Agenda of Ōrākei Local Board - Thursday, 21 April 2022

Chairman Scott Milne will welcome those present.

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

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

4 Confirmation of Minutes

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Thursday, 17 March 2022 as a true and correct record.

5 Leave of Absence

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

6 Acknowledgements

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

7 Petitions

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

8 Deputations

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

8.1 Deputation - Amy Clay - Accessibility Issues in the Ōrākei Local Board Area

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To deliver a presentation to the Board during the deputation segment of the business meeting.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Amy Clay will be in attendance to present to the board on issues around accessibility in the Ōrākei Local Board area, in particular The Landing development and the lack of public toilet facilities for people with complex disabilities.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) receive the presentation and thank Amy Clay for her attendance.

9 Public Forum

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

9.1 Public Forum - Grant Hewison - Work of Communities Against Alcohol Harm Inc

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To deliver a presentation to the local board during the public forum segment of the business meeting.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Grant Hewison will be in attendance to present to the local board on the work of Communities Against Alcohol Harm Inc; especially in relation to empowering communities who are opposing alcohol licences.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) receive the presentation and thank Grant Hewison for his attendance.

10 Extraordinary Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ōrākei Local Board

21 April 2022

Auckland Transport - Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw 2022

File No.: CP2022/04071

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek local board input on Auckland Transport’s proposed Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw 2022.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Auckland Transport proposes to use bylaw-making powers granted to Auckland Transport under the Local Government Act 2002 and the Land Transport Act 1998 to replace five existing, legacy bylaws with a new ‘Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw’.

3. A single bylaw encompassing all activities in the road corridor will make it easier for members of the public to find information about regulations, and for Auckland Transport to regulate activities in a consistent and appropriate way.

4. As part of developing the proposed bylaw, a consolidation and refresh of regulations will be undertaken, and new provisions may be proposed where appropriate.

5. Public consultation occurred in January and February 2022, and the new bylaw is expected to be operational in June 2022.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the draft Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw 2022 ahead of it being submitted to the Auckland Transport Board for final approval.

Horopaki

Context

6. There are five bylaws relating to activities in the road corridor that require an approval from Auckland Transport. These are:

a) Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw 2015

b) Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013

c) Rodney District Council General Bylaw 1998 Chapter Six Stock on Roads

d) Franklin District Council Stock on Roads Bylaw

e) Legacy Bylaw Provisions on Construction in the Road Corridor and Other Public Places 2015.

7. Auckland Transport has developed a draft bylaw to regulate activities within the road corridor that were previously covered under these bylaws, such as construction; trading, events, and filming; and livestock on roads.

8. The new bylaw should streamline processes and ensure activities across the road corridor are done so legally and safely and will be made under the bylaw-making powers granted to Auckland Transport under the Local Government Act 2002 and the Land Transport Act 1998.

9. The proposed bylaw is a consolidation and refresh of regulations in the above bylaws. New provisions may also be proposed where appropriate, for example to future proof for planned activities such as climate change adaptations.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

10. Of the five bylaws listed above, three have expired (Rodney and Franklin livestock bylaws, and Public Safety and Nuisance bylaw) and one will expire at the end of March 2022 (Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw 2015). The legacy bylaw provisions on Construction in the Road Corridor and Other Public Places Bylaw - a combined legacy bylaw approved in 2015 which covers seven bylaws from pre-amalgamation councils – is due to expire in October 2022.

11. The existing bylaws do not cover everything they need to, because:

a) they were written before some innovations, situations or issues emerged, or

b) new operational issues have now been identified which need to be addressed to enable better management of the transport system.

12. The core components of the bylaw will be based on existing bylaw rules around activities in, on, under and above the road corridor to ensure that relevant activities are undertaken safely, without damaging Auckland Transport assets. The bylaw will also detail which approvals are required.

13. Key proposed changes to the bylaw are outlined in Attachment A and the full draft bylaw is included as Attachment B.

14. Where possible, Auckland Transport intends to future-proof bylaws to allow for strategic outcomes and activities, such as changes to who uses parts of the road corridor.

15. In addition, the ability to set fees and charges or reclaim costs associated with permits, licenses, leases, inspections, investigations or enforcement will be included where appropriate.

Public consultation

16. Auckland Transport undertook engagement with the public in January and February 2022, by distributing information to all database contacts including Business Improvement Districts and advisory boards. A letter was posted to rural livestock owners.

17. An electronic survey was advertised using social media and media releases.

18. Facilitated focus groups were conducted with industry leaders and representatives from the following groups:

a) construction and traffic management

b) events and filming

c) trading (including micro-mobility, mobile vendors and performers)

d) livestock.

19. Written submissions were invited, and seven people spoke to a hearings panel.

20. A more detailed review of public engagement and the emergent themes was supplied to local boards in mid-March and is included as Attachment C.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

21. Auckland Transport is strongly committed to providing alternatives to private vehicle travel, reducing the carbon footprint of its own operations and, to the extent feasible, that of the wider transport network by encouraging use of electric vehicles, use of non-car transport and public transport.

22. This bylaw contributes directly to these goals, including new provisions for managing electric vehicle parking and better regulating micro-mobility (i.e. electric scooters), both of which will directly lower emissions.

23. Further, the bylaw seeks to address some of the issues currently experienced managing traffic around filming, events and work in the road corridor. Better traffic management improves the efficiency all types of transport, reducing carbon emissions.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

24. Officers from Auckland Transport and Auckland Council worked together to develop the draft bylaw and investigated two options to make sure that Auckland Transport and Auckland Council bylaws remain compatible, and avoid regulatory gaps:

a) option one was for both organisations to develop ‘mirror’ bylaws, which are identical, and then each entity just enforces the aspects under their respective legal remits

b) option two was for each organisation to develop ‘zipper’ style bylaws, where each bylaw covers the aspects under control of the organisation, and the two bylaws together cover the full needs with no overlap

25. The ‘Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw’ has utilised the ‘zipper’ approach as:

a) the bylaw relates to approval processes for activities within the transport network (for example, construction of a vehicle crossing or running a mobile stall); and

b) Auckland Transport’s mandate for bylaws is much narrower than Auckland Council’s. ‘Zipper’ bylaws allow fewer, clearer, and more succinct bylaws that are consistent across activities; and

c) Auckland Transport can still delegate enforcement powers to Auckland Council, e.g., for permitting micro-mobility providers.

26. Provisions relating to trading, events and filming have been aligned with the Auckland Council Public Trading, Events and Filming Bylaw 2022, which takes effect from 26 February 2022 and regulates similar activities in public places other than the road corridor.

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

Local impacts and local board views

27. This report is to formalise local board feedback on the draft bylaw.

28. Local board members were invited to attend an online briefing for local boards on 18 February 2022. In addition, local board workshops with subject matter experts were organised for boards that requested one.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

29. Both Auckland Transport and Auckland Council are committed to meeting their responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) and its broader legal obligations in being more responsible or effective to Māori. Auckland Transport’s Māori Responsiveness Plan outlines the commitment to 19 mana whenua tribes in delivering effective and well-designed transport policy and solutions for Auckland. Auckland Transport also recognise mataawaka and their representative bodies and our desire to foster a relationship with them. This plan is available on the Auckland Transport website - https://at.govt.nz/about-us/transport-plans-strategies/maori-responsiveness-plan/#about

30. The actions being considered are likely to have few specific impacts on Māori, because the bylaw consolidates a number of existing bylaws into one new bylaw. Further, the bylaw changes do not impact on land or water rather on behaviours so do not impact on Māori kaitiakitanga of these resources.

