Agenda of Environment and Climate Change Committee

Environment and Climate Change Committee

10 June 2021

Adoption of the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan

File No.: CP2021/01195

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To adopt the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan (NHRMAP) and support its implementation.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan (Attachments A, B, C and D) outlines Auckland Council’s roles and responsibilities in managing natural hazard risk and identifies objectives and actions the council will take over the next 10 years to reduce risk from natural hazards.

3. The plan summarises Auckland’s risk from the 10 main natural hazards that impact the region, including assessments of the likelihood, scale, and consequences of potential natural hazard events. These natural hazards are:

· tornado

· uncontrolled wildfire

· flooding

· coastal inundation

· coastal erosion

· land instability

· severe wind

· earthquake

· tsunami

· volcanic activity.

4. NHRMAP is an internal operational plan that relates largely to Auckland Council’s own activities. NHRMAP is a two-part document with supporting appendices that outlines Auckland’s natural hazard risk and focuses on how Auckland Council can mitigate that risk.

5. Understanding, managing and reducing risk from natural hazards is integral to understanding what climate change adaptation looks like in practice. NHRMAP is a strategic deliverable in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan and in the Auckland Emergency Management Group Plan 2016-2021 ‘Resilient Auckland’.

6. Some actions in NHRMAP are being implemented through the council’s business as usual budgets, and some were funded through the emergency budget.

7. Further implementation of NHRMAP is an action in and funded via the Long-term Plan 2021-2031 climate action investment package. This includes a budget of $7.5 million (excluding depreciation) to implement various projects to understand and manage natural hazards that will be worsened by climate change.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Environment and Climate Change Committee:

a) adopt the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan attached to this report and supports its implementation as a living document

b) note the delivery of key actions of the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan are funded via the Long-term Plan 2021-2031 climate action investment package.

Horopaki

Context

8. On 17 December 2012, the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan (NHRMAP) was identified as a strategic requirement by the Auckland Plan Committee and adopted as an action in the Strategy and Policy Forward Programme. The original intent of the plan was to unify risk management across Auckland Council.

9. Since 2012 the following activities have contributed to the development of NHRMAP:

· From 2013 to 2016, natural hazard datasets were gathered and developed. Natural hazard risk assessments were developed, implemented, and analysed.

· From 2016 to 2019, Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) worked in consultation with members of Auckland Council and the CDEM group to develop potential actions the organisation could take to mitigate to natural hazard risk across the “4 Rs of Emergency Management”: reduction, readiness, response, and recovery”.

· In 2019, NHRMAP was presented to the CDEM Committee, which provided feedback that the plan needed further development.

· In 2020, it was identified that many of the actions duplicated those already in the Auckland CDEM Group Plan. NHRMAP was then rescoped to focus on the internal actions Auckland Council could take to build its capability and maturity in natural hazard risk management across identified function areas.

· In 2020, NHRMAP was identified as a key climate adaptation response in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan, and 11 NHRMAP projects were submitted under the long-term plan climate action investment package.

10. NHRMAP is an internally facing, two-part document with supporting appendices that outlines Auckland’s natural hazard risk and focuses on how Auckland Council can mitigate that risk.

· Part 1 gives an overview of the 10 natural hazards of most significance to Auckland and covers their likelihood, potential consequences, and risk they present (see Attachment A). Part 1 was developed to inform decision making.

· Part 2 outlines the function areas across Auckland Council that play a role in natural hazard risk management and the overarching objectives and actions Auckland Council will undertake over the next 10 years to reduce risk from natural hazards (see Attachment B). Part 2 was developed to support coordination across Auckland Council, to identify gaps in our activities, and to provide a platform to track progress.

· The Appendices provide greater detail on the statutory framework for managing natural hazards and the existing activities the council is progressing to manage natural hazards (see Attachment C).

11. NRHMAP is an integral component of Auckland Council’s natural hazard management approach and sits alongside other strategic documents such as Auckland Civil Defence Emergency Management’s (CDEM) Group Plan 2016-2021 (‘Resilient Auckland’), the Coastal Management Framework (2017), and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan (2020).

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

12. NHRMAP Part 1 identifies 10 natural hazards that pose the largest risk to Auckland in terms of their impact to the natural, cultural, economic and social environments. The 10 hazards are:

· tornado

· uncontrolled wildfire

· flooding

· coastal inundation

· coastal erosion

· land instability

· severe wind

· earthquake

· tsunami

· volcanic activity.

13. The natural hazard risk assessments were:

· informed by the best available information and data at the time of assessments (2014 to 2016) and supplemented with expert knowledge

· reviewed by an expert panel prior to their inclusion in the NHRMAP

· conducted in a repeatable manner, allowing for the assessments to be periodically updated every seven to 10 years.

14. The results of the assessments apply to the Auckland region as a whole and do not take precedence over more quantitative site-specific or national scale risk assessments that may be undertaken by other hazard management agencies.

15. Based on the results, the 10 natural hazards were classified into three categories:

· Small localised natural hazard events (tornado and uncontrolled rural fire) where the risk of occurrence is accepted because the consequence and impacts are minor and cannot be reduced through active management.

· Medium scale events (land instability, flooding, coastal erosion, coastal inundation and severe winds) which can have minor to major consequences and will likely be experienced by most Aucklanders in their lifetimes. Risk reduction methods can decrease the severity of the impacts of such events.

· Large scale events (tsunami, volcano and earthquake) which will have catastrophic consequences but have a low probability of occurring, and day-to-day operational management approaches are not required. Emergency response planning is key to mitigating the impacts of such events.

16. NHRMAP Part 2 outlines the role Auckland Council has and the actions it will take to manage and reduce the long-term risks of medium scale natural hazard events. The actions are grouped by objectives under seven functional areas which leverage existing council activities (see Attachment D).

17. The seven functional areas are:

· governance and leadership

· strategy, policy and planning

· regulations and consents

· asset management

· knowledge and research

· communication, education and community resilience building

· partnerships.

18. The actions identify key opportunities for the council to establish or improve overarching systems, programmes or projects that support natural hazard risk management as a whole, rather than individual hazards. All actions were confirmed by the relevant Auckland Council departments responsible for their delivery.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

19. The implementation of the NHRMAP will have no direct impact on greenhouse gas emissions or the approach to reducing emissions.

20. NHRMAP is a core adaptation response within Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan. Understanding, managing and reducing risk from natural hazards is integral to understanding what climate change adaptation looks like in practice.

21. Climate change is an exacerbating factor that impacts the likelihood and consequence of natural hazards risks. The NHRMAP risk assessments will be updated periodically to incorporate new exacerbating factor information and data as it becomes available.

22. Some of the actions funded through the climate action investment package include projects to better understand and manage natural hazards that will be worsened by climate change. For example:

· understanding the economic impacts of natural hazards

· mapping geotechnical risks

· funding collaboration with researchers and government organizations on risk mitigation

· assessing natural hazard information on Land Information Memorandums and Project Information Memorandum

· research into natural hazard impacts.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

23. NHRMAP focuses on the role and responsibilities of Auckland Council in the management of natural hazard risk. It was co-developed by the Chief Sustainability Office, Engineering and Technical Services, and Auckland Emergency Management.

24. The Risk and Assurance, Plans and Places, Healthy Waters, Development Programme Office, Auckland Plan, Strategy and Research, LIM Team, Legal, Regulatory Department, RIMU, Infrastructure Strategy Team, Chief Economist Unit, Connected Communities, Community Facilities teams have confirmed the actions they are responsible for delivering.

25. Although the roles and responsibilities of council-controlled organisations (CCOs) were not included in NHRMAP, the partnership function area outlines objectives related to data-sharing and the development of a coordinated management response to natural hazards.

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

Local impacts and local board views

26. Local boards will be engaged as stakeholders to build their knowledge and understanding of natural hazard risk management where it relates to their decision-making functions.

27. The specific actions that build the local boards’ capability in natural hazard risk management are stated in the governance, asset management and community engagement function areas.

28. For actions that build community resilience, local boards will be engaged on a project-by-project basis.

29. In April 2021, the NHRMAP was provided to all local boards for their information.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

30. The mana whenua kaitiaki forum was involved in the early development of this plan, including determining guiding principles, assessing risk impacts, and developing some improvement actions.

31. The involvement of Māori at all levels, from delivering services and activities on marae to governance and decision-making is identified as a key priority for Auckland. Specific actions have been identified to:

· increase representation and leadership in natural hazard risk management based on te ao Māori

· support marae and whanau Māori to build resilience to natural hazards.

32. Future hui and wānanga with mana whenua are planned to support a partnership approach going forward and ensure te ao Māori is represented in the continued development of NHRMAP as a living document.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

33. NHRMAP will facilitate better informed decision-making, management and planning for the resilience of council-owned infrastructure to natural hazard risk. Over time this will reduce the council’s potential liabilities.

34. Improved knowledge of natural hazard risks and their potential escalation due to climate change will likely result in an increased funding requirement for risk management related projects.

35. Some actions in NHRMAP are being implemented through the council’s business as usual budgets, and some were funded through the emergency budget.

