Agenda of Waitākere Ranges Local Board

Chairperson Saffron Toms opened the meeting and welcomed those present in person and online.

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

Members were 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.

Specifically, members are asked to identify any new interests they have not previously disclosed, an interest that might be considered as a conflict of interest with a matter on the agenda.

The following are declared interests of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

Board Member	Organisation/Position
Mark Allen	· Community Waitākere – Executive Officer · Bethells Valley Fire – Senior Fire Fighter · Waitākere Licensing Trust – Trustee
Michelle Clayton	· Glen Eden Community House – Treasurer · Glen Eden Residents’ Association – Member · Waitākere Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) – Committee Member · The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust – Trustee · Glen Eden Returned Services Association (RSA) – Member · Glen Eden Railway Trust – Member · Te Wahi Ora Charitable Trust - Member
Sandra Coney	· Cartwright Collective – Member · Women’s Health Action Trust – Patron · New Zealand Society of Genealogists – Member · New Zealand Military Defence Society – Member · Pest Free Piha – Partner is the Coordinator · Piha Tennis Club – Patron and Partner is the President · Piha Wetland Trust – Partner is a Trustee · Waitākere Ranges Pest Free Alliance – Partner is the Co-Chair of this group · Waitematā District Health Board – Elected Member & Chair of Hospital Advisory Committee

Board Member	Organisation/Position
Greg Presland	· Whau Coastal Walkway Environmental Trust – Trustee · Combined Youth Services Trust – Trustee · Glen Eden Bid – Member · Titirangi Ratepayers and Residents Association – Member · Waitākere Ranges Protection Society - Member · Titirangi RSA - Member
Saffron Toms	· Titirangi Community House – Secretary · Huia-Cornwallis Residents and Ratepayers Association – Committee Member
Ken Turner	· Huia-Cornwallis Residents and Ratepayers Association – Committee Member

Member appointments

Board members are appointed to the following bodies. In these appointments the board members represent Auckland Council:

External community group or organisation	Lead	Alternate
Aircraft Noise Community Consultative Group	Mark Allen	Saffron Toms
Ark in the Park	Mark Allen	Sandra Coney
Friends of Arataki and Waitākere Regional Parkland Incorporated	Michelle Clayton	Sandra Coney
Glen Eden Business Improvement District (Glen Eden Business Association)	Michelle Clayton	Greg Presland
Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre Trust	Ken Turner	Mark Allen
Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery	Mark Allen	Saffron Toms and Sandra Coney
The Rural Advisory Panel	Ken Turner	Saffron Toms

4 Confirmation of Minutes

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) confirm the minutes of its ordinary meeting, held on Thursday, 26 May 2022 , as true and correct.

5 Leave of Absence

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

6 Acknowledgements

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

7 Petitions

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

8 Deputations

Standing Order 7.7 provides for deputations. Those applying for deputations are required to give seven working days notice of subject matter and applications are approved by the Chairperson of the Waitākere Ranges 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: Alternative path proposal to Waitākere Ranges Greenways plan (G8 route)

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To receive the deputation from Dan Roberts and Brad Pepping, residents of Verdale Circle.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The proposed G8 route has serious barriers, constraints and unnecessarily duplicates of some existing access. Residents of Verdale Circle will present an alternative route that will provide similar access and address the physical constraints. The proposal has the added benefits of lower cost, fewer emissions and will establish a great community link.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) receive the deputation from Dan Roberts and Brad Pepping, residents of Verdale Circle, and thank them for their 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.

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

10 Extraordinary Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 Notices of Motion

Under Standing Order 2.5.1 a Notice of Motion has been received from Member S Coney and Member M Allen as seconder for consideration under item 13.

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Notice of Motion regarding the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and Three Waters – Member S Coney and Member M Allen	13

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Images of 33b Brandon Rd, Glen Eden (part only)	19

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two 2021/2022 grant allocations

File No.: CP2022/07515

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To fund, part-fund or decline applications received for Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Grants Round Two 2021/2022.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Waitākere Ranges Local Board adopted the Waitākere Ranges Local Grants Programme 2021/2022 as presented in Attachment A. The programme sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the board.

3. This report presents applications received in the Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two 2021/2022 as presented in Attachment B.

4. The Waitākere Ranges Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $98,309.00 for the 2021/2022 financial year. The board allocated a total of $77,582.05 to two local grant, two multi-board, and one quick-response round. There is $20,726.95 remaining to spend for one more quick-response round.

5. Nineteen applications were submitted to the Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two, requesting a total of $28,359.06.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) agree to fund, part-fund, or decline each application in the Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two 2021/2022

Application ID	Organisation	Requesting funding for	Amount requested
QR2219-201	Piha Surf life Saving Club	Towards CPR equipment upgrade and replacement of manikins and backpack in Piha Surf Life Saving Club (July 2022)	$1,370.44
QR2219-202	Paul Jenkin	Towards costs to restore Donner House in Titirangi (October 2022 - January 2023)	$1,000.00
QR2219-203	Youthline Auckland Charitable Trust	Towards a contribution to the Youthline annual budget for youth helpline through call and text (July 2022 - March 2023)	$1,000.00
QR2219-205	Melanoma New Zealand	Towards nurse educator and admin support wages to run the Melanoma New Zealand Mobile Spot Check (July 2022 - October 2022)	$1,260.00
QR2219-206	West Auckland Community Toy Library	Towards librarian wages and rent for three months at the West Auckland Community Toy Library (July 2022 - October 2022)	$1,500.00
QR2219-207	Badminton New Zealand Incorporated	Towards venue hire of Waitākere Badminton Centre for the Badminton New Zealand North Island Inter-Association 2022 (August 2022 - September 2022)	$1,500.00

QR2219-208	The Operating Theatre Trust trading as Tim Bray Theatre Company	Towards venue hire costs of the Glen Eden Playhouse for the Whale Rider production (August 2022 - November 2022)	$5,296.00
QR2219-210	The Helping Paws Charitable Trust	Towards food and kitty litter for cats in foster care for the neutering programme in Waitākere Ranges (July 2022 - March 2023)	$1,500.00
QR2219-214	Protect Piha Heritage Society Incorporated	Towards traps for stoats, rats, and possums in Piha Road between Te Ahuahu and Karekare Roads (July 2022 - December 2022)	$1,476.00
QR2219-215	Titirangi Community House Society Inc	Towards office chair, vacuum and steam cleaner, and tear drop flags to be used at Titirangi Community House (July 2022)	$1,233.00
QR2219-216	Phoebe Stone	Towards the removal and rebuilding of the stairs as well as some materials	$1,000.00
QR2219-217	Bishop Stream Neighbourhood Garden	Towards gravel, timber, wire, additional plants, and organic weed-killer at the Bishop Stream Neighbourhood Garden (August 2022 - February 2023)	$805.00
QR2219-218	New Zealand Council of Victim Support Groups Incorporated	Toward recruitment and training costs of new volunteers of the Volunteer Victim Support Worker programme (July 2022 - June 2023)	$1,500.00
QR2219-219	Glen Eden Community Pataka under the umbrella of Glen Eden Community House Inc	Towards rubbish bag tags and petrol vouchers for the Pataka Kai (July 2022 - May 2024)	$1,500.00
QR2219-220	Playhouse Theatre Inc.	Towards costume, set and prop hire from NZSSCS for the Addams Family the musical at The Playhouse Theatre (October 2022)	$1,500.00
QR2219-221	Show Me Shorts Film Festival Trust	Towards costs of staging Show Me Shorts and venue hire of Lopdell House (October 2022)	$1,119.62
QR2219-222	Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club	Towards catering for the formal opening of Karekare Surf Lifesaving Club (September 2022)	$1,500.00
QR2219-223	Piha Wetland Trust	Towards design and manufacture of Piha Wetland Interpretative sign at Piha Schoolhouse(July 2022 - June 2023)	$1,500.00
QR2219-224	Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre Trust	Towards microphone for theatre users at the Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre (August 2022 - December 2022)	$799.00

Total			$28,359.06

Horopaki

Context

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

7. The local board grants programme sets out:

· local board priorities

· lower priorities for funding

· exclusions

· grant types, the number of grant rounds, and when these will open and close

· any additional accountability requirements.

8. The Waitākere Ranges Local Board adopted the Waitākere Ranges Local Grants Programme 2021/2022 as presented in Attachment A. The programme sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the board.

9. The community grant programmes has been extensively advertised through the council grants webpage, local board webpages, local board e-newsletters, Facebook pages, council publications, and community networks.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

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

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

11. The Local Board Grants Programme aims to respond to Auckland Council’s commitment to address climate change by providing grants to individuals and groups for projects that support and enable community climate action.

12. Community climate action involves reducing or responding to climate change by local residents in a locally relevant way. Local board grants can contribute to expanding climate action by supporting projects that reduce carbon emissions and increase community resilience to climate impacts.

13. Examples of projects include local food production and food waste reduction, increasing access to single-occupancy transport options, home energy efficiency and community renewable energy generation, local tree planting and streamside revegetation, and educating about sustainable lifestyle choices that reduce carbon footprints.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

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

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

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

Local impacts and local board views

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

17. Staff will provide feedback to unsuccessful grant applicants about why they have been declined, so they will know what they can do to increase their chances of success next time.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

18. The local board grants programme aims to respond to the council’s commitment to improving Māori wellbeing by providing grants to individuals and groups who deliver positive outcomes for Māori. Auckland Council’s Māori Responsiveness Unit has provided input and support towards the development of the community grant processes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

19. The Waitākere Ranges Local Board adopted the Waitākere Ranges Local Grants Programme 2021/2022 as presented in Attachment A. The programme sets application guidelines for contestable community grants submitted to the board.

20. This report presents applications received in the Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two 2021/2022 as presented in Attachment B.

21. The Waitākere Ranges Local Board has set a total community grants budget of $98,309.00 for the 2021/2022 financial year. The board allocated a total of $77,582.05 to two local grant, two multi-board, and one quick-response round. There is $20,726.95 remaining to spend for one more quick-response round.

22. Nineteen applications were submitted to the Waitākere Ranges Quick Response Round Two, requesting a total of $28,359.06

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

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

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

24. Following the Waitākere Ranges Local Board allocating funding to Quick Response Round Two grants, grants staff will notify the applicants of the local board’s decision.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waitākere Ranges Local Grant Programme 2021/2022	25
b ⇨	Waitākere Ranges Quick Response, Round Two 20212022 Application Summary (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Rikka Barbosa - Grants Advisor

Authorisers

Pierre Fourie - Grants and Incentives Manager

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Approval of the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection Programme

File No.: CP2022/06842

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection Programme and its associated budget.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report presents the board’s Waitākere Ranges Programme and associated budgets for approval for delivery within the 2022/2023 financial year (see Attachment A).

3. The work programme responds to the following outcomes and objectives that the local board identified in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020:

· The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area is protected and enhanced, and connections with surrounding communities are strengthened.

4. The board provided feedback to staff on the projects it would like to fund in a series of workshops. The board indicated its support for the following projects, with budgets as listed below, and in Attachment A:

· Waitākere Ranges Bufferzone Project ($50,000)

· Long-tailed bat (pekapeka) community education project - Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area ($12,000)

· Community weed bins Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area ($96,056)

· Visitor impact assessment (Te Henga and Piha local reserves) ($3,000)

· Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Welcome pack ($13,500).

The proposed work programme has a total value of $174,556, which can be funded from Plans and Places Asset Based Services (ABS) budget for the 2022/2023 financial year.6. Updates on the delivery of this work programme will be provided through the board’s quarterly performance reports.

7. The forthcoming Five Year Monitoring Report on the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, which is due in 2023, has a separate budget of $100,000 within the Plans and Places Department.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) approve the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection Programme 2022/2023 (Attachment A to the agenda report).

Horopaki

Context

8. Each year, the local board decides which activities to allocate its annual budget toward, through a series of workshops. The local board feedback in these workshops have informed the work programme.

9. The work programme responds to the outcomes and objectives that the local board identified in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020. The specific outcome that is reflected in the work programme is:

· The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area is protected and enhanced, and connections with surrounding communities are strengthened.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

10. The proposed activities for delivery as part of the board’s Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection work programme 2022/2023 are detailed below. See Attachment A for further detail.

Weed Bins – $96,056

11. A multi-year project that provides weed bins to communities to assist them to dispose of weeds correctly and conveniently. The weed bins help to reduce the illegal dumping of weeds and encourages landowners to control pest plants on their property.

Buffer Zone Project – $50,000

12. A multi-year project that seeks to assist landowners that live adjacent to the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park to manage weeds on their properties and avoid the establishment of weeds within the parkland.

Long Tailed Bats (Pekapeka) – $12,000

13. This budget will support Community Waitākere to run an education and awareness programme into long-tailed bat roost use in the Waitākere Ranges. Delivery of this project includes open community events, targeted community events, and educational resource promotion.

Visitor Impact Assessment – $3,000

14. In recent years increasing concerns have been raised with the Board on the management of visitors at these destinations. Addressing visitor management issues and monitoring visitor impacts was also one of the key actions in the Local Area Plan: Te Henga (Bethells Beach) and the Waitākere Valley (October 2015). This will be the third year that traffic counts will occur, which assists in establishing the trends in vehicle numbers visiting this part of the Waitākere Ranges.

Welcome Pack – $13,500

15. A welcome pack for new residents to the Waitākere Ranges to support families that are new to living in bush areas.

Five Year Monitoring Report

16. The forthcoming Five Year Monitoring Report on the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, which is due in 2013, has a separate budget of $100,000 within the Plans and Places Department.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

17. The proposed work programme does not significantly impact on greenhouse gas emissions or contribute towards adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

18. The work programme was developed through a collaborative approach by operational council departments, with each department represented in the integrated team that presented the draft work programme to the local board at a series of workshops.

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

Local impacts and local board views

19. The proposed Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection Programme has been considered by the local board in a series of workshops from October 2021 to May 2022. The views expressed by local board members during the workshops have informed the recommended work programme.

20. The activities in the proposed work programme align with the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020 outcomes.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

21. Table 1 outlines the activities in the 2022/2023 work programme that contribute towards the delivery of specific Māori outcomes.

Table 1: Māori impact assessment of proposed activities

Activity name

Māori impact

Weed Bins

Bufferzone

Long tail bats (Pekapeka)

Visitor Impact Assessment

Welcome Pack

All five projects will contribute to the outcomes that council understands iwi seek for the Wāitakere Ranges Heritage Area, based on our engagement with iwi over the last ten years.

Further to this, inclusion of these projects in the Board’s work programme does not generate a particular impact for Māori. Plans and Places will consider potential impacts for Māori at the project formulation stage and as each project or programme progresses. Consultation with iwi occurs on a project by project basis.

22. Where aspects of the proposed work programme are anticipated to have a significant impact on activity of importance to Māori then appropriate engagement will be undertaken

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

23. The proposed Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Protection Programme budget for 2022/2023 is $174,556 of the Plans and Places ABS Budget 2022/2023.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

24. Where a work programme activity cannot be completed on time or to budget, due to unforeseen circumstances, this will be signalled to the local board at the earliest opportunity.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

25. Delivery of the activity in the approved work programme will commence on 1 July 2022 and continue until 30 June 2023. Activity progress will be reported to the local board on a quarterly basis.

26. Where the work programme identifies further decisions and milestones for each activity, these will be brought to the local board when appropriate.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Attachment A Plans and Places Budget 2022-23	33

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Eryn Shields - Team Leader Regional, North West and Islands

Authorisers

John Duguid - General Manager - Plans and Places

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Approval of the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Infrastructure and Environmental Services Work Programme

File No.: CP2022/07565

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board’s Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme and approve in principle the 2023/2024 work programme.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report presents the Waitākere Ranges Local Board’s Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme and associated budgets for approval for the 2022/2023 financial year, and for approval in principle for the subsequent financial year, 2023/2024 (see Attachment A).