31. At the time this report was written, specific Māori engagement is being undertaken. Representatives of mana whenua tribes have been contacted and hui are currently underway. This feedback is not currently available but will be included in the information provided to the Auckland Transport Board.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

32. There are no financial implications for local boards providing feedback on the proposed bylaw.

33. For Auckland Transport, this bylaw will have limited financial impact. The bylaw consolidates existing bylaws into one bylaw and does not create significant new revenue streams, nor public expenditure.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

34. Three of the bylaws have expired and a fourth is due to expire in 2022. Without a replacement bylaw, Auckland Transport does not have the legal right to give approval for activities in the road corridor or enforce certain behaviours on the road network. For example, Auckland Council’s current regulation of public hire micro-mobility devices is regulated through the Auckland Transport Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw 2015, which expires at the end of March 2022.

35. Although Auckland Transport will not be able to have this new bylaw in place before the end of March the aim is to mitigate risk by getting approval as quickly as possible.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

36. Based on feedback received from local boards, iwi and through the public consultation, Auckland Transport staff will make recommendations to the Auckland Transport Board on any proposed changes to the draft bylaw.

37. The Auckland Transport Board will decide in May 2022 whether to go ahead with the changes to the draft bylaw as proposed.

38. The Activities in the Road Corridor bylaw is expected to become operative in June 2022.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Quick guide – Activities in the road corridor bylaw 2022	15
b ⇩	Draft bylaw – Activities in the road corridor	21
c ⇩	Consultation report – Activities in the road corridor	43

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Kat Ashmead - Senior Advisor Operations and Policy

Authorisers

Louise Mason – General Manager Local Board Services

Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager

Ōrākei Local Board

21 April 2022

Transport Emissions Reduction Plan

File No.: CP2022/04129

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide a progress update on the development of the Transport Emissions Reduction Plan and seek formal feedback.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are developing a Transport Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) to deliver a 64 per cent reduction in transport emissions by 2030 and achieve wider wellbeing outcomes. Improving equitable access to sustainable transport modes is a key principle of the TERP.

3. The TERP gives effect to the commitments in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan to halve regional emissions by 2030 and transition to net zero emissions by 2050.

4. The TERP is being developed in the wider context of increasing government action on climate change. This includes the development of the government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), which is expected to introduce policy changes and additional funding to better enable the delivery of sustainable transport modes.

5. A recommended TERP pathway will be presented to the Environment and Climate Change Committee for approval in July 2022. Implementation of the pathway will require significant additional funding, policy changes and the reshaping of the urban environment by the Auckland Council group and Government.

6. A bespoke TERP emissions model has been developed to identify the scale of the challenge. Preliminary modelling indicates that change is possible, but the level of transformation required is immense. Three key observations arise from the modelling work so far:

a) although central government has outlined several actions in its ERP, these do not go far enough, nor do they act fast enough to achieve a 64 per cent reduction in emissions. TERP must fill a large gap between the baseline and the target

b) all levers across transport and a range of other sectors will need to be pulled as hard as they can be within the timeframe available

c) among the levers, mode shift is by far the most powerful to meet the 2030 target. However, significant mode shift to all sustainable modes is required, especially active modes. A compact urban form and accelerated decarbonisation of the public and private vehicle fleet are also crucial.

7. Achieving a low carbon transport system will bring many other benefits for all Aucklanders, including cleaner air, safer streets, reduced transport costs and easier ways of getting around the city. The TERP will set out a pathway to deliver this vision.

8. Previous local board feedback shows overwhelming support for more investment in sustainable transport. There is also broad support for policies that suppress private vehicle travel, such as congestion pricing, subject to the adequate provision of sustainable options.

9. Local boards have a critical role to play in advocating for specific improvements that support their communities transitioning to low carbon travel, e.g., addressing safety hotspots, accelerating the delivery of walking, cycling and micro-mobility networks, and improving the coverage, frequency, and hours of operation for public transport.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) receive the progress update provided on the Transport Emissions Reduction Plan

b) note the scale of the challenge to meet Auckland’s transport emissions reduction target and that mode shift is the most powerful lever for reducing transport emissions

c) provide feedback on:

i) ways to dramatically reduce transport emissions in its local board area, or more broadly, while achieving broader wellbeing outcomes

ii) ways to increase uptake of walking, cycling and public transport for communities in its local board area

iii) barriers that might prevent the implementation of a sustainable, healthy, accessible, and equitable transport system for Auckland, and potential solutions

iv) ways to build public support for the initiatives that will be introduced as part of the Transport Emissions Reduction Plan.

Horopaki

Context

10. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are developing a Transport Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) to deliver a 64 per cent reduction in transport emissions by 2030. As transport is Auckland’s largest source of emissions, modelling has shown that this steep reduction in transport emissions is necessary to fulfil Auckland’s commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and transition to net zero emissions by 2050.^{^[1]}

11. The TERP also seeks to achieve wider wellbeing outcomes for mana whenua, mataawaka and Auckland’s diverse communities.

Past decisions and information provided

12. The TERP’s approach and governance framework were endorsed by the Environment and Climate Change Committee in August 2021 (ECC/2021/32). In December 2021, the Committee noted the urgency of Auckland’s decarbonisation challenge and unanimously endorsed Auckland Council and Auckland Transport taking quick and decisive action to reduce the region’s transport emissions through several ‘early actions’ that can be advanced prior to the approval of the TERP (ECC/2021/45).

13. A memo on the TERP was provided to local board members in October 2021 (Attachment A), followed by two local board briefings which were held online in November and December 2021.

Broader policy context

14. The TERP is being developed in the wider context of increasing government action on climate change. Central government is due to finalise its Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) in May 2022. Its ERP discussion document in November 2021 set out targets in key areas, including a 20% reduction in vehicle kilometres travelled.

15. Central government’s ERP discussion document also includes many highly ambitious policy interventions that will be required to achieve those targets, which are well-aligned with Auckland’s TERP.

16. In its present state, however, the ERP leaves too many of its actions until after 2030. Therefore, the TERP cannot rely on government’s ERP alone to meet Auckland’s targets. The TERP needs to pull hard on all the levers available and advocate for government to bring forward the actions and investment it outlines in its ERP.

17. The National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS – UD) is another key instrument due to take effect that, over time, has the potential to enable significant emissions reductions through more compact urban forms. Auckland Council’s response to the NPS will be crucial.

18. The systemic changes that will be delivered through the ERP, resource management reforms, and the NPS - UD will create an environment that is much more conducive to reducing transport emissions than is currently the case – the near future context will be very different from what it is today.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Understanding the scale of the challenge

19. As reported to the Environment and Climate Change Committee in December 2021, preliminary modelling shows that a large gap remains between the baseline and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri’s modelled 64 per cent pathway, even accounting for initiatives within the government’s ERP. Modelling shows that there is likely only one pathway available for the TERP: it needs every lever available, and it needs to pull each of them as hard as it can.

20. The figure below illustrates the gap between the projected baseline (shown in red) and the target (shown in green).

Chart, pie chart

Description automatically generated

21. Modelling shows that significant reduction in vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) is the only plausible strategy to achieve a 64 per cent reduction in transport emissions by 2030. Reducing VKT will require rapid and transformational improvements to public transport, walking and cycling options for all Aucklanders. Land use changes that enhance accessibility by bringing destinations closer will also be required, to make walking, cycling and public transport systematically the most competitive modes for daily trips.

22. Staff are also engaging with the freight, rail, shipping, and aviation sectors to understand the opportunity for emissions reduction within these sectors, opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, and potential barriers that need to be resolved.

