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Meeting of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
Date: 9 August 2024
Time: 10.00am
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 Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee meeting held on 5 July 2024
Decision Items
4. Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy recommendations to HBRC 3
Information or Performance Monitoring
5. Project Manager's August 2024 update 7
6. Current coastal projects update 13
7. Update on follow-ups from previous meetings 15
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Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
9 August 2024
Subject: Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy recommendations to HBRC
Reason for report
1. This item seeks a Joint Committee decision to recommend the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy (attached), including funding principles, to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC).
Background
2. The Strategy development process began in late 2014 as a collaborative project between HBRC, Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, Napier City Council, Mana Ahuriri Trust, Hastings District Council and Tamatea Pōkai Whenua (at that time He Toa Takitini).
3. Alongside a range of ongoing and challenging coastal hazards issues, a key trigger for the establishment of the Joint Committee was the March 2014 report by Paul Komar and Erica Harris[1].
4. The report considered the potential consequences to the coast from climate change, noting It is evident that any increase in the future levels of the sea and in the intensities of storms, both being projected by climatologists to occur during the next 100 years, would result in significantly enhanced threats to properties along the Hawke’s Bay coast.
5. The Joint Committee was formed to develop a coordinated response to this challenge.
6. Initial work to better understand coastal hazards and the risks they present was deliberately paced, with efforts made to communicate clearly, test and refine hazard and risk assessments with affected communities, and to start with information and communication, rather than regulation.
7. In 2017 the Strategy development process ramped up, with the formation of two community assessment panels. Over 14 months they worked tirelessly with their communities, technical experts, academics and Councils to develop their recommended responses.
8. This work coincided with the release of the 2017 version of the Ministry for the Environment’s Coastal hazards and climate change guidance (most recently updated in 2024[2]). This guidance recommended the use of a relatively new methodology, Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning (DAPP). At that time, DAPP had not been used in a coastal hazards context in New Zealand.
9. Re-working the approach of the Strategy to utilise DAPP proved a challenge; TAG and the Joint Committee were designing the plane as they flew it. The Joint Committee was fortunate to be aided in this by the Living at the Edge project under the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Project. The Living at the Edge researchers shadowed the strategy development process and provided a ‘critical friend’.
10. In 2018 the community panels delivered their final report, making a series of recommendations for long term adaptive pathways and other actions at the coast.
11. This marked a turning point in the Strategy development process, as TAG and the Joint Committee began the process of translating the community Panel’s recommendations into Council-led actions.
12. The first task was extensive design work to build detail and more accurate costings around the first actions in the pathways recommended by the Panels. A coastal process model was developed in-house at HBRC to take a whole-of-coast look at how various structures and nourishment programmes interacted with coastal processes and sea level rise.
13. Other work progressed on developing thresholds (required by DAPP) to determine when pathways need to be implemented to avoid intolerable coastal hazards effects, and defining what a managed retreat response might look like in Hawke’s Bay, how it might be done, and how much it might cost.
14. This work progressed alongside a series of community engagement workshops held from late 2020 through to mid-2022. The workshops included returning Panel members and some community members new to the Strategy, who collectively provided a sounding board and assisted with testing and development.
15. The Joint Committee has faced a raft of challenges in progressing the Strategy since the Community Panels delivered their recommendations, with the most significant being the Covid-19 pandemic and Cyclone Gabrielle. Each required a major re-think on how best to progress this work and engage with tangata whenua and communities deeply affected by these events.
16. One of the most time-consuming internal challenges was developing an approach to pay for Strategy implementation. Unlike most local government functions, there is no clear legislative direction on whether regional councils or territorial authorities should lead this type of work.
17. The Raynor Asher report[3] helped unlock this, and presented clear recommendations that led the Councils to enter into a Memorandum of Transition in 2022 that confirmed an in-principle position that HBRC would lead Strategy implementation. TAG isn’t aware of any other examples of an arrangement like this being formed elsewhere in New Zealand.
18. To formalise this arrangement, a range of legislative and process matters required resolution, including that HBRC would need to consult with the community on a proposal to undertake a significant new activity under s.16 of the Local Government Act.
