Agenda of Howick Local Board - 11 December 2017

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

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

9.1 Public Forum - Transport 5

10 Extraordinary Business 6

11 Notices of Motion 6

12 Chairperson's Report 7

13 Councillor Update 9

14 Auckland Transport Update - December 2017 11

15 Howick Quick Response Round One 2017/2018 grant applications 31

16 Howick Information Service Review 2017 51

17 New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Jim Rolfe at 38 Colmar Road, Mellons Bay 111

18 New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Leading Developments Limited at 443A Ormiston Road, Flat Bush. 115

19 New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Aklander Investment Ltd at 83 Thomas Road, Flat Bush 119

20 Mangemangeroa Reserve & Valley Walkway - Concept Plan Development 123

21 Endorsement of the Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study 129

22 Revising the local board Standing Orders 133

23 Decision making allocation 211

24 10-year Budget 2018-2028 consultation 229

25 Local board feedback on rates remission and postponement policy review 237

26 Urgent Decisions - Howick Village Business Association and The Howick & District Historical Society Grant Applications and Amendment of the Auckland Transport Election Signs Bylaw 271

27 Governance Forward Work Calendar 303

28 Workshop Records 307

29 Consideration of Extraordinary Items

PUBLIC EXCLUDED

30 Procedural Motion to Exclude the Public 321

25 Local board feedback on rates remission and postponement policy review

d. List of all community and sporting remissions by local board area 321

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 Howick Local Board:

a) confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Monday, 20 November 2017, 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 Howick 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.

9.1 Public Forum - Transport

Purpose

1. Dorothy Brockett would like the opportunity to speak to the board on transport.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

Thank Dorothy Brockett for her attendance.

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

There were no notices of motion.

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Auckland Transport Update - December 2017

File No.: CP2017/25191

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to; respond to requests on transport-related matters, provide an update on the current status of Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF), provide a summary of consultation material sent to the Board and, provide transport related information on matters of specific application and interest to the Howick Local Board (HLB) and its community.

Executive summary

2. A decision is not required this month but the report contains information about the following matters:

· A response to the ‘Resolutions’ made by the HLB in November 2017.

· A Local Board Transport Capital Fund update.

· Auckland Transport projects that are being delivered in Howick.

· Attachments include a register of local issues and media releases specific to the Howick area.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) note the Auckland Transport Update – November 2017 report.

Comments

Response to Resolutions

3. The Resolution is recorded below in bold. Auckland Transport’s response is below the Resolution in normal font

Resolution Number HW/2017/181

b) request Auckland Transport delay the changes to school bus services for a period of at least 6 months to allow for a more comprehensive consultation process with schools and the community and to consider alternatives to any proposed public transport options.

c) request Auckland Transport set up an urgent meeting with the Howick Pakuranga Principals Association to engage in consultation regarding the proposed school bus changes

d) request Auckland Transport consider consequential impacts of removing school bus routes such as increased congestion, pollution etc.

4. After considering this request and feedback from the community about proposed changes to school bus services. Auckland Transport released a statement on 21 November 2017 acknowledging the concerns of the both the HLB and the community, and stating that Auckland Transport could have done a better job in engaging with them earlier.

5. After hearing the concerns Auckland Transport proposed to modify plans and reinstate buses for two schools, Howick Intermediate and Our Lady Star of the Sea, which previously were having services withdrawn completely. Auckland Transport also offered to alter a school bus route to better serve Botany Downs Primary.

6. Auckland Transport has started making contact verbally (and in writing) with all schools checking that they are aware of the changes and have relayed this information to parents.

7. At the time this report was written the situation can be summarised as follows:

· There are 41 schools in East Auckland that have been advised of the changes to the public transport network, 17 of which are subject to school bus changes. Ten schools within central Auckland are also affected by these changes, some of which are ‘destination’ schools (i.e. special character schools that people commute to). A total of 51 schools

· Prior to these ‘Resolutions’ being made Howick Intermediate, Botany Downs Primary and Our Lady Star of the Sea had contacted Auckland Transport and services have either been re-instated or modified

· Sacred Heart, Baradene and Somerville Intermediate were identified at or after the ‘Resolutions’ were made and Auckland Transport is working with these schools.

o Sacred Heart Deputy Principal has been contacted and we are in discussion about the services and any required changes.

o Baradene have contracted Coachways to operate all existing school services so there will be no change to the services currently provided. These services also effect Epsom Girls Grammar, Diocesan and St Cuthberts.

o Somerville Intermediate Principal was visited by AT staff, who observed the bus operations after school, and they are investigating any required changes to the original proposal.

8. With regard to the request for a blanket six-month delay Auckland Transport is taking a flexible approach. If for instance a school does not have issues with a proposed change or sees the logic behind them, then it would be economically imprudent to wait for six months to deliver the changes. The approach Auckland Transport is taking, is to work on a case-by-case basis with schools and be flexible within the constraints of funding and contractual arrangements.

9. In addition, Auckland Transport is holding eleven information events over November/December providing an opportunity for parents to speak to officials in person. Auckland Transport has also contacted the Howick Principal’s Association.

10. Details about changes are available at https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/timetables/school-timetables/east-auckland-school-bus-changes/

11. In summary Auckland Transport has listened to the HLB and its community and has amended this project to try and better balance the needs of people who use school buses with the wider benefits to ratepayers of increasing public transport efficiency. The process will take time and will incur unplanned costs. We are engaging with people via schools because it is the only pragmatic way to engage directly with school bus users. It is also important to state that even after re-engaging there will be some people that are unhappy. The Howick Local Board and the community need to be aware that meeting every person’s individual ‘wants’ may not be possible but that Auckland Transport’s commitment is to work with schools (as representatives of school communities) to develop workable and sensible solutions that can be delivered.

Eastern New Network

12. The Eastern New Network is a public transport plan that will simplify bus routes across Howick. Simplification increases reliability and the number of buses servicing each individual route. When the Eastern New Network is in service people will be able to use regular, reliable bus services to either get to their final destination or to access trains or ferries with which to complete their journeys.

13. In late November and early December, the main focus of Auckland Transport was getting information to the community. Auckland Transport took the following steps to ensure that the public knows what was happening:

· Posting out approx. 75,000 information flyers

· Radio advertising

· Media advertising

· Nine public open days

· Deploying ambassadors to key bus and train stoops to tell people about the plan.

14. Auckland Transport has had to manage community concerns about school bus route changes. This issue is discussed in detail earlier in the report.

15. The Eastern New Network went live on 10 December 2017 and in coming days Auckland Transport staff will be working hard to manage any issues. During the initial stage of the ‘roll out’ senior staff locate themselves in Manukau able to directly intervene and deal with problems. A large number of staff are deployed across the area to help people at transport centres and our call centre is well briefed.

16. In coming months Auckland Transport will provide reports back to the HLB about the ‘roll out’. Later as the network ‘beds in’ we will have good information about the effectiveness of the project. In other areas the New Network has increased patronage.

Local board transport capital fund (LBTCF) update.

17. The LBTCF is a capital budget provided to all Local Boards by Auckland Council and delivered by Auckland Transport. Local Boards can use this fund to deliver projects that they believe are important but are not part of Auckland Transport’s work programme. The limitations being that the project must:

· Be safe

· Not impede network efficiency

· Be in the road corridor. Although projects running through parks can be considered if there is a transport outcome.

HLB’s funding in this term is approx. $ 2.9 million.

18. Auckland Transport encourages all Local Board’s to identify potential projects as early as possible to ensure delivery within the current electoral term.

Projects

19. Early in this electoral term the HLB started identifying possible projects and planning workshops have been held and reported on previously.

20. The current progress of all projects is summarised in the table below:

Table 2: Local Board Transport Capital Fund Projects

Projects	Current Status	Problem or Opportunity Being Addressed	Current Status
Half Moon Bay Ferry Pier and Bus Turnaround		Providing better facilities for ferry passengers at Half Moon Bay.	‘Rough Order of Cost’ requested by the HLB in 2013. ‘Detailed Design’ was authorised by HLB in October 2014. ‘Construction’ The pier is complete and was opened on 7 April 2017. The project is delayed but consent for the bus turnaround is issued, tender negotiations are being undertaken and work is expected to start in January 2018.
Buckland’s Beach Walkway Improvements		Providing safer pedestrian facilities at Buckland Beach.	This project has had a long history with and initial ‘Rough Order of Cost’ of between $1.5 and 2.1 million provided to the HLB. The project has evolved in a number of stages: · 14 July 2014 – Detailed design of a small initial project authorised by resolution · 8 June 2015 – The HLB expanded the project to include detailed design for a project running the length of ‘The Parade’ · 13 July 2015 Concept design reported to the HLB · Late in 2016 the project as discussed with the community. The design was broken down into ten separate elements detailed in February 2017’s report · A result of the consultation was that on 26 April 2017 the HLB requested investigation of two projects identified during consultation. ‘Rough Order of Cost’ reported in August 2017 · Improved pedestrian facilities and one-way options on The Parade – Approx. $ 80,000 · A roundabout at the intersection of Buckland Beach and Whitcombe Roads – Approx. $ 450,000 ‘Firm Cost Estimate’: was authorised at the May Howick Local Board meeting.
Howick Village Centre Plan		Supporting improvements to Howick Village that will make it nicer, safer and more pedestrian friendly.	‘Rough Order of Cost’ requested by the HLB in October 2017.
Cascades Walkway		Building a footpath on Cascade Road that will provide access under the bridge on the western edge of the golf course to the walking track that follows the stream.	‘Rough Order of Cost’. The HLB accepted the option with the Rough Order of Cost of $225,000. ‘Firm Estimate of Cost’: development of a ‘Firm Cost Estimate’ was authorised in June 2017.
Notes: A ‘traffic light’ code is used to summarize the status of projects. The colours are used as follows: Green – Project progressing ‘on time’ and on budget. Orange – An issue has been identified that may need to be resolved. Red - An major issue has been identified that needs to be resolved Black – The project has been investigated and the HLB has decided not to pursue it at this time.

Half Moon Bay Ferry Terminal Update

21. Building a new ferry pier and bus turn around area at Half Moon Bay was HLB’s key Local Board Transport Capital Fund Project in the 2013-16 term. While the ferry pier is complete and operating, the overall project has not progressed as predicted. However, things are now back on trackwith ‘resource consent’ being issued for the bus turnaround area.

22. Tender negotiations are currently underway and construction is planned to start in January.

Bucklands Beach Update

23. Auckland Transport is currently conducting detailed design work for two projects in Bucklands Beach:

· Improved pedestrian facilities and one-way options on The Parade

· A roundabout at the intersection of Buckland Beach and Whitcombe Roads.

24. Design work continues to progress but at the time this report was submitted had not advanced significantly from the report provided on 20 November 2017. A verbal brief will be provided at the meeting.

Cascade Road Update

25. The first phase of this project, looking at options was almost complete when this report was being written. Three options for developing a route from Cascade Road to the walkway by the stream will be discussed with the HLB in December 2017 or January 2018.

26. The HLB will provide formal feedback about their preferred option by ‘Resolution’ which will confirm the option that will move to the next stage of the design process.

Upcoming projects and activities

Consultations

27. Auckland Transport provides the HLB with the opportunity to comment on transport projects being delivered in this Local Board Area.

28. In this reporting period, two projects were put forward for comment by the HLB and details are included in Attachment A.

29. Traffic Control Committee (TCC) decisions from October are included in the table below.

Table 3: Traffic Control Committee Decisions October 2017

Street	Area	Work	Decision
Bradbury Road, Aviemore Road	Highland Park	Nsaat, Lane Arrow Markings, Angle Parking, P10, P60, Bus Stop, Give-Way, Flush Median, Edge Line	Carried
Brookview Drive, Haddington Drive, Kerryheel Drive, Killarney Drive	Flatbush	Nsaat, Give-Way Controlled Roundabout, Traffic Island, Flush Median	Carried
Fortunes Road	Half Moon Bay	Nsaat, Bus Stop, Bus Shelter, Flush Median, Traffic Island	Carried
Sandspit Road, Sunnyview Avenue, Meadowland Drive, Lastel Place	Shelly Park	Nsaat, Bus Stop, Bus Shelter, Traffic Island, Stop Control, Give-Way Control, Flush Median, No Passing	Carried
Matahae Drive, Flat Bush School Road, Paripari Street, Perehia Road, Whakatupu Road	Flat Bush	No Stopping At All Times, Give-Way	Carried

Regional and sub-regional projects

30. Auckland Transport regularly reports on three significant projects:

· AMETI Busway

· Chapel Road Improvements

· Ti Rakau Drive Busway.

31. The December 2017 meeting being early in the month means that there has not been significant change in these projects since they were reported on at the HLB meeting on 20 November 2017. Next report they will be reported on in more detail.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Summary of Consultation	19
b ⇩	Media Releases	21
c ⇩	Issues Register	29

Signatories

Authors

Ben Stallworthy, Elected Member Relationship Manager, Auckland Transport

Authorisers

Jonathan Anyon, Manager Elected Member Relationship Unit, Auckland Transport

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Auckland Transport Media Releases in November 2017 Relevant to Howick Local Board Area

Description: Description: Description: image005 Auckland Transport media release

22 November 2017

Plan ahead for Santa’s arrival on Sunday

Santa’s coming to Auckland this Sunday and we’re counting the sleeps. Since his last visit there have been changes in town so there are a few things to remember.

