Unconfirmed

Minutes of a meeting of the Regional Planning Committee

 

Date:                                    Wednesday 18 September 2024

Time:                                    11.35am

Venue:

Council Chamber

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

159 Dalton Street

NAPIER

 

Present:                              T Hopmans (Co-chair) – Maungaharuru Tangitū Trust

Cr H Ormsby (Co-chair)

Cr T Hokianga (Deputy Co-chair) (online and in person)

T Eden – Mana Ahuriri Trust

K Brown – Te Kopere o te Iwi Hineuru (online from 12.03pm)

L Kele – Tamatea Pōkai Whenua

N Kirikiri – Te Toi Kura O Waikaremoana

Cr C Lambert (from 1.25pm)

Cr J Mackintosh

M McIlroy – Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Trust

Cr D Roadley (online)

J Nelson-Smith – Tamatea Pōkai Whenua (online and in person)

T Thornton – Ngati Pahauwera Development Trust

Cr M Williams

Cr Xan Harding (online from 1.18pm)

 

In Attendance:                    N Peet – Chief Executive

K Brunton – Group Manager Policy & Regulation

T Munro – Te Pou Whakarae

I Maxwell – Group Manager Integrated Catchment Management (online)

N Nicholson – Acting Manager Policy & Planning

L Hooper – Team Leader Governance

G Ide – Principal Advisor Strategic Planning

R Ellison – Independent RPC Tangata Whenua Advisor (online)

L McPhail – Manager Regulatory Implementation

D Smith – Tamatea Pōkai Whenua

B Burns – Policy Planner

S Gudsall - Policy Planner

 

 

1.         Welcome/Karakia /Apologies

The Chair, Hinewai Ormsby, welcomed everyone and Thompson Hokianga led the group in offering a karakia to open the meeting.

Apologies for absence were extended from councillors Will Foley, Xan Harding and Jerf van Beek and Mike Mohi, and for lateness from Councillor Charles Lambert.

 

2.         Conflict of interest declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

 

3.         Confirmation of Minutes of the Regional Planning Committee meeting held on 13 March 2024

RPC9/24

Resolution

Minutes of the Regional Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday, 13 March 2024, a copy having been circulated prior to the meeting, were taken as read and confirmed as a true and correct record.

Williams/Hopmans

CARRIED

A quorum was not established and so the order of items was changed to consider information items first.

6.

TANK update

 

Nichola Nicholson introduced the item, noting:

·  Environment Court mediation (commenced December 2023) is expected to conclude by February 2025.

·  Mediation parties have been invited to bring forward water alternative allocation methods for consideration in November 2024.

 

10.

September 2024 Statutory Advocacy and Resource Management reform update

 

Nichola Nicholson introduced the item, which was taken as read. Discussions noted:

·  TANK mediation is very time consuming for the consents, science and policy staff involved.

·  A number of central government reforms require the team’s attention.

·  A lot of the heavy lifting – consultation with mana whenua and communities – in the values and vision part of the Regional Policy Statement (RPS) review will be required no matter what planning framework is in place so that work continues.

·  Imperative on HBRC to strengthen the RPS to encourage district and city councils to stop granting resource consents for development in natural hazard zones.

·  The Joint Committee, comprising of Mana Ahuriri Trust, Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, Tamatea Pōkai Whenua, HDC, HBRC and NCC councillors, has been overseeing development of a draft Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy. A meeting adjourned at the end of July, to recommend the strategy to HDC, NCC and HBRC for consultation, but has not yet been able to reconvene.

 

9.

September 2024 Policy Projects update

 

Nichola Nicholson introduced the item, which was taken as read.

 

8.

Hawke's Bay Independent Flood Review policy recommendations

 

Louise McPhail introduced the item, which was taken as read. Discussions noted:

·  Urgent work is already under way.

·  Changes to the RPS relating to flooding hazards, infrastructure and xxx will be progressed through Kotahi.

·  Through the RPC, identifying hazards and setting direction for infrastructure such as bridges is set however those policies and rules aren’t currently in effect.

Karauna Brown joined the meeting online at 12.03pm.

·  Emergency works through the Order in Council (OiC) immediately following the cyclone allowed work to be carried out, e.g. KiwiRail bridge at Awatoto, without resource consents.

·  There is a significant amount of work involved.

·  Post-cyclone LiDAR is available for the flood hazard mapping.

·  All of the local partners want to work together to build resilience however national infrastructure comes down to the government’s desire for speed and funding available.

·  Incorporating flood resilience into cultural impact and cultural values assessments may be possible.

