Agenda of Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

Chairperson Fordham will open the meeting and welcome attendees.

At the close of the agenda no apologies had been received.

Members are reminded of the need to be vigilant to stand aside from decision making when a conflict arises between their role as a member and any private or other external interest they might have.

4 Confirmation of Minutes

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) confirm the minutes of its inaugural meeting, held on Thursday, 31 October 2019, as a true and correct record.

5 Leave of Absence

At the close of the agenda no requests for leave of absence had been received.

6 Acknowledgements

At the close of the agenda no requests for acknowledgements had been received.

7 Petitions

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

8 Deputations

Standing Order 7.7 provides for deputations. Those applying for deputations are required to give seven working days notice of subject matter and applications are approved by the Chairperson of the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board. This means that details relating to deputations can be included in the published agenda. Total speaking time per deputation is ten minutes or as resolved by the meeting.

At the close of the agenda no requests for deputations had been received.

9 Public Forum

A period of time (approximately 30 minutes) is set aside for members of the public to address the meeting on matters within its delegated authority. A maximum of 3 minutes per item is allowed, following which there may be questions from members.

At the close of the agenda no requests for public forum had been received.

10 Extraordinary Business

Section 46A(7) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:

“An item that is not on the agenda for a meeting may be dealt with at that meeting if-

(a) The local authority by resolution so decides; and

(b) The presiding member explains at the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public,-

(i) The reason why the item is not on the agenda; and

(ii) The reason why the discussion of the item cannot be delayed until a subsequent meeting.”

Section 46A(7A) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (as amended) states:

“Where an item is not on the agenda for a meeting,-

(a) That item may be discussed at that meeting if-

(i) That item is a minor matter relating to the general business of the local authority; and

(ii) the presiding member explains at the beginning of the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public, that the item will be discussed at the meeting; but

(b) no resolution, decision or recommendation may be made in respect of that item except to refer that item to a subsequent meeting of the local authority for further discussion.”

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Councillor Pippa Coom - December 2019 Update	9

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Appointment of local board members to external community organisations

File No.: CP2019/19003

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To appoint board members to external community organisations relevant to the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board area.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Elected members participate as representatives of the local board on a number of external community and national organisations.

3. The beginning of the new electoral term generates the need for new appointments. This report provides details of the external organisations relevant to the local board and requests that the local board nominates a lead and alternate member to represent the board on those external organisations for the 2019-2022 triennium.

4. In addition, there are a small number of appointments which, due to legislation or the terms in a deed are the responsibility of the Governing Body, but because the relationship between the council and the organisation is local, the Governing Body has delegated its responsibility to nominate an elected member to the relevant local board.

Te tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) appoint the following board members to the external community groups and organisations listed below for the 2019-2022 triennium:

External organisation	Lead	Alternate
Hauraki Gulf Forum (HGF)
Destination Great Barrier Island (DGBI)
Dark Sky Sanctuary Advisory Group (DAG)

Horopaki

Context

5. Several external organisations provide for the formal participation of Auckland Council elected members in their affairs. Elected member appointees will have a variety of duties and liabilities depending on the individual organisation.

6. At the commencement of each triennium, the Governing Body and local boards make appointments to external organisations.

7. As local board representatives, the nominated members represent the local board, and do not attend in a personal capacity. Nominated local board members will provide updates at local board meetings to regularly inform all local board members of discussions and decisions made of their activities, unless good reasons exist for confidentiality. These updates are in the form of business meeting reports which maintain public transparency.

8. The reasons for elected member participation in external organisations can be described in a number of ways:

· a trust deed, that requires Auckland Council to make an appointment to an organisation

· an organisation of interest to the local board is inviting elected member representation at its meetings

· associations entered into by the council which provide for elected member representation

· organisation governance, or project or programme oversight, such as regional or local parks management groups

· a statutory or regulatory provision (for example a regulation providing for a community liaison committee) or

· a resource consent requiring the formation of a committee or hearing panel.

9. In making decisions about these appointments, it is suggested that local boards are mindful of:

· the elected member’s availability

· any conflict of interests, including whether the local board provides funding to the entity

· relevance

· historical relationship with the organisation and Auckland Council.

10. Members are delegated in their capacity as elected local board members. Should they no longer be a local board member, their nominations would be automatically repealed.

11. Local board members may be part of any organisation in their private capacity and personal interests. They are encouraged to disclose memberships of external organisations in the conflict of interest register.

Relevant external organisations

12. The details of the organisations relevant to the local board are detailed below.

Hauraki Gulf Forum

13. The Hauraki Gulf Forum (HGF) is a statutory body, which promotes and facilitates integrated management and the protection and enhancement of the Hauraki Gulf, under the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000.

14. The previous local board representative was member Jeff Cleave with board chair Izzy Fordham as alternative.

15. Meetings are held quarterly, and the date of the next meeting is yet to be confirmed.

16. The local board is asked to appoint one member (and an alternate) to the Hauraki Gulf Forum.

Destination Great Barrier Island

17. Destination Great Barrier Island (DGBI) is a charitable trust set up to promote and profile Aotea / Great Barrier Island as a tourist destination, and to support and manage tourism on the island. It is also responsible for implementing the Visitor Strategy.

18. The previous local board representative was member Shirley Johnson, with deputy chairperson Luke Coles as an alternative.

19. Meetings are held monthly on the first Monday of the month, with the previous meeting being its AGM on Monday 2 December 2019.

Dark Sky Sanctuary Advisory Group

20. Dark Sky Sanctuary Advisory Group (DAG) was established in 2017 to consider and discuss consider and discuss matters associated with the Aotea Great Barrier Dark Sky Sanctuary noting that the group has no regulatory authority in relation to the functioning of the sanctuary.

21. Membership of the group includes two local board members (one of whom will be the board chair), one Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea representative, one DGBI representative, one Department of Conservation representative, one Astronomical Society representative and two Aotea /Great Barrier Island Community representatives with skills and/or interest in the sanctuary appointed by the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board.

22. The previous local board representatives were chairperson Izzy Fordham and board member Sue Daly with no alternatives.

23. Meetings are held no less than six monthly and the date of the next meeting is yet to be confirmed.

24. The local board is asked to appoint two members (one of whom will be the board chair) to DAG.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

25. These decisions are procedural in nature and any climate impacts will be negligible. The decision is unlikely to result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change will not impact the decisions.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

26. This report enables Auckland Council to meet its requirements or duties to have representation on external community organisations.

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

Local impacts and local board views

27. This report seeks the local board’s decision on representatives to external community organisations relevant to the local board area.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

28. This report has no specific impact on Māori. It covers appointments of local board members to external organisations and community networks to represent the view of local communities, including Māori communities.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

29. There are no financial implications as a result of this report.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

30. Local board members may be part of any organisation in their private capacity and personal interests. They are encouraged to disclose memberships of external organisations in the conflict of interest register.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

31. Local Board Services staff will inform each external organisation of the name of the local board appointment. They will also inform the local board representative of the meeting time, date and location.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Carol Stewart - Senior Policy Advisor

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Local board appointments and delegations for the 2019-2021 electoral term

File No.: CP2019/18996

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To recommend that the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board appoints a local board member to:

· Be the nominated local board member for landowner consents (including affected party approvals)

· Be the nominated local board member for film applications

· Be the nominated local board member for events

· Provide formal reports on liquor licence applications and attendance at hearings

· Provide formal views on whether a resource consent should proceed as a non-notified, limited notified or fully notified application

· Provide formal views (feedback) on notified resource consents and attend the council hearings.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. In order to enable effective and efficient decision-making, the council delegates some responsibilities to staff or individual elected members. This report seeks to appoint nominated local board members who will be consulted on landowner consents and events, and who will provide feedback on liquor licences and resource consents.

3. If local boards choose not to appoint a nominated board member for landowner consents staff will consult with the local board chairperson, as outlined in the Local Board Delegation Protocols.

4. District Licensing Committees consider, and grant or renew applications for liquor licences and manager’s certificates. These applications are publicly notified and local boards can provide views on an application to the District Licensing Committee. A delegation to a nominated local board member is recommended to allow local boards to provide formal views as part of the liquor licensing process.

5. Local boards can provide feedback on whether resource consent applications should be publicly notified. Local boards can also provide written feedback once the applications are notified and can subsequently speak to their feedback to support their views at the council hearing. A delegation to a nominated local board member is recommended.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) appoint XXXX, and XXXX as an alternate, the nominated local board member for landowner consents (excluding landowner consents for filming) and authorises them to:

i. be the point of consultation for staff on all applications for landowner consent and, at their discretion, refer any application for landowner consent to the local board for a local board decision, and

ii. to be the point of consultation for staff on proposed asset renewal works and, at their discretion, refer any proposed asset renewal works to the local board for a local board decision

iii. receive staff notifications of areas that may involve reputational, financial, performance or political risk

b) appoints XXXXXX and XXXXXX, as an alternate, the nominated local board member for landowner consents for filming and authorises them to:

i. to be the point of consultation with staff on all applications for landowner consent for filming and, at their discretion, refer any applications for landowner consent for filming to the local board for a local board decision

ii. receive notifications from staff of areas that may involve reputational, financial, performance or political risk.

c) appoints XXXXXX, and XXXXXX, as an alternate, the nominated local board member for events and authorises them to receive staff notifications of areas that may involve reputational, financial, performance or political risk

d) delegates to XXXXXX, and XXXXX, as an alternate, the authority to prepare and provide local board views and speak to those local board views at any hearings on applications for liquor licences

e) delegates to XXXXXX, and XXXXX, as an alternate, the authority to provide the local board views on whether a resource consent should proceed as a non-notified, limited notified or fully notified application

f) delegates to XXXXXX, and XXXXX, as an alternate, the authority to prepare and provide local board views and speak those local board views at any hearings on notified resource consents.