Taking a systems approach

23. Cities around the world are increasingly taking a systems approach to transforming energy-intensive transport systems into sustainable, healthy, and accessible ones. This approach recognises that “climate action could be more efficient and effective if focused on systems as a whole, so that – by design – systems require less energy and materials, and produce less emissions, while achieving wider wellbeing outcomes, such as improving our health and safety, and subsequently better lives” (OECD 2022^{^[2]}).

24. Taking a systems approach to tackling Auckland’s carbon-intensive transport system means firstly addressing its car-oriented status quo and the cycle of induced demand, urban sprawl, and the long-standing erosion of active and shared transport modes that further perpetuate car dependency.

25. Induced demand, urban sprawl and erosion of shared and active transport modes are the source of high emissions and a number of negative impacts on people’s wellbeing, such as air and noise pollution, congestion, road injuries and fatalities, reduced travel options and unequal access to opportunities.

26. Without addressing the challenges of the transport system as a whole, there is a tendency for incremental improvements to dominate, focusing on technological and pricing solutions without changing the underlying system.

Developing a package of interventions

27. The TERP takes a systems approach in developing a high-level programme of interventions, which work synergistically to create a transport system that is sustainable-by-design and achieves broader wellbeing goals.

28. These interventions draw from best practice around the globe and fall under broader themes, examples of which are likely to include:

a) accessible neighbourhoods in an accessible region

b) using online options where appropriate e.g., working from home

c) replacing private vehicles trips with active, public, and shared modes

d) transitioning to zero emissions vehicles

e) better options for moving goods.

29. Auckland Transport’s increased emphasis on addressing climate change and road harm means that there is a range of programmes underway that can be scaled up and funded as part of the implementation of the TERP pathway.

30. The scale of transformation required to drastically cut transport emissions will not be possible without fixing the existing inequities of the transport system. Improving equitable access to sustainable transport modes is therefore a key principle of the TERP. In most instances the types of interventions needed to bring about significant emissions reductions will also help improve transport equity. However, a small number of specific interventions (road pricing, for example) have the potential to make the transport system more unaffordable for some communities and additional mitigations will be required as part of the TERP programme.

Assessing the broader impacts of TERP

31. An impact assessment will be undertaken to assess the social, environmental, financial, and cultural impacts of the TERP. This assessment could:

a) help inform decision-makers of the impacts on society as a whole

b) support future decision-making about intervention design (e.g., to mitigate inequitable impacts, where to concentrate certain efforts)

c) provide a sense of the type and scale of co-benefits (in addition to emissions reduction) and costs

d) show the changes to costs and benefits over time (i.e., 2030 and beyond).

Identifying barriers and potential solutions

32. Work is underway to identify the legislative, regulatory, financial, and cultural impediments to achieving emissions reductions of the scale required by the TERP. The purpose in identifying these systemic barriers is not to set a cap on the ambition of the TERP but rather to document the reforms required at both central and local government level as part of the implementation of the TERP. Some of these barriers are features of the way in which institutions or funding mechanisms have been designed, others are more cultural in nature.

33. Many of the impediments are already well known and in many cases work is underway outside of the TERP process to address them. The barriers workstream of the TERP will bring this together and point to areas where further work is required over and above what is already underway across different agencies.

34. The output from this workstream will include:

a) an assessment of the criticality of resolving specific barriers for the ability to achieve rapid and significant emissions reductions

b) an assessment of the relative ease of resolving each barrier

c) the role of Auckland Council and Auckland Transport in resolving each barrier – resolution of many of the barriers will fall within the remit of central government and local government’s role may be one of advocacy

d) a high-level forward work programme, based on the above, to address the identified barriers.

35. Continued collaboration between Auckland Council, Auckland Transport, Waka Kotahi, and the Ministry of Transport on many of these issues will be crucial to the resolution of many of the barriers identified by this workstream.

Engagement

36. Staff have engaged with mana whenua, local boards, and a range of stakeholder groups in the development of the TERP. These groups include:

a) Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum and iwi chairs

b) local boards

c) Auckland Council’s demographic advisory panels

d) transport advocates, ranging from Bike Auckland to the Automobile Association

e) business interests such as the Sustainable Business Council and Employers Manufacturers Association

f) academics and experts in public health, Māori health, community psychology, injury prevention, disability access, sustainability transitions, climate finance

g) frontline community groups such as South Seas Healthcare.

37. Feedback has generally been positive. There is widespread recognition on the need for systems change to achieve Auckland’s climate goals and address the problems caused by decades of transport and land use policies that have prioritised private vehicle travel over other sustainable modes.

38. Deep and sustained engagement with iwi Māori and Auckland’s diverse communities is necessary to reimagine a low carbon transport future for Auckland. Staff are exploring how the implementation of the TERP could be supported over a longer period through the use of deliberative democracy, living labs and wānanga to better enable citizen participation and identify community aspirations as well as barriers in transitioning to a sustainable, healthy, and accessible transport system.

Supporting the implementation of the TERP

Building public support

39. The TERP requires a thoughtful public communications approach to proactively socialise the scale of change required to achieve the region’s climate goals.

40. Auckland Transport and Auckland Council communications staff, with guidance from the Transport Emissions Reference Group, are developing an agreed set of principles to guide on-going and future communication campaigns and behavioural change programmes, as well as assess funding requirements for any dedicated additional campaigns/programmes to support the TERP.

Applying behavioural science to transport emissions reduction

41. Achieving a two thirds reduction in transport emissions by 2030 requires a range of responses, including the purposeful application of behavioural science. Information sharing or communication campaigns alone will not be sufficient.

42. Rather than assuming people’s preferences are fixed, social scientists point to “malleable preferences” and the opportunity to redesign infrastructure and services to bring about significant behavioural change and improved wellbeing.^{^[3]} A memo by Dr Jesse Allpress from Auckland’s RIMU provides an overview of the behavioural science behind reducing transport emissions (Attachment B).

Measuring Aucklanders’ access to opportunities via sustainable modes

43. Reducing VKT without impacting negatively on people’s wellbeing requires a focus on accessibility (people’s ability to reach desired services and activities) instead of mobility (people’s ability to travel faster and further).

44. Staff are developing a regionwide assessment framework to measure access to social and economic opportunities via walking, cycling and public transport. This framework will:

a) measure access across the urban area to destinations (‘opportunities’) that enable the people of Tāmaki Makaurau to fulfil their daily needs consistently and reliably

b) identify current barriers to access to opportunities for the people of Tāmaki Makaurau

c) assess distribution of access across Tāmaki Makaurau and across demographic groups and understand how different factors (e.g., age, level of ability) could limit a person’s potential use of the transport network

d) inform investment and planning for transport infrastructure and services, land-use planning, and the location of new facilities. This will involve integrating the framework into policy and investment decision-making processes over time.

Assessing willingness and ability to change travel behaviour

45. An initial project will investigate Aucklanders’ most frequent car trips with a focus on the real and perceived viability of non-driving alternatives. The research will survey over 4,000 car drivers in Auckland on their ability and willingness to travel in alternative ways. These perceptions will be compared to ‘objective’ travel data from Google Maps.

46. The research will identify:

a) where negative perception matches actual experience (to target service improvement)

b) where negative perception does not match actual experience (to target other behavioural interventions)

c) the suburbs and population groups where access to alternative modes of travel is poorest, so these inequities can be addressed via the TERP.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

47. Auckland has less than 100 months to transform its current transport and land use system to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target. Meeting this target will require a fundamental shift from traditional transport planning and investment processes. Incremental change, reliance on existing practices and focusing on standalone policy instruments will simply not be enough.

48. A transport emissions reduction plan needs an integrated mix of policies. Supply-side interventions that make public transport, walking and cycling more attractive will only lead to emissions reduction if they replace trips that were previously made in private cars. A stronger focus on demand-side approaches is also required, e.g., congestion pricing and changes to the supply and cost of parking.

