Agenda of Puketāpapa Local Board

I hereby give notice that an ordinary meeting of the Puketāpapa Local Board will be held on:

Date:

Time:

Meeting Room:

Venue:

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

10.00am

Fickling Convention Centre
546 Mt Albert Road
Three Kings

Puketāpapa Local Board

OPEN AGENDA

MEMBERSHIP

Chairperson	Julie Fairey
Deputy Chairperson	Harry Doig
Members	David Holm
	Ella Kumar
	Nigel Turnbull
	Michael Wood

(Quorum 3 members)

Brenda Railey

Democracy Advisor

2 June 2016

Contact Telephone: 021 820 781

Email: brenda.railey@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Puketāpapa Local Board

08 June 2016

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

11.1 Notice of Motion - Three Kings Plan area 6

11.2 Notice of Motion - Electric cars in bus lanes 7

12 Adoption of Local Board Agreement 2016/2017 9

13 Community Places 2016/17 Venue hire Fees and Charges 27

14 Grant of deed of lease for additional premises and landowner consent – Pumphouse Three Kings Reserve Auckland City Brass Incorporated. 37

15 Consideration of Extraordinary Items

1 Welcome

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

That the Puketāpapa Local Board confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Thursday, 26 May 2016, 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 Petitions

At the close of the agenda no requests to present petitions had been received.

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 Puketāpapa 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 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

11.1 Notice of Motion - Three Kings Plan area

In accordance with Standing Order 3.11.1, the following Notice of Motion (Attachment A) has been received from Harry Doig for inclusion on the agenda for the Puketāpapa Local Board meeting being held on Wednesday, 8 June 2016.

Recommendation/s:

That the Puketāpapa Local Board:

a) receive the final report from Richard Reid and Associates showing a possible development plan for the Three Kings Plan Area.

b) agree to release the report to the public.

c) note that the Environment Court Hearing dealing with the proposed plan zone change for the Winstone Quarry and adjacent public areas (PM 372) begins its deliberations on 13 June 2016

d) note that the Richard Reid and Associates design for the Three Kings Plan area includes the area covered by PM 372

e) agree that the Richard Reid and Associates design for the PM 372 successfully achieves intended outcomes for the Three Kings Plan, particularly for Key Moves 1 and 4.

Attachments

a Notice of Motion - Three Kings Plan area from H Doig dated 31 May 2016........................................................................................................ 49

b Michael Wood Evidence, dated 5 May 2016......................................... 51

c Harry Doig Evidence, dated 27 May 2016............................................ 57

Richard Reid and Associates final report to be tabled.

11.2 Notice of Motion - Electric cars in bus lanes

In accordance with Standing Order 3.11.1, the following Notice of Motion (Attachment A) has been received from David Holm for inclusion on the agenda for the Puketāpapa Local Board meeting being held on Wednesday, 8 June 2016.

Recommendation/s:

That the Puketāpapa Local Board:

a) note:

i) the Government’s recently stated intention of allowing electric cars to use bus lanes as one of a set of initiatives to increase the uptake and use of such vehicles.

ii) that Bus Priority Lanes and the Northern Busway have made a significant contribution to increasing public transport patronage over the last 14 years.

iii) that Auckland Transport intends to improve existing bus priority lanes and significantly increase the number of them over the next few years.

iv) allowing even small numbers of cars to use the bus lanes or the busway would undermine their effectiveness by impeding buses, leading to increased passenger journey times and reducing bus drivers’ ability to keep to schedule.

v) allowing cars to use the bus lanes or the busway would undermine their enforcement

vi) that the final decision on allowing electric cars into bus lanes is the prerogative of the relevant operator – in the Auckland Region the on-road bus priority lanes are operated by Auckland Transport and the Northern Busway is operated by the Northern Motorway Alliance, a subsidiary of NZTA.

vii) that rules of access to bus lanes should be subject to consultation with local boards to take account of local priorities for efficient traffic flows and encouragement pf public transport use.

b) urge Auckland Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency to protect the integrity of existing and future Bus Lanes by resisting efforts to allow their use by electric cars.

c) request that this resolution and background information be circulated to the Mayor, Governing Body, and all other Local Boards.

