted as follows:

7.1.         Wairoa District Council (WDC) on 18 July 2023

7.2.         Hastings District Council (HDC) on 20 July 2023

7.3.         Napier City Council (NCC) on 20 July 2023

7.4.         Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) on 26 July 2023

7.5.         Central Hawke’s Bay District Council (CHBDC) on 21 September 2023.

8.        Three Climate Action Joint Committee meetings have been held this year, on 22 May 2023, 4 August 2023 and 11 December 2023.

9.        Membership of the Joint Committee includes:

9.1.         up to two members and one alternate appointed to represent the Ngāti Kahungunu Taiwhenua and Board representatives on the HBRC Māori Committee

9.2.         each Post [Treaty] Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) within the Hawke’s Bay region is invited to appoint one member, and one alternate

9.3.         up to two elected members from HBRC; being the Chair and one other elected member, and one alternate

9.4.         up to two elected members from each Territorial Authority within the Hawke’s Bay region (preferably the Mayor and one other elected member), and one alternate.

10.      The Terms of Reference for the Joint Committee include the following objectives:

10.1.      Oversee and guide the development and implementation of a Regional Emissions Reduction Plan including recommending actions for partner councils to consider for inclusion in their long term plans.

10.2.      Oversee and guide the development and implementation of a spatial Regional Climate Risk Assessment to deliver on responsibilities under the National Adaptation Plan.

Discussion

11.      After a series of workshops with members of the Joint Committee and Technical Advisory Group (TAG) members in October and November 2023, domains of priority action have been established with strategic visions to guide activities in each domain.

12.      These priority domains and strategic vision are proposed for Committee decision in the associated paper: Climate Action Vision and Tuhinga hukihuki rautaki / Draft Vision & Strategy  for consideration at the Joint Committee meeting 11 December 2023. Part of the work required will include regional emissions reduction actions and adaptation plans for each domain and external technical input is required to inform this work.

13.      The funding requested in this decision paper is to cover the technical inputs required to achieve this work, as well as cover the ongoing administration costs of remuneration of members and funding for workshops and community engagement.

14.      The technical inputs would include the priority mitigation and adaptation activities as described in the following points.

15.      Ongoing monitoring and measurement of regional greenhouse gas emissions. Two options are currently under consideration for this work: commissioning 3-yearly Community Carbon Footprints as completed in 2022 (refer to the paper Update on the Emissions Reduction Plan as presented to the Joint Committee on 22 May 2023); or we are also working with local government partners across the country to consider a more dynamic dashboard application for emissions measurement and monitoring. Options will be presented to the Committee in early 2024. This work allows us to understand sources of emissions, to develop targeted action plans and to track progress towards targets.

16.      As identified in the paper Spatial Climate Vulnerability Assessment presented to the Joint Committee on 22 May 2023, council staff have been working with Urban Intelligence to input all known hazard data into a spatial-based risk and vulnerability platform, Resilience Explorer, that layers hazards, assets and other information (e.g. socio economic deprivation) to identify exposure, vulnerabilities and consequences.

17.      The online maps were demonstrated on screen at the Joint Committee meeting of 22 May 2023. Work completed to date has summarised the current state of known hazard data for the region, based on available city, district and regional data. This is repeated in the table below for ease of reference. Not that this table was completed in March 2023 and there may be updates to the availability of data since then.


 

Table 1. Overview of Currently Available Climate Change and Hazard Data

Hazard

District

Central Hawke’s Bay

Hastings

Napier

Wairoa

Coastal Erosion

Minimal

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Coastal Flooding

Minimal

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Tidal Flooding

No known data

No known data

No known data

No known data

Tsunami

Minimal

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Groundwater Flooding

No known data

No known data

No known data

No known data

Fluvial Flooding

Minimal

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Pluvial Flooding

No known data

No known data

No known data

No known data

Landslide

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Liquefaction

Minimal

Moderate

Moderate

Minimal

Earthquake Amplification

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Moderate

Fire

No known data

No known data

No known data

No known data

Climate Variability

High

High

High

High

 

Key

High

Hazard data is spatially complete and thorough. The supporting methodology is to a high standard and considers all reasonable contributing factors.

Moderate

Hazard data is spatially complete or near complete. The supporting methodology considers most reasonable contributing factors. The output data enables rigorous vulnerability assessment.

Minimal

Hazard data is spatially incomplete or covers less than 50% of the expected area. The supporting methodology is outdated or does not consider all reasonable contributing factors. The output data does not enable rigorous vulnerability assessment.

No known data

Hazard data could not be found through publicly accessible data sources or has not been received from private sources.

 

18.      The funding requested in the current paper responds to the need to complete the exposure and vulnerability under climate change scenarios for different hazards, and for different districts within the region; as well as to make this information accessible and understandable to community and industry.

19.      The funding is requested to cover both acquisition of new data and a subscription to the software. We envisage that the cost to subscribe be shared with other teams within councils (e.g. planning, civil defence, asset management) and these discussions are underway.

20.      The funds would be administered by the administering authority HBRC. They would be requested from each partner council at the end of the financial year based on actual expenditure of the committee.

21.      This funding agreement, should it be approved, does not preclude the option that additional funding for one-off technical pieces of work may be requested of the partner councils.

22.      Up until this point, the initial work of the committee has been covered by the administering authority HBRC, with support from NCC for meeting costs.

23.      The proposed funding model is for Joint Committee costs to be shared on a 25:25:25:15:10 basis between HBRC, NCC, HDC, CHBDC and WDC.

