Agenda of Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

19 April 2017

Hibiscus and Bays Quick Response Grants Round 3:2016/2017

File No.: CP2017/07878

Purpose

1. To present applications received for round three of the Hibiscus and Bays Quick Response Grants 2016/2017. The local board is required to fund, part-fund or decline these applications.

Executive summary

2. The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board has approved a total community grants budget of $365,000 for the 2016/2017 financial year. $53,400 was allocated to the Event Partnership Fund, leaving a total of $311,600 to be allocated to quick and local grants.

3. At the 7 September 2016 business meeting a total of $154,058 was allocated for the first large and quick funding grant round (resolutions HB/2016/163 and HB/2016/164) leaving a total of $157,542 to be allocated for the next round of funding.

4. At the 14 December 2016 business meeting a total of $23,594 was allocated for the second round of quick response grants, leaving a total of $133,948 to be allocated for the next round of funding.

5. Fifteen applications were received for the quick response grants round three 2016/2017 with a total request of $ $22,380.00 and one local grant application of $1,500 taking the total up to $23,880.00. This will leave a total of $110,068 for the last round of large grants for the 2016/2017 financial year if all the funding applications are approved by the local board.

Recommendation/s

That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:

a) consider the applications listed in Table One and agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in this round.

App. ID	Organisation Name	Project	Amount Requested	Eligible/ Ineligible
QR1706- 304	Dance Dimensions Limited (Umbrella organisation for Wicki Chix)	Towards the accommodation and travel costs to Hawaii for the Global Dance and Cheers Games 2017 in Hawaii	$2,000	Ineligible
QR1706-308	Estuary Arts Charitable Trust	Towards the costs of building the E-Commerce website and customer relationship management system integration	$2,000	Eligible
QR1706-311	Sing Up Rodney	Towards the costs of venue hire, catering and the professional fee (salaries/wages).	$1,000	Eligible
QR1706-302	De Paul House	Towards the purchase of a van for De Paul House April to May 2017	$2,000	Ineligible
QR1706-306	Main Street Orewa t/a Destination Orewa Beach	Towards the purchase and installation of arm's for seats in the public seats in Orewa between June 2017	$1,780	Ineligible
QR1706-310	The Parenting Place - Attitude Youth Division	Towards the costs of 25 presentations to be delivered in Kingsway College, Long Bay College, Orewa College and Whangaparaoa College	$1,000	Eligible
QR1706-315	Coast Youth Community Trust Incorporated	Towards the costs of the mobile drop in unit, including purchase of equipment, duel and road user chargers, insurance and registration and repairs and maintenance	$2,000	Ineligible
QR1706-317	Bays Youth Community Trust	Towards cost of staff training and programme resources	$2,000	Eligible
QR1706-320	North Shore Group Riding for the Disabled Incorporated	Towards the purchase of petrol vouches for volunteers	$2,000	Ineligible
QR1706-309	Stephanie Ellett	Towards the purchase of native trees to be planted at 105D Newman Road, Silverdale	$2,000	Eligible
QR1706-318	Eaves Bush Appreciation Group	Towards cost of bait station and traps.	$1,000	Eligible
QR1706-313	Hibiscus Coast Elderly Peoples Luncheon Club	Towards the cost of catering, hall hire of the Masonic Lodge, Orewa and transportation for the Hibiscus and Bays Elderly Peoples Luncheon Club	$ 500	Eligible
QR1706-305	Badminton North Harbour Incorporated	Towards the purchase of shuttle cocks for the Badminton North schools and holiday programmes	$2,000	Eligible
QR1706-316	North Harbour BMX Association Incorporated	Towards the hireage of the Saint John Ambulance for the North Harbour 1000 BMX race meeting	$ 500	Eligible
QR1706-319	Harbour Hockey	Towards the venue hire and the salaries/wages for the coordinator and coaches	$ 600	Eligible
			$22,380.00

b) consider the applications listed in Table Two and agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in this round.

App. ID

Organisation

Name

Project

Amount Requested

Eligible/

Ineligible

LG1606-232

Orewa Croquet Club

Towards a purchase of a lawn mower

$1,500

Eligible

$1,500.00

Comments

6. The Auckland Council Community Grants Policy supports each local board to adopt a grants programme (see Attachment A).

7. The local board grants programme sets out:

· local board priorities

· lower priorities for funding

· exclusions

· grant types, the number of grant rounds and when these will open and close

· any additional accountability requirements

8. The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board will operate three quick response grant rounds for this financial year. The third quick response grant round closed on 10 March 2017.

9. The community grant programmes have been extensively advertised through the council grants webpage, local board webpages, Facebook pages, council publications, radio, and community networks.

10. For the 2016/2017 financial year, the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board set a total community grants budget of $365,000. After the last grant activities the total remaining balance is $133,948.

11. Fifteen applications were received for this quick response grant round three and a local grant application, requesting a total of $23,880.00.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

12. Local boards are responsible for the decision-making and allocation of local board community grants. The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is required to fund, part-fund or decline these grant applications against the local board priorities identified in the local board grant programme.

13. The local board is requested to note that section 50 of the Community Grants Policy states “We will also provide feedback to unsuccessful grant applicants about why they have been declined, so they will know what they can do to increase their chances of success next time.”

14. A summary of each application for the quick response and local grant round is attached (see Attachment B).

Māori impact statement

15. The provision of community grants provides opportunities for all Aucklanders to undertake projects, programmes, activities that benefit a wider range of individuals and groups, including Māori. As a guide for decision-making, in the allocation of community grants, the new community grants policy supports the principle of delivering positive outcomes for Māori. There are no organisations applying in this round that have identified as Māori and eight have indicated their project targets Māori or Māori outcomes.

Implementation

16. The allocation of grants to community groups is within the adopted Long-term Plan 2015-2025 and local board agreements.

17. Following the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board allocation of funding for quick response grants, commercial and finance staff will notify the applicants of the local board’s decision.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Hibiscus and Bays Grant Programme 2016/2017	11
b ⇩	Hibiscus and Bays 2016/2017 Quick Response Round Three Application Summaries	15

Signatories

Authors

Catherine Bolinga - Community Grants Advisor

Authorisers

Marion Davies - Community Grants Operations Manager

Jennifer Rose - Operations Support Manager

Lesley Jenkins - Relationship Manager

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

19 April 2017

Business Improvement District (BID) Programme Annual Report to Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

File No.: CP2017/03768

Purpose

1. To provide information to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board regarding accountability for Business Improvement District programme targeted rate grant funding for the four business associations operating Business Improvement District programmes in the local board’s area.

2. The report is a requirement of the Auckland Council Business Improvement District Policy (2016), which came into effect on 1 July 2016.

Executive summary

3. The 2016 Auckland Council Business Improvement District policy was developed to encourage improved governance of Business Improvement District committees and management, which will improve financial methods, programme delivery and transparency to their members.

4. This report indicates business associations’ compliance with the Business Improvement District policy. Information presented is based on documents submitted by Business Improvement District programmes to council’s Business Imporvement District team to date. The report recommends that the local board should recommend to the governing body to strike the targeted rate for Business Improvement District programmes in their area in the coming financial year, based on their compliance with the policy.

5. The Business Improvement Districts covered by this report are operated by:

· The Browns Bay Business Association

· The Mairangi Bay Business Association

· The Destination Orewa Beach Business Association

· The Torbay Business Association

Recommendation/s

That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:

a) Recommends to the governing body to strike the targeted rate for the Browns Bay Business Improvement District programme for the 2017/2018 financial year and include this amount in the 2017-2018 Annual Plan.

b) Recommends to the governing body to strike the targeted rate for the Mairangi Bay Business Improvement District programme for the 2017/2018 financial year and include this amount in the 2017-2018 Annual Plan.

c) Recommends to the governing body to strike the targeted rate for the Orewa Beach Business Improvement District programme for the 2017/2018 financial year and include this amount in the 2017-2018 Annual Plan.

d) Recommends to the governing body to strike the targeted rate for the Torbay Business Improvement District programme for the 2017/2018 financial year and include this amount in the 2017-2018 Annual Plan.

Comments

6. The council Business Improvement District (BID) Policy 2016 outlines the principles behind the council BID programme and establishes the process for establishing, expanding, and terminating BIDs, as well prescribing standards and guidelines for operating BIDs. Accountability requirements are a key part of these standards. Please see Attachment A for a description of key elements of the BID programme.