Attachments

a Notice of Motion - Electric cars in bus lanes from D Holm dated 31 May 2016........................................................................................................ 61

b Background from G Easte, Albert-Eden Local Board........................... 63

Puketāpapa Local Board

08 June 2016

Adoption of Local Board Agreement 2016/2017

File No.: CP2016/10523

Purpose

1. This report seeks adoption of local content for the Annual Plan 2016/2017, including a Local Board Agreement 2016/2017, a message from the chair, local board advocacy, local activity budgets and local performance targets, together with adoption of a local fees and charges schedule for 2016/2017.

Executive summary

2. For each financial year, Auckland Council must have a local board agreement between the governing body and the local board, for each local board area.

3. Every three years a local board plan is developed to inform the long-term plan (and associated local board agreements) which outlines priorities, budgets and intended levels of service over a 10 year period.

4. In February and March this year, the council consulted on proposed changes for the Annual Plan 2016/2017. Local boards then held discussions with the governing body on local feedback, common issues and local priorities prior to budget decisions being made on 13 May 2016.

5. Local boards are now considering local content for the Annual Plan 2016/2017 which includes a local board agreement, a message from the chair, local board advocacy, local activity budgets and local performance targets, together with a local fees and charges schedule for 2016/2017.

6. Local board agreements will include the allocation of locally driven initiative funding to projects and services.

7. On 30 June 2016, the governing body will meet to adopt Auckland Council’s Annual Plan 2016/2017 including 21 local board agreements and associated performance targets and budgets.

Recommendation/s

That the Puketāpapa Local Board:

a) adopts local content for the Annual Plan 2016/2017 (Attachment A), including:

i. a Local Board Agreement 2016/2017

ii. a message from the chair

iii. local board advocacy

iv. local activity budgets

v. local performance targets

b) adopts Local fees and charges schedules for 2016/2017 (Attachment B)

c) notes:

i. that the local activity budgets have been updated to reflect final budget decisions made by the governing body on 13 May 2016;

ii. that if there are outstanding (not yet agreed) matters in the local board agreement, the local board should include an explanation of these matters in the Chair’s message at the front of the local board agreement;

iii. that the resolutions of this meeting will be reported back to the governing body when it meets to adopt the Annual Plan 2016/2017 on 30 June 2016.

d) agrees that the Chair be delegated authority to make any final minor changes to the local content for the Local Board Agreement 2016/2017.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

8. This report seeks adoption from the local board on its content for the Annual Plan 2016/2017 and other associated material. Engagement with the community, including consultation, and a number of workshops and meetings have been held by the local board and with the governing body to finalise their local board agreement.

Māori impact statement

9. Many local board decisions are of importance to Māori and there is a need to continue to build relationships between local boards and relevant Iwi. The local board agreement is based on the local board plan and the Annual Plan 2016/2017 which have both been developed through engagement with the community, including Māori.

Implementation

10. The resolutions of this meeting will be reported to the governing body on 30 June 2016, when it meets to adopt the Annual Plan 2016/2017.

11. Decisions on the local board agreement, a message from the chair, local board advocacy, local activity budgets and local performance targets are required today in order for staff to finalise local content for the Annual Plan 2016/2017.

12. It is possible that minor changes may need to be made to the attachments before the annual plan is adopted, such as correction of any errors identified and minor wording changes. Staff therefore recommends that the local board delegates authority to the Local Board Chair to make final changes if necessary.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Local content to support the Annual Plan 2016/2017: - Local Board Agreement 2016/2017 - Message from the chair - Local Board Advocacy - Local activity budgets - Local performance targets	11
b View	Local fees and charges schedule 2016/2017	25

Signatories

Authors

Mark Purdie - Lead Financial Advisor

Authorisers

Matthew Walker, General Manager Financial Strategy & Planning

Karen Lyons, Manager Local Board Services

Victoria Villaraza - Relationship Manager

Puketāpapa Local Board

08 June 2016

Community Places 2016/17 Venue hire Fees and Charges

File No.: CP2016/09950

Purpose

1. To seek approval of venue hires fees to be applied in the 2016/2017 year.

Executive summary

2. Within Auckland Council, local boards are responsible for setting local fees and charges, including those that relate to asset based services such as for community centres and venues for hire. Fees are typically reviewed and agreed on an annual basis as part of finalising the local board annual agreement.