Driving into central Auckland isn’t a great idea so Santa is suggesting you jump on a bus, train or ferry to get to the Farmers Santa Parade. Or, if you can, walk or bike into the city.

Public transport will be busier than usual so Auckland Transport is putting on some extra services to make sure everyone is in town in time for the parade at 1pm.

Bus

Enjoy the ride by bus to the parade, buses will operate to a Sunday timetable with some extra services, normal fares/passes will apply.

Due to road closures a number of city centre bus stops will be relocated and there will be some route diversions. Visit Stop closures due to Farmers Santa Parade. Auckland Transport Ambassadors will be around to help.

To plan your journey use the Journey Planner. Or try our new app https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/more-services/mobile-services/

Additional bus services

We will have some extra buses running to and from the city centre, normal fares/passes apply.

Check out extra services from Botany, Cockle Bay, Bayview, Beach Haven, Rosebank Rd, New Lynn/Blockhouse Bay, Blockhouse Bay/Lynfied, Waikowhai/Three Kings, Onehunga, Panmure, Glendowie/St Heliers, Long Bay, Browns Bay and Torbay.

Northern Express

Albany to City Centre via all Busway Stations

Additional Northern Express buses will travel to Lower Albert St near Quay St (Stop 7071) between around 10.45am and 12.30pm, they’ll run every 7-8 minutes. Outside these times, the frequency from Albany is every 15 minutes.

Hibiscus Coast Station to City Centre

The frequency from Hibiscus Coast station to Lower Albert St near Quay St (Stop 7071) is every 30 minutes all day.

City Centre to Albany via all Busway Stations

Additional Northern Express buses will depart from Lower Albert St near Quay St (Stop 7071) and travel to Albany via all Busway Stations between around 2.15pm and 3.30pm.

City Centre to Hibiscus Coast Station

Additional Northern Express buses will depart from Lower Albert St near Quay St (Stop 7071) and travel to Hibiscus Coast Station between around 2.15pm and 3.30pm, they’ll run every 20 minutes.

Train

Try out the trains, they’ll be operating approximately every 20-30 minutes on most lines into the city. Normal fares/passes will apply.

Some bad news though, balloons cannot be carried on trains or in stations as we’d hate them to fly away and touch the overhead power lines.

Britomart Train Station will be busy so if you’re travelling on the Western Line use the eastern entrance in Takutai Square.

For timetables

· View the train timetable for the Southern (include Onehunga and Eastern) line for Sunday 26 November 2017 (PDF 434 KB).

· View the train timetable for the Western line for line for Sunday 26 November 2017 (PDF 410KB).

Ferry

The Downtown Ferry Terminal is located on Quay St in Downtown Auckland. Normal fares/passes apply for ferry services.

Fullers will have additional ferry services to get you to the parade, normal fares/passes apply. Check the website: https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/events/farmers-santa-parade/

There are currently temporary departure points at the Downtown Ferry Terminal while seawall repair works are in place. Find out more about Downtown ferry departure changes.

Walking or cycling

Walking into the city or riding your bike or scooter is a great option. There are a number of cycle routes to get you into town https://at.govt.nz/media/1973249/auckland-central-city-cycle-map-a4.pdf

Taking your own vehicle to the parade?

If you are planning to drive in, please be aware that there will be road closures and parking restrictions https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/events-causing-delays/christmas-event-road-closures/

Fares for children

It’s much easier and cheaper for children to get around Auckland at the weekend. Auckland Transport has 99 cent weekend fares for children aged 5 to 15 travelling on an AT HOP card.

The 99 cent fare covers travel on buses and trains (not ferries) on weekends and during public holidays. To qualify for this fare, a parent or caregiver needs to load a child concession on the AT HOP card and it needs to be registered.

The cardholder can make up to five bus or train trips over a four hour period with up to 30 minutes between each trip. https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/at-hop-card/card-concessions-discount-fares/child-student-discount/child-weekend-fares/

For more on the parade and where to see Santa head to his website: http://www.santaparade.co.nz/

Description: Description: Description: image005 Auckland Transport media release

8 November 2017

70 Travelwise Schools earn gold awards

95 Auckland schools accepted Travelwise awards today at Auckland Transport’s annual Travelwise celebration.

179 schools across the region have qualified for a Travelwise award this year.

Of those that attended today’s celebration, 50 were awarded gold for their work to encourage active transport to school and work with their local communities to reduce congestion.

“The Travelwise celebration event rewards student leaders, lead teachers and school management for all the work they do in their schools during the year to promote road safety and sustainable transport,” says Kathryn King, Manager Walking, Cycling and Road Safety.

“All of the schools involved should be very proud of their achievements and their great work in making active transport journeys to school safer.”

Councillor Cathy Casey, Chair of the Community Development and Safety Committee, presented the awards at the celebration.

“It is so encouraging to see our young people and their families leaving their cars at home to walk or cycle to school.

“Every school that makes active transport a part of their school ethos has made a real commitment to not only their students, but also the wider community.

“As well as the health benefits, these schools are committed to reducing congestion in their neighbourhoods and making streets safe for all ages.”

The Travelwise programme works with primary, intermediate and secondary schools to:

· encourage and increase use of active travel modes and public transport.

· provide safer facilities for all road users.

· reduce congestion around schools.

With Travelwise, schools create individualised Safe School Travel Plans with visions and practical actions to create a safer and less congested environment outside the school.

Edendale Primary School earned a gold award for its Slow Down Around Schools campaign and working with students to promote a new zebra crossing to safely get to class.

Lead teacher Annaliese Van Dam says Travelwise is an important part of the school culture.

“We fully support the Travelwise programme through an amazing student group that work to promote road safety and active transport to their school community.

“The students have really earned their gold award today.”

The celebration included 648 students from 95 of the participating schools.

Description: Description: Description: image005 Auckland Transport media release

7 November 2017

More trains mean more services for Aucklanders

More trains are on the way for Auckland meaning more frequent services and more seats for passengers.

Auckland Transport has signed a contract for another 15 three-car electric trains.

AT chairman Dr Lester Levy says the trains are needed to meet the huge public demand. “We need to put on bigger trains to meet the demand and we need to be ready for when the tracks are electrified between Papakura and Pukekohe.”

In the past year more than 20 million trips have been taken on Auckland’s trains, an increase of 16 percent on the previous year.

The trains will be built in Spain by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and the first of them will be in service from 2019.

Auckland Transport Chief Executive David Warburton says CAF is the Spanish company that built the 57 three-car electric units which currently operate in Auckland.

Mr Warburton says, “With 15 more trains we will be able to operate six-car trains on most services on the Southern, Eastern and Western Lines. This will give passengers the confidence that they will have a comfortable trip and they won’t have to worry about not getting a seat.”

He says Auckland Transport is also planning to increase weekend frequency to every 20 minutes on the Southern, Eastern and Western Lines and weekend trains will operate every 30 minutes between Papakura and Pukekohe.

“We need to plan well in advance, we need to make sure that as more and more Aucklanders embrace trains, we have the infrastructure to give them the service they have become used to.”

Mayor Phil Goff says, “Delivering a reliable and efficient public transport system is a priority. It will help relieve congestion, which is costing our city billions of dollars in lost productivity, lower our city's emissions profile and make Auckland a great place to live.”

Dr Levy says buying these extra trains is also a big step in getting ready for the City Rail Link. “Once the CRL is open it will allow for train frequency to increase, and for that to happen we need more trains.”

Inaki Mendizabal, CAF Area Director says the company is pleased to continue its relationship with AT. “We signed out first contract with Auckland Transport in 2011, we are proud of the on-going relationship and look forward to providing Aucklanders with 15 more great trains.”

The $133 million contract is funded by NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council, the contract has a provision for further trains in the future.

For more on Auckland’s electric trains: https://at.govt.nz/

Description: Description: Description: image005 Auckland Transport media release

7 November 2017

New routes, timetables, and buses for East Auckland

A simpler, more frequent, and more connected bus network for East Auckland will begin on 10 December.

With services that are designed to connect through easy transfers to bus, train or ferry, passengers will have access to a far wider range of destinations than ever before.

Auckland Transport’s Network Development Manager Anthony Cross says, “The New Network is all about increasing connectivity. For East Auckland this means three key routes will have buses arriving every 10 to 15 minutes, three local buses timed to connect with the Half Moon Bay Ferry, and increased bus-to-train connections at key interchanges, especially Panmure.

“Only a few months after we delivered the South and West New Networks, there was an increase in public transport use for both these areas. Although change is never easy, we’re confident that this will benefit more people than the current network, and provide a strong alternative to cars.

“Our main message to East Aucklanders is, make sure you’ve planned your new journey and are prepared for day one. This is the biggest change to bus services in Auckland, ever. A settling in period is expected for the first few weeks following implementation. We encourage customers to allow more travel time than usual in the first week.”

With new routes, new route numbers, new timetables, and new buses, AT will be supporting customers through this significant change.

Full details about the new services, including a new timetable, are being mailed to every East Auckland resident next week.

“You can also use our website, come along to an information event, or ask any one of our Ambassadors out on the street in the first week of implementation. A Chinese version of the brochure is available online and is being distributed to key community groups. We want everyone to receive the support they need,” says Mr Cross.

AT’s online journey planner (AT.govt.nz/journeyplanner) will be updated with the new services from 17 November. Customers simply need to enter a travel date after 10 December to plan their new trip. After the launch of the New Network, passengers can track their bus or train in real time with the AT Mobile app.

Full details about the new services are available online at AT.govt.nz/newnetworkeast. Some of the highlights include:

Three new frequent bus routes, all day, every day:

— every 10 minutes from Botany to the City Centre (70)

— every 15 minutes from Howick to Panmure (72C, 72M)

— every 15 minutes from Botany to Manukau (35)

Improved local buses to Half Moon Bay, which are timed to meet with the ferry timetable.

New bus connections to local destinations:

— New services to connect Union Rd, Bradbury Rd, Cascades Rd and Reeves Rd to Panmure (711)

— A new service to connect Otahuhu with Highbrook and Botany (351)

— Improved bus services to Ormiston Town Centre and surrounding suburbs (35, 355)

More direct bus routes for Bucklands Beach, to Panmure (712) and Botany (733), and better connections to Half Moon Bay (714)

A new service for Beachlands and Maraetai, with buses running hourly, 7 days a week.

Changes to Auckland Transport school bus services are also planned, and come into effect from Term 1, 2018. Detailed information is being provided to each school before the end of the 2017 school year.

Mr Cross says, “The new East Auckland bus network was created with the help of hundreds of residents through the 2015 public consultation, but the final decisions were based on many factors. Our aim is to deliver the most beneficial outcome for the widest number of people, with the resources available.”

Public information events:

Date	Time	Event	Address
Sat 18 Nov	08:00 – 12:30	Howick Village Market	Picton St, Howick
Tue 21 Nov	12:00 – 18:30	Panmure Interchange	Panmure Train Station
Wed 22 Nov	12:00 – 18:30	Botany Town Centre	AT Customer Service Centre, Town Centre Dr (near bus stops)
Sat 25 Nov	17:30 – 00:00	Pakuranga Night Market	Pakuranga Shopping Centre, Reeves Rd (under The Warehouse)
Tue 28 Nov	06:30 – 12:00	Botany Town Centre	AT Customer Service Centre, Town Centre Dr (near bus stops)
Wed 29 Nov	06:30 – 12:00	Panmure Interchange	Ellerslie Panmure Highway
Thur 30 Nov	06:30 – 12:00	City Centre	50 Customs St East (bus stop for Eastern services)
Sat 2 Dec	08:00 – 12:00	Beachlands & Maraetai	Pine Harbour Fresh Market, 190 Jack Lachlan Dr
Sat 2 Dec	14:00 – 17:00	Beachlands & Maraetai	Pohutukawa Coast Shopping Centre (Countdown), 129 Beachlands Rd
Tue 5 Dec	12:00 – 18:30	Howick Information Centre	Picton St, Howick
Wed 6 Dec	12:00 – 18:30	City Centre	50 Customs St East (bus stop for Eastern services)

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Howick Quick Response Round One 2017/2018 grant applications

File No.: CP2017/24570

Purpose

1. To present applications received for Howick Quick Response, Round One 2017/2018. The local board is required to fund, part-fund or decline these applications.

Executive summary

2. The Howick Local Board adopted the Howick Grants Programme 2017/2018 on 15 May 2017. The document sets application guidelines for community contestable grants.

3. The local board is required to allocate grants to groups and organisations delivering projects, activities and services that benefit Aucklanders and contribute to the vision of becoming the world’s most liveable city.

4. The Howick Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $578,362 for the 2017/2018 financial year. A total of $260,818.05 has been allocated in two local grants rounds. A total of $317,543.95 remains to be allocated in two quick response rounds and one local grant round for 2017/2018.