36. Further implementation of NHRMAP is an action in and funded via the Long-term Plan 2021-2031 climate action investment package. This includes a budget of $7.5 million (excluding depreciation) to implement various projects to understand and manage natural hazards that will be worsened by climate change.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

37. The NHRMAP identifies key natural hazard risks that face Auckland and the approaches to manage these risks.

38. The adoption on NHRMAP will enable a coordinated and integrated approach to natural hazard risks across the council group.

39. The actions stated in NHRMAP will assist Auckland Council to develop its approach, preparedness and readiness for natural hazard risk and increase resilience to natural hazard events.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

40. An implementation strategy will be developed to support the delivery of NHRMAP actions.

41. NHRMAP will be reported on under the Climate Action Programme.

42. Engineering and Technical Services will co-ordinate reporting of NHRMAP actions and continue to work with other Auckland Council departments to build natural hazard risk management into core business.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan – Part 1	17
b ⇩	Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan – Part 2	59
c ⇩	Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan – Appendices	103
d ⇩	NHRMAP excerpt – function areas, objectives and actions	119

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Ross Roberts – Geotechnical & Geological Practice Lead

Tracy Howe – Principal Coastal Specialist – Hazards

Paul Klinac – General Manager Technical Services

Authorisers

Barry Potter - Director Infrastructure and Environmental Services

Megan Tyler - Chief of Strategy

Environment and Climate Change Committee

10 June 2021

Updating the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund guidelines

File No.: CP2021/00885

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve changes to the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund guidelines.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund is a contestable grants scheme established as a key initiative of Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para I Tāmaki Makaurau 2018: Auckland Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2018 (the Waste Plan 2018).

3. The fund supports initiatives that will help achieve the vision, targets, and strategic objectives of the waste plan, including waste minimisation and the diversion of waste from landfill in Auckland. The fund focuses on seed-funding new waste minimisation activities.

4. Recently Auckland Council carried out a review of the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund. The review aimed to simplify the administration of the fund and ensure that projects funded through this grant scheme help achieve goals and actions included in the waste plan.

5. Key changes recommended to the fund arising from the review are:

· merging the fund’s current April (budget $25,000) and September ($475,000) grant rounds into a single grant round ($500,000) in August, aligning with other regional grants

· identifying three or more priority waste streams included in the Waste Plan 2018 for funding for every grant round

· increasing the minimum funding amount for grants from $250 to $1000.

6. In general, the changes to the fund arising from the review are relatively minor and would not normally require a consultative process or decision from a committee of the council.

7. Because the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund guidelines were adopted as part of the Waste Plan 2018, the council was required to carry out a special consultative process to make these changes.

8. The council consulted the public in March 2021. A relatively small amount of public feedback was received (34 submissions) with around two-thirds supporting these changes.

9. Staff recommend updating the guidelines to include these changes (see Attachment A).

10. The review also recommended that Auckland Council more fully integrate Te Ao Māori into the fund. Staff will engage with mana whenua on options to do this, including integrating changes to the application form and scoring criteria to ensure that the fund contributes more effectively to Māori outcomes.

11. If the recommendations are approved, the funding guidelines and process will be updated for implementation prior to the next grant round in August 2021.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Environment and Climate Change Committee:

a) approve the “Applicant Guide to Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund” as shown in Attachment A of the agenda report.

b) note that staff will work with mana whenua to more fully integrate Te Ao Māori into the fund, with the aim of supporting more successful applications from Māori organisations.

c) delegate authority to the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, and an Independent Māori Statutory Board member to jointly approve any further changes to the “Applicant Guide to Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund”.

Horopaki

Context

Grant programme purpose and outcomes

12. The Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund was established to support waste minimisation initiatives using a portion of the funds allocated to Auckland Council from the national waste levy. The fund is primarily intended to provide seed-funding to encourage and enable creative reuse and recovery as well as generate economic opportunities.

13. Half of the total revenue generated from the national waste levy (currently set at $10 per tonne) is allocated to territorial authorities on a population basis. This money must be spent on promoting or achieving waste minimisation as set out in local authorities’ waste management and minimisation plans.

14. Local authorities may use funds from their allocation to promote or achieve waste minimisation as set out in the Waste Plan 2018 in accordance with section 47 of the Waste Minimisation Act 2008^{^[1]}.

15. The Auckland Council Waste Plan 2018 establishes the purpose of its Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund to:

· promote or achieve waste management and minimisation

· reduce waste to landfill in accordance with the objectives of the Waste Plan 2018

· foster new ideas and encourage community participation in reducing waste to landfill.

16. The fund is open to community groups, businesses, mana whenua, mataawaka, educational institutions and other organisations operating in the Auckland region.

Current funding rounds and grant amounts

17. The fund has an annual funding pool of $500,000. If funds are not fully allocated in one year, they are carried forward into the next funding round of the same size. Unspent allocations can also be returned to the budget if no longer required by the grant recipient.

18. The fund has one funding round per year in September for grants of over $5,000 with an annual budget of $450,000 and two funding rounds for small grants of $5,000 and under in April and September, with annual budgets of $25,000 for each round.

19. Sub-categories for funding allocation are summarised in Table 1 below.

20. The fund has a minimum threshold of $250, and a maximum threshold of $50,000. Multi-year projects are supported for a maximum of three years with a minimum threshold of $25,001 and a maximum threshold of $50,000. Applications requesting funding of more than $50,000 in a single year period are considered on merit at the discretion of subject matter experts and council staff.

21. Decision-making for grants of up to $5,000 is delegated to the General Manager Waste Solutions, with decision-making for grants of over $5,000 delegated to the Governing Body.

Table 1: Sub-categories for allocating grant funding

Category	Grant range	Application period each financial year
Small projects	From $250 - $5,000	April and September
Medium projects	From $5001 - $25,000	September
Large and multi-year projects	$25,001 and over	September

Outcome areas

22. Funding is allocated through four outcome areas:

· resource recovery initiatives and facilities

· commercial waste

· organic waste

· community action and behaviour change.

23. Funding criteria currently allows for assessment against:

· strategic alignment

· waste minimisation

· community participation and/or benefit

· value for money

· quality of proposal.

24. A minimum 50 per cent contribution towards the projects is required from applicants. This can be achieved through additional funding from their own or other resources, or time-in-kind.

25. Overall, the fund has been successful in supporting projects to minimise waste to landfill. Since its inception it has funded 414 projects with a total value of $4.5 million.

26. The fund is typically also over-subscribed. Currently Auckland Council receives a high volume of applications, requesting more than six times the available funding and declines more than 50 per cent of the applications received. This demonstrates the high level of public awareness and interest in the fund.

Factors leading to proposed changes

27. The fund is in its ninth financial year and has not received a full review since establishment in 2013, allowing the potential for some elements of the fund to become outdated or misaligned. This review provides an opportunity to identify and implement efficiencies and improvements.

28. The Domestic Waste Services: Value for Money (S17A) Review 2017 also recommended that the fund be reviewed to identify any opportunities for improvements and efficiencies.

29. For these reasons Auckland Council’s Waste Solution Department is proposing to update the guidelines and processes for the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.

30. In general, the council is usually able to make minor changes or improvements to our regional grants without a public consultation process.

31. In the case of the waste fund any changes to the guidelines require the council to undertake a special consultative process because the fund guidelines were adopted as part of the Waste Plan 2018 (ENV/2018/70).

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Review of the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund

32. In the first stage of the review staff consulted with internal teams at the council such as:

· Waste Solutions

· Education and Community Climate Action

· Grants and Incentives

· Whatu Whanaungatanga Relationship Management Unit

· Communications and Marketing

· Ngā Mātārae and staff from the Independent Māori Statutory Board.

33. Staff also engaged with several external groups, including administrators from other waste minimisation funds in New Zealand, the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund administrators, and WasteMINZ Sector Group.

34. This initial stage of the review highlighted some key areas for potential change, which were the number of funding rounds held per year, the size of grants given out in each funding round, the awarding of multi-year grants and the current assessment criteria.

35. The need to more fully integrate Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori into the fund was also identified.

Analysis of options for changing the fund

36. Options for changes were assessed against various criteria shown in Table 2 such as the:

· potential to reduce waste to landfill

· impact on applicants – particularly in terms of flexibility (i.e., ability to apply at two times in the year) versus effort (time taken to apply to a regional grant scheme)

· cost-effectiveness of running the grant scheme

· alignment with other regional grants

· delivery of Māori outcomes.

37. Not all of these criteria were relevant to all the changes considered.

38. In most cases, options for changes to the fund were assessed against the status quo. For the number of funding rounds per year staff assessed three options:

· the status quo – a small grants round distributing $25,000 in April and a small, medium and large grants rounds in September distributing $475,000

· running a single grants round in August with an annual budget of $500,000

· running two full grant rounds for small, medium and large grants a year.

39. Overall, the analysis found:

· combining the grant rounds would be more cost-effective and staff will be able to provide ongoing support to projects to achieve better outcomes

· raising the size of grant supported by the fund would reduce the time spent by applicants on small applications and better align with other regional grants

· removing multi-year funding would allow for the grant budget to be distributed across multiple projects and reduce financial risk

· engaging with mana whenua to update the assessment criteria to more fully integrate Te Ao Māori is likely to encourage groups who apply to achieve Māori outcomes and/or to partner with mana whenua or mataawaka groups.