3. Staff discussed the fees to be applied in the 2016/2017 financial year at a workshop with Puketāpapa Local Board members on 10 February 2016. Recommended fees are included in Attachment A.

4. Due to the cost of making minor changes to hire fees (less than 2%) and likely impact to existing customers, staff recommend no overall change to fees for 2016/2017. A standard inflationary adjustment has been applied to revenue budgets across council, however this is achievable within the existing fees as shown in the schedule. It is recommended that a three year cycle to review fees for these community facilities be established, aligning with the Long Term planning process.

5. There are a number of facility users in the Puketāpapa Local Board area that continue to benefit from substantially subsidised fees, which have not yet been aligned to council’s Hire Fee Framework (listed in attachment B). Previous decisions of the board have applied modest increases to the fee these groups pay. The foregone revenue associated with these lower fees is in the region of $42,000 per annum. Staff recommend that the full fee be applied to these groups.

6. Staff have considered two alternative options for fee setting in 2016/2017, and these are summarised in the report. These alternative options are not recommended as will further perpetuate the benefits that fall outside of the framework and are not accessible to others in the community.

7. Confirmed fees for the 2016/ 2017 year will be published online. They will be effective from 1 July 2016. Staff will aim to engage with all regular users to advise them of the agreed fees.

Recommendation/s

That the Puketāpapa Local Board:

a) agrees to adopt the 2016/2017 community centre and venue for hire fees, as per Attachment A. To be applied to all new and existing hirers.

b) requests council staff to provide regular updates on the impact of the hire fees and the performance of council-managed community facilities as part of quarterly reporting arrangements.

Comments

8. Local boards are responsible for setting local fees and charges, including those that relate to asset based services such as for community centres and venues for hire. Fees are typically reviewed and agreed on an annual basis as part of finalising the local board annual agreement.

9. In 2014, council adopted the Hire Fee Framework, an operational policy which guides the setting of fees across the network of council operated community centres and venues for hire. Community group operated centres and venues generally determine and administer their own fee schedules and therefore they are not considered in this report.

10. Fees are informed by the performance of three factors which customers told us they value highly; the condition of the facility, the level of amenity provided and the presence of staff on site. The framework also includes financial incentives aimed at enabling community outcomes, making more use of off-peak capacity and encouraging regular use of the facilities.

11. Staff discussed current patterns of use and fees to be applied in the 2016/2017 at a workshop with local board members on 10 February 2016. Recommended fees for Wesley Community Centre, Fickling Convention Centre, Mt Roskill War Memorial Hall and Three Kings Tennis Pavilion are included in Attachment A.

12. Due to the cost of making minor changes to hire fees (less than 2%) and likely impact to existing customers, staff recommends no change to fees for 2016/2017 financial year. A standard inflationary adjustment has been applied to revenue budgets across council, however this is achievable within the existing fees as shown in the schedule. It is recommended that a three year cycle to review fees for these community facilities be established, aligning with the Long Term planning process.

13. There are a small number of facility users in Puketāpapa who continue to benefit from more favourable fees. Staff recommend that these groups be charged the full fee from 1 July for reasons of fairness, noting that these groups have now been afforded 24 months to transition to the new rate. Perpetuating these special arrangements sustains a benefit that is not available to other members of the community as well as requiring extra administrative effort and cost to recognise and process these exceptions.

Alternative option 1 – sustain more favourable fees using Locally Driven Initiative (LDI) funding

14. Under this option, the local board would choose to retain some or all of the more favourable fees in place or apply a measured increase in fees to these groups. Of the 27 groups listed in Attachment B, there are seven groups which receive fee benefits calculated at $1000 or more. The total value of the benefit to all 27 groups is about $42,000 per year. The total value of the benefit to the seven groups is about $11,000 per year.

15. The Local Board is the allocated decision maker for fee setting and can choose to sustain the current level of benefit to these groups if it wishes. This would be an investment decision. The Local Board Funding Policy provides the mechanism for Local Boards to invest LDI funds to support fees where they deviate from baseline fees and charges recommended by an Asset Based Service (ABS).