49. While technological innovation and fleet improvements will play an important role in the transition to low carbon transport, particularly beyond 2030, these policies need to be combined with interventions that reduce the demand for travel in private vehicles and increase the use of sustainable transport modes.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

50. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport are jointly developing the TERP. This is reflected in the composition of the working groups and in all levels of the governance framework.

51. The Auckland Transport Board is represented in the Transport Emissions Reference Group, which provides staff with oversight and direction on the TERP.

52. The TERP’s recommended pathway will be recommended to both the Environment and Climate Change committee and the Auckland Transport Board for their endorsement in mid-2022.

53. Implementation of the TERP will require concerted action from multiple agencies. Auckland Transport will be particularly critical to the success of implementation given its key role in relation to many aspects of Auckland’s transport network.

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

Local impacts and local board views

54. The TERP is a strategic regional plan and will not include area-specific projects. However, implementation of a transport decarbonisation pathway will have significant impacts at the local level.

55. Local board feedback on the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice, the government’s Emissions Reduction Plan discussion document and Auckland Transport’s Regional Land Transport Plan shows overwhelming support for more investment in sustainable transport. There is also broad support for policies that suppress private vehicle travel, such as congestion pricing, subject to a range of caveats, such as the adequate provision of sustainable options.

56. Local boards have a critical role to play in advocating for specific improvements that support their communities to transition to low carbon travel, e.g., addressing safety hotspots, accelerating the delivery of walking, cycling and micro-mobility networks, and improving the coverage, frequency, and hours of operation for public transport.

57. Staff are seeking feedback from the local boards on the following topics:

a) ways to dramatically reduce transport emissions in the local board area, or more broadly, while achieving broader wellbeing outcomes

b) ways to increase uptake of walking, cycling and public transport for communities in the local board area

c) barriers that might prevent the implementation of a sustainable, healthy, accessible, and equitable transport system for Auckland, and potential solutions

d) ways to build public support for the initiatives that will be introduced as part of the Transport Emissions Reduction Plan.

58. Successful implementation of the TERP at a local level will require Council Controlled organisations (CCOs) to urgently review how they currently design, consult on, fund, and implement minor capital works, as recommended in the Independent Panel’s review of Auckland Council’s CCOs.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

59. Addressing climate change for the benefit of current and future generations aligns strongly with Māori values of environmental and inter-generational wellbeing.

60. Some of the low carbon transport interventions that Mana Whenua and Mataawaka have advocated for in previous submissions include more reliable and affordable public transport as well as safe walking and cycling facilities.

61. Partnership with iwi, hapū and Māori organisations in delivering climate action is a common theme in submissions received. Equity is also a strong focus for many submitters, highlighting the need for a transport system that increases access, choice, and affordability, particularly for lower income groups and those living outside of the urban core.

62. Reducing transport emissions to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change has significant positive implications for Māori. These include cleaner air, fewer traffic-related deaths and serious injuries, lower transport costs, and more equitable access to opportunities for whānau. However, without additional support, some low carbon transport policies could adversely impact on disadvantaged communities.

63. The Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum and Independent Māori Statutory Board are represented on the Transport Emissions Reference Group, which provides staff with oversight and direction on the TERP.

64. Staff have presented to the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum twice on the TERP and have also written directly to iwi chairs to seek early feedback.

65. A series of hui will be held between March 2022 and April 2022 to seek input from Mana Whenua and Mataawaka on the TERP, including solutions that will support Māori communities in Tāmaki Makaurau to transition to low carbon travel. The council expects to continue working with Mana Whenua and Mataawaka to co-design solutions as part of the implementation of the TERP.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

66. Development of the TERP is being funded from within existing Auckland Council and Auckland Transport budgets.

67. Delivery of the recommended pathway will require significant investment from both Auckland Council and central government over a period of many years. As part of the assessment of the wider impacts of the TERP, high level costings of the recommended pathway will be worked up. Detailed costings of specific interventions are beyond the scope of this plan, but this work will be undertaken over time as specific projects move closer to implementation.

68. Some of the early interventions identified in this report may require additional funding to that which is signalled in the Long-term Plan (LTP) and Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). Funding implications will be investigated and reported back to the committee as part of the pre-implementation decision making process.

69. In the ERP discussion document, the government indicated its intention to substantially increase funding for public transport and active modes. Auckland would expect to benefit from a good proportion of any additional government funding given its greater potential for mode shift than other parts of New Zealand. Any confirmation of additional government funding would likely come through the final ERP and the government’s budget, both due in May 2022.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

70. The table below provides the key risks associated with the TERP. The paper presented to the Environment and Climate Change Committee on 2 December 2021 includes the full risk register.

Risks	Mitigation update
There may not be sufficient evidence to credibly support the assumptions that will go into the model, especially if there is a delay to the technical work required, and some interventions will be difficult to model.	A consultancy has been engaged to provide advice on international best practice in terms of assessing the likely emissions reduction potential of interventions. This is being augmented by work undertaken internally to document the experiences of many international and domestic cities that have implemented the types of interventions that will be included in the recommended pathway.
Current central and local government funding, planning and regulatory frameworks are not reformed quickly enough to enable the transformation required to meet the transport emissions reduction goals in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri.	Work on identifying barriers to implementation and potential ways of unlocking them is an important aspect of the TERP. Responsibility for addressing many of them lies with other agencies and continued collaboration will be essential as the work proceeds. Government’s ERP discussion document proposes solutions for several key regulatory, fiscal, and legislative barriers.
Disruption from the scale of change required could disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities.	Equity has been one key focus area for the work to date. Many of the interventions proposed will help address current transport inequities, e.g., vastly improved public and active transport will help address lower levels of access and travel choice for certain parts of Auckland. Other interventions such as road pricing will require specific mitigation measures. The equity impacts of the recommended pathway will be assessed and presented to the committee.
Strong support for climate action does not always translate into support for specific action at the local level.	A public communications campaign is needed to identify the wider benefits of decarbonisation, the risks of inaction and the ways to ensure a Just Transition. Early work on this has started with the Reference Group. The implementation of specific actions within the chosen pathway will be subject to public consultation processes.
Auckland Council is not seen to model good emissions reducing behaviours within its own corporate activities	Auckland Council will be asking Aucklanders to make considerable adjustments to the way they travel around the city. It is important for the perceived credibility of the plan that council’s own practices are seen to role model best practice in reducing transport emissions. While the transition to a lower emissions fleet is a start, work should be undertaken immediately to consider what else could be done, particularly around site specific travel plans, encouragement for staff to use public transport, parking privileges.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

71. A recommended pathway will be presented to the Environment and Climate Change Committee for approval in July 2022. Feedback from local boards will be summarised and included in the committee report.

72. Implementation of the TERP will follow the committee’s decision in 2022. Local boards will have an opportunity to provide input on the interventions in the endorsed pathway as they are planned and implemented in the future.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Local board memo October 2021 - TERP	61
b ⇩	The behavioural science behind reducing Auckland’s transport emissions	65

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Szening Ooi - Principal Transport Advisor

Authorisers

Jacques Victor – General Manager Auckland Plan Strategy and Research

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager

Ōrākei Local Board

21 April 2022

Submission on central government’s proposals to transform recycling in Aotearoa

File No.: CP2022/04087

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To outline the opportunity and process for local board members to give feedback on the Ministry for the Environment’s consultation document: Te kapanoni i te hangarua: Transforming recycling.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. On 13 March 2022, the Ministry for the Environment released its consultation document on proposals to transform recycling in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

3. The consultation document seeks feedback on the following three proposals:

a) a container return scheme that encourages people to return their empty beverage containers for recycling

b) improvements to household kerbside recycling, including nationwide standardised material collections and urban food scraps collection

c) separation of food scraps from general waste for all businesses.