Table 2. Analysis of options for changes to the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund

	Reducing waste	Impact on applicants	Reduces cost to run grant	Aligns with other grants	Enhance Māori outcomes
Number of grants rounds
Status quo – small grants in April and small, medium & large in September	Neutral	üü	ûû	ûû	Neutral
One grant round in August	Neutral	ûû	üüü	üüü	Neutral
Two grant rounds for small, medium & large per year	Neutral	ûûû	ûûû	ûûû	Neutral
Grant size
Status quo - $250 up	Neutral	ü	ûûû	ûû	Neutral
Increase minimum to $1,000	ü	û	üüü	üüü	Neutral
Type of grants awarded – Multi versus single year
Status quo – multi-year available	Neutral	ü	ûû	üüü	Neutral
Single year grants only	Neutral	üü	üü	ü	Neutral
Updating assessment criteria, including to more fully integrate Te Ao Māori
Status quo – not including Māori outcomes	Neutral	ûû	Neutral	ûûû	ûûû
Integrate Māori outcomes	Neutral	üü	û	üüü	üüü

Key

ûûû	ûû	û	ü	üü	üüü
most negative	moderately negative	slightly negative	slightly positive	moderately positive	most positive

Outcomes of consultation process

40. Once areas for improvement had been identified, staff sought further feedback via email from individuals with an interest in this topic, such as past applicants to the fund and current recipients in March 2021.

41. The changes to the fund were also advertised through the AK Have Your Say website and feedback form, promoted in Our Auckland and social media. Staff also conducted, three drop-in sessions across Auckland as part of the consultation process.

42. The council consulted the public on four key improvements to the fund as shown below in Table 4. These were:

· merging the grant rounds to a single grant round

· removing multi-year funding

· increasing the minimum funding threshold to $1,000

· reviewing the assessment criteria to integrate Te Ao Māori into the fund and align with current plans, such as Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan.

43. Overall, 34 people provided feedback on the proposed changes. The feedback was generally supportive with around two-thirds in favour of these changes. The responses are summarised below in Table 3.

Table 3. Feedback received on the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund Review

Feedback questions	Agree	Disagree	Other
The September and April grant rounds will be merged into a single grant round and will open in August annually	21	8	5
Remove multi-year applications from the grant round	21	9	4
Increase the minimum funding amount for the small grant round from $250 to $1000	28	4	2
Reviewing the assessment criteria and implementing Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori into the fund. We propose to review the assessment criteria to ensure funded applications align with current plans	25	7	2

Recommended changes to fund arising from options analysis and public feedback

44. Overall, based on the public feedback and options analysis outlined above, staff recommend that the operation of the fund be updated as shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4. Proposed changes to the waste fund and rationale

Proposed Changes	Rationale
Apply three or more priority waste streams identified under the Waste Plan 2018 for funding for every grant round	This will focus applications to align with priority waste streams identified by Ministry for the Environment under the national Waste Minimisation Fund and reduce the number of applications that are declined due to some projects being very generic.
Merging the April and September grant round into a single grant round that will be run in August	This aligns with other regional grants available in Council and will increase the funding pool of the small grant round in August from $25,000 to $50,000, providing applicants to the small grant round the opportunity to access a larger funding pool within a single grant round. Reduces staff’s current workload by merging the two rounds.
Increase the minimum funding amount from $250 to $1,000	The fund is becoming an increasingly competitive grants scheme, and we have received an increase in innovative, high scoring applications, resulting in quality projects missing out on funding every round due to budget constraints. The funding threshold increase will improve value for investment and increase benefits of the fund.
Remove multi-year applications and provide more defined guidelines to allow funding recipients to return for additional funding to cover expansions	The grant scheme is primarily intended to provide seed funding, but it also enables existing projects to apply for funding if there is a significant expansion. This change will allow the grant budget to be distributed across multiple projects, which is positive as the grant is over-subscribed. On average we decline more than 50 per cent of the applicants every year. Further to this, it reduces financial risk for the applicant and Auckland Council.
Ensure that scoring and assessment criteria of applications are aligned with the Waste Plan 2018, Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan and Māori Outcomes	The current guidelines were created in 2017 and are outdated. The updated guidelines will align with current plans while still meeting the intended purpose of the fund.
Update the guidelines to ensure that consenting requirements, health and safety, composting standards, traffic management plans, standard operating procedures etc are met by the applicant.	This will ensure the applicant’s checklist for this fund is updated to current standards and requirements and reduce staff time taken to assess the projects.

45. Updates to the guidelines that are required to implement these changes are shown in Attachment A. Staff recommend the committee approve the updated guidelines.

46. Some of the changes recommended in Table 4, like the inclusion of three or more priority waste streams, are not evident in Attachment A as they are not dependent on updating the guidelines. These changes will be delivered through updating the fund’s website page and online application form.

47. With regards to implementing Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori into the fund, staff will engage with mana whenua on the best ways to achieve these outcomes as outlined in the Māori Impact Statement below.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

48. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan sets a regional goal to reduce Auckland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 from 2016 levels.

49. According to the data provided in the Auckland Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2016, the contribution of waste to overall greenhouse gas emissions is approximately 3.1 per cent. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is solid waste disposal. This category includes disposal of household waste, construction and demolition waste, industrial sites, cleanfill and farm fills.

50. One of the key criteria for allocation of funding under the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund is the potential for a project to divert waste from landfill. The diversion of waste from landfill contributes to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

51. Currently, it is difficult to quantify the exact emissions reductions that will be achieved through every grant round. This is because funding is allocated to many different organisations from across community and industry sectors that may not subscribe to one emissions reporting methodology.

52. Our ability to measure the emissions reductions from the fund (and increase these) will be improved if the recommendation to update the fund guidelines and scoring criteria to align with Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan is approved.

53. This will mean projects will be required to give details on their greenhouse gas emissions as part of their project accountability reporting. This will enable us to directly determine and drive improvements in emissions reductions achieved from projects funded through the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

54. In the first stage of the review staff consulted with internal teams at the council with expertise in areas such as waste minimisation, community engagement, sustainability initiatives, and grants management.

55. The grant review has no identified impacts on council-controlled organisations and therefore their views on updating the guidelines and process improvements were not sought.

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

Local impacts and local board views

56. Local boards were not asked to provide formal feedback, given that the proposed changes to the fund are relatively minor.

57. A memo informing local board members of the proposed changes to the funding guidelines and recommended process improvements was sent in May 2021. No questions or feedback had been received at the time of writing.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

58. A guiding principle of the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund is to support waste minimisation projects which enable Māori in their role as kaitiaki. This includes enabling Māori to participate in co-management of resources and support sustainable development of Māori outcomes, leadership, community and partnerships.

59. Staff from Ngā Mātārae and the Independent Māori Statutory Board were consulted during the initial stages of the review process to identify areas for improvement.

60. The feedback received recommended that the council integrate changes to the application form and scoring criteria to ensure that the fund contributes more effectively to Māori outcomes. Staff will engage with mana whenua on options to do this.

61. Options proposed include adding scoring criteria weighting to prioritise waste minimisation projects that enable mana whenua in their role as kaitiaki and mataawaka businesses and organisations with waste minimisation capability, as outlined in the Waste Plan 2018.

62. Staff recommend that authority be delegated to the Chair and Deputy Chair of Environment and Climate Change Committee and a member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board to approve any further required changes to the guidelines to achieve these outcomes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

63. There are no significant financial implications arising from the recommendations in this report as the overall budget allocation for the fund remains the same.

64. The removal of multi-year funding will reduce the financial risk to applicants and Auckland Council and will allow the grant budget to be distributed across multiple projects as the grant is heavily oversubscribed.

65. Combining the two grants rounds into a single grant round and raising the minimum value of grants awarded will make the fund more efficient and cost-effective to run. Freeing up staff time from administering the grant process will mean they have more capacity to support successful applicants and monitor outcomes from the fund.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

66. Staff have not identified many significant risks arising from the proposed minor changes to the fund. Two risks and mitigations are shown below in Table 5.

Table 5. Risks and mitigations arising from proposed changes to the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund

Risk

Mitigation

Raising the minimum value of grants supported could mean that some small grant applications are not able to receive funding.

Likelihood: Low

Consequence: Low

There are few applications to the fund requesting less than $1,000 (approximately six to nine per year for the last three years) and these are mostly from schools or early childhood centers. Most of these applications are requests for worm farms, compost bins and recycling bins.

The process required to apply for and assess these grants through the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund is time consuming for both the Council and applicants. There are other grants provided by the council that are more suitable to support these types of projects like the Local Board Quick Response Grants.

Removal of multi-year funding criteria might affect large projects requiring extensive timeline to deliver projects

Likelihood: Low

Consequence: Moderate

There were no multi-year grants approved in the past three years due to the grant round being heavily oversubscribed.

