Minutes of a meeting of the Climate Action Joint Committee

Date:                                    11 December 2023

Time:                                    1.00pm

Venue:

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

Present:                              Cr H Ormsby (HBRC) – Chair

Cr H Browne (NCC) – Deputy Chair

Cr X Harding (HBRC)

P Kelly – HBRC Māori Committee representative

Cr T Kerr (HDC) (online)

R Maaka – HBRC Māori Committee representative

M McIlroy (Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa)

R Paul (online)

T Thornton

Cr T Aitken (online)

Cr A Redstone (HDC)

Cr D Roadley (HBRC) (online)

Cr R Thomas (WDC)

Mayor A Walker

In Attendance:                 N Peet – HBRC Chief Executive

T Munro – Interim Te Pou Whakarae

P McKelvie-Sebileau – HBRC Climate Action Ambassador

D Cull – HBRC Manager Strategy & Governance

A Doak – HBRC Governance Advisor

T Eubanks – HDC

H Bosselmann – NCC

Guests as noted

1.         Welcome/Karakia /Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Roger Maaka opened with a karakia.

2.         Conflict of interest declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

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

CAJCC12/23

Resolution Minutes of the Climate Action Joint Committee held on Monday, 14 August 2023, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record. Harding/Redstone CARRIED

4.	Climate Action Vision
	The Chair and Deputy introduced the paper explaining how it was developed though workshops facilitated by Karl Wixon. Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau presented highlights from the report covering visions for 2050 and key strategic actions in seven prioritised domains. Discussions covered: · The need to incorporate a picture of critical partnerships particularly with central government into the vision. As well as identify existing regional partners such as Biodiversity HB Regional water security, HB CDEM, and catchment groups. · How flexibility within the strategy to both make space for changing central government policy but also to take advantage of opportunities that arise. · The document should be considered a ‘living’ document. · That ‘climate resilient development’ is potentially a loaded term and that ‘climate resilience’ might be better. · The possibility of a Te Reo Māori version of the vision infographic. · If the document was deep enough in terms of the challenges presented or if that depth would come in future documents · The importance of climate adaptation actions and especially looking at regional risk mapping as an opportunity. · The need for understanding the work of other adaptation initiatives and the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee · The need to involve senior staff in the Technical Advisory Group and the potential for an executive steering group to be formed. · The importance of recognising tangata whenua as having tino rangatiratanga in terms of rivers not kaitiakitanga as tangata whenua are not taniwha. · The aspiration that rivers be not just swimmable but drinkable too. · Next steps including the further development of tables of action. During discussion the following amendments were identified: · In figure 1 use ‘climate resilience’ instead of ‘climate resilient development’ as the latter is potentially a loaded term. · Clarify whether the vision is for swimmable or drinkable rivers in the Waimāori section · Incorporate reference to rangatiratanga · Incorporate reference to rural villages in the urban/housing section · Change ‘biodiversity management plans and land use regulations’ to reference ‘best practice’ in the primary production section · It was clarified that the tables of mitigation (emission reduction) actions attached to the report are examples and not being adopted presently.
CAJCC13/23	Resolutions 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 as a living document, In principle with the expectation that an amended version will be circulated including amendments agreed at today’s meeting. Harding/Redstone CARRIED

5.	Climate Action Joint Committee funding
	Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau (HBRC), Taylor Eubanks (HDC) and Heather Bosselmann noted that the amounts contained in the report, as well as the tasks identified, are a bare minimum approach. Discussion covered: · The Climate Change risk assessment request was based on a quote from 2022 and the amount might be inflated. Staff will come back to the Joint Committee if the actual work or funding requirement is larger. · It was also noted that the requirement for some discrete pieces of work will be eliminated. · A financial contribution from the councils is required and it is important to signal that financial resource is required so that actions can be undertaken. · Concern expressed that hazard analysis could be a potential black hole to pour money into in order to gather more data despite a decreasing benefit and the requirement for oversight to prioritise the spend. · The need to identify what is already being done in terms of risk identification, building from the Urban Intelligence data gap analysis. · The need for the Climate Action TAG to work with CDEM staff, and others across councils, to eliminate duplication of work across workstreams. · Comment on the difference in the per-capita contribution requested from the territorial authorities being larger for Central Hawke’s Bay District and Wairoa District and a challenge for Hastings District and Napier City councils to match that. · Clarification that the $90 thousand requested for community grants funding is seed funding for community-led retreat rather than funding for planting or other adaptation or mitigation work.
CAJCC14/23	Resolutions 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 Joint Committee Chair and Deputy Chair will write to Partner Councils to request that they allocate funding in their long term plans for the Climate Action Joint Committee, with the funding requirement to be advised by Dr Nic Peet following discussion with the chief executives from all councils. Walker/Kerr CARRIED

6.	Youth Action Climate Forum Presentation
	Grace Sayer (Karamū High School), Hazel Hatcher (Taikura Rudolf Steiner School) and Mikyla Jelliman (Napier Girls High School) from the region’s Youth Environment Committee introduced themselves and their backgrounds before introducing the presentation on behalf of the Youth Climate Action Forum. · The presentation included outcomes desired by rangatahi in the areas of waste reduction, public transport provision, and waterways and also highlighted a desire for a rangatahi voice on the Joint Committee. Discussion covered: · Opportunities for Wairoa youth to be involved in the initiative, with Wairoa College currently engaging with staff to collaborate. · Compliments to the speakers · Comment that the future belongs to rangatahi and that their voice is important · Requests for the presentation for be taken to the territorial authorities as well as the Wairoa youth council.
CAJCC15/23	Resolution That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Youth Action Climate Forum Presentation. Kerr/McIlroy CARRIED

Roger Maaka offered a karakia to close the meeting.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed following at 2.27pm on Monday 11 December 2023.

Signed as a true and correct record.

Date:  11 March 2024 by Climate Action Joint Committee resolution                         Chair:  Hinewai Ormsby