I hereby give notice that an ordinary meeting of the Great Barrier Environment Committee will be held on:
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Date:
Time:
Meeting Room:
Venue:
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Thursday, 27
February 2014
10.00am
Claris
Conference Centre
19 Whangaparapara Road
Claris
Great Barrier Island
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Great Barrier Environment Committee
OPEN AGENDA
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MEMBERSHIP
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Chairperson
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Susan Daly
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Deputy Chairperson
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Judy Gilbert
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Members
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Jeff Cleave
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Izzy Fordham
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Christina Spence
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(Quorum 3 members)
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Emma Cordery
Democracy Advisor
17 February 2014
Contact Telephone: (09) 373 6221
Email: emma.cordery@AucklandCouncil.govt.nz
Website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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ITEM TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
1 Welcome 5
2 Apologies 5
3 Declaration of Interest 5
4 Confirmation of Minutes 5
5 Leave of Absence 5
6 Acknowledgements 5
7 Petitions 5
8 Deputations 5
9 Public Forum 5
10 Extraordinary Business 5
11 Notices of Motion 6
12 Infrastructure and Environmental Services Update Report 7
13 Fish Passages at Culverts Assessment and Inanga Spawning
Surveys 11
14 Successful Great Barrier applications to the Environmental
Initiatives Fund and the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund 55
15 Community involvement in Great Barrier Environment Committee 65
16 Consideration of Extraordinary
Items
2 Apologies
At the close of the agenda no apologies had been received.
3 Declaration of Interest
Members are reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from
decision making when a conflict arises between their role as a member and any
private or other external interest they might have.
4 Confirmation of Minutes
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That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:
a)
confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Wednesday, 11
December 2013, as a true and correct record.
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5 Leave of Absence
At the close of
the agenda no requests for leave of absence had been received.
6 Acknowledgements
At the close of the agenda no requests for acknowledgements had been
received.
7 Petitions
At the close of the agenda no requests to present petitions had been
received.
8 Deputations
At the close of the agenda no requests for deputations had been
received.
9 Public Forum
A period of time (approximately 30 minutes) is set aside for members
of the public to address the meeting on matters within its delegated authority.
A maximum of 3 minutes per item is allowed, following which there may be
questions from members.
At the close of the agenda no requests for public forum had been
received.
10 Extraordinary Business
Section 46A(7) of the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:
“An item that is not on the agenda for a meeting may be dealt with
at that meeting if-
(a) The local authority by resolution so
decides; and
(b) The presiding member explains at the
meeting, at a time when it is open to the public,-
(i) The reason why the item is not on the agenda; and
(ii) The reason why the discussion of the item
cannot be delayed until a subsequent meeting.”
Section 46A(7A) of the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:
“Where an item is not on the agenda for a meeting,-
(a) That item may be discussed at that meeting
if-
(i) That item is a minor matter relating to
the general business of the local authority; and
(ii) the presiding member explains at the
beginning of the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public, that the
item will be discussed at the meeting; but
(b) no resolution, decision or recommendation
may be made in respect of that item except to refer that item to a subsequent
meeting of the local authority for further discussion.”
11 Notices of Motion
At the close of the agenda no requests for notices of motion had
been received.
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Infrastructure
and Environmental Services Update Report
File No.:
CP2014/01048
Purpose
1. To inform the
Great Barrier Environment Committee (the Committee) about the activities of the
Infrastructure and Environmental Services (I&ES) department during the
period from November 2013 to January 2014. This includes both local board based
and regional activities undertaken by the three units of I&ES –
Environmental Services, Solid Waste and Stormwater.
2. This report
also tracks the delivery and expenditure of environmental budget lines from the
2013/2014 Local Board Agreement (LBA), as assigned to I&ES.
Executive Summary
3. I&ES
delivers on the Auckland Plan and local board plans through the provision of
environment and sustainability programmes, regional waste and stormwater
services, as well as the maintenance and enhancement of Auckland's natural
environment.
4. This report has
been written to inform the local board about the delivery of activities and
work programmes by I&ES. A number of these regional activities have a
distinct local involvement and impact and are detailed in the attachments to
this report.
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Recommendation
That the Great Barrier
Environment Committee:
a) Notes the information in the
Infrastructure and Environmental Services update report.
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Discussion
5. This report and
attachments specifically detail the activities delivered by the three units of
I&ES within the local board area which support and contribute to the Great
Barrier Local Board priority of “protect and enhance our environment and
showcase our unique qualities”.