5. For Quick Response Round One, 23 applications were received; requesting a total of $50,571 (see Attachment B). Three deferred applications from local grant round two will also be considered in this round, requesting a total of $25,856 (see Attachment C).

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in this round, listed in Table One

Table One: Howick Quick Response Round One 2017/2018 applications

Application No.	Organisation Name	Project	Total Requested	Eligibility
QR1807-101	Sunnyhills Primary School	Towards the maintenance costs for Sunnyhills School to open the pool for community usage outside of school hours.	$3000.00	Eligible
QR1807-102	Howick College	Towards accommodation for Howick College rowers to attend the North Island championships at Lake Karapiro on 20 January 2018.	$2280.00	Eligible
QR1807-104	Auckland Cambodian Youth and Recreation Trust	Towards volunteer costs for the Cambodian radio programme on Access Radio.	$3000.00	Eligible
QR1807-105	Peniamina Faimasasa	Towards sport tournament supplies and prizes for the “Auckland Samoa Soccer 7s” tournament on 11 October 2017.	$2000.00	Ineligible
QR1807-106	Inner Wheel of Howick	Towards clothing, toiletries and other requirements for the children attending “STAND,” previously named the Pakuranga Health Camp.	$1000.00	Eligible
QR1807-107	Mellons Bay School Board of Trustees	Towards general running and maintenance costs of water, chemicals and general maintenance costs for the school pool.	$2000.00	Eligible
QR1807-109	The Uxbridge Community Projects Incorporated	Towards technical support for the production, "Roots" including marketing, tutor fees and materials to support the celebration of Chinese New Year.	$2868.00	Eligible
QR1807-111	The Friendly Bear Makers Club	Towards fur fabric and materials for the making of trauma teddys for children and elderly being transported in an ambulance.	$1000.00	Eligible
QR1807-112	Multiple Sclerosis Society of Auckland and the North Shore Incorporated	Towards weekly hire of the Lloyd Elsmore Pool for hydrotherapy for people with Multiple Sclerosis living in the Howick area.	$616.00	Eligible
QR1807-113	Anchorage Park School	Towards the cost of the school pool to be open to the community for the period 1 January to 2 February 2018 (school holidays), weekends and after school hours (from 3 February to 13 April 2018).	$1500.00	Eligible
QR1807-115	Pakuranga Baptist Church	Towards costs of equipment hire, free food for children and publicity for the Family Fun Day on 3 March 2018.	$1700.00	Eligible
QR1807-118	Riverhills School Board of Trustees	Towards publicity and promotion, staging, lighting, sound, photographer fees, entertainment and activities for the “Riverhead 50th Jubilee” on 19 May 2018.	$2576.00	Eligible
QR1807-119	Deaf Wellbeing Society Incorporated	Funding towards a coordinator for the art and craft lessons at the Deaf Wellbeing Centre in Epsom for deaf people living in Howick.	$2800.00	Eligible
QR1807-120	Cession Community Trust Board	Towards the Easter hunt, Halloween Carboot Party and Christmas on the Lawn events including advertising, supplies and staging in 2018	$2420.00
QR1807-123	Youth and Community Development Trust	Towards a neighbours day event at Blundell Park in Howick on 25 March 2018.	$1987.00	Eligible
QR1807-125	Macleans Primary School	Towards the running costs of the school pool to allow for community use.	$3000.00	Eligible
QR1807-126	Dance Therapy New Zealand	Towards programme delivery costs including therapist and assistant fees, supervision, programme coordination and venue hire for children with autism at Te Tuhi from 21 February to 27 June 2018.	$2992.00	Eligible
QR1807-127	Pakuranga Athletics Club Incorporated	Towards a junior athletics track and open field day at Lloyd Elsmore Park on 11 February 2018.	$2711.00	Eligible
QR1807-129	Cession Community Trust	Towards hiring lights for the "Stations of the Cross" Easter Art Exhibition.	$800.00	Eligible
QR1807-130	Owairoa Primary School	Towards the development of a sensory room at the Owairoa Primary School, including furniture	$4299.00	Eligible
QR1807-131	Life Education Trust Counties Manukau	To purchase take home workbooks for the Life Education programme in schools.	$3000.00	Eligible
QR1807-132	Auckland Seniors Support and Caring Group Incorporated	Towards performance fees, food and venue expenses for the Chinese Spring Festival on 15 February 2018 at Te Tuhi in Pakuranga.	$1000.00	Eligible
QR1807-133	PF Bacino Moore	Towards materials for the #IAMREAL cabinet painting project 2018 for Chorus boxes in the Howick area.	$2022.00	Eligible
		Total requested	$50,571

b) agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in this round, listed in Table Two

Table Two: Howick Local Grants Round Two 2017/2018 deferred applications

Application Number

Organisation Name

Project

Total Requested

Eligibility

LG1807-212	The Uxbridge Community Projects Incorporated	Towards costs for an outdoor art installation in the Fencible Walk from 10 to 14 May 2018 for the Veronica Herber art installation.	$4,300.00	Eligible
LG1807-221	Sunny Hills Tennis Club Incorporated	Towards the coaching fees for the junior coaching program for Term One 2018 for children aged five to 18 years.	$5,000.00	Application withdrawn
LG1807-222	Howick and Districts Historical Society Incorporated	Towards replacement of the Pakuranga Highway signage for the Howick Historical Village.	$16,556.00	Eligible
		Total	$25,856

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 Howick Local Board will operate two quick response and three local grant rounds for this financial year.

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

10. The Howick Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $578,362 for the 2017/2018 financial year. A total of $260,818.05 has been allocated in two local grants rounds. A total of $317,543.95 remains to be allocated in two quick response rounds and one local grant round for 2017/2018.

11. In Quick Response Round One, 23 applications were received; requesting a total of $50,571 (see Attachment B). Three deferred applications from local grant round two will also be considered in this round, requesting a total of $25,856 (see Attachment C).

Local board views and implications

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

13. The 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 received through Quick Response Round One 2017/21-8 is attached, see Attachment B. The two deferred applications from local grants round two are also attached (see Attachment C).

Māori impact statement

15. Community grants provides opportunities for all Aucklanders to undertake projects, programmes, activities that benefit a wider range of individuals and groups, including Maori. 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 Maori.

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

17. Following the Howick Local Board allocating funding to the grant round, commercial and finance staff will notify the applicants of the local board’s decision.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Howick Local Board Grants Programme 2017/2018	37
b ⇨	Howick Quick Response Round One 2017/2018 grant applications (Under Separate Cover)
c ⇩	Howick Local Grants Round Two 2017/2018 deferred applications	41

Signatories

Authors

Marion Davies - Community Grants Operations Manager

Authorisers

Shane King - Operations Support Manager

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Howick Information Service Review 2017

File No.: CP2017/22557

Purpose

1. To present the findings of the Howick Information Centre review.

Executive summary

2. In September 2017, Mobius Research and Strategy was engaged to undertake a comprehensive review of the Howick Information Service (HIS) located at 91 Picton St, Howick. The review was an action identified in the Arts, Community and Events work programme 2017/2018.

3. The review concluded that the current HIS is under-utilized and not strongly aligned to Auckland Council and Howick Local Board outcomes.

4. Key findings are:

· HIS is the only council funded information service in Auckland

· HIS is an under-utilized service and the venue does not act as a destination for Howick

· HIS does not align with the strategic objective of a council community facility where Aucklanders can connect, socialize, learn and participate in a wide range of social, cultural, art and recreational activities

· there is an opportunity for better integration of community facilities in Howick

· the HIS is at its busiest when it is a destination for other services such as Justice of the Peace, legal and Age Concern services

· there does not appear to be a significant shortage of community space for ad hoc or regular community bookings in the Howick area.

5. The need for the HIS has changed since its establishment in 1975 and options need to be developed so that findings of the review undertaken by Mobius can be addressed and the local board is able to make an informed decision about the future of the HIS and 91 Picton St.

6. The review findings were workshopped with the local board on 18 October 2017 and no definitive responses to its findings were made. This report proposes that the HIS continues the delivery of its current services in the interim and that a further report be brought to the March 2018 local board meeting.

7. A future report will identify options for greater alignment, better utilisation, and potential operational and financial considerations. The implications of other reviews taking place will also be considered, for example the Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) Receive and support the findings of the Howick Information Centre Review and Community Needs Assessment Report, November 2017, completed by Mobius Research and Strategy (attachment A).

b) Support the continued delivery of current Howick Information Services pending receipt of a future options report in March 2018.

Comments

8. In September 2017, staff engaged Mobius Research and Strategy to carry out a strategic and operational review of the HIS at 91 Picton St. The review was undertaken to better understand the current service delivery from this facility and to identify future service needs within the area. The review scope agreed with the local board was to include:

· history of facility

· identification of current service(s) being offered from the centre

· who is using these services and where do they come from

· alignment with Arts, Community and Events objectives

· alignment with Community Places strategic outcomes

· alignment with local board strategic outcomes and plans

· Howick Town Centre Plan implications

· identification of existing community facilities in the area and their use.

9. The findings of the review were workshopped on 18 October 2017 with the local board, who requested that the Mobius report be brought to the 11 December 2017 business meeting.

10. The key findings of the review are that:

· HIS is the only council funded information service in Auckland

· HIS is an under-utilised service and the venue does not act as a destination for Howick

· HIS does not align with the strategic objective of a council community facility where Aucklanders can connect, socialise, learn and participate in a wide range of social, cultural, art and recreational activities

· there is currently limited integration of community facilities in Howick and an opportunity for better integration

· the Howick Information Service is at its busiest when it is a destination for other services such as Justice of the Peace, legal and Age Concern services

· there are implications for the HIS and Picton St site within the Howick Village Centre Plan including at least two of the supporting actions identified under Concept 2 of this plan: A Community Village – upgrading the village square to create an active multi-use space and improving awareness of local events and activities by providing a new community notice board.

· there does not appear to be a significant shortage of community space for ad hoc or regular community bookings in the Howick area. Fencible Lounge and Nixon Park Hall are both below capacity in terms of usage (including during ‘peak times’) There is also current capacity at a number of schools in the area.

11. Key conclusions from this review are that the HIS is under-utilised and not strongly aligned to council and local board outcomes.

12. The review confirmed that there are a number of other facilities in the area with capacity to provide space for community and suggested that in the short to medium term, consideration could be given to how Picton St could be better utilised to accommodate groups and organisations who may require meeting space.

13. The review also referenced the Howick Village Centre Plan which is still being developed, along with the review of the Uxbridge Arts Centre, as possibly having implications for HIS and any future service delivery.

14. The findings were workshopped with the board on 18 October 2017 though no definitive responses to its findings were made. The need for the HIS has changed since its establishment in 1975 and options need to be developed so that findings of the review can be addressed and the local board is able to make an informed decision the future of the HIS and 91 Picton St.

15. This report proposes that the HIS continues the delivery of its current services at Picton St in the interim and that a further report be brought to the board in March 2018 This report would identify:

· potential for HIS to achieve greater strategic alignment with council and local board outcomes

· opportunities for better utilisation of the facility

· potential operational, structural and budget considerations.

· the implications of other reviews taking place, including the current Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study. This study explores the feasibility of a dedicated youth space in a three-phased approach. The first phase looks to create a series of temporary ‘popup’ events and activities in the local board area over three years.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

16. The strategic and operational review of the HIS was requested by the local board and was an action identified in the Arts, Community and Events work programme 2017/2018. The review considered the potential strategic alignment of the HIS to the local board plan, how this could be improved and also looked at other key local initiatives such as the Howick Village Centre Plan.

Māori impact statement

17. Māori comprise about 5.1 per cent of the local board area population. They do not appear to be significant users of the current HIS. Development of options would provide an opportunity for engagement with Māori around the future use of this facility initially through meetings with key iwi groups.

Implementation

18. Should the recommendations of this report be supported, staff would report to the board in March 2018 with options that reflect the review undertaken and its findings. The implications of other reviews and initiatives taking place could be properly considered and it would enable further discussions with the board and for it to make an informed decision about the future of HIS.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Auckland Council Howick Information Service Review Report November 2017	55

Signatories

Authors

Peter Loud - Team Leader Community Facilities

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - General Manager Arts, Community and Events

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Jim Rolfe at 38 Colmar Road, Mellons Bay

File No.: CP2017/23571

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Howick Local Board, for a new road name for a road created by way of subdivision at 38 Colmar Road, Mellons Bay.

Executive summary

2. Auckland Council has road naming guidelines that set out the requirements and criteria of the Council for proposed road names. These requirements and criteria have been applied in this situation to ensure consistency of road naming for the Auckland Council.

3. The applicant’s chosen preferred name “Arawhetu Drive” was approved by the Howick Local Board on 19 June 2017. The applicant has now requested that the approved road name “Ara whetu Drive” be changed to the alternative name 1 being “Ara Tui Drive” as the other property owners along the new road finds it hard to pronounce “Arawhetu Drive”.

4. The alternative names put forward by the applicant being “Ara Tui Drive” (applicant’s alternative name 1) and “Ara Iti Drive” (applicant’s alternative name 2) has been assessed against the road name guidelines and was determined to meet the road naming guideline criteria. “Arawhetu Drive” will now become the applicant’s alternative road name 1.

