Agenda of Waiheke Local Board - 26 September 2019

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Waiheke Local Grants Round One 2019/2020 grant allocations

File No.: CP2019/15891

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To fund, part-fund or decline applications received for Waiheke Local Board Local Grant Round One 2019/2020, including multi-board applications.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report presents applications received in Waiheke Local Board Local Grant Round One 2019/2020 (refer to Attachment B), including multi-board applications (refer to Attachment C).

3. The Waiheke Local Board adopted the Waiheke Local Board Grants Programme 2019/2020 on 18 April 2019 (refer to Attachment A). The document sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the local board.

4. The Waiheke Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $50,000.00 for the 2019/2020 financial year.

5. Fifteen applications were received for Waiheke Local Board Local Grant Round One 2019/2020, requesting a total of $58,180.90, and four multi-board applications requesting a total of $10,607.39.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in Waiheke Local Grant Round One 2019/2020, listed in table one and two below.

Table One: Waiheke Local Grant Round One 2019/2020 grant applications

Application ID	Organisation	Main focus	Requesting funding for	Amount requested	Eligibility
LG2018-102	The Artworks Theatre Incorporated	Arts and culture	Towards the costs of delivering basic show operation workshops for nine youth including technician fees, programme coordination and promotion.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-103	Kashmir Postel	Arts and culture	Towards delivering six shadow puppet shows at the Waiheke Library from November to January 2020.	$2,400.00	Eligible
LG2018-110	Waiheke Community Art Gallery Incorporated	Arts and culture	Towards the "Art Map" design and printing costs for 15,000 copies	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-126	Waiheke Performance Dance Society Incorporated	Arts and culture	Towards costs for dancing costumes to perform at the National Young Performing Arts Awards in Palmerston North on 17 to 20 October 2019.	$3,908.45	Eligible
LG2018-101	Pasifika Pix and Films Limited	Community	Towards a feasibility study including consultant fees, transport, venue hire and advertising.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-104	Waiheke Amateur Radio Club	Community	Towards an emergency communication pilot between Rocky Bay Hall and the Waiheke Local Board office in December 2019.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-105	Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust	Community	Towards delivering three programmes in the Waiheke area for “Snorkel Day/s” including a guided snorkel at Enclosure Bay; Te Matuku Guided Stand Up Paddle Boarding and “Passage Rock Snorkel” at Te Matuku Marine reserve from January to April 2020.	$3,985.65	Eligible
LG2018-113	Matiatia-Oneroa Ratepayers and Residents Association Incorporated	Community	Towards exterior painting costs for the Morra Hall including paint and labour.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-114	Penny Anne Holmes	Community	Towards the printing costs for the Ostend Market history and heritage booklet.	$1,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-124	The Waiheke Resources Trust	Community	Towards outdoor mosaic floor costs including materials and artist fees.	$3,530.80	Eligible
LG2018-125	Youthline Auckland Charitable Trust	Community	Towards service delivery costs including salaries, overheads, depreciation, fundraising and expenses.	$2,037.00	Eligible
LG2018-127	Business Camp Proprietary Limited	Community	Towards delivering the "Startup Superstars" programme costs including venue hire, marketing, equipment hire, management, materials, catering and facilitators.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-118	Onetangi Beach Races Incorporated	Events	Towards costs to deliver the Onetangi Beach Races event on 23 February 2020.	$10,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-123	Waiheke Island Community Cinema	Events	Towards the Latin American and Spanish Film Festival in October 2019 including opening ceremony and screening costs.	$4,000.00	Eligible
LG2018-111	Waiheke Mustangs Softball Club under the umbrella of Waiheke Sports Club Incorporated	Sport and recreation	Towards baseball equipment and gear costs.	$3,319.00	Eligible
Total				$58,180.90

Table Two: Waiheke Local Grans Round One 2019/2020 multi-board grant applications

Application ID	Organisation	Main focus	Requesting funding for	Amount requested	Eligibility
MB1920-153	The Operating Theatre Trust	Arts and culture	Towards 2,000 free show tickets and free transport for children from low decile schools in the local board area to attend the theatre production "Greedy Cat" by Joy Cowley.	$3,103.55	Eligible
MB1920-161	The Parkinson's New Zealand Charitable Trust	Community	Towards the salary of six Auckland Parkinson's community educators for the period of 1 October 2019 to 1 October 2020.	$2,000.00	Eligible
MB1920-103	The ReCreators Limited	Environment	Towards the costs for upcycling workshops and to provide educational services in the local board area.	$5,000.00	Eligible
MB1920-170	Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust	Environment	Towards the purchase of native plants from Te Whangai Trust and Gulf Trees and courier fees for delivering classroom bins, administration and office expenses for recycling in schools and preschools in the local board area.	$503.84	Eligible
Total				$10,607.39

Horopaki

Context

6. The local board allocates grants to groups and organisations delivering projects, activities and services that benefit Aucklanders and contribute to the vision of being a world class city.

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; and

any additional accountability requirements.

8. The Waiheke Local Board adopted the Waiheke Local Board Grants Programme 2019/2020 on 18 April 2019 (refer to Attachment A). The document sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the local board.

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. Fifteen applications were received for Waiheke Local Board Local Grant Round One 2019/2020, requesting a total of $58,180.90, and four multi-board application requesting a total of $10,607.39.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

11. The aim of the local board grant programme is to deliver projects and activities which align with the outcomes identified in the local board plan. All applications have been assessed utilising the Community Grants Policy and the local board grant programme criteria. The eligibility of each application is identified in the report recommendations.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

12. The main focus of an application is identified as arts, community, events, sport and recreation, environment or heritage. Based on the main focus of an application, a subject matter expert from the relevant department will provide input and advice.

13. The grants programme has no identified impacts on council-controlled organisations and therefore their views are not required.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

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

15. The board is requested to note that Section 48 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’.

16. A summary of each application received through Waiheke Local Grant, Round One 2019/2020 is provided (refer to Attachment B), including multi-board applications (Attachment C).

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

17. The local board grants programme aims to respond to the council’s commitment to improving Māori wellbeing by providing grants to individuals and groups who deliver positive outcomes for Māori. Auckland Council’s Māori Responsiveness Unit has provided input and support towards the development of the community grant processes. Eight organisations applying in this round have indicated that their project targets Māori or Māori outcomes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

18. The allocation of grants to community groups or individuals is within the adopted Long-Term Plan 2018-2028 and local board agreements.

19. The Waiheke Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $50,000.00 for the 2019/20 financial year.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

20. The allocation of grants occurs within the guidelines and criteria of the Community Grants Policy and the local board grants programme. The assessment process has identified a low risk associated with funding the applications in this round

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

21. Following the Waiheke Local Board allocating funding for local grant round one, Commercial and Finance staff will notify the applicants of the local board’s decision.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waiheke Local Board Grants Programme 2019/2020	17
b ⇩	Waiheke Local Grant Round One 2019/2020 grant applications	21
c ⇩	Waiheke Multi-board Round One 2019/2020 grant applications	83

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Agus Castro Pons - Grants Advisor

Authorisers

Marion Davies - Grants and Incentives Manager

Shane King - Head of Service Support

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020 grant allocations

File No.: CP2019/15894

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To fund, part-fund or decline applications received for Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Waiheke Local Board adopted the Waiheke Local Board Grants Programme 2019/2020 on 18 April 2019 (refer to Attachment A). The document sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the local board.

3. This report presents applications received for the Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020 (refer to Attachment B).

4. The Waiheke Local Board has set a total of $33,000 for the environmental grants budget for the 2019/2020 financial year. A total of $1,000 has been allocated towards the purchase of trees and landscaping for the Waiheke Service Centre (WHK/2019/169). This leaves a total of $32,000 to be allocated in the 2019/2020 financial year.

5. Eight applications were received for the Waiheke Environmental Grant, requesting a total of $40,478.00.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) agree to fund, part-fund or decline each application in Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020, as outlined in table one:

Application ID	Organisation	Main focus	Requesting funding for	Amount requested	Eligibility
WE1820-01	Kyle Edwards	Environment	Towards contractor costs to survey and redefine the Makora Walkway reserve boundaries.	$2,500.00	Eligible
WE1820-02	Talking Tree Hill Limited	Environment	Towards material costs to create a trail and install signage for the 2019 Waiheke Walking Festival including planting, mulch, plate compactor, signage, digger, wood and screws.	$7,070.00	Eligible
WE1820-04	The Waiheke Recources Trust	Environment	Towards "Working at Heights" advanced training course for 10 participants from Waiheke Island from October to December 2019.	$6,456.00	Eligible
WE1820-05	Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society - Hauraki Island Branch	Environment	Towards bait, bait stations, binoculars, tracking tunnels and cards for the Onetangi area and Waiheke High School.	$2,667.00	Eligible
WE1820-06	The Waiheke Collective Marine sub group under the umbrella of Hauraki Gulf Conservation Trust	Environment	Towards Waiheke community meetings on marine protection including expert consultancy fees, information management, project dissemination, advertising and meeting costs.	$10,000.00	Eligible
WE1820-08	Native Bird Rescue Charitable Trust	Environment	Towards the purchase of machinery for outdoor maintenance at the trust facilities	$2,051.00	Eligible
WE1820-09	Carbon Neutral Waiheke	Environment	Towards a low carbon economy report including production costs, administration, an online filling system, internet, promotion, marketing, printing and materials. ‍	$5,734.00	Eligible
LG2018-115	Waiheke Community Childcare Centre Incorporated	Environment	Towards the salary of a zero-waste coordinator for the Ostend Markets.	$4,000.00	Eligible
Total				$40,478.00

Horopaki

Context

6. The local board allocates grants to groups and organisations delivering projects, activities and services that benefit Aucklanders and contribute to the vision of being a world class city.

7. The Auckland Council Community Grants Policy supports each local board to adopt a grants programme.

8. 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.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

10. The aim of the local board grant programme is to deliver projects and activities which align with the outcomes identified in the local board plan. All applications have been assessed utilising the Community Grants Policy and the local board grant programme criteria. The eligibility of each application is identified in the report recommendations.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

11. The grants programme has no identified impacts on council-controlled organisations and therefore their views are not required.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

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

13. The board is requested to note that Section 48 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 the Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020 is provided (refer to Attachment B).

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

15. The local board grants programme aims to respond to the council’s commitment to improving Māori wellbeing by providing grants to individuals and groups who deliver positive outcomes for Māori. Auckland Council’s Māori Responsiveness Unit has provided input and support towards the development of the community grant processes. Four organisations applying in this round have indicated their project targets Māori or Māori outcomes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications l

16. The allocation of grants to community groups or individuals is within the adopted Long-Term Plan 2018-2028 and local board agreements.

17. The Waiheke Local Board has set a total of $33,000 for the environmental grants budget for the 2019/2020 financial year. A total of $1,000 has been allocated towards the purchase of trees and landscaping for the Waiheke Service Centre as follows:

Auckland Council’s Year End and Quarterly Performance Report: Waiheke Local Board for quarter four 2018/2019

That the Waiheke Local Board

d) approve up to $1,000 from the Environmental Grants budget for the purchase of trees and landscaping for the Waiheke Service Centre (WHK/2019/169).

18. This leaves a total of $32,000 to be allocated in the 2019/2020 financial year.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

19. The allocation of grants occurs within the guidelines and criteria of the Community Grants Policy and the local board grants programme. The assessment process has identified a low risk associated with funding the applications in this round

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

20. Following the Waiheke Local Board allocating funding for the environmental grant, Commercial and Finance staff will notify the applicants of the local board’s decision.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waiheke Local Board Grants Programme 2019/2020	109
b ⇩	Waiheke Environmental Grant 2019/2020 grant applications	113

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Agus Castro Pons - Grants Advisor

Authorisers

Marion Davies - Grants and Incentives Manager

Shane King - Head of Service Support

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Referred from the Governing Body: Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw

File No.: CP2019/17154

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To note the resolution of the Governing Body and consider giving feedback to the Chief Executive before 30 September 2019.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. At its meeting on 22 August 2019, the Governing Body resolved as follows:

Resolution number GB/2019/82

MOVED by Mayor P Goff, seconded by Cr L Cooper:

That the Governing Body:

a) receive the Freedom Camping Hearings Panel recommendations

b) defer any decision on a Freedom Camping in Vehicles bylaw pending advice from officers on the content of a new Statement of Proposal for a bylaw, and further information on a possible review of the Freedom Camping Act 2011

c) agree to alter part of previous resolution GB/2015/112 passed at the Governing Body meeting on 29 October 2015

from:

“a) confirm the following legacy bylaws, or residual parts, in accordance with section 63(3) of the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010 until 31 October 2020, at which time these bylaws, or residual parts, will be automatically revoked …”

to:

“a) confirm the legacy bylaws in i., or residual parts, in accordance with section 63(3) of the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010, until a new bylaw made under the Freedom Camping Act 2011 comes into force at which time these bylaws or residual parts will be automatically revoked; and confirm the legacy bylaws in subparagraphs ii. to v. or residual parts, in accordance with section 63(3) of the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010 until 31 October 2020, at which time these bylaws, or residual parts, will be automatically revoked…”

d) direct officers to provide the Regulatory Committee (or its equivalent) and Governing Body with advice on the following potential elements of a future Statement of Proposal:

i) proposed prohibitions in the following areas:

A) all areas the Freedom Camping Hearings Panel recommended should be prohibited

B) the 61 sites proposed in public submissions for inclusion as prohibited areas, which were not specified in the original Statement of Proposal but are identified in Attachment E of the Hearings Panel Report

C) all Reserves in residential areas that are Reserves held under the Reserves Act 1977

ii) restricted freedom camping in the seven sites proposed in public submissions for inclusion as restricted freedom camping areas, which were not specified in the original Statement of Proposal but are identified in Attachment E of the Hearings Panel Report

iii) restricted or prohibited freedom camping in two sites proposed in public submissions, which were not specified in the original Statement of Proposal but are identified in Attachment E of the Hearings Panel Report

iv) a General Rule that regulates freedom camping outside restricted and prohibited areas not listed in the proposed bylaw, which includes provision for:

A) a prohibition of all freedom camping in vehicles parked directly outside residential homes (unless the resident has granted permission for the vehicle to be parked outside their home)

B) a prohibition of all freedom camping in vehicles parked directly outside commercial premises, educational facilities, healthcare facilities, playgrounds, and swimming pools

C) a maximum number of nights stay at any specific site

D) the same enforcement approach in relation to homelessness as set out in the original Statement of Proposal, which aims to offer compassionate support for people with social needs

v) any other specific proposal for possible inclusion in a Statement of Proposal that is communicated to the Chief Executive by a councillor or Local Board before 30 September 2019

e) note that following decisions on the advice on the matters in recommendation d) above, council officers will be directed to develop a new Statement of Proposal for the Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw for consideration by the Regulatory Committee (or its equivalent) and the Governing Body, following consultation with Local Boards”.

3. The Governing Body considered the following at its meeting on 22 August 2019:

a) Item 9 – Implementing the next steps for the Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw (Hearings Panel Report).

b) Item 10 – Chair’s Report on Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw.

4. The attachments to this report show sites that are already in scope for the next phase of work. Attachment A provides a list of areas included in the previous statement of proposal and Attachment B provides a list of the 70 additional areas raised by submitters during the previous consultation.

5. This is an opportunity to provide further input on proposed sites which have not already been included within the scope of the next phase and which meet statutory requirements for inclusion in the Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) note the resolution of the Governing Body with regards to the Freedom Camping in Vehicles Bylaw.

b) forward any other specific proposal for possible inclusion in a Statement of Proposal to the Chief Executive before 30 September 2019.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Freedom Camping in Vehicles – Managing freedom camping in Auckland (Statement of Proposal)	145
b ⇩	Areas proposed by submitters during public consultation and not included within the statement of proposal (Attachment E of the Hearings Panel Report)	187

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Michael Sinclair - Manager Social Policy and Bylaws

Authorisers

Kataraina Maki - General Manager - Community & Social Policy

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Auckland Transport Report September 2019

File No.: CP2019/17925

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To consider a possible trial of an alternative traffic operation plan for Matiatia, over the summer period and a potential allocation from the Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) fund as a contribution for the delivery of the trial.

2. To provide an update to the Waiheke Local Board on transport related matters in their area and the wider region.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

3. The report focuses on a number of current issues:

· The Mātiatia summer trial.

Two summers ago, Auckland Transport trialled a new way of organising some transport operations down at Mātiatia. This trial was only partially successful but demonstrated that change was possible and that is was possible to deliver a safer environment for both locals and visitors to the island.

This report references a new and more comprehensive trial for the coming summer. The trial has a cost attached to it and the local board are asked to contribute towards the cost of this.