3. The work programme provides a three-year view that demonstrates the phasing or continuation of programme delivery over the 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years. 2022/2023 is year two of the three-year cycle. Many of the programmes included in this report were approved in principle in the 2021/2022 work programme.

4. The work programme responds to the outcomes and objectives identified in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020.

5. The work programme has been developed through a series of workshops between November 2021 and May 2022, where the local board provided feedback to staff on programme and activity prioritisation.

6. The local board indicated its support for the following activities to be delivered in 2022/2023, with budgets as listed below:

· Climate action programme - $40,000

· EcoMatters programmes (year three of the board’s funding agreement totalling $110,050), including:

o Community nurseries - $11,200

o EcoFest West Festival - $11,250

o EcoMatters Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub - $39,300

o Healthy homes on a budget - $5,600

o Love your neighbourhood - $11,250

o Love your place awards - $5,600

o War on weeds - $25,850

· Kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha - $5,150

· Manukau Harbour Forum - $8,000

· Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator - $75,000

· Shorebird survey - $7,000

· South Titirangi restoration programme - $15,000

· Waitākere weed action project (Our Backyard) - $100,000

· West Coast Animal Management Team Support - $35,000.

7. The proposed work programme has a total value of $395,200, which can be funded from within the board’s draft locally driven initiatives (LDI) budget for the 2022/2023 financial year. Approval in principle is also being sought for activities in the 2023/2024 financial year.

8. The proposed work programme also includes $500,000 in asset-based services capital expenditure for the Foster Bay, Huia (seawall and groyne renewal) as part of the coastal renewal programme.

9. The indicative programmes and budgets for 2023/2024 are subject to change, and will be confirmed on an annual basis through the approval of the respective work programmes.

10. Updates on the delivery of this work programme will be provided through the board’s quarterly performance reports.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) approve its 2022/2023 Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme and associated budgets, as summarised in the table below (Attachment A to the agenda report):

Activity name	2022/2023 budget for approval
Climate Action Programme	$40,000
EcoMatters programmes (year three of the funding agreement)	$110,050
Kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha	$5,150
Manukau Harbour Forum	$8,000
Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator	$75,000
Shorebird survey	$7,000
South Titirangi restoration programme	$15,000
Waitākere weed action project (Our Backyard)	$100,000
West Coast Animal Management Team Support	$35,000
Total	$395,200

b) approve in principle the 2023/2024 Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programmes (Attachment A to the agenda report)

c) note that with the funding of $110,050, EcoMatters Environment Trust will deliver the following programmes in the 2022/2023 financial year:

i) Community Nurseries - $11,200

ii) EcoFest West Festival - $11,250

iii) EcoMatters Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub (EcoHub) - $39,300

iv) Healthy homes on a budget - $5,600

v) Love your neighbourhood - $11,250

vi) Love your place awards - $5,600

vii) War on weeds - $25,850.

d) note that the indicative programmes and budgets for 2023/2024 are subject to change, and will be confirmed on an annual basis through the approval of the respective work programmes

e) note the allocation of $500,000 asset based services capital expenditure budget towards the Foster Bay, Huia (seawall and groyne renewal) programme in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Horopaki

Context

11. Each year, the local board decides which activities to allocate its annual budget toward through a series of workshops. The local board feedback in these workshops has informed the development of the Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme (Attachment A).

12. The proposed work programme responds to the outcomes and objectives identified in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020. The specific objectives reflected in the work programme are:

· our natural environments are protected

· communities take action to improve their resilience.

13. The following adopted strategies and plans also guided the development of the work programme:

· Mahere ā-Rohe Whakahaere Kaupapa Koiora Orotā mō Tāmaki Makaurau - Regional Pest Management Plan

· Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan

· The Big Blue Waitākere report.

14. The development of the work programme has been informed by staff assessments and identification of local environmental priority areas, and feedback received from the local board at workshops.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

15. The proposed work programme is made up of activities continuing from previous financial years, including annually occurring events or ongoing programmes. It also includes new initiatives supported by the local board. These programmes contribute towards the delivery of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020 environmental objectives, as detailed above.

16. The work programme (Attachment A) provides a three-year view that demonstrates the phasing or continuation of programme delivery over the 2021/2022, 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years.

17. This report seeks local board approval for budgets and activities in year two of the three-year work programme (2022/2023), and approval in principle for 2023/2024.

18. Approving in principle does not commit the local board to funding in future years, as the budget for year three will still need to be approved on an annual basis. However, approval in principle will help staff, contractors and community groups to plan activities and resourcing in the longer-term.

19. Budgets for year three are subject to change, as the programmes are further refined or if local board priorities shift.

20. The proposed activities for delivery as part of the board’s 2022/2023 Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme are detailed below, alongside indicative plans and budgets for the 2023/2024 financial year:

Climate action programme – $40,000

21. The board has indicated that it would like to fund a local climate action programme for the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.

22. Staff recommend that the board provides $40,000 of its locally driven initiatives operational budget towards this programme in the 2022/2023 financial year. This budget would enable:

· staff to continue the work on development of a local climate action plan that began in 2021/2022, including community engagement and input from subject matter experts, into actions and priorities for the board area

· staff to ensure that the local climate action plan receives input from a broad range of community members, including those who are not typically engaged on climate and sustainability topics, before the draft plan is workshopped with the local board and presented for adoption. The plan will include targets, actions and a supporting monitoring framework

· recruitment of a climate action activator who will work with local community groups and other key stakeholders to implement some key projects in the plan, particularly those focused on enabling community action and participation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

23. Approval in principle is also sought for $40,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024 to fund the ongoing work of the local climate activator to support implementation of the plan.

EcoMatters programmes – $110,050 (year three of the local board’s funding agreement)

24. The board approved a three-year funding agreement with EcoMatters Environment Trust in 2020/2021 to enable the delivery of several environmental programmes in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area (WTK/2020/92). The 2022/2023 financial year will be year three of the three-year funding agreement.

25. For the 2022/2023 financial year the funding amount has a total of $110,050. The programmes proposed for delivery for the 2022/2023 financial year are listed in Table 1 below, with a brief description and the key deliverables the trust will provide through these programmes. Programmes for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 will be agreed as part of annual local environment work programmes.

Table 1. Key deliverables for programmes delivered by EcoMatters Environment Trust

Description of Programme	Deliverables
Community Nurseries – ($11,200) Establishment of community nurseries is supported and advice is provided to the community on how best to establish and maintain these.	· Minimum of 2,500 native plants germinated and potted on for future planting · Minimum of 2,000 native plants available for community planting programmes within the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area (plants generated from this initiative in the 2022/2023 financial year) · Provision of nursery advice to community groups and interested parties to assist programmes to establish new nurseries.
EcoFest West Festival ($11,250) Funding to support the running of the EcoWest festival held in west Auckland which will run from March to April 2023.	· This funding will support the community-based environmental festival with access to free public events that provide information and practical ideas for making sustainable living choices · The festival will be marketed to businesses, institutions and community groups acknowledging Waitākere Ranges Local Board's funding · A minimum of 30 events will be held in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.
EcoMatters Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub ($39,300) Funding will support the management, operation, and promotion of the EcoMatters Environment Centre and associated education programmes.	· The centre will be open for at least 30 hours per week, providing a free or affordable meeting space to environmentally-focused community groups · A minimum of 26 sustainability-related seminars or workshops will be provided over the 2022/2023 financial year.
Healthy homes on a budget ($5,600) Workshops targeted at ethnic and faith-based communities and vulnerable households on topics around sustainable living and reduction of their ecological footprints.	· A minimum of three workshops will be delivered in the 2022/2023 financial year · Ethnic and faith-based communities and vulnerable households within the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area will have the skills, knowledge and resources to make positive choices for sustainable living and reduce their ecological footprint.
Love your neighbourhood ($11,250) Rapid response assistance of up to $500 in value to support volunteer-driven practical environmental initiatives (such as clean-ups, restoration, community planting and food growing). Not-for-profit preschools can also apply for this assistance.	· This budget allocation will cover approximately 14 assistance requests · Love Your Neighbourhood assistance will be promoted in conjunction with the EcoWest Festival (March to April 2023) · Details of the initiatives supported will be reported to the board on a quarterly basis.
Love your place awards ($5,600) To support environmental champion recognition awards that will specifically celebrate action undertaken in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.	· The awards ceremony is held every second year and was last held at the end of 2020 · 2022/2023 activity will involve planning and organising the awards, booking the venue, finalising awards categories, calling for nominations and holding the event at the end of 2022.
War on weeds ($25,850) A campaign to be run during the month of March 2023, where jumbo bins are provided at key sites in the local board area for communities to dispose of weeds.	· Weed bins will be continuously available at key locations in Waitākere Ranges throughout March 2023 · Bin sites will be agreed and promoted in targeted media in February 2023 · Information billboards will be installed at bin sites for one week leading up to the event, and for the four-week duration of the event.

Description of Programme

Deliverables

Community Nurseries – ($11,200)

Establishment of community nurseries is supported and advice is provided to the community on how best to establish and maintain these.

· Minimum of 2,500 native plants germinated and potted on for future planting

· Minimum of 2,000 native plants available for community planting programmes within the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area (plants generated from this initiative in the 2022/2023 financial year)

· Provision of nursery advice to community groups and interested parties to assist programmes to establish new nurseries.

EcoFest West Festival ($11,250)

Funding to support the running of the EcoWest festival held in west Auckland which will run from March to April 2023.

· This funding will support the community-based environmental festival with access to free public events that provide information and practical ideas for making sustainable living choices

· The festival will be marketed to businesses, institutions and community groups acknowledging Waitākere Ranges Local Board's funding

· A minimum of 30 events will be held in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.

EcoMatters Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub ($39,300)

Funding will support the management, operation, and promotion of the EcoMatters Environment Centre and associated education programmes.

· The centre will be open for at least 30 hours per week, providing a free or affordable meeting space to environmentally-focused community groups

· A minimum of 26 sustainability-related seminars or workshops will be provided over the 2022/2023 financial year.

Healthy homes on a budget ($5,600)

Workshops targeted at ethnic and faith-based communities and vulnerable households on topics around sustainable living and reduction of their ecological footprints.

· A minimum of three workshops will be delivered in the 2022/2023 financial year

· Ethnic and faith-based communities and vulnerable households within the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area will have the skills, knowledge and resources to make positive choices for sustainable living and reduce their ecological footprint.

Love your neighbourhood ($11,250)

Rapid response assistance of up to $500 in value to support volunteer-driven practical environmental initiatives (such as clean-ups, restoration, community planting and food growing). Not-for-profit preschools can also apply for this assistance.

· This budget allocation will cover approximately 14 assistance requests

· Love Your Neighbourhood assistance will be promoted in conjunction with the EcoWest Festival (March to April 2023)

· Details of the initiatives supported will be reported to the board on a quarterly basis.

Love your place awards ($5,600)

To support environmental champion recognition awards that will specifically celebrate action undertaken in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area.

· The awards ceremony is held every second year and was last held at the end of 2020

· 2022/2023 activity will involve planning and organising the awards, booking the venue, finalising awards categories, calling for nominations and holding the event at the end of 2022.

War on weeds ($25,850)

A campaign to be run during the month of March 2023, where jumbo bins are provided at key sites in the local board area for communities to dispose of weeds.

· Weed bins will be continuously available at key locations in Waitākere Ranges throughout March 2023

· Bin sites will be agreed and promoted in targeted media in February 2023

· Information billboards will be installed at bin sites for one week leading up to the event, and for the four-week duration of the event.

26. Approval in principle is also sought for $113,450 towards EcoMatters programmes in 2023/2024, however this will fall outside of the current funding agreement period. A new funding agreement may be sought by staff, as part of the board’s approval of its 2023/2024 work programme.

Kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha – $5,150

27. The board has indicated it would like to continue to fund kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board provided $5,150 towards this programme in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 financial years.

28. The programme ensures that all commercial hospitality businesses have additional recycling bins to meet their volume needs as funded by the local board.

29. This project will continue to ensure that the Piha business community has access to a recycling service, which will support waste minimisation as plastics, glass and paper are diverted from landfills.

30. Approval in principle is also sought for $5,150 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

Manukau Harbour Forum – $8,000

31. The board has indicated that it would like to continue to fund the Manukau Harbour Forum in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board is one of nine local boards who make up the Manukau Harbour Forum (Franklin, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, Manurewa, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki, Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Papakura, Puketāpapa, Waitākere Ranges, and Whau Local Boards). These local boards border the Manukau Harbour and have an interest in protecting and restoring the mauri of the harbour.

32. In 2021/2022 financial year, each of the member local boards provided $7,400 to co-fund the Manukau Harbour Forum. This was allocated to several activities including a Manukau Harbour Forum coordinator, a youth sustainability wānanga, development of a communications plan and the engagement of a mana whenua specialist to begin planning the Mana whenua engagement hui to be held in 2022/2023.

33. Staff recommend that each of the nine member boards contribute a further $8,000 each towards the forum for the 2022/2023 financial year, allowing a total budget of $72,000. Staff propose that the funding support the following activities for the 2022/2023 financial year.

· continue to fund Manukau Harbour Forum coordinator to assist with the delivery of the forum’s goals ($40,000)

· fund the 2022/2023 youth sustainability wānanga which would involve around 50 students from all member local board areas to develop leadership skills, sustainability knowledge, and collaborative action programmes ($17,000)

· deliver the communications plan that was developed in the 2021/2022 financial year ($6,000)

· complete the planning for the mana whenua engagement hui and to fund the hui itself ($9,000).

34. These activities are subject to change as the forum members will approve the Manukau Harbour Forum work programme at an upcoming business meeting.

35. Approval in principle is also sought for $8,000 towards this programme from each member local board in the 2023/2024 financial year.

Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator – $75,000

36. The board has indicated it would like to continue to fund the Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board provided $75,000 towards this programme in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 financial years.

37. Funding in the 2022/2023 financial year will enable the coordinator to continue resourcing, aligning and connecting community ecological restoration efforts across the Waitākere Ranges. This will include working with staff in Environmental Services, Community Facilities and Connected Communities to help align council and community restoration activities.

38. This project will provide the following benefits in the 2022/2023 financial year:

· community groups, landowners and schools supported and enabled to lead and undertake ecological restoration

· the protection of local native biodiversity through pest animal and pest plant control

· enhancing native habitat through native tree planting, and planting native shrubs to add structure and resilience to coastal native forest

· protecting and enhancing ecosystems to provide safe and connected refuge for native wildlife.

39. Approval in principle is also sought for $75,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

Shorebird survey – $7,000

40. The board has indicated it would like to continue to fund the shorebird survey programme in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board provided $12,850 towards this programme in the 2020/2021 financial year and $10,000 in 2021/2022.

41. This is a programme giving effect to the Big Blue Waitākere report the board funded in the 2016/2017 financial year.

42. The 2022/2023 funding will be used to continue the shorebird survey undertaken in 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2021/2022. The continued surveying will ensure a representative area of shorebird habitat has been surveyed and that breeding success can have detailed monitoring.

43. Approval in principle is also sought for $7,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

South Titirangi restoration programme – $15,000

44. The board has indicated it would like to continue to fund the South Titirangi restoration programme in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board provided $15,000 towards this programme in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 financial years.

45. In 2018/2019 the board allocated $30,000 towards the development of a Pest Free South Titirangi strategy.

46. This programme supports the South Titirangi Neighbourhood Network community group to deliver on the strategy by controlling pest plants on private properties. An environmental contractor will control pest plants in areas that are not safe for untrained members of the community to reach or control pest plants in.

47. Funding for this project will:

· improve biodiversity through reducing pest plant numbers

· support the South Titirangi Neighbourhood Network with their pest free goals

· provide an opportunity to raise awareness about native biodiversity and educate residents on the importance of doing their part to protect the environment.

48. Approval in principle is also sought for $15,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

Waitākere weed action project (Our Backyard) – $100,000

49. The board has indicated it would like to continue to fund the Waitākere weed action programme in the 2022/2023 financial year. The board has allocated funding towards this project each year since 2014/2015, most recently with an allocation of $100,000 towards this programme in the 2021/2022 financial year.