4. Local iwi groups were consulted and approve the proposed road names put forward by the Applicant. All local iwis were consulted but only the Ngaitai-ki-Tamaki iwi responded and all other local iwi did not response at all. Ngaitai-ki-Tamaki responded that they have no issue, therefore have no objection to the proposed name put forward by the Applicant.

5. The name “Ara Tui Drive”, proposed by the Applicant and the names “Arawhetu Drive” and “Awa Iti Drive” are considered for approval by the Local Board.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board

a) Revoke ‘Arawhetu Drive’ from resolution HW/2017/102 from 19 June 2017 meeting.

b) pursuant to section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974, considers for approval, the road name ‘Ara Tui Drive’, for the new road created by way of subdivision at 38 Colmar Road, Mellons.

Comments

7. The Auckland Council Road Naming Guidelines allow that where a new road needs to be named as a result of a subdivision or development, the subdivider/developer shall be given the opportunity of suggesting their preferred new road name for the Local Board’s approval.

8. The subdivision consent P44866 SP11430 had two options available to all owners of the affected properties being, 38, 40 and 42 Colmar Road. Option 1 is for a 5 lot fee simple subdivision and option 2 is for 7 lot fee simple consent and Option 2 was agreed upon by all owners. As part of that consent, a Right of Way was created to service the proposed 7 lots and will be the new road for this development.

The Applicant has proposed the following names for consideration for the road created as part of the development at 38 Colmar Road, Mellons Bay.

Preference	Proposed New Road Name	Meaning
Preferred Name	Ara Tui Drive	Ara Tui Drive means pathway and Tui is reference to the Tui bird.
First Alternative	Ara Whetu Drive	Ara Whetu means a star-path or by the stars, which references the way finding and navigating of the mana whenua (local iwi) of Tamaki.
Second Alternative	Awa Iti Drive	Awa Iti means little stream and it is referenced to the little stream that runs behind the Applicants property.

Figure One: Location and Layout of new Road in red

Decision Making

9. The Auckland Council, by way of the Auckland Council Long Term Plan (2012 - 2022), allocated the responsibility for the naming of new roads, pursuant to section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974, to Local Boards.

Assessment

10. The Applicant’s proposed road names have been assessed against the criteria set out in the Auckland Council road naming guidelines;

11. The Applicant’s preferred road names “Ara Tui Drive” , “Ara Whetu Drive” (alternative name 1) and “Ara Iti Drive” (alternative name 2) meet the road naming criteria as there is no duplication of the names within the Auckland Region and consultation was carried out with the Local iwi and they have no objection to the proposed names.

The Applicant has chosen the suffix “Drive” and it is appropriate for the road layout.

12. As the Applicant’s preferred name (“Ara Tui Drive”) meets the criteria, it is recommended for consideration for approval while noting that the names proposed by the iwi (“Ara Whetu Drive” (alternative name 1) and “Awa Iti Drive” (alternative name 2)) are also appropriate as they comply with all the criteria of the road naming guidelines.

Consideration

Significance of Decision

13. The decision sought from the “Howick” Local Board for this report does not trigger any significant policy and is not considered to have any immediate impact on the community.

Maori impact statement

14. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board on this report is linked to the Auckland Plan Outcome, “A Maori identity that is Auckland’s point of difference in the world”. The use of Maori names for roads, buildings and other public places is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate Maori identity.

Consultation

15. The Applicant have consulted all the local iwi groups for the area, which were 11 local iwi groups and only one responded supporting the preferred name “Ara Tui Drive”, “Ara Whetu Drive” (alternative name 1) and “Awa Iti Drive” (alternative name 2)).

The Applicant has also obtained approval from New Zealand Post.

Financial and Resourcing Implications

16. The cost of processing the approval of the proposed new road name and any installation of road name signage is recoverable in accordance with Council’s Administrative Charges.

Legal and Legislative Implications

17. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board for this report is not considered to have any legal or legislative implications.

Implementation

18. The Resource Consenting Team is involved in ensuring that appropriate road name signage will be installed accordingly once an approval is obtained for the new road name.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Authors

Toakase Akoteu-Tongotongo - Intermediate Planner

Authorisers

Ian Smallburn - General Manager Resource Consents

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Leading Developments Limited at 443A Ormiston Road, Flat Bush.

File No.: CP2017/24793

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Howick Local Board, for new road names for three new roads created by way of subdivision at 443A Ormiston Road and an extension of an existing road.

Executive summary

3. Following assessment against the road naming criteria, the road names ‘Hariata Street,’ ‘Arahanga Road’ and ‘Taketonga Road’ (applicant’s preferred road names), ‘Leading Road,’ ‘Whai Road,’ ‘Lithium Road,’ ‘Hunangamoho Road’ and ‘Repehina Road’ were determined to meet the road naming guideline criteria.

4. Local iwi groups were consulted and only Ngai Tai ki Tamaki responded, confirming support of the proposed names.

5. The names ‘Hariata Street,’ ‘Arahanga Road’ and ‘Taketonga Road’ proposed by the applicant and the names ‘Leading Road,’ ‘Whai Road,’ ‘Lithium Road,’ ‘Hunangamoho Road’ and ‘Repehina Road’ are considered for approval by the Local Board.

Recommendation/s

a) That the road name ‘Tamure Road’ be applied to the extension of the existing ‘Tamure Road.’

b) That the Howick Local Board, pursuant to section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974, considers for approval, the road names ‘Hariata Street,’ ‘Arahanga Road’ and ‘Taketonga Road’ proposed by the applicant, for the new roads created by way of subdivision at 443A Ormiston Road, Flat Bush while noting that ‘Leading Road,’ ‘Whai Road,’ ‘Lithium Road,’ ‘Hunangamoho Road’ and ‘Repehina Road,’ also meet the road naming criteria.

Comments

6. The Auckland Council Road Naming Guidelines allow that where a new road needs to be named as a result of a subdivision or development, the subdivider/developer shall be given the opportunity of suggesting their preferred new road name for the Local Board’s approval.

7. The residential subdivision will be serviced by three new roads off Tamure Road, which the applicant seeks to name.

The applicant has proposed the following names for consideration for the road created as part of the development at 443A Ormiston Road, Flat Bush.

	Proposed New Road Names	Meaning
Preferred Name (Road 1)	Hariata Street	Te Reo word for ‘snapper.’
Preferred Name (Road 2)	Arahanga Road	Te Reo word for ‘leading.’ Leading is the name of the developer’s company.
Preferred Name (Road 3)	Harland Road	Personal- name of one of the planners involved in the development and many other Flat Bush projects.

Alternative Road Names	Meaning
Leading Road	The name of the developer’s company.
Whai Road	Te Reo word for ‘stingray.’
Taketonga Road	Te Reo word for ‘black marlin.’
Lithium Road	Chemical element with the symbol Li, which is a soft silvery white alkali metal.
Hunangamoho Street	Plumed tussock grass.
Repehina Road	New Zealand grass, common around streams of wetlands.

Road number	Extension
4	Tamure Road

Road 4

Figure One: Location and layout of the new roads.

Decision Making

8. The Auckland Council, by way of the Auckland Council Long Term Plan (2012 - 2022), allocated the responsibility for the naming of new roads, pursuant to section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974, to Local Boards.

Assessment

9. The applicant’s proposed road names have been assessed against the criteria set out in the Auckland Council road naming guidelines;

10. The applicant’s preferred names, ‘Hariata Street,’ ‘Arahanga Road’ and ‘Taketonga Road’ meet all the criteria of the road naming guidelines. The remaining road names are considered to be consistent with the road naming guidelines, with the exception of ‘Harland Road’ as the road naming guidelines state that the name of people who are still alive should be avoided as community attitudes and opinions can change over time.

11. The proposed suffixes of ‘Street’ and ‘Road’ are appropriate as they reflect the physical characteristics of the proposed roads.

Consideration

Significance of Decision

12. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board for this report does not trigger any significant policy and is not considered to have any immediate impact on the community.

Maori impact statement

13. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board on this report is linked to the Auckland Plan Outcome, “A Maori identity that is Auckland’s point of difference in the world”. The use of Maori names for roads, buildings and other public places is an opportunity to publicly demonstrate Maori identity.

Consultation

14. The applicant has emailed all the relevant iwi groups. Ngai Tai ki Tamaki responded, advising that they supporting the proposed names.

15. The proposed names were sent to NZ Post for review, who indicated that the proposed names are acceptable from their perspective.

Financial and Resourcing Implications

16. The cost of processing the approval of the proposed new road name and any installation of road name signage is recoverable in accordance with Council’s Administrative Charges.

Legal and Legislative Implications

17. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board for this report is not considered to have any legal or legislative implications.

Implementation

18. The Resource Consenting Team is involved in ensuring that appropriate road name signage will be installed accordingly once an approval is obtained for the new road name.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Authors

Danielle Ter Huurne – Intermediate Planner

Authorisers

Ian Smallburn - General Manager Resource Consents

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

New Road Name Approval for the residential subdivision by Aklander Investment Ltd at 83 Thomas Road, Flat Bush

File No.: CP2017/24796

Purpose

1. The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Howick Local Board, to revoke the approved road name “Toetoe Lane” for a road created by way of subdivision at 83 Thomas Road, Flat Bush. This was approved at the local board meeting on 16 October 2017 (resolution number HW/2017/186). At the time of the previous road naming report, NZ Post did not identify that there is already an existing road, “Toetoe Way” in Flat Bush, so the name was recommended for approval. This report therefore seeks to revoke that name and approve another.

Executive summary

3. Following assessment against the road naming criteria, the road names ‘Taketake Lane’ (applicant’s preferred road name), ‘Tairanga Lane’ and ‘Hikoi Lane’ were determined to meet the road naming guideline criteria.

4. Local iwi groups were consulted and Ngai Tai Ki Tamaki confirmed they had no objections to the proposed names.

5. The name ‘Taketake Lane’ proposed by the applicant and the names ‘Tairanga Lane’ and ‘Hikoi Lane’ are considered for approval by the Local Board.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board

a) revoke ‘Toetoe Lane’ from resolution HW/2017/186a, from the 16 October 2017 meeting.

b) pursuant to section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974, consider for approval, the road name ‘Taketake Lane’ for the new road created by way of subdivision at 83 Thomas Road, Flat Bush.

Comments

7. The applicant has proposed the following names for consideration for the roads created as part of the development at 83 Thomas Road, Flat Bush.

Preference	Proposed New Road Name	Meaning
Preferred Name	Taketake Lane	Meaning “native.” The development will have native planting.
First Alternative	Tairanga Lane	Meaning “elevation.” The development has sweeping views over Flat Bush.
Second Alternative	Hikoi Lane	Meaning “walkway.” The road is connected to a reserve by a walkway.

Figure One: Location of the new road.

Decision Making

Assessment

9. The applicant’s proposed road names have been assessed against the criteria set out in the Auckland Council road naming guidelines;

10. The applicant’s preferred name, ‘Taketake Lane’ meets all the road naming guidelines. The remaining names are considered to be consistent with road naming guidelines.

11. The suffix of ‘Lane’ is appropriate as it reflect the physical characteristics of the road, being a narrow roadway.

12. As the applicant’s preferred name (‘Taketake Lane’) meets the criteria, it is recommended for consideration for approval while noting that the alternative names proposed (‘Tairanga Lane’ and ‘Hikoi Lane’) are also appropriate as they comply with all the criteria of the road naming guidelines.

Consideration

Significance of Decision

13. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board for this report does not trigger any significant policy and is not considered to have any immediate impact on the community.

Maori impact statement

Consultation

15. The applicant emailed the relevant iwi groups and Ngai Tai ki Tamaki responded confirming they had no objections to the proposed names.

16. Consultation was undertaken with New Zealand Post, who confirmed that the proposed road names were acceptable.

Financial and Resourcing Implications

17. The cost of processing the approval of the proposed new road name and any installation of road name signage is recoverable in accordance with Council’s Administrative Charges.

Legal and Legislative Implications

18. The decision sought from the Howick Local Board for this report is not considered to have any legal or legislative implications.

Implementation

19. The Resource Consenting Team is involved in ensuring that appropriate road name signage will be installed accordingly once an approval is obtained for the new road name.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Authors

Danielle Ter Huurne – Intermediate Planner

Authorisers

Ian Smallburn - General Manager Resource Consents

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Mangemangeroa Reserve & Valley Walkway - Concept Plan Development

File No.: CP2017/22579

Purpose

1. To approve $55,000 Parks Response Locally Driven Initiative funding to develop a strategic assessment and concept plan to guide development of Mangemangeroa Reserve and Valley Walkway.

Executive summary

2. Mangemangeroa Reserve is a coastal reserve that provides access to the Mangemangeroa Valley Walkway spanning more than five kilometres and travelling through eight local parks (Attachment A).

3. The local board has funded $130k to conduct feasibility studies to determine the viability of developing an environmental education facility at the reserve to provide visitors with an understanding of the history and flora and fauna of the area.

4. A series of landslips occurred late 2016 and early 2017, resulting in closure of sections of the valley walkway. The board recognise the importance of maintaining walking access along the valley walkway and seek to develop a concept plan for the park and walkway that will reduce the impact of future landslides and guide development of the potential education facility.