24.      The indicative budget in the table below details the costs of primary technical inputs over the next three years and ongoing administrative costs for operations, communication, engagement and member remuneration.

25.      Note that there is provision in the budget for $30,000 per year to be proposed as community grants supporting community-led adaptation and mitigation initiatives. This is subject to Joint Committee approval of the proposal at the next committee meeting.

 

Climate Action Joint Committee budget

FY2023-24

FY2024-25

FY2025-26

Climate change risk assessment (data acquisition and risk modelling)

$100,000

$100,000

$100,000

Risk explorer portal and community engagement

$40,000

$40,000

$40,000

Measurement and monitoring of regional carbon contributions to climate change

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Committee administration costs (remuneration mana whenua, workshop facilitation)

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Communication, engagement and events

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Community grants for climate action / adaptation

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

Total Joint Committee costs

$230,000

$230,000

$230,000

 

 

 

 

Proposed annual contributions

HBRC, NCC, HDC (25%)

$57,500

$57,500

$57,500

CHBDC (15%)

$34,500

$34,500

$34,500

WDC (10%)

$23,000

$23,000

$23,000

 

Options assessment

26.      The Joint Committee could:

26.1.      support the funding proposal as detailed in the Table above

26.2.      give direction to scale up the funding and programme of work, or

26.3.      recognising the challenging financial position that each Partner Council is facing, the Joint Committee may decide to scale down the work, or to decline the request for joint funding.

Strategic fit

27.      The establishment of the Climate Action Joint Committee aligns with the regional goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 and to ensure climate resilience for industries and communities in Hawke’s Bay.

28.      Joint funding for the Climate Action Joint Committee enables region-wide collaboration on issues of regional significance such as climate change risk modelling. As this is a technical area with different methodologies and climate projection models (e.g. Socio-economic pathways, SSPs and Representative Concentration Pathways, RCPs), engaging in the task at a regional level will ensure a common approach, enhancing understanding of risk for councils, mana whenua and community.

29.      Regional funding for climate action through the Climate Action committee aligns with the strategic vision as proposed in the report Climate Action Vision  to work collaboratively together with a common purpose which achieves efficiencies of scale and offers a coherent and consistent regional approach.

Significance and Engagement Policy assessment

30.      The decision is not significant under the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy Assessment.

Climate Change considerations

31.      This funding will enable the regional response to climate change and reduction of our regional contribution to climate change providing local government, communities and industry with greater understanding and greater preparedness for climate change.

Considerations of Tangata Whenua

32.      Mana whenua members participate in the Climate Action Joint Committee and this funding proposal will enable work to continue to the benefit of iwi, hapū and whānau affected by climate change in the region.

33.      The request for funding does not apply to PSGEs or mana whenua members.

34.      HBRC Māori Committee representatives and the PSGE representatives on the Joint Committee will be remunerated for travel and attendance as per the agreed HBRC meeting fees policy.

Financial and resource implications

35.      At this time of financial pressure on councils due in part to activities relating to recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle, this request for funding is likely to put additional pressure on budgets. However, without funding for technical inputs, our understanding of climate change risk in the region and preparedness for change is incomplete.

Decision-making process

36.      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:

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

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

36.3.      The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy.

36.4.      The persons affected by this decision are all residents of Hawke’s Bay.

36.5.      Given the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided, and also the persons likely to be affected by, or have an interest in the decisions made, the Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting directly with the community or others having an interest in the decision.

 

Recommendations

That the Climate Action Joint Committee:

1.        Receives and considers the Joint Committee funding 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 Joint Committee 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.

3.        Agrees that the Chair and Deputy Chair write to Partner Councils to ask them to allocate funding in their long term plans for the Climate Action Joint Committee, using the funding split proposed following.

Climate Action Joint Committee budget

FY2023-24

FY2024-25

FY2025-26

Climate change risk assessment (data acquisition and risk modelling)

$100,000

$100,000

$100,000

Risk explorer portal and community engagement

$40,000

$40,000

$40,000

Measurement and monitoring of regional carbon contributions to climate change

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Committee administration costs (remuneration mana whenua, workshop facilitation)

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Communication, engagement and events

$20,000

$20,000

$20,000

Community grants for climate action / adaptation

$30,000

$30,000

$30,000

Total Joint Committee costs

$230,000

$230,000

$230,000

 

 

 

 

Proposed annual contributions

HBRC, NCC, HDC (25%)

$57,500

$57,500

$57,500

CHBDC (15%)

$34,500

$34,500

$34,500

WDC (10%)

$23,000

$23,000

$23,000

 

 

Authored by:

Pippa Mckelvie-Sebileau

Climate Action Ambassador

 

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

 

 

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.


Climate Action Joint Committee

Monday 11 December 2023

Subject: Youth Action Climate Forum presentation

 

Reason for Report

1.        This report introduces members of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Rangatahi Environment Council who participated in the Youth Climate Action Forum hosted in October 2023 on the theme Re-envisioning Hawke’s Bay.

2.        Grace Sayers (Karamu High School), Hazel Hatcher (Taikura Rudolf Steiner) and Mikyla Jelliman (Napier Girls High School) will present to Joint Committee members youth perspectives for a sustainable and resilient Hawke’s Bay region through Improving Transport, Sustainable Mindsets, and Protecting Wai.

 

Recommendation

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Youth Action Climate Forum presentation.

 

Authored by:

Pippa Mckelvie-Sebileau

Climate Action Ambassador

 

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy and Governance Manager

 

 

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.