4. Approval of the submission is proposed to be delegated by the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee at its 7 April 2022 meeting to two councillors and an Independent Māori Statutory Board representative.

5. Waste Solutions staff will lead the development of Auckland Council’s submission which is due to the Ministry for the Environment by 8 May 2022.

6. Auckland Council’s submission will be developed based on policy positions articulated in relevant council strategy, such as Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para i Tāmaki Makaurau 2018 – Auckland Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2018 and other recent council submissions on government policy relating to waste management and minimisation.

7. Feedback provided by local boards through the development of the Waste Plan 2018 and other related recent submissions on government policy will inform the overall direction of the submission.

8. Local boards can provide formal feedback by 5.00pm on 21 April 2022 to inform the council’s submission or by 5.00pm on 4 May 2022 to be appended to the council’s submission.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the Ministry for the Environment’s consultation document: Te kapanoni i te hangarua: Transforming recycling discussion document to inform the council’s draft submission.

Horopaki

Context

9. On 13 March 2022, the Ministry for the Environment released its consultation document, Te kawe i te haepapa para: Te kapanoni i te hangarua: Transforming recycling.

10. The document covers three proposals:

a) a container return scheme that encourages people to return their empty beverage containers for recycling

b) improvements to household kerbside recycling, including nationwide standardised material collections and urban food scraps collection

c) separation of food scraps from general waste for all businesses.

11. These are part of the wider Ministry for the Environment work programme including:

a) a new waste strategy and associated legislation

b) implementation of the 2021 National Plastics Action Plan

c) the increase and expansion of the waste levy

d) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from organic wastes via a proposed Emissions Reduction Plan.

12. The reasons for the changes include the need to:

a) substantially increase our recycling rates noting that Aotearoa/New Zealand only recycles and composts about one-third of materials we place on the kerbside, with the rest going to landfills (many countries recycle two-thirds)

b) reduce carbon emissions noting that the waste sector contributed around four per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, and around nine per cent of biogenic methane emissions.

13. Recent Auckland Council submissions to the Ministry for the Environment on waste related topics have supported development of a new waste strategy and legislation, developed in partnership with Māori, to move to a circular economy.

14. The council has been a long-time advocate for a national container return scheme, and co-led work with Marlborough District Council in 2020 to co-design a scheme with a wide range of sector stakeholders. The council has also supported work to standardise kerbside collections and highlighted the importance of reducing carbon emissions from organic waste in our recent submissions.

Timeframe

15. Submissions close on 8 May 2022. A delegated authority to approve the council’s submission is being sought in advance because the submission will be due before the next the Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting.

16. The Ministry for the Environment has provided indicative timeframes for the proposals:

a) 2025 for implementation of the Container Return Scheme

b) 2024-2030 for various requirements related to kerbside collections

c) 2025-2030 for businesses in metropolitan areas to separate their food waste depending on availability of processing facilities.

17. These timeframes are subject to decisions on each proposal, together with other decisions pending and initiatives already underway. For example, decisions on whether to enact regulation under current legislation or wait until new legislation is in force.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Proposal 1: a container return scheme

18. A container return scheme (CRS) is proposed to incentivise people to return their empty beverage containers for recycling and/or refilling in exchange for a 20 cent per container refundable deposit.

19. A CRS could increase beverage container recovery to 85 per cent or higher, increasing the number of containers recycled annually by over one billion.

20. The scheme should reduce the large amount of recyclable material lost to landfill, reduce litter and emissions, and support a circular economy in recycling and reuse options.

21. A snapshot of the proposal is included in Attachment A.

Proposal 2: improvements to household kerbside recycling

22. The proposal includes two core proposals to improve household kerbside recycling:

a) collecting a standard set of materials across the country to reduce confusion and improve the quality and quantity of collected recycling

b) all urban populations to have a kerbside food scraps collection to reduce climate emissions and recycle nutrients back to the soil.

23. It also includes four supporting areas of improvement:

a) requirement for both council and private-sector reporting on household kerbside collections

b) setting targets/performance standards for councils; being a minimum baseline performance and a high achieving target for kerbside diversion

c) separate collection of glass and paper/cardboard; and

d) require all councils to provide a kerbside recycling collection to urban households.

24. A snapshot of the proposal is included in Attachment B.

Proposal 3: separation of food scraps for all businesses

25. This proposal is to require all businesses to collect food waste separately from other waste materials in order to reduce climate emissions and recycle nutrients back into our soil. Food waste diverted from landfills can be used to feed animals, improve soil quality and generate energy.

26. Feedback is sought on the different ways a requirement to separate food waste could be introduced and how it would affect businesses. A snapshot of the proposal is included in Attachment C.

Auckland Council’s position on the proposal

27. The council’s submission will be developed based on policy positions articulated in related plans and strategies together with evidence and data from subject matter experts from across the council family, and input from previous mana whenua engagement and public submissions.

28. Auckland Council’s position on waste management is guided by Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para i Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2018 (‘the Waste Plan 2018’), and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan.

29. The Waste Plan 2018 is guided by the vision ‘Auckland aspires to be Zero Waste by 2040, taking care of people and the environment and turning waste into resources’ and sets out over 100 actions to achieve this vision. It continues a zero-waste vision that was originally set out in Auckland Council’s first Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2012.

30. Staff will also advise the Waste Advisory Political Advisory Group of the consultation and offer an opportunity to input. Input will also be sought from mana whenua through the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum.

31. Staff are also contacting the Independent Māori Statutory Board and Tāmaki Makaurau Kaitiaki Forum to alert them to this proposal and the opportunity to provide input.

Timeframe for consultation on Transforming Recycling

Milestone	Date
Discussion document released	14 March 2022
Deadline for incorporated feedback	21 April 2022
Deadline for appended feedback	4 May 2022
Consultation period closes	8 May 2022
Decision-making on proposals	Later this year

Further material

32. Relevant strategies and existing agreed positions in the council’s recent submissions are mainly from:

a) Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para i Tāmaki Makaurau – Auckland Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2018

b) Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

33. The disposal and treatment of waste comprises around four per cent of Aotearoa’s gross greenhouse gas emissions. The main sources include organic waste, wastewater treatment, incineration and open burning, and biological waste treatment (composting).

34. The Transforming Recycling proposal includes measures to divert organic waste going to landfill, in alignment with the proposed Emissions Reduction Plan. The outcomes from this consultation, including potential diversion of food scraps by businesses, will influence Auckland’s ability to achieve its regional emissions reduction targets of halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050, as adopted by the council through Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

35. Feedback from relevant council departments and Council Controlled Organisations on the draft submission will be sought. The council-group was involved in establishing existing council positions.

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

Local impacts and local board views

36. The proposals would impact on a range of council services such as kerbside collections and litter services, our work in supporting community initiatives including the resource recovery network, and programmes to raise public awareness and education amongst others. The proposals would have wider impacts on environmental outcomes and economic costs and opportunities including local opportunities to support a circular economy.

37. Local board views will be sought on the draft submission and either incorporated within the report or appended to the submission, depending on when they are able to provide their views. Local boards provided strong direction through the development of the Waste Plan 2018 and other related recent submissions on government policy and these views will inform the overall direction of the submission.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

38. Staff have contacted the Independent Māori Statutory Board, Tāmaki Makaurau Kaitiaki Forum and the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum to alert them to this proposal and the opportunity to input.