50. This is a Waitākere Ranges Local Board-initiated weed management initiative with a focus on invasive weeds on privately-owned properties in Huia, Karekare and Piha. The project aims to reduce the volume and spread specifically of wild ginger, moth plant, woolly nightshade and rhamnus in ecologically significant areas of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area. It also contributes towards a behaviour change where all of the community understands that they have a shared responsibility to manage environmental weeds in the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area.

51. Staff recommend that the board allocate $100,000 of its locally driven initiatives operational budget towards the continuation of this project in 2022/2023. Regional funding will match this with a value of at least $100,000.

52. The programme for the 2022/2023 financial year will continue within the current areas (Piha, Anawhata, Karekare, Huia and Cornwallis).

53. Approval in principle is also sought for $100,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

West Coast Animal Management Team Support – $35,000

54. The board has indicated it would like to fund a new programme West Coast Animal Management in the 2022/2023 financial year.

55. This programme will provide additional animal management team staff time specifically for west coast beach areas. This will help support adherence of animal management bylaws leading to better dog rule compliance and in far better native wildlife protection outcomes in the Waitākere Ranges coastal areas.

56. In 2022/2023 the species management budget will contribute an additional $15,000 towards this programme. This will allow the programme to run for eight to 10 months in the financial year.

57. Approval in principle is also sought for $35,000 towards this programme from the board in 2023/2024.

Foster Bay, Huia - seawall and groyne renewal – $500,000

58. This is a regionally-funded coastal renewal programme. The programme is a renewal of the seawall and groynes in Foster Bay, Huia. In 2021/2022 investigation and design were undertaken. Physical works are scheduled for 2022/2023

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

59. In June 2019 Auckland Council declared a climate emergency and in response to this the council adopted the Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan in July 2020.

60. Each activity in the work programme is assessed to identify whether it will have a positive, neutral or negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions and contributing towards climate change adaptation.

61. Table 2 outlines the activities in the 2022/2023 work programme that have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions or contribute towards climate change adaptation.

Table 2: Climate impact assessment of proposed activities

Activity name	Climate impact
Climate action programme	This programme aims to reduce emissions by identifying gaps, strategic opportunities and collaborations that will build on existing local activity.
EcoMatters programmes	EcoMatters initiatives respond to Auckland Council’s climate emergency declaration and commitments to address climate change by supporting and enabling community climate action. Programmes aim to reduce carbon emissions and increase community resilience to climate impacts, using currently available solutions for immediate progress. Community climate action involves local residents reducing or responding to climate change in personal lifestyle or local community-based ways, creating new social norms.
Kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha	The contribution of waste to overall greenhouse gas emissions in the Auckland region is approximately 3.1 per cent as per the Auckland Greenhouse Gas Inventory to 2016. The largest source of emissions within the waste sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is solid waste disposal to landfill. By providing increased opportunities for businesses who produce high waste volumes to divert materials from landfill, this project will assist in reducing a proportion of these waste-related emissions.
Manukau Harbour Forum	This programme will provide resilience to the community by ensuring waterways and the marine environment are protected and enhanced. Freshwater and marine ecosystems provide many ecosystem services such as flood mitigation, habitat for native biodiversity and carbon sequestration. These services are enhanced when the ecosystems are restored.
Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator	Supporting and encouraging groups with conservation activity in the Waitākere Ranges will contribute to the survival and regeneration of native vegetation, aiding carbon sequestration and making plants more resilient to climate impacts.
Shorebird survey and West Coast Animal Management Team Support	These projects will not facilitate any reduction of carbon emissions. Understanding coastal bird behaviour and habitat use may assist in finding ways to help the birds be more resilient to climate change.
Waitākere weed action project and South Titirangi restoration programme	These projects will contribute to the survival and regeneration of native vegetation through suppression of pests, which will support the sequestration of carbon and make plants more resilient to climate impacts.
Foster Bay, Huia - seawall and groyne renewal	Physical works for the coastal programmes will have a negligible carbon footprint. Where possible, staff will adopt sustainable, low carbon options for project delivery. The renewal will improve the resilience of these coastal assets.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

62. The work programme was developed through a collaborative approach by operational council departments, with each department represented in the integrated team that presented the draft work programme to the local board at a series of workshops.

63. In particular, the attached Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme reflects the integrated activities developed by Environmental Services, Healthy Waters and Waste Solutions.

The Waitākere Ranges community restoration coordinator role specifically involves working with staff in Environmental Services, Community Facilities and Parks Sports and Recreation to help align council and community restoration activities. Natural Environment Strategy staff will be involved in work related to the Manukau Harbour Forum.

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

Local impacts and local board views

64. The projects proposed for inclusion in the board’s Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme will have positive environmental outcomes across the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area. Particular focus areas for the 2022/2023 work programme include Piha, Anawhata, Karekare, Huia, South Titirangi and Cornwallis.

65. The projects noted above align with the local board plan outcome ‘we work to respect, protect and restore the environment’. The proposed work programme has been considered by the local board in a series of workshops from November 2021 to May 2022. The views expressed by local board members during the workshops have informed the recommended work programme.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

66. Auckland Council is committed to meeting its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its broader obligations to Māori.

67. The work programme includes activities that aim to deliver outcomes for and with Māori, in alignment with the strategic priority areas outlined in Kia ora Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland Council’s Māori Outcome Framework). Progress on how the activities are achieving these outcomes will be reported to the local board on a quarterly basis.

68. Staff recognise that environmental management, water quality and land management have integral links with the mauri of the environment and concepts of kaitiakitanga.

69. Table 3 outlines the activities in the 2022/2023 work programme that contribute towards the delivery of specific Māori outcomes.

Table 3: Māori outcome delivery through proposed activities

Activity name	Māori outcome description
EcoMatters programmes	EcoMatters is working with representatives of Te Kawerau ā Maki towards establishing a memorandum of understanding. EcoMatters regularly hold traditional Māori weaving and medicinal plants (rongoā) workshops as part of their seminar/workshop education programme. EcoMatters provides support to build the capacity of other organisations involved in developing and delivering environmental initiatives. This includes Māori organisations such as the Te Atatū Marae Coalition to develop the waste management components of a Matariki event.
Manukau Harbour Forum	Māori youth will be involved in the youth sustainability wānanga and are supported to develop and implement programmes relevant to them and their communities. The wānanga also engages with kaumātua from Makaurau Marae to provide advice and mātauranga Māori that informs programme delivery. During the wānanga, te reo Māori is actively promoted, as a key component of programme delivery.
Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator	Mana whenua will be included in the coordination aspects of this work and invited to contribute as they see fit with the facilitation. The coordinator will also seek opportunities to incorporate mātauranga Māori into the messaging and education programme and will work alongside mana whenua to deliver aspects of the coordinator’s work programme where possible.

70. Where aspects of the proposed work programme are anticipated to have a significant impact on activity of importance to Māori then appropriate engagement will be undertaken.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

71. The proposed environment work programme for 2022/2023 totals to $395,200 of the board’s locally driven initiatives (LDI) operational budget. This amount can be accommodated within the board’s total draft budget for 2022/2023.

72. The proposed work programme also includes $500,000 in in asset-based services capital expenditure for the coastal renewal programmes. Please note that the coastal renewal budgets are current estimates and are subject to change through the design and works stages. If there are any significant changes throughout the financial year these will be reported back to the board.

73. Budgets for activities in the 2023/2024 financial year are indicative. While local board approval in principle is being sought for a future year through this report, formal approval will be sought on an annual basis, once budgets and programme costs are confirmed.

74. An overall LDI opex carry-forward provision for projects to be carried forward from 2021/2022 to 2022/2023 was approved by the Finance and Performance Committee as part of the annual budget. Work programme activities to be carried forward from 2021/2022 will be finalised post 30 June 2022. Local boards will receive detail of carry-forwards in their first scheduled performance report for 2022/2023.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

75. If the proposed Infrastructure and Environmental Services Work Programme is not approved before the start of the financial year, there is a risk that activities may be delayed or not delivered within the financial year.

76. Risks and mitigations for new activity lines were considered during the scoping phase. There may be risks associated with trialling a new activity for the first year. These will be continually assessed and reported to the local board.

77. The COVID-19 pandemic could have a negative impact on the delivery of local board work programmes. Some activities may not be able to be delivered fully if COVID-19 restrictions are increased.

78. Resourcing of the work programme is based on current staff capacity within departments. Therefore, changes to staff capacity may also have an impact on work programme delivery.

79. Table 4 shows the key risks associated with activities in the proposed 2022/2023 work programme, as well as proposed mitigations.

Table 4: Key risks and mitigations for activities

Activity name	Risk	Mitigation	Rating after mitigation
Climate action programme	The programme depends on the willingness and availability of key stakeholders to participate and provide input. Community stakeholders may have limited energy/capacity due to COVID-19.	Staff will ensure the contractor has local knowledge to effectively engage with community groups and work closely with the contractor to try and encourage community stakeholders to engage in ways that are easiest for them, this may include one on one interviews, virtual hui, community workshops during the day or in the evening, and other options.	Low
EcoMatters programmes	EcoMatters initiatives are dependent on longstanding partnerships with three local boards (Henderson-Massey, Waitākere Ranges and Whau). Funding for the EcoMatters Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub underpins ongoing operations and the ability of EcoMatters to deliver this and other programmes.	All three local boards have indicated ongoing support of the Environment Centre and Sustainability Hub so this risk is considered low	Low
Kerbside recycling collection for commercial premises in Piha	Existing recycling collection contracts for west Auckland are pay- per-lift, therefore no contract variation will be required to deliver this project. However, this project is reliant on business owners providing up to date information on bin numbers.	The Waste Solutions team have well established communication lines with the contractor and local businesses ensuring bin numbers are updated.	Low
Manukau Harbour Forum	This project is dependent of securing a suitable mana whenua engagement contractor to deliver the mana whenua hui.	Staff have identified several options and therefore this is considered low risk.	Low
Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance coordinator	This project is dependent on landowner and community support and willingness to undertake restoration action. There is a low risk that the coordinator is unwilling to renew their contract, in which case the role would have to be advertised.	Coordinator engagement with communities to date has been positive. The contractor has expressed a willingness to renew the contract if funding is continued.	Low
Shorebird survey	If the current contractor is not available it may be difficult to find someone with the same level of skills, particularly for the same cost.	The contractor has indicated a willingness to continue survey work if the project is funded.	Low
South Titirangi restoration programme	Contractors will undertake work where terrain is steep and prone to erosion, so health and safety could be an issue.	All contractors will submit full health and safety reports prior to undertaking any work and will be certified to undertake such work. Work will not proceed if risks are too high.	Low
Waitākere weed action project (Our Backyard)	Popularity of project could mean not enough funding is available to complete all properties that booked control. The enforcement aspect of the buffers may not fit with the current legacy programmes.	This will be mitigated by leveraging off natural environment targeted rate funding for buffers. This will be mitigated by effective communication with the local board and community.	Low
West Coast Animal Management	This project is dependent on Animal Management to host the position. This will require a suitable candidate to be found for the position and to go through the recruitment process.	Engagement with the Animal Management Team has occurred and Environmental Services staff will continue to work closely with them. This will ensure the recruitment process runs with sufficient time to find a good candidate.	Low

80. Where a work programme activity cannot be completed on time or to budget, due to unforeseen circumstances, this will be signalled to the local board at the earliest opportunity.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

81. Delivery of the activity in the approved work programme will commence once approved and continue until 30 June 2023. Activity progress will be reported to the local board on a quarterly basis.

82. Where the work programme identifies further decisions and milestones for each activity, these will be brought to the local board when appropriate.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme	53

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Nick FitzHerbert - Relationship Advisor

Authorisers

Barry Potter - Director Infrastructure and Environmental Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waitākere Ranges Local Board AEM Work Programme 22-23	63

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Approval of the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Customer and Community Services work programme

File No.: CP2022/07772

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To approve the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Customer and Community Services work programme and its associated budget (Attachment A).

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report presents the 2022/2023 Waitākere Ranges Local Board Customer and Community Services work programme for approval from the following departments:

· Connected Communities

· Community and Social Innovation

· Community Facilities

· Parks, Sports, and Recreation

· Regional Service Planning, Investment and Partnerships

3. In addition, the 2023/2024 Customer and Community Services work programme and the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 Customer and Community Services - Community Facilities Department work programme are presented for approval in principle.

4. To support the delivery of the local board’s outcomes and aspirations highlighted in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Plan 2020, Customer and Community Services presents a work programme for local board approval each financial year.

5. The work programme details the activities to be delivered by departments within the Customer and Community Services directorate.

6. The work programme has been developed with the local board providing feedback to staff on project and activity prioritisation through a series of workshops, held between October 2021 and May 2022.

7. The work programme development process takes an integrated approach to planning activities, involving collaboration between the local board and staff from across the council.

8. Within the Customer and Community Services work programme, the Community Facilities Department has identified several projects for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years as part of the Risk Adjusted Programme (RAP).

9. Approval is sought for the planning and design of the RAP projects to commence during the 2022/2023 financial year, so that they can be prioritised if other already approved projects cannot be delivered or are delayed due to unforeseen reasons.

10. The work programme includes projects proposed to be funded from regional budgets subject to approval by the Parks, Art, Community and Events Committee, including Landslide Prevention, Local Parks and Sports Field Development budgets. The local board can provide formal feedback on these regional projects by way of resolutions to this report.

11. There is still a degree of uncertainty about the delivery of activities due to the unpredictability of COVID-19. In the event of further COVID-19-related disruptions, some activities within the work programme are able to be modified should changes to restrictions and resourcing eventuate. Changes to some activities may lead to delays in delivery and/or the need to adjust project budgets.

12. Auckland Council has important statutory obligations with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi – The Treaty of Waitangi. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supporting Māori Outcomes is implicit within the entire work programme.

13. Once approved in June 2022, the local board will receive quarterly progress updates on the delivery of the 2022/2023 work programme.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) note that there may be minor changes to year one of the 2022/2023 Local Board C&CS Work Programme, and other changes in years 2 and 3 which are approved in principle, due to Annual Budget decisions affecting capital budgets and that changes required will be discussed with and reported to the local board early in the new financial year.

b) approve the 2022/2023 Customer and Community Services work programme and its associated budget (Attachment A to the agenda report).

c) approve in principle the 2023/2024 Customer and Community Services work programme (Attachment A to the agenda report), noting that the LDI Opex allocations will be balanced to budgets in the associated future years’ work programme.

d) approve in principle the 2024/2025 Customer and Community Services - Community Facilities only work programme (Attachment A to the agenda report), noting that the LDI Opex allocations will be balanced to budgets in the associated future years’ work programme.

e) approve the Risk Adjusted Programme projects identified in the 2022/2023 Customer and Community Services work programme (Attachment A to the agenda report).

f) provide feedback for consideration by the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee on projects funded from the Landslide Prevention, Local Parks and Sports Field Development budgets (Attachment D to the agenda report).

g) note that funding for the Coastal Renewals, Landslide Prevention, Local Parks and Sports Field Development budgets is subject to approval by the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee.

Horopaki

Context

14. The Auckland Plan 2050 (Auckland Plan) is council’s long-term spatial plan to ensure Auckland grows in a way that will meet the opportunities and challenges ahead. It aims to contribute to Auckland’s social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing.

Diagram

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15. Local board plans align with the Auckland Plan and set out local community priorities and aspirations. The 2022/2023 Customer and Community Services work programme in turn aligns to not only the local board plans but the appropriate Auckland Council plans, policies and strategies.

