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Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Local Board
29 June 2021
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Re-allocation
of unspent Locally Driven Initiatives Funding 2020/21 to support recovery from
the tornado in Papatoetoe
File No.: CP2021/09313
Te take mō te
pūrongo
Purpose of the report
1. To
re-allocate unspent locally driven initiatives opex (LDI) funding from the
local board’s 2020/21 budget to support those affected by the tornado on
19 June 2021 in Papatoetoe.
Whakarāpopototanga matua
Executive summary
2. At
its workshop on 22 June 2021 the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board discussed
the possibility of re-allocating some of its unspent locally driven initiatives
opex (LDI) budgets from the 2020/2021 financial year to support residents in
Papatoetoe affected by the tornado on 19 June 2021. These unspent funds would
otherwise be returned to the regional budget as savings.
3. A
Mayoral Relief Fund has been set up consisting of $100,000 from Auckland
Council and $100,000 from central government to support those affected by the
tornado whose needs would not qualify for assistance from other funding
sources. A fact sheet about the Mayoral Relief Fund is provided as Attachment
A.
4. The
local board has an estimated $60,000 of unspent LDI opex funds to re-allocate
to support the victims of the tornado if it chooses to do so. Final unspent
figures will be available towards the end of June when all spending and budgets
are reconciled.
5. The
Mayoral Relief Fund provides the most efficient vehicle through which to
distribute the funding to support the residents affected by the tornado. This
is because the board’s funding will add to an already allocated budget
and distributed through an electronic application system making use of
established eligibility criteria, communications channels and a staff support
network.
Ngā tūtohunga
Recommendation/s
That the Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Local Board:
a) allocate
up to $60,000 from the board’s unspent 2020/2010 locally driven initiatives
opex budget as detailed in the table below to the Mayoral Relief Fund to
support residents affected by the tornado that occurred in Papatoetoe on 19
June 2021
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2020/2021 Work Programme ID #
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Activity
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Estimated amount underspent and available for
re-allocation
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948
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Community
grants
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$51,000
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859
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Reducing
harm from alcohol
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$3,000
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913
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Māori
responsiveness
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$3,000
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1589
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Sustainable
Schools Project
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$3,000
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Total:
$60,000
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Horopaki
Context
6. A
deadly and damaging tornado struck the Papatoetoe community and surrounding
areas on 19 June 2021 at approximately 8.36am.
7. One
person was killed and one hospitalised when they were working at the Wiri
container terminal in the neighbouring Manurewa Local Board area at the time of
the incident.
8. The
tornado also caused significant damage to private and public property in the
Papatoetoe and Manurewa areas. The streets in this local board area where a lot
of the damage was concentrated are Puhinui Road, Hayward Road, Wallace Road and
Fitzroy Street in Papatoetoe.
9. Auckland
Emergency Management mobilised straight after the incident and coordinated the
response. Emergency services and Auckland Council inspected more than 200
houses to ensure their safety, and a number of them were classified as
uninhabitable or significantly damaged. A civil defence welfare centre was
initially set up in Ōtara and then in Papatoetoe to support affected
households.
10. Auckland
Council and utilities providers such as Vector have continued to clean up the
damage from the storm, restore services and remediate public spaces as quickly
as possible.
11. The
incident has also mobilised community groups, non-governmental organisations
such as the New Zealand Red Cross and individuals to assist in the clean-up and
to provide support to the victims.
12. A
Mayoral Relief Fund has been set up consisting of $100,000 from Auckland
Council and $100,000 from central government. The fund has been established to
provide essential items and to meet related costs of recovery
that is not already provided through other agencies. Access to the fund is
through an electronic application form at https://aucklandcouncil.smartygrants.com.au/AMRF.
13. The Mayoral Relief Fund will accept applications until 19 July 2021
or until the fund is fully allocated. A fact sheet about the fund is provided
as Attachment A. The membership of the panel that determines the outcome of any
application is not available at the time of writing this report. This information
will be provided to the local board as soon as it is available.
14. At its workshop on 22 June 2021 the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board discussed options to support the affected
residents. The board has unspent funds from its 2020/21 LDI opex budgets as
outlined in the next section that was scheduled to be returned to regional
budgets. The vast majority of the unspent budgets is from unallocated community
grants.