39. The consultation document outlines opportunities for iwi involvement in the management of recycling schemes as well as job or entrepreneurial opportunities in the provision of the container return scheme. We will work with iwi to advocate for these types of opportunities in our submission. This aligns with the IMSB’s 2021 Schedule of Issues of Significance for Māori for council to identify Māori social procurement opportunities including in recycling and waste management.

40. Feedback expressed on previous related discussions and submissions, including consultation undertaken in 2021 on the submission to the Ministry for the Environment on a new waste strategy and legislation, will be incorporated into the development of this submission.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

41. The submission can be developed as part of business-as-usual central government advocacy activity.

42. Potential financial implications of the proposals for the council will be considered as part of the council’s submission.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

43. There is minimal risk in making a submission on the Ministry’s consultation document.

44. Potential risks to the council arising from implementation of proposals will be considered as part of the council’s submission.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

45. Local board resolutions on the Transforming Recycling submission/draft will be included in the Auckland Council submission on this matter.

46. Below are the key dates for input into the submission:

a) 5.00pm on 21 April 2022: deadline for feedback to be considered in the council’s submission. Formal feedback to inform the council’s submission needs to be returned to Jacob van der Poel (Jacob.vanderpoel@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)

b) 5.00pm on 4 May 2022: final date for any formal local board feedback to be appended to the submission. Formal feedback to inform the council’s submission needs to be returned to Jacob van der Poel

c) as there is no Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting scheduled before the due date for submissions a committee report is being prepared to seek approval from the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee meeting on 7 April 2022. This will seek delegated authority for two councillors and a member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board for the approval of the council’s submission

d) the final submission is due to the Ministry for the Environment by 8 May 2022. A copy of the final submission will be provided to all elected members, local board members, and the Independent Māori Statutory Board once submitted.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Container Return Scheme: Snapshot of the consultation Wellington: Ministry for the Environment	77
b ⇩	Te whakapiki i te hangarua paeara ā-kāinga Improvements to household kerbside recycling: A Snapshot Wellington: Ministry for the Environment	85
c ⇩	Te whakawehe i ngā para kai ā-pakihi Separation of business food waste	91

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Jacob van der Poel - Advisor Operations and Policy

Authorisers

Carol Hayward - Team Leader Operations and Policy

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager

Ōrākei Local Board

21 April 2022

Local board feedback on the draft 2021 Regional Parks Management Plan

File No.: CP2022/03993

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To enable local boards to provide formal written feedback to the draft Regional Parks Management Plan (draft plan) hearings panel.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Parks, Arts, Community and Events (PACE) Committee approved the draft plan for public consultation on 2 December 2021. Through the 12-week public consultation period from 10 December 2021 to 4 March 2022, 4684 submissions were received from individuals, organisations and mana whenua. A summary of the submissions received is in Attachment A and submitters identified by local board area are in Attachment D. Local boards can use Attachment D to find local board specific submissions on the review’s hearings page^{^[4]}.

3. The draft plan provides a policy framework to manage the use, protection and development of 28 regional parks. Mutukaroa / Hamlins Hill Regional Park, a portion of the Hūnua Ranges Regional Park called the Hūnua Falls Special Management Zone and the Botanic Gardens have been excluded from the draft plan.

4. The draft plan presents the vision, values, management framework, general policies, and specific information and management intentions for each park. It provides a management response to key areas of focus, including:

a) increased involvement of mana whenua in accordance with te Tiriti partnership principle

b) adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change on regional parks

c) focus on biodiversity protection

d) adding value to visitor experiences

e) acknowledging that collaboration with others is increasingly important to achieve the aspirations of this draft plan.

5. In preparing the draft plan, staff considered the suggestions and input from mana whenua, local boards, community, and organisations as required under the Reserves Act 1977 and Local Government Act 2002 and reviewed legislative requirements and current council policy.

6. Of the 4,684 written submissions received within the submission period, more than 3,830 submissions were generated from a campaign website (www.handsoff.nz) through which 3,646 people sent an identical submission. Commentators on mainstream and social media claimed the draft plan hid an intention to transfer control of regional parks without proper consultation to either the Hauraki Gulf Forum or to iwi authorities. This raised concern for many people and prompted them to submit via the campaign website.

7. The proposal in the draft plan to investigate joining relevant parks to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park does not lead to transfer of control to the Hauraki Gulf Forum, even under the legislative changes being proposed by the Forum. No transfer of control away from the council is proposed in the draft plan.

8. Some other groupings of identical submission points were submitted by motor campervan users, the Waitākere community and the Pakiri community.

9. Across all submissions a large variety of comments were received, between them commenting on all chapters of the draft plan, with varying levels of support and criticism.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Ōrākei Local Board:

a) receive the public feedback on the draft 2021 Regional Parks Management Plan

b) provide formal feedback on the draft 2021 Regional Park Management Plan to the hearings panel

c) appoint one or more local board member(s) to speak to the hearings panel on the boards feedback in clause b) on 9 May 2022.

Horopaki

Context

10. The PACE committee has decision-making responsibility over the regional parks as identified in Schedule 1 to the Allocation of Decision-Making Responsibility Table in the Long-term Plan.

11. Under the Reserves Act 1977 and Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008, the 2010 Regional Parks Management Plan was due for review.

12. In August 2020 the PACE committee notified an intention to prepare a new plan (PAC/2020/36). The council sought suggestions from the community (in September and October 2020) as required under the Reserves Act. A summary of the suggestions was provided to elected members including local board members in December 2020.

13. Following the agreed principles for local board involvement in regional policies, all local boards were invited to input their suggestions for the review (January-March 2021). Local boards are invited now to review submissions on the draft plan and provide feedback to the hearings panel. Interested local boards held workshops earlier in April 2022 prior to this business meeting.

14. Engagement with 16 mana whenua and the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum occurred throughout the preparation of the draft plan, to meet Reserves Act requirements to give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to align to the council’s commitments to improving Māori outcomes.

15. The draft plan is intended to serve as the reserve management plan for the regional parkland that is held under the Reserves Act 1977 (noting the exclusions outlined in paragraph 22).

16. Under s 41(3) of the Reserves Act, the plan must adequately incorporate and ensure the use and management of the reserve is aligned to the purposes for which it is classified and ensure compliance with the principles set out under the relevant classification in the Act.

17. It also fulfils the requirement for a management plan for the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park under s19 of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008. The council must give effect to the Act and its objectives when preparing the plan for the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.

18. Regional parkland that is not held under the Reserves Act is held under the Local Government Act 2002, for which this is a discretionary plan.

19. The Regulatory Committee appointed hearings panel members at its meeting on 14 December 2021. The hearings panel members are: Councillor Linda Cooper (chair), Councillor Christine Fletcher, Independent Māori Statutory Board Member Glenn Wilcox, independent David Hill, independent James Whetu.

20. Once finalised the draft plan will replace the 2010 plan. The timeline and process from here is provided later in this report. The intention is to finalise the plan for adoption in this political term.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

The draft Regional Parks Management Plan

The draft plan covers 28 regional parks with some exclusions

21. The draft plan provides a policy framework to manage the use, protection and development of 28 regional parks. The PACE Committee resolved to exclude the Auckland Botanic Gardens (Resolution number PAC/2020/36) and the Mutukaroa / Hamlins Hill Regional Park and Hūnua Falls area of the Hūnua Ranges Regional Park (Resolution number PAC/2021/69) from this omnibus plan for these reasons:

a) the Botanic Gardens is a different type of regional park and will have its own management plan

b) a management trust established to govern the Crown-owned portion of Mutukaroa / Hamlins Hill is not currently active, and is subject to Treaty settlements, so it was not possible to develop a plan chapter at this point

c) a significant part of the Hūnua Falls area is subject to completed and pending Treaty settlements which transfer land from the Crown to iwi but retain the council as the administering body. The council must jointly prepare part of this land with its iwi owner, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. A larger part of Crown-owned land in the same vicinity is subject to similar Treaty settlement legislation with four future iwi owners (Ngāi Tai, Ngāti Paoa, Ngaati Whanaunga and Ngāi Koheriki) once all four settlements are completed. These areas and the arrival area to the falls have been excluded from the draft plan.

