Great Barrier Environment Committee

 

OPEN MINUTES

 

 

 

Minutes of a meeting of the Great Barrier Environment Committee held in the Claris Conference Centre, 19 Whangaparapara Road, Claris, Great Barrier Island on Wednesday, 26 August 2015 at 10.00am.

 

present

 

Chairperson

Susan Daly

 

 

 

Deputy Chairperson

Jeff Cleave

Until 12.45pm, item 14

 

 

Members

Izzy Fordham

 

 

 

 

Judy Gilbert

 

 

 

 

Christina Spence

 

 

 

 

ABSENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALSO PRESENT

 

Councillor

Mike Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN ATTENDANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Great Barrier Environment Committee

26 August 2015

 

 

 

1          Welcome

 

Chairperson SP Daly opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Deputy Chair JC Cleave led the meeting in a karakia.

 

2          Apologies

 

There were no apologies.

 

 

3          Declaration of Interest

 

Member JJ Gilbert declared an interest in respect of the AoteaOra Community Trust at item 16 - AoteaOra Community Trust proposal for Off the Grid 2016 event.

 

4          Confirmation of Minutes

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/30

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member CA Spence:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)           Confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Tuesday, 23 June 2015, as a true and correct record.

 

CARRIED

 

5          Leave of Absence

 

There were no leaves of absence.

 

6          Acknowledgements

 

There were no acknowledgements.

 

7          Petitions

 

There were no petitions.

 

8          Deputations

 

There were no deputations.

 

9          Public Forum

 

There was no public forum

 

10        Extraordinary Business

 

There was no extraordinary business.

 

11        Notices of Motion

 

There were no notices of motion.

 

 

 

Secretarial note: Councillor Mike Lee was invited to address the Committee at this point in the meeting.

 

12

Update from the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Department

 

Emma Joyce, Relationship Advisor, and Jeremy Warden, Biosecurity Advisor Plants-Great Barrier, from Infrastructure and Environmental Services, were in attendance to present to the Great Barrier Environment Committee in respect to this report.

 

Two documents were tabled in respect to this item. A copy of the tabled documents have been attached to the official minutes and can be viewed on the Auckland Council website.

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/31

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member IM Fordham:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Notes the information in the Update from the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Departments.

b)      Notes that a full report back on the 2014/2015 local environment work programme will be included in an upcoming report to this Committee.

 

CARRIED

 

Attachments

a     Biosecurity Local Board General Update - August 2015

b     Rabbit control, Whangapoua - Pindone operation June 2015

 

 

13

Proposed 2015/2016 Environment Work Programme

 

Emma Joyce, Relationship Advisor, and Jeremy Warden, Biosecurity Advisor Plants-Great Barrier, from Infrastructure and Environmental Services were in attendance to present to the Great Barrier Environment Committee in respect to this report.

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/32

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member JJ Gilbert:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Approves the 2015/2016 local environment work programme as outlined below;

Budget Line

Project

Objective

Cost

(Line item)

Ecology Conversations

·     To engage the Great Barrier community in developing a plan for the island’s environmental future

$47,000

(Line item)

Pest Control Coordinator

·     To support Great Barrier residents to undertake pest control on private land at Mulberry Grove

$11,000

(Line item)

Water Quality Technician

·     To continue monitoring of eight sites in Tryphena

$20,000

Biodiversity Initiatives

Threatened plant conservation

·     To continue to support the management of the threatened leptinella population at Awana

$5,000

Biosecurity Initiatives

Communications Material

·     To design and print biosecurity and biodiversity information specific to Great Barrier

$10,000

Rabbit and Cat Control

·     To undertake rabbit control at four sites

·     To undertake cat control at Awana

$20,000

Argentine ant and plague skink[1] surveillance

·     To survey for presence and absence in several locations where there are gaps in current information

$15,000

West Coast Bays Weed survey

·     To continue the survey of the west coast bays for pest plants (eg. rhamnus)

$10,000

Kaitoke Weed and Pest Control

·     To support ongoing weed control and wildlife (rats) monitoring at Kaitoke

$8,000

Support for Treasure Islands Programme

·      To support a person employed to manage pest pathways to Great Barrier

$10,000

(Line item)

Sustainability Initiatives

·      To research options for expanding Retrofit your Home to support Great Barrier residents

Not applicable

·      To support the development of a locally-focused website on alternative, renewable technologies.

$10,000

(Line item)

Marine protection

·        To support initiatives to advance the boards marine protection advocacy.