·  In relation to residual risk

·  City and district councils can change their district plans whenever they wish to, and don’t have to wait for the regional council’s RPS.

The meeting adjourned at 12.27pm and reconvened at 1.05pm, with Councillor Thompson Hokianga now online.

7.

PSGE engagement update

 

Nichola Nicholson, Bianca Burns and Saul Gudsell presented the update, noting:

·  Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, and Ngāti Ruapani agreements are nearing completion.

·  Practitioners group is working in a very collaborative and open way and finding it a very valuable sharing experience.

·  PSGEs are keen to lead the work engaging with iwi and hapū in this development stage, ahead of the RMA schedule 1 engagement processes.

·  Di Smith from Tamatea Pōkai Whenua spoke about the engagement as a partnership where PSGE planners co-design, co-write and co-draft the plan.

·  A policy drafting session is scheduled with Tina Porou.

Councillor Xan Harding joined the meeting online at 1.18pm – which established a quorum and enabled the meeting to consider the decision items.

4.

Kotahi Update

 

Nichola Nicholas introduced the item, which was taken as read. Discussions covered:

·  Concerns around constraints, resource and transparency have been countered by a strong desire to for collaborative partnership.

·  It has taken a while to form the technicians group.

Councillor Charles Lambert joined the meeting at 1.25pm.

·  There are 13 members of the PSGE Technician/Practitioners group, which now include: Di Smith and Heather Bosselmann from Tamatea Pōkai Whenua; Tiana Edwards and Gareth Boyt from Mana Ahuriri; Diana Taunoa from Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust; Jared Pullar (filling in for Koriiana Hooker) from Hineuru Iwi Trust; Arna Galvan from Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa; and Kathryn Gale, Bonny Hatami, Kate McArthur, Lara Taylor and Riki Ellison.

·  To enable the PSGE boards to support this kaupapa it would be useful for the membership and purpose to be formalised in a Terms of Reference.

Jenny Nelson-Smith joined the meeting in person at 1.29pm.

·  Tangata whenua recommend a process of iterative development to allow PSGEs at different stages to contribute their vision and values.

·  At the point of having a pre-consultation draft, the pros and cons of options for notification will be brought to the RPC for the governors’ decisions.

·  Te Wairama Munro and Katrina Brunton met with CEs of each of the PSGE to discuss the work programme and how best to work together at the staff level.

·  The Terms of Reference should be signed off by the PSGE boards so that mana is enhanced and the pathway forward clear.

RPC11/24

Resolutions

That the Regional Planning Committee:

1.     Receives and notes the Kotahi update staff report.

2.     Approves the proposed way of working together between Post Settlement Governance Entities’ Taiao staff and HBRC Policy staff subject to a Terms of Reference to be approved by each of the PSGE boards.

3.     Approves the proposed timeline in principle.

4.     Agrees that the naming of the practitioners group is to be decided by the group themselves.

Williams/Hopmans

CARRIED

 

5.

Regional Policy Statement issues and options development

 

The Co-chairs, Hinewai Ormsby and Tania Hopmans, introduced the item and stressed the importance of the work and of participation integral to the kaupapa within the very compressed timelines. Discussions covered:

·  There is a lot more information and data available now, since Cyclone Gabrielle.

·  Nichola Nicholson provided an overview of the elements the Regional Policy Statement including Air, Land and freshwater, coastal environment, biodiversity and ecosystems, mana whenua, climate change, natural hazards, regional issues, energy infrastructure and transport, urban form and development, integrated management and iwi issues.

·  Support for natural hazards is being added to the priority topics of climate change, land and freshwater, and biodiversity and ecosystems. The plan is to use as much of the TANK plan as possible as the basis, applying TANK policies to other catchments where possible.

·  A symposium-based approach was suggested for communities.

·  Catchment groups have usually been set up by the community themselves and HBRC provides support where requested.

·  Workshops on all topics will be scheduled and RPC members attend those that are a priority for their own PSGE.

RPC12/24

Resolutions

That the Regional Planning Committee:

1.      Receives and notes the Regional Policy Statement issues and options development staff report.

2.      Requests that staff develop a programme of work to engage with the Committee members on issues and options for the development of the Kotahi Plan through:

2.1.       A series of workshops

2.2.       Discussing all topics in no particular order and grouped together where possible

Ormsby/Hopmans

CARRIED

 

 

Closure:

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 2.43pm on Wednesday 18 September 2024.

 

Signed as a true and correct record.

 

Date: ................................................                            Chair: ...............................................