5. The strategic assessment will be prepared by Parks Services to establish the need and demand, options for delivery and inform a concept plan. The concept plan will take into consideration geotechnical data to inform pathway alignment and reduce the impact from potential future landslips. It will also consider the education facility development, and provide complementary infrastructure to enhance the visitor experience and protection of ecological and biodiversity values and view shafts of the Tamaki Strait.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) Approves $55,000 Parks Response Locally Driven Initiative funding to develop a strategic assessment and concept plan to guide development of Mangemangeroa Reserve and Valley Walkway.

Comments

6. Mangemangeroa Reserve is a coastal reserve that provides access to the Mangemangeroa Valley Walkway spanning more than five kilometres through eight local parks and providing access to native bush areas and stunning sea views.

7. The local board has funded $130k for the Mangemangeroa Environmental Education Facility Trust (MEEFT) to conduct a feasibility study to determine the viability of developing an education facility at Mangemangeroa Reserve.

8. The facility will provide visitors to the reserve and valley walkway with a greater understanding of the history, biodiversity and ecology that can be found in the area, resulting in increased park visitation numbers and an improved customer experience.

9. In late 2016 and early 2017 access along the coastal walkway was disrupted following significant rainfall events that resulted in a series of landslides that blocked sections of the walkway.

10. The local board recognises the importance of maintaining walking access through the reserve and valley walkway and seeks to develop a park concept plan that considers the risk of land instability and provides options to mitigate risk by navigating away from known problem areas.

11. Concept plan options will reflect the findings of geotechnical studies to inform the future location of pathway development. Concept plan options may include boardwalk development away from cliff areas and relocating the pathway to landward areas. This approach will reduce the impact on walking provision at the park when future landslides occur.

12. A concept plan will not only guide future walkway development, but will also consider the development of Mangemangeroa Reserve to support the education facility development should feasibility studies prove the development is viable.

13. The concept plan will be informed by a strategic assessment that will set high level service outcomes and provide a holistic forward-plan for the development of Mangemangeroa Reserve and Valley Walkway and consider:

· Geotechnical data to identify suitable locations for coastal pathway development and an education centre;

· Opportunities to enhance biodiversity and ecological outcomes;

· Potential car park development;

· Park entrances and connecting pathways;

· Navigational and interpretative signage;

· Suitable location for picnic and rest areas;

· Development of look-out platforms;

· Landscaping and earthworks.

14. Concept plan development will be conducted in liaison with the MEEFT to ensure the potential education facility development and park development plans are complementary.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

15. The local board are in support of the ongoing provision of the Mangemangeroa Valley Walkway. Development of a concept plan for the park and walkway will be a step towards delivering the following Local Board Plan 2017 aspiration:

‘Continuing to connect our walkways to open up the coastline for everyone…planning has started to link the Mangemangeroa Reserve walkway with Point View Reserve, Barry Curtis Park and Murphy’s Bush’.

16. Should the education facility be developed, it will provide an opportunity to deliver the following local board plan objective:

‘We will continue to increase opportunities to partner with schools, community groups and businesses to carry out planting and restoration programmes, clean up our waterways and surrounds, reduce pests and weeds, and educate our community. A good example of this is the proposed environmental education centre at Mangemangeroa Reserve’.

Māori impact statement

17. Parks and heritage is of fundamental importance to Tangata Whenua, their culture and traditions established through whakapapa. The activities identified in the report will benefit Maori and the wider community through increased access to recreation opportunities, education, and protection of taonga.

18. Mana whenua have been engaged in initial discussions through the Parks and Recreation Engagement Forum Hui concerning the potential education facility development at the park and concept plan development. Further engagement will take place via this forum and potentially on site as the project progresses.

Implementation

19. The concept plan for the reserve and walkway will be developed in the current financial year. Local board workshops will be held when initial plans have been produced and stakeholder, community and iwi consultation will form part of the concept plan development. The project will conclude in June 2018 with a report to the board to adopt the concept plan for the park and walkway.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Mangemangeroa Reserve and Valley Walkway	127

Signatories

Authors

Steve Owens - Parks and Places Specialist

Authorisers

Mace Ward - General Manager Parks, Sports and Recreation

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Endorsement of the Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study

File No.: CP2017/25943

Purpose

1. To endorse the Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study and note the implementation of stage one of the study’s recommendations.

Executive summary

2. In 2015 the Howick Youth Council requested the Howick Local Board explore the feasibility of a dedicated youth space in the local board area.

3. The Howick Local Board then commissioned a feasibility study, which was undertaken by Co-Creationz in May 2016 and completed in January 2017.

4. The study recommended a three staged process, over a ten-year period, to better determine the needs of local young people Each stage is designed to test the viability of moving on to the next stage:

· Stage one includes a series of temporary ‘pop up’ events and activities through the local board area. This stage will determine whether there is sufficient momentum and participation to justify moving onto stage two.

· Stage two would build on stage one by offering events and activities in temporary dedicated spaces. Depending on the level of interest and utilisation of these temporary spaces, there may be scope to action stage three.

· Stage three would see the development of a permanent and purpose-built space incorporating the learnings from stage one and two.

5. Each stage would require an increase in resourcing, in terms of finance, personnel and facilities.

6. The Howick Youth Council presented the study to the local board at a workshop in May 2017 and it was well received.

7. Since that workshop, staff have been working with the youth council to scope the implementation of stage one of the study’s recommendations.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) endorse the Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study by Co-Creationz.

b) note that the $30,000 carried forward from the ‘youth participation in council decision making and youth-led initiatives’ 2016/2017 budget and the $30,000 from the same budget for financial year 2017/2018 will be used to implement phase one of the study’s recommendations.

Comments

Background

8. In 2015, the Howick Local Board allocated $30,000 in the 2015/2016 Arts, Community and Events work programme for a feasibility study to determine the need for a dedicated youth space in the local board area. This was in response to a request by the Howick Youth Council.

9. Co-Creationz completed the study in January 2017 and provided recommendations (Attachment A).

10. The study recommends a three-staged approach over a 10 year period. The stages progress from low cost to kick-start youth engagement, through to higher cost options, which will require partnerships for advocacy, business planning and formal planning processes. Each stage is required to be evaluated to ensure there is sufficient support to action the next stage.

11. At a local board workshop on 11 May 2017 the Howick Youth Council presented the study to the board. The study was received well by the local board. Staff and youth council were directed to plan for the implementation of the first stage.

Study recommendations

12. The following section outlines the implementation of each stage:

· Stage one: 1-3 years (low cost - low effort): Hire temporary rooms and virtual hubs

This would consist of:

o activating temporary youth spaces (council facilities, malls, parks and open spaces through youth worker coordinator

o exploring the potential possibility of using the Howick Information Service facility as a potential temporary youth space.

· Stage two: 4-7 years (low-medium cost - medium-high effort): Lease of dedicated temporary hubs

This would consist of:

o more established activation site/s, potentially in the form of refurbishing and leasing a council facility, and continuing with youth engagement.

· Stage three: 8-10+ years (high cost - high effort): Multi-use community and youth facility

This would consist of:

o A permanent central youth hub in a new multipurpose facility, which would provide for population growth and youth growth.

Funding the implementation of the report and progress to date

13. Allocation for implementing phase one of the study’s recommendations will be $60000. The budget is made up of: $30,000 carried forward from the ‘youth participation in council decision making and youth –led initiatives’ 2016/2017 budget and the $30,000 from the same budget for 2017/2018.

14. Since the workshop in May 2017, staff have met with the youth council to discuss their role in assisting to oversee the implementation of stage one. Staff have established a small working group of youth council members to support this.

15. Staff are seeking a contractor for stage one, whom will work with the Howick Youth Council to deliver a yearlong programme of temporary ‘pop-up’ events and activities throughout the local board area as outlined in stage one of the study recommendations.

16. Staff have created a project outline and brief and have begun requesting proposals from key stakeholders.

17. Staff will consider all proposals and select the most appropriate contractor to deliver the programme.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

18. The Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study aligns with local board plan outcome one: ‘strong and connected communities’. Implementing stage one of the study enables staff to continue to contribute to meeting the outcome.

19. This study was presented by the Howick Youth Council to the Howick Local Board at a workshop on 11 May 2017 and its recommendations were well received.

20. Staff and the youth council were directed by the local board to scope and deliver the implementation of stage one of the recommendations.

21. Should the local board not endorse this study, there is a risk that the study recommendations are not actioned and the commitment given to the youth council is not upheld.

Māori impact statement

22. Staff will explore opportunities to work with Te Tahawai Marae and the Whare Matariki in implementing stage one, and will work with the contractor to encourage Māori youth participation in line with their individual aspirations.

Implementation

23. As mentioned in paragraphs 15 and 16, staff are seeking a contractor for stage one and have created a project outline. The table below identifies the risks involved in stage one and how staff will mitigate the risks.

Risk	Mitigation
The implementation of stage one may not be inclusive of all local young people.	Staff will ensure that the chosen contractor has experience with a range of young people and that inclusion forms part of the contract. This will be monitored regularly with guidance by the youth council.
Contracting professionals who will not have the appropriate skills for carrying out the implementation of stage one.	Staff will make sure that the contract description includes all the necessary skills and that these are considered when appointing a contractor.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Howick Youth Spaces Feasibility Study (Under Separate Cover)

Signatories

Authors

Asma Bashir - Strategic Broker, Community Empowerment

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - General Manager Arts, Community and Events

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Revising the local board Standing Orders

File No.: CP2017/25186

Purpose

1. To consider and adopt revised Standing Orders for local board meetings.

Executive summary

2. Standing Orders are the rules for conduct and procedure at meetings. They are used to help meetings run smoothly and in accordance with relevant legislation, to ensure the integrity of the decision-making process, and to help elected members and members of the public understand how they can participate.

3. The current local board Standing Orders (SOs) were set by the Auckland Transition Agency on 27 October 2010. It is now timely to revise them to ensure they remain a clear, relevant and practical tool for local board meetings.

4. At its meeting on 28 May 2015, the Governing Body resolved to amend its Standing Orders on the basis of work undertaken by a political working party.

5. The revised Standing Orders have a simplified layout, are written in a plain language style, and contain a summary and process diagram at the front for ease of reference during a meeting.

6. A working group of Democracy Advisors has assessed each provision of the current (generic) local board Standing Orders against the corresponding revised governing body Standing Orders. For each local board standing order they considered whether to retain the current wording, use the revised Governing Body wording or to have a combination of the two.

7. A draft set of revised local board Standing Orders is set out in Attachment A for local boards’ consideration. It is based on the recommendations of the Democracy Advisor working group and follows the revised Governing Body Standing Orders in terms of style.

8. The more significant suggested changes include new provisions for electronic attendance at meetings, dealing with conflicts due to the non-financial interests of members, processes for Governing Body and Māori input and enabling use of New Zealand Sign Language at meetings.

9. This report recommends that local boards consider and adopt the revised Standing Orders in Attachment A.

10. Any changes to a boards Standing Orders requires a majority vote of not less than 75% of members present.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) adopt the standing orders detailed in Attachment A to the agenda report, entitled “Auckland Council Standing Orders of the Local Board”, in replacement of its current standing orders.

Comments

Background

11. Standing Orders are the rules for conduct and procedure at meetings. They are used to help meetings run smoothly and in accordance with relevant legislation, to ensure the integrity of the decision-making process, and to help elected members and members of the public understand how they can participate.

12. The Governing Body Standing Orders were compiled in 2010 by the Auckland Transition Agency from legacy council standing orders and the NZ Standards Model Standing Orders.

13. Local Board Standing Orders were modelled on the Governing Body Standing Orders.

14. A political working party was set up in November 2013 to review the Governing Body’s Standing Orders. The working party’s findings were reported back to the Governing Body at its 28 May 2015 meeting (Attachment B).

15. Recent amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act) allowed additional changes to be considered by the working party. These changes included a provision to allow members to attend meetings via audio or audiovisual link.

16. At its 28 May 2015 meeting, the Governing Body adopted an amended set of Standing Orders which have a simplified layout, are written in a plain language style, and contain a summary and process diagram at the front for ease of reference during a meeting.

17. It was resolved at this meeting to forward the report to all local boards, drawing their attention to the suggestion to provide for councillor participation at local board meetings in their Standing Orders.

18. Over the last 18 months, a working group of local board Democracy Advisors has assessed each provision of the current (generic) local board Standing Orders against the corresponding revised Governing Body Standing Orders. For each local board standing order they considered whether to retain the current wording, use the revised Governing Body wording or to have a combination of the two.

19. A revised set of local board Standing Orders has been developed as an outcome of this work (Attachment A) which is in accordance with the recommendations of the Democracy Advisor working group.

20. The revised local board Standing Orders follow a similar format to the Governing Body Standing Orders with a simplified layout, a plain language style, and a summary and process diagram at the front for ease of reference during a meeting.

21. Key substantive changes from the current local board Standing Orders are summarised below. They aim to ensure the local board Standing Orders are up to date, fulfil Auckland Council’s legal obligations and are practical and useful for business meetings.