Applicants can re-apply for funding for an existing project if there is a significant expansion to the project scope and it contributes to increasing the outcomes achieved from the project.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

67. If the recommendations for administrative changes to the fund are approved, the funding guidelines and process will be updated prior to the next grant round in August 2021.

68. Internal council departments, past applicants and grantees will be notified of the changes to the fund in June 2021.

69. Staff will also engage with mana whenua to ensure Te Ao Māori is more fully integrated into the fund. Changes arising from this engagement will be integrated into the fund.

70. Further to this, the new guidelines will be updated on the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund grants page. The opening of the grants round will be covered on Our Auckland, in our Zero Waste newsletter, social media, and regional grant workshops.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Updated Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund guidelines (updates shown in track changes)	137

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Samantha Arumugam, Waste Planning Advisor

Sarah Le Claire, Waste Planning Manager

Authorisers

Parul Sood - Manager Waste Planning

Barry Potter - Director Infrastructure and Environmental Services

Megan Tyler - Chief of Strategy

Environment and Climate Change Committee

10 June 2021

Auckland Council's submission on the Ministry of Transport's Hīkina te Kohupara - Kia mauri ora ai te iwi | Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050

File No.: CP2021/06837

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. The purpose of the report is to:

a) provide an update on the Ministry of Transport’s discussion document on Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050; and

b) seek approval to delegate authority to Environment and Climate Change Committee members to provide direction for drafting Auckland Council’s submission and approving the final submission.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Ministry of Transport’s discussion document, Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 (Hīkina te Kohupara), sets out a system-wide approach to shift Aotearoa’s transport system onto a zero emissions pathway. Hīkina te Kohupara was released on 21 May 2021 and can be accessed here. Submissions close on 25 June 2021.

3. The discussion document will contribute to the government’s Emissions Reduction Plan, which must be completed by December 2021. It will also be used to develop a 10 to 15 year transport emissions action plan for New Zealand.

4. Nationally, the transport sector is responsible for 47 per cent of total domestic CO₂ emissions, and 19.7 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Without a largely decarbonised transport system, Aotearoa will not be able to achieve its net zero carbon by 2050 target as mandated by the Climate Change Response Act 2020.

5. Hīkina te Kohupara takes a systems approach to emissions reduction and identifies opportunities to reduce emissions across three themes:

· Theme 1: Changing the way we travel

· Theme 2: Improving our passenger vehicles

· Theme 3: Supporting a more efficient freight system

6. The discussion document includes four potential pathways to net zero carbon by 2050, with each of the pathways placing a different weight on the interventions in the ‘Avoid, Shift, Improve’ framework:

· Avoid: Reducing motorised travel through avoiding and shortening trips (e.g. land use planning)

· Shift: Redistributing trips from private vehicles to lower emissions travel options (e.g. investment in public transport and active modes)

· Improve: Increasing the energy efficiency of the vehicle fleet (e.g. electric vehicle purchase incentives).

7. Pathways One and Four place more emphasis on ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions. The Ministry of Transport considers Pathways One and Four to be more impactful and cost effective at reducing emissions compared to Pathways Two and Three, which focus more on ‘improve’ interventions.

8. Only Pathway Four meets the interim target set in the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice. It focuses on aggressive and early implementation of interventions that reduce private vehicle demand while increasing accessibility and travel choice, as well as strong electric vehicle uptake.

9. Officers recommend Pathway Four as the decarbonising pathway for Aotearoa, noting that Auckland has a much steeper regional pathway and relies on ambitious national targets and policies calibrated to achieving them, to cut emissions to the scale required in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

10. While not government policy, adoption of the interventions identified in Hīkina te Kohupara would require a transformation of the existing transport planning and investment system.

11. Local government has control of, or at least some influence over, several of these interventions including those related to accelerating mode shift, reallocating road space, reprioritising investment away from additional roading capacity, and shaping urban form.

12. However, Auckland Council’s ability to effectively implement these interventions with the urgency that the emissions reduction targets it has adopted demands, is often constrained by:

· availability of funding

· slow decision-making processes

· committed investments that do not support emissions reduction

· the need to balance emissions reduction against other outcomes

· opposition from some members of the community.

13. It is critical that those policy and investment levers that have the potential to yield more immediate results are fully utilised to ensure progress toward Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri’s ambitious interim 2030 target of a 64 percent reduction in transport emissions. There is often a long lag time between policy intervention and its impact on emissions (planning policy to shape a compact urban form for example).

14. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport will engage with Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) partners to determine how ATAP could more effectively deliver on climate change targets, while noting the need to deliver on other transport outcomes, particularly safety.

15. Partnership with Māori is critical to ensuring Māori voices and mātauranga Māori are embedded in the development of emissions reduction pathways.

16. In 2020 Auckland Council endorsed Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan, establishing a goal to halve Auckland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The decarbonisation pathway and targets detailed in the plan have been endorsed by C40 as compliant with the 1.5°C ambition of the Paris Agreement. On-road transport is the largest source of emissions in the Auckland region, generating about 38.5 per cent of all emissions in 2018.

17. Auckland Council will soon have the opportunity to consider a number of significant policy matters of relevance to the matters considered in Hīkina te Kohupara including the implementation of the National Policy Statement on Urban development (NPS UD), resource management reform, and Auckland’s Transport Emissions Reduction Plan. While consideration of these matters will involve some challenging trade-offs, it is crucial that any decisions made reflect Auckland Council’s commitment to reduce transport emissions as articulated in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Environment and Climate Change Committee:

a) support the high-level intent of Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 to reduce transport emissions to zero by 2050.

b) offer in principle support for Pathway Four for Aotearoa (very strong emphasis on ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions, with a focus on early implementation) as outlined in Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050, noting that Auckland’s transport decarbonisation pathway as encapsulated in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan requires a steeper reduction in emissions, as befits Auckland’s highly urbanised environment

c) delegate to the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, the Mayor and a member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board the authority to:

i) provide direction to staff on the development of the submission to the Ministry of Transport’s Hīkina te Kohupara discussion document

ii) approve the final submission to the Ministry of Transport on behalf of the Environment and Climate Change Committee.

Horopaki

Context

18. The Ministry of Transport is consulting on the discussion document Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 (Hīkina te Kohupara). Hīkina te Kohupara identifies what Aotearoa could do to shift the transport system onto a pathway to zero emissions by 2050.

19. Hīkina te Kohupara will inform government’s first Emissions Reduction Plan (due to be released at the end of December 2021) and support the development of a 10 to 15 year transport emissions action plan for New Zealand.

20. Hīkina te Kohupara is a discussion document and does not reflect current government policy. Other government ministries are expected to produce similar discussion documents in the coming months to inform government’s Emissions Reduction Plan.

21. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are developing a joint submission to respond to Hīkina te Kohupara. The submission will be informed by the positions and targets agreed in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan (Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri), which was adopted by the Auckland Council Environment and Climate Change Committee in 2020.

22. Auckland Council’s submission will also rely on the positions reached in the Auckland Council’s submission to the Climate Change Commission’s (the Commission’s) draft advice, which was jointly developed with Auckland Transport.

23. The submission process closes on 25 June 2021.

Summary of the Hīkina te Kohupara discussion document

24. Hīkina te Kohupara identifies opportunities to reduce emissions across three themes:

i. Theme 1 – Changing the way we travel

· Land use planning: Enabling quality compact and mixed-use urban development helps to reduce car dependency and trip distances. This in turn makes it more attractive for people to access work, schools and other opportunities by public transport and active modes such as walking and cycling. The emissions impacts of land use changes will become more pronounced over the medium to long term.

· Transport investments and prioritisation: Central and local governments should reconsider planned investments in urban highways and road expansion projects that induce more vehicle travel. At the same time, more investments are needed for travel options that generate low or no emissions, such as quality public transport services, safe and accessible walking and cycling networks, and shared mobility. Reallocation of existing road space to cater for cycle lanes and bus lanes can deliver mode shift and emissions reductions relatively quickly and affordably, using existing infrastructure.

· Travel demand management: Tools such as congestion charging, parking management and low emissions zones can play an important role in travel behaviour change. However, blunt charging tools can have significant distributional impacts.

ii. Theme 2 – Improving our passenger vehicles

· Clean cars: Decarbonising the light vehicle fleet is an important part of reaching a zero emissions transport system. Government policies such as subsidies and fuel efficiency standards are needed to increase the supply of and demand for clean cars. Supporting infrastructure such as charging networks are also necessary.

· Decarbonising the existing fleet: Given the slow turnover of Aotearoa’s vehicle fleet, options to decarbonise the existing fleet are needed. This includes removing fossil-fueled vehicles from the fleet (through scrappage schemes) and transitioning to biofuels.

· Decarbonising the public transport fleet: Shifting public transport fleets, especially buses, to low emissions vehicles, is an important part of the transition to a zero emissions pathway. Government support includes funding for the buses or supporting infrastructure such as depots.

iii. Theme 3 – Supporting a more efficient freight system

· Greening supply chains: Government is starting work on a National Supply Chain Strategy which will consider opportunities to reduce supply chain emissions for Aotearoa. Some initiatives that could be applied in Aotearoa include optimising freight routes, equipment and vehicles, and making better use of data.