16. Work programme activities align to one or more of the following 2020 Local Board Plan outcomes:

· The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area is protected and enhanced and connections with surrounding communities are strengthened

· We work closely with mataawaka and mana whenua partners

· We work to respect, protect and restore the environment

· Our communities are resilient and strong

· Our communities experience wellbeing, belonging and participation

· People have a range of opportunities to experience arts, culture and heritage

· We have infrastructure and facilities which support and enhance our neighbourhoods and town centres

17. Development of the work programme is based on consideration of community needs and priorities, availability of resources and funding, Treaty of Waitangi obligations, external partnerships and risk assessment.

18. The Customer and Community Services directorate provides a wide range of services, facilities, open spaces and information that support communities to connect, enjoy and embrace the diversity of Auckland’s people, places and natural environment. These are designed and implemented to meet the unique needs of the local community.

19. Development of the work programme follows an integrated approach to planning activities by the following departments of the directorate:

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

20. The work programme demonstrates the phasing of programme and project delivery for the 2022/2023 financial year.

21. Delivery of the work programme commences from 1 July 2022, and in some cases comprises a continuation of implementation from previous financial years, including annually occurring events or projects and ongoing programmes.

22. New activities and investments, and potential carry-forward items also form part of the work programme.

23. Table one summarises the approval status required for the three financial years presented within the work programme.

Table one: Customer and Community Services local board work programme approvals

Department	2022/2023	2023/2024	2024/2025
Community Facilities	Approve	Approve in principle	Approve in principle
All other Customer and Community Services departments	Approve	Approve in principle	N/A

24. Community Facilities presents a three-year rolling work programme so that delivery and financial commitments against the capital works programme can be planned.

25. Approval of unique multi-year projects, particularly capital works, in the 2022/2023 work programme may lead to contractual commitments to the future budget needed to complete the project in 2023/2024 or 2024/2025.

26. The remainder of Customer and Community Services presents the work programme in descending three-year increments and are therefore only presenting years two and three of the three-year work programme.

27. The local board will be updated by staff on the delivery of the programme by way of quarterly performance reports.

Proposed amendments to the 2022/2023 work programme

28. The local board approved the 2021/2022 Customer and Community Services work programme in June 2021 and approved in principle the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 work programmes.

29. The 2022/2023 work programme contains variations to the version that was approved in principle last year. These include the addition of new activities, changes to existing activities, such as required budget allocation and delivery timeframes, and identifies some activities that have been stopped.

30. Table two highlights the new activities in the work programme:

Table two: work programme activities that are new

ID	Activity name	Lead department	Budget
1355	Annual event to celebrate the diversity of our communities	CCS: RSPIP – Events	$0
2994	Glen Eden Oratia Local Park Needs Assessment	CCS: PSR – Park Services	$0
3000	WR: community parks accessibility mapping	CCS: PSR – Park Services	$8,000
31786	Glen Eden Railway Station access - replace decking	C&CS: Community Facilities	$45,000
27881	Maywood Park - undertake park development	C&CS: Community Facilities	$85,000
31794	Ō-kauri-rahi / Ceramco Park - refurbish athletics track	C&CS: Community Facilities	$20,000
24451	Parrs Park - install shelter at playground	C&CS: Community Facilities	$80,000
31556	Parrs Park - renew artificial sports field surface	C&CS: Community Facilities	$730,000
31986	Parrs Park - renew section of driveway	C&CS: Community Facilities	$140,000
30264	Rua-tuna / Laingholm Reserve - renew play item	C&CS: Community Facilities	$32,000
30285	Tangiwai Reserve - renew playground	C&CS: Community Facilities	$35,000
31791	Te Henga Park - renew/refurbish park assets	C&CS: Community Facilities	$80,000
23820	Te Henga Park - undertake park development	C&CS: Community Facilities	$200,000
33198	Titirangi Community House - refurbish building interior	C&CS: Community Facilities	$177,000
31795	Waiatarua Hall - replace exterior fire exit stairs	C&CS: Community Facilities	$60,000
36495	Waitākere Ranges - provide natural shade in parks and street berms FY25-FY26	C&CS: Community Facilities	$30,000
36496	Waitākere Ranges - renew community facility and park signage FY25-FY27	C&CS: Community Facilities	$100,000
36497	Waitākere Ranges - renew park fixtures and furniture FY25-FY27	C&CS: Community Facilities	$264,877
28351	Waitākere Ranges - renew park walkways & paths FY25-FY26	C&CS: Community Facilities	$215,000
28615	Waitākere Ranges Greenways Plan - investigate Route G1	C&CS: Community Facilities	$15,000
28537	Waitākere Ranges Greenways Plan - investigate Route G7	C&CS: Community Facilities	$17,000
31787	Waitapu / Te Henga Quarry - renew pedestrian bridge	C&CS: Community Facilities	$185,000
31937	Wekatahi Reserve Piha - landslide prevention	C&CS: Community Facilities	$40,000
31785	Westview Reserve - undertake park development	C&CS: Community Facilities	$490,000

31. Table three highlights the activities that were approved in principle in June 2021 but have stopped, or proposed activities that did not start, and are therefore not included in the 2022/2023 work programme:

Table three: work programme activities that have been removed from the work programme

Previous ID	Activity name	Lead department
2260	WTK: Te Kete Rukuruku (Māori naming of parks and places) tranche two	CCS: RSPIP – Māori Outcomes

COVID-19 considerations for Customer and Community Services

32. The work programme includes activities that respond to the impacts of COVID-19 by providing:

· safe and welcoming spaces

· inclusive events to bring the community back together

· community support, including grants

· stronger connections with other organisations, including Council Controlled Organisations, iwi and Māori organisations, business associations, community organisations and central government agencies, which also serve Auckland’s communities.

33. There is still a degree of uncertainty about the delivery of these activities due to the unpredictability of COVID-19. In the event of further COVID-19 related disruption some activities within the work programme are able to be modified should changes to restrictions and resourcing eventuate. Changes to some activities may lead to delays in delivery and/or the need to adjust project budgets.

34. Current capex delivery challenges include increased material and labour costs, as well as shortages in both sectors, this in turn will lead to increased overall project costs.

35. Current supply chain issues, obtaining building materials, may lead to delays in project delivery. Increased costs and delays will be managed as part of the ongoing management of work programmes via additional RAP projects, and the rephasing of projects to accommodate increased budget and address material shortages.

Māori Outcomes

36. Local boards play a vital role in representing the interests of all Aucklanders and are committed to the Treaty-based obligations and to Māori participation and development.

37. Auckland Council has important statutory obligations with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supporting Māori Outcomes is implicit within the entire work programme.

38. A thriving Māori identity is Auckland’s point of difference in the world. It advances prosperity for Māori and benefits all Aucklanders.

39. The local boards recognise the importance of building meaningful relationships with mana whenua, maatawaka and whānau, and understanding Māori aspirations. Table four shows outcomes, objectives and key initiatives from the local board plan recognise these areas of common interest:

Table four: local board plan Māori outcomes, objectives and initiatives

Outcome	Objective	Initiative
We work closely with mataawaka and mana whenua partners	Access to a range of projects and opportunities for collaboration with Māori	· Develop relationships and agree shared goals with mana whenua and mataawaka, key Māori organisations, and local residents · Support local projects and activities that contribute towards Māori educational, cultural, leadership, and employment outcomes · An operational maintenance contribution to Hoani Waititi Marae · Practical support for mana whenua and mataawaka to engage with council · Consider the impact on Māori of local board projects and activities
Our communities experience wellbeing, belonging and participation	Support for projects and activities that realise the aspirations of local people for the benefit of their communities	Support a breadth of projects and activities to ensure funding allocations reflect our wide range of communities, including Māori, Pasifika, and other social and ethnic groups
People have a range of opportunities to experience arts, culture and heritage	Access to a range of community activities and events	Fund and celebrate events of significance in the Māori calendar, including Matariki and the national celebration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi on Waitangi Day
We have infrastructure and facilities that support and enhance our neighbourhoods and town centres	Well maintained, accessible parks, facilities and public spaces	Incorporate Māori design principles into playgrounds and other park features, where possible

40. There is a wide range of activity occurring across Tāmaki Makaurau to advance Māori outcomes. Much of this is led by mana whenua and Māori organisations, as well government organisations, non-government organisations and businesses.

41. The Auckland Plan’s focus on Māori culture and identity is encapsulated in the outcome: Māori Identity and Wellbeing.

42. Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau, council’s Māori Outcomes performance measurement framework, captures the majority of council’s Māori outcome strategy and planning. The framework responds to the needs and aspirations that Māori in Tāmaki Makaurau, both mana whenua and mataawaka, have expressed to council.

43. The work programme includes activities that have an objective to deliver outcomes for and with Māori. Attachment B sets out the activities in the work programme that aim to achieve high Māori outcomes in one or more of the strategic priority areas.

44. Table five shows the strategic priority areas and alignment to Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau outcomes.

Table five: local board work programme Māori outcome areas

Strategic priority area	Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau outcome
Kaitiakitanga	Kia Ora te Taiao
Māori business, tourism and employment	Kia Ora te Umanga
Māori identity and culture	Kia Ora te Ahurea
Marae development	Kia Ora te Marae
Papakāinga and Māori housing	Kia Ora te Kāinga
Realising rangatahi potential	Kia Ora te Rangatahi
Te reo Māori	Kia Ora te Reo
Whānau and tamariki wellbeing	Kia Ora te Whānau

45. The Customer and Community Services directorate lead or contribute to programmes that align with all outcomes. Particular priorities are Kia Ora te Marae, Kia Ora te Whānau and Kia Ora te Reo.

46. In a COVID-19 recovery environment there is increasing focus on Kia Ora te Umunga / Māori Business, Tourism and Employment and the role that the council can play, not only in supporting economic recovery, but in a thriving Māori economy.

47. Kia Ora te Ahurea / Māori Identity and Culture is often a focus for local boards as events and place-based design often plays an important part in many local programmes.

Work programme budget types and purpose

48. Work programme activities are funded from various budget sources, depending on the type of delivery. Some activities within the work programme are funded from two or more sources, including from both local and regional budgets.

49. Table six outlines the different budget types and their purpose that fund the work programme.

Table six: work programme budget types and purpose

Budget type	Description of budget purpose
Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI)	A development fund used to advance local operational and capital activities at the discretion of the local board
Asset Based Services (ABS)	Allocated to deliver local activities based on decisions regarding region-wide service levels, including allocation of funds for local asset-based services, grants and staff time to deliver activities
Local renewals	A fund dedicated to the partial renewal or full replacement of assets including those in local parks and community facilities
Growth (local parks and sports field development)	Primarily funded through development contributions, a regional fund to improve open spaces, including developing newly acquired land into parks, and existing open space to increase capacity to cater for growing population needs
Coastal	A regional fund for the renewal of Auckland’s significant coastal assets, such as seawalls, wharves and pontoons
Landslide prevention	A regional fund to proactively develop new assets for the prevention of landslides and major slips throughout the region
Specific purpose funding	Funds received by the council, often from external sources, held for specific local board areas, including compensation funding from other agencies for land acquisitions required for major projects
One Local Initiative (OLI)	Funds allocated to a local board priority project in alignment with the Long-term Plan 2018-2028
Long-term Plan discrete	Funds associated with activities specifically named and listed in previous long-term plans, including new libraries, community centres and major sports and community infrastructure
Kauri Dieback Funding	Part of the Natural Environment Targeted Rate (NETR) Fund, this is a regional fund used to implement the national kauri dieback programme standards
External funding	Budget from external parties, not yet received and held by Customer and Community Services

Capital projects and budgets

50. The capital projects to be delivered in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area, together with identified budgets and main funding sources, are shown in Attachment A.

51. The budgets associated with the capital works programme are estimates only, costs are subject to change and may need to be refined as the project progresses through the design and delivery process. Once activity details are more clearly defined, staff will update the work programme for approval in subsequent years.

52. The capital works projects have been geo-spatially mapped to indicate the location of projects within the local board area (Attachment C). Some projects are unable to be mapped as they reference multiple locations, or the work locations are yet to be determined.

Risk Adjusted Programme

53. The Risk Adjusted Programme was first implemented in 2019 and is designed to mitigate risk so that the total budget is delivered.

54. Several capital projects in the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 work programme have been identified as part of the Risk Adjusted Programme and outlined in Attachment A.

55. Local board approval is sought for the commencement of these projects in the 2022/2023 financial year, so that they can be prioritised if other already approved projects cannot be delivered or are delayed due to unforeseen reasons.

Regionally funded activities included in the local board work programme

56. Some activities from the Landslide Prevention and Local Parks and Sports Field Development (growth) budgets are funded regionally and will be presented to the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee for approval after 30 June 2022.

57. The local board has decision-making responsibility for these activities within parameters set by the Governing Body, which include project location, scope, and budget. These activities are therefore included in the work programme.

58. The local board can provide feedback on the activities outlined in Attachment D. Staff will present this feedback to the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee when they consider regionally funded activities.

Process for changes to the approved work programme

59. Some projects in the work programme require further local board decisions as they progress through the delivery process.

60. Where further decisions are anticipated they have been indicated in the work programme, and decisions will be sought as required through local board business meetings.

61. Amendments to the work programme or specific projects may also be required as projects progress, in response to more detailed design and costing information, community consultation, consenting requirements and similar factors.

62. Amendments to the work programme or specific projects will be managed in accordance with the established local board delegations to staff.

63. The work programme includes community leases. Lease renewals without variations will be processed by way of a memo, in accordance with agreed delegations.

64. Should the local board signal their intent to change or pursue a new lease that is not contemplated in the leasing work programme, a deferral of an item already programmed for delivery will need to be accommodated.

65. Staff will workshop expired and more complex community leases with the local board and then report on them at a business meeting.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

66. As Customer and Community Services is a significant service provider and property owner, the directorate has a leading role in delivering Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan.

67. In providing asset-based services, Customer and Community Services contributes most of council’s operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through its facilities and infrastructure.

68. Property managed by the directorate, in particular coastal assets, will be adversely affected by climate change. The work programme includes actions, consistent with Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri to halve council’s operational GHG emissions by 2030, and to adapt to a changing climate.

69. Actions include reducing operational GHG emissions through phasing-out gas heating in aquatic centres, improving the efficiency of facilities, investing in renewable energy, and adopting the Sustainable Asset Policy.

70. At the same time, the directorate will mitigate GHG emissions and improve climate resilience through delivering tree planting programmes across the region. This includes delivering the Mayor’s tree planting initaitives, transitioning unproductive farmland on regional parks to permanent native forest, and delivering ecological restoration projects with community groups.

71. Work is ongoing to build on the above actions and embed climate change considerations into investment decision-making, planning, and corporate policies, including asset management plans and Local Board Plans.

72. As approved through the 10-year Budget 2021-2031, council’s mandated approach to ‘deliver differently’ is also anticipated to help reduce the council carbon footprint by creating a sustainable service network. This may include a shift to digital service models or the consolidation of services into a smaller footprint.

73. Each activity in the work programme has been assessed to identify whether it will have a positive, negative or neutral impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and affect Auckland’s resilience to climate change.

74. The activities in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board work programme identified as having a positive or negative impact on climate change are outlined in Attachment E.

75. Types of activities in the work programme that will have positive impacts on emissions and improve community resilience to climate change, include community-led environmental and educational programmes, supporting volunteer planting, delivering council-led planting and sustainable design.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

76. The Customer and Community Services work programme was developed collaboratively by staff from the directorate’s departments and Local Board Services to ensure that the activities and delivery of the work programme are integrated, complementary, and reflect council wide priorities.

77. An example of collaboration on delivery is the kauri dieback programme which is delivered by the Community Facilities, Parks, Sport and Recreation and the Infrastructure and Environmental Services directorate.

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

Local impacts and local board views

78. The feedback received from the local board through a series of workshops from October 2021 to May 2022 has informed the proposed Customer and Community Services work programme.

79. A focus area of the work programme is to respond to the Recovery Budget, the communities of greatest need and build capacity within the community, including through community-led delivery and partnerships.