Local board allocated decision-making

7. Local boards are allocated a number of governance and decision-making responsibilities. One of these is annually recommending BID programme targeted rates to the governing body to allow collection of targeted rate revenue for business associations that operate BID programmes. This action assures that the local board and their BIDs are in alignment on their goals for town centre development in their respective areas.

8. Approval of specific dollar amounts of BID targeted rates for each BID rests with the governing body as part of its approval of the 2017-2018 Annual Plan.

9. A number of local boards provide additional funding to local BIDs but accountability for that funding is additional to the requirements under the BID policy. If a local board makes an additional grant to a BID, the accountability requirements pertaining to that grant should be agreed as part of that grant process, and are not included in this report.

Compliance with BID Policy

10. The Auckland Council BID Policy (2016) is the means for council to ensure accountability for targeted rate funding by requiring regular reporting. Specifically, BIDs are required to provide council the following documents as approved at their annual general meeting:

· A current strategic plan – This shows that the BID has carefully considered medium to long term opportunities and has allocated resources to accomplished priorities.

· Signed audited accounts for the most recently completed fiscal year (required only every two years for smaller BIDs) - Provide assurance that the BID is managing its members’ targeted rates funds responsibly.

· A report on the year just completed. – Evidence that their programmes address priorities of the strategic plan and benefit ratepayers.

· A business plan for the coming year – Forward planning, based on the strategic plan, sets one-year goals.

· An indicative budget for the following year - The council Annual Plan requires targeted rates be identified a year in advance to coincide with the Annual Plan process which sets all rates.

· Programme Agreement between each BID and council – This embodies basic parameters of the council/ BID relationship. It is renewed every three years, or a term mutually acceptable to council and the BID.

11. All of the above BIDs are in compliance with the BID policy for the year 2015-2016 for the purpose of striking the BID targeted rate in the Annual Plan for 2017-2018. The level of compliance by the four Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area business associations is indicated by Attachments B to E.

12. Some BIDs are planning an increase in their targeted rates revenue this year. For a comparison of BID targeted rates please see Attachment F.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

13. Recommending that the governing body strike the targeted rate for BIDs in the Hibiscus and Bays local board area means that those BID programmes will continue to raise funds from targeted rates on ratepayers in their districts, and provide services in accordance with their members’ priorities as stated in their strategic plans.

Māori impact statement

14. This decision will have no adverse effects on, or particular benefits to, the Maori population.

Implementation

15. If the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board accepts the recommendations of this report, it will recommend to the governing body that the targeted rates for each BID be struck as stated in the 2017-2018 Annual Plan. The governing body will approve specific dollar amounts for each BID as part of its approval of the Annual Plan.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Key Elements of BID Programme	71
b ⇩	Browns Bay BID Compliance Table	73
c ⇩	Mairangi Bay BID Compliance Table	75
d ⇩	Orewa BID Compliance Table	77
e ⇩	Torbay BID Compliance Table	79
f ⇩	Targeted Rates Revenue Comparison Table All BIDs	81

Signatories

Authors

Steven Branca - BID Partnership Advisor

Authorisers

Alastair Cameron - Manager - CCO Governance & External Partnerships

Lesley Jenkins - Relationship Manager

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

19 April 2017

Variation and renewal of community leases to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated at Freyberg Park, Oaktree Reserve and Hythe Reserve, Browns Bay

File No.: CP2017/05869

Purpose

1. To grant the variation and renewal of the community leases held by Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for:

· Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten located at Freyberg Park, 4 Woodlands Crescent, Browns Bay

· Oaktree Kindergarten located at Oaktree Avenue/Palliser Laner, R 105 Oaktree Avenue, Browns Bay

· Rangitoto Kindergarten located at Jutland Street Reserve, R 9 Jutland Street Mairangi Bay

Executive summary

2. Community Leases are one of the ways in which Auckland Council provides support to local community organisations, by assisting them to sustain the activities and experiences they provide in alignment with recognised local priorities.

3. Rights of renewal available under the terms of an existing community lease may be exercised if the lessee can demonstrate that all lease conditions are being met and that the services or programmes being delivered meet community needs.

4. The assessment process undertaken for each of the above sites listed in this report confirmed the lessee’s compliance with all lease terms and requirements necessary to process the lease renewals.

5. At the time of renewal, lessees are asked to consider the inclusion of a community outcomes plan to their lease agreement. Council staff and Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated has negotiated and agreed a community outcomes plan for each of the three renewals. The inclusion of the community outcomes plan to the deeds of renewal triggers a variation to the lease agreement.

6. In 2014, the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated effected a minor change in the name of its legal entity to include the word “Free”. The deed of variation of the lease will record the minor change of name.

7. This report recommends:

· the variation and renewal of the community lease to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for the Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten for a period of 10 years from 1 January 2017. All terms and conditions will be in accordance with the original lease agreement, excepting the variation to record the inclusion of the community outcomes plan

· the variation and renewal of the community lease to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for the Oaktree Kindergarten for a period of 10 years from 1 January 2017. All terms and conditions will be in accordance with the original lease agreement, excepting the variation to record the inclusion of the community outcomes plan

8. The variation and renewal of the community lease to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for the Rangitoto Kindergarten for a period of 10 years from 1 January 2017. All terms and conditions will be in accordance with the original lease agreement excepting the variation to record the inclusion of the community outcomes plan.

Recommendation/s

That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:

a) grant a variation and renewal of the community lease to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for Lot 3 DP 39141 at Freyberg Park, Browns Bay being the Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten (Attachment A) under section 61(2A) of the Reserves Act 1977 subject to the following terms:

i) term - 10 years commencing 1 January 2017;

ii) rent - $1.00 per annum if requested

iii) the approved Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated Community Outcomes Plan be attached to the deed of renewal

b) grant a variation and renewal of the community lease to Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for Lots 162 and Part Lot163 DP 83808 together with Lot 161 DP 83812 at Oaktree Reserve, Browns Bay being the Oaktree Kindergarten (Attachment B) under the Local Government Act 2002 subject to the following terms:

i) term - 10 years commencing 1 January 2017;

ii) rent - $1.00 per annum if requested

iii) the approved Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated Community Outcomes Plan be attached to the deed of renewal

c) grant a variation and renewal of the community lease to the Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated for Lot 41 DP 34777 at Hythe Reserve, Browns Bay being the Rangitoto Kindergarten (Attachment C) under section 61(2A) of the Reserves Act 1977 subject to the following terms:

i) term - 10 years commencing 1 January 2017;

ii) rent - $1.00 per annum if requested

iii) the approved Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated Community Outcomes Plan be attached to the deed of renewal

d) approve the Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated Community Outcomes Plan as attached to the agenda report (Attachment D)

Comments

Work Programme 2016/2017

9. Auckland Council’s Community Lease Work Programme 2016/2017 identifies a number of community leases that require action to progress available rights of renewal.

10. The renewal process includes:

· a review of the lessee’s performance to ensure that all lease conditions are being met

· that the organisation holds sufficient funds to meet its financial liabilities and is financially sustainable

· that the services or programmes offered align with the objectives in the operative local board plan.

11. There are no concerns regarding the proposed renewal of the leases that are the subject of this report.

Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated

12. The Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated (NAKA) was registered as an Incorporated Society on 16 June 1955. Its objectives are to:

· establish, administer and control kindergartens and early childhood services managed by NAKA in the Northern region

· to provide and support early childhood education

13. NAKA manages 15 kindergartens and early childhood centres in Northern Auckland and has been operating for more than 60 years.

14. NAKA kindergartens and early childhood centres cater for children aged three to five years of age. In total, NAKA employs 100 part-time and full-time staff.

Land, existing community lease and area occupied

15. In 2007 the former North Shore City Council granted community leases to NAKA for the sites at Freyberg Park, Oaktree Avenue/Palliser Lane and Jutland Street Reserve. The leases are for a term of 10 years which commenced 1 January 2007 and one right of renewal for a further 10 year term effecting final expiry on 31 December 2026.

16. NAKA wishes to continue leasing the three sites at Freyberg Park, Oaktree Avenue/Palliser Lane and Jutland Street Reserve.

17. NAKA has provided financial accounts which indicate that its funds are sufficient to meet its liabilities and are being managed appropriately. NAKA has all necessary insurance cover, including public liability insurance, in place.

18. All the buildings are owned by NAKA and are well maintained.

19. Council staff has worked alongside NAKA to draft the agreed Community Outcomes Plan (Attachment D) which if approved by the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board will be appended as a schedule to the deed of variation and renewal.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

20. At its business meeting of 15 June 2016, the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board resolved to approve the Community Lease Work Programme 2016/2017 (Resolution number HB/2016/107). The proposed lease renewals to NAKA are listed on the community lease work plan 2016/2017.