· Low emissions freight modes: Shifting some of the freight task to less carbon intensive modes such as rail and coastal shipping will help to reduce transport emissions.

· Decarbonising freight vehicles: While there is a high degree of uncertainty around the timeframe in which zero emissions freight vehicles will be commercially available, initiatives such as increasing the uptake of alternative green fuels (e.g. biofuels), electrification, and/or green hydrogen are progressing.

25. There are many similarities between Hīkina te Kohupara and the Commission’s draft advice. Notable differences include a greater emphasis in Hīkina te Kohupara on the impact of urban development, street design and mode shift interventions in reducing transport emissions. Freight also features more prominently in Hīkina te Kohupara.

26. Hīkina te Kohupara includes four potential pathways to net zero carbon by 2050 (Table 1). Each of the pathways place a different weight on the interventions in the ‘Avoid, Shift, Improve’ framework:

· Avoid: Reducing motorised travel through avoiding and shortening trips, for example through compact growth policies and demand management interventions such as road pricing, parking management and flexible working arrangements

· Shift: Redistributing trips from private vehicles to lower emissions travel options, including public transport, walking and cycling, and replacing road freight with rail and coastal shipping

· Improve: Increasing the energy efficiency of motorised vehicles, for example by introducing fuel efficiency standards and low emissions vehicles purchase incentives.

Table 1: Hīkina te Kohupara’s four transport emissions reduction pathways

Pathway 1	Assumes ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ initiatives (Theme 1) play a significant role in reducing transport emissions.
Pathway 2	Assumes ‘improve’ initiatives (Theme 2) play a more significant role in reducing emissions than Pathway 1.
Pathway 3	Assumes ‘improve’ initiatives (Theme 2) play a more significant role in reducing emissions than the other pathways, compensating for limited ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ changes.
Pathway 4	Gives even stronger weight to ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ initiatives (Theme 1) than all other pathways and assumes early intervention of ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions to bring forward their impact on emissions. Also assumes very strong electric vehicle uptake, albeit as part of a much smaller vehicle fleet than is assumed in the other pathways.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Implications of Hīkina te Kohupara for Auckland

27. Government and Auckland Council have a shared goal of net zero carbon by 2050. However, Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri has a more ambitious interim target of a 50 per cent overall emissions reduction by 2030 against 2016 levels. In addition, Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri sets a steeper target of 64 per cent reduction in the transport sector, given relative difficulties in reducing emissions at-scale in other sectors (e.g. from industrial processes).

28. While Auckland Council is prioritising transport investments supporting mode shift, it requires stronger policy, legislative and budgetary settings from central government to make deep and rapid cuts to the region’s transport emissions. This includes changes to regulatory and financial settings to accelerate mode shift, policies to fast-track the transition to low emissions vehicles, and land transport pricing and funding reform.

29. Constrained and misallocated budgets, slow decision-making processes and the time lag between policy interventions and their emissions reduction impacts, create additional challenges for Auckland to achieve what are already highly ambitious targets.

30. Similarly, some of the policy signals from central government, such as support for projects that add roading capacity and requirements for local government to accept out-of-sequence greenfield growth, do not align with the urgent need to reduce transport emissions. Hīkina te Kohupara recognises this and puts forward means of addressing some of this misalignment.

31. At the same time, Auckland Council also needs to fully utilise the policy levers that are within local government’s control – land use planning, urban form, road space reallocation, mode shift investments, and parking policy, for example.

32. As Auckland requires transformative action from central government to deliver on its regional commitments, so too will the successful realisation of Aotearoa’s emissions reduction commitments require strong climate action from Auckland, particularly for transport.

Developing Auckland Council’s and Auckland Transport’s submission

33. Hīkina te Kohupara sets out 14 consultation questions. Auckland Council’s submission will respond to these questions and be structured around the themes of:

· reducing private vehicle travel, while increasing accessibility and travel choice

· accelerating the transition to zero emissions vehicles

· increasing the efficiency of the freight system

· selecting a transport decarbonisation pathway for Aotearoa.

Reducing private vehicle travel, while increasing accessibility and travel choice

34. The breadth and scale of the urgent transformation required to meet stated transport emissions reduction objectives demands action from many actors across central and local government, business and wider society. Local government has, to one extent or another, the ability to influence many of the policy levers highlighted in Hīkina te Kohupara that can help reduce the need to travel by private vehicle while also substantially increasing accessibility via other modes such as public transport, walking and cycling.

35. Interventions are urgently required across a range of policy levers that impact on urban form, mode shift and travel demand management. However, the impacts of changed policy approaches in some of these areas will take years, if not decades, to bring about significant reduction in regional emissions. It is therefore crucial that decisions taken today set Auckland on a longer term pathway to zero transport emissions by 2050.

36. Equally, it is critical that those policy and investment levers that have the potential to yield more immediate results are fully utilised to achieve the ambitious interim 2030 target of a 64 percent reduction in transport emissions.

Accelerating mode shift to public and active transport

37. Accelerating mode shift toward public and active transport is one area where there may be potential to deliver relatively rapid emissions reductions. But this will require urgent action across a number of challenging policy levers in a funding constrained environment, including:

· reallocating funding away from projects that will increase capacity on the roading network for private vehicles

· providing more funding for public transport services to enable greater coverage and frequency

· a much stronger emphasis on road space reallocation as a relatively cost effective means of providing for bus priority and safe active mode infrastructure

38. Auckland has experienced rapid increases in public transport patronage in recent years (more than 100 million boardings in 2019 compared to 59 million in 2009). However, the scale of mode shift required to support shared climate goals dwarves the successes of the past decade, particularly given that travel by private and commercial vehicles also increased substantially over the same period (primarily due to population growth and longer average trip lengths).

Reconsideration of roading projects

39. Investment in large scale transport infrastructure can lock in travel patterns, and help shape urban form, for decades. Investment decisions are therefore a crucial element in determining the potential to reduce emissions generated by the transport sector. While not government policy, Hīkina te Kohupara emphasises the need to ensure that available funding is targeted at public and active transport rather than highway expansion stating that:

to reduce and avoid transport emissions, central and local government have to reconsider planned investments in major urban highway and road expansion projects if they would induce more vehicle travel. (p35)

40. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport will engage with Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) partners to determine how ATAP could more effectively deliver on climate change targets, while noting the need to also deliver on other transport outcomes, particularly safety.

41. There may be some scope within Auckland Transport’s ten year programme to reallocate funding in a way that enhances emissions reduction potential by bringing forward mode shift accelerating projects. However, this would be subject to having a pipeline of construction ready projects and availability of sufficient funding flexibility within the early years of Auckland Transport’s ten year programme.

42. Analysis undertaken in the development of the ATAP 2021-2031 package found that only a small portion of Auckland Transport’s programme consisted of projects that will increase emissions. This needs to be caveated by the fact that slightly more than half of Auckland Transport’s programme was rated as either emissions neutral or insufficiently detailed to enable an assessment of its emissions impact. The way in which funding for large programmes such as renewals and safety is allocated to specific projects will ultimately determine the emissions profile of Auckland Transport’s overall investment programme.

43. Conversely, the analysis found that many large scale central government funded roading projects will increase Auckland’s transport emissions. These projects are therefore candidates for reconsideration in light of stated emissions reduction objectives.

Funding and process related challenges to significantly improving public transport services

44. Hīkana te Kohupara discusses at length the necessity of encouraging a shift to travel by low emissions modes and the role of streetscape design and road reallocation in helping bring about this shift. This narrative is consistent with Auckland Council’s position as articulated in the Auckland Plan 2050 and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri and should be supported in the submission. However, Hīkana te Kohupara is silent on funding availability for service improvements as a key constraint that currently impedes progress on mode shift.

45. While rail based rapid transit will play a key role in driving patronage growth once the City Rail Link is operational and light rail has been built, buses will continue to carry the bulk of passengers for the foreseeable future. As such accelerating patronage growth on the bus network will be critical if mode shift to public transport is to make a significant contribution to the interim 2030 emissions reduction target. This requires sustained improvements in interpeak and evening and weekend services (across all public transport modes), to provide better access to jobs, education and amenities at all times, especially for communities in the south and west of the city.

46. However, the ability to expand bus services over the next few years is severely constrained by the availability of funding. Although the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) is still to be finalised, Auckland Transport has signaled that available funding will support only limited improvements to bus frequency and coverage across the network. This will not be sufficient to support the step change required if climate goals are to be met.

47. Additionally, the business case process and other requirements to access what funding is available from Waka Kotahi are slow and do not support the urgency of action required.

48. Officers support the narrative of Hīkana te Kohupara on the criticality of public transport improvements, while also noting the significant challenges around funding and the need for rapid progress on complementary measures to drive the scale of mode shift required to make progress on emissions reduction goals.

Road space reallocation and street redesign

49. Hīkina te Kohupara found that street level changes to support public transport and active travel could be undertaken swiftly given the potential to reallocate space on existing roads without necessarily building extensive new infrastructure.

50. Officers support this view as road space reallocation through the provision of bus priority measures and safe active mode infrastructure can be a relatively cost effective means of encouraging mode shift and has the potential to yield more timely results than other interventions.