80. Planning and delivery of some activities involves consultation with the community to ensure that their aspirations are understood and responded to.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

81. The provision of services, facilities and open spaces support the realisation of the aspirations of Māori, promote community relationships, connection to the natural environment and foster holistic wellbeing of whānau, hapū and iwi Māori.

82. Attachment B shows local board projects or programmes that are ranked as delivering ‘high’ Māori Outcomes. They involve ongoing collaboration with Māori or are delivered by Māori.

83. Projects or programmes in Attachment A may also contribute to Māori Outcomes but are not highlighted as they are identified to have a moderate or low impact.

84. Engagement with Māori is critical and, if not already completed, will occur on a programme or project basis, prior to any work commencing, and be reported back separately to the local board.

85. Further information about the response to Māori aspirations as described in the work programme, is captured in the Analysis and Advice section.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

86. Each activity line has a budget allocation in one or more of the financial years e.g. 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. Where activity lines show a zero-dollar operating expense (opex) budget, this reflects implementation costs met through staff salary or other funding sources.

87. The 2022/2023 activities recommended for local board approval can be accommodated within 2022/2023 budgets and staff resources.

88. The budgets allocated to activities in the financial years 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 are indicative and are subject to change due to any increased costs, inflation or reduction to the overall available annual council budget that may occur.

89. Table seven summarises the budget sources and allocation for each work programme financial year.

Table seven: Waitākere Ranges Local Board budget allocation

Local budgets	2022/2023 (approve)	2023/2024 (approve in principle)	2024/2025 (approve in principle – Community Facilities only)
Operational (Opex): Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI)	937,200	1,018,900	1,018,900
Opex: Asset Based Services (ABS)	8,712,775	7,319,511	7,418,359
Capital (Capex): Local Asset Renewals - Budget (ABS)	2,422,926	2,006,062	2,418,877
Capex: Local Asset Renewals - Proposed Allocation (ABS)	1,609,355	2,006,062	2,418,877
Advanced Delivery RAP*	655,019
Capex: Local Asset Renewals - Unallocated budget (ABS)	158,551	0	0
Capex: Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) – Budget	108,000	108,000	561,598
Capex: Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) - Proposed Allocation	108,000	108,000	561,598
Advanced Delivery RAP*	0
Capex: Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) - Unallocated budget	0	0	0
Capex: Growth projects Allocation	698,782	0	325,000
Capex: Coastal projects Allocation	0	0	0
Capex: Landslide Prevention projects Allocation	0	0	40,000
Capex: Specific Purpose Funding - Allocation	0	0	0
Capex: One Local Initiative	0	0	0
Capex: Long-term Plan discrete	0	0	0
Capex: Natural Environment Targeted Rate	670,253	0	0
Capex: External Funding Allocation	632,000	0	0

* See paragraph 53-55 for RAP explanation

90. The budgets are based on the allocations in the Long-term Plan 2021-2031. Budgets are subject to change during council’s Annual Budget and future Long-term Plan processes. If decisions on the Annual Budget result in budget reductions, the work programme will need to be amended to align to these budgets via future decisions of the local board.

91. Any 2021/2022 opex budget unspent on 30 June 2022, will be assessed for carry-forward to the 2022/2023 work programme. Carry-forwards will be added to the work programme as separate activity lines and will be reflected in the revised budget.

92. During delivery of the 2022/2023 work programme, where an activity is cancelled or no longer required, the local board can reallocate the associated budget to an existing work programme activity or create a new activity within that financial year. This process will include agreement from each department and will need to be resolved on by the local board.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

93. The most significant risk is that delivery of the Customer and Community Services work programme is dependent on the local board approving the work programme by 30 June 2022. Approval of the work programme after the start of the financial year could result in delays to delivery.

94. The majority of operational (opex) activities in the work programme are ongoing and annually occurring. Risks associated with these activities have been identified in previous years and are managed on an ongoing basis.

95. Table eight outlines the key risks and mitigations associated with the work programme once it has been approved.

Table eight: risks and mitigations

Risk	Mitigation
Non-delivery, time delays and budget overspend of activities that are managed through the work programme.	Having agreed processes to amend the work programme if activities need to be changed or cancelled. Utilising the Risk Adjusted Programme to progress those activities identified as ready to proceed under the Risk Adjusted Programme at the beginning of the financial year.
Unknown risks associated with trialling a new activity for the first year.	Risks and mitigations for new activity lines are considered during the scoping phase, continually assessed and reported to the local board.
Health, safety and wellbeing factors, including external influences relating to work programme delivery may impact the delivery of activities, resulting in activities requiring adjustment.	Health and safety assessments will be conducted prior to commencement of projects. Work programme activities and projects will be adjusted accordingly where these risks occur during the delivery phase.
The COVID-19 pandemic may continue to negatively impact on the progress and deliverability of the work programme.	Development of the work programme has included consideration of potential impacts on delivery due to COVID-19 for all activities. Timeframes for some activities are set to enable delivery within the agreed timeframe despite possible delays. Where activities need to be cancelled the local board can reallocate the budget to other activities.
The COVID-19 pandemic and other geopolitical factors may result in further inflationary and supply chain pressures.	Potential inflationary pressures have been modelled into key forecasts; however uncertainties remain. The ongoing cost increase may become unsustainable, and may require a reprioritization of potential work programmes, capital spend and a potential discontinuation of some programmes.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

96. Delivery of the Customer and Community Service work programme is scheduled to start on 1 July 2022 and continue until 30 June 2023.

97. Regionally funded projects are an exception and will commence after they have been approved by the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee in July 2022.

98. The local board will receive progress updates on a quarterly basis, with the first quarterly report available in November 2022.

99. When further decisions for activities are needed at project milestones, these will be brought to the local board at the appropriate time.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Attachment A - Waitākere Ranges CCS Work Programme 22-23 (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇨	Attachment B - Maori Outcomes Waitākere Ranges (Under Separate Cover)
c ⇨	Attachment C - Capital Works and Leasing Work Programme Map (Under Separate Cover)
d ⇨	Attachment D - Waitākere Ranges - Regional Feedback v2 (Under Separate Cover)
e ⇨	Attachment E - Climate Impacts Waitākere Ranges (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

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

Mace Ward - General Manager Parks, Sports and Recreation

Mirla Edmundson - General Manager Connected Communities

Tania Pouwhare - General Manager Community & Social Innovation

Taryn Crewe - General Manager Community Facilities

Authorisers

Claudia Wyss - Director Customer and Community Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Adoption of the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Agreement 2022/2023

File No.: CP2022/08339

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To adopt the local content for the Annual Budget, which includes the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Agreement 2022/2023, the message from the chair, and local board advocacy.

2. To adopt a local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

3. Each financial year, Auckland Council must have a local board agreement, as agreed between the Governing Body and the local board, for each local board area.

4. From 28 February to 28 March 2022, council consulted on the proposed Annual Budget 2022/2023. Local boards considered this feedback and then held discussions with the Finance and Performance Committee on 25 May 2022 on regional issues, community feedback, and key local board initiatives and advocacy areas.

5. Local boards have now considered local content for the Annual Budget 2022/2023 which includes a local board agreement, a message from the chair, and local board advocacy, as well as a local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023.

6. On 29 June 2022, the Governing Body will meet to adopt Auckland Council’s Annual Budget 2022/2023, including 21 local board agreements.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) adopt the local content for the Annual Budget, which includes the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Agreement 2022/2023, the message from the chair, and local board advocacy (Attachment A).

b) adopt a local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023 (Attachment B).

c) delegate authority to the Chair to make any final changes to the local content for the Annual Budget 2022/2023 (the Waitākere Ranges Local Board Agreement 2022/2023, message from the chair, and local board advocacy).

d) note that the resolutions of this meeting will be reported back to the Governing Body when it meets to adopt the Annual Budget 2022/2023, including each Local Board Agreement, on 29 June 2022.

Horopaki

Context

7. Local board plans are strategic documents that are developed every three years to set a direction for local boards. Local board plans influence and inform the Annual Budgets which outlines priorities, budgets and intended levels of service over a one-year period. For each financial year, Auckland Council must also have a local board agreement, as agreed between the Governing Body and the local board, for each local board area.

8. Throughout the development of the Annual Budget 2022/2023, local board chairs (or delegated local board representatives) have had the opportunity to attend Finance and Performance Committee workshops on key topics and provide local board views on regional issues being considered as part of the Annual Budget 2022/2023.

9. From 28 February to 28 March 2022, the council consulted with the public on the Annual Budget 2022/2023. Waitākere Ranges locally held events were held in the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area to engage with the community and seek feedback on both regional and local proposals.

10. A report analysing the feedback on local board priorities, as well as feedback from those living in the local board area related to the regional issues, was included as an attachment on the 26 May business meeting agenda.

11. Local boards considered this feedback, and then held discussions with the Finance and Performance Committee at a workshop on 25 May 2022 on regional issues, community feedback and key local board initiatives and advocacy areas.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

12. Both staff and the local board have reviewed the local feedback received as part of consultation on the Annual Budget 2022/2023, and local boards have received a report analysing the local feedback. It is now recommended that local boards adopt local content for the Annual Budget 2022/2023 (Attachment A), including the Local Board Agreement 2022/2023, the message from the chair, and local board advocacy, as well as a local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023 (Attachment B).

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

13. The decisions recommended in this report are procedural in nature and will not have any climate impacts themselves.

14. Some of the proposed projects in the Local Board Agreement may have climate impacts. The climate impacts of any projects council chooses to progress with will be assessed as part of the relevant reporting requirements.

15. Some of the proposed projects in the Local Board Agreement will be specifically designed to mitigate climate impact, build resilience to climate impacts, and restore the natural environment.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

16. Local boards worked with council departments to develop their local board work programmes for 2022/2023 that will be adopted at June business meetings. The local board work programmes help inform the local board agreements.

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

Local impacts and local board views

17. This report seeks local board adoption of its content for the Annual Budget 2022/2023 and other associated material, including the Local Board Agreement 2022/2023.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

18. Many local board decisions are of importance to and impact on Māori. Local board agreements and the Annual Budget are important tools that enable and can demonstrate council’s responsiveness to Māori.

19. Local board plans, which were developed in 2020 through engagement with the community including Māori, form the basis of local priorities. There is a need to continue to build relationships between local boards and iwi, and where relevant the wider Māori community.

20. Of those who submitted to the Annual Budget 2022/2023 from the Waitākere Ranges Local Board area 6% identified as Māori. One iwi entity from the Waitākere Ranges Local Board rohe (Te Kawerau a Maki) made a submission to the Annual Budget 2022/2023. This submission was provided to the local board for consideration at local board workshops during the development of their local board agreement.

21. Ongoing conversations will assist local boards and Māori to understand each other’s priorities and issues. This in turn can influence and encourage Māori participation in council’s decision-making processes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

22. The local board agreement includes the allocation of locally driven initiatives (LDI) funding and asset based services (ABS) funding to projects and services for the 2022/2023 financial year.

23. LDI funding is discretionary funding allocated to local boards based on the Local Board Funding Policy (included in the Annual Budget), which local boards can spend on priorities for their communities. Local boards can also utilise LDI funding to increase local levels of service if they wish to do so.

24. Funding for ABS is allocated by the Governing Body to local boards based on current levels of service to run and maintain local assets and services including parks, pools and recreation facilities, community facilities, and libraries.

25. A local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023 is adopted alongside of the Local Board Agreement 2022/2023. The fees and charges have been formulated based on region-wide baseline service levels and revenue targets. Where fees and charges are amended by a local board that results in lower revenue for the council, the shortfall will need to be made up by either allocating LDI funds or reducing expenditure on other services to balance overall budgets.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

26. Decisions on the local content of the Annual Budget 2022/2023, including the Local Board Agreement 2022/2023 and a local fees and charges schedule for 2022/2023, are required by 23 June 2022 to ensure the Governing Body can adopt the final Annual Budget 2022/2023, including each Local Board Agreement, at its 29 June 2022 meeting.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

27. The resolutions of this meeting will be reported to the Governing Body on 29 June 2022 when it meets to adopt the Annual Budget 2022/2023, including 21 local board agreements.

28. It is possible that minor changes may need to be made to the attachments before the Annual Budget 2022/2023 is adopted, such as correction of any errors identified and minor wording changes. Staff therefore recommend that the local board delegates authority to the Chair to make any final changes if necessary.

29. Local board agreements set the priorities and budget envelopes for each financial year. Work programmes then detail the activities that will be delivered within those budget envelopes. Work programmes will be agreed between local boards and operational departments at business meetings in June 2022.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Attachment A - Local content to support the Annual Budget 2022/2023	85
b ⇩	Attachment B – Local fees and charges schedules 2022/2023	97

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Renee Burgers - Lead Advisor Plans and Programmes

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Local board feedback on Auckland Transport's Draft Parking Strategy (2022)

File No.: CP2022/07724

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek feedback from local boards on Auckland Transport’s Draft Parking Strategy (2022).

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Parking Strategy sets out the objectives, principles and policies relating to Auckland Transport’s management and supply of parking across Auckland and was last updated in 2015.

3. Since 2015, numerous changes in both the central and local government context mean that a review of the Parking Strategy (2015) was required.

4. The review has involved engagement with elected members, mana whenua, key stakeholders and the wider community.

5. In late May, Auckland Transport (AT) provided summaries of public engagement to all local boards. This report is to seek feedback from local boards, having had the opportunity to review feedback from their community, on the Draft Auckland Parking Strategy (2022).

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) provide feedback, taking into consideration their community’s feedback, on the Draft Auckland Parking Strategy (2022).

Horopaki

Context

6. The current Parking Strategy (2015) was progressive at the time it was introduced, bringing about many changes in Auckland including wider acceptance of priced parking; however, it is no longer fit for purpose. Since it was developed there have been numerous changes to the policy and planning context including:

· adoption of the Auckland Unitary Plan. Development signalled in the Unitary Plan will enable growth that may be difficult to service with public transport, meaning that some new suburbs will rely on car use for access

· changes to travel behaviour, such as the emergence of micromobility (i.e., electric scooters) and the growth of the delivery economy

· Auckland’s public transport network has matured over time, providing opportunities for further passenger uptake and efficiency related to park and ride management

· market demand is pushing for more housing provision and density. Development is already showing evidence of less carparking provision and more issues with carparking compliance

· the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) which guides direction on urban development through the Unitary Plan. The NPS-UD requires Auckland Council to remove parking minimum requirements from the Unitary Plan, which means that developments will not be required to provide onsite parking. This will contribute to society and transport becoming less car-centric over time; however, it will lead to increasing pressure on public parking resources, particularly on-street parking

· both central government and Auckland Council have declared ‘climate emergencies’, prioritising policy initiatives and investment that will reduce carbon emissions. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan and other plans and strategies proposed by central government will require changes to the land transport system, including parking.

7. The Draft Auckland Parking Strategy (2022) is an important element of aligning and addressing Auckland’s response to these issues, particularly by managing parking in a way that:

· supports public transport and alternative modes, which will make public transport and active modes such as walking and cycling safer and more convenient

· responds to Auckland’s population growth and land-use intensification

· acknowledges that space for carparking is a limited public resource.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

8. The Draft Parking Strategy (2022) (Attachment A) sets out the strategic context and the need to manage the transport system, as well as the strategic objectives and agreed principles for parking management.

9. The proposed approach to planning parking management is set out on pages 26-36 of Attachment A. The key elements of this are:

· proactively applying parking management in areas that have land use intensity and good public transport access

· repurposing road space away from parking where this is required to enable delivery of the Strategic Transport Network.

10. The accompanying parking policies (p38-63 of Attachment A) provide more technical detail on how parking is proposed to be managed in order to align to the principles set out in the strategic direction. The policies are grouped by:

· provision and approach

· on-street and off-street

· specific vehicle classes

· specific situations.

11. The strategy also includes a section on advocacy to central government for legislative and/or regulatory reform as there are some areas of parking management that are outside local government control. Including these areas also provides context on the limitations of regulation in areas we would like to effect change and achieve better outcomes. These areas include:

· parking infringement fines

· banning berm parking

· residential parking permit cost-setting

· influencing private parking through parking levies.

