Project Twin
Streams Infrastructure Auckland carry-forward CAPEX 2015/2016 financial year
File No.: CP2015/20460
Purpose
1. To
seek approval from the Waitākere Ranges Local Board for expenditure of the remaining legacy
Infrastructure Auckland grants funding for Project Twin Streams’ CAPEX of
$185,922 for the 2015/2016 financial year.
2. This
is part of the total CAPEX funding of $290,423 for Project Twin Streams which
is shared with the Henderson-Massey Local Board.
Executive
Summary
3. Project Twin Streams (PTS) is a 10+ year large-scale
catchment-based environmental restoration and stormwater management project funded by a legacy Infrastructure Auckland (IA) grant. This
report seeks the board’s approval for expenditure of the final carry-forward of
the remaining grant funding to complete Phase 1 of PTS.
4. PTS Phase 1 is delivered across Henderson-Massey and Waitākere Ranges Local Board areas but is
managed as one project. When the budget was reallocated from the governing
body to the local boards it was split between the boards on the basis of the
percentage of stream length within each local board area - Henderson-Massey 63
percent and Waitākere
Ranges 37 percent. However while the total
carryforward is correct ($290,242) the split between the boards has been
accidentally reversed in the 2015/2016 financial year. This error has no impact
as the project is managed as a whole within the total funding envelope.
5. Last
year, the key achievements of PTS included:
· Development and
delivery of community water quality monitoring (Wai Care) programme across PTS
areas;
· Transitioning
management of PTS establishment areas from Infrastructure and Environmental
Services to Parks, Sports and Recreation for ‘asset maintenance’ working with
PTS community organisations and contractors;
· Over 19,500 plants
planted, more than 1,000 events held and around 9,000 volunteers spent over
17,000 hours working on restoration; and
· PTS chosen as a
Finalist in 2015 Morgan Foundation New Zealand Riverprize.
6. The final year of IA CAPEX funding will go
towards:
· citizen science and
restoration programme delivered by the four PTS community organisations;
· a synthesis of past
monitoring and evaluation data and reports; and
· community
restoration and, or other projects to be developed with the two local boards.
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Recommendations
That the Waitākere
Ranges Local Board:
a) Notes
the key achievements and outcomes of Project Twin Streams 2014/2015
b) Approves the allocation of CAPEX expenditure of $185,922 for the 2015/2016 financial year towards:
i) Community
education, monitoring and information collection
ii) Evaluation
and monitoring synthesis, including additional data and information gathering
iii) Support for community-driven initiatives, to be identified, to
improve stream and waterway health.
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Comments
7. Project
Twin Steams (PTS) sought to address the negative impacts associated with urban
development originally in Henderson Creek, Oratia, Opanuku, Swanson and
Waikumete Streams. It aimed to improve stormwater quality, promote ecosystem
rehabilitation and implement flood mitigation through the removal of properties
within the flood plain and revegetating 56kms of stream banks with native trees
and shrubs.
8. This
(“Phase 1”) work has largely been funded via a grant from Infrastructure
Auckland (IA). A carryforward of $290,423 is the last of the IA grant to
complete the project (establishment) this year and is being managed by the
Infrastructure and Environmental Services Unit (I&ES). Most of the work
completed as part of this first phase has transitioned into maintenance. Parks, Sports and Recreation (PS&R) have
a budget of $984,889 (also split between Henderson-Massey and Waitākere Ranges local boards) for this
maintenance work for 2015/2016.
9. PTS Phase 1 is delivered across Henderson-Massey and Waitākere Ranges local board areas but is
managed as one project. When the remaining budget was reallocated from the
governing body to the local boards (2013/2014) it was split between the boards
on the basis of the percentage of stream length within each local board area -
Henderson-Massey 63% and Waitākere Ranges 37%. However this year, while
the total carry forward is correct ($290,423) the split between the boards has
been reversed in the 2015/2016 financial year. This is not problematic as long
as the project continues to operate as one whole.
