Areas of Activity
·
Management and monitoring of Auckland’s bio-diversity and
eco-systems including natural hazards
·
Sustainability frameworks for natural resource management
·
Projects and programmes to deliver on energy management and
climate change targets
·
Environmental initiatives including coastal and freshwater
management
·
Environmental and climate change impacts of waste management
·
Facilitating partnerships and collaborative funding models to
support environmental initiatives
Responsibilities
Within the specified area of activity the Committee is
responsible for:
·
In accordance with the work programme agreed with the parent
committee, developing strategy and policy, including any agreed community
consultation, to recommend to the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee
·
Acting as a community interface for consultation on policies and
as a forum for raising community concerns, while ensuring community engagement
is complementary to that undertaken by local boards
·
Making decisions within delegated powers
Powers
All powers necessary to perform the Committee’s
responsibilities
Except:
(a) powers that the Governing Body
cannot delegate or has retained to itself (see Governing Body responsibilities)
(b) where the Committee’s
responsibility is limited to making a recommendation only
(c) where a matter is the
responsibility of another committee or a local board
(d) the approval of expenditure that
is not contained within approved budgets
(e) the approval of expenditure of
more than $2 million
(f) the approval of final policy
(g) deciding significant matters for
which there is high public interest and which are controversial
(h) the
commissioning of reports on new policy where that policy programme of work has
not been approved by the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee
EXCLUSION OF THE
PUBLIC – WHO NEEDS TO LEAVE THE MEETING
Members of the public
All members of the public must leave the meeting when the
public are excluded unless a resolution is passed permitting a person to remain
because their knowledge will assist the meeting.
Those who are not members of the public
General principles
·
Access to confidential information is managed on a “need to know”
basis where access to the information is required in order for a person to
perform their role.
·
Those who are not members of the meeting (see list below) must
leave unless it is necessary for them to remain and hear the debate in order to
perform their role.
·
Those who need to be present for one confidential item can remain
only for that item and must leave the room for any other confidential items.
·
In any case of doubt, the ruling of the chairperson is final.
Members of the meeting
·
The members of the meeting remain (all Governing Body members if
the meeting is a Governing Body meeting; all members of the committee if the
meeting is a committee meeting).
·
However, standing orders require that a councillor who has a
pecuniary conflict of interest leave the room.
·
All councillors have the right to attend any meeting of a
committee and councillors who are not members of a committee may remain,
subject to any limitations in standing orders.
Staff
·
All staff supporting the meeting (administrative, senior
management) remain.
·
Only staff who need to because of their role may remain.
Local Board members
·
Local Board members who need to hear the matter being discussed
in order to perform their role may remain. This will usually be if the matter affects,
or is relevant to, a particular Local Board area.
IMSB
·
Members of the IMSB who are appointed members of the meeting
remain.
·
Other IMSB members and IMSB staff remain if this is necessary in
order for them to perform their role.
CCOs
·
Representatives of a CCO can remain only if required to for
discussion of a matter relevant to the CCO.
At the close of
the agenda no apologies had been received.
2 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.
3 Confirmation of Minutes
|
That the Environment, Climate Change and Natural Heritage
Committee:
a)
confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting,
held on Wednesday, 26 November 2014, as a true and
correct record.
|
4 Petitions
At the close of
the agenda no requests to present petitions had been received.
5 Public Input
Standing Order
3.21 provides for Public Input. Applications to speak must be made to the
Committee Secretary, in writing, no later than two (2) working days
prior to the meeting and must include the subject matter. The meeting Chairperson
has the discretion to decline any application that does not meet the requirements
of Standing Orders. A maximum of thirty (30) minutes is allocated to
the period for public input with five (5) minutes speaking time for each
speaker.
At the close of
the agenda no requests for public input had been received.
6 Local Board Input
Standing Order
3.22 provides for Local Board Input. The Chairperson (or nominee of that
Chairperson) is entitled to speak for up to five (5) minutes during this
time. The Chairperson of the Local Board (or nominee of that Chairperson)
shall wherever practical, give two (2) days notice of their wish to
speak. The meeting Chairperson has the discretion to decline any application
that does not meet the requirements of Standing Orders.
This right is
in addition to the right under Standing Order 3.9.14 to speak to matters on the
agenda.
At the close of
the agenda no requests for local board input had been received.
7 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.”
8 Notices of Motion
At the close of
the agenda no requests for notices of motion had been received.
|
Environment,
Climate Change and Natural Heritage Committee
03 December
2014
|
|
2014
Environmental Initatives Fund allocation
File No.: CP2014/27849
Purpose
1. This report
presents the Environment, Climate Change and Natural Heritage Committee with
funding recommendations for applications received to the 2014 Environmental
Initiatives Fund.
Executive
Summary
2. The
Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF) supports Auckland residents to become
actively involved in the enhancement and conservation of important environment
and heritage sites through the provision of funding, practical support and
advice to assist community-led initiatives.
