I hereby give notice that an ordinary meeting of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board will be held on:
|
Date:
Time:
Meeting Room:
Venue:
|
Thursday, 12
February 2015
6.30pm
Waitakere
Ranges Local Board Office
39 Glenmall Place
Glen Eden
|
|
Waitākere Ranges Local Board
OPEN AGENDA
|
MEMBERSHIP
|
Chairperson
|
Sandra Coney, QSO
|
|
|
Deputy Chairperson
|
Denise Yates, JP
|
|
|
Members
|
Neil Henderson
|
|
|
|
Greg Presland
|
|
|
|
Steve Tollestrup
|
|
|
|
Saffron Toms
|
|
(Quorum 3 members)
|
|
|
Glenn Boyd
(Relationship Manager)
Local Board Services (West)
Tua Viliamu
(Democracy Advisor)
5 February 2015
Contact Telephone: (09) 813 9478
Email: Tua.Viliamu@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
|
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
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 Update from Ward Councillors 5
8 Deputations 5
9 Public Forum 5
10 Extraordinary Business 5
11 Notices of Motion 6
12 Local Board delegations for Have Your Say events 7
13 Local Board members attendance at the Community Development
Conference 2015 9
14 Chairperson's Report 13
15 Portfolio update: Member Greg Presland 17
16 Consideration of Extraordinary
Items
2 Apologies
Received an apology for absence from Member Steve Tollestrup.
3 Declaration of Interest
Members
were 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.
Specifically
members are asked to identify any new interests they have not previously
disclosed, an interest that might be considered as a conflict of interest with
a matter on the agenda.
At its meeting on 28 November 2013, the
Waitakere Ranges Local Board resolved (resolution number WTK/2010/5) to record
any possible conflicts of interest in a register.
Register
|
Board Member
|
Organisation / Position
|
|
Sandra Coney
|
·
Waitemata
District Health Board – Elected Member
·
Women’s Health
Action Trust – Patron
|
|
Neil Henderson
|
·
Portage Trust – Elected
Member
·
West Auckland
Trust Services (WATS) Board – Trustee/Director
·
Weedfree Trust –
Employee
|
|
Greg Presland
|
·
Portage Trust – Elected
Member
·
Lopdell House
Development Trust – Trustee
·
Titirangi
Residents & Ratepayers Group – Committee Member
·
Whau Coastal
Walkway Environmental Trust – Trustee
·
Combined Youth
Services Trust - Trustee
|
|
Steve Tollestrup
|
·
Waitakere
Licensing Trust – Elected Member
·
Community
Waitakere – Trustee
·
West Auckland
Trust Services (WATS) Board – Trustee/Director
|
|
Saffron Toms
|
·
NIL
|
|
Denise Yates
|
·
Ecomatters
Environment Trust – Deputy Chair
·
Keep Waitakere
Beautiful Trust – Board Member
·
Huia-Cornwallis
Ratepayers & Residents Association – Co-chairperson
·
Charlotte Museum
Trust – Trustee
|
Member
appointments
Board
members are appointed to the following bodies. In these appointments the board
members represent Auckland Council.
|
Board Member
|
Organisation / Position
|
|
Sandra Coney
|
·
Friends of
Arataki Incorporated – Trustee
|
|
Neil Henderson
|
·
Friends of
Arataki Incorporated – Trustee
·
Living Cell
Technologies Animal Ethics Committee – Member
|
|
Saffron Toms
|
·
Ark in the Park
– Governance Group Member
|
4 Confirmation of Minutes
|
That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:
a)
Confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting,
held on Thursday, 11 December 2014, including the
confidential section, as a true and correct record.
|
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 Update from Ward
Councillors
An opportunity
is provided for the Waitakere Ward Councillors to update the board on regional
issues they have been involved with since the last meeting.
8 Deputations
Standing
Order 3.20 provides for deputations. Those applying for deputations are
required to give seven working days notice of subject matter and applications
are approved by the Chairperson of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board. This
means that details relating to deputations can be included in the published
agenda. Total speaking time per deputation is ten minutes or as resolved by the
meeting.
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 www
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.
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
Local Board
delegations for Have Your Say events
File No.: CP2015/00344
Purpose
1. To provide for local board delegations for the public consultation
process for the local board agreement in the Long-term Plan 2015-2025 (LTP).