Key achievements
& Outcomes from 2014/2015
10. The
I&ES department has worked with Wai Care and the following community
organisations; Community Waitākere,
Ecomatters Environment Trust, McLaren Park Henderson South and Te
Ūkaipō; to develop a community water quality
monitoring programme across multiple sites across the PTS area. Water quality
testing has been done at these sites quarterly with community groups, and the
data collated and uploaded to the Wai Care website. All four annual sampling
occurs within the same week by different groups across the PTS area. Each
organisation has been trained by Wai Care to conduct both water quality and
ecology monitoring using Wai Care methodology.
11. I&ES
has also worked closely with PS&R to ensure a smooth transition of the
Project Twin Streams (CAPEX) established assets from I&ES to PS&R for
ongoing (OPEX) ‘asset maintenance’. PTS community organisations (as well as
contractors) are involved in ‘asset maintenance’ and funding agreements with
PS&R for the provision of both physical and social asset maintenance
(created through IA grants funding) have now been signed with all four
community organisations.
12. The
community planted over 19,500 plants over financial year 2014/2015, and
community organisations held more than 1,000 PTS related events and around
9,000 volunteers spent over 17,000 hours working on PTS restoration work
throughout the PTS area.
13. PTS
was approached by the Morgan Foundation to enter the 2015 Riverprize national
competition and was recently selected as one of four 2015 Morgan Foundation New
Zealand Riverprize Finalists.
Other highlights from the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area:
14. PTS
supported Kauri Karnival with a dedicated stall, including a range of
interactive activities promoting stream health. PTS’ presence at this event,
and the activities offered, were coordinated collectively by Community Waitākere, Ecomatters Environment Trust,
McLaren Park Henderson South and Te Ūkaipō.
15. PTS
worked with Glen Eden Intermediate, Konini Primary and Kaurilands Kindergarten
to create over 60 individual artworks as part of the Atkinson Walkway Art
Trail. Artworks include information about native medicinal plants, native bird
species and information about the health of local species endemic to the Waitākere
Ranges area.
16. PTS
collaborated with Waitākere Ranges Local Board and PS&R at Kōwhai Reserve where PTS organised
a community planting day on 6 June 2015, to coincide with the official opening
of the Kōwhai Reserve footpath. Over 500 trees were planted and mulched by
130 community volunteers. The day included educational and children’s
activities, food and live music.
Work Programme
Summaries - current financial year
17. The Henderson Catchment has been identified as a regional priority
for further work by the I&ES department. Regional investment in PTS “Phase
2” will take a whole catchment approach with the aim of improving stream and
harbour health. Phase II will build on the methodologies, human and social
capital developed as part of Phase I to better understand the state of
Henderson Catchment. This information will be used to prioritise interventions
to further improve stream health within the catchment.
18. The proposed work programme for the carryforward includes three
components:
· Citizen science and
restoration packages delivered by the four community organisation partners -
Community Waitākere, Ecomatters Environment Trust, McLaren Park
Henderson South and Te Ūkaipō;
· Summary and synthesis of all past
monitoring and evaluation data and reports; and
· Community
restoration and/or other projects to be developed with the two local boards.
Citizen Science &
Restoration
19. The
citizen science package includes the delivery of water quality and ecology
monitoring, regeneration plot surveys and bird counts. This will allow for
increased understanding of the current state of PTS Phase 1 area stream health,
which can subsequently be compared to baseline information from 2004.
20. The
procurement for this piece of work is well progressed. The funding agreements
with the four community organisations have been scoped and priced by the
organisations. The funding agreements are currently awaiting sign-off to
proceed.
Monitoring &
Evaluation Synthesis
21. A
synthesis report will bring together all known monitoring and evaluation
information for PTS Phase I into one document. This will allow for easy access
to the information and clearly demonstrate how water quality and stream health
has changed over time. The synthesis report will include a gap analysis and
recommendations for filling gaps. Some provision has also been made for
additional data collection to fill identified gaps.
22. The
procurement for the synthesis report is currently being scoped by I&ES and
will be sent out to tender as soon as approval of expenditure is received.
23. This
information combined with the citizen science package of work will increase our
overall understanding of the effectiveness of PTS Phase 1 in meeting water
quality and stream health objectives.