Horopaki

Context

Background

6. Decision-making within Auckland Council is shared between the Governing Body and local boards. Local boards have made a general delegation to the Chief Executive of all of their responsibilities, duties and powers subject to the exclusions, restrictions and clarifications set out in the Chief Executive’s Delegations Register. The Chief Executive has in turn delegated those responsibilities, duties and powers to staff. The exercise of those responsibilities, duties and powers is subject to a set of delegation protocols. These protocols provide a set of expectations and directions to staff and require a number of actions that are relevant to all local activities. These delegations help Auckland Council to operate efficiently and effectively.

7. In some cases, delegations are given to individual local board members, usually due to short timeframes constrained by operational requirements, customer expectations and deadlines set by statute. Having a delegation in place to one local board member helps to ensure that council can continue to undertake its normal business practices without undue delays.

8. Local boards have allocated responsibility for decision-making with respect to local parks and have delegated landowner consent decisions to staff subject to a number of delegation protocols. The delegation protocols require that the nominated local board member is consulted on every landowner consent. Landowner consents encompass a broad range of activities, including affected party approvals, filming and events. Local boards also are able to provide their formal views in a report at liquor licence hearings.

9. Under the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 the Governing Body must consider any views and preferences expressed by a local board, where a Governing Body decision affects or may affect the responsibilities or operation of the local board or the well-being of communities within its local board area. Local boards’ ability to provide local views can be affected because of statutory timeframes or external agency deadlines. Delegating authority for providing local board views to individual members provides local boards the opportunity to give local views within prescribed timeframes.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Landowner consents

10. Under Auckland Council’s Combined Chief Executive Delegations Register, council staff are delegated authority to approve landowner consents on behalf of local boards. This delegation is subject to the Local Board Delegations Protocols. These protocols require that before exercising their delegations, staff must consult with a nominated local board member for landowner consents. If required, by the nominated local board member, the staff member must refer the landowner consent decision to a local board business meeting for a decision.

11. It is therefore recommended that the local board appoint a nominated local board member for landowner consents to enable staff to exercise their delegation.

Landowner consents for filming

12. Screen Auckland (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) processes requests for filming in the Auckland Region, and seeks landowner consent from local boards. Over 600 permits are granted each year, with the largest number of permits being granted in Waitematā, Wāitakere Ranges and Rodney Local Board areas.

13. Screen Auckland must process the applications within three to five working days, and therefore require feedback from local boards within two working days. These timeframes are short because filming activities often have a fast turnaround for productions from concept to delivery. To keep filming in Auckland, in a competitive international market, film crews often have to work within short timeframes.

14. Due to the extremely short timeframes for film applications, where local boards have a large number of filming applications, it may be beneficial for this subset of landowner consents to be referred to a different nominated local board member, to manage workloads.

Events

15. Under the Local Board Delegations Protocols staff must consult with and obtain the views of the nominated local board member on:

· applications to hold events on council-owned land in the local board area that require regulatory approval and involve one or more of the following matters:

- complete or substantial closure of the public open space

- more than 500 people

- road closure

- liquor

- ticketed event.

· Any regulatory decision to set fees and charges for holding local events on council-owned local parks and reserve (and refer the matter to the local board to obtain local board views and input where required by the delegated local board member).

· Staff are also required to notify the nominated local board member of:

- areas that may involve reputational, financial, performance or political risk

- decisions to approve events on council owned land in the local board area.

16. The appointment of a nominated local board member for events is therefore recommended to enable staff to exercise their delegation.

17. Under the Local Board Delegations Protocols landowner consent is also required for all event proposals on local parks. To avoid double-handling of applications, it is recommended that the local board member nominated for events is the same as that local board member nominated for landowner consents.

Formal submissions at liquor licence hearings

18. District Licensing Committees consider, and grant or renew applications for liquor licences and manager’s certificates. When a business applies for an on-licence, off-licence, or club licence, new or renewed, they are publicly notified. On 25 September 2014, the Governing Body (GB/2014/103) agreed to a process where local boards can provide views on an application in a report to the District Licensing Committee. If the District Licensing Committee considers that the local board’s report has raised issues that it needs to hear more about, it can call a hearing and invite the local board to appear and talk to its report and respond to questions as a witness.

19. Once the public notice has been posted online, the local board has 15 working days to provide their report to council.

20. This report recommends a delegation to a nominated local board member to allow local boards to provide formal views as part of the liquor licensing process.

Notified resource consents

21. Local boards can provide feedback, within the statutory timeframes, on whether resource consent applications should be publicly notified. This was resolved by the Governing Body on 28 July 2011 (GB/2011/156). Resource consent planners email the planning lead copies of applications that meet the triggers set by the local boards (last reviewed in 2017). The planning leads have three working days to provide comment on the matter of whether the application should be publicly notified or limited notified to particular persons who may be adversely affected by the proposal. Where comments are provided, these are included verbatim as part of the reporting planner’s notification report to the decision-maker.

22. Local boards can also provide written feedback once resource consent applications have been notified. Written feedback needs to be provided prior to the submission closing date (usually 20 working days after public notification). Local boards can subsequently speak to their feedback to support their views at any hearing.

23. This report recommends a planning lead for each local board to provide the local board’s formal views on whether or not resource consents should be notified or limited notified and to provide written feedback on notified applications and speak on the local board’s behalf at the council hearing.

Options considered

24. Options available for local boards to input into landowner consents, events, planning processes and liquor licences have been summarised in Tables 1 and 2.

25. It is recommended that local boards select both a nominated local board member and an alternate. The alternate is available to act when the nominated local board member is unable to act (e.g. leave of absence, illness) and has agreed (via written communication) that the alternate take the role of nominated local board member for a specified time period.

26. We recommend that local boards appoint one nominated local board member (and alternate). Appointing more than one nominated local board member increases administration for staff and can create unnecessary confusion where local board members provide differing views to staff.

Nominated local board members under the Local Board Delegations Protocol

27. The preferred option is that a nominated local board member is appointed for landowner consents and events (option two in Table 1). This option is preferred because it aligns with council’s existing delegations and local board delegation protocols and allows for council to undertake core business in a timely manner. There is reputational risk to council if it is unable to administer landowner consents in a timely manner.

Table 1: Options for local boards to address requirement for nominated local board members under the Local Board Delegations Protocol for landowner consents and events

Options

Pros

Cons

1. There are no nominated local board members and staff must consult with the local board chairperson as a primary point of contact

· The local board chairperson will become the subject matter expert for the local board on landowner approvals and events

· Local boards can provide their views in a timely way that better meets organisational deadlines

· The local board chairperson’s work-load will be increased

· Decisions are not made by the full local board

· Decisions are not made at a public meeting

2. Nominated local board members appointed for landowner consents and events (preferred option)

· The nominated local board member will become subject matter expert for local board on topic they are nominated for

· Local boards can provide their views in a timely way that better meets organisational deadlines

· Decisions are not made by the full local board

· Decisions made under delegation are not made at a public meeting

Notified applications (resource consents and liquor licences)

28. Local boards normally provide their formal views at business meetings (option two in Table 2). Because local board reporting timeframes do not usually align with process and statutory timeframes outlined above, in most instances reporting at a business meeting will not be a viable option. Providing a delegation to one local board member and one alternate (option three in Table 2) is considered the most efficient way of providing formal views for the matters discussed in this report.

Table 2: Options for local boards to provide their formal views on notification of resource consents and liquor licences

Options	Pros	Cons
1. No formal local board views are provided		· Local board views will not be considered by the hearing commissioners
2. Formal local board views are provided at a business meeting	· All local board members contribute to the local board view · Provides transparent decision making	· Local board meeting schedules and agenda deadlines are unlikely to align with statutory deadlines imposed by the planning process
3. Formal local board views are provided by way of delegation to one local board member for all applications (preferred option)	· Nominated local board member will become subject matter expert for local board on topic they are nominated for · Local boards can provide their views in a timely way that meets statutory deadlines · Any feedback can be reported back to the local board	· Decisions are not made by the full local board · Decisions made under delegation are not made at a public meeting (decisions are made public once submitted via the planning process)

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

29. These decisions are procedural in nature and any climate impacts will be negligible. The decision is unlikely to result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change will not impact the decisions.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

30. This report recommends the appointment of nominated local board members to ensure that council can undertake its operational and statutory duties in a timely manner, while receiving local board input and decision-making in matters that are of local importance.

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

Local impacts and local board views

31. This report seeks to appoint nominated board members to perform particular functions.

32. Any local board member who is appointed as a nominated board member should ensure that they represent the wider local board views and preferences on each matter before them.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

33. A decision of this procedural nature is not considered to have a positive or negative impact for Māori.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

34. A decision of this procedural nature is not considered to have financial implications on Auckland Council.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

35. If local boards choose not to appoint a nominated board member for landowner consents (including film applications) and events, staff will need to seek feedback from the chairperson. This could potentially lead to a busy workload for the local board chairperson, in addition to their existing duties.

36. If local boards choose not to delegate to provide views on notified applications, there is a risk that they will not be able to provide formal views prior to submission closing dates and miss the opportunity to have their feedback presented and heard at a hearing.

37. If local boards choose not to delegate to provide their views on liquor licences, there is a risk that they will not be able to provide formal views prior to closings dates for submissions not coinciding with political meetings.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

38. Nominated local board members providing feedback on landowner consents and events will engage with staff acting in accordance with the Local Board Delegation Protocols.

39. Training for local board members will be offered on the Resource Management Act 1991 and the preparation of effective feedback for applications notified as part of a Resource Management Act 1991 process.

40. Nominated local board members (and alternates) who are delegated to provide reports and speak at District Licensing Committee Hearings should sign-up to receive alcohol notices. This will ensure that they hear about new applications as soon as they are open for comment.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Carol Stewart - Senior Policy Advisor

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Local board governance work management for the 2019-2022 triennium

File No.: CP2019/18994

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To outline the options for efficiently and effectively managing the governance work of the local board for 2019-2022 triennium.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. At the end of each triennium the Local Board Services (LBS) department delivers a review of local board work practices, including the organisational support they require and how well they support the boards in their governance role. The 2016-2019 triennium review gathered feedback from local board members, and staff from LBS and other council departments and Council-controlled Organisations (CCOs).