12. In December 2021, Auckland Transport and Auckland Council released a Parking Discussion Document to start the conversation with the public on future parking management in Auckland. AT received 32 pieces of written feedback. Following this feedback, several areas of the draft Parking Strategy and its accompanying policies were updated, including:

· developing the narrative to better link it to the broader transport story, strategic objectives and policy rationale, as well as regulatory areas in need of reform

· focussing on the benefits of parking management to enable and support access, resulting in a more equitable transport system

· articulating the benefits and implications of parking to the community

· acknowledging the costs of parking provision

· emphasising parking diversity to enable mode shift

· emphasising that the roll-out of further parking management will happen over time, starting where there is most readiness for change, and that this is a ten-year plan

· outlining indicators of success

· ensuring that consultation materials acknowledge the existing context and public fatigue.

13. Strategic direction provided by the Planning Committee has also guided development of the draft strategy.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

14. The National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) requires planning decisions to contribute to the development of urban environments that support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and are resilient to the likely current and future effects of climate change.

15. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan outlines the need for Auckland to reduce its transport-related emissions significantly, to meet the target of 64% reduction by 2030. This means that business as usual for transport and land-use project planning and delivery, and management of the transport system, cannot continue.

16. Parking management is a lever in managing the transport network, both in terms of the opportunities that repurposing of road space offers to enabling other modes, and in disincentivising car use.

17. Implementing the Parking Strategy will include repurposing parking lanes on key roads in Auckland, increasing the diversity of transport options and improving safety and efficiency for people using sustainable modes and for goods and service delivery. This is a key change required to reduce transport-related emissions, meaning the Parking Strategy is of significant importance as an early step to transport-related climate action.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

18. Auckland Transport has engaged with key stakeholders across the council family, including raising awareness of the review with Auckland Council’s advisory panels.

19. Eke Panuku and Auckland Unlimited provided feedback during engagement on the Parking Discussion Document. Their feedback was supportive of the proposed approach.

20. Both the need for review and the Draft Auckland Parking Strategy (2022) prepared for public consultation have been endorsed by Auckland Council’s Planning Committee (Resolution number PLA/2022/24).

21. Considerable liaison has taken place between Auckland Transport and Auckland Council departments ranging from Planning and Transport Strategy at a strategic level to Community Facilities about management of car parking in or near community parks.

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

Local impacts and local board views

22. Since Auckland Council and the Auckland Transport Board approved the review of the Parking Strategy in 2021, Auckland Transport has engaged with elected members, mana whenua, key stakeholders and the wider community. The objective of the engagement process has been to ensure that Aucklanders are aware of the review, have had an opportunity to find out more about the proposed changes, and have had an opportunity to provide feedback.

23. The engagement process included the following key activities:

a) in 2021, information about the review was sent to all local boards and presented to the Local Board Chairs’ Forum

b) all local boards were offered a workshop in August 2021, and in September 2021 all were invited to provide feedback that would contribute to the initial thinking around development of an updated draft document

c) in December 2021, a Parking Discussion Document was published, targeted at key stakeholders and calling for initial feedback. 32 pieces of written feedback were received

d) in March 2022, information about upcoming wider public consultation was provided to local boards along with a further workshop with Auckland Transport subject matter experts. The public consultation was again promoted through the Local Board Chairs’ Forum in April 2022

e) public engagement and consultation on the Draft Auckland Parking Strategy has recently closed. Auckland Transport received 943 submissions. Responses from the community have been collated and provided to local boards as area specific reports (Attachment B). Public engagement included:

i) media (OurAuckland, radio) and social media (videos) marketing to let the public know about the engagement

ii) online information

iii) webinars at which Auckland Transport staff were available to discuss the proposal with members of the public

iv) nine open days held in libraries around the region for members of the public to discuss the proposal with Auckland Transport staff

v) discussions with key stakeholders including business associations, industry groups, emergency services, utilities, and other government agencies

vi) a public debate about parking issues.

24. This report provides the opportunity for the local board to give their feedback, based on consideration of their community’s feedback, on the Draft Parking Strategy (2022).

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

25. Parking management is a kaitiakitanga issue, in that it is about managing a limited public resource. Auckland Transport has engaged with the Tāmaki Makaurau Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum to establish how best to incorporate views from mana whenua into the review.

26. Feedback from a series of AT hui with mana whenua representatives reinforced that parking is a topic of considerable concern to Māori. Other points raised include:

· acknowledgement that, as well as the strategic concerns around air quality and resource management, parking enables access

· that parking infringements can contribute to creating a cycle of debt

· that communities are facing compounding pressures - parking management shouldn’t adversely impact people and places even further

· the potential for parking management to further reduce access - particularly for less able-bodied kaumatua and kuia - to the whenua, the moana and to wahi tapu.

27. Other potential impacts of increased parking management for Māori are likely to be similar to those for the wider population. Some members of the community are more reliant on cars for access, particularly if they do not have good access to public transport. Barriers to public transport, such as cost and network coverage, influence access to necessities such as education, healthcare, employment, shopping, and social services.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

28. Parking management resourcing will be delivered through AT operational budgets. Initial work to understand the resourcing required to implement the strategy indicates that this will require significant resource increases for planning, design, compliance monitoring and enforcement. It is currently expected that the strategy would be at least revenue-neutral overall once compliance monitoring/enforcement revenue is considered.

29. Revenue from parking management helps to offset AT operational costs and therefore reduce reliance on ratepayer funding.

30. There are no financial implications for local boards associated with providing feedback on the Draft Parking Strategy (2022).

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

31. There are significant risks associated with adopting a new approach to parking management in Auckland – however these must be weighed against the opportunity costs of not having an appropriate framework in place to manage parking. These include:

a) persistent and increasing issues with over-reliance on on-street parking, particularly since the removal of onsite parking requirements in the Unitary Plan

b) reduced ability to support development of the public transport and cycling network (both of which reduce emissions) and less ability to enable place-based improvements within the road corridor

c) not having the ability to take an integrated and strategic approach that supports business when managing parking in town centres using collaborative parking management plans

d) less flexibility with managing the impacts of increased population growth and intensification.

32. Strong, considered feedback from local boards will enable Auckland Transport to make good decisions about the Parking Strategy while they balance these risks against the opportunity costs described above.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

33. Feedback from local boards will be reviewed and taken into account as staff consider any amendments to the Draft Auckland Parking Strategy before recommendations to the Auckland Council Planning Committee are made in August 2022.

34. Following endorsement of the Auckland Parking Strategy by the Auckland Council Planning Committee, approval will be sought from the Auckland Transport Board.

35. Once approved by the Auckland Transport Board, the new Parking Strategy will be introduced.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Draft Auckland Parking Strategy (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇨	Feedback Report - Waitākere Ranges Local Board (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Claire Covacich, Principal Transport Planner, Auckland Transport

Kat Ashmead - Senior Advisor Operations and Policy

Authorisers

Andrew McGill, Head of Integrated Network Planning, Auckland Transport

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Local board feedback on Auckland Transport's proposed speed limit changes

File No.: CP2022/07285

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek local board feedback on Phase Three (previously called Tranche 2B) of Auckland Transport’s proposed speed limit changes.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Auckland Council and Auckland Transport have adopted the Vision Zero goal of eliminating road transport-related deaths and serious injuries (DSI) within the Auckland road network by 2050.

3. Setting safe and appropriate speed limits that recognise the function, safety, design, and layout of roads is a fast and cost-effective way to reduce DSI. Evidence from changes made in 2020 demonstrates that safe and appropriate speed limits are effective in reducing road trauma.

4. Auckland Transport is conducting a phased review of speed limits and recently completed public consultation on proposed Phase Three changes with the community. A list of changes proposed within this local board area is provided as Attachment A.

5. Public consultation on changes proposed in Phase Three closed on 3 April 2022 and a summary of public responses is provided as Attachment B. Local boards are now invited to provide their feedback.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) provide feedback on speed limit changes proposed as part of Phase Three of Auckland Transport’s Safe Speeds Programme.

Horopaki

Context

6. Auckland Transport (AT) is Auckland’s road controlling authority. Part of this role is reviewing and ensuring that speed limits across Auckland are set at levels that are safe and appropriate for road function, safety, design, and their use.

Alignment with Central Government Policy

7. Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency adopted a ‘Vision Zero’ approach to road safety in 2019 when it launched the ‘Road to Zero’ national strategy that aims to reduce the number of people killed and injured on New Zealand’s roads to zero by 2050.

Alignment with Auckland Council Policy

8. Auckland Council is committed to road safety. The Auckland Plan envisages a transport network free of deaths and serious injuries by 2050. AT deliver the council’s policies in relation to transport. AT developed ‘Vision Zero for Tāmaki Makaurau’ in response to goals within the Auckland Plan and with the council’s Planning Committee’s direction (Resolution number PLA/2018/83).

9. Since receiving endorsement from Auckland Council and from the Auckland Transport Board, Auckland Transport has progressively reviewed roads across Auckland and reduced speed limits on many roads.

10. In this phase, the focus has been on town centres, roads near schools, high-risk rural roads, rural marae, and roads requested by the community.

11. Public consultation on the Safe Speeds Programme Phase Three took place from 28 February - 3 April 2022, and included the following measures:

a) flyer mailout to 340,257 properties and PO Boxes near roads where changes to speed limits are proposed

b) advertising in the NZ Herald, community newspapers, specialist, and ethnic media

c) radio advertising on Niu FM, Radio Samoa and Radio Waatea

d) radio interviews and adlibs on Niu FM, Radio Samoa and Radio Waatea

e) media releases

f) social media campaigns

g) an article published in OurAuckland

h) translation of consultation materials into Te Reo Māori, Braille and NZ Sign Language

i) flyers, posters and hardcopy FreePost feedback forms in multiple languages to every library and service centre in Auckland

j) 15 online webinars, including a Mandarin language webinar

k) a community drop-in session on Aotea Great Barrier.

12. The community was able to provide their thoughts via a number of channels:

a) online via http://AT.govt.nz/haveyoursay

b) a paper survey

c) a web-based mapping tool

d) emails direct to the Safe Speeds Programme Team

e) at public hearings held on 6 April 2022.

13. Local boards received localised reports on public feedback in early May (Attachment B) and now have the opportunity to provide feedback on Phase Three proposed speed limit changes within their local board area.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

14. Auckland Transport manages more than 7,300 kilometres of roads for Auckland Council. This includes setting speed limits, and since ‘Vision Zero’ was adopted Auckland Transport has been progressively reviewing and amending speed limits. Changes have been made only after engaging with both the community and local boards.

15. Auckland Transport’s first phase of reviewing and setting new speed limits was developing the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019 (under the Land Transport Act 1998) that enabled AT to set new speed limits for Auckland’s highest risk roads.

16. The impact of the changes made in this bylaw have been significant and support the claim that by setting safe and appropriate speed limits in Auckland, we reduce community harm.

17. Since 30 June 2020, in areas where speed limits were changed, fatal crashes have almost halved (down by 47 per cent) during the 18-month period since this action was taken.^{^[1]}

18. This change was most significant on rural roads where roads with reduced speed limits recorded a 71 per cent reduction in fatal crashes and more than a 25 per cent reduction in serious injury crashes.

19. In selected locations, speed limit changes are complemented by physical speed calming measures such as speed bumps, raised pedestrian crossings, kerb changes and road marking. These physical measures help reinforce the safe and appropriate speed limits and assist with pedestrians and cyclists crossing busy roads. Physical measures are installed based upon risk, with a focus on locations such as town centres, residential areas and roads near schools.

20. It will take time to confirm that these trends are sustained, however this initial impact is promising and indicates the effectiveness of the ‘Vision Zero’ approach. Overseas data records a similar impact on harm reduction and Auckland Transport’s advice to local boards is that the programme is working and should be supported.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

21. The primary climate change benefit of safe and appropriate speed limits is that they support and encourage greater take-up of walking, cycling and micromobility by reducing the risk to vulnerable road users, making these modes more attractive. This supports emissions reductions.

22. In town centres where speed limits were reduced and safety improvements introduced during Phase One of speed limit changes, there has been strong positive feedback, with 19 per cent of people saying they now participate in at least one active mode (e.g., walking or cycling) more often since the projects have been completed. This is a direct contribution towards encouraging people to walk or cycle instead of using cars that produce carbon emissions.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

23. Auckland Council is committed to road safety. The Auckland Plan envisages a transport network free of deaths and serious injuries by 2050. AT deliver the council’s policies in relation to transport. AT developed ‘Vision Zero for Tāmaki Makaurau’ in response to goals within the Auckland Plan and with the council’s Planning Committee’s direction (Resolution number PLA/2018/83).

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

Local impacts and local board views

24. Auckland Transport has held workshops with local boards throughout the various phases of the Safe Speeds programme.

25. Summaries of local submissions on changes proposed in Phase Three were provided to local boards in early May to inform their consideration of this topic.

26. This report seeks feedback from the local board on the proposed speed limit changes within Phase Three of the Safe Speeds Programme.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

27. Auckland Transport is committed to meeting its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its broader legal obligations in being more responsive to and inclusive of Māori.

28. AT’s Māori Responsiveness Plan outlines the commitment to 19 mana whenua iwi in Auckland to deliver effective and well-designed transport policy and solutions. AT also recognises mataawaka and their representative bodies and our desire to foster a relationship with them. This plan is available on the Auckland Transport website at https://at.govt.nz/about-us/transport-plans-strategies/maori-responsiveness-plan/#about

29. Safe speeds make our roads safer for active road users, which encourages more people to walk, cycle and use public transport. Te Ora ō Tāmaki Makaurau is the well-being framework developed by the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum in response to Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri. Safer roads contribute to more people walking or cycling, which in turn supports this framework developed by Mana Whenua.

30. Waka Kotahi’s 2021 study ‘He Pūrongo Whakahaumaru Huarahi Mō Ngā Iwi Māori – Māori Road Safety Outcomes’ provides data demonstrating that Māori are disproportionately more likely to be hurt or killed on New Zealand roads. The Safe Speeds Programme is expected to result in significant positive impacts for Auckland’s Māori communities.

31. Engagement with iwi at the AT northern, central and southern transport kaitiaki hui took place on the wider programme during 2021, and in early 2022 to introduce the Interim Speed Management Plan. Detailed engagement with individual rural marae as part of Phase Three commenced mid-2021 and is ongoing, with each marae typically requiring a tailored approach that takes into account localised safety issues.

32. Mana whenua are, in general, supportive of the Safe Speeds Programme and positive safety, community and environmental outcomes arising through safe and appropriate speed limits. There is in particular strong engagement and support for the rural marae workstream which forms part of Phase Three.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

33. Although there are no specific financial implications arising from local boards providing feedback on the Safe Speeds Programme this programme has considerable financial implications.

34. In 2017, the social cost of road harm in Auckland was about $1.1 billion.^{^[2]} These costs are paid by all Aucklanders. There is the cost of health care for those injured and - for some - lifetime rehabilitation and support. There is a cost to families, businesses and the region of those who can no longer live and work as they did before due to road deaths and serious injuries.

35. Reducing the harm caused by road accidents impacts on the community by reducing hospital costs, insurance costs and Accident Compensation Corporation costs all of which are of direct financial benefit to the communities that local boards represent.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

36. Delays due to Covid-19 and lockdown in the Auckland Region have added complexity to both public consultation and implementation timelines. The following measures were undertaken to ensure a quality engagement process:

· The consultation length was extended from four to five weeks.

· The number of online events during the consultation was significantly increased.

· Digital advertising spend was increased and included Mandarin language public webinars and social media advertising.