22. Many standing orders reflect provisions in legislation. In some cases the wording of the standing order may have been changed to a plain language style but the intention of the standing order remains the same. These standing orders are usually indicated by a reference underneath to the relevant clause in legislation. These standing orders may not be suspended.

Key changes

23. Key substantive suggested changes from the current local board Standing Orders are set out below.

Issue	Suggested changes	Purpose of suggested change	Reference in the revised LB Standing Orders
Quorum	Provision for the Chairperson to extend the 30 minute waiting time for a quorum, at the start of a meeting, by another 10 minutes - where members are known to be travelling to the meeting but are delayed due to unusual weather or traffic congestion. Change in the waiting time for a quorum to be reestablished (where, after a meeting starts, member(s) leave and there is no longer a quorum) from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.	Assists smooth running of meeting and ensures consistency with GB Standing Orders	3.1.4 and 3.1.6
Record of a workshop	Deletion of the requirement for the chairperson to sign-off the record of a workshop. Record of workshop proceedings will be circulated.	Assists smooth running of meeting	12.1.4
Public excluded business not to be disclosed	Clarification on situations where the duty of non-disclosure of information, at a meeting where the public were excluded, does not apply - namely where: · a meeting has resolved to make the information publically available · there are no grounds under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for withholding the information when requested · the information is no longer confidential.	Clarification and ensures consistency with GB Standing Orders	7.4.3
Languages	Amendments to allow New Zealand Sign Language (as well as English and Māori) to be used by members and in deputations, presentations and public forum. Two clear working days’ notice must be provided when an address is not in English (this is the same as the notice period required under the current local board Standing Orders and the governing body Standing Orders). The Governing Body input and Māori input sections also provide for addressing the meeting in New Zealand Sign Language, English or Māori.	Recognition of NZ Sign Language as an official language	1.1.2, 5.1.5, 6.1.5, 7.6.1, 7.7.5 and 7.8.4.
Minutes	Clarification of what meeting minutes are to record.	Clarification	8.1.2
Agendas	Clarification that agendas can be sent electronically, and that names of local board and committee members are to be on each agenda.	Clarification	2.4.1 7.3.3
Non-financial interests	Suggested new provision regarding procedure for dealing with non-financial interests of members. If a member considers that there is a conflict of interest for an item, they may not take part in the discussions about or vote on the relevant matter.	Helps ensure robust, legally defensible decisions and consistent with GB Standing Orders	1.3.8
Repeat Notices of Motion	Suggested amendment that a Notice of Motion that the local board or a committee has considered twice and rejected within the previous six months may be refused by the Chairperson. (There is no longer the option for a further notice - prior to the expiration of the original period of 6 months - where signed by a majority of all members.)	Assists smooth running of meetings and ensures consistency with GB Standing Orders	2.5.8
Procedural motions	Suggested new provision that the Chairperson has discretion about whether to allow any other procedural motion that is not contained in these Standing Orders.	Assists smooth running of meeting and ensures consistency with GB Standing Orders	1.7.12
Urgent items	Suggested change in title, from ‘Major items of business not on the agenda may be dealt with (extraordinary business)’ to ‘Urgent items of business not on the agenda may be dealt with (extraordinary business)’. This provision sets out when items not on an agenda may be considered. The suggested change in title aims to help clarify the types of issues that fall under this provision and better reflect the purpose of the provision. Text has also been added clarifying that extraordinary business may be brought before a meeting by a report of the Chief Executive or Chairperson. Where the matter is so urgent a written report is not practical, the report may be verbal.	Clarification	2.4.5 and Appendix D
Governing body input	A proposed section on Governing Body input sets out that a Governing Body member may provide input at meetings via speaking rights on items at the discretion of the chair and a report on the agenda for a Governing Body member to provide a general update on matters of interest to the board. This can include reporting on regional matters of interest to the local board or any matter the Governing Body member wishes to raise. This section aims to be more flexible than the current local board SO 3.9.14, by applying to Governing Body members in general rather than ward councillors for the local board area. Whilst the right for Governing Body members to speak as a deputation has also been retained, the Governing Body input section enables a more flexible/permissive option, given it does not require the authorisation of a governing body resolution. Use of the process for Governing Body deputations will be appropriate for more formal circumstances, where the Governing Body member is representing the views of the Governing Body as a whole. The suggested notice period is seven clear working days, to enable sufficient time for it to appear on the agenda. However, this is at the discretion of the Chairperson and can be shortened if necessary. The suggested speaking time is five minutes, in accordance with provisions in the Governing Body Standing Orders.	More permissive input provisions	Part 5
Order of business	Clarification that the order of business for an extraordinary meeting should be limited to items relevant to the purpose of the meeting. The Chairperson may allow governing body, Māori and public input that is relevant to the purpose of the meeting. The items listed in this section have been amended to fit with the order of business generated by Infocouncil.	Clarification and ensures consistency with GB Standing Orders	2.4.2
References to working parties and briefings	These have been taken out, as these forums tend to be less formal and not covered by Standing Orders.	Relevance
Public forum	Suggested changes clarifying that: · public forum may not be required at the inaugural meeting, extraordinary meetings or a special consultative procedure · members may not debate any matter raised during the public forum session that is not on the agenda for the meeting, or take any action in relation to it, other than through the usual procedures for extraordinary business if the matter is urgent. The meeting may refer the matter to a future meeting, or to another committee, or to the Chief Executive for investigation · Māori or New Zealand Sign Language can be used at public forum, as long as two clear working days’ notice is provided. Where practical, council will arrange for a translator to be present · the Chairperson may direct a speaker to a different committee and prohibit a speaker from speaking if he or she is offensive, repetitious or vexatious, or otherwise breaches these standing orders.	Clarification	7.8
Suspension of standing orders	A provision has been included for a member to move a motion to suspend standing orders as a procedural motion. The member must name the standing orders to be suspended and provide a reason for suspension. If seconded, the chairperson must put it without debate. At least 75 per cent of the members present and voting must vote in favour of the suspension, and the resolution must state the reason why the SO was suspended. It should be noted that some SOs reflect provisions in legislation so cannot be suspended. These are usually indicated by a reference underneath the SO to the relevant clause in legislation.	To assist the smooth running of meetings and ensure consistency with GB Standing Orders	1.7.11
Notice to be seconded	A notice of motion delivered to the Chief Executive must be signed by another member of the meeting as a seconder – unless member is giving notice of motion to revoke or alter a previous resolution.	Consistency with GB Standing Orders	2.5.2
Chairperson discretion	The discretion of the Chairperson has been clarified and made as consistent as possible in Standing Orders relating to Governing Body input, Māori input, public forum and deputations.	Clarification and consistency	Parts 5 and 6, 7.7 and 7.8
Māori responsiveness	Suggested provisions for representatives of Māori organisations to provide input at local board or committee meetings via speaking rights during relevant items. The main purpose of the provisions is to recognise the special status of Māori and increase the council’s responsiveness to Māori.. The provisions also provide more flexibility than the deputations process, which restricts the number of deputation members that may address the meeting. The suggested notice period is seven clear working days, to enable sufficient time for such an item to appear on the agenda. However, this is at the discretion of the chair and can be shortened if need be.	Recognition of the special status of Māori and IMSB’s role under section 85 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009	Part 6 and 4.2.2
Working days / clear working days	The term “clear working days” has been used throughout the document, to refer to the number of working days prescribed for giving notice. It excludes the date of service of that notice and the date of the meeting itself. This is in accordance with legislation (Local Government Act 2002, Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 and the Interpretation Act).	Clarification and consistency
Governing body input, Māori input, public forum, deputations	The provisions in these sections have been made as consistent as possible and, where appropriate, in accordance with the Governing Body Standing Orders. Legal advice has been followed regarding the subjects a speaker may not speak about and the questions which can be put to speakers.	Clarification
New appendices	New appendices have been added, setting out who must leave the meeting when the public is excluded and how business is brought before a meeting. Provisions in the current local board Standing Orders relating to workshops have been placed in an appendix, given their exemption from Part seven of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1978.	Clarification	Appendices B-D
Electronic attendance at business meetings	Recent changes to the Local Government Act 2002 now allow members to attend meetings by audio or audio-visual means in certain situations. There are a number of restrictions for this provision in the legislation including that relevant technology is available and of suitable quality, all those participating can hear each other and there is no reduction in accountability or accessibility of the member in relation to the meeting. Members attending meetings by electronic link may vote but are not counted as part of the quorum. The revised Standing Orders contain provisions to enable members to attend meetings by electronic link, where the member is representing the council at a place that makes their physical presence at the meeting impossible or impracticable, to accommodate the member’s illness or infirmity or in emergencies. This provision will only apply where the technology is available.	Allows members to attend meetings whilst away on council business, or during illness or other emergency.	3.3
Membership of committees	In accordance with section 85 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, a clause has been included acknowledging that the Independent Māori Statutory Board must appoint a maximum of two people to sit as members of committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources.	Clarification	4.2.2
Powers of delegation	Clause 36D of schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 identifies who a local board may delegate decision-making to, and the powers a local board cannot delegate. This clause does not include the power to delegate to other subordinate decision-making bodies or more than one member of a local board. Therefore references to subordinate decision-making bodies have been removed.	Clarification	Part 4

Key differences from the governing body standing orders

24. The revised local board Standing Orders contain some points of difference with the governing body Standing Orders. Key points of difference are in the areas of refreshment breaks, petitions, notices of motion, and public input.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

25. This report provides information and a revised set of Standing Orders for local board consideration and adoption.

Māori impact statement

26. The local board Standing Orders deal with meeting procedure. They provide for Māori to be spoken at business meetings and for deputations, presentations and petitions to be in Māori. They also enable:

· Māori to participate on local board committees, even if they are not members of the relevant local board. See current local board SO 2.9.2 which states: “members of a committee or subcommittee may, but need not be, elected members of the Local Board”. As such, non-members may be appointed to committees or subcommittees if they have relevant skills, attributes or knowledge.

· the suspension of Standing Orders, which can be useful to flexibly incorporate tikanga at meetings.

27. New suggested provisions relating to Māori in the revised Standing Orders include:

· a section on Māori input, to recognise the special status of Māori and encourage their input at local board meetings. This is in accordance with advice from Te Waka Angamua and work being undertaken by some local boards on a co-design process with mana whenua to improve Māori input into local board decision-making

· clarifying that the Independent Maori Statutory Board (IMSB) must appoint a maximum of two people to sit as members of committees that deal with the management and stewardship of natural and physical resources (in accordance with the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, section 85)

· providing for Māori to be spoken at public forum, and by the governing body or Māori organisations providing input, as long as two clear working days’ notice is given of the intention to do so.

28. Including these provisions recognises the special status of Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Local Government Act 2002 requirements to provide opportunities and processes for Māori to contribute to decision-making processes.^{^[1]} It is also in accordance with the goals of council’s Māori Responsiveness Framework, Whiria Te Muka Tangata. In particular, to foster more positive and productive relationships between council and Māori, and contribute to Māori well-being by developing strong Māori communities.

Implementation

29. Changes to Standing Orders requires a majority vote of not less than 75% of members present (s27(3) Schedule 7, Local Government Act 2002).

30. If approved, the revised Standing Orders will come in to effect immediately.

31. Copies of the revised Standing Orders will be provided to all local board members, where local boards choose to adopt changes.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Revised Local Board Standing Orders	141
b ⇩	Governing Body Political working party’s finding	201

Signatories

Authors	Blair Doherty - Kaipatiki Local Board Democracy Advisor
Authorisers	Carol McKenzie-Rex - Acting General Manager Local Board Services

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Decision making allocation

File No.: CP2017/25853

Purpose

1. To seek Howick Local Board input on the allocation of non-regulatory decision-making as part of the 10 Year Budget 2018-2028.

Executive summary

2. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 requires the Governing Body to allocate decision-making responsibility for non-regulatory activities, either to the Governing Body or to local boards. This must be undertaken in accordance with certain legislative principles and after considering the views and preferences of each local board. There is a presumption that local boards will be responsible for making decisions on non-regulatory activities, except where decision-making on a region-wide basis will better promote the wellbeing of communities across Auckland because certain criteria are satisfied.

3. Each long-term plan and annual plan must identify the non-regulatory activities allocated to local boards.

4. A significant review of this decision-making allocation was undertaken during the 2015-2025 Long-term Plan cycle. The allocation was also recently considered during the Governance Framework Review, over the period 2016-2017. A comprehensive review is, therefore, not being undertaken in this Long-term Plan cycle.

5. One substantive change to the allocation is proposed in order to implement a policy decision from the Governance Framework Review: allocating certain local service property optimisation decisions to local boards. There are various other minor wording amendments to improve clarity and consistency.

6. Local board feedback is sought on this proposed allocation. It will be considered by the Governing Body during its adoption of the 10 Year Budget 2018-2028.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) endorse the proposed allocation of non-regulatory decision-making as attached to this report.

Comments

Background

7. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 sets out the functions and powers of the Governing Body and local boards. Local board functions and powers come from three sources:

· those directly conferred by the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009

· non-regulatory activities allocated by the Governing Body to local boards

· regulatory or non-regulatory functions and powers delegated by the Governing Body or Auckland Transport to the local boards.