Travel demand management

51. Hīkina te Kohupara discusses road pricing as a key means of encouraging people to travel less and, in particular, moderating demand for private vehicle travel. Auckland Council gave its in principle support for the introduction of congestion pricing in Auckland subject to significant caveats around addressing its equity impacts and ensuring sufficient public and active transport alternatives are in place prior to its introduction on a given corridor.

52. While road pricing, if eventually approved, will play a key role in moderating VKT over the medium to long term its implementation is some years off. Consequently, more immediate travel demand management tools must be considered as part of the package of interventions needed to achieve the stated goal of a 64 percent reduction in transport emissions by 2030.

53. Hīkina te Kohupara discusses parking policy as another tool for managing travel demand. Changes to parking policy can have both immediate and longer term impacts on the propensity of people to travel by car through variations to price, time restrictions and the supply of public car parks. In the longer term changes to planning regulations such as the removal of parking minimum requirements for developments will also play a role in reducing VKT.

54. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport have the opportunity to address their approach to parking and ensure it is aligned with climate change objectives through the response to the NPS UD (which removes the use of parking minimums) and the review of Auckland Transport’s parking strategy that is currently underway.

55. ‘Avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions will require a strong focus on behaviour change to bring communities on the low carbon transport journey. Officers recommend that central government fund local government to develop an intentional programme of interventions through marketing campaigns, events and community engagement. Strategically working with communities as and when new infrastructure is available to them is an effective way of ensuring successful uptake of new infrastructure and technology.

Urban form and land use

56. Hīkana te Kohupara emphasises the role a compact urban form can play as a powerful enabler of emissions reductions. This reflects that fact that compared to expansion into greenfield areas, intensification in existing urban areas generally enables households and businesses to travel shorter distances to access employment, education and other amenities.

57. Auckland Council has a key role in helping shape Auckland’s future urban form through documents such as the Auckland Plan 2050, the Auckland Unitary Plan and the Future Urban Supply Strategy. Between them these documents take a quality compact approach to growth and development. This means future development will be focused in the existing urban area and in identified future urban areas within Auckland’s urban footprint, with only limited expansion into rural areas. This approach aligns well with the narrative in Hīkana te Kohupara.

58. However, Auckland’s current urban form grew out of more expansionary planning approaches of previous decades. While the adoption of the Auckland Unitary Plan in 2016 has catalysed relatively rapid intensification in some areas, changes to urban form take time and it may be many years before the planning approaches of today have a substantial impact on the shape of the city as a whole. Given this long lead in time it is therefore crucial that land use planning decisions, such as those relating to the implementation of the NPS UD, reflect the council’s stated goal of a zero emissions transport system by 2050.

59. Improved consistency and alignment of central government policy direction would help in this regard. The NPS UD includes climate change as both an objective and a policy, yet it also requires councils to enable growth in greenfield areas and be responsive to out of sequence plan changes. As such it could enable a more fragmented development pattern that does not promote transport emissions reduction.

60. Land use decisions taken over the next few years will lock in growth patterns that will significantly impact on the potential to reduce transport emissions over the next few decades. The submission should note some inconsistencies in government policy direction, their misalignment with government and council’s stated emissions reduction objectives and the opportunity to revisit them through the ongoing resource management reform process.

Miscellaneous considerations

61. Hīkina te Kohupara discusses the potential for further regulatory change to encourage the conditions necessary to promote a reduction in private vehicle travel. Initiatives such as creating walking and cycling targets for councils and requiring transport projects to be linked to the development of a compact urban form, would require further investigation but appear to have potential to contribute toward a reduction in transport emissions.

Decarbonising the fleet

62. Addressing the composition of the vehicle fleet is critical to reducing transport emissions. This includes increasing the share of the vehicle fleet that is electric and increasing the efficiency of the residual vehicle fleet. However, these interventions must be combined with interventions to reduce the demand for travel in private vehicles and increase the use of alternative modes such as public transport and active modes (see paragraphs 39 to 66).

63. Given the slow turnover of the vehicle fleet in Aotearoa, action to accelerate the transition to light electric vehicles needs to happen immediately. Hīkina te Kohupara and the Commission’s advice rightly focus on addressing the primary barriers to electric vehicle uptake: purchase price and then supply. Pairing these with complementary interventions that increase the awareness of electric vehicles and their convenience (i.e. public fast chargers) can potentially support a swifter uptake.

64. Auckland relies on government action to accelerate the transition to a low emissions vehicle fleet as most of these interventions are within government’s control. Some of government’s policies that are already underway include a recent agreement to implement a fuel efficiency standard (Clean Car Standard) and an agreement in principle to implement a sustainable biofuels mandate.

65. Due to the relatively high cost of electric vehicle purchase, it is essential to prioritise access to low emissions vehicles (through purchasing or sharing) for low-income earners. Targeted support for low-income groups to access electric mobility modes such as electric bikes can also support an equitable transition, and in some cases, reduce the need for motor vehicles (e.g. second household car).

66. The greater the projected vehicle demand, the more significant the fleet decarbonisation task needs to be. Pathway Three in Hīkina te Kohupara has the strongest focus on ‘improve’ interventions and envisages only an eight per cent reduction in vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) by 2050. It projects that there will be nearly 4.6 million vehicles in the national light vehicle fleet by 2050, of which 4.1 million vehicles are expected to be electric.

67. In comparison, Pathway Four has the strongest focus on ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions and envisages a 57 per cent reduction in VKT by 2050. It projects that there will be nearly 2.1 million vehicles in the national light vehicle fleet by 2050, of which 2 million are expected to be electric. This represents less than half of the projected electric fleet size for Pathway Three.

Increasing the efficiency of the freight system

68. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport already engage with the freight industry to support greater efficiency through a range of measures. Hīkina te Kohupara additionally supports freight efficiency through greater sector collaboration to reduce to industry excess capacity. Improved efficiency and reduced excess capacity would result in less greenhouse gases as less trips and vehicles are needed to move the same amount of freight.

69. Hīkina te Kohupara emphasises the switch from road freight to rail and coastal shipping as a means of reducing overall emissions from the freight sector. It also focuses on improving the efficiency of fossil fuel heavy vehicles, with limited consideration of electric vehicles due to the lack of suitable technology.

70. This view on technology is valid for long-haul road transport, not short-haul, which is the vast majority of freight tasks in Auckland. Electrification is already available for many of these freight tasks. Hīkina te Kohupara needs to consider policy to support the rapid uptake of electric vehicles for these tasks.

Considerations of the equity impacts of proposed pathways

71. The current transport system is inequitable. Māori, Pasifika, lower income households and rural communities are often underserved by the transport system, as well as overburdened by transport externalities such as road harm and transport pollution.

72. Policies that support a decarbonised transport system for Aotearoa can lead to significant improvements in public health through the reduction in transport-related air and noise pollution and increase in safe opportunities for active travel.

73. Through the types of interventions raised in Hīkina te Kohupara, low income and other transport-disadvantaged communities could see significant improvements to accessibility and travel choice through the provision of more frequent and accessible public transport, safe and connected walking and micromobility networks, and more affordable shared and pooled mobility options.

74. Low carbon mobility opportunities for rural communities will also be an important part of an equitable transport decarbonisation pathway. This can range from rural microtransit services or shared mobility practices, to an increased variety of zero emissions vehicle options.

75. Not all of the interventions discussed in Hīkina te Kohupara will bring about improvements to transport equity. Some, such as road pricing for example, will require specific mitigations to ensure a just transition to a zero carbon transport system. Auckland Council’s recent submission to the select committee inquiry on congestion pricing highlighted its position that road pricing cannot be implemented until mitigations are put in place to ensure that it does not further reduce transport access and choice for disadvantaged communities. The submission to Hīkina te Kohupara will also reflect this position.

Deciding on a pathway for Aotearoa

76. Officers recommend Pathway Four as the decarbonisation pathway for Aotearoa, noting that Auckland has a much steeper regional pathway and relies on ambitious national targets and policies calibrated to achieving them, to cut emissions to the scale required in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

77. Pathways One and Four place more emphasis on ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions and are considered by the Ministry of Transport to be more effective at reducing emissions. Pathways One and Four are also considered to be more cost effective as they focus on avoiding activities that produce emissions in the first place, rather than mitigating the emissions from those activities through technological improvements.

78. In comparison, Pathways Two and Three place more emphasis on ‘improve’ interventions and therefore would result in a significantly greater vehicle fleet and VKT.

79. Only Pathway Four meets the interim target set in the Commission’s draft advice, which recommends a 47 per cent reduction in transport emissions by 2035 (against 2018 levels). Pathway Four focuses on early and very aggressive implementation of ‘avoid’ and ‘shift’ interventions, as well as strong electric vehicle uptake. This makes Pathway Four the most similar to Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri’s transport decarbonisation pathway, which envisages a 50 per cent reduction in VKT and 80 per cent of light passenger and commercial vehicles to be electric or zero emissions by 2050.