Executive Summary
2. Under the Local Government Act 2002, Auckland Council is required to
follow the special consultative procedure to seek public feedback to inform the
Long-term Plan 2015-2025 (including local board agreements).
3. Recent changes to the Local Government Act 2002 provide
council with more flexibility in how it consults with Aucklanders, in
particular in how council can hear the views of Aucklanders. The consultation
process is introducing a number of changes that satisfy legislative
requirements while also enabling Aucklanders to engage in the public
consultation process in a variety of ways to suit their personal preferences.
4. A key change involves replacing traditional
hearings with public spoken interaction events called Have Your Say (HYS)
events across the Auckland region from 14 February through to the 14 March
2015. Aucklanders can provide feedback on regional and local issues at these
events which will be attended by a mix of governing body members, local board
members, Auckland Transport Board members (or their delegates) and well
supported by staff to record all feedback.
5. Aucklanders who choose to attend a HYS event will be able
to present their views through spoken interaction with decision makers or their
representatives. Local boards are decision makers for their local board
agreements, which form a part of the LTP. As the governing body are also
decision makers on local board agreements it is important that both hear
feedback on local proposals.
6. To make sure that there are sufficient decision-makers (or
delegates) to hear all the feedback provided if attendance is higher than
expected for a HYS event, or if a board member is unable to attend, it is
recommended that the local board make delegations to staff to hear on their
behalf. At their meeting on 18 December the governing body made delegations to
cover this risk.
|
Recommendation/s
That the Waitākere
Ranges Local Board:
a) Delegate
to the following staff the power and responsibility to hear from the public
on the local board agreement through “spoken interaction/NZ sign language
interaction” at the “Have Your Say” events:
i) Tier
2 staff
ii) Tier
3 staff
iii) Local
Board Relationship Manager, Local Board Senior Advisor, Local Board Advisor
iv) any
additional staff approved by the Chair.
b) Notes
that a “Have Your Say” event is scheduled to be held at the Waitakere Ranges
Local Board Office, 39 Glenmall Place, Glen Eden on Tuesday, 3 March 2015, and that pre-registration is
required.
|
Discussion
7. Each Have Your Say session will run for approximately two
hours, however there could be more than one session held at an event depending
on the number of people who register. Public feedback will be collected across
three broad areas:
· The key LTP
issues including balancing affordability with progress; transport, rates and a
more active development role for the council.
· Local
priorities and proposals
· Other regional matters
8. A range of options are available
for the structure and format of these events. This flexibility will enable
events to be tailored to account for the community preferences, logistical
variations in the number of Aucklanders who attend, what they would like to
talk about, and the number and mix of elected members available.
9. To help manage this, Aucklanders
will be asked to register their attendance for these events online through the
Shape Auckland website. It would be at this point where they would request a
sign interpreter or Māori interpreter if required.
10. Aucklanders who choose to attend a HYS event will be able to
present their views through spoken interaction with a decision maker or their
representative. Local boards are decision makers for their local board
agreements, which form a part of the LTP. If attendance is higher than expected
for a HYS event, it may be difficult for the local board members present to
hear all the feedback on local proposals. To manage this eventuality it is
recommended that the local board make delegations to staff to hear on their
behalf. These delegations would only come into play if needed due to high
public attendance at the HYS event. They are not intended to undermine the
importance of local board members being present to hear from their communities.
11. Local board members attendance at the HYS event is important to
enable them to hear the views of their communities on local proposals given the
board’s decision making role. The HYS event also provides an important opportunity
for local board members to hear the views of their communities on regional
proposals to inform their advocacy.
Consideration
Local Board Views and Implications
12. Local board views have not been sought on this report as it is
recommending a pragmatic delegation to staff to manage events that attract
larger numbers.
Maori Impact Statement
13. Te Waka Angamua staff will attend all HYS
events to facilitate and capture feedback from Maori participants. Therefore it is not anticipated that the recommendation in this
report has a specific an impact on Maori.
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
|
Authors
|
Karen Titulaer – Senior Policy Advisor
|
|
Authorisers
|
Karen Lyons - Manager Local Board Services
Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
|
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
Local Board members attendance at the Community
Development Conference 2015
File No.:
CP2014/29665
Purpose
1. This
report seeks approval for the Waitakere Ranges Local Board Members Saffron Toms
and Steve Tollestrup to attend the Community Development Conference 2015 to be
held at the Unitec Mt Albert and Waitakere campuses, Auckland from 18th
– 20th February 2015.