8. The Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) was given the task of determining the initial allocation of the council’s non-regulatory activities using the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 (the Auckland Council Act). In undertaking this exercise, the question considered by ATA was not ‘why should the activity be allocated to local boards?’ but ‘why not?’ This was in line with the Auckland Council Act.

9. The non-regulatory decision-making allocation has been reviewed twice since the ATA first developed it, as part of the Long-term Plan 2012-2022 and the Long-term Plan 2015-2025.The current non-regulatory decision-making allocation was determined as part of the Long-term Plan 2015-2025. It is written on an inclusive basis; it does not contain an exhaustive list of all elements that might make up an allocated activity.

10. A significant review of the allocation was undertaken during the Long-term Plan 2015-2025. The review concluded that a number of clarifications and text changes were required, but no substantive changes were needed to the allocated responsibilities. The review also concluded that the then allocation had worked well and there had been a growing understanding and increasing sophistication of how to use it.

11. The 2016 independent Governance Framework Review report also considered the decision-making allocation as part of the respective roles of the Governing Body and local boards, and what is working well and not working well in Auckland Council’s governance. As with the Long-term Plan 2015-2025 review, the Governance Framework Review found that the current allocation is well understood, sensible, and generally works well. It did recommend that one minor technical change be made to the allocation to more accurately describe the current practical limitations of local board roles in park acquisitions. Further analysis and consultation demonstrated that this recommended change was not necessary.

12. In responding to the Governance Framework Review report, and considering how local boards could be further empowered, the Governing Body decided on a policy change that requires the allocation table to be amended. This is described below.

13. Local boards were extensively consulted during the Governance Framework review.

14. Due to the recent timing of the Governance Framework Review and the consideration of the allocation of non-regulatory decision-making as part of it, no comprehensive review of the allocation table is being undertaken this Long-term Plan cycle.

15. The Governance Framework Review did identify other decision-making opportunities for local boards, e.g. around service levels. No change is required to the allocation table to provide for this; local boards already have the necessary responsibilities allocated to them. Rather, the organisation needs to be in a position to provide local boards with quality advice when making those decisions.

Summary of proposed amendments

16. The current allocation with proposed amendments is attached as Attachment A.

17. The only substantive amendment to the allocation is to allocate decision-making for disposal of local service properties and reinvestment of sale proceeds to local boards where this falls within the service property optimisation policy. This policy was adopted in 2015 by the Governing Body and sets out the purpose and principles for optimisation of underperforming or underutilised service property. A key element is that sale proceeds from underperforming service property are locally reinvested to advance approved projects or activities on a cost neutral basis.

18. Under the current allocation the Governing Body makes the final decision on disposal and acquisition of all property assets, including local service properties that may be optimised. Through the Governance Framework Review process the Governing Body agreed that these local service property optimisation decisions should be made by local boards.^{^[2]} This amendment to the allocation implements this decision. This issue was canvassed with local boards during consultation on the Governance Framework Review and they were supportive of local boards holding this decision-making.

19. The current allocation has one specific allocation for the Governing Body on acquisition and disposals - ‘acquisition and divestment of all park land, including the disposal of surplus parks.’ This was introduced to the allocation table in 2012 to provide clarity of decision-making responsibility in this space. This allocation would conflict with the new allocation given to local boards (disposal and reinvestment of property assets in line with the Service Property Optimisation Policy). In order to retain clarity an amendment has been made to the parks allocation to make it clear that the Governing Body’s responsibility for acquisition and divestment of parks does not apply in the case of the Service Property Optimisation Policy applying.

20. Other minor changes to wording include:

· Amending ‘Auckland-wide’ to ‘regional’ in several instances to maintain consistency throughout the allocation table

· Updating various names (such as Panuku Development Auckland and various parks and maunga) to bring them into line with Auckland Council style

· Updating descriptions of governance arrangements for several reserves to more accurately describe the current arrangements

· Renaming themes and activity groups to bring them in to line with the new LTP nomenclature

· Updating the planning language to bring it in line with Auckland Plan refresh nomenclature.

21. Whilst not part of the allocation of decision-making, the preamble to the allocation table that describes what powers have been delegated to local boards has also been updated to note the recent decision to delegate certain Reserves Act powers to local boards. This delegation was an outcome of the Governance Framework Review.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

22. Local board views on the proposed allocation are being sought via this report.

23. There was extensive consultation with local boards about their decision-making roles and powers during the Governance Framework Review. This included:

· workshops with each local board during the independent review phase;

· workshops and one business meeting with each local board during the response phase.

24. The review found that the allocation table was generally working well and no substantive changes to the allocation were recommended. This was specifically discussed with local boards during workshops. Feedback from local boards was generally supportive of this position.

Māori impact statement

25. There are no particular impacts to Maori in relation to this report.

Implementation

26. As the changes proposed to the decision-making allocation are not significant it is not necessary to publicly consult on them. Local board feedback will be reported to the Governing Body in 2018. Changes to the allocation would come into effect on 1 July 2018.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Proposed allocation of decision-making for local board feedback	215

Signatories

Authors

James Liddell - Portfolio Manager

Authorisers

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

Carol McKenzie-Rex - Acting General Manager Local Board Services

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

10-year Budget 2018-2028 consultation

File No.: CP2017/25865

Purpose

1. To agree local engagement events, and adopt local content and supporting information for consultation as part of the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 process.

Executive summary

2. Consultation on the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 (long-term plan) will take place from 28 February – 28 March 2018. Local boards will be consulting on their areas of focus and advocacy for their 2018/2019 Local Board Agreement. The Local Board Agreement is part of the budget setting process for the first year of the 10-year Budget 2018-2028.

3. There will also be concurrent consultation on the Auckland Plan Refresh (APR), Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) and the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).

4. This report seeks agreement from local boards on spoken interaction events that will be held in their local board area during the consultation period and to adopt their local content and supporting information for consultation, including:

· areas of focus for 2018/2019

· the key advocacy project.

5. The governing body will agree regional items for consultation on 11 December and local boards will agree their items by 14 December. The regional and local consultation items will then be incorporated into the consultation document and supporting information, which will be adopted by the governing body on 7 February 2018.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) Agrees, subject to approval by the governing body, to hold the following spoken interaction events during the consultation period:

i) Have Your Say, The Picton Centre, Howick - 15 March 6-8pm

ii) Have Your Say, Kotahi Community Centre, Botany – 22 March 6-8pm

iii) Have Your Say, Howick Local Board meeting room – 28 March 6-8pm

b) Delegate to the following elected members and staff the power and responsibility to hear from the public through “spoken/NZ sign language interaction” in relation to the local board agreement at the council’s public engagement events during the consultation period for the 10-year Budget 2018-2028:

i) Local Board Members and Chair

ii) General Manager Local Board Services, Local Board Relationship Manager, Local Board Senior Advisor, Local Board Advisor

iii) any additional staff approved by the General Manager Local Board Services or the Chief Financial Officer

c) Adopts Attachment A local content for consultation and Attachment B local supporting information for consultation, including their key advocacy project.

d) Delegates authority to the local board chair to approve any final minor changes required following review by council’s legal team and/or Audit NZ, of the local consultation content for the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 prior to publication, including online consultation content, and should any changes be made they are to be reported to the next business meeting.

Comments

6. The 10-year Budget sets out the priorities and funding for council activities that are planned over a 10-year period. It includes financial and non-financial information for the whole Auckland Council group. The Long-term Plan is reviewed and consulted on every three years.

7. As part of the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 process, the council is required to produce a consultation document. This will cover any significant or important issues proposed to be included in the 10-year Budget 2018-2028. The consultation document and supporting information will also include information on local board issues and priorities.

8. As part of the consultation on the 10-year Budget 2018-2028, local boards will consider and be consulting on their areas of focus and advocacy for their 2018/2019 Local Board Agreement. The Local Board Agreement is part of the budget setting process for the first year of the 10-year Budget 2018-2028.

9. Public consultation on the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 will take place from 28 February – 28 March 2018.There will also be concurrent consultation on the Auckland Plan Refresh (APR), Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) and the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan (WMMP).

10. Aucklanders will be able to provide feedback during the consultation process through a variety of channels which include verbal (or face to face), written, social media and digital. A report on how council will receive verbal feedback from the public was considered by the Finance and Performance Committee on 21 November 2017. At a high level, the report outlines several different types of events which are planned for specific audiences and communities as well as those planned for general Auckland residents. At that meeting, the Finance and Performance Committee resolved to:

a) approve the approach…to receive all feedback from Aucklanders on the Long-term Plan and Auckland Plan from 28 February 2018 to 28 March 2018 comprising of:

· up to 25 Have Your Say events targeting general Auckland residents are held in local board areas across the region;

· four regional stakeholder events (traditional hearing style);

· an independently commissioned quantitative survey;

· community specific events to collect feedback from different demographic and interest groups. Demographic events will target Youth, Seniors, Pacific, Ethnic, Rainbow and Disability communities;

· hui with mana whenua and mataawaka.

and

c) require the Mayor and Councillors to attend a minimum of three Have Your Say events each to hear the views of Aucklanders and all regional stakeholder events.

11. The final consultation process for the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 will be approved by the governing body on 7 February 2018.

12. Spoken interaction constitutes any opportunity where Aucklanders have a dialogue with decision makers or their official delegations on the themes relating to the consultation. The spoken interaction events recommended to be held in the Howick Local Board area are:

· Have Your Say, The Picton Centre, Howick - 15 March 6-8pm

· Have Your Say, Kotahi Community Centre, Botany – 22 March 6-8pm

· Have Your Say, Howick Local Board meeting room – 28 March 6-8pm

13. Local boards are requested to agree their key priorities and key advocacy project for 2018/2019 and adopt their local content and supporting information for consultation. Attachments A Local content for consultation and Attachment B Local supporting information for consultation will be tabled at the meeting.

14. Any new local BID targeted rates must be consulted on before they can be implemented. Local boards are therefore also requested to agree any new proposals for consultation.

Consideration

Local board views and implications

15. Local board decisions are being sought in this report.

16. Local boards will have further opportunities to provide information and views as council progresses through the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 process.

Māori impact statement

17. Many local board decisions are of importance to and impact on Māori. Local board agreements and the 10-year Budget are important tools that enable and can demonstrate council’s responsiveness to Māori. Local board plans, which were adopted in September and October of 2017, form the basis for local priorities.

18. Bespoke consultation materials for the Māori community are being developed. These materials will explain how the LTP and APR are relevant for them. Engagement advisors will have access to this collateral to support local engagement.

19. Specific regionally supported local engagement with Māori is being targeted for south and west Auckland.

20. An integrated approach to mana whenua engagement is being taken, with LTP and APR discussions already happening through the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum.

21. There is a need to continue to build relationships between local boards and iwi, and where relevant the wider Māori community. Ongoing conversations will assist local boards and Māori to understand each other’s priorities and issues. This in turn can influence and encourage Māori participation in council’s decision-making processes.

Implementation

22. The governing body will approve the consultation document, supporting information and consultation process for the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 on 7 February 2018.

23. Following consultation, the governing body and local boards will make decisions on the 10-year Budget 2018-2028 and Local Board Agreements 2018/19 respectively.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Local content for consultation	233
b ⇩	Local supporting information for consultation	235

Signatories

Authors	Christie McFayden - Graduate Advisor
Authorisers	Carol McKenzie-Rex - Acting General Manager Local Board Services

Howick Local Board

11 December 2017

Local board feedback on rates remission and postponement policy review

File No.: CP2017/25857

Purpose

1. Seek preliminary feedback from local boards on the review of the rates remission and postponement policy and in particular the legacy schemes. Feedback will be considered by Finance and Performance Committee when agreeing a rates remission and postponement policy, and any options, for consultation.

Executive summary

2. The council is required to review its rates remission and postponement policy every six years.

3. Rates remissions are a reduction in rates, usually by a set percentage. Rates postponement defers the payment of rates to a future point in time, usually the sale of the property.

4. The current policy includes six regional schemes and eleven legacy schemes inherited from the former councils that are only available within the former districts. Only minor changes are proposed to the regional schemes.

5. Officers recommend Option 1 that the legacy schemes (excluding the postponement for Manukau sports clubs) be replaced with grants because:

· funding decisions are more transparent

· spending for each activity is within an annual budget

· level of support for each organisation is more visible.

6. A three year transition is proposed for current recipients during which they will receive their current funding via a grant. At the end of transition they would need to apply for renewal.

7. Current legacy remissions and postponements funding would move to grant budgets:

a) regional grants programmes: remissions for natural heritage and community/sporting remissions for regional/sub-regional facilities

b) local board grants programmes: all other legacy remissions in the relevant area and the Great Barrier Island postponements.

8. Each board will be funded to provide the same level of grants as is presently provided in b) above. After three years boards can choose to continue the grants if they wish. While some boards will get more funding than others, this will be smoothed over time by the local board funding policy.

Alternative options

9. The other three options were considered and rejected because:

· Option 2: keeping the current remissions schemes is inequitable

· Option 3: extending the remissions in their current form is costly and does not provide the same level of transparency and oversight as is achieved with grants

· Option 4: removing the schemes with no replacement could present some ratepayers/community groups with affordability issues.