6. The
local board is supporting the delivery of this priority through its budgets for
biosecurity and pest management programmes and environmental enhancement. Key
project highlights and milestones are noted in Table 1 below with additional
detail provided in Attachment A.
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Budget
Line
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Highlights:
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Biosecurity / Pest
Management Programmes
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· Tracking
tunnels and visual searches have found no additional populations of rainbow
skinks on Great Barrier.
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7. Local
environmental initiatives are also supported through regional funding.
Highlights of our regional activities are noted in Table 3 below with
additional detail provided in Attachment B.
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Unit
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Highlights:
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Environmental
Services
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· A total of 132
successful applications shared $619,512 of funding from the annual
Environmental Initiatives Fund to 132 applications. Funding was approved at
the December 2013 meeting of the Environment Climate Change and Natural
Heritage Committee.
· Organised and facilitated a national
kauri dieback symposium, attended by 200 people including scientists, policy
makers, land managers and community groups. The symposium was an
excellent opportunity to showcase the leadership of scientists and Auckland
Council staff in actively managing this disease.
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Solid
Waste
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· Successful
trial of new inorganics collection model held in October-November 2013. Over
50% of material collected was recycled or reused.
· A total of
$293,878 was awarded to 33 different projects through the Waste Minimisation
and Innovation Fund.
· Upcoming trial
of organic food waste collection to be held on the North Shore from March to
May 2014.
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Consideration
Local Board Views
8. The
environmental enhancement budget line is not fully allocated. The Committee
Chair and Deputy Chair have requested that this funding be allocated towards a
community-based rat eradication programme. The Biosecurity team are assessing
the feasibility of such a programme, including other potential programmes, and
will provide a full report at the next Committee meeting.
Maori Impact Statement
9. While this
report is for information only and does not require any decision making, it is
recognised that environmental management, water quality and land management has
integral links with the mauri of the environments and concepts of
kaitiakitanga.
General
Implementation Issues
10. The activities
detailed in this report are within budget. Any decisions arising from
discussions and planned changes to work programmes will have financial and
resourcing implications which will need to be managed.
Attachments
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No.
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Title
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Page
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aView
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Infrastructure and Environmental
Services Update
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9
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Signatories
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Authors
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Mara Bebich - Senior Relationship
& Engagement Advisor
Emma Joyce - Relationship Advisor
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Authorisers
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John Dragicevich - Manager
Infrastructure and Environmental Services
John Nash - Senior Local Board
Advisor
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Fish Passages at Culverts Assessment and Inanga
Spawning Surveys
File No.:
CP2014/01270
Purpose
1. To provide
the Great Barrier Environment Committee (the Committee) with a report on
investigations into improving fish passage on Great Barrier Island and, as a
secondary objective, identifying and protecting inanga spawning habitat on
Great Barrier Island.
Executive Summary
2. Staff
from Council’s Biodiversity and Research, Investigations and Monitoring Unit
(RIMU) teams undertook an investigation into opportunities to improve fish
passage through culverts associated with Great Barrier Island’s roading
network. This report presents the results of that investigation to the
Committee for their information.
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Recommendations
That the Great
Barrier Environment Committee:
a) Receives the Fish Passage at
Culverts Assessment, Great Barrier Island – Culvert Remediation Options
and Inanga Spawning Surveys Great Barrier Island reports.
b) Notes that regional Stormwater
funding is available for remediation of the majority of culverts on Great
Barrier Island.
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Discussion
Background – report one: Fish Passage at Culverts
Assessment, Great Barrier Island – Culvert Remediation Options
3. Poorly
installed and sized culverts represent some of the most frequent and pervasive
artificial fish barriers in New Zealand, preventing fish from reaching
kilometres of upstream fish habitat.
4. A total of 34% of culverts assessed on Great Barrier
Island were found to create a significant obstacle for juvenile freshwater fish
species moving from the ocean into adult rearing habitat (referred to as
diadromy). All barriers were caused by perches developing after the streambed
has scoured and fallen away below the outlets of the defective culvert.
Approximately a third of the culverts had perches exceeding a metre in height,
so improving fish passage in these culverts at least will require significant
(including engineering) interventions.
5. The appended report (Attachment A) details options for
remediating the culverts. Since completion of the field survey, the Stormwater
Unit has advised that regional funding of $50,000 is available to fund the
remediation of defective culverts identified in the Great Barrier Island
survey. Subject to detailed assessments of costs, this funding will support the
remediation of the majority of defective culverts. However, the remediation of
all culverts may require local board funding.