21. The recommendations contained in this report do not trigger the Auckland Council Significance and Engagement Policy.

Māori impact statement

22. 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 2015-2025, the Unitary Plan and Local Board Plans.

23. Support for Maori initiatives and outcomes are 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 Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area.

Implementation

24. Council’s community lease staff will work with the club to finalise the deeds of variation and renewal.

25. There are no direct cost implications for Auckland Council.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Attachment A - Aerial View Taiaotea Kindergarten	87
b ⇩	Attachment B - Aerial View Oaktree Kindergarten	89
c ⇩	Attachment C - Aerial View Rangitoto Kindergarten	91
d ⇩	Attachment D - Community Outcomes Plan	93

Signatories

Authors

Yusuf Khan, Senior Community Lease Advisor

Authorisers

Rod Sheridan - General Manager Community Facilities

Lesley Jenkins - Relationship Manager

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

19 April 2017

Auckland Transport Update to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board April 2017

File No.: CP2017/05887

Purpose

1. To respond to resolutions and requests on transport-related matters, provide an update on the current status of the Local Board’s Transport Capital Fund projects, a summary of consultation material sent to the local board and information on transport-related matters of specific application and interest to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and its community.

Executive summary

2. This particular report provides information on:

· Update on the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board’s Transport Capital Fund Projects;

· Consultations on regulatory processes;

· Traffic Control Committee results;

· Issues Raised by Elected Members;

· Gulf Harbour Ferry Services;

· Hibiscus Coast Busway Station construction;

· Agreement on next steps for Auckland mass transit;

· Auckland Transport Park phone application launched; and

· Free bike skills and maintenance sessions on offer.

Recommendation/s

That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:

a) notes the Auckland Transport Update to the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board for April 2017.

Comments

Update on the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Transport Capital Fund Projects

3. As at 7 March 2017 the balance of Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) funds available for allocation prior to 30 June 2019 was $1,784,960 comprising:

· $466,518 from the 2016/2017 financial year;

· $649,799 from the 2017/2018 financial year; and

· $668,643 from the 2018/2019 financial year.

4. An additional amount of $688,702 is available to the local board from the 2019/2020 financial year commencing on 1 July 2019.

5. At a recent meeting of the local board’s Transport Interest Group (TIG) a range of initiatives were discussed which are now being assessed against the criteria for the LBTCF. Should these projects meet the criteria; further discussion to refine the scope of each project will be required with TIG members before a rough order of costs can be provided.

6. Construction of Stage II of Project 411, Torbay Revitalisation, began on 13 February 2017 and is on track for completion during April, weather permitting. The first stage of construction for this commenced in September 2016 and was suspended over the Christmas period at the request of the local board and the Torbay Business Improvement District.

7. Discussions at recent meetings of the Torbay Working Party have focussed on variations to the project required to address health and safety and stormwater issues, and imprinting and colouring of the Plaza area. Cleanliness of the coloured surface immediately outside of retail food outlets has also been the subject of discussion.

Consultations on Regulatory Processes

8. The following table lists consultations on regulatory processes considered recently by the local board:

Street/Suburb	Date Circulated	Restriction	Local Board Comment
145 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Red Beach	27 Feb 17	NSAAT restrictions	Support from one TIG member. No objections to the proposal were received.
Walton Street, Red Beach	1 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions	Support from one TIG member. No objections to the proposal were received.
Channel View Road, Campbells Bay	1 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions	Support from one TIG member. No objections to the proposal were received.
Jeanette Place, Mairangi Bay	1 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions	Support from one TIG member. No objections to the proposal were received.
Inverness Road and Beach Road; Argyle Road and Beach Road; Carlisle Road and Beach Road; Firth Road and Carlisle Road; Carlisle Road; East Coast Road and Glamorgan Drive; Greville and East Coast Road; and Weetman Drive and East Coast Road, Browns Bay	3 Mar 17	Various improvements related to the Safer Communities Northcross Project	No objections other than to changes proposed at the intersection of Greville and East Coast Roads (no support for a pedestrian crossing over East Coast Road, though support for a pedestrian crossing over Greville Road).
Carlisle Road, Browns Bay	15 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions	No objections were received from the local board.
Aberdeen Road, Castor Bay	20 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions	No objections were received from the local board.
Beach Road, Campbells Bay	24 Mar 17	NSAAT restrictions; upgrading existing bus stops outside 218, 246, 319 and 325A Beach Road.	One member indicated that the Campbells Bay community was in favour of further restrictions, whilst another member indicated there was no need for NSAAT restrictions outside 254-258 Beach Road. No other objections were received.

Traffic Control Committee Results

9. Decisions made by AT’s Traffic Control Committee during March 2017 in relation to regulatory processes are listed below:

Street Name, Suburb	Report Type	Nature of Restriction	Decision
Peter Terrace / Beach Road, Castor Bay	Permanent Traffic and Parking changes	No Stopping At All Times	Carried
Inverness Road, Browns Bay	Temporary Traffic and Parking changes (Event - Cairo to Cape Town, 6.30am - 4pm, 11 March 2017)	No Stopping At Prohibited Times	Carried
Millwater Parkway / Central Boulevard, Silverdale	Permanent Traffic and Parking changes	Lane Restrictions, Bus Shelter, Traffic Island	Carried
Beverley Road / Brightside Road / Whangaparaoa Road, Stanmore Bay	Permanent Traffic and Parking changes	No Stopping At All Times, Flush Median, Edge Lines, Traffic Islands, Stop Control	Carried
Ladies Mile / Kawau Island Avenue / The Circle / Manly Park Avenue / Laurence Street / Glengarry Avenue, Whangaparaoa	Temporary Traffic and Parking changes (Event - Weet-Bix Tryathlon, 5am - 3pm, 26 March 2017)	No Stopping At Prohibited Times, Authorised vehicles Only	Carried
Riverside Road / Maygrove Drive / Hatton Road / Crampton Court, Orewa	Permanent Traffic and Parking changes Combined	No Stopping At All Times, Bus Stop, Bus Stop-School Days Only, Lane Restrictions, Parking Place, No Stopping At All Times-Rescinded, No Stopping At Prohibited Times, Pedestrian Crossing, Flush Median, Edge Line, Traffic Island, Give-Way Control	Carried