3. In response to the review, this report outlines a recommended approach for local boards to manage their governance workload as follows:

· maintain a key focus on annual work programmes and their implementation through quarterly reporting and regular workshops with the whole local board, with decisions made at business meetings

· appoint nominated local board members who will be consulted on landowner consents and events, and who will provide feedback on liquor licences and resource consents

· appoint nominated local board members to external organisations.

4. These practices support the local board to undertake their governance role in an efficient and effective way, reflect the priority work of the local board and help the organisation focus its resources. Some of these practices require a decision of the local board, such as specific appointments of local board members, and separate reports cover these recommendations and associated advice.

5. Local boards are also able to identify topic area leads who would act as a champion with the local board on specific topic areas. Leads would focus on work programme activities/ projects within their topic areas and understanding relevant community needs and preferences enabling other members to focus their time on other parts of the board’s workload.

6. The review feedback suggests the following advantages for having a full board involved in direction-setting discussions on issues, rather than identifying topic area leads:

· staff are confident that the direction is the view of the whole board rather than one member

· knowledge and information is retained by the full local board rather than one member

· discussions with staff are less likely to enter into management or operational level detail

· it avoids inefficient duplication, when conversations are held between staff and a lead, and then repeated with the full local board.

7. The feedback from the review highlighted that if a board does appoint topic area leads, the risks should be mitigated by providing a clear scope for that role and ensuring it does not lead to inefficiency or adversely affect staff receiving clear direction from the full local board.

Te tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) endorse the following approach to effectively and efficiently manage the governance work of the local board for the 2019-2022 triennium:

i. maintain a key focus on annual work programmes and their implementation through quarterly reporting and regular workshops with the whole local board, with decisions made at business meetings

ii. appoint nominated local board members who will be consulted on landowner consents and events, and who will provide feedback on liquor licences and resource consents

iii. appoint nominated local board members to external organisations.

Horopaki

Context

8. The governance role of an elected member is to:

· set direction and policy

· set priorities

· make significant decisions

· test advice

· monitor performance and risk

· connect with and represent the community

· be accountable to the public.

9. At the end of each triennium the Local Board Services (LBS) department undertakes a review of the work practices of, and organisational support provided for, local boards and how this supports them in their governance role. Previous reviews have noted the progress the organisation has made in supporting the governance role of local boards over the past nine years. Improved support and delivery from the organisation have enabled local board members’ time to be used in a more effective and efficient manner as the governance model has matured.

10. During the 2016-2019 triennium review, feedback was gathered from local board members and staff from LBS and other council departments and council-controlled organisations (CCOs) who work with local boards.

11. Key themes from local board members related to having topic area leads. Both positives and negatives were identified.

12. Key themes from staff were that clear direction is given from the full local board and local board members operate at the governance level. Staff identified both positive and negatives aspects of having topic area leads.

13. The findings from the review have informed the content of this report.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Work practices supporting the governance role of local boards (recommended approach)

14. There are established work practices in place which support the governance role of local boards as follows:

· Local boards adopt an annual work programme each June for implementation by the council organisation in the next financial year (July-June). Local boards maintain a key focus on these annual work programmes and their implementation through quarterly reporting and regular workshops with the whole local board, with decisions made at business meetings.

· Local boards appoint a nominated local board member who will be consulted on landowner consents and events by staff carrying out their delegations. Local boards can also appoint a nominated local board member to provide feedback and attend hearings on liquor licences and notified resource consents to ensure that local board views are taken into account in these timebound processes. These appointments are made via a separate report.

· Local boards appoint nominated local board members to external organisations (via separate report) to exercise their role in the external organisation as per the relevant constitution on behalf of the local board.

15. Together these practices constitute the recommended approach for managing the governance work of the local board for the 2019-2022 triennium, reflect the priority work of the local board and are the focus of the organisation’s staff and resources.

16. This approach allows all members to have an overview and collective understanding of work programme matters, and for the whole local board to be able to provide direction to staff and track performance and delivery throughout the financial year. It also enables collective discussions that utilise individual member’s skills and knowledge and ensures elected member and staff time are used effectively and efficiently.

17. Transparency to the public is ensured by local board decisions occurring through the formal business meeting process with associated standing orders.

Optional addition: Topic area leads (not recommended)

18. An optional addition to the recommended approach is that the local board identifies topic area leads. Leads would:

· act as a champion for the topic area in full local board conversations

· focus on work programme activities / projects within their topic area

· maintain relationships with key stakeholders

· understand relevant community needs and preferences.

19. Leads may also:

· be appointed as the nominated local board member to provide feedback on behalf of the board on relevant matters (e.g. landowner consents) and appointed to related external organisations

· undertake learning and development opportunities and attend conferences (using their individual development budget provided as part of the Kura Kāwana development programme) relevant to the topic area

· highlight relevant issues and emerging priorities during local board plan and work programme development

· act as a key contact for community groups and members of the public on the topic area.

20. Topic area leads would enable individual local board members to use existing or build new knowledge and expertise in the topic area and enable other members to focus their time on other parts of the governance workload.

21. Should the local board identify topic area leads, there are the following risks to consider:

· a member may provide direction or views which do not reflect those of the full local board

· staff may seek direction from a topic area lead instead of the full local board, or seek direction from a topic area lead prior to the full local board, resulting in duplication of work

· key knowledge and information on a topic may be retained with the topic area lead and not shared with the whole local board

· a topic area lead may enter into discussions at the management or operational level if meeting regularly with staff without a clear governance purpose for the discussion.

22. These risks can be addressed by:

· using the workshop process as the mechanism for all local board members to receive updates and provide governance direction on approved work programme projects

· clarifying the limited resources available to any topic area lead.

23. Staff resourcing is focussed on work programme development and delivery, along with advice to support workshops and business meetings. Topic area leads can be supported by staff to undertake the following responsibilities:

· when issues arise at a full board workshop, the lead can be directed to meet with staff on that issue and explore solutions; staff would report back to the full board for direction, and the lead can assist with explanation and support during that discussion

· develop local board feedback on regional policies, plans and strategies relevant to the topic area, for full local board approval

· respond to constituent enquiries relevant to the topic area

· report back to the local board at workshops, and publicly via board member reports at business meetings, on the activities undertaken as the topic area lead.

24. If a local board does want to appoint topic area leads, it may wish to consider identifying alternates. The role of the alternate would be to support the topic area lead in their responsibilities and undertake any roles the lead has been formally appointed by the whole board when the lead is unavailable. Having an alternate means that the information, knowledge, skills and workload can be shared by more than one member, but it could also lead to confusion between the two roles where the alternate acts as a co-lead.

25. If a local board’s preference is to appoint topic area leads, this will require a local board decision via a resolution to this report.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

26. This report is procedural in nature so does not have direct climate impacts. However, a key focus for the council in the current term will be how it responds to the climate emergency and this may be a consideration for how local boards manage their governance work.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

27. Feedback was gathered from staff from the LBS department, and other departments and CCOs who work with local boards, about practices to manage the local board governance work through the 2016-2019 triennium review.

28. The practices used by a local board to manage their governance work can impact on the efficiency of staff engagement with members. Some variation in practices is required to reflect local differences, but overall large differences in work practices is challenging and consistency is beneficial.

29. In light of this, Local Board Services has provided consistent advice and recommendations on work practices to all local boards to consider when making decisions on how they will manage their governance work for the 2016-2019 triennium.

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

Local impacts and local board views

30. Feedback was gathered from local board members about practices to manage local board governance work through the 2016-2019 triennium review. This included: a workshop attended by 13 local board members from 10 local boards; and a survey to all members, with responses provided by 29 members, from 13 local boards.

31. The practices used by a local board to manage their governance work can impact efficiency and effectiveness of engagement with communities and the opportunities that members have to provide local leadership beyond the formal decision-making process.

32. The topic of managing the governance work of the local board was discussed at a workshop on 22 October 2019, as part of the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board induction programme for the 2019-2022 triennium.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

33. This decision is procedural in nature so does not have immediate impacts on Māori.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

34. This decision is procedural in nature so does not have any financial implications.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

35. The risks and mitigations of having topic area leads are outlined in the ‘Analysis and Advice’ section of this report.

36. Risks relating to any specific decision required for the work practices that form the recommended approach are outlined in the respective separate reports relating to those decisions.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

37. Staff from the Local Board Services department will work with staff from other departments and CCOs to ensure the practices of the local board are implemented.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Emma Reed - Local Board Advisor, Albert-Eden

Authorisers

Kerri Foote - Operations and Improvements Manager

Oliver Roberts - Central Teams Manager

Louise Mason - General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Adoption of a business meeting schedule

File No.: CP2019/19039

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To adopt the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board meeting schedule for the 2019-2022 electoral term.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) have requirements regarding local board meeting schedules. In particular, clause 19, Schedule 7 of the LGA on general provisions for meetings requires the chief executive to give notice in writing to each local board member of the time and place of meetings. Sections 46, 46(A) and 47 in Part 7 of LGOIMA require that meetings are publicly notified, agendas and reports are available at least two working days before a meeting, and that local board meetings are open to the public.

3. Adopting a meeting schedule helps with meeting these requirements. Adopting a business meeting schedule also allows for a planned approach to workloads and ensures that local board members have clarity about their commitments.

4. A draft meeting schedule for the 2019-2022 electoral term has been developed and is included below for adoption by the local board.

5. Commencing the business meeting during business hours will enable meetings to be productive and ensures best use of resources.