19. HBRC commenced this process in 2022, including meeting a requirement that it must consult with all territorial authorities in the region, which was concluded successfully. However, HBRC received advice from the Office of the Auditor General that a s.16 consultation process required a full and functional funding model to be defined. As this was still in development, HBRC elected instead to undertake a more general consultation process to test community sentiment on the proposal that HBRC would lead Strategy implementation. HBRC’s consultation process showed good community support for this.
20. Since then, the Joint Committee has focused on working out how the costs for Strategy implementation should be allocated between those properties and ratepayers with direct and indirect benefits.
21. The “who pays” question is vexing Councils nation-wide and is regularly identified as the greatest challenge to taking action on climate change adaptation.
Discussion
22. Today, the Joint Committee has reached a conclusion – the final proposed Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy.
23. The Strategy is intended for multiple audiences but is primarily a document to drive Council actions.
24. The actions proposed are directly reflective of the long-term adaptive pathways recommended by the Community Panels. Additional actions are proposed to ensure a comprehensive response, including further work under the Mātauranga Māori Workstream and a recommended regulatory response to both facilitate Strategy implementation, while addressing the risk of maladaptation.
25. The Joint Committee has also developed funding principles to guide and inform the development of HBRC’s funding model for Strategy implementation. There is further refinement and development work required by Section 101 (3) of the Local Government Act to prepare a fully functional funding model to test through community consultation. The Joint Committee has been deliberate about leaving this work to HBRC, as the primary decision-maker and only agency that is able to consider the specific organisational and ratepayer implications from various funding model refinements.
26. This paper presents a proposed resolution that, if passed, would result in the torch being passed from the Joint Committee to HBRC to move the Strategy through to community consultation and Council adoption. This would largely conclude the work of this Joint Committee.
27. As set out in the Memorandum of Transition, the intention is that once HBRC has confirmed and adopted the Strategy, the Joint Committee will be disestablished, and a new Advisory Committee formed. The Advisory Committee is proposed to be formed with equal membership from the Partner Councils, Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, Mana Ahuriri Trust and Tamatea Pōkai Whenua. A draft Terms of Reference for the Advisory Committee has been developed and is included in the Memorandum of Transition.
Strategy consultation and implementation
28. As the Joint Committee has worked through the final stages of confirming its recommended Strategy for HBRC to take forward, HBRC staff and Councillors have, in turn, been preparing to receive the recommendations and allocate resources to next steps.
29. HBRC advises that they are preparing for Strategy consultation in March 2025, to align with a wide range of significant projects following Long Term Plan adoption, Cyclone Gabrielle, flood control scheme reviews and other critical work.
30. The Joint Committee discussed HBRC’s consultation timing in their most recent meeting and concluded that they wished to stress the importance to HBRC of there being no further delays. This sentiment has been reflected in the proposed resolution in this item.
31. HBRC’s most significant task before consultation commences is to conclude funding model refinements.
32. Alongside the Strategy, HBRC will be preparing a consultation document that will provide a summary of the proposed Strategy, alternative options for consideration, and the key consultation questions.
Decision-making considerations
33. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act).
34. Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded that 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.
35. The reason for this is that the Joint Committee’s decision is to recommend a proposed Strategy to HBRC. HBRC is the ultimate decision-maker in this case and intends to consult with the community in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002.
That the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee:
1. Receives and considers the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy recommendations to HBRC staff report.
2. Recommends that Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:
2.1. Receives the proposed Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy dated July 2024.
2.2. Using the proposed funding principles included in the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy dated July 2024, refines and finalises a funding model for Strategy implementation.
2.3. Prepares a final Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy for community consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002.
2.4. Concludes community consultation on the implementation of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy no later than March 2025.
Authored by:
Simon Bendall Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager |
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Approved by:
Chris Dolley Group Manager Asset Management |
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Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 |
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Under Separate Cover – online only |
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Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
9 August 2024
Subject: Project Manager's August 2024 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 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. There are no status changes to report in this period.
