Agenda of Waiheke Local Board - Wednesday, 24 August 2022

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Councillor Coom's update - August 2022	9

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Auckland Transport Report - August 2022

File No.: CP2022/11154

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide an update to the Waiheke Local Board on transport related matters in their area.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

This report covers:

2. A general summary of operational Auckland Transport projects and activities of interest to the Waiheke Local Board.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) receive the Auckland Transport August 2022 update.

Horopaki

Context

3. Auckland Transport is responsible for all of Auckland’s transport services, excluding state highways. We report monthly to local boards, as set out in our Local Board Engagement Plan. This reporting commitment acknowledges the important engagement role local boards play within the governance of Auckland on behalf of their local communities.

4. This report updates the Waiheke Local Board on Auckland Transport (AT) projects and operations in the local board area.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF)

5. The LBTCF is a capital budget provided to all local boards by Auckland Council and delivered by Auckland Transport. Local boards can use this fund to deliver transport infrastructure projects that they believe are important but are not part of AT’s work programme.

6. The local board allocated and approved the funding available for their current three-year term ($872,000) to fund the design and construction of a shared path and cycle lane between 1 Surfdale Road and Donald Bruce Road roundabout (WHK2022/95).

7. Auckland Transport is required to defer $323m of capital expenditure over the next three years, and consequently the local board’s current LBTCF allocation will be staged with $205,800 being allocated this financial year.

8. This level of funding will allow the shared path and cycle lane project to progress with the detailed design, consultation and tender to be completed during FY22/23 as planned and construction anticipated to be scheduled for the following FY23/24.

Community Safety Fund (CSF)

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

10. This project is to provide a separated sealed shoulder from the Yacht Club to Shelly Beach Rd.

11. Design Update:

· The design for the retaining structures (rock wall) is currently being progressed. This requires on-site testing of the ground/coastal conditions. The design for a pedestrian fence around the culvert will also form part of this phase (like the one on the opposite side of the road). The draft design will be reviewed by a Coastal Engineer.

· Preliminary discussions with Auckland Council have commenced regarding Land Use and Coastal Consent.

· The project team is meeting with the Auckland Council Arborist to finalise tree consent and Tree Owner Approval process.

· Local Board and Mana Whenua consultation will commence once a draft design and some of the consent documentation has been completed.

· Indicative timelines will be provided upon completion of the project package/programme.

Update on Auckland Transport operations:

12. The table below has a general summary of projects and activities of interest to the local board with their status. Please note that:

· All timings are indicative and are subject to change.

· The Waiheke Operations Manager will update the local board in the event of any amendments or changes to the summaries provided for below.

Activity	Update
Road Maintenance	Programmed works August works includes routine cyclic maintenance of signs, drains and potholes. Various Roadworks sites Grading – Man O War Bay Rd., Great Barrier Rd., Cowes Bay Rd. Drainage clearing, pothole repairs – main arterial between Matiatia and The Strand.
Te Huruhi School pedestrian crossing	The proposal is for a new pedestrian crossing to be constructed outside the school. External consultation has been closed out. Draft detailed design has commenced and will be delivered in September. A road safety audit will then be completed on the draft detailed design. The scope of the works include: · Install a raised zebra crossing outside Te Huruhi Primary School. The crossing will be raised on a speed bump with a flat section in the middle where people can walk across the road. This will result in the loss of 7 on-street parking spaces. · Extend the footpath at the crossing points so that pedestrians can use the crossing safely. · Install tactile pavers at the crossing points. Tactile pavers are yellow guidance paving markers to help visually impaired people to find their way to the crossing and safely cross the road. · Install new signs, streetlights, and road markings to support the crossing. · Install high friction surfacing on the approaches to the crossing after the re-surfacing of the road. · Create a berm across the current car park entrance opposite 26 Donald Bruce so there is one entry/exit to the car park. · Create a continuous footpath across the driveways of both car parks. · Install bollards outside 26 and 32 Donald Bruce Road. Remove some of the broken yellow lines (no stopping at all times) on the school side of Donald Bruce Road to create 5 on-street P2 parking spaces.-------
102 Ostend Road.	Placemakers Corner Design works to improve safety at the Placemakers / Ostend Road intersection are complete. Improvements include widening the vehicle entrance into the centre, and provision of new line marking to move vehicles travelling westbound away from the shoulder. New road markings, and a VMS (driver feedback) sign is to be installed at the end of the straight on the approach to the intersection. AT is currently waiting on approval of a stormwater and earthworks resource consent. Construction is now planned for October; however, AT is looking to install the VMS sign prior to this.
Wharf works	Matiatia Wharf (main) Site works have commenced for the second stage of AT’s wharf renewal project at Matiatia. Works on the main wharf include pontoon replacement, new hydraulic and landing platforms, and new upper and lower access gangways. Pre-construction works included biosecurity cleaning of the existing pontoons to remove the invasive Mediterranean fan worm (Sabella spallanzanii), with operating ferries relocating to berths on the old wharf. Custom containers have been set up on the old wharf to serve as temporary shelter for passengers embarking and disembarking ferries. Facilities such as café and rental car hire in the main terminal remain available for customers. Site works are anticipated to take 12 weeks and be complete by mid-November.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