6. One business meeting per month is sufficient for formal business to be considered. There are some instances for which the local board may need to have meetings in addition to this schedule. The specific times and dates for meetings for matters such as local board plans and local board agreements are yet to be finalised. Local board meeting schedules may need to be updated once these details are confirmed.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) adopt the meeting schedule outlined below for the 2019-2022 electoral term:

Year	Date
2020	January 28
	February 25
	March 24
	April 28
	May 5 (To approve feedback and advocacy for Annual Budget 2020/2021)
	May 26
	June 16 (To adopt the local board agreement)
	June 23
	July 28
	August 25
	September 22
	October 27
	November 24
2021	January 26
	February 23
	March 23
	April 27
	May 25
	June 22
	July 27
	August 24
	September 28
	October 26
	November 23
2022	January 25
	February 22
	March 22
	April 26
	May 24
	June 28
	July 26
	August 23
	September 27

b) agree to commence business meetings at 1.00pm to be held at the Claris Conference Centre, 19 Whangaparapara Road, Claris, Aotea / Great Barrier Island. Public forum and deputations will be scheduled in the early part of the business meeting, to enable participation by the public and stakeholders in the democratic process.

c) note the dates and time for meetings for local board plans and local board agreements are yet to be finalised.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Anna Bray - Policy and Planning Manager, Local Board Services

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Process for appointment of Local Government New Zealand National Council representative

File No.: CP2019/19037

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the process for making the local board representative appointment to the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) National Council and inform elected members of changes to the LGNZ rules.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) amended its rules at its Annual General Meeting on 7 July 2019 and these were confirmed at a meeting of the LGNZ National Council in September. There are some key changes affecting Auckland.

3. There are now three dedicated seats on the LGNZ National Council for Auckland Council representatives. These will be filled by the Mayor of Auckland (or his alternate) and representatives to be appointed by local boards and the Governing Body. The LGNZ rules require these appointments to be made within eight weeks of the triennial local government elections.

4. This report outlines a process to appoint the local boards representative. Nominations will be open to all local board elected members and this can be done in mid-end November. Local boards are being asked to delegate authority to select the representative by nominating one of its members, preferably the chairperson, to be part of a local board selection panel. This process will enable the representative to be appointed as quickly as possible.

5. The LGNZ rules now excludes Auckland from LGNZ Zone 1. Although not officially a member of an LGNZ zone group, the expectation is that Auckland Council schedules regular meetings with the president and chief executive (or their representatives) of LGNZ and organise itself as if it were a zone group. These meetings could be co-chaired by the councillor and local board member who are appointed to the LGNZ National Council.

6. Other arrangements such as the sector-based groups remain unchanged. Auckland Council is eligible to be a member of the Metropolitan and Regional Groups and the Governing Body will be asked to select representatives to these groups.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) note the amended Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) rules.

b) endorse Option A (selection panel made up of representatives from each local board) as the process for appointing the local board representative to the LGNZ National Council.

c) delegate to the chairperson to be part of the selection panel to appoint the local board representative to the LGNZ National Council.

d) agree in principle to two annual meetings of Auckland Council and LGNZ (or their representatives) with the arrangements to be decided by the three Auckland Council representatives to the LGNZ National Council and staff.

e) endorse the proposal that the meetings of the Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings be co-chaired by the governing body and local board representatives appointed to the LGNZ National Council.

Horopaki

Context

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ)

7. LGNZ is an incorporated society (New Zealand Local Government Association Inc) which represents the national interests of councils around New Zealand and leads best practice in the local government sector.

8. The objectives of LGNZ include promoting and advocating matters affecting the national interests of local government. LGNZ holds regular dialogue with government, parliamentarians and government agencies and provides thought leadership and research on matters of interest to local authorities.

9. LGNZ is governed by a national council made up of members elected to represent geographic zones, representatives of various sector groups, Chair of Te Maruata (LGNZ’s national collective of Māori in local government governance roles), the President and three seats reserved for representatives of Auckland Council.

10. The establishment of dedicated Auckland seats were made as part of amendments to the LGNZ Rules agreed at its AGM in July 2019 (available online). The amended rules stipulate that the composition of the National Council will include the Mayor of Auckland (or an alternate) and two further persons: one to represent the Governing Body and one to represent local boards. The appointments are for three years.

11. LGNZ members are organized in zones and sectors generally. These zones and sectors make appointments to the National Council, provide advice on issues affecting their geographical or sector areas and provide information to their members.

12. Auckland Council is no longer a member of any zone group. Due to its size and governance structure, it is expected that the council will organise itself as if it were a zone.

13. The amendments did not change arrangements for sector groups. Auckland Council remains eligible to be a member of the Metro Sector Group and the Regional Sector Groups. The Governing Body usually appoints Auckland Council’s representatives to these groups and will be asked to do so again.

14. Auckland Council’s benefits from its interactions with LGNZ include keeping abreast of national issues affecting local government, advocating for and influencing local government issues on the national agenda and providing a forum where elected representatives connect and network with their peers from across the country.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Appointment of local board representative to LGNZ National Council

15. The appointment of a local board representative will need to be decided by local boards. This is outlined in LGNZ Rule E1A “(b) one person appointed by Auckland Council local boards, from Elected members of the local boards”.

16. The restricted timeframes (eight weeks from start of the term) requires an agile selection process. Staff considered several options and recommend Option A as detailed in the following table:

Process for selection of local board representative to the LGNZ National Council

Option

Process

Details of process

Selection panel made up of representatives from each local board

· Each local board delegates authority to one of their members to be part of a selection panel.

· The selection panel can be called to meet once all candidates are confirmed and they will agree the voting system to be used.

· One vote per local board is considered a fair way to select a single representative for all 21 local boards.

· Members can utilise an existing meeting to get the selection panel together (such as the Chair’s Forum).

· Process can start in mid-November with a two-week nomination period.

Reports to local boards seeking decision/preference (may require urgent decisions)

· This would involve seeking a vote/preference from each local board through a formal report and resolution.

· The report can only be produced once nominations have closed and the candidates list is available – this will delay the report to early December.

· Where there is a tie between candidates based on local board votes, staff will need to be delegated authority to resolve the candidate by lot or go back to local boards for a decision.

· This process is unlikely to produce an agreed appointment in a timely fashion.

17. Staff also considered the option of a popular vote of all local board members. This would involve setting up an online voting system, where each local board member would have one vote. However, this option may not comply with the LGNZ Rules which anticipates a selection by local boards rather than by individual members.

18. The recommended Option A will enable a fair process by giving each local board a vote and an opportunity for their representatives to properly consider each nominee. This selection can take place at the planned meeting of the Chairs’ Forum on 9 December 2019 to avoid arranging an additional meeting.

Nominations for the local board representative

19. The LGNZ anticipates that all local board elected members are eligible to be a candidate for the LGNZ National Council. The nominations process will therefore need to allow self-nominations.

20. To facilitate this process in the timeframes required, staff will call for nominations on Friday 15 November and will allow a two-week period closing on 29 November 2019.

Auckland Council / LGNZ meetings

21. The role of a zone includes receiving reports from LGNZ about matters of national interest to local authorities and communicating to LGNZ the issues and concerns. The key item of interest at Zone meetings is the national update from LGNZ. The president and chief executive of LGNZ (or their representatives) attend to present the update.

22. Auckland Council could continue to meet with the president and chief executive (or their representatives) of LGNZ on a regular basis. Although not expressly set out in the changes to the LGNZ Rules, there is an understanding that Auckland Council will continue with these meetings in order to ensure an ongoing regional dialogue and continue to identify and advise LGNZ on issues and concerns affecting the Auckland region.

23. Staff recommend these meetings are co-chaired by the councillor and local board member appointed to the LGNZ national council. A co-chair approach recognises the shared governance role of local boards. Following discussions with LGNZ, staff also recommend that the meetings be open to all elected members.

24. The proposed meeting dates for the Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings are 13 March 2020 and 11 September 2020.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

25. These decisions are procedural in nature and any climate impacts will be negligible. Staff will look to schedule meetings of the Auckland/LGNZ on days where there are other city-based activities and meetings for elected members in order to minimise travel requirements. Staff will also explore the use of skype and livestreaming so elected members may choose to avoid travel.

26. Regarding engagement with the LGNZ, Auckland Council has declared a climate emergency, along with other councils around the country, so there will be an opportunity for partnership and joint leadership on this issue.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

27. Secretariat support for the Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings will be provided by the Governance Division.

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

Local impacts and local board views

28. The changes to the LGNZ Rules and the designated seat on the LGNZ National Council acknowledges the role of local boards and gives it greater recognition in LGNZ.

29. Local board chairs were briefed on anticipated changes at the May 2019 Chairs’ Forum.

30. The amended rules were confirmed at a meeting of the LGNZ National Council in September. Due to the elections and end of term timeframes, staff were unable to seek the views of local boards on the process for appointing a representative.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

31. These decisions are procedural in nature and do not impact on Māori.

32. At the LGNZ level, the LGNZ has provided for representation on the National Council by the Chair of Te Maruata.

33. Te Maruata is LGNZ National Council sub-committee which has the role of promoting increased representation of Māori as elected members of local government, and of enhancing Māori participation in local government processes. They provide support for councils in building relationships with iwi, hapu and Māori groups and provides Māori input on development of future policies or legislation relating to local government.

34. Appointments to Te Maruata are not made by councils. In the previous term Councillor Alf Filipaina was invited to be a member of the sub-committee.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

35. Membership of LGNZ incurs a cost to ratepayers. Auckland Council’s annual subscription to LGNZ in 2019/2020 is $340,148 excluding GST.

36. The establishment of Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings will incur expense currently unbudgeted for. Staff from the Governance Division will support the first meeting using existing resources.

37. As the Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings are expected to bring together all elected members from across the region including the islands, this will impact on governance administration budgets over time.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

38. The LGNZ Rules require persons appointed to the LGNZ National Council to assume office within eight weeks of the triennial local government elections. This creates some difficulties in designing a process for all 21 local boards to agree their single representative. The recommended option (Option A) proposed in this report will enable the process to be completed as quickly as possible, on the first working day after the eight week period. The LGNZ secretariat has indicated this would be acceptable.

39. If all local boards do not endorse the same process (Option A), this would affect how quickly the appointment is able to be made.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

40. The Governing Body will be making their appointment in November 2019 including appointment of Auckland Council representatives to the sector groups.

41. Appointments of Auckland Council seats to the LGNZ National Council will be communicated to the LGNZ by 6 December 2019.