· An update on the board’s request for an Onetangi parking limit.

· An update on the board’s Community Safety Fund.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport Report September 2019.

b) endorse the tabled material detailing a trial of an alternative traffic operation plan for Mātiatia over the coming summer.

c) recommend that the Mātiatia trial finish on Sunday, 3 May 2020, unless public consultation during the latter part of the trial supports its continuation.

d) authorise the current Chair of the Waiheke Local Board (and recommends that any future Chair be authorised) to give feedback on behalf of the local board on the final design of the Mātiatia trial and any changes made as a result of key stakeholder consultation and/or operational requirements.

e) allocate up to a $50,000 from the Local Board Transport Capital Fund as a contribution towards the cost of implementing the Mātiatia trial.

f) request that Auckland Transport install P240 time restricted parking between Second and Fourth Avenues at Onetangi.

Horopaki

Context

4. This report addresses transport related matters on Waiheke and includes information on the status of the local board transport capital fund.

5. Auckland Transport is responsible for all of Auckland’s transport services, excluding state highways. They report on a monthly basis to local boards, as set out in their Local Board Engagement Plan. This monthly reporting commitment acknowledges the important engagement role local boards play within and on behalf of their local communities.

6. 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 transport infrastructure projects that they believe are important but are not part of Auckland Transport’s work programme. Projects must also:

· 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).

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

7. Trial of an alternative traffic operation plan for Mātiatia

· Mātiatia has a history of significant congestion and general traffic confusion, that is exacerbated during the busy summer period. In the past Auckland Transport trialled a revised traffic operating pattern which delivered some benefits but ultimately was only partially successful at sorting out the problems. It did however demonstrate that the people of Waiheke recognise that there are problems at Mātiatia and were prepared to work together to improve things.

· At the request of the Waiheke Local Board, Auckland Transport workshopped some ideas for a new trial, for the coming summer, with the Waiheke Transport Forum. Out of that workshop came a hybrid concept, with contributions from both Auckland Transport and the Transport Forum. This trial of a new concept design should deliver a much-improved traffic environment.

· This report references this new and much more comprehensive trial for the coming summer. A trial that is designed to deliver on several fronts:

o Safer traffic environment for locals and visitors

o A much improved Metro bus interchange to support the new Waiheke bus network.

o A proper ‘head-on’ taxi queue (Where passengers automatically approach the head of the queue).

o A considerably increased kerb length for public drop-off and pick-up.

o A reduction in congestion in and around the ferry terminal.

o Help inform future land-use decisions under the Mātiatia Plan.

· Comprehensive concept drawings of the proposed trial has been prepared after a workshop session with the Waiheke Transport Forum on 19 September, where final details of the trial were discussed. These final plans will then be tabled at the local board meeting on 26 September. The trial envisages changes to both keyholes, the lower carpark and some re-location of parking in the upper carpark. Overall there will be no nett loss of parking spaces. The trial is planned to be in place until 3 May 2020. If the trial is proving to be successful, public consultation will be held on whether the trial should continue beyond this date.

· While this is a trial it is not possible to undertake changes in the traffic environment without incurring cost and this trial will involve a modest level of expenditure. Currently the trial is expected to cost around $150,000, with this potentially being split between a number of Auckland Transport departments, together with a contribution from the Waiheke Local Board.

8. Parking time limits Onetangi foreshore

· The area of the Onetangi foreshore between Second and Fourth Avenues provides a limited supply of parking spaces immediately adjacent to the beach. These are intended to provide a service to beach users and while they do provide a very useful place to park while visiting the beach, they have also attracted a number of more permanent occupants, who appear to be staying in the area for days at a time. Effectively, this is freedom camping in an area with no adjacent toilet facilities. These vehicles also preclude the use of these parks by people visiting the beach for swimming, walking and other recreational activities.

· Given the proximity of these parks to the beach it is seen to be more appropriate to ensure casual visitors to the beach have priority on using them, rather than having freedom campers occupy them for days at a time. To this end it is recommended that a parking time limit of 240 minutes (4 hours) be put in place as this would provide sufficient time for casual users and preclude long-term parking.

9. Local Board Transport Capital Fund

· The local board has held the majority of its Local Board Transport Capital Fund for the major re- organisation of Mātiatia and therefore has spent very little over this electoral term. Currently the local board has a balance of $1,061,520 in the fund with another three years of allocation due on 1 July 2020.

· If the local board accepts the recommendation to make a contribution of up to $50,000 towards the implementation of the trial of an alternative traffic operation plan for Mātiatia, it will leave a balance of at least $1,011,520 in the fund.

10. Community Safety Fund update

· The Community Safety Fund (CSF) was established in the 2018 Regional Land Transport Plan and it allocated $20 million for local initiatives in road safety: $5 million in the financial year 2019/2020 and $15 million in financial year 2020/2021. It is apportioned to local board areas by a formula focused on numbers of Deaths and Serious Injuries (DSI).

· The Community Safety Fund programme is in the process of being finalised. Contracts for design work are being progressed with a view to the first projects being delivered later in this financial year.

· The local board’s nominated project is detailed below:

Project Name

Project Description

Project cost

Causeway Cycle path - Westbound

Cyclists using Causeway Rd or the foreshore path at Ostend Reserve by the Waiheke Boating Club are directed to cross a busy main road to the shared path on the northern side of the road, which is extremely dangerous. This project seeks to address this problem by providing a cycle path on the southern side.

$320,000

11. Ten Year Transport Plan

· The 10 Year Transport Plan for Waiheke Island, a key aspect of the new Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Waiheke Local Board and Auckland Transport, has been consulted on with the public. 450 submissions were received, and these are currently being analysed.

· A separate report on this agenda updates the local board on the major themes coming out of the consultation.

12. Tāmaki Makaurau Vision Zero Strategy

· Auckland is now a Vision Zero region. The Auckland Transport Board approved and released the Tāmaki Makaurau Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan to 2030 in early September.

· This is a significant step in Auckland’s (and New Zealand’s) transport journey. Auckland is now a Vision Zero region with a goal of no deaths or serious injuries on our transport network by 2050.

· The success of this goal will be built on strong partnerships across all Auckland Transport departments as well as with our Tāmaki-Makaurau Road Safety Governance partners - Police, NZ Transport Agency, Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Auckland Regional Public Health Service and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

· As the custodian of our region’s transport systems, Auckland Transport plays a vital role in shaping the future of our region. We will make this happen using an evidence-based approach and by refusing to trade off people’s safety for other benefits.

· This new approach to Safety includes the development of new tools and guidance (Urban Streets and Road Design Guide and draft Safe System Assessment Framework) to make it happen. The Strategy’s 2019/21 Action Plan also refers to a range of tasks across all AT departments and we will be working to progress these.

· The Auckland Transport Board also approved the Auckland Transport Road Safety Programme Business Case which recommends an investment of $700+ million over ten years to progress many of the actions in the Vision Zero Strategy.

· You can download the Vision Zero Strategy and Action Plan here: https://at.govt.nz/media/1980787/vision-zero-for-t%C4%81maki-makaurau.pdf

13. Auckland Transport’s Speed Management Bylaw

· Auckland Transport is taking more time to consider a proposal to reduce speeds on some of the highest high-risk roads in the region. Over 11,700 submissions were received in relation to the proposal.

· The Auckland Transport Board has decided that more work needs to be done on the timing of any implementation - and more importantly the effects of any changes to the original bylaw proposal.

· The extensive public consultation exercise proposed lower speeds on around 10% of the region's high-risk roads in order to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries which occur daily across the region. Auckland Transport also received requests from the public for an additional 876km of roads to be included in the proposal. Evaluating the implications and supporting evidence associated with a wide range of implementation options, including levels of community support, is being thoroughly considered.

· The Auckland Transport Board will now reconsider the matter by 31 October 2019.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

14. The impact of information (or decisions) in this report are confined to Auckland Transport and do not impact on other parts of the council group.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

15. Traffic Controls Committee decisions

Street Name	Suburb	Type of Report	Resolution ID	Nature Of Restriction	Committee Decision
Korora Road/Tiri Road	Oneroa	Permanent Traffic and Parking changes	15874	No Stopping At All Times, Stop control	Carried

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

16. Interactions with manu whenua is done on a project specific basis. There is not direct impact as a result of this report.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

17. If the local board allocates its Community Safety Fund to the Causeway Westbound Cyclepath this will fully utilise the board’s allocation under this fund.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

18. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no risks. Auckland Transport has risk management strategies in place for the transport projects undertaken in the local board area.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

19. Assuming sufficient funding is in place, work will be progressed on implementing the trial of an alternative traffic operation plan for Mātiatia.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Jonathan Anyon - Manager Elected Member Relationship – Auckland Transport

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

10 Year Transport Plan - Consultation summary report, September 2019

File No.: CP2019/17956

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide an update to the Waiheke Local Board on the results of the consultation on the Waiheke 10 year transport plan.

2. To seek endorsement on the proposed modified assessment process, reflecting the outcomes of the public consultation.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

3. This report recommends the board approve the revised approach to scoring the proposed projects in the Waiheke 10 Year Transport Plan in light of the consultation, in order to ensure that the voices of the community are heard while ensuring a robust, considered assessment process is adhered to.

4. The public consultation for the Waiheke 10-year Transport Plan was a big success, with very positive feedback received, a strong community mandate for what projects to pursue and good buy-in on the plan.

5. Taking the recommended approach will enable a new ranked list to be developed; result in a list which reflects the multi-pronged nature of the projects and ways forward; will highlight what aspects are most important to Waiheke’s people and will provide a set of ‘must haves’ for the island.

6. The risks associated with this decision are related to the fact that weight is being provided to the public’s views in conjunction with the Waiheke Local Board’s view, which will produce results which may be quite different from the initial scoring. Mitigating this is the fact that all members of the community had the opportunity to have their say, and all projects will be pursued with ongoing consultation from the local board and community.

7. Another risk is that the final version of the plan will not be seen by the local board ahead of release, due to election timeframes. This is mitigated by the mandate the local board will give Auckland Transport following direction discussions, and the fact that the plan will continue to evolve through future iterations with the local board’s input.

8. The next steps from this decision will be for the Auckland Transport project team to revise the ranked list in light of the new scoring system and to produce a final version of the plan for the public.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) note the 10 Year Transport Plan – Consultation Summary Report.

b) approve the proposed analysis and re-prioritisation process outlined below, specifically.

· Approve the revised scoring system.

· Approve the revised format for ranking.

· approve support for encouraging concurrent implementation of co-located projects where possible (but not at the expense of implementing individual projects).

· approve the elevation of ‘process’ elements from the ranked list into ‘must have’ considerations for all pertinent projects.

Horopaki

Context

9. As an outcome of Auckland Council’s Governance Framework Review, Auckland Transport and the Waiheke Local Board collaborated to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). One of the key actions that resulted from the MoU was the development of the Waiheke 10-year Transport Plan.

10. The draft plan was developed by Auckland Transport in collaboration with the Waiheke Local Board and members of the Waiheke Transport Forum. Over a number of workshops an agreed prioritised list of future proposed projects to be proposed for funding consideration over the next funding cycle of 2021 to 2031 was created.

11. Public consultation commenced from 25 July and closed on 25 August 2019. A brochure was sent to Waiheke households and stakeholders and three drop-in sessions were held. The Auckland Transport team visited the three Waiheke schools and were welcomed on to Piritahi Marae. The Plan was also presented to Treaty partners at two general hui. Waiheke Local Board members participated in the drop-in sessions and in the mana whenua consultation.

12. A total of 450 feedback forms were received online and in hard copy. Late responses have been included and analysis is continuing. Table 1 (attachment A) lists the projects in order of feedback preferences.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

13. Preliminary analysis

· The Top 10 projects have been identified through public consultation. The table of all projects (Attachment A) sets out the totals for and against a project and the net scores. Comments received are summarized below:

Key themes include:

o Safety; cycling, and walking to school - Safety was mentioned approximately 267 times for high prioritisation in open text feedback. The need for safety specifically around walking and cycling was also mentioned approximately 214 times, with 63 of those instances mentioning children’s safety.

o Footpath improvements at specific locations; Cycleways; active transport missing links (various) - Prioritisation around active transport connections (across both footpaths and cycleways) was mentioned approximately 177 times.

o Speed reduction and management - Speed management was discussed approximately 94 times, and out of those only approximately 19 expressed opposition, primarily in relation to road calming measures.

o Road erosion prevention measures; improve storm water quality - Road erosion prevention measures; improve storm water.

o Access - Access was specifically mentioned for high prioritization approximately 91 times in open text feedback, relating to active mode connections, parking and Park & Ride facilities, access to public transport, and general accessibility.

14. Another component of the feedback to note is that some key areas with multiple projects received very high scores, particularly if those projects are combined. The most popular areas for net scores across multiple projects were

· Donald Bruce Rd

· Brown Road

· Ostend Rd

· Church Bay Rd

· O’Brien Rd

· Beach Pde

· Pacific Pde

· Man O’War Bay Rd

· Sea View Rd

· Belguim St

15. A full and complete list of responses received is included at Attachment A. This features the results scored by:

· Net top scores for each project (top votes minus least votes).

· Deviation of score from initial ranking.

· Top 20 projects (highest votes) and Bottom 20 projects (lowest votes).

· Open text feedback responses and submissions, including stakeholder feedback and input via drop-in sessions.

· Total scores across topic areas and locations.

16. Proposed Adjustments to Prioritisation

Overview

There are four proposed adjustments recommended.

· Alterations to the criteria

· A different way of categorising the projects

· Identifying the opportunities for amalgamation

· Increasing the emphasis on process improvements

More detail on each of these is outlined below

17. Criteria

The following core prioritisation criteria were adopted in the initial Local Board workshops.

· Safety - improves safety for road users.

· Strategic network fulfilment - helps make the road network more effective.

· Character - provides a significant contribution to, or does not

detract from, the character of the area.

· Access - offers flexibility for different transport

modes/improves access for people with accessibility needs.

· Cost - weighted against potential benefits

· Delivery - speed with which a project could be delivered

18. Following feedback from Treaty partners and the public, we propose that the Character criterion be sub-divided into Cultural Environment (encompassing the previous character criterion, with an expanded focus to include Maori culture) and Natural Environment (recognising projects which can and should contribute to an improved natural environmental outcome).

Assessment and Categorisation

19. From discussions with the Local Board it is proposed that instead of a single list of 100+ projects, a ‘matrix style’ list os prepared, with incorporates the rating resulting from the public consultation, retains the consideration of the key criteria and also acknowledges the strategic value of different street corridors as a factor of understanding importance. The proposed structure is shown below:

Category	Active Transport projects	Safety projects	Road corridor projects	Public Transport projects	Other projects
Arterial roads (high priority)
Collector roads (mid priority)
Local roads (low priority)

Identify and Emphasise Potential for Amalgamation where Possible

20. Given that some projects in adjacent geographical locations received high scores, and there are benefits in implementing multiple projects concurrently, it is recommended the plan emphasise that Auckland Transport should, where possible, look to concurrently implement multiple projects. However, the plan will also note that projects should not be left unpursued if only some aspects can be completed, as implementing one project is better than not implementing multiple projects due to a lack of sufficient funds for all of them.

More Strongly Emphasise Process Improvements

21. The process improvements, such as ‘improve storm water quality and management’ generally scored very highly. These island wide or process improvements are recommended to be elevated from their current position as part of the overall ranked project list to instead become ‘must have’ components of all projects.

22. Next Steps

· Auckland Transport will take the local board’s direction from this report and will re-assess the projects, including against the new/amended criteria and develop a new ranked list.

· Once the new list is prepared, AT will gain internal approval and will release an updated version of the plan to the public.

· Note that given the forthcoming disestablishment of the current local board, the final version of the plan will be released by Auckland Transport without the Local Board reviewing it.

· Note also, however, that AT will engage with the new local board in 2020 to begin preparing the first of the annual updates to the plan, at which point there will be an opportunity to provide additional comment and input.

· The timeframe for release of the revised plan is not yet determined, but will be either in Quarter 4 2019 or Quarter 1 2020, depending on internal approval processes.