37. Steps have also been taken to ensure flexibility in the implementation timeline.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

38. The new speed limits are proposed to come into force at the end of November 2022.

39. The November 2022 date may need to be revised due to the impacts of Covid-19 and to take into account consultation feedback. Local boards will be kept up to date if any changes are made.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Attachment A - Phase 3 Speed Limit Changes - Waitākere Ranges Local Board (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇨	Attachment B - Safe Speeds Programme Public feedback on proposed speed limit changes March/April 2022 (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Annie Ferguson – Communications and Engagement, Auckland Transport

Ben Stallworthy – Elected Member Relationship Partner, Auckland Transport

Authorisers

Nathan Cammock – Programme Director, Auckland Transport

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Local board feedback on the council’s preliminary response to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021

File No.: CP2022/07896

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. The purpose of this report is to seek feedback from the local board on the council’s preliminary response to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 (RMA amendments).

2. This report includes an overview of the feedback on the council’s preliminary response received through the public consultation from 19 April to 9 May 2022.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

3. The council’s preliminary response to the NPS-UD and RMA amendments are set out in the NPS-UD and the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS). Some of these are not optional. Council must change the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) to put these new rules in place.

4. However, the NPS-UD allows us to make some limited decisions to help shape the future of our city. Council can determine:

i) the distances of walkable catchments, where buildings of six storeys or more are required. These are the areas around the city centre, rapid transit stops, and the ten metropolitan centres (Albany, Takapuna, Westgate, Henderson, New Lynn, Newmarket, Sylvia Park, Manukau, Botany and Papakura)

ii) the building heights and density to enable residential development within and next to other suburban centres – neighbourhoods centres, local centres, and town centres

iii) the “qualifying matters” that will apply in Auckland, or the characteristics within some areas that may allow the council to modify (or limit) the required building heights and density.

5. Central government has already identified a number of qualifying matters. The council is also able to include other ‘qualifying matters’ that are important for Auckland.

6. The elements of the preliminary response that the council is able to determine were open to feedback. A three-week public engagement on the council’s preliminary response to the NPS-UD and RMA amendments was completed on 9 May 2022. This included an independently run survey of 2000 Aucklanders. The feedback has been analysed, and the themes that have emerged from that analysis were presented to local board on Monday, 30 May 2022.

7. The feedback summary report is attached to this report and has been published on the AKHaveYourSay website. The feedback responses received have also been published on the website.

8. Local boards are now invited to give feedback on the council’s preliminary response, with particular regard to the matters available to council to make decisions on. A template (Attachment C) has been provided to assist the preparation of that feedback.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) note the council’s preliminary response to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021

b) note the feedback received from Aucklanders on the council’s preliminary response during the three-week public consultation in April and May 2022

c) provide feedback on the council’s preliminary response, to be considered by the Planning Committee in preparation of the proposed intensification plan change for notification in August 2022.

Horopaki

Context

9. The NPS-UD and the RMA amendments require that a proposed intensification plan change (IPI) must be notified by 20 August 2022. The Planning Committee and local board chairs (or their delegates) have attended numerous workshops and made decisions in 2021 and 2022 on preliminary policy directions to guide how the council will implement the NPS-UD and RMA amendments.

10. At it’s meeting on 31 March 2022 the Planning Committee approved a preliminary response to the NPS-UD (Attachment A), for the purpose of public engagement for three weeks in April and May 2022. The preliminary response was made available to the public on the Auckland “Have Your Say” website from 19 April to 9 May.

11. The preliminary response contained an overall consultation document, more detailed information sheets, and access to the GIS map viewer that illustrates zoning proposals that reflected the committee’s resolutions. The maps also illustrated locations where various qualifying matters (mostly existing AUP overlays, endorsed by the committee) would limit the height and/or density that would otherwise be enabled.

12. The GIS viewer was supported by information sheets that described the approach to intensification and the process that the council is following. The AUP text for the new zone provisions was not available for feedback, as this was (and is) still being prepared and tested.

13. Since October 2021, local boards and mana whenua have been involved in helping the council develop its preliminary response. This report summarises the themes emerging from the public engagement. Feedback received from the public, together with the ongoing involvement of local boards and mana whenua, will greatly assist the council in finalising the IPI for notification by 20 August 2022.

14. Feedback was specifically sought on the following matters:

i) the extent of walkable catchments around the city centre, metropolitan centres and rapid transit network stops (as required under Policy 3(c))

ii) the approach to, and extent of, intensification of areas adjacent to the city, metropolitan, town, local and neighbourhood centres (as required under Policy 3(d))

iii) the selection of, and approach to, “any other qualifying matters” that limit the height and density that would otherwise be required as enabled under Policy 4.

15. Feedback was not sought on matters in the NPS-UD and RMA amendments that are mandatory. Mandatory matters include the introduction of walkable catchments into the AUP, the enablement of six storey buildings in all zones in walkable catchments, and the application of medium density residential standards in all residential zones outside walkable catchments.

16. The public engagement (under the heading ‘Government’s new housing rules: what it means for Auckland’) comprised the following:

· an overview of the response and how to give feedback

· a main consultation document (also translated into numerous languages) with the full preliminary response overview

· online feedback form with questions on consultation topics and an opportunity to provide reasons and further explanation

· more detailed information sheets on a range of topics

· frequently asked questions and an explanation video

· special character area assessment survey reports

· the GIS NPS-UD map viewer and user guide

· information and booking links for webinars and events

· access to a planning enquiry service for questions and further information.

17. Hard copies of the main documents including the feedback form were placed in libraries and service centres.

18. Online consultation activities and events were scheduled and undertaken through the engagement period, as follows:

· four online webinars - two covering the whole preliminary response (with a focus on intensification), one on special character areas, and one on other council-identified qualifying matters

four ‘Have Your Say’ events – two for general opportunities for people or groups to present and discuss their feedback to members and staff, one for regional stakeholders, and one for residents’ groups and associations

· two information meetings focussed on the special character areas qualifying matter – one on the North Shore and one in the city centre.

19. In addition to the online and hard-copy feedback opportunity, an independently run sample survey of 2000 Aucklanders was procured from Kantar Public Limited. This was intended to enable a broader public perspective of the aspects of preliminary response, to complement the feedback offered and received from individuals, groups and organisations.

20. All feedback received has been recorded, reviewed and allocated to themes to enable evaluation and assessment by staff and local board members. Summary reports have been prepared for the feedback received via the AKHaveYourSay website and also via the sample survey. All feedback has been published at AKHaveYourSay.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

21. Most feedback (6,094 items) was provided via our online feedback form, provided in eight languages (English, Te Reo Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean and Hindi). There were also 1,766 ‘non-feedback form’ items of feedback received via email or through the post. Feedback received after the consultation closing date has not been included in the analysis within the “Summary of Feedback” report (Attachment B). However, feedback received later than the closing date is being considered and will be made available for viewing along with the rest of the feedback received.

22. Local board feedback on the preliminary response is now sought through resolutions at this meeting. This feedback will be considered in (and attached to) a report for the 30 June Planning Committee meeting where further policy directions will be determined towards the preparation of a proposed plan change for reporting to committee on 4 August 2022 for a decision on notification.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

23. Objective 8 and policy 1 of the NPS-UD set out a policy framework that signals the need for decisions under the RMA to reduce emissions and improve climate resilience.

24. This framework is in line with the ‘built environment’ priority of Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan, which has a goal of achieving “A low carbon, resilient built environment that promotes healthy, low impact lifestyles”. The plan states that:

“To move to a low carbon and resilient region, climate change and hazard risks need to be integral to the planning system that shapes Auckland. Integrating land-use and transport planning is vital to reduce the need for private vehicle travel and to ensure housing and employment growth areas are connected to efficient, low carbon transport systems.”

25. Applying the NPS-UD will enable additional residential intensification to occur in areas where jobs, services and amenities can be easily accessed by active modes and public transport. This will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the more efficient use of land will reduce growth pressures in areas more susceptible to the effects of climate change. In some places, applying the MDRS required under the RMA amendments will also achieve this outcome. However, a key aspect of the council’s submission on the RMA amendments was that enabling three-storey medium density housing across Auckland’s urban environment, is likely to result in a greater number of people living in areas where it is extremely difficult to provide a high level of public transport service. A more detailed analysis of climate impacts will be possible once the mapping work required to implement the NPS-UD and the RMA amendments is more advanced.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

26. All relevant council departments and Council Controlled Organisations have been involved in preparing the council’s preliminary response to the NPS-UD and the RMA amendments. They will have an ongoing role during the feedback period through to and beyond 20 August 2022. Feedback received on the council’s preliminary response will be reviewed by the relevant departments and CCOs to assist the council in finalising the IPI for public notification.

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

Local impacts and local board views

27. Local boards were briefed in October and November 2021 on the implications of the NPS-UD and local board chairs were invited to the series of Planning Committee workshops run in 2021 on the NPS-UD. Local boards also received a detailed briefing on the council’s preliminary response in March and May 2022.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

28. Auckland Council has obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its Significance and Engagement Policy to take special consideration when engaging with Māori and to enable Māori participation in council decision-making to promote Māori well-being.

29. The NPS-UD provides for the interests of Māori through intensification to increase housing supply, alongside its identification of qualifying matters. The widespread intensification sought by the NPS-UD has the potential to affect Māori both negatively and positively. This includes with respect to culturally significant sites and landscapes, Treaty Settlement redress land, the urban form as it reflects mātauranga Māori and accessibility, and Māori facilities where customs and traditions are observed (such as marae).

30. The relevant qualifying matters set out in the NPS-UD and RMA amendments include matters of national importance that decision-makers are required to recognise and provide for under section 6 of the RMA 1991, and matters necessary to implement, or to ensure consistency with, iwi participation legislation.

31. Policy 9 of the NPS-UD sets out requirements for local authorities as follows:

“Local authorities, in taking account of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) in relation to urban environments, must:

a) involve hapū and iwi in the preparation of RMA planning documents and any FDSs by undertaking effective consultation that is early, meaningful and, as far as practicable, in accordance with tikanga Māori; and

b) when preparing RMA planning documents and FDSs, take into account the values and aspirations of hapū and iwi for urban development; and

c) provide opportunities in appropriate circumstances for Māori involvement in decision-making on resource consents, designations, heritage orders, and water conservation orders, including in relation to sites of significance to Māori and issues of cultural significance; and

d) operate in a way that is consistent with iwi participation legislation.”

32. Policy 9 directs the council to involve iwi and hapū in the NPS-UD, during the preparation of planning documents, and to take into account the values and aspirations of hapū and iwi for urban development in the region. In the context of the NPS-UD, the council must involve mana whenua and mataawaka within the region.

33. Individual and collective engagement has raised several key themes relating matters like the protection of scheduled and known cultural heritage and managing potential interface effects from new development with existing marae. This is supported by research undertaken by the council team in advance of these discussions with mana whenua. This has drawn on a wide range of council documents and publicly available information.

34. Common themes that have been identified include:

a) universal access to be provided in residential design for less able whānau members

b) access to open space for health and wellbeing

c) safe and connected whānau and communities

d) avoiding development in areas poorly served by infrastructure

e) access to affordable housing options

f) maintaining access to customary activities e.g. waka launching, kaimoana gathering

g) protection of Māori sites and places of cultural significance. Maintaining precincts that protect cultural values or are otherwise culturally sensitive (such as Ihumātao)

h) avoiding negative effects of intensive residential development on established cultural activities/facilities (such as marae)

i) provisions for Kohanga reo and Kura Kaupapa Māori in urban areas

j) use of Māori design concepts in the development of commercial centres and in large residential developments

k) use of mātauranga and tikanga Māori in the management of resources

l) the support of measures to maintain and improve water quality, ecological areas, volcanic viewshafts, and the coastline

m) avoiding exacerbating natural hazard risks

n) maintaining the cultural significance of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area

o) concern that Future Urban Zone land will be prematurely rezoned.

35. The council’s engagement team continues to actively work with mana whenua representatives on these matters.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

36. NPS-UD implementation has been progressing within existing budgets. However, the RMA amendments has resulted in a significant increase in the scale and complexity of the project, without any changes to the NPS-UD implementation timeframes. This will require a greater than anticipated level of change to the AUP.

37. The financial impact of these changes will affect the current 2021-2022 and the 2022-2023 financial years, and potentially the following year. While it is expected that additional costs in the current financial year can be met through a re-prioritisation of work programmes within the Chief Planning Office, further costs (primarily relating to operation of an independent hearings panel and engagement of specialists) may require re-prioritisation of other work programmes from across the organisation. Planning for the 2022-2023 financial year is currently underway, however any impacts will be of a scale that will not affect the council’s overall financial position.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

38. The government has set a deadline of 20 August 2022 for the council to publicly notify the IPI. Given the scale and complexity of the work required to meet this deadline, there is a risk that the quality of engagement on the council’s preliminary response will not meet the expectation of Aucklanders and key stakeholders, and that the council may not receive quality feedback from a wide range of interests. There is also a risk that Aucklanders and key stakeholders are unclear about the mandatory requirements of the NPS-UD and the RMA amendments, and where the council has some discretion.

39. These risks have been mitigated to date by strong, clear communications in the lead-up to and during the engagement period. The responses during the consultation period show a good response from Pasifika, and the general 25-44 age group. The responses were underrepresented in Māori, Asian and the general 15-24 age group. There was over-representation in the responses by New Zealand European / European and those over 45 years old.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

40. Staff continue to analyse feedback received, and this analysis will be presented to the committee, mana whenua and local boards to inform the completion of the IPI that must be publicly notified by 20 August 2022. Public notification is the beginning of formal submissions and hearings of those submissions.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Consultation document (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇨	NPS-UD Summary of the consultation feedback (Under Separate Cover)
c ⇨	Local board feedback template (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Eryn Shields - Team Leader Regional, North West and Islands

Authorisers

John Duguid - General Manager - Plans and Places

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Waitākere Ranges Local Board

23 June 2022

Local board feedback on proposed supporting plan changes to accompany the Medium Density Residential Standards and National Policy Statement on Urban Development plan change

File No.: CP2022/07965

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. The purpose of the report is to seek feedback from local boards on the development of draft plan changes and variations to the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) that are to be considered for notification at the August 2022 Planning Committee meeting together with the Intensification Planning Instrument (IPI) on medium density residential standards (MDRS) and implementing Policies 3 and 4 of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD. These are:

· Transport-related changes to promote safe and efficient access to residentially zoned parking spaces and rear sites, and to address additional parking issues that were identified following the mandatory removal of car parking minimums from the AUP (Auckland-wide chapters E24 Lighting, E27 Transport, and E38 Subdivision – Urban access and parking provisions).

· Additions to scheduled items to enable their protection when the IPI is notified (Schedule 10 Notable Tree Schedule and Maps, and Schedule 14 Historic Heritage Schedule, Statements and Maps).

· Mandatory variations to incomplete plan changes (council-initiated and private) required by the government to ensure MDRS are applied in all relevant residential zones.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Each local board is responsible for communicating the interests and preferences of people in its area regarding the content of the council’s strategies, policies, plans, and bylaws. Local boards provide their views on the content of these documents.

3. Auckland Council is required to publicly notify its IPI in August 2022 to implement the NPS- UD and MDRS in relevant residential zones. The council’s IPI must now re-write residential objectives, policies and rules to include MDRS, as well as making other changes to implement NPS-UD intensification directives, like increasing height to at least six stories within walkable catchments of certain zones and the rapid transit network stations.

4. Additional plan changes and variations are necessary to address related matters and are proposed to be notified alongside the IPI.

5. Feedback is sought from local boards on the policy approach and content of these draft plan changes and variations prior to the Planning Committee’s August 2021 meeting where notification will be considered.

6. The specific text of each plan change and variation is likely to be amended as these changes progress towards notification as a result of feedback received from local boards, iwi authorities, key stakeholders, internal specialists and legal review.

Transport

7. Auckland Council has already removed minimum car parking requirements from the AUP as required by NPS-UD and is completing a technical plan change to address gaps created by those removals. In doing so, other more complex additional parking matters need to be addressed in the AUP.