Executive Summary
2. The
Community Development conference 2015 is an opportunity to bring together
practitioners, academics and students to share their knowledge, research and
stories about community development. Major themes include placemaking,
community economic development, diverse communities and re-claiming democracy,
with quality assured papers, poster presentations and practical skills
workshops.
3. The
conference will showcase community development training opportunities and
initiatives. It will also celebrate the launch of Whanake, the Pacific Journal
of Community Development and Social Enterprise.
4. Registrations
is $300.00 per person
Implementation
5. Local Board
Services has resources available to support board members learning and
development through such activities as attendance to conferences which are
related to their portfolios and responsibilities.
|
Recommendation/s
That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:
a) Endorses Members Toms and Tollestrup to attend the
Community Development Conference in February 2015.
b) Agrees that any related expenses for attending the
Community Development Conference 2015 be provided for in line with the latest
Auckland Council's Elected Members' Expense Policy 2014.
|
Attachments
|
No.
|
Title
|
Page
|
|
aView
|
Community Development Conference 2015
|
11
|
Signatories
|
Authors
|
Tua Viliamu – Democracy Advisor
|
|
Authorisers
|
Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
|
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
Chairperson's Report
File No.: CP2015/01126
1. This
unbelievably hot settled summer has produced great holidays with crowds
enjoying the many parks and beaches that are the glory of the Waitakere Ranges
Local Board area.
2. The
Local Board’s Operation Speedo – a joint effort of safety, policing and
emergency services on the West Coast beaches over summer – was there to keep
people safe and it is well received by the public who rely on surf clubs,
police, fire service, 1st response, St Johns and so on, to keep them safe when
things go pear-shaped.
3. Lifeguards
were busy with swimmers and fishers. Sadly there was one drowning at O’Neills
Beach to the north of Bethells Beach. Well-used by surfers, O’Neills is unsafe
for inexperienced swimmers and there is no patrol on the beach itself. A
beautiful place it is best to give a miss for swimming unless you are familiar
with the West Coast.
4. The
long hot summer is not so good for the health of the environment with sometimes
fragile eco-systems cooked and the risk of fire high.
5. Despite
a ban on fireworks in public places, and with a new bylaw that bans the letting
off of fireworks on private property that might leave the property and cause
damage – to bush or buildings – it didn’t stop thoughtless people partying with
fireworks and even driving to remote places to let them off.
6. Numerous
fires have been caused in the heritage area by fireworks over the past decade
and most of the crews who then fight fires in inaccessible and often dangerous
places, are volunteers, who get dragged out in the middle of the night to deal
with the damage.
7. One
problem we have, is that only police can enforce bylaws, and they are thin on
the ground in the places where the problems are occurring, and not inclined to
travel miles to get there.
8. Just
what damage fire can do can be seen following the fire at Kakamatua/Cornwallis
where 12 hectares of gumland scrub and bush in the regional park was destroyed.
It is not clear how this fire started, but it will surely cause headaches for
the Auckland Council to get such a large area back into healthy forest and not
have it degenerate into a weed nightmare, a source of seed dispersal by wind
and birds.
9. The
Local Board has offered what support it can to regional parks and will be
meeting with them soon to discuss plans to restore the area.
10. One
of the big topics of conversation out west was the publicity given to the
periodically polluted lagoons of the West Coast. All four lagoons, at Piha,
North Piha, Karekare and Bethells, are regularly unsafe for swimming, the first
three mainly because of pollution from human faeces, and Bethells from bovine
sources.
11. The
Auckland Council stormwater team has developed an action plan for cleaning up
these lagoons and the Board is fully supportive of these efforts.
12. Ecomatters
Trust, which is contracted by the Local Board to carry out a number of
environmental projects, has been contracted by Council to carry out a programme
called Living Lagoons. This involves offering advice and technical assessments
of people’s septic tanks. The aim is to get badly performing septic tanks
working properly to stop effluent getting into stormwater systems and waterways
that lead to the lagoons.