6. The Biodiversity team will provide technical oversight of
any remediation works. In order to establish the effectiveness of the
culvert retrofits, monitoring (within one to two years) will be required
following completion of the physical works.
Background – report two: Inanga
Spawning Surveys Great Barrier Island (Attachment
B)
7. A number of Great
Barrier Island waterways were also investigated for their spawning potential
for inanga, the fish species that make up the majority of the whitebait catch.
The loss of inanga spawning sites, particularly in wetland habitat, is widely
acknowledged as a bottleneck to the whitebait fishery and inanga now hold the
threat ranking of ‘in decline’ (Allibone et. al. 2010).
8. The upstream
limit of the saline wedge, which can be used as a proxy for spawning activity,
was identified at four stream and one wetland site using a combination of
saline habitat mapping and existing site information. Only two of the sites,
Maybeys wetland and Aotea Road Reserve, contained reasonable spawning habitat,
particularly Maybeys wetland, where amply vegetated multiple side drains
contained banks angles conducive to spawning.
9. The remaining
(stream) sites had over steepened banks bereft of vegetation and as such
contained only marginal habitat. In these streams, spawning opportunity for
inanga could only be improved with significant interventions, including major
earthworks.
10. The inanga spawning surveys took
place predominantly at sites identified by the Department of Conservation.
There are many additional sites on Great Barrier Island that would benefit from
saline surveys to help locate spawning habitat. These surveys provide
opportunities for community-based restoration activity through communities
undertaking surveys themselves and any resulting restoration work.
11. Improving
fish passage, and identifying and protecting inanga spawning grounds, also
provides an opportunity to engage the Great Barrier community in supporting
ecological restoration activity. There is opportunity for community, using a
model similar to that used by Wai Care and Trees for Survival on the mainland,
to participate in future surveys and potentially lead inanga spawning habitat
restoration initiatives. This could include the community becoming involved in
the propagation and planting of wetland plants as part of inanga spawning
habitat restoration. As a start, spawning habitat at Aotea Road Reserve could
be improved by planting, fencing and minor streambank contouring. The Committee
will be asked to consider funding such a programme as part of its deliberations
on its 2014/2015 environmental enhancement budget.
Consideration
Local Board Views
12. Improvements
to fish passage support the Board’s priority of actively protecting and
enhancing the ecological values of Great Barrier Island.
13. The
Committee is asked to agree its environment work programme annually in July or
August. The Committee will be asked to consider funding for the monitoring of
culverts following remediation and inanga spawning habitat restoration at that
time.
14. In addition, the Board is already
funding fencing of the rare native button daisy (Leptinella squalida
subsp. squalida) population at Awana through its environmental
enhancement budget. The fencing of this native plant will bring complementary
benefits to the wider Awana Stream system, including enhancement of inanga fish
spawning habitat. A private landowner adjacent to the Awana Stream also
received funding to erect stock proof fencing through the Environmental
Initiatives Fund. This will greatly enhance fish spawning habitat in the area
as well through further stock exclusion.
Maori Impact Statement
15. No
consultation with Maori was undertaken for the purposes of this report. It is recognised that environmental
management, water quality and land management has integral links with the mauri
of the environments and concepts of kaitiakitanga.
16. Consultation
with iwi would precede implementation of any project to improve fish passage on
Great Barrier.
General
17. No external
consultation was required for the purposes of this report. The fish passages
survey was undertaken by freshwater experts from Council’s Biodiversity and
RIMU teams.
18. Improvements to fish passage support the objectives of restoring
habitat included in the Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy.
Implementation Issues
19. Regional
stormwater funding is available to support remediation of culverts.
20. The
Board may wish to consider funding a Wai Care or Trees for Survival-type
project as noted in paragraph nine above at a future date as part of its
environmental enhancement programme.
Attachments
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No.
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Title
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Page
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aView
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Fish Passage at Culverts Assessment,
Great Barrier Island – Culvert Remediation Options
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15
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bView
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Inanga Spawning Surveys - Great
Barrier Island
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37
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Signatories
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Authors
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Matt Bloxham –
Senior Regional Advisor (Freshwater)
Alastair Jamieson – Team Leader:
Biodiversity (Regional)
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Authorisers
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Rachel Kelleher –
Biodiversity Manager
Gael Ogilvie –
Environmental Services Unit Manager
John Dragicevich –
Infrastructure and Environmental Services Manager
John Nash – Relationship Manager John Nash - Senior Local Board Advisor
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Successful Great Barrier applications to the
Environmental Initiatives Fund and the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund
File No.:
CP2014/02048
Purpose
1. The purpose of this report is to
advise the Great Barrier Local Board on successful applications to the
Environmental Initiatives Fund and the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.