Table 1: Project Dashboard Report: August 2024
Status: |
On Track |
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Under Stress |
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Key Risk |
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Metric |
Status |
Commentary |
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Project Budget |
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2023/2024 budget underspent relative to forecast. Unspent funds to be carried forward to 2024/2025. Sufficient budget available to support consultation process. |
Project Timeline |
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Strategy to be consulted on in March 2025. Joint Committee has asked that there be no further delays. ‘Key Risk’ status assigned to acknowledge continued delays that have occurred to date in progressing the Strategy and the challenges and uncertainty for communities experiencing ongoing effects from coastal hazards. |
WS1: Funding / Governance |
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Funding principles developed for Joint Committee endorsement. Status reflects complexity of challenge to develop a principled and practical funding model, and current financial environment. |
WS2: LGA Consultation |
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LGA Consultation requirements (Section 16 / LTP amendment) on track to be achieved, noting March 2025 timing. |
WS3: Comms & Engagement |
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Comms and engagement plan being refined to reflect March 2025 timing including shifting early engagement to February. |
WS4: Design |
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Gravel nourishment feasibility assessment completed, confirming gravel is available to support beach nourishment activities although required volumes particularly for capital nourishment are high. CoastSnap on track for deployment in August. |
WS5: Mātauranga Māori |
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External contractor engaged to provide expertise and capacity. PSGEs have confirmed capacity constraints are limiting ability to engage in Strategy development at this time. Desktop work to develop draft cultural values frameworks based on existing information underway. Outcome to be provided to PSGE’s in the first instance for review. |
WS6: Coastal Ecology |
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Draft coastal ecology monitoring plan has been received and reviewed by HBRC science team. Mana Whenua engagement sought to expand / refine monitoring plan. Recommended monitoring is currently cost-prohibitive. TAG working on options to progress. |
WS7: Regulatory |
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Discussion document on key regulatory matters for the Strategy to drive through local planning frameworks presented to Joint Committee. Outcome now reflected in Strategy drafting. |
WS8: Signals and Triggers |
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Thresholds development process completed and outcome will be reflected as draft thresholds in Strategy document. 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. |
HBRC Strategy consultation timing update
4. TAG has prepared an updated programme to reflect HBRC’s decision to hold the Strategy consultation in March 2025, summarised below.
4.1. 9 August (today) – Joint Committee formal meeting to confirm recommendations to HBRC on the Strategy including funding principles.
4.2. 28 August 2024 – HBRC Council workshop, Joint Committee members invited to attend to support presentation of Joint Committee recommendations to HBRC.
4.3. August – December 2024 – HBRC to refine funding model and Strategy, develop consultation document and LTP amendment.
4.4. January / February 2025 – HBRC decision to commence consultation. Early engagement starts.
4.5. March 2025 – Strategy consultation.
5. A full updated timeline is provided as Attachment 1.
6. For completeness it is noted that there is no communications and engagement agenda item on today’s meeting agenda. With consultation activity now taking place in early 2025, an updated communications and engagement plan is being prepared for HBRC to consider.
Central Government: Climate Inquiry
7. On Monday 29 July, the Chair, both Deputy Chairs and the Project Manager joined a video conference with Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee to speak to the Joint Committee’s two submissions on the Inquiry into Climate Adaptation.
8. Further information on the Inquiry can be found at https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/make-a-submission/document/54SCFIN_SCF_F4A021AF-6284-4959-1470-08DC7066FF1A/inquiry-into-climate-adaptation.
9. Although there was only a 10 minute speaking slot available which limited the depth and breadth of discussion, the Chair stressed the Joint Committee’s interest and willingness to engage further and share lessons learned from the Strategy development process.
10. The Finance and Expenditure Committee is due to report back to Parliament on the Inquiry by 5 September 2024. This is expected to include recommendations on whether new legislation is required.
11. TAG will keep the Joint Committee updated on the Finance and Expenditure Committee’s fundings.
Joint Committee
12. Should the Joint Committee pass a resolution in today’s meeting recommending the Strategy to HBRC to take forward, it would mark a major milestone in the Strategy development process.
13. It would also largely conclude the work of the Joint Committee, as HBRC takes on the lead role to refine, consult on and finalise the Strategy.
14. Subject to any requests or feedback from HBRC and the outcome of today’s meeting, there may be no further meetings of this Joint Committee before it is reformed as an Advisory Committee as proposed by the Memorandum of Transition.
15. TAG would like to organise a function to thank Joint Committee members, former panel members, and other key contributors to this work at the appropriate time.
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.
That the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives and notes the Project Manager's August 2024 update.