3. For the 2014
EIF funding round the Auckland Council received 164 applications requesting a
total of $1,150,000. The total funding budget for the 2014 EIF funding round
is $633,956 made up of a $71,390 contribution from Honda New Zealand and
$562,566 in rates funding.
4. Applications
have been assessed against the fund criteria and council staff have set funding
recommendations in line with fund guidelines, priorities and agreed funding
principles.
5. It is
recommended that 133 applications are supported; recommended grants range from
$200 to $15,000 and the average grant recommended is $4,729.
|
Recommendation
That the Environment, Climate
Change and Natural Heritage Committee:
a) approve
Environmental Initiatives Fund grant allocations listed in Attachment A: 2014
EIF Funding Recommendations
|
Discussion
6. The
Environmental Initiatives Fund (EIF) is a legacy Auckland Regional Council fund
that provides funding, practical support and advice to members of the community
to help protect and enhance their local environment and heritage. Since the
first EIF funding round in February 2000, over 1,600 grants worth over $4
million have been awarded. As the EIF requires a minimum 50% contribution from
fund applicants, this equates to environmental and heritage actions valued at
over $8 million completed throughout Auckland.
7. The current
approach to community funding, endorsed by the Regional Development and Operations
Committee (RDOC) in May 2011, allocates budget responsibility for the EIF to
the Governing Body with decision making authority delegated to the Environment,
Climate Change and Natural Heritage Committee. In March 2014 the Regional
Strategy and Policy Committee endorsed an extension to the current approach to
community funding for the 2014 / 2015 financial year.
8. In response to
questions raised during the committee’s discussion of the 2013 Environmental
Initiatives Fund (EIF) allocation, the promotion of funding opportunities,
particularly to Mana whenua and Māori community groups, and application
assessment guidance provided to staff with respect to the recognition of
Māori perspectives, have been reviewed.
9. To promote
environmental and heritage funding opportunities to Mana whenua and Māori
community groups, our contacts database has been reviewed to ensure all
appropriate contacts were included and alternative promotional strategies were
employed including a series of workshops and drop-in sessions to build capacity
with Mana whenua, Māori community groups and first-time funding
applicants.
10. Guidance
provided to staff regarding the assessment of a project’s recognition of
Māori perspectives has been reviewed with input from Te Waka Angamua. Following
this review, guidance to staff incorporated consideration of Māori
perspectives into each assessment criteria rather than completing this
assessment separately.
11. In total,
$633,956 is available for allocation through the 2014 EIF funding round.
General funding of $562,566 set aside in the Annual Plan is available to all
projects and Honda TreeFund contribution of $71,390 received from Honda New
Zealand is for native trees.
12. The EIF opened
for applications on Monday 11 August and closed on Friday 26 September 2014.
The 2014 funding round was advertised on the Auckland Council website, Auckland
Council publications, and in suburban newspapers. Email notifications were also
sent to community contacts. In addition to traditional fund promotion, seven
community funding workshops and two applicant drop-in sessions were held in
locations across Auckland.
13. Applications
were submitted by post, email, or online through the Auckland Council
SmartyGrant portal. All applications were acknowledged on receipt.
14. All
applications were screened by for eligibility and completeness. Those
applications involving ground disturbance (i.e. fencing and planting projects)
were screened by a council heritage information specialist, and where required,
reviewed by a council archaeologist to ensure the protection of sites of archaeological significance.
15. Applications
which met eligibility criteria were assessed by subject matter experts from
biodiversity, biosecurity, education for sustainability, environmental
partnerships, and built heritage implementation teams.
Environmental Initiatives Fund Outcome
16. Applications
were accepted for projects in three outcome areas:
Outcome 1: Access,
choice and opportunity
For projects that build the capacity and
provide opportunities for people to improve and care for the region’s natural,
cultural and physical environment. This includes education, skills development,
training and taking action, awareness raising, disability access, health and
fitness related to caring for the local environment and heritage.
Priorities: Education for sustainability (environmental education) projects
Outcome 2: Caring
for people
For projects that build community, cultural
identity, knowledge and a sense of belonging. This includes heritage values,
cultural knowledge, equal opportunities and healthy lifestyles focused on
connecting people with the region’s environments and heritage.
Priorities: Kaitiakitanga projects
Outcome 3: Caring
for place and caring for coast
For projects that improve or restore
particular locations or the physical environment. This includes archaeological
sites, landmark buildings, streams, wetlands, ecological areas, significant
landscapes, public spaces and built environments.
Priorities:
1. Regionally and nationally depleted
ecosystems including wetlands, dunes, lava and coastal forests as described in
the ‘National Priorities for Protecting Rare and Threatened Biodiversity on
Private Land’ document (2007:MfE/DoC), Auckland Council’s ‘Indigenous
Biodiversity Strategy’ and the Draft Auckland Unitary Plan.