Executive Summary
2. The Auckland Council Waste
Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) is a regional fund that has an annual
funding pool of $500,000.00. There are three categories of funding; small (up
to $5,000.00), medium ($5,000.00 - $25,000.00) and large (over $25,000.00). The
fund covers 50 percent of the cost of the project.
3. In the October 2013 WMIF funding
round, Auckland Council awarded $293,878.33 to 33 different groups. This
included two Great Barrier groups; the Department of Conservation and Orama
Christian Trust. A table showing all successful applications is included at
Attachment A. The next round of the fund will open on 1 April 2014 for small
grants (up to $5000.00) only and has $25,000.00 to distribute. A further round
for all three categories will open in October 2014 with $500,000.00 to
distribute.
4. The Auckland Council
Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF) is a regional fund to support community
led conservation, heritage and environmental enhancement projects. There is one
funding round per year and for 2013, $619,512 was available for distribution.
In total 132 applications received funding, of which five were from Great
Barrier groups and individuals; Orama Christian Trust, Motu Kaikoura Trust,
Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust, June Brookes and the O’Shea Brothers.
5. A memo and table outlining
details of the EIF and showing all successful applications is included at
Attachment B.
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Recommendation/s
That the Great
Barrier Environment Committee:
6. Receives the report advising
on successful applications to the Environmental Initiatives Fund and the
Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.
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Attachments
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No.
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Title
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Page
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aView
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Successful applications to Waste
Minimisation and Innovation Fund
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57
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bView
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Successful applications to
Environmental Initiatives Fund
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61
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Signatories
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Authors
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Guia Nonoy - Relationship Manager
PA/Office Manager
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Authorisers
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John Nash - Senior Local Board
Advisor
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Great Barrier
Environment Committee
27 February
2014
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Community involvement in Great Barrier Environment
Committee
File No.:
CP2014/02191
Purpose
1. The purpose of this report is to
obtain agreement from the Great Barrier Environment Committee to a new
committee meeting operating model which provides greater opportunity for formal
and informal community and interest group input into the meeting.
2. The purpose of the proposed
change is to enable enhanced engagement with groups with an interest in, and
value to add to the work of the committee and to establish a more collaborative
and inclusive approach to advancing the wider environmental agenda for
Aotea/Great Barrier.
Executive Summary
3. The Great Barrier Local Board
has established an environment committee in recognition of the importance of
the environment to Great Barrier and to enable environmental matters to have a
specific forum for discussion separate from the board’s ordinary business. The
committee is a formal committee of the board and as such generally follows a
standard operating model with a formal agenda consisting mainly of council
officer and board generated reports, public forum, minutes etc.
4. The committee has only held one
meeting to date in December 2013. In recognition of the importance of community
participation in the business of the committee, and the time commitment of
attendees, the committee agreed to relax provisions around length of public
forum items and to allow more open interaction between the committee, officers
and community participants. This was also in response to requests from these
participants for enhanced interaction with the committee, and recognition by
the committee that the community is integral to its work.
5. It is now proposed that the
committee agree to community groups and agencies with an interest in the
environment placing items on the agenda for consideration by the committee.
This would be subject to approval by the committee chair and relationship
manager and reports would need to be lodged by the standard agenda cutoff date
– ten business days before the committee meeting. The items would come under a
“community reports” section on the agenda. It is anticipated that reports would
be regularly received from the Department of Conservation, the Great Barrier
Island Environmental Trust and other parties.
6. It is expected that the default
committee resolution responding to such reports will be that the report be
received. Having such reports on the agenda will however enable the committee
to pass resolutions in response as it sees fit.
7. The committee would reserve the
right to not place an item on the agenda, or request it be changed if it
considered any material was inappropriate. The committee would also reserve the
right alter this arrangement if isn’t working or problems arise.
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Recommendation/s
That the Great
Barrier Environment Committee:
a) Agrees to create a “community
reports” item on its meeting agenda to enable community groups with an
interest in the environment on Great Barrier to have material formally
considered by the committee noting that this approach may be discontinued at
any time if the committee finds it necessary.
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Attachments
There are no
attachments for this report.
Signatories
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Authors
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John Nash - Senior Local Board
Advisor
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Authorisers
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Karen Lyons - Manager Local Board
Services
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