· It is also important to note that Auckland Transport will discuss internally any projects of high rank which can be implemented in advance of 2021, should funding be found. These will be communicated to the Local Board to allow for input prior to design, public consultation and implementation

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

23. The impact of information (or decisions) in this report are confined to Auckland Transport and do not impact on other parts of the council group.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

24. Covered in Analysis and Advice section.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

25. Interactions with mana whenua is done on a project specific basis. There is no direct impact as a result of this report.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

26. There are no financial implications for the Board in receiving this report.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

27. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no risks. Auckland Transport has risk management strategies in place for the transport projects undertaken in the local board area.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

28. Endorsement on proposed approach from the Local Board, after which the Auckland Transport project team will undertake the revised assessment and finalise the project for publication either in Quarter 4 2019 or Quater1 2020.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Attachment A – Net scores for projects	203

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Jonathan Anyon - Manager Elected Member Relationship – Auckland Transport

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy - Project Forever Waiheke

File No.: CP2019/16999

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To receive the Project Forever Waiheke “Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy 2019-2024” and determine next steps for the Waiheke Local Board.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. On 28 February 2019 the Waiheke Local Board heard a presentation from Project Forever Waiheke, and they presented the “Waiheke Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy 2019-2024” (Attachment A).

3. The strategy includes a number of objectives to monitor and observe tourism activity to enhance the sustainability of tourism on Waiheke. Objectives and recommended actions are included, to be delivered over the next five to ten years.

4. This report recommends the incoming local board hold a facilitated session with community groups and stakeholders to consider the inclusion of priority actions within the 2020-2023 Waiheke Local Board Plan.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) receive the Project Forever Waiheke “Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy 2019-2024”.

b) recommend the incoming local board hold a facilitated session with community groups and stakeholders to identify priority actions from the strategy and discuss implementation options.

c) recommend the incoming local board consider inclusion of priority actions within the 2020-2023 Waiheke Local Board Plan following consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Horopaki

Context

5. Managing the impacts of tourism is one of the most significant issues for the Waiheke Local Board and the residents of Waiheke Island and the surrounding Hauraki Gulf Islands.

6. Waiheke’s attractive natural landscape, its engaging and artistic community, its vineyards and food outlets, and proximity to Auckland CBD mean it is viewed as one of the world’s most desirable tourist destinations. This has brought with it both opportunities and challenges.

7. Waiheke’s infrastructure and environment face the significant challenge of supporting not only the needs of 9250 residents, but also over one million people who visit each year. There is limited budget to manage issues such as waste collection and infrastructure impacted by visitors at popular beaches and tourist spots, together with visitor information infrastructure provision. Housing affordability is an ongoing concern and there is limited availability of long-term rental accommodation.

8. In order to maintain the island’s social, cultural and environmental character, any economic activity on Waiheke needs to balance development with impacts on the environment and infrastructure, to ensure the community’s lifestyle is not adversely affected

9. There is also opportunity to promote Waiheke to visitors who appreciate natural beauty, sustainable activities and conservation values, as well as to increase the average stay of visitors, to achieve economic benefit for our community.

10. At a workshop on 1 November 2017, Dr Pam Oliver presented a proposal for establishing a UNWTO Tourism Monitoring Observatory on Waiheke to members of the Waiheke Local Board, representatives of the Waiheke Tourism Forum and tourist operators.

11. The purpose of a tourism observatory is to monitor and observe tourism activity through indicators and other measurement techniques to enhance the sustainability of tourism on Waiheke. The project was named “Project Forever Waiheke”.

12. At is meeting on 22 February 2018, the Waiheke Local Board granted $12,940 for costs associated with year one of the project. In June 2018 the board granted an additional $8000 for administration support costs.

13. The Project Forever Waiheke team formed a local working group and sub-committee representing a broad range of interest area. Tourism researchers and academics from the University of Otago department of tourism were also involved.

14. A draft strategy was developed that outlines the desired vision and outcomes of the community as a result of community consultation. Objectives and recommended actions are included, to be delivered over the next five to ten years. The Project Forever Waiheke team commenced consultation on the draft strategy in February 2018 which included community workshops and a survey.

15. On 28 February 2019 the board heard a presentation from Project Forever Waiheke and the “Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy 2019-2024” was presented (Attachment A). A table outlining the strategic action objectives is attached for reference (Attachment B).

16. This report recommends next steps for the Waiheke Local Board regarding objectives within the strategy.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

17. The key goals of the Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy are to identify the impacts of tourism on the island (both beneficial and detrimental), develop strategies to help address and manage issues associated with tourism, and support tourism sympathetic to Waiheke’s environments.

18. A large component of the strategy is the monitoring of tourism impacts and community well-being under the umbrella of United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories programme (INSTO).

19. Areas of proposed monitoring include:

· impacts on essential transport infrastructure, such as traffic, ferry and bus services

· road safety risk for cyclists and pedestrians

· adequacy of water supply, water quality and waste management

· health of beaches and seawater

· health and wellbeing of the island’s flora and fauna

· noise, air and light pollution

· effects of tourism development on residents’ quality of life.

20. The strategy notes the importance of tourism to the Waiheke economy however recognises the potential impact on the island’s infrastructure and environment if visitor levels were to become untenable.

21. There are a number of short and long-term objectives identified by the Waiheke community during consultation. Some of these actions are already in progress as a result of community volunteer groups, others are underway as part of central government strategies or existing council work programmes. Others will require further consultation with stakeholders, prioritisation and budget allocation to progress.

22. It is recommended that the incoming local board hold a facilitated session on the Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy with community groups and stakeholders to discuss and identify priority actions and options for delivery.

23. Prioritised actions could be included within the draft 2020-2023 Waiheke Local Board or within future work programmes.

24. Stakeholders could include groups such as the tourism forum, mana whenua, Piritahi marae, environmental groups, transport providers, tourist operators, accommodation providers, business groups and residents and ratepayer organisations.

25. Council entities would include Research and Evaluation Unit (RIMU), Plans and Places, Empowered Communities, Parks, Infrastructure and Environmental Services, Waste Management, Biodiversity, Healthy Waters, Auckland Transport and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED).

26. Development of the Waiheke Area Plan is also underway, and it will be a key document to understand the current state and inform future priorities for the local board. It will bring together previous studies, plans and existing knowledge of the islands to identify key matters to be addressed in the next 30 years. The plan is scheduled to be adopted mid-2020.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

27. The strategy refers to various council entities including Auckland Transport, Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and relevant council departments that would need to be involved in implementation of actions.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

28. The 2017 Waiheke Local Board Plan includes an objective to “ensure Waiheke’s tourism industry is sustainable” and a key initiative to develop a Sustainable Tourism Strategy.

29. Local board representatives have attended Project Forever Waiheke meetings during the development of this strategy, and the board have granted funding for initial administrative costs.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

30. Engagement with mana whenua and mataawaka will be required if the board decides to progress objectives or actions.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

31. In the 2018 financial year the board granted $20,940 funding to Project Forever Waiheke towards the development of this strategy and administration support costs.

32. The board’s 2019 Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) budget is fully allocated, however funding is available within the community grants programme for eligible projects.

33. The board may also choose to reallocate budgets from the existing 2019/20 Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) work programme towards specific objectives within the strategy.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

34. There are no risks identified in relation to the recommendations within this report.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

35. Next steps will be determined following the board’s decision on the recommendations contained within this report.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Project Forever Waiheke "Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy"	215
b ⇩	Objectives table	239

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author	Janine Geddes - Senior Local Board Advisor Waiheke
Authoriser	Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Outline of the strategy document

Chapter 1 provides a summary of why a Waiheke Sustainable Community And Tourism Strategy was seen as needed and the process through which it has been developed.

Chapter 2 describes the current situation on Waiheke in relation to its communities and rapidly increasing tourism, and how community and tourism interact.

Chapter 3 outlines the vision, principles and key goals of the Waiheke Sustainable Community And Tourism Strategy.

Chapter 4 sets out 14 strategic action areas, including some recommended actions and long-term targets.

Acknowledgements

Project Forever Waiheke’s Local Working Group would like to express its thanks to the hundreds of local residents and members of particular interest groups who took part in the community consultation and provided feedback on an earlier draft of this Strategy, providing valuable input and guidance in developing this document. We also wish to thank the Strategy Sub-Committee for the many hours of work that have gone into producing the first ever Waiheke Sustainable Community And Tourism Strategy. We congratulate the Waiheke Local Board for its willingness to collaborate closely with a community group in strategy development.

Chapter 1: Background to developing Waiheke Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy

Project Forever Waiheke

In 2017 Project Forever Waiheke was established by a group of Waiheke Island residents as a response to evidence of widespread community concern related to recent major increases in tourism on Waiheke Island and infrastructure developments associated with tourism. The combined impacts of those changes had been perceived by many residents as harmful to the island’s natural/environmental, social/cultural and built environments. In submissions to the Waiheke Island Local Board^{^[1]} and a range of protests through the media^{^[2]}, island residents had been asking for improvements to local management of tourism, so that tourism does not compromise the island’s current and future community and conservation values, but rather that it promotes a visitor experience that is consistent with what residents value in the island experience.

Key objectives of the Project Forever Waiheke initiative are to:

· Collaborate with the Waiheke Island Local Board for improved management of sustainable tourism

· Determine sustainable community and tourism strategy for Waiheke for the next 10-15 years

· Identify priority indicators of tourism impacts on Waiheke, both positive and negative, for monitoring

· Obtain baseline tourism impacts data and monitor impacts trends over the next 3-5 years to both (i) inform continuing sustainability strategy to sustain both community and tourism needs, (ii) provide an evidence base to support such strategy, and (iii) provide evidence to guide planning for Waiheke by Auckland Council.

For further information on the Project’s goals, structure and activities, go to www.ForeverWaiheke.com. From the outset, the Project’s Local Working Group (governance group) was composed to include the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Waiheke Local Board, to ensure close collaboration between the Local Board and the community.

Community consultation 2018

To inform development of sustainable tourism strategy, Project Forever Waiheke undertook a community consultation in February 2018. The key objectives of the community consultation were to:

· Obtain baseline data on community views in relation to current tourism impacts and related development on Waiheke

· Build on earlier planning for Waiheke through the Essentially Waiheke programme undertaken over the past 25 years to identify residents’ concerns about and wishes for Waiheke

· Identify priority concerns, needs and preferences

· Provide information and promote awareness amongst the Waiheke community about the Project Forever Waiheke project and its goals.

The community consultation comprised a community-wide survey of residents and a workshop open to all residents, including part-time and occasional residents. A report - Community views on tourism and development on Waiheke Island 2018 - was published in July 2018 and disseminated to the Waiheke community. In the same month, a separate Waiheke Community Survey, commissioned by Auckland Council, reported that key concerns for island residents were tourism and related impacts, in particular road and traffic issues, poor quality infrastructure and Council decision-making in relation to Waiheke. Residents saw these latter issues as exacerbated by rapidly increasing tourism, which was also straining Waihekeans’ quality of life. That report concluded that there was “a strong perception that the local board needs more power, that all parties need to communicate more effectively with the Waiheke community, and that more action is needed to deliver required infrastructure. There was also a cross-cutting theme that Auckland Council and AT need to better recognise and appreciate the ‘unique character’ of the island”.^{^[3]}

The Project Forever Waiheke consultation identified the development of sustainable tourism strategy for Waiheke as an urgent priority, alongside improved structures for protecting the island’s natural, built and social environments. However residents viewed such strategy as needing to focus equally on sustainable community. This approach, combining a focus on sustaining community cohesion and resilience alongside managing tourism for sustainability, is evident in other high volume tourist destinations worldwide, and in some tourism strategies elsewhere in New Zealand (e.g. Catlins and Northland). Hence, the collaboration between the Local Board and Project Forever Waiheke has focused on developing sustainable community and tourism strategy.

Collaborative strategy development

The strategy set out in this document is the product of a close collaboration between the Waiheke Local Board and Project Forever Waiheke. The group that undertook development of the strategy included representation from Ngāti Paoa and the Waiheke Island Tourism Forum and Project Forever Waiheke Local Working Group members representing sustainability, conservation, environment and community development sectors.

An initial draft of this strategy, in a one-page diagrammatic format (see Appendix 1), was distributed widely to key stakeholders and the Waiheke community as large in November for comment, and comments received have been incorporated into this document.

Chapter 2: Waiheke Island, its community and tourism

About Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, is a small rural community and home to around 9,000 residents. The Waiheke resident population has approximately doubled in the past 20 years, and roughly a quarter of employed residents commute regularly to Auckland for work. The Waiheke economy is based significantly on a combination of city employment and a large number of home-based small businesses, along with wine production and hospitality.

The island is also one of Auckland’s premiere tourist attractions. Just 35 minutes by ferry from Auckland, it is an extremely popular tourist destination, not only for Aucklanders, but increasingly for overseas tourists, including cruise ship passengers. Tourists flock to the island each summer, expanding the population daily from 9,000 to over 30,000. Waiheke received an estimated 1.3 million unique visitors in 2016/2017, up 18 per cent from 1.1 million visitors in 2015/2016. Those numbers are expected to increase further, and a key goal of the Waiheke Island Tourism Forum is to bring more tourists to the island year-round. The tourism sector relies on seasonal workers, many of them young people from overseas. Due to a major shift in population demographic over the past 15 years, caused by huge increases in the value of Waiheke property, there is now a community of ‘reverse commuters’ who travel from and back to Auckland daily to provide essential staffing of the service and retail sectors on the island.

The ‘special character’ of Waiheke

Protecting the ‘special character’ of Waiheke is entrenched in a range of policy and strategy documents developed by Auckland Council and its predecessors, including the Waiheke Local Board Plans.^{^[4]} For the most part, those documents tend to define the ‘special character’ of the island in terms of its attractive physical features – the quaint windy roads following the contours of the cliffs with stunning sea views; the roadsides lined with native trees; tui, kereru and kauri visible at close range in the island’s bush reserves; the gold sandy beaches; the vineyards sprawled across the hillsides.

However what is rarely recognised is that Waiheke’s ‘natural’ beauty – the aspect that attracts both residents and tourists – is no accident of nature. Many hundreds of Waihekeans spend literally hundreds of thousands of hours, collectively, each year engaged in a broad range of activity, mostly voluntary/unpaid, as kaitiaki for the island – taking care of the natural resource, and of the community itself.

The following excerpt from the Essentially Waiheke Refresh 2016 report encapsulates the character of the island, in the eyes of locals.

“The Waiheke character is connected to the essence of the island as an entity, to its natural life principle or mauri–which is an essential source of emotions, clearly embodied by residents and visitors alike. Waiheke’s coastline and beaches, native bush cover, informal villages and low-density residential areas all contribute to the island’s strong sense of character. People here have a special connection to the land and this relationship is expressed through the many community initiatives. Most locals not only live on Waiheke but also for Waiheke. They love the island and its natural resources and they are ready to defend that with passion.^{^[5]} The strong sense of environmental awareness in the community has been fostered by the constant commitment of local community groups. … The pace is “quiet, laid-back, relaxed, cool and calm”; a world away from Auckland, the ‘big smoke’, full of the hustle and bustle of traffic and people in a hurry. The desire of “keeping our pace of life” resonates throughout the island and there is a strong desire to maintain it as an essential part of Waiheke’s character. Waihekeans are proud of not having traffic lights or high-speed roads and the aphorism “slow down, you’re here” sums up community feelings perfectly. Yet, as relaxed as they are, people on Waiheke also provide strong examples of civic leadership. They are combative, spirited and opinionated activists, ready to stand strong on any issue that affects them or the nation. … At a local level, numerous groups have worked to protect Waiheke from unwanted development. … The sense of “being independent and having self-determination” possibly stems from the fact that, up until 1989, Waiheke had its own County Council, wrote its own District Plan, and determined its own planning applications developments. The people of Waiheke are resourceful. The island is a hub for multi-skilled people: innovators, entrepreneurs, academics, artists and creative professionals, tradespeople, and a growing sports community. Waiheke’s identity as an artistic community (visual arts, music, theatre, cinema and dance) contributes significantly to the island wellbeing. The community shares a special sense of belonging, an unspoken code. This relatively small and diverse community is proud of their status as Waihekeans. …

“Islanders tend to be more collectivistic, they operate in teams to overcome or minimize any obstacles. … There is a high sense of community living.”

During the Essentially Waiheke community workshops, the first question asked was “what do you love about Waiheke?” A clear theme emerged, reinforcing the island’s essential character. “Above all, we love our community and nature. We love the diversity, the creativity and the spirit of the people combined with living in a relaxed, peaceful, friendly and safe paradise.” … [When asked) “what are your concerns about the future of Waiheke?”, … one clear theme emerged – the fear of losing Waiheke’s distinctiveness. “We’re concerned about unsustainable development affecting our environment and our community. This includes unaffordable housing, the impact of the cost of living, the growing traffic, litter and pollution, cost and inefficiency of public transport.””