13. Auckland Transport engages closely with Council on developing strategy, actions and measures to support the outcomes sought by the Auckland Plan 2050, the Auckland Climate Action Plan and Council’s priorities.

14. Auckland Transport’s core role is in providing attractive alternatives to private vehicle travel, reducing the carbon footprint of its own operations and, to the extent feasible, that of the contracted public transport network.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

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

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

Local impacts and local board views

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

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

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

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

18. There are no financial implications of receiving this report.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

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

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

20. Auckland Transport will provide another update report to the local board at a future business meeting.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Richard La Ville, Operations Manager Waiheke & Gulf Islands Airfields

Authorisers

John Strawbridge, Group Manager Parking Services & Compliance

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	3 August 2022 - Waiheke Transport Forum Minutes	39

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Auckland Council’s Quarterly Performance Report: Waiheke Local Board for quarter four 2021/2022

File No.: CP2022/11352

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide the Waiheke Local Board with an integrated quarterly performance report for quarter four, 1 April to 30 June 2022 and the overall performance for the financial year against the approved 2021/2022 local board work programmes.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report provides an integrated view of performance for the Waiheke Local Board and includes financial performance and delivery against work programmes for the 2021/2022 financial year The work programme is produced annually and aligns with Waiheke Local Board Plan outcomes.

3. Sixty-two activities within the agreed work programmes were delivered including multi-year projects that have progressed as expected. Twelve activities were undelivered, cancelled, put on hold or deferred and 25 multi-year projects/activities have not progressed as expected during 2021/2022.

4. Key activity achievements from the 2021/2022 work programme include:

· Rangihoua Onetangi Park Reserve Management Plan (ID 1557): Finalisation of the draft plan is complete. Notification and public consultation are yet to commence.

· Local Parks Management Plan (ID 1556): The Omnibus Local Parks Management Plan has been drafted and public consultation is complete. Hearings are anticipated to be held November / December 2022 prior to reporting back to the board in Feb/March 2023.

· Climate Action Programme (ID 732): Following adoption of the Waiheke Climate Action Plan in December, a climate action activator role has been appointed to support delivery of the plan.

· Rangihoua / Onetangi Reserve - Golf Club - renew - driveway and culvert (ID 20720): Works are complete to repair the damaged section of driveway and underlying stormwater culvert to increase stormwater capacity and reduce on site flooding.

5. Key activities not delivered / not progressed as expected include:

· Swimming pool development fund (ID3103): This activity is on hold until the Feasibility Study for Swimming Pool project is completed.

· Waiheke Area Plan (ID 1522): The draft plan has been finalised however there have been delays with the last of the three iwi groups which have been involved in the process to date.

· Matiatia Gateway Masterplan (ID 1664): Non-transport outcomes will be advanced in partnership with Ngāti Pāoa and cannot proceed until Ngāti Pāoa mandate issues are resolved. This will enable the proposed governance relationship with the Waiheke Local Board to be confirmed.

· Waiheke Destination Management Plan (led by Auckland Unlimited): Due to COVID-19 the draft has been delayed.

6. Qualifying budgets of unfinished activities will be carried forward into 2022/2023 work programmes.

7. The financial performance report is attached but is excluded from the public. This is due to restrictions on releasing annual financial reports and results until the Auckland Council Group results are released to the NZX – on or about 29 August 2022.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) receive the performance report for quarter four ending 30 June 2022.

b) note the financial performance report in Attachment B of the report will remain confidential until after the Auckland Council Group results for 2021/2022 are released to the New Zealand’s Exchange (NZX) which are expected to be made public on 29 August 2022.