16. The main advantage of this approach is that it provides an opportunity for the board to identify the particular group/ activity / benefit it wishes to sustain and to target the LDI investment to support that benefit.

17. The main disadvantage of the approach is that it perpetuates an arrangement that sits outside of the Framework and provides a range of fees not available to other local users.

Alternative option 2 – sustain some more favourable fees by increasing fees elsewhere

18. Under this option, the local board would choose to retain some or all of the more favourable fees in place by funding them by applying an increase to the standard fee payable by other regular users of the facilities.

19. In applying the Hire Fee Framework in 2014, the Local Board identified the priority focus areas to receive the priority rate subsidy of 50%. Other users of the facility pay the standard rate. If the local board chose to increase the fee payable by standard rate customers by 20% it might generate additional $20,000 revenue per annum. This additional revenue could be reinvested to offset the cost of the more favourable fees to some groups, though it would be insufficient to cover the full value of the benefit to all 27 groups. An outline of these figures is shown in attachment C.

20. The main advantage of this approach is that it provides an opportunity for the board to identify the particular group/ activity / benefit it wishes to sustain and to use differentiated fee setting to underwrite this benefit.

21. The main disadvantage of the approach is that an increase in pricing to some customers may not result in increased revenue and could mean those customers explore other facility options. Staff currently have too little data on the relationship between pricing and usage in this service to provide a robust forecast.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

22. Staff discussed the fees to be applied in the 2016/17 at a workshop with local board members on 10 February 2016. It was the view of some members that the board should continue to provide subsidies to regular hirers on legacy arrangements and to increase those rates by 10 per cent for the 2016/2017 year.

Maori impact statement

23. The Hire Fee Framework is not specifically targeted for Maori populations. However, it aims to be clear and transparent to all users and enable all Aucklanders to participate within facilities, including Maori.

Implementation

24. The recommendations in this report do not trigger the Auckland Council Significance Policy.

25. Confirmed fees for the 2016/2017 year will be communicated to all regular hirers and published online. They will be effective for 1 July 2016.

No.	Title	Page
a View	Recommended fee schedule for 2016/2017	31
b View	Regular hirers with special arrangements	33
c View	Hirer revenue by hirer type	35

Signatories

Authors

Robyn McMichael - Team Leader Venue Hire, Community Places

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - General Manager Arts, Community and Events

Victoria Villaraza - Relationship Manager

Puketāpapa Local Board

08 June 2016

Grant of deed of lease for additional premises and landowner consent – Pumphouse Three Kings Reserve Auckland City Brass Incorporated.

File No.: CP2016/11037

Purpose

1. To grant a deed of lease for additional premises to Auckland City Brass Incorporated, (Auckland Brass), and to provide landowner consent for the proposed works.

Executive summary

2. The board has approved $85,000 in their 2015/16 capex renewals programme to build a low stage attached to the Pumphouse building in the Three Kings Reserve.

3. The stage will be used for live musical performances by Auckland Brass and other musical groups.

4. To incorporate the stage into the lease for the Pumphouse building, a deed of lease for additional premises is required for this additional area (Attachment A). All other terms and condition of the lease and any renewals will remain in effect.

5. To permit the works to proceed landowner consent is also required. The report has been prepared in conjunction with the Permissions Advisors Community Facilities who support the proposal subject to conditions (Attachment B).

6. This report recommends the board grant a deed of lease for additional premises to enable the addition of the stage area shown on Attachment A, and that landowner consent be granted for the project subject to conditions shown on attachment B.

Recommendation/s

That the Puketapapa Local Board :

a) grant a deed of lease for additional premises to Auckland City Brass Incorporated at Three Kings Reserve, as shown on Attachment A to this report.

b) note that all other existing terms and conditions of the lease commencing 1 November 2006 and any subsequent renewals remain in effect.

c) grant landowner consent for the project subject to the conditions contained in Attachment B.

Comments

7. Auckland Brass lease the Pumphouse building. The lease commenced 1 November 2006 with an initial term of five years with two rights of renewal of five years each. The final two rights of renewal have recently been approved by the Local Board. Final expiry of the lease is 31 October 2021.