13. The
Board is looking at how it can offer incentives to people to invest in repairs
or new systems if these are needed. This “friendly” approach is being rolled
out by Council as a first step. If it does not lead to sufficient improvements
then firmer regulatory action will be considered.
14. The
National Surfing Championships went off over seven days without a hitch –
except for not very good surf – at Piha, and the Local Board approved numerous
requests to film or photograph on the West Coast beaches, especially at Piha
and Bethells. This is a little known role of the Board and I have asked for a
report on this activity which showcases New Zealand to the world and helps
local businesses.
15. You
may have seen a couple of ads over summer - Rebel Sports and Cricket World Cup
– with Bethells beach as the backdrop. The Board’s role is to make sure no
environmental harm is caused by filming and that inconvenience to residents and
visitors is minimised. Members of the public are often quite intrigued by
filming. In late January, some advertising for Black Grace Dance Group was
filmed on Piha beach, with lithe dancers poised on artificial rocks with
crashing surf as a backdrop, Lots of people stopped to have a look.
16. Sometimes
we suggest changes or set conditions of filming. For example, we got the actors
playing fishermen on the Rebel Sport ad to wear life-jackets, in line with the
Council’s rock fishing project. People filming in public places cannot prevent
members of the public walking through their “scene” but most people are happy
to cooperate for the few minutes that filming takes.
17. With
the start of the new year, and only about 20 months left in the term, the Board
is now concentrated on finishing things we have started, or bedding in new
programmes.
18. One
of the big ticket items for us is the plan for controlling weeds in the
Heritage Area, the biggest threat, we feel, to the health of the forests,
wetlands and dunes.
19. We
have contracted Jack Craw, former Biosecurity Manager for Auckland Council (and
before that Auckland Regional Council) to do a weed plan for the Board. This
will mainly be focused on weeds on private property as we are already working
through regional and local parks to control weeds on parkland, and we have an
ongoing dialogue with Auckland Transport to control roadside weeds in the
Heritage Area. We were delighted to see they had controlled gorse on most outer
roads, though from a fire-risk point of view we would have preferred it had
been done at the end of summer rather than the beginning.
20. Jack
has delivered us a draft of his plan and once we have had time to absorb it and
work through any changes, we will be calling a meeting of voluntary
environmental organisations in our board area to discuss how we can work
together to transform our area into one where plant pests are under control for
the long-term.
21. We
have a number of other projects that we will concentrate on to implement the
Local Board Plan. These will be outlined by the various portfolio holders in
their reports on this agenda in the next couple of months.
Sandra Coney
Chair, Waitakere
Ranges Local Board
|
Recommendation/s
That the Waitākere Ranges
Local Board:
a) Receives the
Chairperson’s report.
|
Attachments
There are no attachments for
this report.
Signatories
|
Authors
|
Tua Viliamu – Democracy Advisor
|
|
Authorisers
|
Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
|
|
Waitākere
Ranges Local Board
12 February
2015
|
|
Portfolio update: Member Greg Presland
File No.:
CP2015/00899
Purpose
1. This
report provides an opportunity for Member Greg Presland to give an update with
regards to activity within his portfolio areas.
2. Portfolio
holders are responsible for leading policy development in their portfolio area,
proposing and developing project concepts, overseeing agreed projects within
budgets, being active advocates, accessing and providing information and
advice.
3. Member
Presland has lead for the portfolios of Transport and Regulatory/Planning.
Executive Summary
A few thoughts
on current transport issues for Auckland and the region.
Glen Eden
Park and Ride
4. The
draft land transport programme recently released suggests a construction phase
in 2017-18 at a cost in the vicinity of $400,000. Investigation and
design will happen over the previous two years and cost in the region of
$300,000. I am not sure of the repercussions as it appears that the
project has been delayed and the amount of money set aside has been decreased.
Light Rail
5. In
the draft LTP Auckland Transport created something of a stir by announcing the
investigation of light rail for Auckland, specifically the Mount Roskill, Mount
Eden and Sandringham areas.
6. The
city used to have light rail. A super-efficient tram system used to
be a significant provider of transport for Auckland’s residents up until
the late 1950s when a group of crazed motorway builders decided to tear the
tracks up.
7. Then
Mayor Robbie advocated for and campaigned on the construction of a mass transit
system for Auckland. His foresight was visionary and possible.
Regrettably a change of Government in 1975 meant that the proposal never
became reality.