Consideration of suggestions

22. Local boards provided 245 suggestion points, which were considered in drafting the plan (see Attachments B and C).

23. From the first round of public consultation during September and October 2020, 789 submitters including 53 organisations and a petition from 3681 petitioners provided suggestions and comments to be considered in the council’s review.

24. Full consideration was given to the thousands of individual suggestion points in preparing the draft plan. Particular interest came from submissions relating to track closures in the Waitākere Ranges, dogs, conflicts between vehicle users and others on Muriwai beach, requests for more recreational activities, and a petition seeking the end to the killing of farmed animals for animal rights reasons.

Outline

25. The draft plan structure is as follows.

a) book one: context, vision, values, a management framework and general policies

b) book two: a chapter for each of 28 regional parks, including park vision and description, mana whenua associations, recreational provision, challenges and opportunities, management intentions and key stakeholders

c) maps to illustrate the parks

d) appendices: most of the appendices provide supporting factual information. Appendix 4 presents track development principles and criteria for development of new tracks.

26. The full draft plan runs to 508 pages with 60 maps. Due to its size, it is not appended to this report. The draft plan may be downloaded in full or in part at https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/regional-parks-management-plan

Key points

27. Through this draft plan the regional parks will remain under Auckland Council control as the treasured taonga of Tāmaki Makaurau. Concerns were raised by commentators in mainstream and social media during the consultation period in January-February 2022, suggesting the draft plan proposed to transfer some regional parks to the Hauraki Gulf Forum. These concerns are misplaced. The proposal in the draft plan to investigate joining relevant parks to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park does not lead to transfer of control to the Hauraki Gulf Forum, even under the legislative changes being proposed by the Forum. No transfer of control away from the council is proposed in the draft plan.

28. The plan safeguards the natural, undeveloped feel of the regional parks that people have consistently told us they value and enjoy. Aucklanders will retain free access to opportunities to explore and enjoy our unique and stunning coastline, forests, and farmland.

29. However, the draft plan notes that the context of park management is changing. Mana whenua have expressed that they want to be involved in park management at all levels. The need to protect biodiversity is more important than ever in the face of climate change and population growth pressures. We need to reorient our activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on parks as in other aspects of council’s business. At the same time Aucklanders want to enjoy these special places in ever greater numbers, and the council faces increasing pressures to do more with limited resources.

Proposals in the draft plan

30. The draft plan responds to the changing context by:

a) seeking to follow the partnership principle under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, setting a course to work with mana whenua at management, project and operational levels

b) mitigating and preparing for climate change by:

i. keeping 35,000ha of forest healthy

ii. aiming to reduce visitor vehicle emissions

iii. revegetating 200ha of retired farmland

iv. referencing council’s shoreline adaptation plans and council’s biodiversity work to face increased drought, fire risk, and hotter temperatures

v. providing more shade and shelter for visitors and animals

c) seeking to protect the unique precious biodiversity in our regional parks by:

i. following the direction set by our scientists on regional priorities

ii. implementing pest control programmes

iii. continuing to protect kauri from kauri dieback disease

iv. supporting the significant contributions made by conservation volunteers

d) continuing to recognise and protect the cultural heritage on regional parks, which is of significant value to mana whenua and to Aucklanders

e) responding to recreation requests by prioritising:

i. track network planning in the Waitākere Ranges to identify next steps beyond the existing track reopening programme

ii. recreation planning to unlock the potential opportunities in the Hūnua Ranges

iii. planning for expected rapid growth in visitor numbers at Te Ārai

iv. providing for other opportunities across the regional parks network

f) responding to the growing population and increasing diversity of Aucklanders by:

i. seeking to cater for different cultural needs where we can safely do so

ii. aiming to provide more information about heritage and nature to build understanding and a sense of identity and connection

iii. continuing education programmes and supporting others to deliver also

g) overcoming budget limitations by seeking to collaborate with others to deliver the outcomes of this plan, including reviewing the commercial activities framework.

31. The draft plan aligns to, and references, current council policies, strategies and programmes, noting management of regional parks touches on many areas of council policy and activity.

Public consultation on the draft plan

32. As required by section 41(6) of the Reserves Act (for land held under that Act), the draft plan was open for public consultation from 10 December 2021 to 4 March 2022. The Reserves Act provides for written comments from submitters followed by hearings.

33. Given the high level of interest in this draft plan, the consultation period was publicised widely through council channels, emails to mana whenua, previous submitters and a wide list of regional park stakeholders, via social media, on regional parks and through leisure centres. Hard copies were available in a number of libraries and in the Arataki Visitor Centre and a public online briefing was held.

34. The consultation also followed the special consultative procedure under s.83 of the Local Government Act 2002, noting that a summary was not required under s.87(2)(a). The requirement to adopt the special consultative procedure stems from the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 and applies to the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.

Submissions received

35. Some 4684 written submissions (excluding duplicates) were received within the submission period including from mana whenua, individuals, and 82 organisations. Of those more than 3830 submissions were generated from a campaign website of which 3646 were identical.

36. The table shows the number of submissions and identical campaign submissions received by local board area (where this information was provided). Attachment D lists submitters (other than the identical form submitters) who provided their local board area or postal code. The full list including campaign form submitter names is published on the hearings page.

Table 1: Number of submissions by local board area^{^[5]}

Local board area	Number of 'unique' submissions	Number of repeat campaign submissions
Albert-Eden	56	99
Aotea / Great Barrier	2	0
Devonport-Takapuna	40	130
Franklin	40	208
Henderson-Massey	21	31
Hibiscus and Bays	112	350
Howick	23	184
Kaipātiki	19	100
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu	7	10
Manurewa	2	45
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki	19	117
Ōrākei	41	271
Ōtara-Papatoetoe	1	10
Papakura	7	43
Puketāpapa	10	31
Rodney	172	241
Upper Harbour	20	117
Waiheke	19	72
Waitākere Ranges	166	114
Waitematā	25	106
Whau	18	37
Outside Auckland	73	1313
Location not provided	112	17
Regional / national organisations	33	0
Totals	1038	3646
Grand total		4684

37. Thousands of comments (supportive and critical) were received, covering many parts of the draft plan. The summary of submissions presents an overview of:

a) responses to the feedback form questions

b) emailed comments on the general sections of the draft plan

c) all comments relating to each regional park chapter.

38. Four groupings of submitters presented the same or similar comments. These were in respect to:

a) seeking continued council control of regional parks (the campaign submission)

b) opposition to aspects of the draft plan in respect to Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, including:

i. seeking access to closed tracks and seeking to not be excluded from the central part of the forest long-term

ii. seeking changes to reinstate aspects of the 2010 management plan for the park including the 2010 vision

iii. opposition to any proposals that might facilitate increased numbers of visitors and change the wilderness aspect of the park

c) more opportunities for overnight stays for self-contained certified campervans from campervan users

d) local community views on Pakiri Regional Park.