Issues Raised by Elected Members

10. The following table lists issues raised by elected members and local board services staff to 31 January 2017:

	Location	Issue	Status
1	1 Montrose Terrace, Mairangi Bay	Uneven surface on footpath outside 1 Montrose Terrace, Mairangi Bay.	It was advised on 16 December 2016 that the footpath outside 1 Montrose Terrace, Mairangi Bay was sinking, causing ponding. On 28 March 2017 Member Cooper was advised that the area of slumping had been checked and that there was no immediate danger to pedestrians in terms of trip hazards. The work had therefore been programmed and will be carried out when the contractor has other works programmed in the area.
2	Nor' East Drive, Northcross	Request for extension of existing NSAAT restrictions on Nor' East Drive, Northcross.	A request was received that the existing NSAAT restrictions on the north west corner of Carlisle Road and Nor’East Drive, Northcross, be extended further along Nor’East Drive towards 1 Nor’East Drive on 10 February 2017, the member citing visibility issues for drivers exiting onto Carlisle Road. On 27 March members were advised that the AT engineer's investigation had established that 30 metres of NSAAT restrictions exist currently at this location, which is deemed to be appropriate. The investigation also found that there was only one reported crash at the intersection in 2016, a reduction in crashes compared to the previous two years. The intersection is therefore considered to be operating in a relatively safe manner, especially given the high traffic volumes along Carlisle Road. They were therefore unable to justify extending the existing NSAAT restrictions further.
3	Bay Street, Red Beach	Request for the installation of further speed calming measures on Bay Street, Red Beach.	At the Hibiscus and Bays meeting on 16 February 2017 it was requested that further speed calming measures be investigated on Bay Street, Red Beach, where a resident requested modifications to the speed bumps outside his home. A meeting took place on site on 16 March 2017 during which the proposal to modify the speed tables was discussed. Stormwater issues were also discussed, as was the installation of a Give Way sign at the intersection of Marellen Drive and Bay Street.
4	975b Beach Road, Torbay	Concerns over crashes occurring at 975b Beach Road, Torbay.	A request for further investigations into the number of crashes occurring in the vicinity of 975b Beach Road, Torbay, was received on 21 February, together with advice of measures being taken to address the number of crashes occurring. On 6 March 2017 the local boards TIG was advised that AT's engineers will investigate the possibility of installing a high friction surface on the bend at this location to reduce the likelihood of loss of control crashes as part of the 2017/2018 work programme. Engineers will also investigate the possibility of installing ‘Slow Down’ warning signage.
5	Cochrane Avenue/Ferry Road intersection, Arkles Bay	Request for warning signage at the Cochrane Avenue/Ferry Road intersection, Arkles Bay.	A request was forwarded on 22 February 2017 on behalf of a resident that additional warning signage be installed at the roundabout at the intersection of Cochrane Avenue/Ferry Road in Arkles Bay to remind motorists of the need to give way to vehicles approaching from the right. On 13 March 2017members were advised that an AT engineer had undertaken an assessment of the intersection and determined that the intersection is operating relatively safely, with no reported crashes between 2011 and 2016 and only one reported crash in the past five years, which had not been related to the intersection. They were advised that the existing signage is therefore considered to be appropriate so changes could not be justified at the present time.
6	Beach Road, Mairangi Bay	Request for application of non-slip surface on paved area of Beach Road, Mairangi Bay.	A request was made on behalf of the Mairangi Bay Business Association for application of a non-slip surface on the paved area of Beach Road, Mairangi Bay, in the shopping centre. On 2 March 2017 members of the TIG were advised that AT's engineers had concerns not only about the cost of the product, but its longevity and future maintenance implications (cleaning and re-application over time). They had also carried out basic testing on the pavers in the Mairangi Bay town centre and could not agree that there was a slip problem, noting that the same types of pavers, which are specifically designed for areas of high pedestrian use, are used in other town centres such as Takapuna and Milford. They therefore could not agree to the use of the non-slip surface product but suggested that the business association report any specific problems, particularly trip hazards, to AT’s customer response team on 09 355 3553 or by emailing info@at.govt.nz, noting details of the location, so that these can be addressed.
7	Moenui Road, Orewa	Request for second footpath on Moenui Road, Orewa.	A request for a second footpath on Moenui Road, Orewa, was received on 21 March 2017. It was also advised that that there was no ramp access for wheel chairs or mobility scooters to the existing footpath so it was necessary to use the grass verge or the road to access a ramp to get up onto the footpath. Referred to AT's Walking and Cycling Team for response.
8	Mairangi Bay Car Park	Queries regarding the Mairangi Bay Car Park	Advice was received on 16 March 2017 that the landlord who owns the private car parks at rear of the shops located on the corner of Beach Road and Montrose Terrace in Mairangi Bay had installed a large sign at the Sidmouth Street entrance/service lane which accesses the Council/AT P120 free car park and playground. It was requested that AT staff advise if the large sign installed by the landlord has been consented and is permitted; install AT signage indicating that P120 free parking is also available in the car park (the private sign signifies paid parking only); and confirm that 5 or 6 of the private paid car parks encroach onto the Council/AT access road, noting that the local board may now wish to have these removed to provide additional P120 parallel parking on the access road to supplement other existing P120 free parking. Referred to Parking Design for investigation.
9	Toroa Street and Beach Road, Torbay	Request for parking restrictions on Toroa Street and Beach Road, Torbay.	During a presentation at the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board meeting on 15 March 2017 a resident asked that parking on Toroa Street, Torbay, from the roundabout at the intersection of Toroa Street and Beach Road to 9 Toroa Street on the South side, and outside 10 Toroa Street on the East side, be designated 60 - 90 minutes. He also asked that the three car parks outside 965 Beach Road be designated as 30 minute parks, and that all parking areas be enforced by traffic wardens over the period 10.30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. as part of their regular shift. AT’s Parking Services team responds that on-street parking is a valuable community asset that must be managed fairly and appropriately to ensure that the available parking is beneficial for the wider community. To ascertain if a parking issue exists, occupancy checks are undertaken to see how many spaces are available. These checks help AT to understand the demands for the area. In the case of Toroa Street, site investigation has revealed that there are existing P30 parking restrictions installed in the area, their observations suggesting that this area has good turnover and on-street parking spaces are available throughout the day. Based on this information, installing additional restricted parking cannot be justified and the request cannot be agreed to at this stage. Due to the current road works and development in the area, some parking restrictions have being temporarily removed. AT will continue to monitor the area and once the construction activities are completed another review will be undertaken. If any parking availability issues are identified at that time, AT will then directly consult with the affected stakeholders on possible interventions. If vehicles are parking longer than the time limits, customers should contact AT’s call centre on (09) 355 3553 at any time with the registration number and details of the offending vehicle to request enforcement action. Ongoing enforcement will educate motorists of the traffic regulations and improving parking behaviour.
10	Beach Road, Torbay	Request for bus stop on Beach Road, Torbay, to be moved.	During a presentation at the local board meeting on 15 March 2017 a resident asked that the bus stop on the Western side of Beach Road, Torbay, be moved closer to County Road, to improve visibility when entering and exiting the nearby car park, to allow spaces for two more car parks, and make it easier for residents of the aged care facility on County Road to access the bus stop. Referred to AT Metro for investigation and response.
11	Whangaparaoa Road, Whangaparaoa	Request for Express Bus Service along Whangaparaoa Road, Whangaparaoa.	AT a Hibiscus and Bays TIG meeting on 15 March 2017 a request was made for provision of an express bus service along Whangaparaoa Road. Referred to AT Metro for investigation and response.
12	Wade River Road, Whangaparaoa	Phasing of Lights at Wade River Road/Whangaparaoa Intersection, Whangaparaoa.	AT a Hibiscus and Bays TIG meeting on 15 March 2017 a request that the phasing of the signals at the Wade River Road /Whangaparaoa Road intersection be adjusted to provide priority to Whangaparaoa Road traffic was made. Referred to Route Optimisation.
13	Gulf Harbour Reserve, Whangaparaoa	Request for update on bike racks requests for the Gulf Harbour Reserve, Whangaparaoa	The local board previously requested the installation of bike racks at the Gulf Harbour Reserve in Whangaparaoa in February 2016 for use by ferry patrons and were advised that this location had been added to AT’s Bike Parking candidate register for consideration as part of developing the 2016/17 Bike Parking programme. At a TIG meeting on 15 March 2017 the local board requested an update on the timing of installation. Referred to Walking and Cycling for an update.
14	AT's Footpath List	Request for list of Hibiscus and Bays footpaths on AT's Footpath Priority List	At a Hibiscus and Bays Local Board TIG meeting on 15 March 2017 the identified list of footpaths on AT's footpath list within the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board area and their relevant priority on AT's list was requested. Referred to Walking and Cycling.

Gulf Harbour Ferry Services

11. At the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board business meetings in both February and March 2017 questions were raised about Gulf Harbour ferry services, focussing on the capacity of the current services and on requests for weekend services.

12. Responses to the issues raised were communicated to members on 22 March 2017. Specifically, they were advised that, whilst there had been significant disruption to services over the week prior to the 15 March 2017 meeting because of the torrential weather experienced across the region, the Ferry Services team had not been made aware of any passengers being left stranded. However, they were happy to investigate this matter further on receipt of advice about which particular sailings had been affected.

13. In response to a query as to how AT measures demand for ferry sailings, local board members were advised that demand for ferry sailings was based on several sources, including operator reported figures about customers left behind on sailings due to demand outstripping capacity, customer feedback, customer comment on social media, the quarterly Customer Satisfaction Survey independently undertaken on behalf AT, and elected member feedback. It was noted that the significant increase in services delivered in October 2016 had been reasonably successful, but had only delivered a real increase of approximately 5 to 7% in patronage on top of base growth, which had not been as high as anticipated. However, as part of the Request for Tender for the new Operating Contracts currently underway, AT had requested prices from the market for an increased level of services during Monday - Friday and an option of weekend services. This exercise will provide an insight into the likely cost of weekend service provision.

14. In response to the request for a trial weekend service over summer 2017/2018, members were advised that, whilst AT staff understood that there is a demand for weekend services, available funding is limited and it was therefore unlikely at this stage that such a trial will be possible.

Hibiscus Coast Busway Station construction underway

15. Auckland Transport recently began construction of Stage II of the new Hibiscus Coast Busway Station opposite Silverdale War Memorial Park.

16. When completed, the new carpark will feature 484 parking bays, with a further 127 parking bays (a total of 611 carparks) - awaiting resource consent approval. The existing temporary carpark will continue to be open to the public until the new carpark is ready in February 2018.