Tourism on Waiheke

Tourism as a significant part of the Waiheke economy is relatively recent, but visiting the island has been common for several hundred years. The first visitors to the island were Māori, coming to visit related iwi. The island attracted summer visitors from the mainland regularly from the beginning of the 20^th century once there was a ferry service. The bach owners of the post-WWII era were the first ‘weekend’ home-owners on the island, and were an integral part of the community. Waiheke has for many decades been a place where city dwellers could escape the city, via a relatively short and enjoyable boat trip, to enjoy the spectacular beauty and recuperative serenity of the island.

Although visitor numbers had been increasing gradually in the past two decades, they reached what many locals saw as a ‘tipping point’ in the summer of 2016/2017. The 2018 Waiheke Community Survey report commissioned by Auckland Council described the emergent issues associated with rapidly increasing tourism as follows:

“Many people have holiday homes on the island that they use regularly and / or rent out to temporary guests via online platforms such as Airbnb and Bookabach. A recent analysis of Airbnb activity in Auckland estimated that 16 per cent of the island’s rental stock (3% of all dwellings on Waiheke) was available for rent on Airbnb ‘full time’. The number of units available for rent temporarily during the peak summer period is likely to be higher. Increasing visitor numbers and population growth has created a range of environmental and infrastructure pressures on the island, including water pollution, litter and pressures on public toilet infrastructure. A lack of a residential reticulated wastewater system means local waterways are vulnerable to pollution from poorly maintained and stressed septic systems. For example, Little Oneroa Lagoon has a long-term no-swim warning in effect due to poor water quality.”

That report, and the consultation undertaken by Project Forever Waiheke, both identified the top concerns of Waiheke residents as (i) increasing and poorly managed tourism, together with (ii) a perceived failure of adequate and appropriate infrastructure development, in particular transport to/from and on the island, and (iii) a lack of managed environmental protections to protect the ‘special character’ of the island from increases in both tourism and the permanent population. Protecting Waiheke’s ‘special character’, as an entrenched Council responsibility, was seen as significantly ignored by Council entities, to the detriment of both residents and the intrinsic features of the island’s natural and sociocultural environments. A key recommendation of both reports was the development of sustainability strategy for tourism. However the Project Forever Waiheke consultation identified a priority need for sustainable community strategy, to address a perceived erosion of community resilience due to the pressures of tourism and a changing population demographic.

Community development, sustainability and tourism

The community and the tourism industry are closely connected, with each now an integral aspect of (if not essential to) the well-being of the other. Up to a quarter of island home-owners rent out part or all of their homes to visitors as a key aspect of their income,^{^[6]} and Waiheke tourism now relies on that accommodation source. Up to a quarter of adult summer residents, including seasonal hospitality workers from elsewhere, are employed part-time or full-time in tourism-related work; the industry relies on that employment pool.

Both of the 2018 survey reports acknowledged that tourism is now an important part of the Waiheke economy, and that many locals benefit from tourism to some extent. However they also reported that, in the views of residents, the wealth generated from tourism was not spread equally across the community, and in fact many residents were economically worse off as a result of increasing tourism. A key goal of sustainable community and tourism strategy is to work towards a distribution of tourism wealth to all sectors of the community, and certainly that tourism should not actively disadvantage local communities.

Recent impacts of tourism leading to concern among residents

Key areas of concern in relation to increasing tourism and its impacts, as summarised in the two 2018 surveys described above, were as follows:

· Pressures on various components of essential island infrastructure, in particular road safety and congestion, insecurity of water supply, inadequate wastewater management, parking issues

· Pressures on the ferry service, resulting in unmanaged congestion and serious disruption for commuters and other residents due to the unreliability of ferry schedules

· Increased pollution and litter – on beaches; noise issues; stressed septic systems

· Stresses on the natural environment, due to overuse of walking tracks, beaches, wetlands

· Stresses on emergency services

· Gentrification, housing insecurity, and the impacts on community cohesiveness and resilience

· Inadequate and inappropriate governance by Auckland Council, and in particular insufficient allocation of power to the Waiheke Local Board.

The draft Strategy set out in Chapters 3 and 4 of this document attempts to address all of the above issues within a sustainability framework.

What is ‘sustainability’? What does it mean for diverse sector interests?

For the island’s natural environments

Sustainability, while a relative concept, is nonetheless reasonably simple to define for the island’s natural environments and is reflected in the ongoing health of their flora, fauna and intrinsic features. Robust structures and resourcing for protecting these environments must be a priority, but that support is at risk from erosion of community resilience, since the island’s natural environment relies heavily on volunteers for its continuing health.

For Waiheke communities

Inevitably, there are tensions between tourism/business development and the sustainability of natural and social/cultural environments. The massive increases in numbers of people using the range of Waiheke facilities - accommodation, ferry capacity, roads and paths, beaches, coasts, cafes, supermarket, public toilets, and so on - inevitably results in less availability of those resources for locals, especially but not only over the summer months. Most critically this impact has been seen in the erosion of rental housing stock for island residents who need to rent accommodation, in major issues for residents who have to commute to Auckland for work, and in serious challenges to road safety as visitors apply the ‘holiday spirit’ to road use when locals are trying to go about their daily business commitments.

The common themes emerging from the Essentially Waiheke Refresh 2016 report and the 2018 community consultation report are that longer-term residents see the island’s character, and residents’ enjoyment of that special Waiheke character, as seriously at risk from overpopulation, including tourism, if it is not managed effectively. In particular, residents commented on demoralisation at the changes to the island which are eroding the resilience and health of the island’s natural and community environments. Many people spoke of “hiding” away from the tourists and no longer having reasonable and equitable access to the ordinary amenities that they live here for – the beaches, cafes, roads, walking tracks, even the public toilets. The sentiment was that the island was being overtaken by tourism, and that the negative impacts might become irreversible and destroy the very aspects of Waiheke that both locals and visitors love.

For the Waiheke tourism sector

For the local tourism providers, a primary focus is on sustaining business viability and development. A key concern is tourism seasonality and the pressures on the island’s infrastructure and communities of huge influxes of visitors at peaks time of the day, week or year. Many tourism providers, especially small-scale operators, are also residents of the island, and appreciate that rapidly increasing tourism places significant stresses on local infrastructure and community wellbeing. However, having come to rely to varying degrees on income from tourism, they are also invested in developing the sector. The challenge is to achieve a balance that allows for sustainability both economically and environmentally.

Key stakeholders in sustainable tourism

Key stakeholders who need to be involved in planning for sustainable community and tourism broadly include the following:

» Diverse Waiheke communities – defined by geography and/or a diversity of common interests

» Waiheke Island Local Board

» Ngāti Paoa, as mana whenua

» Piritahi Marae, representing taurahere

» The Waiheke Island Tourism Forum

» Transport providers – Fullers Group; Sealink; taxi and shuttle companies; tourist bus companies

» Auckland Council entities, in particular ATEED and Auckland Transport.

Chapter 3: A Strategic Framework for Sustainable Community and Tourism Development

This chapter summarises the first Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy developed for Waiheke – its purposes, key principles, goals, and proposed areas for priority strategic action.

Purpose of the Strategy

· To guide policy development, decision-making and action by the Waiheke Local Board and various Council entities, including but not limited to Auckland Transport, Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and those departments and units that are responsible for protecting Waiheke’s natural and social/cultural environments.

· To direct and enable the development of Waiheke Island community and tourism in parallel and in collaboration, to protect and preserve the island

· In particular to restore and enhance its native flora and fauna, its iconic footprint - coastal, forest, pastoral– and its community spirit and character.

Vision

Waiheke Island is loved and protected for its unique and intrinsic environments, heritage, character and communities, by locals, the tourism industry and visitors alike.

Key principles

Kaitiakitanga

Kaitiakitanga means guardianship, care, and protection, recognising that: Whatu ngarongaro te tangata, toitu te whenua – People perish, but the land remains. Kaitiakitanga gives a basis for a distinctively New Zealand approach to managing our natural and built environment. It stresses the importance of managing natural, cultural, and built resources for the collective benefit of people now and in the future. It also conveys a powerful message to visitors about the value of the connection that New Zealanders have with their landscape, which is an integral part of our national identity. All stakeholders in the Waiheke community, including but not limited to the tourism sector, need to understand and support these principles in order to protect Waiheke environments.

Manaakitanga

Manaakitanga is about the concept of caring equally for others as for ourselves, whether that other is another person, creature, or the natural environment, where that care reflects what matters to the other, rather than ourselves. Aroha mai, aroha atu – Love is extended, love is given back. In the context of sustaining a community, manaakitanga means that eac sector of a community care for all other sectors. In the context of tourism, it means that tourism providers and tourists will genuinely care for the well-being of the community in the destination they are visiting; in return, the community will extend genuine friendliness and hospitality to visitors.

Whanaungatanga

Whanaungatanga refers to connectedness. The continuing wellbeing of any ‘destination’ community is a central consideration in sustainable tourism, and this is particularly so for Waiheke Island, because our community has built a strong wairua over time and generations. Tourism can only be sustainable if (i) host communities understand and value the benefits of tourism and therefore remain welcoming to visitors, connecting with them in both planned/intentional and more informal ways, and (ii) the tourism sector respects the needs of local communities, so that the negative impacts of tourism do not outweigh the positive effects across all sectors of the community. On Waiheke Island, this means that visitors needs to know and understand that Waiheke is first and foremost a community, and respect the needs and wairua of the community. Alongside that respect, genuine friendliness and tolerance of tourists by Waihekeans is important to visitor satisfaction. Reciprocally, the tourism sector needs to acknowledge and respect that people who live here or call it home, whether permanently or for shorter periods, need to continue to have priority access to essential resources such as water, light and space.

Motuhaketanga

Motuhaketanga, or self-determination, means that much more control over the island’s direction, development and decision-making needs to be in the hands of the Waiheke Local Board, mana whenua and community organisations, especially in relation to both infrastructure development and community development, but also in relation to tourism direction.

Strategic goals

The island

· Protect precious Waiheke environments and communities from the negative impacts of tourism

· Enable tourism that preserves and enhances Waiheke’s mauri, wairua and taonga

· Focus tourism on conservation and sustainability values, in particular cultural heritage, eco-tourism and community engagement

· Plan for climate change and globalisation

The community

· Vibrant, healthy, cohesive, resilient island communities

· Preservation of the unique features of Waiheke communities – friendly, laid back, conservationist, artistic, village-based, diverse, tolerant, resourceful

The tourism sector

· A cohesive and inclusive tourism provider sector focused on developing sustainable community tourism in line with Waiheke values

Strategic action objectives

The following action areas were identified as needing improved policy and planning for sustainable community and tourism development on Waiheke.

Table 1: Strategic action objectives for Waiheke sustainable community and tourism development
1. Mandate governance and management functions for the implementation of this Strategy at local and Auckland Council levels
2. Foster low impact and eco-tourism development aligned with Waiheke community values and vision
3. Promote the real interests and needs of diverse Waiheke communities and cultures, in particular indigenous partners and vulnerable groups
4. Advocate for regulation that protects Waiheke resources and taonga

Table 1: Strategic action objectives for Waiheke sustainable community and tourism development (continued)
5. Regularly monitor tourism impacts - visitor experience, community satisfaction and concerns, tourism industry well-being and environmental impacts
6. Facilitate infrastructure development that protects fragile island environments for current and future residents and visitors
7. Promote engagement of locals, tourism operators and visitors in activities to restore and preserve Waiheke taonga
8. Develop sustainable systems and equitable sharing of essential island resources – water supply, ferry services, road and beach use, housing, seas and forests
9. Identify and promote visitor targets and limits that take into account Waiheke’s environmental, community and infrastructure capacity constraints
10. Promote visitor opportunities that enhance visitor engagement in protecting precious Waiheke environments & conservation values
11. Focus tourism development by value - longer-stay visitors and those who share and support Waiheke values and taonga
12. Develop tourism and associated education, employment, business and career opportunities for locals, including youth, Māori, seniors and people with disabilities
13. Identify and promote social equity and wealth-sharing opportunities for social enterprise tourism and support for small and ‘cottage’ tourist operation
14. Build and maintain a publicly accessible repository of information, data and knowledge about Waiheke Island features, including tourism impacts

The Strategy is illustrated in diagrammatic form in Appendix 1.

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Chapter 4: Draft strategic action plan

Each of the short-term and longer-term actions set out in this chapter were proposed by Waiheke community members.

Table 2: Draft strategic action plan

Action objective

Short-term actions

Longer-term actions

1. Mandate governance and management functions for the implementation of this Strategy at local and Auckland Council levels

Establish and mandate a governance group of key stakeholders to drive the implementation of the strategy, as follows:

· Initially for 12 months

· Group to include key influencers with proven track record of community leadership and engagement

· Establish key relationships with Council, ATEED and other relevant organisations (e.g. tourism industry, mana whenua and other community reps)

Engage the community and tourism industry through roadshows, workshops and other communication activities to create shared understanding of what it means for them and their engagement with implementation

Appoint a Project Co-ordinator to drive the implementation of the strategy

Continue to lobby for the expanded decision-making powers of the Local Board, in particular around transport, infrastructure, environment and community development

Monitor the integrity of the decision-making of Auckland Council and the CCOs in alignment with national, Auckland and Waiheke sustainable community and tourism strategies and associated strategy

Review strategy annually and create annual action plans in alignment with Local Board plans and strategy and Auckland and national tourism strategy frameworks

Continue to monitor the integrity of the decision making of Auckland Council and the CCOs in alignment with national and Auckland tourism strategies, the Waiheke Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy and associated strategy and governance documents, and take action as needed to address misalignment

2. Foster low impact & eco-tourism development aligned with Waiheke community values and vision

Engage community and the tourism sector in creating a shared vision of what the island and our tourism industry will look like as leaders in sustainable tourism

Work with Auckland Transport and ATEED to ensure eco tourism / low impact tourism activities and operators are given priority and support at island gateways (Matiatia and Kennedy Point) and throughout the island

Develop a local programme to support tourism businesses, large and small, to change to lower impact tourism, in alignment with the national Tourism 2025 and Beyond revised framework and ATEED’s Destination Auckland 2025 and the UN Sustainable Development goals – for example, eco-tourism, use of solar power, electric vehicles, achieving carbon zero status, clean-up and environmental protection activities, zero waste, tree planting & track maintenance, weeding and land and marine conservation activities.

Work with community, tourism sector and institutional partners to (i) monitor and provide data on tourism impacts (e.g. economic impacts and equity of benefits, waste generation, water use, transport, environmental damage, community cohesiveness, etc), and (ii) minimise potentially damaging impacts

3. Promote the real interests and needs of diverse Waiheke communities and cultures, in particular indigenous partners and vulnerable groups

Regular monitoring of community needs and concerns via community surveying and workshops

Advocate for infrastructure and facilities that will meet the needs of Waiheke residents (e.g. water supply; wharf, ferry and road transport; access to essential services; access to recreation; mana whenua and tangata whenua cultural needs; etc)

Continue to ensure community concerns and priorities are reflected in annual action plans

Report developments to the Waiheke community and tourism sector on an annual basis

4. Advocate for regulation that protects Waiheke resources and taonga

Work with partners to require all ferry and road transport operators to operate under the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM)

Implement improved dog bylaws to provide increased protection to wildlife in vulnerable areas

Support the implementation of the Hauraki Gulf Marine spatial plan to protect coastal waters and marine ecosystems

Continue to advocate for competitive and appropriate ferry, freight and other transport services for reliable, affordable and sustainable access by all sectors of the Waiheke community, and visitors

Work to ensure pest eradication is part of property owners’ responsibility

Complete audit and protection of Māori historical sites and wahi tapu

Implement actions to protect/enhance our marine ecosystems in alignment with the Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial plan and community priorities

5. Regularly monitor tourism impacts - visitor experience, community satisfaction and concerns, tourism industry well-being and environmental impacts

Develop an agreed monitoring and evaluation framework in agreement with research partners such as WRT

Develop a community scorecard and targets in alignment with the strategy and commence reporting to all stakeholders, including the wider community

Commission baseline visitor perception/ experience survey (why do they visit, top reasons, issues)

Commission local tourism industry research to identify barriers to sustainable development in alignment with the Tourism 2025 and Beyond Sustainable Tourism Framework

Resurvey community perceptions in alignment with the strategy

Commission regular surveys of wildlife to monitor increase/declines in native fauna and flora, land and marine

Commission further research and protection for Māori wahi tapu and other historical sites

Implement on-going monitoring and evaluation plan, use research findings to inform strategy updates and report progress to all stakeholders including the wider community

Complete biannual surveys for visitors, tourism industry and community perceptions

Monitor and report progress against targets, impacts and progress on action plans

6. Facilitate infrastructure development that protects fragile island environments for current and future residents and visitors

Ensure Local Board plans and agreements (see Local Board Plans) reflect the strategic objective of protecting Waiheke environments – natural, social, cultural, built – and the ‘special character’ of the island for current and future residents, and visitors

Work to ensure the protection of trees and other native flora and fauna in the Council reserves, road reserves and on private property

Develop action plans with Healthy Waters and other key stakeholders to minimise negative impacts of run-off into land and marine environments (e.g. flooding; slips; pollutant run-off; etc)

Continue to support the on-going work programme of the Waiheke Island Transport forum to drive sustainable transport on the island for residents and visitors alike

Monitor the integrity of the decision-making of Auckland council and the CCOs in alignment with national, Auckland and Waiheke sustainable tourism strategies and associated strategy and governance documents

Continue to monitor the integrity of the decision making of Auckland council and the CCOs in alignment with national, Auckland and Waiheke sustainable tourism strategies and associated strategy and governance documents and challenge/ take action when out of alignment

7. Promote engagement of locals, tourism operators and visitors in activities to restore and preserve Waiheke taonga

Engage key stakeholders including the tourism sector and community representatives to develop a Waiheke Kaitiaki Pledge (care code) and make it available digitally, in Waiheke brochures, and all other key channels in readiness for the 2019/20 summer season.