8. Auckland Brass has been located at the Pumphouse since 1958. Their presence and activities are recognised by the Three Kings Reserve Management Plan.

9. The land is described as Pt Allot 85B Section 10 Suburbs of Auckland and is classified as recreation reserve. A reserve management plan was prepared by the former Mt Roskill Borough Council and became operative 1 September 1983.

10. Two of the objectives of the Plan are “to maintain the reserve as a significant community focal point providing for civic, cultural, and recreational and sporting activities”, and “to maintain the Reserve as open space and minimise further encroachment of buildings, roading and parking”.

11. The proposed stage and extension of the lease area is a minor change to activities and buildings on the Reserve and will enhance the enjoyment of civic and cultural activities.

Stage Build

12. The board approved funding to build a stage next to the Pumphouse at Three Kings Reserve in its 2015/16 capex renewals programme.

13. This stage will allow Auckland Brass and other musical groups to perform to the wider community. The stage takes advantage of the small natural amphitheatre created by the landform of the park.

14. The proposal is for a low stage to be built abutting the back of the existing building. The stage will be 64m² being 8m wide x 8m deep and 400-500mm above ground.

Landowner consent

15. This report is prepared in conjunction with the Permissions team, Community Facilities supporting the proposed stage. Landowner consent for the proposal is conditional to the terms shown on attachment B.

16. Any Heritage issues have been assessed and accommodated as part of the resource and building consent processes.

17. The project will be managed by Project Delivery, Community Facilities, and is due to be completed this calendar year. All the required resource and building consents will be obtained prior to the works commencing. Any existing utilities and services located in or adjacent to the project area will be identified and the stage construction will accommodate these.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

18. The project is funded and supported by the Local Board.

19. Authority to grant a deed of additional premises is delegated to the board as part of their leasing powers. Landowner consent is also delegated to the board.

Maori impact statement

20. Auckland Council is committed to meeting its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its broader legal obligations to Māori. The council recognises these responsibilities are distinct from the Crown’s Treaty obligations and fall within a local government Tāmaki Makaurau context. These commitments are articulated in the council’s key strategic planning documents the Auckland Plan, the Long-term Plan 2012-2022, the Unitary Plan and Local Board Plans.

21. Support for Maori initiatives and outcomes is detailed in Te Toa Takitini, Auckland Council’s Maori Responsiveness Framework. An aim of community leasing is to increase targeted support for Maori community development projects. Additionally it seeks to improve access to facilities for Maori living in the Puketepapa local board area.

Implementation

22. The request for a deed of lease for additional premises and the landowner consent request are combined into one report.

23. As the landowner consent approval contains conditions that influence the way work will be carried out, it is desirable the board considers this prior to the work commencing scheduled for 13 June 2016.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Attachment A Site Plan	41
b View	Attachment B Landowner consent conditions	43

Signatories

Authors

Ron Johnson - Lease Advisor

Authorisers

Rod Sheridan - General Manager Community Facilities

Victoria Villaraza - Relationship Manager

Puketāpapa Local Board

08 June 2016

Attachment B – Landowners consent.

Landowner consent for stage proposal

Pumphouse Three Kings Reserve

Auckland City Brass Incorporated

1. The work site within the park shall be fenced off, and signage put up, showing how long the work will be undertaken, the purpose of the works, and contact details of the applicant or their agent.

2. The applicant must contact the Park Ranger Shane McNeil, to arrange a pre-commencement site meeting to discuss the proposed works. Shane can be contacted on 021 809 103 and must be provided with five working days’ notice of the meeting. The meeting shall confirm:

· Timing of work;

· Access for vehicles and storage areas;

· Signage and closing off the work area from the public;

· Use of trackmats for vehicles over grass if required.

· Any reinstatement of the grass or concrete

3. Any storage of machinery or materials approved by the Park Ranger shall be left secure overnight.

4. No materials or vehicles shall be stored under the driplines of parks trees, at any time.

5. Any physical work, including excavation, must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

6. Works shall not commence before 7am nor continue past dusk or 6pm, whichever is earlier. Works within the reserve shall not be undertaken during weekends or public holidays.