42. Staff will work with the appointed representatives of Auckland Council to make arrangements for the first Auckland Council/LGNZ meetings.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Shirley Coutts - Principal Advisor, Governance Strategy

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Elected Members Expense Policy 2019

File No.: CP2019/19699

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To present the draft Auckland Council Elected Members’ Expense Policy 2019 and provide for the local board to record its feedback for consideration by the Governing Body.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Each electoral term, the Remuneration Authority (the Authority) requires all councils to adopt an expense policy and forward the adopted policy to the Authority for its approval.

3. The expense policy provides the rules for elected members’ reimbursement for expenses they incur whilst performing their duties. The Authority has set parameters for the following expense reimbursements:

i) communications

ii) mileage

iii) travel time

iv) childcare.

4. The Authority has updated vehicle mileage allowance rates to reflect the new kilometre rates for self-employed people and employees published by the Inland Revenue Department on its website as at 7 June 2019.

5. There is a change to approval processes so that approval for mayor and deputy mayor expenses is now by the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. There are no other changes to provisions for these expenses.

6. Reimbursement of childcare expenses is a new provision and the council has discretion around how this is applied, within the parameters set by the Authority.

7. In the previous term, a discussion paper about the proposed childcare allowance was published by the Authority and was reported to local boards. Most local boards were generally supportive. Based on that feedback, this report proposes rules for inclusion in the council’s Elected Member Expense Policy 2019.

8. The expenses policy also includes rules for the following, which relate to sensitive expenditure and there are no recommended changes to these rules:

i) travel

ii) accommodation

iii) professional development

iv) hospitality.

9. The draft Auckland Council Elected Members Expense Policy is attached in Attachment A.

10. The council’s Head of Assurance Services has reviewed the draft policy and is satisfied it is in compliance with the Local Government Members (2019/20) Determination and appropriate probity standards.

Te tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the draft Auckland Council Elected Member Expense Policy 2019.

Horopaki

Context

11. The Authority sets remuneration for elected positions in local government annually. It also sets the rules for reimbursement of costs met by members in undertaking their duties.

12. Each electoral term, the Authority requires all councils to adopt an expense policy and forward the adopted policy to the Authority for its approval. The expense policy provides the rules for elected members’ reimbursement for expenses they incur whilst performing their duties.

13. The Authority sets some work-related expenses for elected members:

· the maximum allowances payable by councils to elected members for certain activities, such as transport and communications

· the criteria for and amounts payable to, elected members sitting on resource consent hearings.

14. The current policy was approved in November 2016. The Authority has requested the council provide an Elected Members’ Expense Policy to the Authority for its approval at the beginning of this term.

15. In the previous term the Authority circulated a discussion paper seeking feedback on a proposed childcare allowance. When the Authority issued its formal 2019/20 determination it included the childcare allowance. The Explanatory Memorandum in the Determination includes:

“This year, for the first time, the Authority has introduced a childcare allowance for members who have responsibility for caring for children under the age of 14 years. The allowance is a contribution towards expenses incurred by the member for the provision of childcare while the member is engaged on local authority business. The allowance is capped and is subject to certain conditions outlined in clause 14 of this determination.

Payment of any or all of the allowances is at the discretion of each council. All the allowances included in this determination are reviewed annually.”

16. The actual rule about the childcare allowance in the Determination is:

14 Childcare allowance

(1) A local authority may pay a childcare allowance, in accordance with subclauses (2) and (3), to an eligible member as a contribution towards expenses incurred by the member for childcare provided while the member is engaged on local authority business.

(2) A member is eligible to be paid a childcare allowance in respect of childcare provided for a child only if—

(a) the member is a parent or guardian of the child, or is a person who usually has responsibility for the day-to-day care of the child (other than on a temporary basis); and

(b) the child is aged under 14 years of age; and

(c) the childcare is provided by a person who—

(i) is not a family member of the member; and

(ii) does not ordinarily reside with the member; and

(d) the member provides evidence satisfactory to the local authority of the amount paid for childcare.

(3) A local authority must not pay childcare allowances to a member that total more than $6,000 per annum, per child.

(4) In this regulation, family member of the member means—

(a) a spouse, civil union partner, or de facto partner:

(b) a relative, that is, another person connected with the member within 2 degrees of a relationship, whether by blood relationship or by adoption.

17. The other change in the Determination relates to vehicle mileage allowance rates to reflect the new kilometre rates for self-employed people and employees published by the Inland Revenue Department on its website as at 7 June 2019.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

18. The major proposed change to the expense policy is to include a provision for childcare allowance in line with the new provision in the Authority’s Determination.

19. Prior to the Authority including this allowance in its Determination, it circulated a discussion paper for feedback. This was reported to local boards. The submission to the Authority was:

‘Auckland Council supports the Remuneration Authority in addressing this issue which has been raised by members of other councils through submissions to the Authority. The costs of childcare can be a barrier to people with families considering becoming candidates for local government elections. The council commends the authority for recognising such barriers and for acknowledging the need to address them.

The council’s view is that the proposed conditions to be placed in the authority’s determination are reasonable. It is concerned though that the description of the purpose of the allowance is too wide. The proposed wording is:

“A local authority may pay a childcare allowance, in accordance with subclauses (2) and (3), to an eligible member as a contribution towards expenses incurred by the member for childcare provided while the member is engaged on local authority business.”

The phrase “childcare provided while the member is engaged on local authority business” could include childcare that is incidental at the time the member is engaged on local authority. For example, a member may arrange childcare on a regular basis, irrespective of undertaking council duties, and on a particular occasion attends to council business papers while the children are at childcare. There could be uncertainty about whether this is claimable. The council understands that the purpose of the allowance is as a contribution towards the cost of childcare where this is an expense of undertaking council business and suggests that the wording should capture this sense of necessary expense in order to undertake council business.’

20. A summary of local board feedback on the submission is contained in Attachment B. Most local boards endorsed the submission.

21. The submission stated that the payment of a childcare allowance should recognise the additional cost that was caused by attending to council business rather than being paid if childcare was to be provided in any case. In other words, it was to be paid because child-care was caused by attending to council business. This point was not included in the Authority’s final Determination. However, any potential for over-use of the provision is controlled by the imposition of a cap of $6,000 per annum per child.

22. The proposed wording for the childcare allowance in the Expense Policy is:

Childcare allowance

1 Elected members who are the parent, guardian or usually have responsibility for the day to day care of the child may receive the allowance set out in the Remuneration Authority Determination for childcare provided while the member is engaged on local authority business. This is a contribution towards the expense and not intended as a full reimbursement.

2 The childcare allowance may only be claimed for childcare not provided by a family member (spouse, civil union partner or de factor partner or any relative that is connected to the members within 2 degrees of relationship, whether by blood relationship or by adoption) who does not ordinarily reside with the member

3 The allowance is only claimable:

a) for children under the age of 14 years

b) when attending official meetings or workshops of the council

c) only for actual (or part thereof) expenses that have been incurred, net of any subsidies

d) when elected members are not on recess

e) when no other childcare arrangements would normally be made.

4 The allowance rates are as follows:

a) For childcare services provided by a professional registered company, an hourly rate of up to $35 will be accepted with the receipt of a GST invoice

b) For childcare services provided via an informal arrangement, an hourly rate of up to $20 will be accepted with the receipt of an signed invoice or signed log book

c) The total Auckland Council may contribute is $6,000 per annum per child

5 On a case by case basis the General Manager Democracy Services and General Manager Local Board Services may make exceptions to the above provisions within the limits set by the Remuneration Authority.

23. The maximum hourly rates are based on an informal survey of current market rates.

24. Other changes in the draft expense policy are:

i) approvals for the mayor and deputy mayor travel expenses have been changed to the chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, on her recommendation

ii) an added section on health, safety and well-being which includes access to:

· flu vaccinations

· ergonomic assessments

· personal support services (Employment Assistance Programme, manawa rahi and the well-being portal).

25. The council’s Head of Assurance Services has reviewed the draft policy and is satisfied it is in compliance with the Local Government Members (2019/20) Determination and appropriate probity standards.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

26. The adoption of the expenses policy is largely an administrative decision. Relevant to climate change is the statement in the policy (6.3): “Auckland Council promotes public transport and cycling as the preferred ways of moving around Auckland. Elected members are expected to use public transport in the first instance but may also use their private car or council vehicles when on council business.”

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

27. The Authority’s Determination and the Auckland Council Elected Member Expense Policy only affect elected governing body and local board members.

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

Local impacts and local board views

28. The feedback from local boards will be reported to the Governing Body when it decides the Auckland Council Elected Member Expense Policy.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

29. The childcare allowance recognises that the cost of childcare deters some people from standing for election. The provision of the allowance may encourage more people, including Māori, to consider standing.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

30. The number of Auckland Council elected members who will be eligible to claim this allowance is unknown. LGNZ statistics show that approximately 6 per cent of elected members are 40 years of age or below^{^[1]}. On that basis, the cost to Auckland Council, if 6 percent of members (10 members) claimed the allowance, would be $60,000 (assuming one child each).

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

31. The expenditure that is the subject of this policy is sensitive expenditure. The policy needs to withstand public scrutiny and where there is discretion there needs to be a conservative approach. Staff believe that the conditions placed on reimbursement and the processes for approval are appropriate in this context.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

32. Feedback from all local boards will be reported to the Governing Body when it decides the Auckland Council Elected Members Expense Policy.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Draft Auckland Council Elected Member Expense Policy	69
b ⇩	Summary of local board feedback on the Remuneration Authority’s discussion paper on childcare allowances	87

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Warwick McNaughton - Principal Advisor, Democracy Services

Authorisers

Marguerite Delbet - General Manager Democracy Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Urgent decision-making process

File No.: CP2019/19041

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board’s agreement to use the urgent decision-making process when appropriate.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The urgent decision-making process enables the local board to make decisions to manage unforeseen and urgent circumstances when it is not practical to call the full board together and meet the requirements of a quorum. By agreeing to this process, the local board delegates decision-making authority to the chair and deputy chair, or any person acting in these roles.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) adopt the urgent decision-making process for matters that require a decision where it is not practical to call the full board together and meet the requirements of a quorum.

b) delegate authority to the chair and deputy chair, or any person acting in these roles, to make urgent decisions on behalf of the local board.

c) agree that the relationship manager, chair and deputy chair (or any person/s acting in these roles) will authorise the urgent decision-making process by signing off an authorisation memo.

d) note that all urgent decisions will be reported to the next ordinary meeting of the local board.