17. The following timeframes for the work are anticipated:

· March 2017 - Construction of car parks and related work began;

· June 2017 - Station building design;

· July 2017 - Consents lodgement for station building (new design);

· August 2017 - Consents approval (station building);

· October 2017 - Procurement for construction of bus station building;

· Nov 2017 - Tender award for construction of bus station;

· June 2018 - Completion of all physical works.

18. The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board has approved temporary parking adjacent to the former Nippon Judo Club building, on Hibiscus Coast Highway. While construction work is underway and parking on the grassed area is prohibited, commuters should consider using bus services 981, 982, 983, 984, 986, 987, 988, 991x and 992x for travel to and from the Hibiscus Coast bus station.

19. For more information visit https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/hibiscus-coast-busway-station.

Agreement on next steps for Auckland mass transit

20. The boards of the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and AT have reached an important accord on the next steps for mass transit in Auckland, agreeing that there will be a staged, integrated transition from bus to light rail transit from the airport to the city centre and that route protection for this gateway corridor between two of Auckland’s key growing employment areas will begin.

21. The agencies have agreed and confirmed through various studies that Dominion Road is the preferred route, acknowledging not only the importance of the Airport Precinct and the city centre, but the public transport access and connectivity that is needed along the route.

22. Further work will be carried out to assess key operational elements, required trade-offs, flow on effects, transition impacts and network resilience issues. In parallel, work will be undertaken to progress route protection of the south-eastern connection from the Airport to Manukau City Centre and east to Botany to ensure good connections to the airport and its surrounding employment zones.

23. NZTA and AT will work together with Auckland Council to determine an integrated approach that enables a progression from the current bus services and bus lanes, to improved bus services in the short-term. This will potentially be followed by higher capacity buses and a dedicated bus-mass-transit right-of-way, before a transition to light rail transit could occur.

24. The timing for this transition will be based on demand, capacity and funding, though immediate measures have been taken in the 2015-2018 National Land Transport Programme to deliver improved public transport solutions around the greater Airport area, supporting a package of short term improvements being developed to address urgent access issues and bringing the Auckland Transport Alignment Project to life. The parties involved are now in agreement that urgent action needs to be taken.

25. NZTA and AT will also continue to work with Auckland Council and Auckland International Airport Limited to jointly develop and implement a package of short term access improvements to the airport.

Auckland Transport Opens its books

26. Since it was established in 2010, AT has routinely published the details of all contracts valued over $50,000 on its website. As a publicly-funded body however, the organisation wants to be as transparent and accountable as possible so that threshold has now been dropped to zero.

27. Whilst there is a small additional administrative burden in releasing this sort of information, the Board of AT feels that this is worth it to allow more open scrutiny of its activities and to demonstrate a clear commitment to being open and accountable to the public.

28. The nature of some of AT's activities, such as property negotiations, means that sometimes information is commercially sensitive and involves third-party businesses or individuals. In those cases, and to protect the interests of ratepayers and taxpayers, they are dealt with confidentially. When the reason for that confidentiality no longer exists however, the material is routinely released and published on AT’s website.

AT Park phone application launched

29. AT’s phone application ‘AT Park’ has been introduced, offering users a range of benefits when parking on-street and improving AT’s customer experience by making it easier for them to pay for their on-street parking.

30. Customers using the system only pay for the time they use and no longer need pay-and-display tickets. They also receive a text reminder when their parking is due to expire and are able to view their parking transaction history at any time.

31. The application’s other features include an easy to use parking map detailing parking locations and prices, no transaction fees and, for registered HOP card users, the ability to pay using their MyAT account. It can be downloaded for use on Android and Apple mobile devices, with users registering for AT Park through the mobile app or via AT’s website.

32. Details about the options for paying for parking will be progressively installed on parking meters over the next few months, starting in the Kingsland area. There will also be a marketing campaign in April, with ambassadors promoting the service.

33. People will still be able to pay for their parking using a meter with cash, credit card or via text but as more people use AT Park, parking meters will gradually be thinned out and redeployed to new paid parking areas.

34. Further information on AT Park is available at: https://at.govt.nz/driving-parking/paying-for-parking/at-park/how-to-register-set-up-at-park.

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Free bike skills and maintenance sessions on offer

35. Auckland Transport is making it easy for Aucklanders to cycle by offering free bike skills and maintenance sessions around the city. The sessions, which are relaxed and practical, are entirely off the road and provide plenty of opportunity to learn and practice the basics.

36. Each session will include separate learn to ride instruction for anybody who has never ridden a bike, while other participants will practice changing gears, braking and bike control. A mechanic will also be present for those interested in learning about bike maintenance. No booking is needed but bikes are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

37. AT is now half way through its first three-year programme to build up the cycle network around Auckland. There are some great new cycleways and there has been a huge uptake in the number of people riding to work, to the shops and just for fun.

38. A session for North Shore residents will take place at Takapuna Primary School, Auburn Street, Takapuna on Sunday 30 April 2017, 10am to noon.

39. Sessions elsewhere in Auckland have included:

· Central Auckland - Adjacent to the Viaduct Events Centre, Halsey Street - Wednesday 5 April, 5.30pm to 7.30pm; and

· South Auckland - Mangere Community House, 141 Robertson Road, Mangere - Thursday, 13 April, 6pm to 8pm.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

40. The local board’s views will be considered during consultation on any proposed schemes.

Māori impact statement

41. No specific issues with regard to impacts on Maori are triggered by this report and any engagement with Maori will be carried out on an individual project basis.

Implementation

42. All proposed schemes are subject to prioritisation, funding and consultation.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Authors	Ellen Barrett – Elected Member Relationship Manager North, Auckland Transport
Authorisers	Jonathan Anyon - Manager,Elected Member Relationship Unit, Auckland Transport

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board

19 April 2017

2016 Elections - highlights and issues

File No.: CP2017/03294

Purpose

1. To provide local board input into submissions to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee’s “Inquiry into the 2016 local authority elections”.

Executive summary

2. This report has been presented to the governing body which has agreed that the report will be presented to all local boards for their feedback on submissions to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee’s “Inquiry into the 2016 local authority elections”. The issues on which submissions might be based are outlined under the heading later in the report “Submission to Justice and Electoral Select Committee on legislative change”. Local board comments will be reported back to the governing body, to decide the final form of the submission.

3. Planning for the 2016 elections commenced at the end of 2014. Staff presented a report to the governing body in March 2015, which set out the areas of focus for achieving outcomes in terms of voter and candidate experiences and turnout.

4. This report:

(i) describes initiatives taken in the areas of focus

(ii) evaluates the achievement of the outcomes

(iii) notes other activities associated with the election, such as inaugural meetings

(iv) summarises the budget and forecast expenditure

(v) identifies issues for the council to follow up

(vi) proposes submissions to make to Parliament’s Justice and Electoral Select Committee’s “Inquiry into the 2016 local authority elections”

(vii) outlines the timetable for the review of representation arrangements leading up to the 2019 elections.

5. The 2016 elections were successful. Particular highlights were:

(i) a successful marketing campaign based on the ‘showyourlove’ brand

(ii) innovative approaches to engaging with the community, including through social media, websites and the Love Bus

(iii) increased participation in Kids Voting

(iv) personal assistance provided to the visually impaired

(v) increased turnout over 2013

(vi) the elections came within budget.

6. This report is presented to local boards to provide input to a submission to the Select Committee, with the final submission presented back to the governing body in May 2017. The submission needs to be lodged by December 2017.

Recommendation/s

That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board:

a) agree its comments to be reported back to the governing body for inclusion in the Auckland Council’s submission to the Justice and Electoral Select Committee’s “Inquiry into the 2016 local authority elections”.

Comments

Strategic approach

7. A report to the governing body in March 2015 set out the strategic approach to the 2016 elections. It identified the following areas of focus:

· communications and community engagement

· candidate awareness

· on-line voting

· optimum use of council resources.

Those areas of focus were to deliver the following outcomes:

· an excellent experience for candidates and voters

· a voter turnout of at least 40 per cent

· a candidate-to-member ratio of three

· user-centric, innovative and transparent local body elections.

8. The following sections describe initiatives taken in these areas of focus and the achievement of the outcomes.

Actions taken in areas of focus

Communications and community engagement

9. Voter participation statistics showed that previous participation rates were low among 18 - 39 year olds and this age group was a key focus for the Election Planning Team.

10. Initiatives included:

· a comprehensive marketing campaign based on the “showyourlove” brand

· advertising – billboards, adshells, bus backs, press, magazine, radio, digital, ethnic radio and newspapers

· heart ballot boxes

· digital bus shelter voting tallies

· targeted social media: videos and articles via VoteAkl social media sites, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube

· “Our Auckland” council’s news channel

· Auckland Council channels for posters, such as libraries and service centres

· the Love Bus and community presentations

· showyourlove.co.nz web pages for information about candidates

· Kids Voting programme in schools.