Horopaki

Context

8. The Waiheke Local Board has an approved 2021/2022 work programme for the following:

· Customer and Community Services

· Infrastructure and Environmental Services;

· Plans and Places;

· Auckland Emergency Management.

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

Graph 1: Work programme activities by outcome

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COVID-19 restrictions

10. Auckland has faced COVID-19 restrictions (Level 3 and 4) from 17 August to 2 December 2021, when all of New Zealand moved to the COVID-19 Protection Framework, also known as the traffic lights. Auckland went into traffic light red, moving to traffic light orange on 30 December 2021.

11. Auckland Council regional and community facilities were closed in Level 3 and 4. Restrictions were slightly eased in Level 3, Step 2 and from mid-November 2021 libraries and the majority of arts and community centres were reopened. Pools and leisure centres were able to reopen from 3 December 2021 when New Zealand moved to the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

12. From 30 December 2021 until 13 April 2022, Auckland was in the red traffic light setting under the COVID-19 Protection Framework, which impacted council and community-delivered event planning and programming. From 13 April 2022 Auckland has been in the orange traffic light setting.

13. COVID-19 has also had an impact on the supply chain for capital projects materials causing delays.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Local Board Work Programme Snapshot

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

Graph 2: Work programme performance by RAG status

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

Graph 3: Work programme performance by activity status and department

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Key activity updates from quarter four

Local Board Plan Outcome 1: : Sustainable development and liveable places

16. Waiheke Area Plan (ID 1522): The draft plan has been finalised and direct consultation is continuing with the last of the three iwi groups which have been involved in the process to date.

Local Board Plan Outcome 2: A sustainable economy

17. Waiheke Destination Management Plan (led by Auckland Unlimited): Due to COVID-19 the draft has been delayed. The board will receive an update shortly.

18. Waiheke Community Art Gallery (ID 562): During this quarter there were 16 programmes attracting 11,755 participants. Highlights included the Matariki dawn blessing in the Artworks Courtyard and Matariki workshops with Sheyne Tuffery. Other highlights included, good numbers attending community exhibition Reclaim to Fame and drawing classes by Waiheke artists in the Annex, The Great Waiheke Nude: Painting Performance, The Small Sculpture Prize and After Dark. Linda Chalmers, Director of the gallery for 17 years stepped down. New director Fiona Blanchard begins in August 2022

19. Artworks Theatre (ID 565): Artwork Theatre held 45 programmes with 64 sessions attracting 1807 participants. The Motu Matariki festival was the highlight of the month with Te Pō Kiriata, Mānawatia Matariki Dawn Ceremony and He Hautapu. The festival brought all cultures together to enjoy a large variety of artistic mediums. It also enabled the community to express themselves using te reo Māori, creativity and newly learnt skills.

Local Board Plan Outcome 3: Waiheke's environment is protected, restored and enhanced

20. Ecological Community Partnership Programme (ID678): Volunteer numbers have increased during quarter four for the Waiheke Resources Trust. Volunteer hours were 277 for the quarter. The Love Our Wetlands Waiheke contract area was maintained by staff members where there was a shortfall in volunteers, so the project area of 29,403m2 was maintained throughout. Each reserve area was visited at least every three weeks resulting in 238,653 m2 of weed control by the Waiheke Resources Trust total workforce. 1,410 trees have been planted.

21. Dark Sky Park - Eastern Waiheke (ID 497): Letters of support have been received from Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust and Ngāti Paoa Trust Board. The Lighting Management Plan is currently being reviewed by an external consultant. Once this has been approved by council, a Mayoral Letter of Support can be drafted and the Dark Sky Application drafted and submitted to the International Dark Sky Association for review in Q1 2022/2023.

22. Parks Volunteer Programme (ID 3253): 1,141 volunteer hours are recorded for Q4. A 25 per cent increase on the number compared to Q3. Reserve community groups have either been preparing for the winter planting season or have planted trees in reserves. Plantings have happened at Palm Beach (200) and McKenzie Reserve (189). Many groups will continue planting into July and August as well.

23. Bike Hub (ID 733): Waiheke Bike Box has been open a total of 119 hours during the reporting period to date. The bike hub had 150 visitors, 52 volunteer hours and fixed 56 bikes. For the 2021/2022 financial year, there were a total of 178 visitors, 75 hours contributed by volunteers and 82 bikes repaired. There have been several other events in the reporting period including an Easter Egg Bike Rock Hunt, Dutch Week Orange Bike Ride, Social Art Ride and Waiheke Bike Rave. Education workshops include a drive train workshop, youth workshop with Waiheke Sea Scouts and a brakes workshop.