80. Electrification of the fleet on its own is insufficient to meet Auckland’s climate targets and must be combined with interventions to reduce demand for travel by private vehicles. Similarly, over-reliance on electric vehicles as the primary means of reducing transport emissions ignores broader transport outcomes, such as Vision Zero, improved travel choice and more efficient use of the transport network.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

81. Auckland Council endorsed Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan in 2020, establishing a goal to halve Auckland’s GHG emissions by 2030. The decarbonisation pathway and targets detailed in the plan have been endorsed by C40 as compliant with the 1.5°C ambition of the Paris Agreement.

82. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri sets a goal of 64 per cent reduction in emissions from the transport sector by 2030 against a base year of 2016. This is a substantially greater reduction than the national target proposed by the Commission’s draft advice. The Commission’s 2035 target of a 47 per cent reduction in transport emissions is based off a 2018 starting point. To enable a like-for-like comparison with Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri, officers have calculated that this translates to a 12.5 per cent reduction by 2030, assuming a 2016 starting point.

83. Auckland, as Aotearoa’s largest city and with strong regional population growth anticipated, must make a greater contribution to transport emissions reduction than other parts of the country; especially in terms of facilitating mode shift away from private vehicles.

84. Reducing emissions significantly in the Auckland region is vital to Aotearoa's overall response to climate change. Bold and rapid systems-change is needed to cut emissions to the scale required in accordance with the Paris Agreement and thus, Auckland is reliant on significant government effort to support actions that can be implemented locally.

85. However, there is a substantial difference in ambition between Te-Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri and proposed national targets. The adoption of a national approach and policies which are calibrated to lesser ambition, will affect the potential for significant progress towards 1.5°C compliant regional climate goals in Auckland.

86. As per the Planning Committee resolutions of 11 March 2021 (PLA/2021/15), Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are initiating work on a transport emissions reduction plan for Auckland that seeks to achieve the goal in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri of a 64 per cent transport emissions reduction by 2030, against 2016 levels. Officers will report back to this committee in due course.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

87. Auckland Transport and Auckland Council staff are working together to develop the submission. Feedback has also been sought from Eke Panuku and Ports of Auckland.

88. Auckland Transport staff will seek the endorsement of a delegated group of Auckland Transport Board members for the submission, prior to its approval by the delegated group of Environment and Climate Change Committee members.

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

Local impacts and local board views

89. Transport decarbonisation is a topic that many local boards are passionate about, and the implementation of a transport decarbonisation pathway for Auckland will have significant impacts at the local board level.

90. Local board feedback on Auckland Transport’s draft RLTP 2021-31, as well as input into the submission on the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice, show overwhelming support for strong action on climate change, particularly for transport.

91. Some of the low carbon transport interventions local boards have advocated for include greater investment in public transport and active modes, supporting a quality compact urban form, and changes to government policy and financial settings to enable Auckland to equitably transition to a low carbon future.

92. Many local boards also expressed in principle support for congestion pricing, subject to a range of caveats, as part of Auckland Council’s submission to the select committee inquiry into congestion pricing in Auckland. Other local boards highlighted the benefits of congestion pricing and areas of key concern (most notably the potential impact on the vulnerable) but have not specifically expressed their support or opposition.

93. Staff have provided all local board members with a memorandum related to this submission process. While submissions on matters of regional significance fall within the purview of the Governing Body, local boards have two options to participate in the process. They can provide specific feedback to potentially shape the main submission and/or develop responses of their own to be appended to the main submission.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

94. Reducing transport emissions to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change has significant implications for Māori. Co-benefits of a decarbonised transport system include cleaner air, reduced noise pollution, fewer traffic-related deaths and serious injuries, improved public health, lower road infrastructure costs, and more equitable access to jobs, schools, health, services, recreation, and other opportunities for whānau.

95. A tikanga Māori approach to transport decarbonisation helps to address the needs of communities underserved by the transport system, as well as those overburdened by transport pollution. For example, innovative transport solutions by Māori, such as shared mobility practices in rural Māori communities, can support other communities to transition to a low carbon transport future.

96. Partnership with Māori is key to ensuring Māori voices and mātauranga Māori are embedded in the development of emissions reduction pathways. As on-road transport is Auckland’s largest source of emissions, increased co-governance opportunities for mana whenua on transport decision-making will enable iwi and hapū to build on their climate action work.

97. One example is the ongoing process to formalise the inclusion of the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum into the governance structure of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project, where key strategic transport investment decisions are made.

98. Officers support that the Ministry of Transport, and central government in general, refer to the aspirations and principles in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri to ensure that Te Ao Māori is embedded in the subsequent delivery of government’s emissions reduction plan.

99. Officers have contacted mana whenua representatives and mataawaka organisations to share information on Hīkina te Kohupara and invited input into Auckland Council’s submission.

100. Officers have also prepared a memorandum update for the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum to consider at its 3 June 2021 Wellbeing Pou hui.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

101. This report does not seek budgetary allocation.

102. Longer term, the transition to a decarbonised transport system could have a number of financial implications for Auckland Council in terms of:

· potential reconsideration of planned transport investments

· the quantum of revenue congestion pricing will generate and the impact of mitigation measures on revenue levels

· the level of government funding available to support mode shift.

103. Further work is required in all these areas to provide a full understanding of the financial implications for Auckland Council of decarbonising the transport sector.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

104. Submissions on Hīkina te Kohupara close on 25 June 2021.

105. Given the time constraints, officers recommend that the committee delegate members to provide direction on the submission drafting process and approve the final submission. Officers will arrange dates with the delegated members to distribute the draft submission and discuss feedback prior to it being finalised.

106. In the relative near future, Auckland Council will be required to consider a number of key policy matters of relevance to the decarbonistion of Auckland’s transport system, including:

· the transport emissions reduction plan for Auckland

· the implementation of the NPS UD

· the review of Auckland Transport’s parking strategy.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Szening Ooi - Principal Transport Advisor

Robert Simpson - Manager Transport Strategy

Greg Nelson - Head of Transport Sustainability (Auckland Transport)

Authorisers

Jacques Victor – General Manager Auckland Plan Strategy and Research

Megan Tyler - Chief of Strategy

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Work Programme	165
b	Draft Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan (2021) (Under Separate Cover)
c	Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund Review (Under Separate Cover)
d	Update on publication of coastal erosion GIS Lines (Under Separate Cover)

Environment and Climate Change Committee

10 June 2021

Kōmiti Mō Te Hurihanga Āhuarangi me Te Taiao / Environment and Climate Change] Committee
Forward Work Programme 2021

This committee deals with the development and monitoring of strategy, policy and action plans associated with environmental and climate change activities. The full terms of reference can be found here:[i Terms of reference].