39. All submissions are publicly viewable on the council’s hearings page at https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/have-your-say/hearings/find-hearing/Pages/Hearing-documents.aspx?HearingId=526.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

40. The draft plan aims to embed the mitigation and adaptation policies from Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan. The proposed adaptation and mitigation policies are outlined in paragraph 30. The expected impact of the mitigation policies will be to gradually reduce emissions associated with farming and visitor vehicles over time, and to retain and increase the carbon stored in permanent indigenous forest.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

41. Advice from staff across the council group helped to draft this plan including from:

a) Parks, Sport and Recreation in particular regional parks and visitor experience

b) Community Facilities in particular land advisory, farming and sustainability

c) Infrastructure and Environmental Services including coastal, biosecurity, natural environment teams

d) Auckland Plan Strategy and Research including the chief sustainability office, strategic advice, natural environment strategy and Hauraki Gulf

e) Ngā Matarae / Māori Outcomes

f) Plans and Places in particular heritage

g) Community and Social Policy.

42. Auckland Transport, Auckland Unlimited (Screen Auckland in particular) and Watercare were engaged over aspects of the draft plan relevant to their roles.

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

Local impacts and local board views

43. A summary of all the submissions received from the community and organisations is in Attachment A.

44. Attachment B provides the collated local board suggestions for the review from March 2021. Attachment C presents the common themes from local boards’ input and the draft plan response.

45. A list of submitters by local board area (where known) is in Attachment D.

46. This report is presented to enable local boards to include comments on the draft plan for the hearing panel, following workshops earlier this month of April 2022. The hearings panel has set aside Monday 9 May to listen to local board representatives.

47. Local boards will be provided with updates on the hearings panel report and PACE committee decisions.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

48. The Reserves Act is one of the acts in the First Schedule to the Conservation Act 1987. In performing functions and duties under the Reserves Act, the council must give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

49. Treaty obligations are overarching and not something to be considered or applied after all other matters are considered.

50. The draft plan acknowledges council’s obligation to iwi in relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi in regional parks management planning. In developing the draft plan council aimed to honour these obligations.

51. The draft plan’s intentions to involve mana whenua in park management and acknowledgement of mana whenua associations with regional parkland, impact positively on mana whenua and council’s commitments to improve Māori outcomes (in particular Kia ora Tāmaki and Kia ora Te Taiao, which relates to the role of Māori as kaitiaki).

52. Sixteen of the 19 mana whenua in the region and the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum, formerly the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum, engaged during the drafting of the plan.

53. Mana whenua aspire to a more substantive role including co-governance and co-management. The role of mana whenua with respect to regional parks and how the draft plan portrays mana whenua and partnerships was the most highlighted point across all mana whenua engagement. The Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum sought clarity on how the council views its partnership role, in particular seeking co-governance for mana whenua of the regional parks. It also sought recognition of case law that confirmed mana whenua priority for business opportunities on Reserves Act land.

54. In chapter one the draft plan identifies that governance of the regional parks rests with the council’s governing body. While it does not provide for co-governance of the regional parks, the draft plan acknowledges that this is part of a broader discussion.

55. The policy chapter titled Mana Whenua Partnerships provides for potential co-management acknowledging paragraph 60) but does not specify how this should occur, as there are a variety of emerging models of co-management. Given the number of iwi involved and the variety of associations with different regional parks it would not be appropriate to specify models in this plan. This chapter includes policies aligning to council’s commitment to improve Māori outcomes and to address mana whenua aspirations as outlined in the Issues of Significance 2021-2025, including:

a) setting an enabling framework to build partnerships at all levels

b) enabling an expanded mana whenua role beyond cultural heritage; the draft plan reflects mana whenua interest in all areas of park management

c) supporting a Māori identity on parks and Māori wellbeing including through park naming (the draft plan reflects the decisions made by this committee on 11 November inviting mana whenua to provide Māori names for six parks (PAC/2021/61).

56. The first management intention in each park chapter is to work with mana whenua to explore their priorities and involvement in delivering the intentions for that park.

57. Several mana whenua and the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Forum submitted on the draft plan.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

58. There are no cost implications arising from local board feedback.

59. Costs relating to the review are covered from the project budget. Hearings’ commissioner costs are met from existing operational budgets.

60. This draft plan sets aspirations for the care, management and use of regional parks. The policies and management intentions are not costed nor prioritised and in many cases they are aspirational. The draft plan provides for the regional community to partner in support of council to deliver the outcomes in the plan.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

61. The following table outlines relevant risks and mitigations.

Risk	Mitigation
The draft plan sets out ambitions that exceed the current budget. There is a risk that it will raise expectations beyond current resource capacity in the Long-term Plan.	The draft plan explicitly identifies the intentions are not fully funded and explains funding decisions are through the Long-term Plan and annual budgets. It opens the door to collaboration with and resourcing by others and notes plan delivery will involve setting priorities across its wider portfolio and is impacted by changes to budget and revenue, such as impacts from Covid-19.
Many suggestions and submissions relate to issues that are beyond the scope of the plan and are not addressed, raising the risk that people think the council is not responsive.	Continue to communicate that the plan covers matters relating to the management of the regional parks covered by the plan, setting the scene for management for the next decade.
If the correct processes under the Reserves Act 1977 and other legislation are not followed, the review process could be open to challenge.	· confirm the legal status of regional park land holdings and check the statutory and other obligations over each land parcel to ensure compliance · ensure legal requirements regarding consultation processes are correctly followed.
The large number of submissions received through the ‘campaign’ website is evidence that many were unnecessarily concerned there was a plan to move the regional parks from council control.	The Our Auckland article titled ‘No plan to change ownership or management of Auckland’s regional parks’ released on 11 February 2022 provided reassurance that council was not planning to relinquish control of the regional parks.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

62. The next steps will be:

a) local board feedback provided through the minutes to this report will be sent to the hearings panel

b) the hearings panel will hear from representatives of local boards on 9 May 2022

c) hearings with submitters are booked for the week of 16 May 2022

d) deliberations are booked for the week of 23 May 2022

e) providing the hearings panel completes its report with recommendations for changes by 30 June 2022, the panel’s recommendations will be reported to the PACE committee on 11 August 2022.

63. The review’s target is to present to the PACE committee a final amended regional parks management plan for adoption at its meeting on 22 September 2022.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a	Summary of submissions to the draft plan (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇩	Local board input to the preparation of the draft plan	107
c ⇩	Summary of response to local board input	121
d ⇩	Submitters identified by local board area	123

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Jo Mackay - Project Manager

Authorisers

Justine Haves - General Manager Regional Services Planning, Investment and Partnership

Claudia Wyss - Director Customer and Community Services

Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Auckland Transport's Interim Speed Management - Feedback	139

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Chairman and Board Members' Report - 21 April 2022	143

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Governance Forward Work Calender - April 2022	151

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Workshop Proceedings - 03 March 2022	157
b ⇩	Workshop Proceedings - 10 March 2022	161
c ⇩	Workshop Proceedings - 24 March 2022	165

[2] OECD (2021). Transport strategies for net-zero systems by design. https://www.oecd.org/climate-change/well-being-lens/

[3] Creutzig, F., Niamir, L., Bai, X. et al. (2022). Demand-side solutions to climate change mitigation consistent with high levels of well-being. Nature Climate Change, 12, 36–46.

[5] Notes: Duplicate submissions from the same submitter were excluded. The first of the identical campaign submissions is counted in the ‘unique’ submissions column. The campaign submissions provided postal codes which have been mapped to local board areas. Postal code areas do not match local board areas. The local board area forming the largest portion of the postal code area was assigned to the postal code, however some of these submitters may be resident in a neighbouring area.

Chairman	Scott Milne, JP
Deputy Chairman	Troy Elliott
Members	Troy Churton
	Colin Davis, JP
	Sarah Powrie
	Margaret Voyce
	David Wong, JP

Author	Jade Grayson - Democracy Advisor
Authoriser	Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager

Author	Jade Grayson - Democracy Advisor for Orakei.
Authoriser	Trina Thompson - Local Area Manager