2. Sites meeting the ecological
significance criteria set out in the Draft Auckland Unitary Plan.
3. Projects contributing to ecological
corridors and connections such as (but not limited to) the area covered by the
North-West Wild Link.
4. Conservation plans, heritage
assessments and/or other heritage documentation required for historic heritage
projects.
5. Historic heritage projects that
implement conservation plan and or other heritage documentation.
17. Applicants can
request up to $15,000 in funding and must contribute at least 50% of the total
project costs. The EIF does not accept applications for retrospective funding.
18. Ineligible
projects include those that are required as part of a consent condition, would
result in personal or commercial financial reward, are solely for
beautification, are the core business of council or other government agencies
or form part of the requirements of a course of study.
19. Funding
recommendations are made by considering an application’s assessment score, the
EIF purpose and priorities as outlined in the fund guidelines and fund
allocation principles.
20. The EIF
guidelines, fund allocation principles and targets were endorsed by the
Environment and Sustainability Forum at its meeting on July 22 2013 and are
unchanged for the 2014 funding round. The EIF funding targeted for each
outcome area is weighted as per the table below.
Table 1: EIF
funding targeted for each outcome area
|
|
Target
|
|
Access, choice and opportunity
|
10%
|
|
Caring for people
|
10%
|
|
Caring for place and caring for coast
|
80%
|
|
Total
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Consideration
21. In total the
2014 Environmental Initiatives funding round received 164 applications. Total
funding requested by these applications was $1,150,000 from a total funding
pool of $633,956.
22. All
applications were assessed following the process outlined in Attachment B.
Following application screening six applications were deemed to be ineligible.
Four applications were deemed ineligible as work would not result in
environmental or heritage outcomes; one application was ineligible as the
project was a Council initiative; and one application sought funding towards a
waste minimisation project better supported through the Waste Minimisation and
Innovation fund. A further application was withdrawn by the applicant prior to
assessment.
23. It is
recommended that 133 applications (84%) are allocated funding and 26
applications (16%) be declined. Funding recommendations range between $200 and
$15,000 and the average grant recommended is $4,729. The full list of funding
recommendations is provided in Attachment A.
24. The table
below provides a summary of funding recommendations by outcome areas. Funding
recommendations are in line with the target budget allocation with the
exception of the caring for people outcome area where an insufficient number of
applications assessed as delivering environmental and community outcomes were
received to meet the target allocation.
Table 2: EIF Funding Recommendations by
Outcome Area
|
Funding Outcome
Area
|
Targeted Funding
Allocation %
|
Number of
Applications Received
|
Number of
Applications Recommended
|
Total Amount of
Funding Recommended
|
Funding Allocation
%
|
|
Access Choice and Opportunity
|
10
|
36
|
31
|
$83,910
|
13%
|
|
Caring for people
|
10
|
13
|
7
|
$16,300
|
3%
|
|
Caring for place/ Caring for Coast
|
80
|
109
|
95
|
$533,700
|
84%
|
|
Total
|
100
|
158
|
133
|
$633,910
|
100
|
Local
Board Views and Implications
25. The interim approach to
community funding retains budget and decision making authority for the
Environmental Initiatives Fund with the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee
with decision-making delegated to the Environment, Climate Change and Natural
Heritage Committee.
26. Local board views have not been
specifically sought on the recommended allocations, but the boards have been
involved with promotion of the funding round and will receive a summary of
funding decisions for their information.
Maori
Impact Statement
27. The provision
of community funding to support environmental initiatives provides opportunities
for all Aucklanders to undertake projects, programmes and activities that
benefit Maori.
28. The
significance of sites to Maori and the extent to which applications recognise
Maori perspectives is considered as part of the application screening and
assessment process.
29. In response to
feedback from the Independent Maori Statutory Board representative at last
years allocation meeting further improvements to the promotion and assessment
processes have been made to better integrate mana whenua perspectives and
priorities.
General
30. Finance and
resourcing requirements for the delivery of the Environmental Initiatives Fund
in 2014/15 are within current budgets provided in the 2014/15 Annual Plan.
Implementation
Issues
31. No implementation issues have
been identified. The fund will be allocated according to the decisions of the
Environment, Climate Change and Natural Heritage committee.
Attachments
|
No.
|
Title
|
Page
|
|
aView
|
2014 EIF Funding Allocation
|
17
|
|
bView
|
Environmental Initatives Fund allocation process
|
27
|
Signatories
|
Authors
|
Fran Hayton - Acting Team Manager Funding Funding and
Incentives
Viv Sherwood - Catchment Management and Incentives Mgr
|
|
Authorisers
|
Gael Ogilvy - Manager Environmental Services
John Dragicevich - Manager Infrastructure and
Environmental Services
Harvey Brookes - Manager Economic Development
|