11. The Election Team tested the “showyourlove” brand with audiences. Feedback, particularly from young people, has been very positive. Wellington City Council also developed its own brand, using our ‘love’ concept. Auckland Council and Wellington City Council experienced greater increases over 2013 turnouts than other metropolitan councils.

12. The Love Bus provided a visual reminder of the elections. It stopped at various locations where people gathered, such as at malls, and staff engaged with passers-by.

13. An engagement programme included making presentations to community groups:

· 80 events including: 22 Love Bus events, 11 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) events, 22 community presentations (total attendance at these presentations was approximately 800), three meetings or informal chats, five5 information stalls

· 10 of these events were run in conjunction with the Electoral Commission

· sessions were facilitated by the deaf community, Disability Network NZ, Tongan and Samoan churches and Korean Youth Leadership Institute independent of council support

· 24 engagement sessions included an interpreter for at least one language; interpreters for eight different languages, including New Zealand sign language, were used

· groups reached included faith communities (Jewish, Muslim), Rainbow communities, Youth, Korean, Chinese, African, Indian, Tongan, Samoan, Sri Lankan, Somalian, Ethiopian, Rwandan, Filipino, West Indian, Burmese, Cambodian and Japanese

· all advisory panels contributed to the elections programme

· engagement activities and events were run in 15 of the 21 local board areas

· approximately 24,000 Aucklanders were reached by engagement activities.

14. The showyourlove.co.nz website provided information about candidates for voters. People often state, when asked in surveys, the reason they do not vote is they lack information about candidates. This website was planned very carefully to ensure that council did not provide any candidate with an electoral advantage. All candidates were given the same opportunity to provide information in addition to the information in their candidate profile statements.

15. A survey conducted after the 2016 elections gauged the effectiveness of these initiatives. The sample size was 1,259 people.

16. Awareness and likelihood of voting:

· awareness of the elections rose from 83 per cent before the campaign to 93 per cent following the campaign

· before the election, 75 per cent intended to vote but after the election only 63 per cent (of the survey sample) actually voted

· of the 35 per cent who did not vote, 56 per cent intended to vote but did not

· reasons given for not voting by the 35 per cent who did not vote include:

o don’t know anything about the candidates (25 per cent)

o don't know enough about the policies (22 per cent)

o did not know when voting finished, missed deadline (18 per cent)

o forgot to vote (18 per cent)

o can't work out who to vote for (16 per cent)

o not interested in politics or politicians (14 per cent)

o didn’t think vote would make a difference (11 per cent)

o couldn’t be bothered voting (11 per cent)

o too much effort to select the candidate (10 per cent)

o had other commitments during that time (10 per cent).

17. Effectiveness of messaging:

· 53 per cent said the ads made them think of their community

· 44 per cent said the ads reminded them of what they love about their city

· 46 per cent said the ads made them more likely to vote.

18. 21 per cent used the web and social media for information about the elections – mostly the Auckland Council website.

19. Of those who intended to vote but did not vote, 25 per cent said on-line or app based voting would encourage them to vote.

20. 74 per cent said they would prefer on-line voting over postal voting with 18 per cent preferring postal voting; those who preferred on-line voting were spread amongst all age groups but were mainly in the younger age groups.

21. The Kids Voting programme was an on-line voting experience for students. Students cannot legally take part in the actual election, but Kids Voting creates awareness of the elections which often flows from the participating students to their families. The Election Team prepared teaching kits class teachers could use to explain how council works. There was a hypothetical referendum question that students voted on using the STV voting system. 11,730 students and 56 schools registered to take part, compared with 8,319 students and 44 schools in 2013. 4,748 students from 41 schools actually voted. The lessons provided to the schools by the Election Team were:

· an introduction to Auckland Council

· an introduction to elections and voting

· a real world on-line referendum case study

· local boards, wards and local issues

· researching candidates.

Candidate awareness of election information

22. The council’s website provided information for candidates. This included:

· candidate information handbook

· candidate audio booklet

· FAQs

· research material

· how to be nominated

· election timetable

· video explaining Auckland Council

· posters on all Auckland Council channels

· ads in newspapers

· radio

· digital ads.

23. The Election Team focused on on-line content over hard copy booklets. It did not hold candidate information evenings following the experience in 2013 of twenty-eight information evenings gathering only small attendance.

24. Wellington City Council publicised community-based candidate meetings on its website which people apparently found useful. The council could consider this for 2019.

On-line voting

25. Prior to the elections, the Associate Minister of Local Government announced that trials for on-line voting would not take place for the 2016 elections.

26. The community expects to have an on-line option, provided concerns about the security of on-line voting are addressed. In the post-election awareness survey, 74 per cent said they would prefer on-line voting over postal voting.

27. The Finance and Performance Committee resolved in December 2016 to request the Minister of Local Government to explore a pilot trial of an electronic voting system including for by-elections.

Optimum use of council resources

28. Key areas of the council involved in the elections were:

· Democracy Services and Communications and Engagement

· libraries and service centres held election information, received nominations and issued special votes

· communications staff undertook advertising, branding, web content, social media with assistance from the design studio

· bylaws compliance staff enforced the Auckland Transport Elections Signs Bylaw

· Legal Services provided legal advice when required

· Research and Evaluation (RIMU) staff provided advice on demographic data and undertook research for the report on the order of names.

29. Elections planning staff worked closely with the Electoral Commission, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and the Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM).

30. Council’s election services provider (Independent Election Services Ltd) was based in the central business area, in Anzac Avenue, and was the main central city office. Staff later provided limited services at the Bledisloe service centre in response to demand.

Achievement of outcomes

31. The desired outcomes were:

· an excellent experience for candidates and voters

· a voter turnout of at least 40 per cent

· a candidate-to-member ratio of three

· user-centric, innovative and transparent local body elections.

Candidate experience

32. For the first time, the council conducted an on-line survey of candidates. 150 candidates took part. This feedback shows a positive candidate experience.

33. Key findings were:

· 76 per cent said it was easy, or very easy, to find information

· 88 per cent said that overall they could access the information they needed

· 87 per cent said they used resources on the Auckland Council website

· 83 per cent were aware of the “Love your Auckland – stand for council” campaign

· 80 per cent contributed to their information on the showyourlove.co.nz website

· 50 per cent said this was their first time standing for elected office with Auckland Council and 50 per cent said it was not their first time.

34. The Election Team has noted some candidate issues for following up or improvement:

(i) a couple of candidates were nominated for positions for which they did not intend to stand. In one case a number of candidates on the one ticket arrived at a service centre together, creating increased demand on staff at the last minute. In the future, the Election Team will co-ordinate with ticket campaign managers to help manage the processing of nominations and will provide additional briefings to staff helping at service centres. Legislative change to allow electronic submission of nominations to improve these processes will be sought

(ii) there was a question whether a Samoan matai title could be used on the nomination form. The legislation prohibits “titles” but does not define “title”. The Electoral Officer, after receiving legal and cultural advice, allowed matai “titles” on the basis they were used more like names than titles. It would be helpful to have legislative guidance on this

(iii) some candidates expressed concern about the requirement to state in the profile statement whether they lived in the area for which they were standing. The council previously submitted in opposition to this requirement.

Voter experience

35. The awareness survey showed that voters used on-line tools to find out about voting and about candidates.

36. Issues which negatively affected the experience of voters (some outside the control of council):

(i) a small number of voters in one area did not receive voting documents. The Electoral Officer received about 90 applications for special votes from voters in that area

(ii) voters outside the area during the voting period either could not vote or had to apply for a special vote. An example was a voter who was overseas and who had arranged for a special vote to be posted to them but who could not meet the deadline for posting it back from overseas. An ability to supply the voting documents electronically would assist

(iii) an issue which continues to affect the voter experience is the mixture of different voting systems on the one voting document and different orders of candidate names.

37. Ten staff volunteered to assist blind people with their voting. This was arranged in partnership with the Blind Foundation and the volunteers were trained and made declarations as electoral officials. The volunteers visited voters at their residences and help them mark their voting documents. The Auckland Branch of Blind Citizens NZ wrote an appreciative letter to the mayor and chief executive.

Voter turnout

38. The council aimed for a 40 per cent turnout. The turnout was 38.5 per cent, an increase of 3.7 per cent over the 2013 turnout.