Horopaki

Context

3. The urgent decision-making process enables the chair and deputy chair, or any person acting in these roles, to make decisions to manage unforeseen and urgent circumstances when it is not practical to call the full board together and meet the requirements of a quorum. Examples include during the Christmas and New Year period or for providing input to the council’s central government submission process in tight timeframes.

4. By agreeing to this process, the board delegates decision-making authority to the chair and deputy chair, or any person acting in these roles during that period.

5. The Local Government Act 2002 provides for local boards to delegate to committees, members of the local board or Auckland Council staff any of its responsibilities and powers, with some specific exceptions (clause 32, Schedule 7). This legislation enables the urgent decision-making process.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

6. The urgent decision-making process provides an alternative decision-making mechanism to an extraordinary meeting. An extraordinary meeting is called when an urgent decision is required on matters that cannot wait until the next scheduled business meeting of the local board.

7. Urgent decisions are different from emergency decisions, which are only made if there is a risk to public health and safety.

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

9. The local board relationship manager will use the information in this memo to determine whether or not to authorise the urgent decision-making process.

10. A number of factors will be considered by the relationship manager before approval to use the urgent decision-making process is given, such as:

· the timing of the next scheduled meeting

· confirmation that the local board has the delegation to make the decision

· consideration of the rationale for the urgency

· the significance of the decision and whether the urgent decision-making process is appropriate.

11. Once the relationship manager authorises the use of the urgent decision-making process, the chair and deputy chair (or any person/s acting in these roles) also need to approve the use of the urgent decision-making process by signing the same memo.

12. Once the authorisation memo has been approved, the chair and deputy chair will refer to the substantive report for advice and staff recommendations to inform their decision. This report will meet Auckland Council quality advice standards and adhere to the report authorisation processes.

13. Any decision made using the urgent decision-making process will be reported as an information item to the next ordinary meeting of the local board and the signed approval memo will be attached.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

14. This decision is procedural in nature and any climate impacts will be negligible. The decision is unlikely to result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change will not impact the decision.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

15. The urgent decision-making process proposed in this report enables the council group to progress urgent decisions efficiently, when it is not practical to call the full local board together.

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

Local impacts and local board views

16. This report outlines the local board urgent decision-making process, and seeks the local board’s agreement to adopt this process.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

17. 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

18. There are no financial implications arising from the procedural decision sought by this report.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

19. To mitigate any risk that the urgent decision-making process could be used inappropriately, the relationship manager will assess a number of factors including timing of the next scheduled meeting, the reason for urgency, and significance of the decision. If a matter is of major significance, an extraordinary meeting can be called instead.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

20. If the local board adopts the use of the urgent decision-making process, the local board relationship manager and delegated members will execute the urgent decision-making process outlined in this report if the need arises.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Anna Bray - Policy and Planning Manager, Local Board Services

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Funding for connectivity improvements on Aotea / Great Barrier

File No.: CP2019/19918

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the allocation of $4,000 to investigate and advocate for improvements to telecommunications infrastructure on Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. There are significant ‘black spots’ in phone/ internet connectivity across Aotea / Great Barrier Island, which affects day-to-day life for island residents and businesses.

3. In 2017, the local board commissioned Wollemi Consulting to produce a stocktake report into the current state of information, communication and technology on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, and identify potential solutions.

4. Staff recommend that the local board allocate $4,000 to Wollemi Consulting to continue with work towards improving connectivity infrastructure on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, including advocating to central government agencies.

5. Between November 2019 and June 2020, Wollemi Consulting will work with the strategic broker to develop advocacy letters from the local board to central government and scope potential investment opportunities.

6. In addition, the Rural Connectivity Group has advised the local board of plans for a new cellular tower on Aotea / Great Barrier Island and has requested input from the local board to determine its location. The addition of external expertise in this field from Wollemi Consulting will provide valuable support and specialist insight to this work.

Te tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) allocate $4,000 from the community response fund to Wollemi Consulting to investigate and advocate for improvements to telecommunications infrastructure and determine the site for the new cellular tower on Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

Horopaki

Context

7. There are significant ‘black spots’ in phone and internet connectivity across Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

8. In 2017/2018, the local board allocated $15,000 for a report into the current state of information, communication and technology on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, including recommendations (GBI/2017/141).

9. The Aotea Great Barrier Island Connectivity Study (the study) was completed over the period of 15 May – 30 July 2018 by Wollemi Consulting Ltd.

10. The study concluded that connectivity is constraining local businesses, impacting the day to day lives of island residents and hampering the experience of visitors.

11. The study was presented at the October 2018 business meeting, and the local board agreed to progress the project to the next phase with an expression of interest to the Provincial Growth Fund for $50,000 for a feasibility study into solutions to Aotea / Great Barrier Island’s connectivity issues (GBI/2018/1).

12. The application was declined by the Provincial Growth Fund and since that time no substantive work has been carried out on connectivity issues.

13. At a workshop in August 2019, the government’s Rural Connectivity Group discussed plans for a new cellular tower and improving overall communications infrastructure on Aotea / Great Barrier Island, including connections to the mainland.

14. The Rural Connectivity Group has advised Crown Infrastructure Partners that there are issues on Aotea / Great Barrier Island with the existing network capacity and speed of broadband, and limitations in the links with the mainland.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

15. The Rural Connectivity Group must determine the site for the new cellular tower and has requested feedback from the local board.

16. To do this, the local board can seek external specialist advice on the best potential sites for the cellular tower, along with advice on how best to address the need for other fundamental infrastructure improvements for Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

17. The local board can also use the assistance of the external specialist to advocate for those changes at a central government level.

18. Ongoing work in the area of connectivity has the potential to significantly improve connectivity in the North, with Katherine Bay being one of several possible locations for the new Rural Connectivity Group-funded cell tower.

19. Staff recommend that the local board allocate $4,000 to contract Wollemi Consulting to support this work. The company is familiar with connectivity issues in the local board area and with the managing director being a part-time island resident, is familiar with the community. Wollemi has also previously worked with the Rural Connectivity Group and Crown Infrastructure Partners, and has direct links to people in government, whose support the local board will be seeking.

20. Whilst advocating to central government is within the remit of a local board, connectivity and technology issues such as rural broadband, are not part of council’s portfolio of work. Therefore, the addition of external expertise in this field will provide valuable support and specialist insight to the local board’s advocacy for improvements to telecommunications infrastructure on Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

21. Between November 2019 and June 2020, Wollemi Consulting will work with the strategic broker to draft letters from the local board to Crown Infrastructure Partners and the Minister of Communications, seeking improved investment in information technology on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. The company will work directly with people within the Rural Connectivity Group and Crown Infrastructure Partners to scope and advocate for potential investment and will regularly report back to the local board.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

22. Improving connectivity on Aotea / Great Barrier Island has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gases, because it will allow people to remain on island for work and use Skype and other online platforms for meetings instead of flying to and from the mainland. It is estimated that one return flight from Auckland to Aotea / Great Barrier Island produces 45 kg CO2 equivalent. Some of this could be averted with proper internet speeds and services.

23. Over time climate change is expected to result in more extreme weather. Having good phone and internet connections is crucial during civil emergencies or natural disasters.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

24. There are no identified council group impacts associated with this report.

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

Local impacts and local board views

25. This work aligns with the following 2017 Local Board Plan outcomes:

· Our infrastructure is future-proofed

· Our economy is sustainable and prosperous.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

26. There is currently no mobile coverage at all in communities such as Motairehe/ Kawa in the north of Aotea / Great Barrier Island. The Aotea / Great Barrier Island Connectivity Study looked specifically at the lack of coverage and connectivity at Aotea / Great Barrier Island’s two marae – Kawa and Motairehe - and recommended that measures be taken to address this.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

27. It is recommended that the local board allocate $4,000 from the community response fund to Wollemi Consulting to investigate and advocate for improvements to telecommunications infrastructure.

28. There is $9,600 remaining in the community response fund. Allocating $4,000 would reduce this fund down to $5,600.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

29. There is an identified risk that central government’s Rural Connectivity Group and Crown Infrastructure Partners will decline to action the local board’s advocacy for improved connectivity infrastructure on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. To mitigate this risk, the local board can allocate budget to work with an industry expert to provide a robust business case.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

30. The strategic broker will work with Wollemi Consulting to progress this work and will report to the local board when a response from central government is received.

31. Wollemi Consulting will also work with the board and Rural Connectivity Group to determine the best site for the proposed additional cell tower on Aotea / Great Barrier Island.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Kathy Cumming – Strategic Broker, Arts, Community and Events

Authorisers

Graham Bodman - General Manager, Arts, Community and Events

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation

File No.: CP2019/19571

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve local content and supporting information for consultation as part of the Annual Budget 2020/2021 process, along with a local engagement event.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. For each financial year, Auckland Council must have a local board agreement that is agreed for each local board area, between the Governing Body and the local board.

3. Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation will take place from 21 February to 22 March 2020. Consultation on the proposed content of each local board agreement which sets out the priorities for the next financial year must be included as part of that consultation.

4. This report seeks approval from local boards on the local content and supporting information for consultation. It also seeks approval of the Have Your Say event that will be held in their local board area during the consultation period, to give Aucklanders an opportunity to provide face-to-face feedback.

5. The Governing Body and local boards will approve regional and local items respectively for consultation by 13 December 2019. The regional and local consultation items will then be incorporated into the Annual Budget consultation document and supporting information, which will be adopted by the Governing Body on 12 February 2020.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) approve Attachment A local content for consultation and Attachment B local supporting information for consultation.

b) delegate authority to the local board chairperson to approve any final changes required to the local content and supporting information for the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board for the Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation, including online consultation content.

c) approve the following Have Your Say event in the local board area during the Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation period:

i) [insert type of event, day, time and location].

d) delegate authority to the local board chairperson to approve any final changes required to the Have Your Say event.

e) delegate to the following elected members and staff the power and responsibility to hear from the public through ‘spoken (or New Zealand sign language) interaction’ in relation to the local board agreement at the council’s public engagement events, during the consultation period for the Annual Budget 2020/2021:

i) local board members and chairperson

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

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

Horopaki

Context

6. For each financial year, Auckland Council must have a local board agreement for each local board area, that is agreed between the Governing Body and the local board.