8. Then
in the late 1990s the region reached agreement amongst the ARC and all of the
territorial local authorities to significantly improve public transport.
The proposals included the provision of light rail which would branch off
from existing rail lines and travel along such important corridors as Anzac
Avenue by the University and Great North Road in New Lynn. The election of John
Banks as Auckland City Mayor and a pro road Auckland City Council meant that
these plans were also scuppered.
9. And
so this latest proposal has some historical context. It is something that
needs to be considered seriously as most advanced urban areas in the world have
a light rail system.
10. What
are the benefits? Light rail is a superior transport option. Modern
units are fast and efficient. As they are powered by electricity, as long
as the electricity source is clean they produce no carbon dioxide. The benefit
for the transport routes is that the units are very quiet. Their ability
to travel off the main railway corridors and down main streets means that they
are more attractive than conventional rail. They are more capable of
transporting large numbers of commuters than any other option apart from heavy
rail. The areas proposed for current investigation do not have access to
any rail.
11. If
AT approve the proposal once the system is up and running the prospects of
growth are tremendous. For instance I have always thought that a light
rail system along Tamaki Drive would have tremendous potential to reduce car
use and congestion and parking problems in downtown Auckland.
12. Some
councillors have complained that they have been blind sided by the proposal.
Of course cost is a significant issue and needs to be investigated fully.
But in the light of the need to have a transport system that works post
oil I believe that the proposal requires serious consideration.
13. Some
may question why the Waitakere Ranges Local Board should be sympathetic to a
transport proposal that if agreed to would be constructed in other board areas.
My response is that the efficiency of Auckland’s transport system affects
us all and that the reduction of congestion anywhere in the network has a
beneficial effect on all parts of the network.
The Pohutukawa Six
14. First
the bouquet and now the brickbat. Can I first congratulate the
Waitemata Local Board on the proactive stance they have taken on the issue,
including the seeking of alternative professional advice so that a proper
discussion of the issues could occur.
15. Can
I also add my voice to that of many others and urge Auckland Transport not to
fell the magnificent six pohutukawa which are opposite MOTAT on Great North
Road. These trees contribute significantly to the local amenity and their
felling would produce marginally improved outcomes which could be matched by
alternative proposals.
Walking to Work
16. As
something of an experiment and in the hope of improving my health and fitness
and shedding a bit of weight I have recently walked to work a few times.
The trip, from South Titirangi to the Glen Eden commercial area, is about
5 kilometres and takes about 45 minutes. By car it takes about 5 minutes.
17. Walking
really makes you realise the importance of good quality infrastructure.
The walk up the stairwell and past Lopdell House is a pleasure, and the
walkway that goes across Ceramco Park and along the back of the roads until
Routley Drive is also very pleasant. The completion of this part of the
walkway to Wilson Road is something the Board is keen to do if
possible and having now walked there a few times I think this should
be a priority.
18. Can
I urge everyone to do the same if at all possible. The health and
environmental benefits are considerable. And the slower more measured
mode of transport is very calming.
Auckland
Regional Land Transport Plan
19. Auckland
Transport has released its draft Regional Land Transport Plan for discussion
and consultation.
20. The Plan is an
important one and will set Auckland’s funding and activity priorities for the
next decade. With the population predicted to grow by 250,000 during that
time managing and adjusting for this growth is important.
21. There is a great
deal of current and recent activity including completion of the Western Ring
Road, the introduction of Electric Trains, significant growth in public
transport trips and renewed support for walking and cycling infrastructure.
22. The numbers are
large with NZTA expecting to spend $3.8 billion dollars in the next decade and
Auckland Council augmenting this spend. The emphasis in the document is
important. Spending on roading projects still dominates, but the most
effective, the most advantageous for our neighbourhoods and the healthiest
options are further emphasis on public transport and walking and cycling.
23. If you want to
have your say go to the Auckland Transport Website (https://at.govt.nz/about-us/transport-plans-strategies/regional-land-transport-plan/)
or contact one of the local board members. Consultation closes 4 pm March
16.
|
Recommendation
That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:
a) Receives the
portfolio update from Member Greg Presland.
|
Attachments
There are no
attachments for this report.
Signatories
|
Authors
|
Tua Viliamu – Democracy Advisor
|
|
Authorisers
|
Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
|