39. Across all of New Zealand, there was a slight increase over 2013:

2010

2013

2016

Change

National voter turnout %

49.0

41.3

42.0

+0.7

40. Across metropolitan councils, Auckland and Wellington achieved the two highest increases:

Voter turnout % - Metro	2010	2013	2016	Change %
Auckland	51.0	34.9	38.5	+3.7
Christchurch City	52.2	42.9	38.3	-4.6
Dunedin City	53.0	43.1	45.2	+2.1
Hamilton City	37.8	38.3	33.6	-4.7
Hutt City Council	40.4	36.6	37.8	+1.2
Nelson City	52.2	52.2	52.1	-0.1
Palmerston North City	43.2	38.7	39.1	0.4
Porirua City	39.1	36.6	38.0	+1.5
Tauranga City	43.8	37.8	38.0	+0.2
Upper Hutt City	44.3	40.8	41.0	+0.2
Wellington City	40.0	41.5	45.6	+4.1
Total	45.0	38.0	39.3	+1.3

Candidate to member ratio

41. The target was three candidates per position.

42. There were 19 candidates for mayor. In 10 out of 13 electoral ward issues for councillors, the ratio of candidates to positions was 3 to 1, or greater.

43. There were 32 local board electoral issues (there are 21 local boards but elections in some local board areas are on a subdivision basis). In nine, the ratio of candidates to positions was 3 to 1 or greater. For a local board that is not divided into subdivisions, it is harder to achieve the ratio because the number of positions is greater.

44. Overall, there were 468 candidates for 170 positions, which is a ratio of 2.8 to 1.

User-centric, innovative and transparent local body elections

45. The key ‘users’ in an election are the candidates and the voters. Feedback shows:

· candidates got the information they needed

· compared to previous elections voters could find out more about candidates, through the “showyourlove” website

46. Assistance was provided to voters who were blind. Blind Citizens NZ communicated its appreciation back to the council.

47. The report details above a number of innovative activities such as the Love Bus and Heart Ballot Boxes.

48. Aspirations to have on-line voting were not met. There is a need to provide a user-friendly option for voters who do not use postal services. Voters who are not in the area during the voting period also have issues. If a voter is overseas, by the time voting documents have been posted to them (if they have a reliable postal address) there is not sufficient time to post them back. The ability to download blank forms, and to scan and email completed forms, should be investigated.

49. For candidates, there is only the one option of paper-based nomination forms. Submitting nominations electronically needs to be investigated.

50. The communications and community awareness programmes were innovative and received positive feedback, as noted above under “Communications and Community Engagement”.

51. Ensuring candidates and voters had sufficient information assisted the transparency of the elections.

Other activities relating to the elections

52. The Executive Leadership Team adopted a staff policy around political neutrality and involvement in the election process outside of work hours. The governing body adopted an elected members’ policy dealing with issues such as the use of council resources by incumbent members. The policy required close management of council communications during the sensitive period and a panel met weekly to monitor this.

53. Council staff enforce the Auckland Transport Election Sign Bylaw and dealt with 162 complaints. Earlier in the year there was media coverage about the use of commercial billboards. This will be addressed in a review of the Auckland Transport bylaw.

54. Following each election there are a number of activities arranged for elected members:

(i) induction sessions for members

(ii) refreshing the technology provided to members

(iii) powhiri for all members

(iv) inaugural meetings of the governing body and the local boards at which members make their statutory declarations.

Cost of the election

55. Summary of budget and expenditure:

Budget	Planned	Actual (at 31/01/17)	Forecast	Comments
Election Services - IES	$4,893,000	$4,515,500	$4,653,490	Amount payable to IES as per contract plus a 10 per cent buffer for variable costs to be determined at wash-up in Feb ’17, Whilst costs are currently forecast to arrive over contract amount, these are expected to be within budget (including buffer).
Communications & Engagement (internal charge)	$1,221,000	$1,160,960	$1,221,498	Expected to meet budget once final costs are confirmed.
Staff	$620,000	$659,637	$669,637	Slight over-spend in staff due to increased programme scope and staff turnover.
Kids Voting	$50,000	$49,424	$49,424	Steering Group approved exceeding budget for increased number of participating schools and students. This includes $30,000 for IES for on-line voting capability.
Community Engagement	$40,000	$27,441	$27,441	Initial Elections budget had no allocation for Community Engagement hence in 2016 $40k was reallocated from other items. Under-spend here due to final budget being confirmed after a lower cost engagement schedule was already planned. $10k for translations and accessibility was covered by C&E budget.
Governing Body Inaugural Meeting	$57,000	$49,661	$52,697	Initial budget had allocated $81,000 for post-election costs of which specifics were not known to Elections team. This was reduced to cover Inaugural Meeting only and then further to fund Community Engagement. In 2013, Inaugural Meeting cost was $57,000.
Local board inaugural meetings	$129,300	$97,921	$129,300	The budgets for travel and equipment hireage were not fully utilised.
Research	$20,000	$6,404	$8,700	This amount was reduced from $30,000 to fund Community Engagement.
Pre-election IES, DDB & Buzz	$0	$48,980	$48,980	Unplanned costs for development of elections strategy were funded by Democracy Services in 2015.
Miscellaneous	$0	$9,244	$9,244	Includes judicial recount, costs associated with services at libraries and service centres, other programme-wide costs and office expenses.
Recoveries - DHBs & LTs	-$1,500,000	-$622,500	-$1,517,964	Full recoverable amount will be determined at wash-up in February 2017. Current estimates expect to meet planned amount.
Total	$5,530,300	$6,002,672	$5,352,447	Overall budget under-spend expected once wash-up is confirmed in February 2017.

56. The costs of the Howick by-election ($104,000) will be absorbed in the budget if possible.

Issues to progress further

Howick by-election

57. A member of the Howick Local Board resigned at the inaugural meeting of the board. The council held a by-election at a cost of $104,000, which the Finance and Performance Committee has approved as unbudgeted expenditure. The committee considered the council should have the option of appointing to a vacancy that occurs within six months of an election and that the council should have the option of conducting a by-election on-line. The committee resolved:

“That the Finance and Performance Committee:

…

c) agree that the Mayor will write to the Minister of Local Government requesting, among other amendments to the Local Electoral Act 2001 necessary to improve the conduct of local elections, an amendment to section 117 to allow a local authority using the first past the post electoral system to determine by resolution whether to fill an extraordinary vacancy which occurs up to six months after the previous triennial local government election either by appointing the highest polling unsuccessful candidate from the previous triennial local government election, or by holding a by-election.

d) request the Minister of Local Government to explore a pilot-trial of an electronic voting system including by-elections.”

(Resolution number FIN/2016/1)

58. Both of these issues are discussed further in this report.

On-line voting

59. Survey results show the community prefers on-line voting. The government previously established a working party which made recommendations for a staged approach with trials in 2016. The government supported this and set out the requirements to be met for a council to establish a trial. Auckland Council was considered to be too large for a trial and was not eligible. In April 2016 the Associate Minister of Local Government announced the trial would not proceed as requirements had not been met.

60. The government wants local government to lead on-line voting, subject to its requirements being met. LGNZ should co-ordinate the local government sector’s development of on-line voting and Mayor Goff and Councillor Hulse will be pursuing this with the Local Government New Zealand National Council.

Voter participation

61. In order to prepare for the 2019 elections a voter participation project has been established. The main aims of the project are to reduce barriers to participation, encourage diversity and increase awareness and understanding of council and local elections.

62. The planning team for the 2016 elections has now completed its task and has been disbanded, however a position of Senior Advisor, Voter Participation, has been established within Democracy Services to provide continuity between the work that was carried out for the 2016 elections and the engagement that needs to occur for the 2019 elections.

Research on order of names

63. An analysis of the 2010 and 2013 election results was undertaken so that the council could decide whether the order of names on voting documents should be alphabetical or random. Further research will be undertaken and provided to the council when it next makes a decision on the order of names.

Review of Auckland Transport Election Signs Bylaw

64. Auckland Transport has undertaken to review the bylaw. The review will take place in time for implementation for the 2017 parliamentary election.

Submission to Justice and Electoral Select Committee on legislative change

65. The Justice and Electoral Select Committee conduct an enquiry following each election. Submissions on the inquiry into the 2016 elections will close in December 2017.

66. This report seeks input from local boards for the submission, particularly on the following issues. A proposed submission will be reported to the governing body later in 2017.