Tātaritanga
me ngā tohutohu
Analysis
and advice
15. The
board is able to allocate its unspent LDI opex budgets to projects and
initiatives that support its community and meet the outcomes in its Local Board
Plan. Allocation of funding to assist recovery from the tornado best aligns
with the Local Board Plan 2020’s Outcome 3: A thriving, inclusive and
safe community.
16. The
board has the following budgets available for re-allocation:
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2020/2021
Work Programme ID #
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Activity
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Estimated
amount underspent and available for re-allocation
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948
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Community grants
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$51,000
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859
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Reducing harm from alcohol
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$3,000
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913
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Māori responsiveness
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$3,000
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1589
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Sustainable Schools Project
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$3,000
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Total: $60,000
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17. The funding
can be allocated to either the Mayoral Relief Fund or to one or more other
recipients who are also supporting the victims of the tornado.
18. Allocation to
the Mayoral Relief Fund has the following advantages:
· the
fund is already set up with council and government funding for the specific
purpose the board wants to support
· the
existence of the fund has been communicated to the local and regional community
· it
has the necessary infrastructure to support applications through the electronic
Smartygrants system, and local advisory services in council facilities to help
applicants access the fund
· there
is an agreed level of support from council’s grants staff to distribute
the funds to successful applicants.
19. Allocation of
the funding to existing community groups has the key advantage of using local
groups who may have better insight and networks into the community, and access
to residents who would not otherwise apply through council channels. However,
this would require:
· identifying
the appropriate group(s)
· negotiating
the terms of the funding and distribution
· agreeing
appropriate accountability mechanisms.
20. The
distribution through community groups is therefore likely to result in a delay
to make the funding available due to the required engagement with the target
groups. This is likely to cause a subsequent delay in meeting the immediate
needs of the victims.
21. On balance
staff recommend allocating any unspent budget to the Mayoral Relief Fund for
distribution to the victims of the tornado
Tauākī whakaaweawe
āhuarangi
Climate impact statement
22. The provision
of funding for relief efforts from the tornado is unlikely to have a
significant impact on climate.
Ngā whakaaweawe me
ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera
Council group impacts and views
23. The
allocation of funding to the mayoral fund will not have any effect on the wider
council group.
24. If the board
chooses to allocate the funding through other community groups, the criteria
for the funding and a funding agreement will be negotiated between council and
the recipient group(s) through council’s Connected Communities team.
Ngā whakaaweawe
ā-rohe me ngā tirohanga a te poari ā-rohe
Local impacts and local board views
25. The decision
requested in this report will not have an impact beyond the local board area.
The funding is for residents affected by the tornado in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe
area.
Tauākī whakaaweawe
Māori
Māori impact statement
26. According to
the 2018 census Maori make up approximately 15.7% of the population of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe
Local Board area.
27. Data on the
ethnic breakdown of affected households is not available at the time of writing
this report. Funding is also yet to be fully allocated. Therefore, advice on
current or future impact on Maori from the recommendations cannot be provided
at this time.
Ngā ritenga
ā-pūtea
Financial implications
28. The available
budget referred to in this report is from the board’s LDI opex allocation
and has been factored into council expenditure for the 2020/21 financial year.
Any unallocated budget will be returned to regional budgets as savings.
29. The
board’s Lead Financial Advisor has confirmed the availability of the
funding for re-allocation outlined in this report.
Ngā raru tūpono me
ngā whakamaurutanga
Risks and mitigations
30. There are no
significant risks in allocating this funding to support the victims of the
tornado in Papatoetoe.
31. The
government has made other sources of funding available to support victims of
the tornado. Private insurance will also play a part in absorbing the financial
impact of the tornado. Therefore, there is a chance that the funding will be
under-subscribed.
32. It is
anticipated that any unspent council funding will be absorbed regionally as
savings.
Ngā koringa ā-muri
Next steps
33. Staff will
implement the board’s decision and report on the progress of the
distribution of the fund as data becomes available.
Ngā tāpirihanga
Attachments
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No.
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Title
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Page
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a⇩
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Fact Sheet Mayoral Relief Fund
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11
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Ngā kaihaina
Signatories
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Authors
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Rina Tagore - Senior Local Board Advisor
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Authorisers
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Manoj Ragupathy - Local Area Manager
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