7. Local board agreements set out (among other things) how the council will, in the year to which the agreement relates, reflect the priorities and preferences in the local board’s plan in respect of the local activities to be provided in the local board area.

8. The proposed content of each local board agreement must be included in the Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation document.

9. Public consultation on the budget will take place from 21 February to 22 March 2020.

10. Aucklanders will be able to provide feedback during the consultation process through a variety of channels which include face-to-face (verbal), written and social media.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

11. Local boards held workshops during November 2019 to determine their priorities for their 2020/2021 local board agreement. Local boards are now requested to approve their local content and supporting information for consultation, as per Attachments A and B.

12. During the document production stage, if changes to the local content and supporting information are identified, these will be provided to the local board chairperson to approve.

13. Aucklanders who wish to have their views on the proposed content of the local board agreement and Annual Budget 2020/2021 considered by Auckland Council should be provided a reasonable opportunity to present those views in a manner and format that is appropriate to the preferences and needs of those persons, including face-to-face.

14. The council provides for this through its ‘Have Your Say’ events where Aucklanders can have a face-to-face dialogue with elected members or other council representatives with an appropriate delegation. A Have Your Say event is recommended to be held in the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board area.

15. The consultation period does not begin for a couple of months. If circumstances change between now and the consultation period and any change to the approved Have Your Say event is required, these will be provided to the local board chairperson to approve.

16. Should a proposal requiring an amendment to the council’s long-term plan (10-year Budget) be identified during the Annual Budget 2020/2021 process, this would necessitate use of the special consultative procedure. Where an amendment to the 10-year Budget is being consulted on at the same time as consultation on the Annual Budget, the Local Government Act 2002 requires the council to use the special consultative procedure in relation to both matters.

17. The special consultative procedure requires the council to provide an opportunity for Aucklanders to present their views to the council in a manner that enables ‘spoken (or New Zealand sign language) interaction’ between the person and the council’s decision-makers or their official delegates. The recommended Have Your Say events, along with the recommended delegation, provides for this spoken interaction.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

18. The decision to consult is procedural in nature and the small scale of the Have Your Say events mean any climate impacts will be negligible. These decisions are unlikely to result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change will not impact the decisions.

19. However, where practicable, events proposed will be in locations accessible by public transport, to reduce car travel but also increase the opportunities for attendance.

20. Some of the proposed initiatives or projects included in the consultation content may have climate impacts. The climate impacts of any initiatives or projects Auckland Council chooses to progress with as a result of this consultation will be assessed as part of the relevant reporting requirements.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

21. The Annual Budget 2020/2021 is an Auckland Council group document and will include budgets at a consolidated group level.

22. Consultation items and updates to budgets to reflect decisions and new information may include items from across the group.

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

Local impacts and local board views

23. Local boards will have further opportunities to provide information and views as the council progresses through the Annual Budget 2020/2021 process.

24. Aucklanders will have the opportunity to give feedback on regional and local proposals contained in the budget. All feedback received from submitters residing in the local board area will be analysed by staff and made available for consideration by the board, prior to finalising their local board agreement.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

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

26. The approach to Māori engagement for the Annual Budget 2020/2021 will be finalised once consultation topics are confirmed, including development of bespoke materials subject to interest level of topics and confirmation of budget.

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

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

28. Event associated costs include venue hire, where council premises cannot be utilised, and catering.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

29. Local boards must approve their local consultation content and supporting information by 13 December 2019 for it to be formatted and reviewed in time to be incorporated into the Annual Budget 2020/2021 consultation document and supporting information.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

30. The Governing Body will approve the consultation document, supporting information and consultation process for the Annual Budget 2020/2021 on 12 February 2020.

31. Following consultation, the Governing Body and local boards will make decisions on the budget and local board agreements respectively.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Local content for consultation	103
b ⇩	Local supporting information for consultation	105

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Beth Corlett - Advisor Plans & Programmes

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager, Local Board Services

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Auckland Council’s Quarterly Performance Report: Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board for quarter one 2019/2020

File No.: CP2019/19683

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board with an integrated quarterly performance report for quarter one, 1 July – 30 September 2019.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report includes financial performance, progress against work programmes, key challenges the local board should be aware of and any risks to delivery against the 2019/2020 work programme.

3. The work programme is produced annually and aligns with the Aotea Great Barrier Local Board Plan outcomes.

4. The key activity updates from this quarter are:

· The new biodiversity/biosecurity advisor started on 1 July 2019 and has taken responsibility for several projects including pest plant management and the Argentine ant control programme.

· Aotea Education Trust is making progress on its investigations into an Early Childhood Education (ECE) centre and the Aotea Learning Hub moved to its new premises.

· Destination Great Barrier Island will be implementing the Visitor Strategy with the development of second wave of New Zealand Tourism Research Institute research which will be carried out over the summer.

· The proposed Claris Cemetery site resource consent and change of land designation was granted. The next steps are to await results of the shoring trial, agree on the preferred design option and allocate suitable budget.

5. All operating departments with agreed work programmes have provided a quarterly update against their work programme delivery. Activities are reported with a status of green (on track) or amber (some risk or issues, which are being managed). There are no activities with a grey (cancelled, deferred or merged) or red status this quarter.

6. The financial performance report compared to budget 2019/2020 is attached. There are some points for the local board to note

· The overall operational net cost of service in the Aotea / Great Barrier local board area for the three months ended on 30 September 2019 was $944,000 which exceeded the year to date budget expectations by $155,000.

· Capital investment of $77,000 took place in the Aotea / Great Barrier local board area during the first quarter of the current financial year. This was 79 per cent of the year to date budget. Some of the projects planned to be delivered in the current financial year are in the design or procurement stages. Delivery should pick up during the remainder of the year.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) receive the performance report for quarter one ending 30 September 2019.

b) note that the Community Facility 2019/2020 work programme and 2020-2022 indicative work programme has been updated to reflect financial deferrals as a part of the Annual Plan process as shown in Attachment B.

Horopaki

Context

7. The Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board has an approved 2018/2019 work programme for the following operating departments:

· Arts, Community and Events

· Parks, Sport and Recreation

· Libraries and Information

· Community Services: Service, Strategy and Integration

· Community Facilities: Build Maintain Renew

· Community Leases

· Infrastructure and Environmental Services

· Plans and Places

· ATEED.

8. Work programmes are produced annually, to meet the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board outcomes identified in the three-year Aotea Great Barrier Local Board Plan. The local board plan outcomes are:

· Our economy is sustainable and prosperous

· Our environment is protected and enhanced

· Our infrastructure is future-proofed

· Our people thrive and life is good

9. The graph below shows how the work programme activities meet Local Board Plan outcomes. Activities that are not part of the approved work programme but contribute towards the local board outcomes, such as advocacy by the local board, are not captured in this graph.

Graph 1: Work programme activities by outcome

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Local Board Work Programme Snapshot

10. The graph below identifies work programme activity by RAG status (red, amber, green and grey) which measures the performance of the activity. It shows the percentage of work programme activities that are on track (green), in progress but with issues that are being managed (amber), and activities that have significant issues (red) and activities that have been cancelled/deferred/merged (grey).

Graph 2: Work programme by RAG status

11. The graph below shows the activity status of activities which shows the stage of the activity in each departments the work programmes. The number of activity lines differ by department as approved in the local board work programmes.

Graph 3: Work programme by activity status and department

Key activity updates from quarter one

Biodiversity/biosecurity advisor

12. The newly appointed biodiversity/biosecurity advisor took up their role on 1 July 2019, increasing the capacity and capability of Environmental Services on Aotea / Great Barrier Island. The advisor has taken responsibility for several projects including pest plant management and the Argentine ant control programme. In addition to these programmes, the advisor has initiated and extended several biodiversity focussed projects in quarter one, including the provision of conservation advice for landowners and community groups.

Increase diverse participation: Aotea Lifelong Learning Action Strategy

13. Aotea Education Trust (AET) has prepared a business case for the day-care service, met with Aotea Playcentre to present the proposal for use of the Playcentre facility on non-Playcentre days, drafted a memorandum of understanding for the partnership, approached a philanthropic educational trust for additional funding for the project, and begun the search for a qualified Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher. The Aotea Learning Hub moved to its new premises. This has been a positive move for the students, whose attendance remains high.

Great Barrier Visitor Strategy Implementation

14. Funding agreement processed and funds paid out to Destination Great Barrier Island (DGBI). Development of second wave of New Zealand Tourism Research Institute research which will be carried out over the summer. Progress on the trail’s wayfinding map/brochure and PDF. Development of the inaugural local Business Awards in 2020.

Claris Cemetery – develop facility

15. A resource consent was recently granted on 25 September 2019 and previously a change of land designation was granted, which are important milestones in progressing this project. Approval was requested and received to amend the budget to cover the current overspend and to carry out a trial of shoring equipment. A quotation has been requested from the full facilities contractor for the trial of shoring equipment.

Activities with moderate issues

Claris Cemetery – develop facility

16. The schedule is at risk due to unclear direction on which of the design option is to be progressed. The next steps are to await results of the trial, agree on the preferred option and allocate suitable budget.

An area plan for Aotea / Great Barrier Island

17. Iwi consultation has not been able to be progressed as planned, and this, along with further workshopping of issues with the Governing Body appointed working party has meant the draft area plan will not be ready for public consultation until early 2020. This will enable the new working party members (post elections) to consider the draft plan prior to public consultation.

Heritage Evaluation for Ox Park

18. This project was identified through the heritage survey. Approval to complete a heritage evaluation for Ox Park has been obtained and staff are in the process of determining a consultant to complete the evaluation.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

19. Receiving performance monitoring reports will not result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions.

20. Work programmes were approved in June 2019 and delivery is already underway. Should significant changes to any projects be required, climate impacts will be assessed as part of the relevant reporting requirements.