Engage and brief Waiheke Island Tourism Forum (WITF) members and tourism businesses in the Kaitiaki Pledge and how they can implement that in their businesses

Waiheke Kaitiaki Pledge is reviewed and updated every 3 years.

Ensure on going promotion of the Waiheke Care Code including being reflected in public signage, on council website, newzealand.com and on tourism businesses websites and collateral and in Tourism Waiheke brochure and specific care code brochures (available in key places).

Waiheke Kaitiaki Pledge guides all tourism businesses in their operations as well as visitor behaviour (outcome).

Community understands the Kaitiaki Pledge and are advocates and champions for it (outcome).

Waiheke tourism focus/ activity continues to evolve in alignment with the Kaitiaki Pledge (outcome).

8. Develop sustainable systems and equitable sharing of essential island resources – water supply, ferry services, road and beach use, housing, seas and forests

Advocate with Government, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to improve ferry service reliability, accessibility to commuters (priority boarding) and other residents, affordability, and support increased competition.

Regulate to ensure bore allocation and tanker delivery gives priority to residents in times of drought.

Support the development of public transport services for locals and tourists that are not tied to the ferry timetable and that meet residents’ and visitors’ needs.

Work with key stakeholders including Auckland Council, the Affordable Housing trust to support and advance initiatives to ensure housing is affordable for locals.

Establish an affordable rentals agency which increases supply of affordable housing through (i) facilitating the increased use of empty holiday homes and (ii) assisting house owners to repair and insulate homes to make available for long term rentals for locals at rents 80% or below the market.

Advocate with Auckland Council for changes to the District Plan which will enable either land to be freed up or increased housing supply options with a focus on affordable/ social housing (e.g. ability to build on council land, increased ability to build minor dwellings, requirement of vineyards and farms to build worker accommodation etc).

9. Identify and promote visitor targets and limits that take into account Waiheke’s capacity constraints – environmental, community and infrastructure

The Local Board to require regular data provision from the ferry operators (Sealink/ Fullers) to monitor usage patterns and their impacts, on an on-going basis.

Commission research and publish findings, to identify (i) impact patterns of visitors/ tourism on the island, (ii) limits to its carrying capacity, including (but not limited to) water resources, health and emergency services, Police services, waste, roads and transport, paths and tracks, beaches, etc), and (iii) management strategies to protect island environments

Include data/ forecasts in future planning/ strategy review.

Include baseline data in future planning/ strategy review.

10. Promote visitor opportunities that enhance visitor engagement in protecting precious Waiheke environments & conservation values

Create plan for improved interpretation (i.e. storytelling) of both our natural assets (land based and marine wildlife, natural features, ecosystems) and the people and community groups that care for them to promote their protection and appreciation and to engage our visitors in our conservation stories and values.

Support the tourism sector to develop and implement strategy that promotes the engagement of visitors in activities that contribute proactively to environmental protection and community cohesiveness (e.g. tree-planting; wetland reclamation; carbon capture projects such as kelp reafforestation Citizen Science projects; participation in local community and sustainability events; etc.).

Create increased engagement and storytelling through signage and other digital/physical collateral/ media/ communications in alignment with the plan.

Increased support of and engagement of local tourism businesses and visitors in activities that contribute proactively to environmental protection and community cohesiveness (outcome).

11. Focus tourism development by value - longer-stay visitors and those who share and support Waiheke values and taonga

Work with ATEED, and WITF and tourism accommodation providers to develop (i) agreed positioning as longer-stay destination and (ii) strategies to facilitate longer stays (e.g. collaborations between accommodation providers, Fullers and other visitor activity providers; marketing campaigns etc).

Implement with ATEED and WITF specific promotional and destination marketing activity based on longer stay destination positioning.

12. Develop tourism and associated education, employment, business and career opportunities for locals, including youth, Māori, seniors and people with disabilities

Source and fund tourism operator training in sustainable tourism – including product development, business coaching and mentoring, in alignment with national and local sustainable tourism strategy.

Work with the high school and tourism operators to develop training and placement opportunities to train youth in tourism.

Work with Be Accessible to accredit more businesses to Be Welcome.

Tourism training is available for owners and for staff to ensure they understand sustainable tourism, the Waiheke care code and what it means for them.

13. Identify and promote social equity and wealth-sharing opportunities for social enterprise tourism and support for small and ‘cottage’ tourist operations

Establish a fund for social enterprise tourism and innovative product/ business ideas.

Hold an innovation ‘challenge’ to identify ideas from the community for funding (similar to Foundation North GIFT fund).

14. Build and maintain a publicly accessible repository of information, data and knowledge about Waiheke Island features, including tourism impacts

Support the ongoing availability and development of the Project Forever Waiheke website as an information repository.

Appendix 1: Waiheke Sustainable Community and Tourism Strategy

:PFW Sustainable Community & Tourism Strategy 30 July 2018.pdf

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Waiheke Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness

File No.: CP2019/17571

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the allocation of $3,000 from the Waiheke Local Board’s Social and Economic Development work programme towards the development of community resilience plans for Waiheke and Rākino communities to better prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Waiheke Local Board Plan 2017 recognises the need for Waiheke and Rākino communities to be resilient and well-prepared for emergencies.

3. Waiheke has an Emergency Management Committee (EMC) made up of emergency services and agencies, which has the role of coordinating island-wide emergency responses.

4. A community hui is proposed on Waiheke Island for Sunday 1 December to enable community to share information about local hazards and their impacts, to identify needs and existing resources at a local village level, and to share ways to grow neighbourhood connections and resilience.

5. Waiheke and Rākino community steering groups will be convened with the support of Auckland Emergency Management to develop a Community Resilience Plans and local reference guides to assist residents and visitors prepare for emergencies.

6. The Waiheke Local Board has $10,000 available in its 2019/2020 Arts, Community and Events work programme for ‘Social and Economic Development’.

7. It is recommended that the local board approve the allocation of $3,000 from the Social and Economic Development work programme towards the development of community resilience plans for Waiheke and Rākino communities to better prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) allocate $3,000 from the Social and Economic Development work programme towards the development of community resilience plans for Waiheke and Rākino communities to better prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Horopaki

Context

8. The Waiheke Local Board Plan 2017 recognises the need for Waiheke and Rākino communities to be resilient and well-prepared for emergencies.

9. Waiheke has an Emergency Management Committee (EMC) established to coordinate emergency response. In addition, community connections play a vital role in emergency preparedness and building community resilience. Communities are in a stronger position to recover if they are prepared to come together when an unexpected event occurs.

10. Waiheke’s island geography means that there is more exposure to natural hazards such as severe winds coastal inundation. In a major event, the islands could be isolated from wider Auckland for several days if ferry services are cancelled.

11. The EMC meets regularly and is made up of emergency services and agencies such as Police, Fire Service, Coastguard, Ambulance, Auckland Council, health services, radio operators and community organisations that are able to provide response and support services in the event of an emergency or disaster. The group liaises with Auckland Emergency Management to share plans, information and approaches.

12. The EMC has developed a detailed Waiheke Emergency Response Plan which outlines potential hazards and their impacts to Waiheke, island-wide emergency response activation processes, communications, key organisations and personnel, and emergency welfare provisions.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

13. Waiheke’s established village and community networks such as residents’ associations, Piritahi Marae, Community Networks Waiheke, business groups and Waiheke’s many volunteer and community organisations play an important role in fostering connection and collaboration that will strengthen the community in the face of adversity.

14. Staff have liaised with local community networks about a coordinated community-led approach to resilience planning. This approach will provide an opportunity to grow awareness of the skills and assets our community has to better cope during emergencies.

15. An initial Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness Hui is proposed on Waiheke Island for Sunday 1 December 2019 from 1pm – 4pm at Ostend Hall. The purpose of the hui is for the community to share information about local hazards and their impacts, to identify needs and existing resources at a local village level, and to share ways to grow neighbourhood connections.

16. Following the hui, steering groups will be convened to work towards the development of reference guides for each village area outlining the steps for residents to take prior and during an emergency.

17. Auckland Emergency Management will support the community-led planning process, drawing from their experience working with other remote or semi-rural Auckland communities such as Karekare, Piha and Puhoi.

18. The 2019/2020 work programme line 165 Social and Economic Development has an available budget of $10,000.

19. It is recommended that $3,000 is allocated from the Social and Economic Development work programme towards the meeting costs and the process of developing of Community Resilience Plans for Waiheke and Rākino communities.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

20. Staff from Auckland Emergency Management and the Community Empowerment Unit will support Waiheke and Rākino communities to develop community-led Resilience Plans.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

21. Community Resilience planning aligns with Waiheke Local Board Plan 2017 Outcome 4: Thriving, strong and engaged communities, which includes the objective to ‘Ensure a resilient and connected community’.

22. The proposed community hui and resilience planning process was workshopped with the local board on 5 September 2019.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

23. Piritahi Marae plays an important role in building community resilience for Māori and non-Māori in the Waiheke community, and is also represented in the Waiheke EMC. Piritahi Marae will be invited to participate in the community resilience planning process.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

24. The budget for the Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness project is $3,000, which includes facilitation, catering, venue and equipment hire, and marketing.

25. Allocating this funding from work programme line 165 Social and Economic Development will leave a remaining $7,000 for the local board to allocate to other initiatives over the financial year.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

26. The development of community resilience plans for Waiheke and Rākino communities aims to mitigate risks associated emergencies and disasters by increasing preparedness.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

27. Following approval from the local board, staff will liaise with residents’ associations and community networks to deliver the Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness Hui on 1 December 2019.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Fiona Gregory – Strategic Broker, Arts, Community and Events

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - General Manager Arts, Community and Events

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Landowner approval for a market at Waiheke Island Artworks

File No.: CP2019/17220

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek landowner approval from the Waiheke Local Board for the Oneroa Sunday Market to be held at Waiheke Island Artworks (2 Korora Road).

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Oneroa Sunday Market is a bi-monthly market that has previously been run at Waiheke Island Artworks as an event over summer 2018/2019. Five markets were completed as a trial, with permission from council’s Event Facilitation team. For the market to continue in this location, a formal landowner approval is required.

3. The applicant has proposed for the market to run during the summer months from Sunday 27 October 2019 to Sunday 12 April 2020. The market is proposed to run from 10am to 2pm, with market setup occurring from 8am to 10am and pack out from 2pm to 3pm.

4. Specialists from Arts Community and Events, Community Facilities and Parks Sports and Recreation departments support the proposal. Landowner approval is required from the Waiheke Local Board to allow for the market to proceed.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) approve the landowner application for the Oneroa Sunday Market at Waiheke Island Artworks (2 Korora Road) on the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 27 October 2019 to 12 April 2020.

b) approve the landowner approval for the Oneroa Sunday Market at Waiheke Island Artworks to occur from 10am to 2pm, with setup occurring from 8am to 10am and pack out to be completed by 3pm.

Horopaki

Context

5. The Oneroa Sunday Market proposal was a result of a survey that was done by the Waiheke Local Board on how the underutilised Artworks courtyard could be used over summer 2018/2019. Due to the success of the trial market, the applicant has now requested formal landowner approval to run the market over next summer period. The Waiheke Local Board has delegated authority to approve landowner approval applications.

6. The market has been organised and run by a local hat maker and artisan food maker. The purpose of the Oneroa Sunday Market is to:

· provide an activity at the Artworks Courtyard for the community to gather

· support local art and craft creators

· showcase young musicians

· provide free family entertainment and activities, and

· attract more people to the Artworks complex, including the library, art gallery and theatre.

7. Images of the stalls and activities during the trial period are shown in Attachment A. The location of the market will be within the courtyard area of the land parcel marked in Attachment B.

8. The Oneroa Sunday Market is proposed on a public shared space, and will be a smokefree event in line with the Auckland Council Smokefree Policy 2017-2025.

Land status

9. The Oneroa Sunday Market has been proposed at 2 Korora Road, Waiheke and is known as Waiheke Island Artworks. The land is held in fee simple by Auckland Council under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA). The current proposal for the market is permitted under the LGA 2002.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Specialist input

10. The senior maintenance delivery coordinator, parks and places specialist, event facilitator and community lease advisor provided input on this proposal. All specialists were supportive of the Oneroa Sunday Market continuing in this location and raised no issues.

11. The specialists were not aware of any concerns after the trial market event permit was issued during summer 2018/2019. If approved, the specialists have recommended that the applicant must comply with conditions related to public health and safety, noise, hours of operation and the protection of the public space. The community lease advisor will advise nearby tenants of the market.

Options

12. The Waiheke Local Board has delegated authority to approve or decline this landowner approval application. The recommended option is to approve the application as it will invite the local community and visitors to the Waiheke Island Artworks Courtyard. This will achieve the outcome that was intended by the local board, to revitalise the underutilised courtyard space.

13. Following the 2019/2020 summer period, a longer term approval may be determined by the local board, if sought by the applicant.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

14. The applicant will be required to obtain a market license from the street trading team in council’s Regulatory Services department. The license will not be granted until the landowner approval has been issued.

15. There are no Watercare assets affected by the market and no traffic management approvals are required from Auckland Transport.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

16. An outcome of the 2017 Waiheke Local Board Plan seeks to achieve a sustainable economy and positive visitor experience. During the summer months, Waiheke Island is a popular destination and the Oneroa Sunday Market would provide an activity for both the local residents and visitors. The market could also attract people to the surrounding businesses and services in the Waiheke Island Artworks area, such as the library and theatre. The market will also support local residents who have an interest in art, crafts and food.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

17. There are no Cultural Heritage Inventory sites or areas of significance to mana whenua at Waiheke Island Artworks. No iwi consultation has been undertaken by the applicant or the council as there is no readily identifiable impact on Māori heritage and culture.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

18. At the 27 June 2019 Waiheke Local Board meeting, the local board granted $3,000 from the Waiheke Quick Response Round Three 2018/2019 fund to the applicant (resolution number WHK/2019/123). The grant was allocated for the landowner approval and council market fees.

19. There are no additional costs to the local board as part of this landowner approval application.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

Health and Safety

20. Waiheke Island Artworks will see an increase in visitors during the market and it is important that all risks are controlled. Each stall holder will sign a personal health and safety plan which will disclose how identified risks will be mitigated. Risks include gazebos moving during windy weather and electrical cables and traffic movement during set up and pack down.

21. The market participants will need to use gazebo weights and cover any electrical cables during the market. Only one car will be allowed on the courtyard at any time during the set up and pack down, and a market participant will be responsible in ensuring safe vehicle movements.

Protection of the public space

22. Only small vehicles are permitted on the courtyard and no vehicles are permitted under the drip line of trees at any time to avoid compaction around roots. No alterations to any council assets are permitted. The market participants will be responsible for all waste produced from the market activities and the site must be left clear of any rubbish at the end of each market.

23. The event organiser will be liable for any remedial works that may be required as a result of the market.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

24. If the local board approves the proposal, the applicant will be provided with a letter outlining conditions of approval which will include, but not limited to, health and safety and protection of the public open space.

25. If approved and the market is run successfully, the applicant may wish to apply for another landowner approval for the next summer period.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Images of stall and activities during market trial	255
b ⇩	Location of market	259

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Neda Durdevic - Land Use Advisor

Authorisers

Rod Sheridan - General Manager Community Facilities

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Temporary arrangements for urgent decisions and staff delegations during the election period

File No.: CP2019/17159

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek approval for temporary arrangements during the election period for:

· urgent decisions

· decisions made by staff under delegated authority from the local board that require consultation with local board members under delegation protocols.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Between the last local board business meeting of the current electoral term, and the first business meeting of the new term, decisions may be needed on urgent matters or routine business as usual that cannot wait until the incoming local board’s first business meeting in the new electoral term.