7. All noise generated from the approved works shall comply with the provisions of the New Zealand Standard NZS 6803:1999 “Acoustics – Construction Noise”.

8. Should any items and/or artefacts of significance or value to Mana Whenua surface during the works, all works shall cease immediately and accidental discovery protocol and notification procedures must be administered and followed.

9. This letter provides landowner approval only and does not replace the requirement for resource consent. All works must be completed in accordance with the rules of the Auckland Council District Plan - Operative Auckland City - Isthmus Section 1999, Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan or the conditions of any resource consent issued by Auckland Council.

10. The contractor is to remove and control all their litter and ensure safety of reserve, and security and safety of work site.

11. The applicant will bear all liability for any damage to Council infrastructure and concrete path that result from its works.

12. All areas of disturbed grass shall be reinstated, in accordance with the Grass Re-instatement Specifications attached with this letter.

13. This written approval expires two years from the date of the issue of this letter.

Grass Reinstatement Specification

1.0 TOP-SOIL REPLACEMENT

Prior to topsoil replacement, the sub-grade must be:

• dry

• free of deformation or damage (i.e. with no pan present)

• fully and evenly compacted.

1.1 DECOMPACTION

Any areas overly compacted by vehicles, materials or machinery must be de-compacted and regrassed.

To de-compact damaged areas, soil should be rotavated to a depth of 30cm, rolled and

levelled. A topsoil layer must be added if a fine tilth of at least 25mm depth has not been created during the rotavation process.

1.2 TOP-SOIL SELECTION

The top soil should have physical characteristics that provide good drainage and aeration after compaction. The preferred soil type is a Central or South Auckland volcanic topsoil, which has a granular crumb structure, is non-sticky, stone free, and has a reputation for being free draining.

The topsoil shall be screened to a 12mm maximum particle size and shall not contain any foreign matter. All topsoil layers must be free of any debris of significant size. This includes plant roots and rock, clay, metal, glass or other debris with a volume greater than 10 cm3 per m3 or a particle size larger than 12mm. The pH of the soil should be 6.2.

Note: When significant amounts of topsoil are to be replaced (as determined by Auckland Council) the contractor may be required to test the physical properties of the proposed topsoil.

1.3 TOPSOIL SPREADING AND LEVELLING

The replaced topsoil shall be spread out to form a consolidated topsoil layer (this will avoid subsequent settling) of uniform thickness (50mm minimum) above the sub-grade. A levelling device mounted on a small tractor may be used to form the surface in accordance with the surrounding or specified grade. For smaller areas, hand tools such as rakes and levelling screens shall be used. The finished topsoil surface shall marry neatly back to the intact surrounding surfaces and be smoothly graded. Avoid abrupt changes in surface levels, lips or humps and hollows where water will collect. Creating inaccessible areas to ride on mowers that are 1.8m in width should be avoided.

2.0 PREPARATION FOR SOWING AND GRASSING PROCEDURE

2.1 SEEDBED CULTIVATION

A fine tilth of 25mm thickness which is continuous across the entire surface of the re-instated area should be created. The seedbed must be free of all debris and wheel marks greater the 20mm.

The finished surface shall be smooth and match the surrounding intact areas.

2.2 GRASS SEED MIXTURE

The area to be re-instated shall be sown with an amenity rye grass (Bushburn is not acceptable).

Seed must:

• be no more than 12 months old

• have a minimum of 90% germination and 99% purity

• contain at least 75% endophyte

• have been tested within New Zealand for wear tolerance.

Such seed can be purchased from any reputable seed merchant, including but not limited to:

• Prebble Seeds Ltd. Ph 09 634-5791

• Evans Turf Ph 09 835 1500

• Carr Pountney Ph 09 579 4571

• Tui Products Ph 09 818 3142

• Newton Seeds Ph 09 636 4918

2.3 SOWING GRASS

The following procedure shall be used:

• The seed shall be broadcast evenly onto the area at a rate of 35 g/m2.

• The surface shall be lightly raked at least twice to cover the seed and then rolled with a small hand propelled roller (no heavier than 100kg) to leave a smooth surface.

• All re-instated areas must have a grass strike rate of 90% or over and be maintained until a dense healthy, weed free sward is achieved.