(i) Matai names

The Local Electoral Act 2001 prohibits the use of official titles when listing candidate names on the voting document. Names that can be used include a registered name or a name by which the candidate has been commonly known for the six months prior to an election. Although sometimes referred to as ‘matai titles’, legal advice provided to staff is that these are more in the nature of names than of a title denoting the holding of some sort of office. To avoid doubt, the legislation should give guidance.

(ii) Vacancies occurring within six months of an election

Since the 2016 elections were held, three vacancies have occurred – Auckland (resignation of local board member), Bay of Plenty Regional Council (death) and Waikato Regional Council (death). When considering the budget for the Howick by-election, the governing body resolved to seek a law change allowing a local authority using the first past the post electoral system to appoint the highest polling unsuccessful candidate to a vacancy occurring within six months of an election.

(iii) Legal requirement for candidate to state whether residing in area

Some candidates complained about this requirement. The council has previously submitted in opposition to it and may consider doing so again. Following the 2013 elections, the select committee recommended that the requirement be removed and noted that candidates for parliamentary elections did not have to make a similar statement. However, it has not yet been removed.

(iv) Timing of school holidays

The school holidays overlap with the postal voting period. Many people go out of the area during school holidays and do not vote. Currently local government elections are on the second Saturday in October. Moving election day to the first Saturday in October would provide one week before election day that would not overlap with school holidays. This still gives time to adopt the annual report and it provides an additional week between the elections and the end of the year for the new council to attend to business, such as a draft annual plan.

(v) Electronic transmission of voting documents to and from voters overseas

Voters who are overseas during the postal voting period often do not have enough time to post back voting documents prior to election day, after receiving their voting documents in the post. The select committee has previously recommended electronic transmission. The government has supported sending blank voting documents electronically but has opposed the return of completed votes electronically. On-line voting would also solve this issue.

(vi) Electoral Officer to have access to the supplementary roll

The processing of special votes relies on the Electoral Commission checking that voters are on the electoral roll. If the Electoral Officer (EO) had access to the supplementary roll, the EO could do this, with the potential to speed up the counting of special votes. This has previously been supported by the select committee and the government.

(vii) Access to data associated with electoral roll

It is a concern that local government election turnouts are low. Having access to statistical data associated with the electoral roll, such as age groups of electors, would be helpful when planning election awareness campaigns. Currently the Electoral Act only allows this information to be supplied for research into scientific or health matters.

(viii) Electronic nominations and candidate profile statements.

The option to submit nominations electronically would benefit the candidate experience and it would lead to more accurate representation of candidate profile statements. Currently there are over 600 profile statements to be typed, from copy supplied by candidates, and then proof-read. Occasionally this leads to mistakes.

(ix) Legislative confirmation that local authorities may promote elections

Legislation should give a clear mandate to local authorities to promote elections. This is to avoid any uncertainty about public funds being used for election promotion purposes.

(x) Time period for printing electoral rolls

Electoral rolls were not printed in time for the start of candidate nominations because the legislated time period is too short. Extend time period for printing. This corrects a previous change to timeframes which shortened the time for printing the rolls.

(xi) Electronic access to electoral rolls for election staff

When processing candidate nominations, staff at service centres need to check whether nominators are on the electoral roll for the specified area. They may only have one hard-copy version to share between staff processing nominations for different candidates. It would be more efficient to access the current roll electronically.

(xii) Close of voting time

Extend voting later into the last day and create one full 'voting day'. The Electoral Officer received 18,000 votes on the Saturday morning via our ballot boxes. Extra time on the final Saturday would give voters more time to vote and could help turn the final Saturday into a voting day celebration.

(xiii) Discourage inappropriate use of elections

There were 19 candidates for mayor. Clearly some of these had no chance of being elected but presumably used the opportunity to promote their cause. Consideration could be given as whether this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

(xiv) Separation of District Health Boards elections.

A variety of election issues on the one voting document together with different voting systems and ordering of names confuses voters. It would be better to hold District Health Boards elections on a separate time, for example a separate year, or with the parliamentary elections. However, this would increase the cost of an election to Auckland Council, which currently receives $1.5 million in recoveries from DHBs and Licensing Trusts.

(xv) Candidate information in different languages

Candidate profile statements are limited to 150 words. If a candidate profile statement is provided in English and Māori, then each version may have 150 words as Māori is an official language. If a candidate profile statement includes English and a language other than Māori it is limited to 150 words in total. Consideration could be given to other options for candidates to provide information in languages relevant to their constituents.

(xvi) Consistency between Electoral Regulations and Local Electoral Regulations

The Electoral Regulations include provisions that would be helpful to local elections such as:

· Telephone dictation for voters with disabilities

· Receipt of special votes electronically.

(xvii) Relationship with Electoral Commission

Some voters, confused about who was responsible for running the council elections, contacted the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission typically referred callers to the council and enquirers ended up calling the council call centre only to be referred on to Independent Election Services. There should be consideration to jointly promoting awareness about who enquirers should contact with queries about local elections. This does not require a legislative change but could be implemented through Local Government New Zealand.

Timetable for 2019 elections

Electoral system

67. If the council wishes to change the electoral system from First Past the Post to Single Transferable Vote, a resolution is required by 12 September 2017. Such a resolution might then be subject to a petition for a poll. Alternatively the council could conduct a poll.

Māori wards

68. If the council wishes to establish Māori wards, a resolution is required by 23 November 2017. Such a resolution might then be subject to a petition for a poll. Alternatively the council could conduct a poll.

Review of representation arrangements

69. The council is required to review:

· whether the election of councillors is on a ward basis or at large and, for each local board, whether election of board members is on a subdivision basis or at large

· the number of members in each local board within a minimum of five and a maximum of twelve

· if there are wards or subdivisions, what the boundaries are and how many members there are in each

· the names of wards, subdivisions and local boards.

70. Unlike other councils, the council cannot review the number of members of the governing body because the legislation sets this at 20 members.

71. The statutory timetable for the review is:

a) Due dates	b) Requirement
c) No earlier than 1 March 2018	d) A council resolution setting out the council’s initial proposal
e) Within 14 days of resolution but no later than 8 September 2018	f) Public notice of the resolution, providing at least one month for submissions
g) Within 6 weeks of close of submissions	h) The initial proposal may be amended after considering submissions. i) Public notice of the final proposal
j) 20 December 2018	k) Appeals from those who submitted on the initial proposal and fresh objections to any amendments are received
l) 15 January 2019	m) Appeals and objections are forwarded to the Local Government Commission
n) 11 April 2019	o) Appeals and objections are determined by the Local Government Commission, which may conduct hearings in order to do this

72. The review will be conducted as one component of the wider governance framework review reported to the governing body last December. The governing body established a political working party comprising seven governing body members and seven local board members.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

73. The report is being presented to all local boards for their feedback, before being presented back to the governing body to finalise a submission to the select committee.

Māori impact statement

74. Initiatives that encourage the community to engage with elections will have a positive impact on Māori. There are activities associated with elections that are particularly significant to mana whenua, such as the pōwhiri to welcome all elected members following the elections.

75. The candidate survey asked candidates to identify their ethnicities. Ten per cent of candidates were Māori, compared to nine per cent of the total Auckland population. As a result of the election, seven per cent of elected members are Māori (115 of 170 elected members replied to the survey).

76. There will be an opportunity to consider the establishment of Māori wards for the 2019 elections.

Implementation

77. This report will be presented to local boards for their feedbacks, to be included in a report back to the governing body so that the governing body can finalise its submission to the select committee.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Authors

Warwick McNaughton - Principal Advisor - Democracy Services

Authorisers

Marguerite Delbet - General Manager Democracy Services

Lesley Jenkins - Relationship Manager

Chairperson	Julia Parfitt, JP
Deputy Chairperson	Janet Fitzgerald, JP
Members	Chris Bettany
	David Cooper
	Gary Holmes
	Caitlin Watson
	Vicki Watson
	Mike Williamson

Name and Location of Land/Facility	Oaktree Kindergarten, Oaktree Reserve Browns Bay Taiaotea Kindergarten, Freyburg Park Rangitoto Kindergarten, Hythe Reserve
Name of the Community it serves	Browns Bay, Mairangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Campbells Bay and the wider East Coast Bays regional area
Local Board Area	Hibiscus & Bays
Name of Community Group	Northern Auckland Free Kindergarten Association Incorporated
Postal Address	P.O.Box 35223 Browns Bay Auckland 0753
Contact person	Kenny Halliday, General Manager
Name of Community Lease Advisor	Yusuf Khan

Authors	Vivienne Sullivan - Local Board Democracy Advisor
Authorisers	Lesley Jenkins - Relationship Manager