10. Local boards feedback on the review will be included in the report to the Finance and Performance Committee in February 2018. Public consultation on the proposed Rates remission and postponement policy and any options will occur in April 2018. Local boards will be able to consider public feedback, and provide their formal views on the proposed policy at their May 2018 meetings. Local board and public feedback will be reported to the 31 May 2018 meeting of the Finance and Performance Committee when the adoption of the policy will be considered.

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) resolve feedback on the options to address the legacy council remission and postponement schemes.

Comments

Background

11. The current Rates remission and postponement policy includes:

· 6 regional schemes available to all ratepayers with the objectives to:

o provide ratepayers with some financial or other assistance where they might otherwise have difficulty meeting their obligations

o address circumstances where the rating system results in anomalies in the incidence of rates.

· 11 legacy schemes supporting community objectives set by the former councils and only available in some areas:

o five remission schemes for natural and in some cases historic heritage

o six remission schemes for community and sporting organisations

o a rates postponement scheme for sports clubs in Manukau

o a rates postponement scheme for businesses on Great Barrier Island.

12. A summary of the regional and legacy schemes and the amount of remission or postponement granted in 2016/2017 is in Attachment A. The full rates remission and postponement policy is in Attachment B.

Assessment of Regional Schemes

13. Officers have reviewed the regional schemes and identified that the schemes are operating in accordance with expectations. The only amendment proposed to the regional schemes is to simplify the remission scheme for rates penalties. This amendment will be designed to maintain ratepayers’ existing level of access to penalty remissions.

Assessment of Legacy Schemes

14. Four options were considered for the legacy schemes:

1. integrate with grants schemes with three year transition for current recipients

2. retain the status quo

3. extend to entire region

4. remove.

15. A summary of the options can be found in Table 1 at the end of this report.

16. The following criteria were used to assess options for the legacy remissions and postponements policies.

· equity – same treatment for all ratepayers in all areas across Auckland

· transparency

· cost

· minimise the effects of change

· administrative simplicity.

Option 1: Integrate remissions and postponements with grants schemes with three year transition (excluding the Manukau postponement scheme for sports clubs)

17. This option would remove the present remission and postponement schemes. Up to the current amount equivalent of the 2018/2019 remission would be transferred to grants expenditure in the relevant areas over the next three years. The amount of grants will be adjusted for the increase in rates in the subsequent two years.

18. This option will increase the council’s grants and other budget lines by $900,000. This increase is offset by the increase in rates revenue of $900,000 resulting from remissions no longer being applied. There is no net cost to ratepayers of converting rates remissions to grants.

Allocating grants

19. Integration of remissions into wider regional, or local, grants schemes is preferable because:

· allocation of rates expenditure will be transparent

· spending via grants is public and assessed against other comparable demands on public money in terms of efficacy. Value for money is regularly assessed.

· administrative systems for grants are already in place although there will be a change in volume

· proposed transition will result in no change for recipients over the three years

· regional equity will be achieved over time as the legacy grants are integrated into the wider grants programme

· enables equity between community organisations that own land and those that do not.

20. Legacy schemes have been assessed against local and regional responsibilities. From this it is proposed that grants budgets be allocated as follows:

Remission/Postponement For	Aligns with	Grant allocates to
Natural heritage	Regional	Regional Environment and Natural Heritage Grants Programme
Historic Heritage	Regional	Regional Historic Heritage Grants Programme
Regional or sub-regional sports facilities	Regional	Regional Sports and Recreation Grants Programme
Local sports clubs and facilities	Local	Local Board where property receiving remission is located
Regional or sub-regional community facilities	Regional	Regional Community Development Grants programmes
Local community organisations and facilities	Local	Local Board where property receiving remission is located
Great Barrier businesses	Local	Great Barrier Local Board

21. Remissions for community and sporting organisations have been split between Regional and Local based on the area served by the property receiving the remission. For example, Eden Park, St John’s ambulance stations, IHC care homes and the SPCA have been classed as regional. Remissions for the Scouts Association and Plunket NZ have been classed as local because they relate to local scout halls and Plunket centres.

22. The value of remissions by local board area can be found in Attachment C. A list of all community and sporting remissions by local board showing the ratepayer and amount of remission, can be found in Attachment D.

Three Year Transition

23. The relevant decision maker, e.g. the Governing Body Committee for regional grants, and local boards for local grants, would be required to provide a grant to the level of the existing remission for a period of three years. The present recipient would therefore be protected from any change to their current funding for that period. At the end of the three years the decision maker can then decide whether to continue the grants on the existing basis or release the funds to the wider grants pool.

Option 2: Retain the status quo

24. This option would retain the remissions and postponement schemes in their current form in the former council areas. Properties in other parts of the region would not be able to apply for them

25. This option is administratively simple for the council and recipients. It minimises change. Costs will depend on applications but have been relatively stable over time. The options is not equitable because the schemes are only available to ratepayers in some areas.

26. Rates remissions and postponements are not a transparent mechanism for supporting wider council goals because they:

· are recorded as a charge against revenue

· do not appear as a cost in the councils accounts

· do not increase the rates requirement and hence do not impact the headline rates increase^{^[3]} (They still increase the rates burden on other ratepayers)

· are not prioritised against other expenditure proposals or subject to the same value for money scrutiny.

Option 3: Extend to entire region

27. This option would extend the current policies to apply to the entire Auckland Council area. Extending the policies in their current form is equitable, and simplifies administration. However this option:

· increases costs to ratepayers without being compared to other council proposals that may offer greater benefits

· lacks evidence as to how much benefit will be returned by this investment

· is not transparent as described in Option 2 above.

28. The cost of extending existing legacy remission schemes regionally will depend on the criteria for eligibility. Costs for extending the current remission schemes have been estimated at $4.5 - $6 million as follows:

· Extending remission for natural heritage to properties with a covenant managed by the Queen Elizabeth the Second Trust: $40,000. There are just over 100 properties in Auckland with a QEII covenant. If the criteria is extended to include other types of covenant, such as a covenant with a council, then the number of eligible properties will increase significantly. For example there are 4,500 properties with a bush-lot covenant from Rodney Council.

· Extending remissions for historic heritage: $3 million. This is derived from the rates for properties that are scheduled Category A in the Auckland Unitary Plan, where the status is associated with a building. This ignores archaeological sites such as middens and pa, but will capture the whole value of properties where the heritage status only applies to part of the property.

· Extending remissions for community and sporting organisations: $1.5 million for 50 per cent remission to $3 million for 100 per cent remission. This is estimated by applying a full remission to properties currently receiving a five per cent remission for the Auckland Regional Council scheme for community and sporting organisations. This is likely to under estimate the value of remissions, as offering a more generous remission is likely to significantly increase the number of applicants.

Option 4: Remove the schemes

29. Removing the schemes would lead to immediate financial impacts for a number of organisations presently receiving support from council. While the sums remitted are in many cases small, it is not clear that all the current recipients would be able to adequately accommodate change in a short time period.

Postponement for sports clubs in the district of the previous Manukau City Council

30. It is not recommended that the rates postponements for Manukau Sports clubs be converted to remission. This is because the postponement is currently set to be cost neutral. This is achieved by interest being charged, and by the postponement being secured against the title of the property. The council can require the full amount of postponed rates and interest be paid before any sale of the property can proceed. It would not be effective or efficient to try and replicate the postponement through a grants process.

31. The clubs are accruing a major liability against their land under this scheme. The total current liability including interest is $880,000. If the policy is not changed then rates will continue to accrue as the rates are never remitted. While the postponements are cost-neutral when they end, in the meantime they represent a significant debt liability at a time when the council is debt constrained. For this reason officers prefer that the schemes be removed after a suitable transition period. (The outstanding liability at the time the scheme is removed would remain a liability on the land until its sale or transfer of ownership.)

32. The two clubs receiving the postponement are zoned for residential development. Both clubs have significant (around 240%) increases in capital valuation following changes in zoning under the unitary plan. One club has repaid a portion of its liability following the sale of part of the property, and has chosen to pay rather than postpone the current year’s rates.

33. Officers propose to do further work to understand the individual circumstances of these two golf courses before developing formal recommendation and options for addressing this postponement scheme. Next steps and a timeline for actions will be included in the report to the February Finance and Performance Committee.

Next Steps

34. Preliminary feedback from local boards will be attached to the report to the February Finance and Performance Committee. The committee will agree a Rates remission and postponement policy, and any options, for consultation.

35. Public consultation will occur in April. All current recipients of the legacy rates remission and feedback.

36. Local boards will be able to consider the results of the public consultation, and provide formal feedback on the proposed policy, at their May meetings.

37. The Finance and Performance Committee will consider feedback from the public and local boards and adopt a final Rates remission and postponement policy by 31 May 2018. This enables the council’s budgets to be updated for the adoption of the Long-term Plan 2018-2028.

Table 1: Review of the rates remission and postponement policy: Options for legacy remission and postponement schemes

Option	Description	Pros	Cons	Implementation
Option 1: Integrate with grants schemes	· Legacy remission and postponements schemes (excluding MCC postponement for sports clubs) transfer to regional or local grants schemes. · Three year transition – same level of support given as provided in remission or postponement	· Increased transparency and accountability – grants assessed for value for money · Can cap costs · No change for three years for current recipients – time to adjust · Greater flexibility in application – not restricted to organisations that own land, level of support can reflect outcomes not property rates · Reduced rates administration	· Increased grants administration	· Administrative systems already in place for grants · Increase in grants volume
Option 2: Retain the status quo	· Legacy remission and postponements schemes continue unchanged	· Minimises change	· Inequitable – only available in some areas, and only available to groups that own land · Lacks transparency – spending not reviewed against other council priorities · No cap on costs	· No change to current processes
Option 3: Extend to entire region	· Schemes expanded to regional schemes. Costs will depend on the criteria applied	· Increases equity across the region	· Cost – estimated at $4.5m to $6m · No cap on costs · Lacks transparency – spending not reviewed against other council priorities · Lack of evidence this would improve outcomes · Only available to groups that own property	· Increases volume of remissions to process
Option 4: Remove the schemes	· Legacy schemes removed without transition	· $700,000 reduction in cost of rates for 2018/2019	· No time for recipients to adjust	· Reduces rates administration

Consideration

Local board views and implications

38. Implications for local boards are set out in the report. Under the proposal boards will be provided with additional funding to maintain the existing level of support for local community and sports groups in their board area that currently receive remissions. However, local boards will have more grant applications to appraise in the future and potentially more decisions to make at the end of the three year transition.

39. This report seeks feedback from Local Boards to inform the consideration of this issue by the Finance and Performance Committee in February.

Māori impact statement

40. None of the properties presently receiving remissions or postponements under the legacy schemes are known to be Māori owned or operated.

41. The only reference to Māori in the legacy remission and postponement schemes is the provision for remissions for Māori reservations in the Rodney District. No properties applied under this criterion. Such properties would be eligible for remission under the Council’s Māori freehold land rates remission and postponement policy. The Council is not required to review its MFL rates remission and postponement policy until 2019. No changes are proposed for this policy.

42. Under the principles for the Community Grants Policy, all grants programmes should respond to Auckland Council’s commitment to improving Māori outcomes.

Implementation

43. Differences in implementation for each of the options are set out in Table 1 above.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Summary of Auckland Council rates remission and postponement policy schemes	245
b ⇩	Rates remission and postponement policy	251
c ⇩	Value of legacy schemes by local board area	269
d ⇩	List of all community and sporting remissions by local board area (Under Separate Cover) - Confidential

Signatories

Authors

Beth Sullivan - Principal Advisor Policy

Andrew Duncan - Manager Financial Policy

Authorisers

Ross Tucker - Acting General Manager Financial Strategy and Planning

Carol McKenzie-Rex Acting General Manager Local Board Services

Nina Siers - Relationship Manager

[2] The Governing Body resolved to delegate this power to local boards. However, this was in error, as it was always intended that the power should be allocated to local boards by Governing Body and it was discussed by the Political Working Party in this context.

[3] The headline rates increase in an annual plan, or long-term plan, is a comparison of the annual rates requirement to the previous years budgeted rates requirement. Moving a charge against revenue to an expenditure item like grants will increase the council’s costs and inflate the apparent rates increase. However, remissions and postponements are a cost already borne by those ratepayers not receiving them. Therefore an adjustment will be made to the 2014/2015 budgeted rates requirement for the purpose of calculating the rates increase proposed for 2015/2016.

Chairperson	David Collings
Deputy Chairperson	Katrina Bungard
Members	Garry Boles
	Jim Donald, JP
	John Spiller
	Mike Turinsky
	Adele White
	Bob Wichman
	Peter Young, JP

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	8 November 2017 Workshop Record	309
b ⇩	9 November 2017 Workshop Record	311
c ⇩	15 November 2017 Workshop Record	313
d ⇩	16 November 2017 Workshop Record	315
e ⇩	22 November 2017 Workshop Record	317
f ⇩	23 November 2017 Workshop Record	319

Authors	Nichola Painter - Democracy Advisor
Authorisers	Nina Siers - Relationship Manager