Authored by:
Simon Bendall Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager |
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Approved by:
Chris Dolley Group Manager Asset Management |
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1⇩ |
Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Timeline |
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Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
9 August 2024
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.
Westshore resource consent renewal
2. The Westshore renourishment scheme is a controlled activity of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Coastal Environmental Plan (Rule 103), therefore resource consent must be granted and no public notification is required.
3. The amount of gravel allowed for a 12-month period is up to 50,000m3, our current consent is for 30,000m3/year and the amount of renourishment required for the Hazards Strategy is approximately 40,000m3/year.
4. It is convenient to apply for the 40,000m3/year in order to avoid a new consent application if the Strategy is approved.
5. It will be necessary to seek the views of the MACA claimants (Mana Ahuriri) in case some of the renourishment occurs below MHWS.
6. Current consent conditions on beach scraping require any gravel scraped from the seaward side to be replaced with similar material. However, close sources of gravel are no longer available, making this approach even more cost prohibitive. These issues remain unresolved.
7. Work has recently been completed to bring sections of beach crest in the Haumoana area back up to a consistent height, following recent sea events, and has been a shared exercise between HBRC and HDC.
Haumoana 18
8. No further activity in this period.
Maraetotara River at Te Awanga
9. The Hastings District Council has agreed to include funding of $730,000 for stage 1 of an ECO Reef in the Long-Term Plan to protect the Te Awanga Lagoon’s stormwater function.
10. Work has commenced on the site-specific design detail and programming, along with initial meetings with HDC and HBRC regulators to determine an agreed way forward through the design and consenting processes. A follow up community meeting is proposed over the next month to ensure locals keep abreast of progress on this project. HDC will also work with HBRC on the Memorandum of Transition process for this project.
11. No further activity in this period.
Haumoana
12. From the agreed actions from the Cape Coast residents meeting action plan, held in September 2023.
Action 1: HBRC to investigate and implement a more effective solution for the pump station and review the levels of service.
12.1. The Heretaunga Plains – Haumoana / Te Awanga scheme review will commence in August 2024 with a draft report to be completed by late 2024.
Action 2: HDC to request variation to consent to allow for shingle on the sea side of the crest to be used for crest management.
12.2. Remains under Investigation.
Action 3: Graeme Hansen (with support of CC community) to develop a plan about how to progress, including how the Ecoreef solution might be funded and what the consenting process would look like.
12.3. See update under Maraetotara River at Te Awanga.
13. The next meeting of the Climate Action Joint Committee has been re-scheduled to 26 August.
14. The Joint Committee will continue to lend its weight to an initiative that focuses on climate adaptation and emissions reduction.
15. A forward work programme to support the Joint Committee will be presented at their upcoming meeting. Of interest to this committee is initial scoping work for a regional climate risk assessment and the forward plan for this work. There will be an update on this work at the Climate Action Joint Committee meeting in August.
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.
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 |
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Approved by:
Chris Dolley Group Manager Asset Management |
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Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
9 August 2024
Subject: Update on follow-ups from previous meetings
Reason for report
1. This item tracks items raised at previous meetings that require action. A list of outstanding items is prepared for each meeting, including who is responsible for each, when it is expected to be completed and a brief status comment.
2. Once the items have been completed and reported to the Committee they will be removed from the list.
Decision-making process
3. 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.
That the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee receives and notes the Update on follow-ups from previous meetings.
Authored by:
Simon Bendall Coastal Hazards Strategy Project Manager |
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Approved by:
Chris Dolley Group Manager Asset Management |
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1⇩ |
Actions from previous Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee meeting |
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Actions from previous Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee meeting |
Attachment 1 |
[1] Komar, D., Harris, E. (2014) Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand: Global climate change and barrier-beach responses. (HBRC Report No. AM 14-02 HBRC Plan No. 4600). Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. Available from: https://www.hbcoast.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Hawkes-Bay-Climate-and-Hazards-Report.pdf
[2] Ministry for the Environment. (2024) Coastal hazards and climate change guidance. Ministry for the Environment. Available from: https://environment.govt.nz/assets/publications/Coastal-hazards-and-climate-change-guidance-2024-ME-1805.pdf
[3] Asher, R. (2021) Review and recommendations for the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee. Available from: https://www.hbcoast.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Raynor-Asher-Hawkes-Bay-Review-06-5-21.pdf