Agenda of Regional Council Meeting - Tuesday, 13 February 2024

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Tuesday 13 February 2024

Subject: Submissions received on the Revenue and Financing Policy Review

Reason for Report

1. This item provides the Council with:

1.1. an outline and analysis of the consultation process.

1.2. 541 submissions received for the Revenue and Financing Policy review consultation

1.3. public comments on HBRC’s Facebook posts, along with digital media analysis.

Officers’ Recommendation(s)

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

Background

3. At the meeting of the Regional Council on 29 November 2023, councillors adopted the consultation document - Your Community Your Rates: we’re looking at how we set rates – and the supporting documentation.

4. The consultation followed an extensive 18-month review of the Revenue & Financing Policy and all the various funding mechanisms that Council uses to funds its activities. This follows sector good practice to review revenue and financing policies approximately every ten years on a first principles basis.

5. The council signalled in its Long Term Plan 2021-2031 that it would be reviewing its Revenue and Financing Policy. A specific undertaking was given to review the Upper Tukituki flood scheme targeted rates.

Consultation process

6. The public consultation ran from 8am Friday 1 December 2023 to 8pm Sunday 28 January 2024. A deadline extension of 8 February was given to the most affected ratepayers on the utilities valuation roll. This gave these ratepayers two extra weeks to submit following a tailored letter with property assessments sent on 26 January 2024.

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

7.1. HBRC media releases sent out on 29 November and 11 January 2024.

7.2. Councillors Lambert and Roadley, held a drop-in session at the HBRC office in Wairoa on 15 December to answer questions and provide information, supported by an advert in the Wairoa Star.

7.3. Cr Roadley handed out hard copy consultation documents and submission form and spoke about the review at farmer discussion groups in Wairoa in early December 2023.

7.4. three articles were written by councillors in response to media articles (see 14.1 below)

7.5. a 12-minute radio interview with Cr Will Foley on Wednesday 17 January was aired on Central FM

7.6. print advertisements went out in two stages – week beginning 4 December and week beginning 15 January – with half and quarter page adverts. In total HB Today (4), Wairoa Star (2), CHB Mail (2), Hastings Leader (1), and Napier Courier (1)

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

7.8. promotion on HBRC website and staff e-signatures

7.9. targeted mail and emails to ratepayers of the 1,092 most affected properties and discharge to land/water consent holders in the week beginning 4 December 2023

7.10. emails to Post Settlement Government Entities, taiwhenua representatives and key sector groups between 13 and 18 December 2023

7.11. feature in an HBRC e-newsletter sent to farmers, growers and landowners on our database of 944 recipients on 23 January 2024 (577 opened the email and 28 recipients or 3% clicked through to the consultation webpage)

7.12. secondary targeted email to utility companies on 25 January 2024.

8. HBRC’s social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) delivered 5 posts and 2 adverts concerning this consultation, resulting in:

8.1. impressions (content served): 211,493 (62,987 from posts and 148,506 from ads)

8.2. reach (content seen): 138,703 (50,398 from posts and 88,305 from ads)

8.3. engagement (interactions): 529 (259 from posts and 270 from ads).

9. The consultation was picked up traditional media and on social media:

9.1. In total 10 articles and opinions pieces appeared in traditional media

14 Dec	HBRC seeks feedback on revenue policy changes	Wairoa Star
11 Jan	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s planned rate changes: The winners and losers (Cr Xan Harding)	Hawke’s Bay Today
11 Jan	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council rates shake-up criticised for increasing burden on homeowners (journalist, Gary Hamilton-Irvine)	Hawke’s Bay Today
13 Jan	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s new rating pie has been served cold (Anna Lorck)	Hawke’s Bay Today
16 Jan	HBRC chairwoman on rates changes: What is proposed is more equitable, fairer and stable (Chair Hinewai Ormsby)	Hawke’s Bay Today
17 Jan	Hawke’s Bay Regional Council needs to think carefully before putting more financial burden on ratepayers (assistant editor, Linda Hall)	Hawke’s Bay Today
19 Jan	HBRC rates review – no cause for panic (editor, Tom Belford)	Bay Buzz
19 Jan	HBRC rates review – preparing for an unavoidable future (Cr Martin Williams)	Bay Buzz
24 Jan	600ha Wairoa forest to pay less in rates than some homes under proposal (journalist, Gary Hamilton-Irvine)	Hawke’s Bay Today
26 Jan	Review into how Hawke's Bay Regional Council sets rates will not change amount collected, says council (journalist, Andrew Austin)	Hawke’s Bay App

9.2. LinkedIn and Facebook had multiple talking points. Facebook pages including Napier News, Common Ground Aotearoa, Hastings DC councillors, and HBRC councillors re-shared posts into different community Facebook groups with significant following.