Community Projects
24. Both
local boards have indicated their desire to support other community water
quality projects within the catchment. It is proposed that some funding is set
aside for further scoping with the board to identify appropriate
community-based projects to be supported.
Given that riparian
establishment requires a three year investment of CAPEX, the development of
these community restoration projects will need to consider ongoing resource
requirements. Depending on the projects supported, this may be up to $10,000
per annum for a further two years. Some provision for this can be made in the
regional budget.
Regional Funding of
Sediment Monitoring
25. Along
with the IA carry-forward, regional CAPEX of $100,000 has been allocated to
Henderson Catchment. The work programme for this budget line is focussed on
increasing our understanding of the whole Henderson Catchment through a
sediment investigation in the foothills and installation of long-term sediment
monitoring sites.
Budget Allocation for
Approval
26. Table
One, below summarises the proposed activities and intended allocation of funds
to fulfil the remaining requirements of the (IA) grants funding of PTS for
2015/2016. The IA-funded PTS establishment project continues to be managed in
this final year as one whole project by I&ES, hence the work programme is
not split by board.
27. Henderson-Massey
Local Board has already approved the IA carry-forward work programme in
principle at a workshop in August with formal approval being sought at their 15
October 2015 business meeting.
Table One: Proposed
activities and allocation of funds for PTS 2015/2016
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Budget
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For
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Outputs
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$160,000
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Citizen science and restoration delivered through contracted
community organisations
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Community-based monitoring across Henderson stream reaches, for
water quality and ecology (Wai Care), regeneration plots and bird counts
Education and/or other events to be carried out with the community
at each monitoring event
Contribute to a stakeholder analysis for the catchment
Four or more restoration projects
Data and information to inform action for Phase 2 work in the
Henderson catchment
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$100,000
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Monitoring and evaluation synthesis
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Summary and synthesis of 12 years of monitoring and evaluation
data and information with the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of PTS
Phase 1, particularly in terms of stream health and water quality
improvements
A gap analysis of the monitoring and evaluation information,
including recommendations to fill gaps
Undertake research/monitoring to fill in high priority gaps
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$30,423
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Community projects
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Support for community-driven initiatives to improve stream and
waterway health.
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$290,423
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TOTAL
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$185,922 Waitākere Ranges
$104,501 Henderson-Massey
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Consideration
Local Board views and implications
28. This report has been prepared specifically to formalise the Board’s
approval for expenditure of this local board budget line following workshops
with the both boards in August 2015 and a subsequent meeting with the Waitākere Ranges environment portfolio holders in September 2015.
Māori impact statement
29. It
is recognised that environmental management, water quality and land management
has integral links with the mauri of the environment and concepts of
kaitiakitanga. Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have been involved in PTS in previous years. Te Kawerau a Maki
in particular has indicated an ongoing interest in stream and waterway health
in the Henderson catchment. A further six iwi (who have stated mana whenua
interest in the Henderson Catchment) have also been contacted to gauge their
interest in being more actively involved in the project.
Implementation
30. Upon approval for this budget allocation the work programme for the
2015/2016 financial year will commence.
31. Implementation of PTS activity is managed by two operational arms of
council. Infrastructure and Environmental Services manages the remaining IA
grant carryforward as well as regional funding (CAPEX) for Phase 2 work further
up the Henderson Catchment. Parks, Sports and Recreation manage the OPEX for
the maintenance of Phase I. Both units work closely together to align and
deliver their work programmes and also link with the Community Empowerment Unit
(previously Community Development and Safety).
32. Council staff will work closely with the local board over the next
financial year to further implement this 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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PTS area with Local Board boundaries
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11
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Signatories
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Authors
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Matthew Foster - Relationship Advisor
Finn Mackesy – Partnerships Facilitator, Sustainable
Catchments Team
Viv Sherwood – Catchments & Incentives Manager
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Authorisers
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John Dragicevich - Manager Infrastructure and
Environmental Services
Glenn Boyd - Relationship Manager Henderson-Massey,
Waitakere Ranges, Whau
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