$7,000

(Line item)

Stream fish passage enhancement

·        To investigate options to improve fish passage in the island’s streams and at culverts

$5,000

 

b)      Notes that approval to continue the Mulberry Grove pest coordinator role was received at the June 2015 meeting.

c)      Notes that phase 2 of the Ecology Conversations project will be formally agreed at an upcoming Environment Committee or Great Barrier Local Board meeting.

d)      Approves the allocation of up to $3,000 from its ecology conversation budget to meet the travel and catering costs of speakers at the Aotea Ridge to Reef symposium to be held on 1 November as part of Conservation Week 2015.

e)      Allocates $2,700 from its marine protection budget to fund half page advertisements in the December 2015 editions of Boating NZ and NZ Fishing News to remind boaties to not discharge sewage in Great Barrier harbours or close to shore and supports a donation to Aotea Marine Radio to help support the programme.

f)      Requests regional funding to support the $10,000 it has allocated for a Treasure Islands mainland inspection and education role on the basis that the role has benefits for the wider regional pest management programme and requesting that monitoring at Auckland airport be investigated due to increases in freight being taken on planes.

g)     Notes that investigations into alternative energy systems for the Claris council complex will initially focus on the local board office and that wider investigation will be aligned to funding the board holds to investigate a shared community facility at Claris.

h)      Notes the proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Auckland Council and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency may enable a future scoping study for a renewable system for the Council complex to be undertaken and thanks officers for this initiative.

i)       Asks Infrastructure and Environmental Services to advise the costs and a proposal programme for leachate testing in the Kaitoke Stream.

j)       Asks that officers develop a concept paper for an expanded Retrofit Your Home Programme for Great Barrier residents focusing on support for energy efficiency, waste water and rainwater collection system.

k)      Requests that Infrastructure and Environmental Services identify a local group to lead on the sustainability initiatives website.

 

CARRIED

 

Secretarial note: Member IM Fordham voted against resolution a) line item Sustainability Initiatives – to support the development of a locally-focused website on alternative, renewable technologies and requested her dissenting vote be recorded.

 

 

14

Interim results of water quality monitoring programme at Tryphena

 

Emma Joyce, Relationship Advisor, Infrastructure and Environmental Services, was in attendance to present to the Great Barrier Environment Committee in respect to this report.

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/33

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member JJ Gilbert:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Notes that a recommendation to continue the monitoring programme as part of the board’s 2015/2016 environment work programme is considered in a separate report on this agenda and has been approved.

b)      Asks that officers review historic water quality testing data and include information on this and implications in future reporting including monthly data.

CARRIED

 

Secretarial note: The committee meeting adjourned at 12.27pm for lunch and reconvened at 1.07pm.

 

Secretarial note: Deputy chair JC Cleave left the committee meeting at 12.45pm. 

 

15

Aotea Great Barrier Ecology Conversation Phase One Report

 

Shirley Johnson and Marie McEntee were in attendance to present to the Great Barrier Environment Committee in respect to this report.

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/34

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member IM Fordham:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Receives this report entitled “Enabling an Ecological Vision for Aotea Great Barrier Island: Understanding Community Perspectives and Aspirations”.

b)      Thanks Marie McEntee and Shirley Johnson for their work in developing this report.

c)      Notes that it has confirmed a budget to continue with Phase 2 of this project in the current financial year as part of a separate report on this committee’s agenda.

d)      Notes that it will agree next steps in this project at the September workshop for formal approval at the October Environment Committee meeting.

e)      Agrees to publicise the findings of this report to all participant and interested parties.

 

CARRIED

 

 

16

AoteaOra Community Trust proposal for Off the Grid 2016 event

 

Member JJ Gilbert declared an interest in this item and took no part in the discussion on this item.

 

A document was tabled in respect to this item. A copy of the tabled document has been attached to the official minutes and can be viewed on the Auckland Council website.

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/35

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member IM Fordham:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Receives the AoteaOra Community Trust report on the Off the Grid alternative energy event 2015.

b)      Agrees to allocate $18,150 to contract AoteaOra Community Trust to run the Local Board Off the Grid alternative energy event from 12-16 May 2016 to be funded from the board’s community grants/events budget.

 

CARRIED

 

Attachments

a     AoteaOra Community Trust report and proposal for Off the Grid 2016 event - with amendment on page 6

 


 

 

17

Community group and agency reports

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/36

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member IM Fordham:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Receives the Envirokiwi Waste Minimisation Education Aotea August update from Joanne O’Reilly.

 

CARRIED

 

 

18

Correspondence

 

Resolution number GBESP/2015/37

MOVED by Member SP Daly, seconded by Member IM Fordham:  

That the Great Barrier Environment Committee:

a)      Receives correspondence for the month of August 2015.

b)      Agrees to consider the Waiheke Marine Protected Areas survey at the next workshop.

 

CARRIED

  

 

19        Consideration of Extraordinary Items

 

There was no consideration of extraordinary items.  

 

 

 

 

 

3.24 pm                                              The Chairperson thanked Members for their attendance and attention to business and declared the meeting closed.

 

CONFIRMED AS A TRUE AND CORRECT RECORD AT A MEETING OF THE Great Barrier Environment Committee HELD ON

 

 

 

DATE:.........................................................................

 

 

 

CHAIRPERSON:........................................................



[1] Plague skink is the new name for Rainbow skink.