3. Current elected members remain in office until the new members’ term of office commences, which is the day after the declaration of election results. The declaration will be publicly notified on 21 October 2019, with the term of office of current members ending and the term of office of new members commencing on 22 October 2019. The new members cannot act as members of the local board until they have made their statutory declaration at the inaugural local board meeting.

4. As for each of the previous terms, temporary arrangements are needed for urgent decisions of the local board, and decisions made by staff under existing delegated authority.

5. All local boards have made a general delegation to the Chief Executive, subject to a requirement to comply with delegation protocols approved by the local board, which require, amongst other matters, staff to consult with local board portfolio holders on certain matters. Where there is no nominated portfolio holder, staff consult with the chair. After the election, there will be no local board portfolio holders or chairs to consult until new arrangements are made in the new term.

6. As a temporary measure, approval is sought from the local board to allow staff to continue to process business as usual decisions that cannot wait until the local board’s first business meeting, without consulting with the nominated portfolio holder or local board chair. Staff will consult with the local board chair following the inaugural meeting until new arrangements are made at the first business meeting in the term.

7. Appointments made by the local board to external bodies will cease on the date of the election. New appointments will need to be made by the local board in the new term.

Do not delete this line

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) utilise the board’s existing urgent decision-making process between the final local board business meeting and the commencement of the term of office of new local board members

b) note that from the commencement of the term of office of new local board members until the inaugural meeting of the incoming local board, urgent decision-making will be undertaken by the Chief Executive under existing delegations

c) approve that staff, as a temporary measure, can make business as usual decisions under their existing delegated authority without requiring compliance with the requirement in the current delegation protocols to consult with the nominated portfolio holder (or chair where there is no portfolio holder in place), from 22 October 2019, noting that staff will consult with the chair following the inaugural meeting until new arrangements are made at the first business meeting in the new term

d) note that existing appointments by the local board to external bodies will cease at the election and new appointments will need to be made by the local board in the new term.

Horopaki

Context

8. Current elected members remain in office until the new members’ term of office commences, which is the day after the declaration of election results (Sections 115 and 116, Local Electoral Act 2001). The declaration will be publicly notified on 21 October 2019, with the term of office of current members ending and the term of office of new members commencing on 22 October 2019.

9. The new members cannot act as members of the local board until they have made their statutory declaration at the inaugural local board meeting (Clause 14, Schedule 7, Local Government Act 2002).

10. Following the last local board meeting of the current electoral term, decisions may be needed on urgent matters or routine business as usual that cannot wait until the incoming local board’s first business meeting in the new electoral term.

11. As with each of the previous electoral terms, temporary arrangements need to be made for:

· urgent decisions

· decisions made by staff under delegated authority from the local board that require consultation with local board members under delegation protocols.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Urgent decisions

12. Between the last business meeting and the declaration of results on 21 October, current members are still in office, and can make urgent decisions if delegated to do so. If the board does not have an existing urgent decision-making process already in place, it is recommended that the board delegate to the chair and deputy chair the power to make urgent decisions on behalf of the local board during this period.

13. The urgent decision-making process enables the board to make decisions where it is not practical to call the full board together. The Local Government Act 2002 provides for local boards to delegate to committees, sub-committees, members of the local board or Auckland Council staff, any of its responsibilities, duties and powers, with some specific exceptions. This legislation enables the urgent decision-making process.

14. All requests for an urgent decision will be supported by a memo stating the nature of the issue, reason for urgency and what decisions or resolutions are required.

15. Board members that have delegated responsibilities, for example, delegations to provide feedback on notified resource consents, notified plan changes and notices of requirement, may continue to exercise those delegations until their term of office ends on 22 October (or earlier if the delegation was specified to end earlier).

16. Between the declaration of results and the inaugural meeting, the current members are no longer in office, the new members cannot act until they give their statutory declaration, and new chairs and deputies will not be in place. During this period, urgent decisions will be made by the Chief Executive under his existing delegated authority (which includes a financial cap).

Decisions made by staff under delegated authority

17. All local boards have made a delegation to the Chief Executive. The delegation is subject to a requirement to comply with delegation protocols approved by the local board. These delegation protocols require, amongst other things, staff to consult with nominated portfolio holders on certain issues. Where there is no nominated portfolio holder, staff consult with the local board chair.

18. The most common area requiring consultation is landowner consents relating to local parks. The portfolio holder can refer the matter to the local board for a decision.

19. Parks staff receive a large number of landowner consent requests each month that relate to local parks across Auckland. The majority of these need to be processed within 20 working days (or less), either in order to meet the applicant’s timeframes and provide good customer service, or to meet statutory timeframes associated with resource consents. Only a small number of landowner requests are referred by the portfolio holder to the local board for a decision.

20. Prior to the election, staff can continue to consult with portfolio holders as required by the delegation protocols (or chair where there is no portfolio holder). However, after the election, there will be no portfolio holders or chairs in place to consult with until new arrangements are made in the new term.

21. During this time, staff will need to continue to process routine business as usual matters, including routine requests from third parties for landowner approval such as commercial operator permits, temporary access requests and affected party approvals.

22. As a temporary measure, it is recommended that the local board allow staff to continue to process business as usual decisions that cannot wait until the local board’s first business meeting. This is irrespective of the requirements of the current delegation protocols to consult with the nominated portfolio holder on landowner consents. Staff will consult with the local board chair following the inaugural meeting until new arrangements are made at the first business meeting in the term.

Appointment to external bodies

23. Appointments made by the local board to external bodies will cease at the election, so local board members will not be able to attend meetings of their organisations as an Auckland Council representative from 22 October 2019, until new appointments are made in the new term. Staff will advise the affected external bodies accordingly.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

24. The arrangements proposed in this report enable the council to process routine local matters during the election period. They apply only to local boards. The reduced political decision-making will be communicated to the wider council group.

25. The governing body has made its own arrangements to cover the election period, including delegating the power to make urgent decisions between the last governing body meeting of the term and the day the current term ends, to any two of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and a chairperson of a committee of the whole. From the commencement of the term of office of the new members until the governing body’s inaugural meeting, the Chief Executive will carry out decision-making under his current delegations.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

26. This is a report to all local boards that proposes arrangements to enable the council to process routine local matters during the election period. This will enable the council to meet timeframes and provide good customer service.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

27. A decision of this procedural nature is not considered to have specific implications for Māori, and the arrangements proposed in this report do not affect the Māori community differently to the rest of the community.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

28. The decisions sought in this report are procedural and there are no significant financial implications.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

29. There is a risk that unforeseen decisions will arise during this period, such as a decision that is politically significant or a decision that exceeds the Chief Executive’s financial delegations.

30. This risk has been mitigated by scheduling meetings as late possible in the current term, and communicating to reporting staff that significant decisions should not be made during October 2019.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

31. The decision of the local board will be communicated to senior staff so that they are aware of the arrangements for the month of October 2019.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Anna Bray - Policy and Planning Manager - Local Boards

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager - Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan activation and deactivation processes

File No.: CP2019/16882

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To note the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan activation and deactivation processes.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report provides the Waiheke Local Board with an update on the implementation of the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan, and notes the processes for both the activation and deactivation of contingency water supplies on Waiheke in times of low rainfall.

3. In November and December 2017, Waiheke experienced a water shortage due to a sustained period of dry weather and local water tanker operators not being able to keep up with demand. Tanker suppliers were overbooked and did not have any availability to supply water until the end of January 2018.

4. In response to this water shortage, a communications plan was designed and implemented in conjunction with the Waiheke Local Board advising residents and visitors to use water wisely.

5. The Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan was developed to enable greater community resilience in this space. This plan was endorsed by the local board at its November 2018 business meeting (resolution WHK/2018/225). As part of the implementation of the plan, two contingency water supply stations were installed by Healthy Waters at the Mātiatia carpark and the Onetangi sports ground, and were able to be used from December 2018.

6. The water plan does not currently specify the processes by which the contingency water supplies are activated and deactivated, and who has the responsibility to activate contingency supplies when trigger levels are reached.

7. This report asks the local board to note that Healthy Waters staff can implement this process. Once trigger levels have been reached, Healthy Waters will activate the supplies, and the Waiheke Local Board will be notified.

8. Once activated, contingency water supply sites will be available for public use between 7.00am to 7.00pm each day. The sites will be monitored by a contractor during these times to ensure that water is collected using safe containers and that the water recipient is recorded to ensure fair usage.

9. The local board can also request that Healthy Waters activate the emergency water supplies if it feels there is a need for the provision of contingency water, regardless of whether the trigger levels have been reached.

10. Deactivation of contingency water supplies will be undertaken by Healthy Waters if rainfall over any subsequent day exceeds 30 millimetres per day or there are three consecutive days with greater than 10 millimetres per day.

11. Following the board’s consideration of this report and the activation and deactivation processes outlined in this report and Attachment A, the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan will be updated to reflect these processes.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) note that Healthy Waters has the authority to activate and deactivate the contingency water supply stations at Mātiatia carpark and the Onetangi sports ground when the low rainfall triggers have been reached

b) note that the Waiheke Local Board will be notified once trigger levels have been reached, and contingency water supplies have been activated

c) note that the Waiheke Local Board has the ability to request the activation of contingency water supplies on Waiheke in times of high public need

d) note that Healthy Waters will continue to work with the local board and Waiheke Resources Trust to develop communications reminding the public to manage their water supplies in a sustainable manner, particularly during water shortages.

Horopaki

Context

12. Water supply on Waiheke is provided through water tanks, bores or water supplied by local tanker operators to top-up water tanks from groundwater sources.

13. Residential water tanks ran low on Waiheke throughout November and December 2017 due to a sustained period of dry weather. Local commercial water suppliers were unable to meet demand within their consent limitations, or within the capacity of their existing water tankers.

14. It was reported that all the water suppliers were booked out from late 2017 until the end of January 2018. The dry period ended on 4 January 2018 when a storm involving rainfall of nearly 44 millimetres occurred.

15. Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters department was approached by the Waiheke Local Board in mid-December 2017 to determine the steps that could be undertaken in the short to medium term to offer alternative drinking water supplies.

16. In response to this, Healthy Waters staff focused on understanding the water demand profile for Waiheke, in particular its immediate water needs. A communications plan was also designed and implemented in conjunction with the Waiheke Local Board around water conservation and planning to manage the water situation should there be no significant rainfall over the summer.

17. A Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan was subsequently developed and endorsed by the local board at its November 2018 business meeting (resolution WHK/2018/225). The water plan focused on:

· the development of further treated water sources

· amending consents to adjust water takes from these sources

· promoting the use of council resources and planning for greater resilience in this space.

18. Two treated water supply stations were installed by Healthy Waters at the Mātiatia carpark and the Onetangi sports ground, as part of the implementation of this water plan. These stations have been available for use from December 2018.

19. The upgraded Mātiatia and Onetangi sites have been developed in collaboration with the Auckland District Health Board to meet New Zealand drinking water standards. These sites are regularly monitored by the Auckland Council regulatory team.

20. Treated water can also be supplied from the Mātiatia wharf should there be a water shortage, but this station is primarily intended to supply wharf facilities.

21. Trigger levels were established within the water plan to:

· activate the contingency water supplies if there are 20 consecutive days with less than 10 millimetres of rainfall per day as measured at the Mātiatia automatic rain gauge site

· deactivate the contingency water supplies if rainfall of 30 millimetres over one day or three consecutive days of 10 millimetres per day follows the contingency water supply activation. Long-range rainfall predictions will also be reviewed to reduce the likelihood of needing to activate the contingency water supplies.

22. Rainwater levels are monitored by Auckland Council’s Research and Evaluation unit (RIMU) who advise Healthy Waters when the trigger level is reached. Contractors will be instructed to open the two treated water stations to the residents and local water tanker operators. Residents will have first right to the contingency water unless the water tanker suppliers require the water due to their own bore consents being reached or if there are water quality issues at their own sites. This will be monitored by contractors at each site between 7.00am and 7.00pm each day during contingency water supply activation.

23. Private water suppliers must complete Ministry of Health documentation and be approved to obtain consent to use the contingency water supplies. These suppliers have been advised by Healthy Waters that they comply with the Ministry of Health requirements, so they are able to access water from the Auckland Council water supply stations.

24. Healthy Waters is looking at options to charge tanker suppliers for any contingency water supply takes. The charge would be based on costs incurred by Auckland Council to extract the water and provide it to tankers based on a volume charge per site.

25. The water plan does not currently specify the process by which the contingency water supplies are activated and deactivated, and in particular who activates or deactivates the supplies when trigger levels are reached. This decision is appropriately made by staff under the chief executive’s existing delegations. Updates on the implementation of other aspects within the water plan are also provided below.

26. Healthy Waters will continue to work with the Waiheke Local Board and the Waiheke Resources Trust to engage with Waiheke residents and visitors on water conservation and sustainability options and how they can minimise their own risk of running low on water.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

27. Updates on the implementation of the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan have been detailed below.

Water abstraction

28. The amount of water currently being abstracted from the Waiheke aquifer has been reviewed, and there is sufficient groundwater on Waiheke to maintain supply for the existing population. The aquifer system is recharged throughout year and there is a robust monitoring system in place that will ensure the aquifer is managed appropriately.

29. The review confirmed that the current level of abstraction from the aquifer can be maintained and will not be adversely affected by an extended dry spell. The water shortage in 2017 was not related to aquifer supply rather the ability of the tanker suppliers to supply water. The two new water supply sites will enable residents to collect water in smaller containers from the sites directly as well, which will reduce the risk of water running out.

30. The current extraction limits of the three Auckland Council contingency water supply sites are listed in Table 1 below:

Table 1. Contingency water supply sites on Waiheke

Site	Storage capacity
Mātiatia car park	25m³/day
Mātiatia Wharf	50m³/day
Onetangi sports ground	50m³/day
Total	125m³/day

Saline monitoring

31. If additional water in excess of the consented amount was to be abstracted, there is a potential risk of saltwater replacing freshwater in the aquifer. This could mean that a number of freshwater bores on Waiheke would be unusable for drinking water. As the amount of freshwater being abstracted from the aquifer is not projected to increase, it has been confirmed that there will be no change to the current consent requirement to monitor any potential saline intrusion.

Infrastructure upgrades and Auckland District Health Board requirements

32. Upgrades to the two sites, the Mātiatia car park and Onetangi sports ground were completed in December 2018. These new water treatment facilities have been installed and upgraded in order to exceed the current drinking water standards. Water safety plans for both sites have been developed in collaboration with the Auckland District Health Board to meet these standards.

33. Auckland Council’s regulatory team will continue to ensure compliance at both sites with the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (revised 2008).

Consents for water providers

34. All Waiheke water tanker operators have been sent information on how to get consent to source water from the two new Auckland Council water supply sites, and it is their responsibility to update their water safety plans documentation to gain Ministry of Health approval.

35. Taking water from these Auckland Council sites without approved safety plans will not be permitted. A list of approved suppliers will be provided to the contractor monitoring the water supply sites during times of contingency water supply activation.

Previous rainfall

36. Rainfall records from January 2002 until 31 July 2019 for the Mātiatia rain gauge have been analysed and the following results have been found (see Attachment B for further details):

· on average there have been 166 rain days per year with a total average rainfall of 1,099 millimetres per year

· over this period there were on average two times per year (at least zero and at most four times) when there was less than 10 millimetres of rainfall over a 20-day period. The longest period when the plan would have activated was from October 2003 to January 2004 when 115 days has less than 30 millimetres of rain in a three-day period

· from 1 January to 31 July each year there have been on average 94 rain days with a total rainfall of 677 millimetres of rainfall. For the period from 1 January 2019 to 31 July 2019 there have been 85 rain days and 493 millimetres of rainfall which implies to date this a drier year than average

· there were 176 days of rainfall in 2017 and 1,506 millimetres of rain which is the greatest yearly rainfall for the period since 2002. The rainfall to 30 October 2017 equated to a total of 1,468 millimetres which was nearly the total for the year. This meant there was only 36 millimetres of rainfall from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017

· during 2017 and 2018, if the contingency water supplies were active they would have operated from 7 December 2017 to 4 January 2018 based on the current trigger levels (20 consecutive days with less than 10mm of rainfall per day).

Trigger levels

37. The trigger levels for activating contingency water supplies on Waiheke will be monitored using the Mātiatia rain gauge site, and have been set based on:

· length of time without rain

· average household tank size

· average water usage per person.