8. Greater intensification across Auckland brings forward the need to address gaps and inconsistencies in the residential access provisions in chapters E27 Transport and E38 Subdivision - Urban.

Notable trees and Historic Heritage Places

9. Additional notable trees and historic heritage places are proposed to be added to the AUP schedules 10 and 14 following staff-evaluation and these will be qualifying matters in the IPI. Historic heritage places and notable trees are qualifying matters that will be set out in the IPI to limit intensification so those values can be accommodated. Amendments to the notable tree and historic heritage places schedules are required to both update and add in newly assessed items for protection. It is important to protect qualifying matters by including items that are not presently scheduled to avoid the loss of those items through intensification.

Variations to incomplete plan changes

10. The government requires that the council prepare a variation for each plan change commenced, but not completed, at the time the December 2021 amendments to the Resource Management Act (RMA) came into force, where a change relates to a relevant residential zone. The governments’ MDRS will apply for up to six private plan change requests, and one council-initiated change.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board:

a) note the content outlined in the agenda report relating to the development of draft plan changes and variations to the Auckland Unitary Plan to be considered for notification at the August 2022 Planning Committee meeting together with the Intensification Planning Instrument on medium density residential standards and implementing Policies 3 and 4 of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020

b) provide feedback as the local board’s response to the matters discussed in this report:

i) transport

ii) notable trees - Schedule 10

iii) historic heritage - Schedule 14

iv) variations to incomplete plan changes.

Horopaki

Context

Decision-making authority

11. Each local board is responsible for communicating the interests and preferences of people in its area regarding the content of the council’s strategies, policies, plans, and bylaws. Local boards provide their views on the content of these documents.

12. Local boards have a critical role in helping shape the council’s policy response to the NPS-UD. Plan changes and variations are required to address issues arising from implementing government policy and in terms of access matters in the Transport plan change, to address gaps and inconsistencies in the AUP provisions.

13. The plan changes and variations relate to:

Transport

· Addressing access to residentially zoned parking spaces and rear sites to prioritise pedestrian access and safety and to improve access efficiency and convenience for all user groups.

· Developing parking provisions to:

o provide safe and convenient pedestrian access to dwellings that have no vehicle access

o require accessible parking so that people with disabilities can participate in everyday life

o ensure the loading/unloading of goods can occur in a manner that does not compromise the safe and efficient functioning of the road network (including accessways)

o cater for emerging changes in transport, including greater use of e-bikes, micro-mobility devices and electric vehicles.

Notable Trees and Historic Heritage Places

· Updating the Auckland Unitary Plan notable tree schedule 10 and adding new notable trees

· Adding new historic heritage places to the AUP historic heritage schedule 14, and removing one place from schedule 14.

Variations to incomplete plan changes

14. The government requires variations so that all relevant residential zones include MDRS. Variations will be complementary to the approach taken in the IPI. These mandatory variations must be processed alongside council’s IPI and will use the same fast-track process. Council staff will prepare variations for:

Incomplete private plan changes relating to relevant residential zones:	Local board area in which land is located
PC 49 Drury East	Franklin
PC 50 Waihoehoe	Franklin
PC 51 Drury 2	Franklin
PC 59 Albany 10 precinct	Upper Harbour
PC 66 Schnapper Rock Road	Upper Harbour
PC 67 Hingaia precinct 1	Papakura
Incomplete council-initiated plan changes relating to relevant residential zones	Suburbs in which land is located
PC 60 Open space	Less than 20 sites across: Forrest Hill Ellerslie Freemans Bay Grey Lynn Pukekohe Beachlands Waiuku Howick Birkenhead Mangere East

15. Addressing access and parking matters must be addressed alongside the IPI so that the development community responds to growth opportunities appropriately. The rule changes are required to implement standards for assessing resource consent applications.

16. Protecting historic heritage places and notable trees is important to comprehensively address qualifying matters in the AUP and protect these for future generations. The IPI will acknowledge historic heritage places (and other values) and notable trees as qualifying matters, but a separate change is necessary for those historic heritage places and trees that are not already scheduled but whose known values are significant, and eligible for scheduling.

17. Local board feedback is an important input to help develop the plan changes and variations that are proposed to be notified alongside the IPI in August 2022.

18. Local boards will have a second opportunity to express views after submissions close on the changes. Views expressed after submissions close in a resolution will be included in the analysis of the plan changes and submissions received. If a local board chooses to provide its views, a local board member will be invited to present the local board’s views at the hearing to commissioners, who make the decision on the plan changes.

19. This report provides an overview of the IPI-supporting plan changes related to transport matters, and additional and corrected historic heritage places and notable trees and mandatory variations to incorporate MDRS. This report does not include a recommendation. Planning staff cannot advise the local board as to what its views should be, and then evaluate those views as part of reporting to the Planning Committee.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Transport

20. The Plans and Places department maintains a ‘Residential Issues Register’ and is currently finalising the draft 2021 ‘Section 35 Monitoring: B2.3 Quality Built Environment’ report. The register and the draft section 35 report identify the need for changes to the AUP to achieve better-quality access outcomes. As noted above, the identified parking issues are a consequence of the mandatory removal of car parking minimums.

21. Attachment A outlines a summary of the potential changes at this stage in the process and the principal reasons for the changes.

Notable Trees

22. The AUP protects and retains notable trees with significant historical, botanical or amenity values. Trees or groups of trees in Schedule 10 were evaluated using a set of criteria based on historical association, scientific importance or rarity, contribution to ecosystem services, cultural association or accessibility and intrinsic value. These factors are considered in the context of human health, public safety, property, amenity values and biosecurity.

23. Tree schedules are highly dynamic and are not as easily maintained as other AUP schedules which are static (e.g. Outstanding Natural Landscapes Overlay Schedule, Outstanding Natural Features Overlay Schedule) meaning that they fall out of date over time. This is because subdivision, development and consents for removal/alteration as well as emergency works affect the description of listings on the Schedule. The health of trees can also naturally deteriorate. Given the number of listings contained in the Schedule, errors will continue to be identified and further updates will therefore be required. To update Schedule 10 requires a plan change. These changes cannot be addressed through any other process.

24. There is a database of nearly 600 nominations received as submissions through the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan process and further unsolicited nominations received through the current nomination process. These nominations have been received for trees right across the region and are not limited to any specific geographical area. There is an expectation from the community that the council will evaluate and progress a plan change to add trees to the Schedule. There is a large volume of nominations and due to resourcing constraints, it has not been possible to evaluate them all at once. There will however be a portion of these nominations which have been evaluated and some of these trees may be found to meet the criteria for scheduling.

25. Notable tree nominations are being investigated in the Albert-Eden, Franklin, Howick, Ōrākei, Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Rodney, Waitematā and Whau Local Boards. There are also more general amendments required to ensure the Schedule is accurate and operating as originally intended (for example, removals of listings where the tree has been physically removed, updating legal descriptions as a result of subdivision).

26. Options relating to notable trees were presented to the Planning Committee on 5 November 2020 which resolved to review or make changes to the notable tree schedule as resources permit (PLA/2020/96). This included addressing existing nominations. It is important to note the scope of this work would not include calling for additional nominations.

27. In accordance with the resolution discussed in paragraph 22, the Notable Trees Plan Change will amend Schedule 10 Notable Trees Schedule of the AUP as follows:

· Add those nominated trees which merit inclusion to the schedule

· Amend the schedule to address known inaccuracies/inconsistencies.

28. The IPI will recognise notable trees as qualifying matters, including the newly proposed notable trees. A separate change is needed to schedule these additional trees as that is not the purpose of the IPI.

Historic Heritage

29. Historic heritage is a matter of national importance that decision makers must consider under section 6 of the RMA. Significant historic heritage places are identified in Schedule 14 Historic Heritage Schedule, Statements and Maps of the Unitary Plan. Places identified in the schedule are subject to the provisions of the Unitary Plan Historic Heritage Overlay, which seeks to protect scheduled historic heritage places from inappropriate subdivision, use and development and enable the appropriate use of scheduled historic heritage places.

30. For a place to qualify to be included in the AUP historic heritage schedule, each place must meet the criteria and thresholds for scheduling that are outlined in the Regional Policy Statement (RPS) section of the AUP. Historic heritage places must be at least of considerable significance to their locality or beyond.

31. Historic heritage places have been identified in the Albert-Eden, Henderson-Massey, Howick, Ōrakei, Rodney, Waitematā and Whau Local Boards. A list of these places is included in Attachment B.

32. Most of these places were identified as a result of the survey of the special character values that was part of the council’s response to the NPS-UD. Other places were identified via public nominations. This work is supported by a Planning Committee resolution:

where significant historic heritage values are identified within the Special Character Areas Overlay, develop a plan change for places or areas to be added to the Auckland Unitary Plan historic heritage schedule.^{^[3]}

33. Each identified historic heritage place’s evaluation demonstrates the criteria and thresholds for scheduling set out in the RPS are satisfied. It is important that places with significant historic heritage values are included in the AUP historic heritage schedule, so that these values can be appropriately managed. The historic heritage places listed in Attachment B are proposed to be included in Schedule 14 via a plan change.

34. Two historic heritage places are proposed to be deleted. The former St Andrews Sunday School Hall at 40 Rankin Avenue, New Lynn (Schedule 14.1 ID 189) was demolished in 2019. The Residence at 147 Sturges Road, Henderson (ID 75). This historic heritage place has been identified as not meeting the RPS thresholds for scheduling. It is not appropriate for a historic heritage place without sufficient value to remain in the AUP historic heritage Schedule 14.

35. The IPI will recognise scheduled historic heritage places as qualifying matters, by limiting intensification to the extent necessary to continue to provide for the scheduled values. A separate change is needed to schedule the newly identified historic heritage places and to remove the place at 147 Sturges Road, as that is not the purpose of the IPI.

Variations

36. Amendments made to the RMA in December 2021 came into force immediately and require tier 1 local authorities (including Auckland) to incorporate the government’s MDRS into all relevant residential zones.

37. The government’s intention is that all plan changes relating to relevant residential zones also incorporate MDRS. Transitional provisions inserted into the RMA require the council to prepare variations where changes commenced, but were not completed, when the RMA was amended. Up to seven variations are required to be notified at the same time as the council’s IPI, and to be processed alongside it. Work is commencing on variations to these changes:

Incomplete private plan changes relating to relevant residential zones:	Local board area in which land is located
PC 49 Drury East	Franklin
PC 50 Waihoehoe	Franklin
PC 51 Drury 2	Franklin
PC 59 Albany 10 precinct	Upper Harbour
PC 66 Schnapper Rock Road	Upper Harbour
PC 67 Hingaia precinct 1	Papakura
Incomplete council-initiated plan changes relating to relevant residential zones	Suburbs in which land is located
PC 60 Open space	Less than 20 sites across: Forrest Hill Ellerslie Freemans Bay Grey Lynn Pukekohe Beachlands Waiuku Howick Birkenhead Mangere East

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

38. Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan sets out Auckland’s climate goals:

a) to adapt to the impacts of climate change by planning for the changes we will face (climate adaptation)

b) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 (climate mitigation).

39. The first of the council’s climate goals is relevant because it relates to climate adaptation. That goal aligns with the legal principle for RMA decision-makers to have regard to the effects of climate change (section 7(i) RMA).

40. However, the RMA currently precludes the second goal: consideration of climate mitigation. The council may only consider climate adaptation and resilience.

41. Several plan changes have some bearing on climate change. The transport plan change addresses the car parking design for new developments and access to residential car parking spaces and rear sites. How sites are designed and accessed provides for climate resilience, particularly by encouraging people to walk and cycle and facilitating sustainable modes of transport. Adding notable trees to the AUP schedule provides statutory protection for trees, adds to biodiversity and improves urban amenity for residents.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

42. The draft transport plan change has been consulted on with internal advice from Auckland Transport, Watercare and all relevant council departments including Auckland Plans Strategy and Research, Resource Consents, Regulatory Services, Infrastructure & Environmental Services, and the Tāmaki Makurau Design Ope (formerly the Urban Design Unit).

43. Key specialists are also involved in the review of the draft transport provisions and their feedback will be considered in the ongoing development of this plan change.

44. In addition, the planning team is also working with the Infrastructure and Environmental Services technical standards team in their development of an Access Technical Guidance document for the construction and design of residential, business and rural accesses. This is to ensure the plan change and the technical guidance document are consistent with each other. It is anticipated the technical guidance will be completed later this year, after the notification of the transport plan change.

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

Local impacts and local board views

45. The extent of intensification anticipated by NPS-UD and RMA amendments will affect all local boards, except Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke. Hauraki Gulf Islands are excluded from the application of MDRS and lie outside Auckland’s urban environment (where intensification is directed).

46. Workshops were held with local boards on the draft transport plan change in November 2021 and in February 2022. Local boards’ feedback sought to address the access and parking matters by changing the operative AUP standards and/or creating new standards. The draft section 32 report (which is being developed) also concurs that the issues are best addressed through statutory methods (e.g. a plan change). However, some matters could be supported by a non-statutory design guidance (e.g., cycle parking). Other matter such as the access requirements for fire and emergency services are best addressed by additional staff training and amendments to the access Practice and Guidance Note ( Attachment C) provides a summary of what we heard from local boards during workshops earlier in the year.

47. This report and related briefings provide an opportunity for local board views to inform policy development.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

48. Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau is Council’s framework for measuring our performance in delivering on the strategic priorities identified by Māori.

49. Policy 9 of NPS-UD directs the council to particularly involve iwi and hapū in the NPS-UD during the preparation of planning documents. The proposed plan changes to implement the intensification provisions is one planning document.

50. All mana whenua entities recognised by the council receive ongoing invitations to engage and provide feedback on the NPS-UD programme including the supporting draft transport plan change. All representatives (including those electing not to participate in collective meetings or workshops) receive information, updates and hui notes.

51. Relevant common themes identified to date include:

a) Universal access provided in residential design for less able whānau members

b) Safe and connected whānau and communities.

52. Staff provide regular updates on all plan changes to mana whenua and specific briefings are planned for late May and June on these changes and the IPI.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

53. The local board is not exposed to any financial risk from providing its views on policy development.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

54. The power to provide local board views regarding the content of a draft plan change cannot be delegated to individual local board member(s). This report enables the whole local board to decide whether to provide its views and, if so, to determine what matters those views should include.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

55. Any views provided by the local board will be included in the August 2022 report to the Planning Committee seeking decisions on the IPI plan changes and the IPI-supporting plan changes and variations. Following the close of submissions, local boards will have the opportunity to express views on the notified changes.

56. If resolutions are passed after submissions close, the relevant local boards will be informed of the hearing date and invited to speak at the hearing in support of their views. Planning staff will advise the local board of the decision on the plan change by memorandum.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇨	Attachment A: Summary of key potential changes to the draft transport plan change (Under Separate Cover)
b ⇨	Attachment B: Histroic heritage places proposed to be added to Schedule 14 (Under Separate Cover)
c ⇨	Attachment C: Summary of what we heard from local board during workshops (Under Separate Cover)

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Michele Perwick - Senior Principal Planner

Tony Reidy - Team Leader Planning

Emma Rush - Senior Advisor Special Projects

Teuila Young - Policy Planner

Eryn Shields - Team Leader Regional, North West and Islands

Authorisers

John Duguid - General Manager - Plans and Places

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

[1] Annual figures for the 18-month period 30 June 2020 to 31 December 2021, when compared to the prior five-year baseline period.

[2] https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/safety-annual-statistics/sheet/social-cost-of-road-crashes

Chairperson	Saffron Toms
Deputy Chairperson	Greg Presland
Members	Mark Allen
	Michelle Clayton
	Sandra Coney, QSO
	Ken Turner

Author	Jenny Bramley - Democracy Advisor
Authoriser	Adam Milina - Local Area Manager

Activity name	Climate impact
Community emergency resilience programme	Positive impact on our resilience to climate change, as this works increases community resilience to emergencies and the impacts of climate change.