Submissions

10. A total of 541 submissions were received. Two of those included were late.

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

12. Comments on the posts from HBRC’s Facebook page are also attached.

13. Submissions were received from the following property-types (noting more than one type could be selected noting that ratepayers have multiple properties). 38 were not categorised.

Residential	Lifestyle	Rural	Commercial/ Industrial	Other (including utilities)
388	76	71	14	10

14. Submissions were received from 6 out of our 7 constituencies (noting that some ratepayers are unsure which constituency they are in as boundaries differ to their city or district council). Five were out of region and 15 were not sure.

Wairoa	Maui ki te Raki	Ahuriri -Napier	Heretaunga - Hastings	Ngaruroro	Maui ki te Tonga	Tamatea - CHB
13	2	200	196	5	-	103

15. In total, staff completed just over 200 property assessments on request. This showed what the ratepayer were charged in 2023-2024 compared to what they would be under the proposed Revenue & Financing policy.

16. Only one submission per ratepayer was accepted. Multiple submissions were merged into one.

Decision-making process

17. 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:

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

17.2. The persons affected by this decision are those who made written submissions.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and considers the written submissions received on the “Revenue and Financing Policy Review”.

Authored by:

Sarah Bell

Team Leader Strategy &Performance

Jenny Keown

Team Lead Communications

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1 ⇨	Part 1 of 2 - Submissions on the Revenue and Financing Policy Review	Under Separate Cover
2 ⇨	Part 2 of 2 - Submissions on the Revenue and Financing Policy Review	Under Separate Cover
3 ⇨	Revenue and Financing Policy Review Social Media Report and Analysis	Under Separate Cover

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Tuesday 13 February 2024

Subject: Revenue and Financing Policy Review Submissions Hearing

Reason for Report

1. This item provides the Council with information on the hearing for the consultation on the Revenue and Financing Policy Review.

2. The hearing schedule, as it stands at Wednesday 7 February 2024 is attached.

Officers’ Recommendation

3. Officers recommend that Council follows hearing protocols to receive and consider verbal submissions on the consultation on the Revenue and Financing Policy review in order to inform its decisions on 28 February 2024.

Background

4. The consultation was publicly notified at 8am on Friday 1 December 2023 and closed at 8pm Sunday 28 January 2024.

5. Of the 541 submissions, 49 indicated that they wished to attend the hearing. This number has reduced to 12 after a follow up from council staff to arrange a time slot.

6. A complete set of written submissions is attached to the agenda under separate cover, and those who indicated their wish to speak to their submissions are identified.

Verbal submissions

7. The hearing of submissions is scheduled to run from 12.30pm to 4pm on Tuesday 13 February 2024. The hearing will be held in the Regional Council Chambers, 159 Dalton Street, Napier. Arrangements have been made for those not able to be there in person to attend via Zoom.

8. Each speaker has been allocated 10 minutes which includes time for Councillors’ questions.

9. A finalised schedule of speakers will be provided to Councillors on the day of the hearing.

Deliberations

10. After the conclusion of the hearing, staff will finalise the Deliberations Report for the Council to consider at the 28 February 2024 meeting of the Regional Council.

11. The deliberation reports to be considered on 28 February 2024 will be by topic; one for each of the 7 key consultation topics, plus further reports as needed to cover the remaining submission points not covered by the consultation topics.

12. Council will be asked to consider the submission points and any comments made by Council officers; and to agree or not agree to the proposal as consulted on through the Revenue & Financing Policy review: Your Community Your Rates or as requested in a submission.

Adoption

13. The new Revenue and Financing Policy and Rates Remission and Postponement Policies will be adopted following deliberations, to be held on 28 February 2024. The policies will give effect to the resolutions made on each topic during the deliberations.

Post-adoption

14. Each submitter will receive a letter from the Council within 30 days setting out Council's resolution(s) pertinent to their specific submission(s), and the reasons for those resolution(s).

Decision-making process

15. 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:

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

15.2. The persons affected by this decision are those who made written submissions and wish to speak to their submission.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council receives and considers the verbal submissions on the Revenue and Financing Policy Review consultation as presented by members of the community.

Authored by:

Sarah Bell

Team Leader Strategy & Performance

Leeanne Hooper

Team Leader Governance

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

Hearing Schedule