21. The local board is currently investing in several sustainability projects, which aim to build awareness around individual carbon emissions, and changing behaviour at a local level. These include:

· Grant funding to community group AoteaOra Ltd to begin an Ecological Footprint for the island

· Grant funding to community group AoteaOra Ltd to hold an Off the Grid event to showcase resilience

· The One Local Initiative project of council facilities becoming solar powered and cabling to the Health Trust building and Claris airport to improve resilience.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

22. When developing the work programmes council group impacts and views are presented to the boards.

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

Local impacts and local board views

23. This report informs the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board of the performance for the quarter ending 30 September 2019.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

24. The local board intend to engage with Ngāti Rehua - Ngātiwai ki Aotea Interim Trust and discuss Māori aspirations for the area and how they can be progressed. There has been a delay to setting a hui date. The local board remain committed to the work programme activity of support for iwi responsiveness, and once iwi is ready, will look to pick up discussions for an iwi liaison.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

25. There are no financial implications associated with this report.

Financial Performance

26. The Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board’s net cost of service for the September quarter of the 2019/2020 financial year was $944,000 against a budget of $789,000.

27. Operating revenue of $2,000 was generated from library operations for the first three months of the current financial year.

28. Operating expenditure of $946,000 for the three months ended on 30 September 2019 was overspent by 20 per cent. Repairs and maintenance expenditure in these first three months, under the full facilities contract, was more than budgeted mainly due to extra maintenance to respond to the heavy rainy season. Earlier than expected capital grant round in September also contributed to the overspend. First capital grant round was budgeted for in quarter two.

29. $77,000 of capital investment took place during the first quarter of the financial year 2019/2020 in the Aotea / Great Barrier local board area against a year to budget of $97,000. Okiwi Park pump track installation and Claris playground shade sail installation are in progress and are expected to be complete before the end of the current financial year. Other projects in progress are Mulberry Grove skate ramp replacement, development of a cemetery in Claris and various other assets renewals.

30. Detailed financial report is provided in the financial performance attachment (Attachment C).

Revised Budget

31. For quarterly reporting purposes, annual plan budgets are revised to reflect changes in timing of delivery for individual projects.

32. Projects that were still in progress at 30 June 2019 have had their remaining required budget carried forward to the current or future financial years to fund the remaining works.

33. If a multi-year capital project was completed earlier than anticipated, the annual plan budget is reduced or brought forward to 30 June 2019 to reflect early completion.

34. Consideration is also given to the status of current capital projects and where required budgets are rephased in whole or part to outer years to reflect current timelines for delivery.

35. The net budgetary impact of these changes is reflected in the revised budget for the board.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

36. While the risk of non-delivery of the entire work programme is rare, the likelihood for risk relating to individual activities does vary. Capital projects for instance, are susceptible to more risk as on-time and on-budget delivery is dependent on weather conditions, approvals (e.g. building consents) and is susceptible to market conditions.

37. Information about any significant risks and how they are being managed and/or mitigated is addressed in the ‘Activities with significant issues’ section.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

38. The local board will receive the next performance update following the end of quarter two, December 2019.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Work programme 2019/2020 quarter 1 update report	115
b ⇩	Community Facility 2019/2020 work programme and 2020-2022 indicative work programme	121
c ⇩	Financial performance summary	125

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author	Jacqueline Fyers – Senior Local Board Advisor – Aotea / Great Barrier
Authoriser	Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

03 December 2019

Auckland Transport December 2019 update to the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

File No.: CP2019/19764

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide an update to the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board on transport related matters in their area including the Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) and the local board’s Community Safety Fund.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report covers:

· A general summary of operational projects and activities of interest to the local board

· An update on the local board’s Transport Capital Fund and Community Safety Fund

· Other Auckland Transport news of interest to the local board.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport December 2019 update report.

b) request that Auckland Transport create a rough order of cost for the replacement of the two culverts (identified by Environmental Services as numbers 66 & 68) under Aotea Road with oversized box culverts.

Horopaki

Context

3. Auckland Transport is responsible for all of Auckland’s transport services, excluding state highways. We report on a monthly basis to local boards, as set out in our Local Board Engagement Plan.

4. This monthly reporting commitment acknowledges the important engagement role local boards play within the governance of Auckland on behalf of their local communities.

5. This report updates the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board on Auckland Transport projects and operations in the local board area, it updates the local board on their advocacy and consultations and includes information on the status of the Local Board Transport Capital Fund and Community Safety Fund.

6. The Local Board Transport Capital Fund 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.

7. The Community Safety Fund was a capital budget established by Auckland Transport for use by local boards to fund local road safety initiatives. The purpose of this fund is to allow elected members to address long-standing local road safety issues that are not regional priorities and are therefore not being addressed by the Auckland Transport programme.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

8. Report on Auckland Transport projects and activities:

Activity	Summary	Update
Airfields	Claris – 925 aircraft movements recorded. Claris – New strobe approach lights on order from Australia. Stands and brackets to be fabricated on arrival by GBI Engineering. Claris - resurfacing of runway 10/28, taxiways and apron.	Installation TBA 2 – 5 December 2019
Wharves	Dinghy Rack at Tryphena / Shoal Bay –The team are getting confirmation from the stonemason when they can begin works.	Worked expected December / January 2020 TBC
Karaka Bay Road - Issues with vehicles safely passing.	Initial plans for passing bays developed. Renewals and Maintenance Team have confirmed that further work is required on the designs.
Road Sealing at Kaiaraara Road	Local Board Transport Capital Fund project to seal a section of Kaiaraara Road. Auckland Transport’s Renewals and Maintenance Team is funding approximately 50 per cent of the project.	Preparation works underway. Sealing is expected from the 9 December 2019
Cowshed Bridge – river bank erosion around bridge	Auckland Transport’s Structures Asset Management Team met with Auckland Transport consultants to initiate investigations issue and provide potential solutions. A Bailey Bridge was installed in October. The bridge will retained to allow safe access underneath the original bridge. Drilling investigations are required to establish the form of replacement. A hydrological study is to follow to determine bridge dimensions.	Have completed negotiations for drilling services which will commence first week in December 2019. Geotech data will inform design solution.
Slips on Puriri Bay Road	Discussions regarding consents have been held with Auckland Council. Proposed options currently been put forward for community and Iwi consultation. The results of liaison will then be incorporated into the consent application. Draft retrospective resource consent prepared with comments requested.	Projects presented to September 2019 Hui which deferred decisions to Ngati Wai and Ngati Rehua Iwi groups. Meeting to be arranged with both groups and new Project Manager.
Slips on Aotea Road	Consenting requirements prepared and documentation commencing. A programme of geotechnical investigations is currently being programmed for the larger slips.	Have completed negotiations for drilling services which will commence first week in December 2019. Geotech data will inform design solution.
Subsidence on Shoal Bay Road at Pah Beach	Holding remedial works are being priced by contractor. Further investigations are underway.	Have completed negotiations for drilling services which will commence first week in December 2019. Geotech data will inform design solution.
Community Shelters	Report presented to local board on the status of “community shelters.” Auckland Transport has agreed to do a final round of repair to make shelters safe. This forms full and final settlement with regards to Auckland Transport’s involvement with these assets.	Repair works underway.
Fish passage remediation	Following site visits from Auckland Transport, Environmental Services and Healthy Waters, a prioritized short list of the top three priority sites for fish passage remediation has been developed. The advice as a result of this visit is that it will be necessary to replace key locations with oversize box culverts. Auckland Transport will ensure that future renewals accommodate this.	A request for Auckland Transport to investigate a rough order of cost for using the LBTCF for the replacement of existing culverts at the highest priority site is included in this report.

Local Board Transport Capital Fund

9. As of the new electoral term the total available to the local board is $687,898

10. The previous local board has requested Auckland Transport to investigate a rough order of cost for traffic calmers at Claris settlement.

Community Safety Fund

11. All the local boards have finalised their prioritised lists of projects, received rough orders of cost, and approved the allocation of funds. The programme in total now stands at just under 100 projects.

12. The local board resolved for Auckland Transport to deliver the remaining section of the Hector Sanderson walkway. This is project 540 from the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board Transport Capital Fund.

13. Now that we have all the projects confirmed, Auckland Transport’s programme manager is finalising procurement for design work on all the projects. A project manager from Auckland Transport will be visiting the island in early December 2019 to conduct site visits.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

14. Auckland Transport is committed to minimising the negative effects that transport operations have on climate change. This includes encouraging emission neutral modes (walking & cycling) and low emission modes (public transport & ride sharing).

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

15. The impact of the information in this report is confined to Auckland Transport and does not impact on other parts of the council group. Any engagement with other parts of the council group will be carried out on an individual project basis.

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

Local impacts and local board views

16. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no local, sub-regional or regional impacts.

17. Auckland Transport attended workshops on 19 November 2019 with the local board.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

18. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no impacts or opportunities for Māori. Any engagement with Māori, or consideration of impacts and opportunities, will be carried out on an individual project basis.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

19. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no financial implications.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

20. The proposed decision of receiving the report has no risks. Auckland Transport has risk management strategies in place for all of their projects.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

21. Auckland Transport will provide another update report to the local board at their next business meeting.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Ben Halliwell – Auckland Transport Elected Member Relationship Manager

Authorisers

Jonathan Anyon – Auckland Transport Elected Member Relationship Team Manager

Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager - Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke

Chairperson	Izzy Fordham
Deputy Chairperson	Luke Coles
Members	Susan Daly
	Patrick O'Shea
	Valmaine Toki

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board Workshop Record - 22 October 2019	149
b ⇩	Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board Workshop Record - 30 October 2019	151
c ⇩	Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board Workshop Record - 5 November 2019	153
d ⇩	Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board Workshop Record - 12 November 2019	155
e ⇩	Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board Workshop Record - 19 November 2019	157

Author	Michael Mendoza - Democracy Advisor
Authoriser	Helgard Wagener - Relationship Manager – Aotea / Great Barrier and Waiheke