This committee will meet bi-monthly commencing February 2021

Area of work and Lead Department	Reason for work	Committee role (decision and/or direction)	Expected timeframes Highlight the month(s) this is expected to come to committee in 2020
Area of work and Lead Department	Reason for work	Committee role (decision and/or direction)	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Strategic approach to Climate Change: - Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan Chief Sustainability Office [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019] Link to decision	To provide a pathway to zero emissions by 2050 and ensure the region is prepared for the impacts of climate change. This addresses Council’s commitments to develop a plan to keep within 1.5 degrees of warming and the Climate Emergency declaration. Consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice to government	Progress to date: 11 February 2021 · C40 Update. Link to decision · Consultation on the Climate Commission draft advice to Government. Link to decision · Kia mauri ora ai te iwi: Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050 – June 2021
Council Controlled Organisation’s Climate Change Update	To give elected member’s visibility of the work undertaken by CCOs to adapt & mitigate the impacts of climate change.	For information: Currently providing CCO performance updates to the CCO Oversight Committee. The plan is for 1-2 CCOs to come present at this Committee meeting on their climate actions/programs. Progress to date: Link to decision 15/04 Link to decision
Coastal renewals, slips and remediation
Coastal Management Framework and delivery of individual coastal compartment management plans Engineering and Technical Services [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019]	Coastal compartment management plans will apply a long term, sustainable approach to management of our coast over the next 100 years. Adaptive management plans will be developed in collaboration with mana whenua and communities. Plans will consider the experiences and values we place on the coast and how these may change over time due to coastal hazards and climate change.	ECC to approve all Coastal Management Plans following endorsement via the respective the Local Boards. Adoption of the Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan – June 2021
Waste Minimisation
Review of the Waste Minimisation and Innovation fund Waste Solutions [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019]	Review the Fund, in line with the recommendations of the S17A Value for Money review.	To approve any significant changes to the grant framework arising from the review. Memorandum to be sent to committee in Q3.
Waste Political Advisory Group Waste Solutions	To provide feedback and guidance on implementation of the Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2018.	Waste Political Advisory Group meetings
Implementation of waste disposal levy changes Waste Solutions	Implementation of changes to the waste disposal levy (including data and compliance) coming into effect nationally July 2021	To approve any significant changes to data collection, compliance and resource recovery systems arising from changes to the waste levy
Consultation on container return scheme design Waste Solutions	Ministry for the Environment consultation on design for national container return scheme design – Auckland Council submission	To approve the Auckland Council submission on Ministry for the Environment consultation on container return scheme design [according to latest information on MfE proposed timetable]
Water
Auckland’s Water Strategy Chief Planning Office [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019] *ENV/2019/75	The health of Auckland’s waters is a critical issue. Both freshwater and marine environments in Auckland are under pressure from historic under-investment, climate change and rapid growth. The draft Auckland Plan 2050 identifies the need to proactively adapt to a changing water future and develop long-term solutions.	Series of workshops scheduled for 2021 Progress to date: 15/04/2021 Link to decision rt
Proposed Auckland Council submission on Water Services Bill Auckland Plan, Strategy and Research (Natural Environment Strategy)	Auckland Council made submission on Taumata Arowai Water Regulator Bill in March 2020. Subsequent Bill extends regulatory regime to all drinking water suppliers (other than domestic self-supply) and increased requirements to manage risks to drinking water sources. Implications for council roles in being a drinking water supplier, and planning and regulatory functions.	To approve substance of proposed Auckland Council submission on Water Services Bill, with final approval delegated to Chair and other members of ECC Committee prior to 2 March 2021 central government deadline. Progress to date: Link to decision
National Environment Standards for human drinking water and wastewater discharges and overflows Auckland Plan, Strategy and Research (Natural Environment Strategy, Infrastructure Strategy)	National Environmental Standard for Sources of Human Drinking Water National Environmental Standard for Wastewater Discharges and Overflows. The National Environmental Standards will have a significant impact on the council family and so the council will provide input into these. Further detailed opportunity to provide Auckland Council input on specific regulatory proposals, probably through Planning Committee, awaiting advice from MFE, likely in 2021. Not linked to release of Water Services Bill in mid-2020. Dates for the release of these NES are anticipated to be in the second half of 2021 at earliest. Note: Overlap with Planning Committee	For information: Decision to provide feedback on the Water Services Bill and other reforms noted at Planning Committee in early 2020. The Natural Environment Strategy Unit (APRSR) provided proposed council submission on the Taumata Arowai Water Regulator Bill to Environment and Climate Change Committee in March 2020. Status of proposed NES for human drinking water and wastewater discharges and overflows will be provided to relevant committees when more is known about central government process. Link to decision – September 2020
Healthy Waters Portfolio Healthy Waters There are several work programmes that require decisions from other committees but are relevant to the E&CC Committee. [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019]	Waitākere Ranges septic tank pump out scheme. Options are being consulted on as part of the Annual Budget. Decisions with the Finance and Performance Committee. Rodney Drainage districts. Managing land drainage assets within Rodney and funding and responsibility for these assets. Decision making sits with Rodney Local Board and Finance and Performance Committee. Clevedon wastewater. Possible opt-in targeted rate being proposed to the Governing Body as part of Annual Plan, decisions with the Finance and Performance Committee	For information: No decisions are required from Environment and Climate Change Committee at this stage.
National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) Plans and Places Healthy Waters Natural Environment Strategy	The NPSFM being implemented, with periodic reporting to council committees on progress, and responding to ongoing central government refinement of the framework for achieving water outcomes. Decision making for this area of work will be split between the Planning Committee (for planning decisions such as Plan Changes) and Environment and Climate Change for non-statutory functions	To provide guidance on the council’s implementation of non-statutory functions under the National Policy Statement. For Information: Planning Committee agenda report scheduled for March 2021 setting out proposed Auckland Council approach to implement the NPSFM 2020, as driven from a planning approach.
Water Quality Targeted Rate Programme Infrastructure and Environmental Services	Healthy waters and streams projects supported by the water quality targeted rate for projects that will ensure cleaner beaches, streams and harbours across the region	For information: Currently providing quarterly updates to the Finance and Performance Committee. End of year report will be provided to this Committee in September. Link to decision – September 2020
Too Much Water Policy		Timeframe to be confirmed
Grants
Allocation of the Regional Natural Heritage Grant Environmental Services	Decision-making over regional environment fund as per the grants funding policy and fund guidelines. Funds to contribute to the council’s goals related to protecting our natural environment.	Decision to confirm allocation of grants for the 2021/2022 funding round. Decision report December 2021.
Allocation of Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund 2021	Decision making over medium and large funds from the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund in line with the fund’s adopted policy. Funds to contribute towards the council’s aspirational goal of zero waste to landfill by 2040.	Decision to confirm allocation of grants for the 2021/2022 funding round. Decision report December 2021. Update on guidelines - Report to June 2021
Natural Heritage
Review of Auckland Council’s Regional Pest Management Plan Environmental Services	Council has statutory obligations under the Biosecurity Act to control weeds and animal pests. The purpose of work in 2020 will be to resolve any remaining appeals against the plan and complete final steps required for it to become operative.	To update the committee when the plan becomes operative. Memorandum regarding operative in part as part of items for information in February 2021. No further decisions for 2021 Progress to date: Link to decision
Inter-regional marine pest pathway management plan Environmental Services [From the Environment and Community Committee 2016-2019]	A Pathway Management Plan is a statutory plan under the Biosecurity Act. Council is working with MPI, DOC and neighbouring councils (a group known as Top of the North) to develop one to manage the spread of marine pests to avoid or minimise their negative impacts on the environment.	To endorse Top of the North to undertake consultation on a proposed pathway management plan. To subsequently approve a preferred option for management of marine pests and development of a plan under the Biosecurity Act. Decision to approve draft proposal for consultation expected August 2021.
Natural Environment Targeted Rate Programme	Natural environment projects supported by the natural environment targeted rate will help protect the environment and tackle the pests, weeds and diseases that are threatening the native species	For information: Currently providing quarterly updates to the F&P Committee. End of year report will be provided to this Committee in October. Link to decision – September 2020
Kauri dieback work programme update Environmental Services	The natural environment targeted rate included a $100m package to improve the protection of kauri in Auckland. The work programme includes a significant track upgrade package to reduce the spread of kauri dieback, as well as funding for education, enforcement, monitoring, treatment and research.	To update the committee on ongoing regional kauri dieback management work programme Memo sent November 2020, link found here the annual update for 2021/2022 will be sent approximately October 2021.
National Biodiversity Strategy and National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity Environmental Services and Natural Environment Strategy	Government is launching these two programmes.	To endorse council’s approach to responding to the strategy and policy?
Weed Management Political Advisory Group Community Facilities	Resolution number ECC/2020/13. Implementing this resolution will include engagement with local boards from September – November	Oversee the implementation and delivery of the Weed Management Policy, taking into account both community and technical considerations. This year will have a focus on providing oversight over the implementation Resolution number ECC/2020/55 relating to the standardisation of funding for weed management within the urban road corridor.
Project Streetscapes – Regional Review of Weed Management in the Road Corridor Community Facilities	Resolution number ECC/2020/55 f)	Consideration of engagement of with mana whenua, the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum and the IMSB

Completed

Lead Department	Area of work		Committee role (decision and/or direction)	Decision

Update to the Resource Recovery Network Strategy Waste Solutions [From the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee 2013-2016]	Options for a new operating and governance model for the Resource Recovery Network	To approve the recommended option for a new operating and governance model for the Resource Recovery Network		Decision can be found here
State of Environment Report	Monitoring and reporting on the state of all or part of the environment is required under section 35 of the Resource Management Act 1991. As part of meeting our reporting obligations, the Research and Evaluation Unit (RIMU) is releasing a suite of technical reports accompanied by a simplified synthesis report on 11 February 2021 when high level results will be presented to the Environment and Climate Change Committee.	For information only. As part of meeting council’s RMA obligations, the synthesis report that brings together information from 13 new and recent technical reports on the state and trends for the air, land, and water domains in the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland was considered significant enough to warrant an information item on the agenda		Decision can be found here

[1] Waste Minimisation Act 2008, Section 47 (Grants)

Chairperson	Cr Richard Hills
Deputy Chairperson	Cr Pippa Coom
Members	Cr Josephine Bartley	Cr Tracy Mulholland
	Cr Dr Cathy Casey	Cr Daniel Newman, JP
	Deputy Mayor Cr Bill Cashmore	Cr Greg Sayers
	Cr Fa’anana Efeso Collins	Cr Desley Simpson, JP
	Cr Linda Cooper, JP	Cr Sharon Stewart, QSM
	Cr Angela Dalton	Cr Wayne Walker
	Cr Chris Darby	Cr John Watson
	Cr Alf Filipaina	IMSB Member Glenn Wilcox
	Cr Christine Fletcher, QSO	IMSB Member Karen Wilson
	Mayor Hon Phil Goff, CNZM, JP	Cr Paul Young
	Cr Shane Henderson

Date	Memo
13/05/2021	Draft Natural Hazards Risk Management Action Plan (2021)
21/05/2021	Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund Review
24/05/2021	Update on publication of coastal erosion GIS Lines

Date	Workshop/Briefing
4/05/2021	Climate Action Political Reference Group – CONFIDENTIAL
1/06/2021	Waste Political Advisory Group – CONFIDENTIAL

Author	Suad Allie - Kaitohutohu Mana Whakahaere Matua / Senior Governance Advisor
Authoriser	Megan Tyler - Chief of Strategy