38. Healthy Waters recommended through the water plan that the trigger level should be 20 days with less than 10 millimetres of observed rain to activate the contingency water supplies.

39. Following activation, if rainfall over any subsequent day exceeds 30 millimetres per day or there are three consecutive days with greater than 10 millimetres per day, the contingency water supplies may be deactivated. Long-term rain forecasts of continuing rain will also be considered to ensure there is no cycling between activation and deactivation.

Operation of the contingency water supply sites

40. When the sites are activated each will be monitored by a contractor who will ensure that water is provided in safe containers and that the recipient is recorded to ensure fair usage. Residents will be given first rights to the contingency water supply with the aim to share the water fairly with tanker operators, who are able to use the water sources if their own source reaches its limit or if there are other supply issues.

41. Once activated, the water supplies will be available to the public from 7.00am to 7.00pm each day until sufficient rainfall has occurred to enable the deactivation of the emergency water supplies.

Activating and deactivating Waiheke contingency water supplies

42. The responsibility for the activation and deactivation of the contingency water supplies on Waiheke is not currently specified within the water plan. This report notes that this responsibility sits with Healthy Waters under the chief executive’s existing delegations. Healthy Waters will notify the Waiheke Local Board when the trigger levels have been reached and the two water supply sites have been activated. Documentation will be provided to the local board that can be used to promote water conservation methods within the community.

43. Healthy Waters activating the contingency water supplies under the chief executive’s existing delegations is the most efficient way of ensuring the public have access to potable water supplies during dry periods.

44. Once trigger levels have been reached and the contingency water supplies have been activated, the local board will be notified and will receive materials to help promote water resilience within the community.

45. Healthy Waters will also work alongside the Waiheke Resources Trust to educate Waiheke residents and visitors around sustainability and water conservation particularly over the summer when less rain can be expected. This is when roof tanks would run low without the water tanker operators being able to keep up with demand.

Climate impact statement

46. The effects of climate change are expected to be that the yearly rainfall volume will not change rather the intensity of rainfall will increase and the duration reduce (shorter sharper events). This means that residents will need to monitor their own water tank supply and may need to arrange private tanker supplies on a more regular basis. The contingency water supply sites will provide some resilience during dry periods, but the volumes are small in relation to volumes that tanker operators can supply.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

47. The Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan has been discussed with Auckland Emergency Management and they are prepared to become involved in its operation should a civil defence emergency be enacted.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

48. The Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan was developed in direct response to community concerns and to develop resilience during water shortages. The additional provision of drinking water to the local community in times of need will significantly reduce the pressure on the commercial water providers.

49. Workshops were held with the Waiheke Local Board on 7 June 2018 and 1 November 2018 to discuss the key points that the water plan would cover. At these workshops, the board indicated its support for the development of the plan, noting it would benefit the community in terms of education around water conservation and resilience in any future water shortages. The board endorsed the final plan at its November 2018 business meeting (resolution WHK/2018/225).

50. A further workshop was held with the local board on 15 August 2019 to discuss the implementation of the plan and the activation and deactivation processes. The board provided feedback on public communications and signage to be erected during dry periods, and this feedback is being progressed via the Healthy Waters Customer and Community team.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

51. Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngaati Whanaunga, Ngāti Paoa and Ngāti Maru requested to be informed around the installation of the two new water treatment sites on Waiheke. Feedback was requested as part of the resource consent applications, however no feedback was received.

52. The activation and deactivation of the contingency water supplies on Waiheke are not expected to have negative impacts on water quality or the mauri of waterways, as they focus on using decentralised solutions and encouraging efficient use of water to maintain supply during dry periods.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

53. The Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan has no financial implications for the Waiheke Local Board, as the capital investment in the new water treatment systems was accommodated within Healthy Waters capital budgets.

54. The ongoing operation and maintenance of the new sites has been included as part of the existing Healthy Waters small waters maintenance contract.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

55. The key risks and proposed mitigation methods for the implementation of the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan are detailed in Table 2 below:

Table 2. Risks and proposed mitigations for the implementation of the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan

Risks	Proposed mitigations
Residents do not get their water tanks filled until they are nearly empty, which will increase the pressure on to the water supply.	This risk will be minimised through local education around water resilience planning and conservation methods.
Tanker operators may favour using the Healthy Waters supply sources, as there is no charge.	This usage will be monitored by a contractor to ensure that there is a fair distribution of water to all residents, not just those getting a tanker delivery. Healthy Waters will work with tanker suppliers with the aim to supply multiple water tanks from one truck load.
Waiheke residents and visitors will experience delays in being able to access the contingency water supplies.	This risk is proposed to be addressed through implementation, as detailed earlier in this report, as this will enable Healthy Waters to activate the supplies as soon as trigger levels have been reached.
The Mātiatia rain gauge does not accurately measure rainfall for the water plan triggers.	The rain gauge will be regularly monitored by Auckland Council’s Research and Evaluation Unit (RIMU) to ensure it is operating correctly.
The Mātiatia rain gauge is not representative of rainfall across the rest of Waiheke.	Three monthly checks of the rainfall at the Awaroa and Onetangi golf course rain gauges will be completed to understand if there are any major spatial differences in rainfall patterns across Waiheke, and plans adjusted accordingly.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

56. Following the board’s consideration of this report, staff will update the operational process flowchart for the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan. If the contingency water supplies need to be activated as per the trigger levels within the plan, the local board will be notified, and will be supplied with information to assist in communication with residents.

57. Healthy Waters will continue to work alongside both the Waiheke Local Board and the Waiheke Resources Trust to ensure residents and visitors are conserving water, particularly in periods of low rainfall.

58. Healthy Waters will undertake routine reviews of the trigger levels to determine whether adjustments are required, for instance if there appears to be no public demand to activate despite trigger levels being reached. Any changes to trigger levels recommended by Healthy Waters will be reported to the Waiheke Local Board for approval.

59. Subject to the board’s approval the Waiheke Potable Water Contingency Plan will be amended to reflect any revised trigger levels.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Proposed Waiheke contingency water supply activation and deactivation processes	275
b ⇩	Waiheke rainfall data - January 2002 to July 2019	277

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Jayesh Solanki – Lifecycle Planning Team Manager

Authorisers

Craig Mcilroy – General Manager – Healthy Waters

Barry Potter - Director Infrastructure and Environmental Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Informal local board workshop views on the draft findings of the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 review

File No.: CP2019/17158

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide a summary to local boards of informal views presented at recent workshops on the draft findings of the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 review, and to provide an opportunity for any formal resolutions from local boards.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Auckland Council is reviewing the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 as part of its required five-year statutory review.

3. Staff circulated a draft findings report on the bylaw review to all local boards in May 2019.

4. Eighteen local boards requested individual workshops to ask staff questions and provide informal views on the draft findings. Staff conducted these workshops in June and July 2019.

5. The workshop discussions about the draft findings report included:

· animal nuisances occurring regionally and locally

· issues with some definitions in the bylaw

· requirements to provide identification for owned animals

· Auckland Council’s processes for managing animals

· current and suggested controls on specific animals, e.g. stock, bees, horses, and cats.

6. This report summarises the informal views provided at these workshops. These informal views will guide staff in developing and assessing options for managing animals in Auckland.

7. This report also gives local boards an opportunity to formalise any views before staff present findings and options to the Regulatory Committee in early 2020. Staff will seek direction from the committee at that time if the bylaw needs to be confirmed, amended, or revoked.

8. Local boards will have another opportunity to provide formal views when staff develop a statement of proposal following the Regulatory Committee’s recommendations.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) receives the report on informal workshop summary views from local boards on the draft findings of the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 review

b) provides any formal views on the draft findings of the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 review.

Horopaki

Context

9. The Ture ā-rohe Tiaki Kararehe 2015, Animal Management Bylaw 2015, was adopted by the Governing Body on 30 April 2015.

10. The purpose of the bylaw is to provide for the ownership of animals in a way that:

· protects the public from nuisance

· maintains and promotes public health and safety

· minimises the potential for offensive behaviour in public places

· manages animals in public places.

11. To help achieve its purpose the bylaw enables rules to be made on specific animals in separate controls (Figure 1). The bylaw contains controls for:

· beekeeping in urban areas

· keeping stock in urban areas

· horse riding in a public place.

Figure 1 – Animal Management Bylaw 2015 framework

The bylaw does not address dogs

12. Dogs are managed through the Auckland Council Policy on Dogs 2019 and Dog Management Bylaw 2019. The Dog Control Act 1996 requires territorial authorities to adopt a dog management policy.

13. The bylaw regulates owners of any animal of the animal kingdom except humans and dogs.

The bylaw does not regulate animal welfare

14. The Local Government Act 2002 and Health Act 1956, under which the bylaw was created, provide powers to protect people from nuisance and harm, not animals.

15. Issues with predators eating protected wildlife or animals trampling natural fauna are addressed through other legislation such as the Animal Welfare Act 1999, Wildlife Act 1953 and Biosecurity Act 1993.

The bylaw must be reviewed to ensure it is still necessary and appropriate

16. Auckland Council must complete a statutory review of the bylaw by 30 April 2020 to prevent it from expiring.

17. Following the statutory review, the council can propose the bylaw be confirmed, amended, revoked or replaced using a public consultative procedure.

18. In May 2019 staff completed a draft findings report for the bylaw review. The draft report identified current issues with animal nuisance and potential areas of improvement for the bylaw.

Staff held local board workshops to obtain informal views on the draft findings report

19. Staff provided a copy of the draft findings report to all local boards in May 2019. Eighteen local boards requested workshops which were conducted in June and July 2019.

20. At these workshops local boards provided informal views and asked questions on the draft findings report. These informal views will aid staff in producing a range of options to respond to identified animal nuisance and management issues.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

21. The following sections summarise the informal local board views from the workshops collectively. The sections provide informal views on:

· ongoing animal nuisance issues

· the bylaw’s definition of ‘owner’

· the bylaw’s definition of ‘nuisance’

· exclusion rules for companion animals

· identifying owned animals

· the council’s processes for managing animals

· views on existing and new controls for specific animals.

22. The PowerPoint presented at the local board workshops is provided in Attachment A. The subsections below reference the relevant slide pages.

23. Questions from local boards at the workshops are provided in Attachment B. These questions will be further explored during the options analysis.

There are ongoing issues with animal nuisance (Slides 9-10)

24. At the workshops staff presented known animal nuisances occurring regionally and locally. Previous engagement captured many types of nuisance, but local boards added and emphasised the nuisances listed below.

Table 2 - Local board informal views on animal nuisances

Bees	· Bees leaving excrement on cars is a minor nuisance. · Some people, especially those with bee allergies, are fearful of bees coming onto their property.
Birds	· Types of nuisance caused by birds is very subjective. · People are abandoning geese and ducks. · Breeding parrots is a nuisance. · Turkeys and peacocks are causing a nuisance in rural areas. · Feeding wild pigeons and seagulls is causing a nuisance.
Cats	· There are large numbers of stray cats across the region. · Cats breed in construction and development spaces. · Cats cause a nuisance by defecating in vegetable gardens. · Abandoned kittens become feral and cause nuisance. · Cats are eating native wildlife.
Pigs	· In urban areas temporarily keeping pigs for fattening causes nuisance.
Rabbits	· Rabbit infestations on council land cause nuisance to neighbouring properties.
Roosters	· Roosters are a nuisance and can be vicious, harmful animals. · In rural areas people are abandoning roosters. · Rural areas have a higher tolerance for roosters.
Stock	· In rural areas there are issues with fences deteriorating and stock escaping. · Loose chickens and wandering stock are a nuisance.
Vermin	· People complain about vermin and water rats in waterways, low tide or the deep bush. · Open composting could create issues with vermin. · Complaints about rats are increasing.

The bylaw’s definition of ‘owner’ needs to be reviewed (Slide 15)

25. The bylaw focuses on the responsibilities of owners of animals. It is unclear if someone who is providing for the needs of an animal, such as food or shelter, becomes responsible for that animal as their ‘owner’.

26. Most local boards view that the bylaw’s definition of ‘owner’ should be clearer.

Table 3 - Local Board informal views on the definition of ‘owner’

· Any animal, whether owned or unowned, should be addressed in the bylaw.

· The current definition is useful as it captures a broad scope of animal owners.

· The definition should elaborate on criteria for the phrase ‘under that person’s care’.

· Owner definition should include accountability for feeding wild animals but should:

o not punish volunteers who care for the animals’ wellbeing

o allow animal control officers to feed animals to trap them.

27. In response to questions from local boards at the workshops, staff note the following.

· The Regional Pest Management Plan 2019-2029 manages cats that are not microchipped or identified by a collar and that are on significant ecological areas.

· The Wildlife Act 1953 provides that a wild animal is the property of the Crown until it has been lawfully taken or killed. At that point it becomes the property of the killer or trapper. This act specifically excludes some animals, such as cats, pigeons and rats, from being vested in the Crown.

· In areas of high conservation value or where there is serious threat, the council will undertake control of certain pest animals. In general, landowners and occupiers are primarily responsible for managing pests.

The bylaw’s definition of ‘nuisance’ needs to be reviewed (Slide 15)

28. The bylaw uses the Health Act 1956 definition of ‘nuisance’. This includes a person, animal thing, or circumstance causing unreasonable interference with the peace, comfort, or convenience of another person.

29. Local boards provided a mix of informal views on the definition of ‘nuisance’. Some local boards commented that the definition should have more specific criteria, while others said the bylaw should retain the current broad definition.

Table 4 - Local board informal views on the definition of ‘nuisance’

· The definition of nuisance in the Health Act 1956 is outdated.

· Having specific and measurable criteria for nuisance is good.

· The nuisance definition is difficult to enforce without some specific criteria.

· Intensification and tenancy laws allowing for pets will increase nuisance incidents, so the definition needs more specific criteria.

· Reporting animal nuisance can cause tension between neighbours. Specific criteria would be useful, so neighbours are not left to interpret nuisance on their own.

· A broader definition of nuisance fits with common law and covers more occurrences.

· There cannot be one definition of nuisance since there is no one definition of Aucklanders.

· The definition of nuisance in the bylaw should have both general and specific parts.

Incorporating companion animals into the bylaw needs to be reviewed (Slide 15)

30. Currently, the bylaw does not mention companion animals (pets). The bylaw manages animals equally unless they are stock, poultry or bees.

31. Some Aucklanders find it confusing that the bylaw does not specifically address companion animals. There is misunderstanding that stock animals which are kept as pets instead of food, such as pigs and goats, are not subject to the bylaw’s stock controls.

32. Local boards had mixed views about creating a definition for companion animals. Some viewed the rules should apply based on how the animal is kept. Other local boards said the rules should apply regardless if the animal is a pet.

Table 5 - Local board informal views on adding companion animals in the bylaw's definitions

Companion animals should have separate rules

· Some animals should be defined as companion animals in the bylaw.

· The bylaw should make exceptions if any animal is defined as stock but is a pet.

· Companion animals should be excluded from the bylaw rules.

o Goats are popular pets and can be good companions.

o Farm animals as pets can provide the same benefits as traditional pets.

Companion animals should not have separate rules

· Companion animals which are stock animals should still require same licensing process as other stock animals.

· Companion animals should not have their own rules as some neighbours are not familiar or okay with stock animals being kept as pets.

· Having a specific definition increases complexity and introduces subjectivity. It should not matter what a person says about their animal.

· People should not be allowed to have livestock as pets in urban areas.

· An animal is an animal no matter how it is kept. Since the nuisance effects on neighbours are the same, there should be no distinctions.

33. In response to questions from local boards at the workshops staff note that you cannot buy or take ownership of a pest animal. If you already own a pest animal, you can keep it, but you cannot abandon it, give it to a new owner, or allow the pest animal to breed. The Regional Pest Management Plan 2019-2029 classifies unowned cats as pests.

Requirements for identifying owned animals needs to be reviewed (Slide 17)

34. The bylaw does not require owners to provide their animal with identification.

35. The draft findings report revealed that requiring animal identification would facilitate addressing animal nuisance issues. Most local boards viewed animal identification as helpful but impractical.

Table 6 - Local board informal views on identifying owned animals

· If your animal is going to leave your property, it should be identified.

· Council should offer a form of assistance to identify your animal.

· Every farm animal should be tagged and named.

· Identifying animals would prevent people from feeding unowned animals.

· Identifying animals is useful but impractical.

· The council should collaborate with the National Animal Identification and Tracing database.

36. In response to questions from local boards at the workshops, staff note that provided there is a valid purpose, the council has power to regulate animal registration. Any requirement would need to match the size and scale of the issue and would need to show it would effectively reduce harm and nuisance to people.

There is uncertainty about the council’s processes for managing animals (Slide 17)

37. The draft findings report identified that some Aucklanders are unclear about the council’s processes and protocols for managing animals, especially unowned animals. This confusion reduces people’s willingness to report nuisance, as they are unsure who is responsible. Only two per cent of surveyed respondents who experienced animal nuisance reported it to the council.

38. The draft findings report identified the bylaw could be strengthened by providing information about non-regulatory processes and protocols for managing animals, especially unowned animals. Most local boards viewed that the council’s processes could be clearer.

Table 7 - Local board informal views on council processes for managing animals

· The bylaw should be clear on what the council does and does not do regarding animal management.

· The council should clarify the process for reporting unowned animals causing nuisance.

· The bylaw’s animal management processes need to align with the Regional Pest Management Plan.

· The council should offer mediation services for disgruntled neighbours over animal nuisance.

39. In response to questions from local boards at the workshops, staff note the following.

· A property owner may trap and/or lawfully kill an animal on their property. It is a criminal offence to kill an owned animal or destroy the animal inhumanely.

· To prove a legal claim for damage to private property by an owned animal, the property owner would need to show the owner of the animal had failed to take reasonable care to avoid the damage.

· Culling is managed by central government laws and regulations, rather than the Animal Management Bylaw 2015.

Views on existing controls for specific animals in the bylaw (Slide 22)

40. Around 90 per cent of surveyed Aucklanders said the current bylaw controls for bees, stock and horses were about right or had no view.

41. The draft findings report showed council compliance response officers would find limits to urban beehives and more specific requirements for chicken coop locations easier to enforce than the current bylaw controls.

42. Local boards had a mix of views. Some had views on needing more controls, and some had views to keep the controls the same or less.

Table 8 - Local board informal views on the current controls in the bylaw

Animal	Current control	Views on more control	Views on same or less control
Bees	Any properties, urban or rural, can keep any number of bees. Beekeepers must manage the flight path and temperament of their bees. Beekeepers must ensure nuisance from their bees’ excrement is minimised, and the bees have a suitable water source on the premises.	· The council should restrict beekeeping if people have bee-sting allergies. · Limit the number of beehives in an area to prevent colony competition. · Increase awareness and visibility of who keeps bees in an area. · Restrict beekeeping to rural areas. · Restrict the number of beehives a person can have in urban areas. · Restrict beehive ownership by size of property. · There should be minimum training or qualification to own bees. You need experience. · Amateur beekeepers should be treated differently to commercial beekeepers.	· Bees are not causing much nuisance, so there is no need for more regulation. · We should be encouraging beekeeping. Should regulate rather than overregulate. · Do not restrict bees to just urban areas. · Bees should be unregulated. · Would be concerned if licensing costs for beekeeping were introduced. · Should be careful about restricting bees as they are important to the ecosystem.
Horses	Local boards are able to set specific controls for horses for local parks and beaches. Horses are currently not allowed to be kept in urban areas without a licence from the council unless the premises is larger than 4,000 square metres.	· The same access rules for dogs on beaches should be applied to horses. · Do not prohibit horses on beaches but restrict them to off-peak times. · Should lobby central government to include the same powers that protect native fauna and wildlife from dogs for horses.	· Horse owners should be responsible for removing manure. The bylaw should encourage accountability and consider that picking up manure is not always practical, e.g. on busy roads. · Should be allowed to ride horses on berms. · Horses should not be banned from roads. There are few places to ride.
Animal	Current control	Views on more control	Views on same or less control
Horses cont.	Horses are permitted in public spaces if: · manure is removed · consideration is taken to not intimidate or cause a nuisance for other public space users · beach dune damage is minimised.		· Increase communication and awareness of current controls to horse owners. · Would rather have horses on the roads than scooters.
Stock	Chickens, ducks, geese, pheasants and quail are the only stock animals currently permitted by the bylaw in urban areas without a licence from the council. Any other stock animal, including roosters, would require a licence from the council in urban areas unless the premises is larger than 4,000 square metres. Stock in urban areas must also be restrained within the boundaries of the premises on which they are kept, and chicken coops must not cause a nuisance and must be regularly cleaned. In rural areas the above controls do not apply. Rural residents must ensure their animals do not cause a nuisance to any other person.	· Stock should not be kept in urban areas. This is also humane for the animal. · There should be penalties for poor stock-fencing by roads in rural areas. · The bylaw needs a mechanism to deal with repeat ‘wandering stock’ offenders. · The criteria for keeping goats and other herbivores should be defined by the amount of grassy area on the property. · There should be restrictions on how far a chicken coop should be from the property boundary. · Fewer chickens should be allowed in urban areas. · Roosters should not be allowed in rural lifestyle blocks in urban areas.	· The current stock controls are adequate. · Support allowing pheasants in urban areas. · There are already legal consequences for not fencing your stock. The bylaw does not need to address. · If you have a large property in an urban area, goats should be allowed. · Make sure urban pet days are still allowed. · It does not matter where the chicken coop sits on the property if it is cleaned regularly. · There should not be a complete ban on roosters in urban areas.

Views on new controls for specific animals (Slide 23)

43. A quarter of surveyed Aucklanders (26 per cent) said the bylaw should introduce controls for other animals. Of those wanting controls for other animals, over half (57 per cent) wanted controls introduced for cats.

44. The draft findings report identified that council compliance officers and the SPCA support microchipping and registering of cats.

45. Local boards provided mixed views on introducing controls for new animals. The local boards agreed that any regulatory response would need to match the scale of the issue, be cost-effective, and have measurable effects on reducing nuisance.

Table 9 - Local board informal views on controls for cats and other animals

Informal local board views on controls for cats

Informal views on introducing controls for cats

· The bylaw should limit the number of cats a person can own.

o Should make sure extremes are restricted, such as having 30+ cats.

· The bylaw should require the de-sexing of cats.

o The council should work closely with the SPCA in this matter.

o Make it compulsory for cat owners.

· Local boards have varying support for requiring microchipping of cats including:

o full compulsory microchipping across the region

o limited microchipping only to cats living in eco-sensitive areas.

· The bylaw should have the same registration process for cats as the council has for dogs.

· There should be a curfew for cats.

· There should be controls to dissuade people from feeding stray cats, as it reinforces the cats’ behaviour.

· Publish best practices for tourists with cats and other animals visiting Hauraki Gulf Islands.

· The council should restrict cats from wandering.

· The council should restrict certain cat breeds, like Bengals.

Informal views on not introducing controls for cats

· Cat registration is difficult and has failed before. Auckland Council already has difficulty registering and enforcing dogs.

· Rely on the Regional Pest Management Plan 2019-2029 guidelines.

· Cats naturally wander. Containing them would be cruel.

· The council should invest in substantial long-term public education regarding cats.

· If the council restricts caring for stray cats, it could create animal welfare issues.

· Controlling cats is too trivial for the council to get involved.

Informal local board views on controls for other animals

· Rules are needed to restrict feeding wild animals in public, especially birds.

· How many animals a person can own should be restricted by section size.

· There should be a higher management expectation on animal owners in urban areas.

· The bylaw should address the health risks that animals can cause their owners.

· There should be a complete ban on snakes and ferrets.

· Rabbits are a major pest, especially in urban areas. The bylaw should restrict breeding.

· There should be controls on keeping birds in small cages.

· Unless there is a significant problem, neighbours should sort out their own problems.

46. In response to questions from local boards at the workshops, staff note the following,

· Any costs for managing stray cats would be investigated during the options development phase to respond to nuisance issues.

· The Local Government Act 2002 would give the council power to impose a curfew on cats if it was an appropriate response to the scale of the nuisance and would clearly show how the curfew would reduce harm and nuisance to humans.

· The council currently has more legal power to respond to dog nuisance than cat nuisance. The Dog Control Act 1996 gives the council wide-varying powers to address dog issues. There is no similar legislation for cats.

· Rat pest control is addressed through the Regional Pest Management Plan 2019-2029.

· The Regional Pest Management Plan lists some tropical animals that can be treated as pests. These include eastern water dragons, Indian ring-necked parakeets, and snake-necked turtles.

· Chickens were not classified as pests in the Regional Pest Management Plan. The purpose of the plan is to protect the Auckland region’s important biodiversity assets. There are no significant biodiversity benefits to managing feral chickens at a regional level. Feral chickens are primarily a human nuisance issue centred in the urban areas where people feed them.

Other views from local boards

Rights of property owners and protection

47. The bylaw does not explain what options property owners have to handle animal nuisance on their property themselves. It is unclear which animals property owners are allowed to trap and dispose of on their own and which animals are protected.

48. Some local boards said the bylaw should clarify property owners’ rights.

Enforcement

49. Some local boards said the council should be prepared to enforce any rules it may introduce.

50. The Local Government Act 2002 does not give the power to issue an infringement notice under a bylaw. Compliance officers have said this inhibits their ability to address nuisance issues as their next step after trying to elicit voluntary compliance is prosecution. This can be costly to the council.

51. Some local boards provided views that the Local Government Act 2002 should be amended to allow for infringement fines. Some local boards viewed that the bylaw would already be fit for purpose if it could be enforced with infringements.

Education

52. Most local boards said the council needs to increase education and awareness about the current animal management rules. Some local boards viewed that the council should focus more on informing Aucklanders of responsible animal management than increasing regulation.

53. Some local boards also advised that any changes to the bylaw, if required, would need to have a strong communication and awareness plan.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

54. The bylaw affects the operation of council units involved in animal management. These include biosecurity, animal management and compliance response officers. Staff held face-to-face meetings and a workshop with council officers. These views were provided in the draft findings report and workshops.

Ngā whakaaweawe ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe

Local impacts and local board views

55. Staff captured informal local board views through cluster workshops in March 2019. The draft findings report was shared with all local boards in May 2019, and staff attended individual local board workshops through June and July 2019.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

56. Staff sought views from mana whenua at the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Forum in April 2019. The members present at the hui sought clarity that the bylaw’s reference of ‘public places’ does not extend to papakāinga (communal Māori land).

57. Members were also concerned with threats to estuaries, beaches, and waterways from unregulated coastal horse trails. These views were provided in the draft findings report and options development will consider these views.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

58. The cost of the bylaw review and implementation will be met within existing budgets.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

59. There is a risk that the public may perceive this report as formal local board views or an attempt to regulate cats without public engagement. This risk can be mitigated by replying to any emerging media or public concerns by saying that no additions or changes will be made to the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 without full public consultation.

60. Local boards will have an opportunity to provide formal resolutions on any changes proposed to the bylaw in early 2020 before a public consultative procedure.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

61. Following any additional formalised views from local boards, staff will generate and assess options to respond to identified animal nuisances. Staff will present these findings and options in a report to the relevant committee in the new council term in early 2020.

62. Staff will seek formal local board views when developing a statement of proposal once the committee gives direction on animal management.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Presentation at local board workshops on draft findings of the Animal Management Bylaw 2015 review	291
b ⇩	Local board questions from the workshops	315

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Maclean Grindell - Policy Analyst

Authorisers

Kataraina Maki - General Manager - Community & Social Policy

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

Waiheke Local Board

26 September 2019

Approval of Waiheke Local Board feedback on various central government and Auckland Council policies

File No.: CP2019/17577

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To retrospectively adopt the board’s feedback to the following Auckland Council submissions and/or policies:

a) the proposed changes to the Auckland Film Protocol

b) the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - Te Koiroa o te Koiora

c) the proposed priority product stewardship scheme guidelines and priority products

d) the proposed national policy statement (NPS) on highly productive land

2. To delegate approval of the board’s feedback on central government’s Essential Freshwater package to the Chair following discussion with the board.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

3. The Waiheke Local Board has provided its informal feedback on the following Auckland Council submissions and policies.

The proposed refresh of the Auckland Film Protocol

4. The Auckland Film Protocol sets out Auckland Council’s approach to being film-friendly and enabling filming in public places.

5. The protocol aims to manage and balance the impact that filming has on Auckland, its communities and businesses. It sets out:

· Auckland Council’s commitment to being film-friendly and supporting filming in public places

· rules that filmmakers must abide by when filming in Auckland

· guidance for filmmakers on the process for getting approval to film in Auckland.

6. Local Board feedback was submitted on 30 August 2019 (Attachment A).

The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy

7. The Department of Conservation has produced a discussion document designed to seek feedback on Te Koiroa o te Koiora - Our Shared Vision for Living with Nature, a discussion document on proposals for a biodiversity strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand. The new strategy will replace the current strategy dating from 2000.

8. Local boards were invited to contribute to the Auckland Council submission on the strategy.

9. Local Board feedback was submitted on 9 September 2019 (Attachment B) prior to its presentation at the September meeting of the Environment and Community Committee on 10 September 2019.

Priority product stewardship scheme guidelines and proposed priority products

10. The Ministry for the Environment has produced a discussion document on the proposed priority products and priority product stewardship scheme guidelines. The new scheme shifts the main responsibility for recovery, recycling and disposal from local government to private industry, incorporating the costs of disposal into the product price.

11. The consultation document proposes introducing product stewardship schemes for six identified priority products: tyres, electrical products, agrichemicals, refrigerants, farm plastics and packaging.

12. Auckland Council staff are developing a draft submission to which boards are invited to contribute.

13. Local Board feedback was submitted on 4 September 2019 (Attachment C) prior to presentation at the September meeting of the Environment and Community Committee on 10 September 2019. This is the last committee meeting before the due date for submissions to the Ministry for the Environment of 4 October 2019.

The proposed national policy statement (NPS) on highly productive land

14. The Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment released a discussion document on national direction for protecting Highly Productive Land, including the proposed wording for a National Policy Statement (NPS). The need for the national direction has arisen from concerns over the loss of New Zealand’s elite soils through urban encroachment and rural lifestyle development.

15. Local Boards were invited to provide feedback to be considered for an Auckland Council submission on the Proposed NPS.

16. Local Board feedback was submitted on 20 September 2019 (Attachment D) prior to presentation at the meeting of the Governing Body on 23 September 2019 for approval. Waiheke Winegrowers Association provided a submission which informed the board’s feedback and their feedback is also attached (Attachment E).

Central Government’s Essential Freshwater package

17. Central government have publicly released their discussion document entitled Action for Healthy Waterways, which is a key outcome of the Essential Freshwater work programme.

18. The Essential Freshwater work programme was announced by central government on 8 October 2018 (see Ministry for the Environment’s website www.mfe.govt.nz ). The work programme sets out a clear expectation and commitment to act to improve freshwater outcomes. In particular, the objectives of the work programme aim to stop further degradation and loss, reverse past damage and bringing waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation, or much sooner for certain activities.

19. Local Boards have been invited to provide feedback to be considered for an Auckland Council submission on the Essential Freshwater package. Local board feedback will be drafted following release of council’s draft submission points. Board submissions are due by Monday, 7 October 2019.

20. It is proposed the Chair be delegated approval of the board’s final feedback following discussion with the board.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) retrospectively adopt the feedback submitted on the following:

i) the proposed changes to the Auckland Film Protocol.

ii) the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - Te Koiroa o te Koiora.

iii) the proposed priority product stewardship scheme guidelines and proposed priority projects.

iv) the proposed national policy statement (NPS) on highly productive land.

b) delegate approval of the board’s feedback on central government’s Essential Freshwater package to the Chair following discussion with the board.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Feedback on proposed changes to the Auckland Film Protocol	321
b ⇩	Feedback on the NZ Biodiversity Strategy	323
c ⇩	Feedback on the proposed product stewardship guidelines and priority products	329
d ⇩	Feedback on the NPS on Highly Productive Land	333
e ⇩	Feedback from the Waiheke Wine Growers Assoc on the NPS on Highly Productive land	335

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Mark Inglis - Local Board Advisor Waiheke

Janine Geddes - Senior Local Board Advisor Waiheke

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager - Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke

[6] Community views on tourism and development on Waiheke Island 2018. Project Forever Waiheke, July 2018.

Chairperson	Cath Handley
Deputy Chairperson	Paul Walden
Members	Shirin Brown
	John Meeuwsen
	Bob Upchurch

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	20190815 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	349
b ⇩	20190822 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	353
c ⇩	20190829 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	355
d ⇩	20190905 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	357
e ⇩	20190912 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	359
f ⇩	20190919 Waiheke Local Board Workshop proceedings	361

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Resource consent applications received from 11 to 17 August 2019	365
b ⇩	Resource consent applications received from 18 to 24 August 2019	367
c ⇩	Resource consent applications received from 25 to 31 August 2019	369
d ⇩	Resource consent applications received from 1 to 7 September 2019	371

Author	John Nash - Programme Manager,Waiheke & Gulf Islands
Authoriser	Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Great Barrier and Waiheke