24. Climate Action Programme (ID 732): The climate action activator was appointed in April. Activities for the quarter included developing an initial work programme for April to June 2022 and preparing for the establishment of the Waiheke Climate Action Advisory Group. Preparation for the advisory group includes engaging mana whenua as potential partners in chairing the group, engaging with representatives of key community stakeholder groups across the eight priority areas and recruiting members from amongst those key stakeholder groups.

25. The Waiheke Marine Education Initiative (ID 729): An update was workshopped with the local board in May 2022 and outlined detail on the year’s achievements that included four schools, 800 students, 27 teachers, 35 collaborating groups, 27 experiential days and eight celebration events that were supported as a part of the programme.

26. Waiheke Ecological Restoration contracts (ID 1167): Stoat work to support the Waiheke eradication and routine rat control work has continued. Due to shortage of on-island supplier capacity, some scheduled weed control work has not been completed to the required standard. Concerns about non-compliance with the Regional Pest Management Plan in regard to climbing asparagus, woolly nightshade, moth plant and other species has been raised by Environmental Services (ES) staff and members of the public. Community Facilities are working with ES to ensure improvement in this area.

27. As per the board’s resolution in August 2021 relating to the review of Waiheke’s agrichemical dispensation and requesting a Summary of Works Undertaken, the Q4 Agrichem report is attached (Attachment C). Note the increase in picloram is due to large amounts of moth plant control where the stump was cut and treated with picloram gel.

Local Board Plan Outcome 4: Thriving, strong and engaged communities

28. Community-led housing initiatives (ID 482): Waiheke Healthy Homes programme continues to provide home assessments, education and interventions to help keep homes warmer and drier. Five home repairs are underway at varying stages, though there have been challenges with obtaining building materials and availability of local contractors. The Healthy Homes Coordinator promotes the service through Waiheke's medical centres, social agencies and facebook.

29. Youth Hub (ID 483): Surfdale Hall has seen more young people returning to the centre and engaging with the Trust. “The Rock” Waiheke Youth Centre continues to be well attended with 828 attendees since March 2022.

30. Community resilience and local economic development (ID481): A grant of $10,000 was allocated to Kai Waiheke to support engagement and activation of the Waiheke Food Charter, which is one of the key actions in the Waiheke Climate Action Plan. Kai Waiheke will engage with mana whenua, businesses and rangitahi to finalise the plan.

31. Neighbours Day Waiheke (ID 496): Coordinated by Waiheke Resources Trust, established community groups were invited to host events for their neighbourhoods with a $400 contribution from WRT/Local Board funds. During this quarter five diverse Neighbours Day events were held including neighbourhood picnics, a Bike Rave and a Crop Swap at Piritahi Māra Kai.

Local Board Plan Outcome 5: Māori Outcomes

32. Māori Responsiveness Waiheke (ID 485): During this quarter a grant of $10,000 was allocated to Waiheke Adult Learning to support a programme to increase mana whenua and mātāwaka participation in Te Reo Māori classes at Waiheke Adult Learning, and ensure Māori have the opportunity to learn their own language. A grant of $10,000 was allocated to Piritahi Marae increase marae resilience and sustainability, and to support community reconnection at the marae after a period of COVID-19 restrictions.

Local Board Plan Outcome 6: Vibrant places for people

33. Rangihoua Onetangi Park Management Plan (ID 1557): During this quarter workshops on the draft plan continued with the Rangihoua Onetangi Sports Park Reserve Management Plan development committee. The draft plan was approved for notification and public consultation on 29 July 2022.

34. Tawaipareira Reserve stage two - replacement of play space, bike track, new flying fox (ID 31031): The pump track consultation has been presented to the Waiheke Local Board and feedback has been obtained to establish a modular pump track. Order for pump track has been placed with expected delivery to site by February 2023. Detailed design is currently underway for the project with iwi consultation ongoing. Work is also underway to improve the halfpipe to make it fit-for-purpose for all users from beginners to advice skaters.

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35. Matiatia Observation Post condition report (ID 1661): The condition assessment by Matthews and Matthews Architects has been completed for the Fortress Observation Post, Delamore Drive, Waiheke. It will be provided to the Waiheke Local Board in the first quarter of FY22/23.

36. Rangihoua / Onetangi Reserve - Golf Club - renew - driveway and culvert (ID 20720): During this quarter construction was completed to repair the damaged section of driveway and underlying stormwater culvert to increase stormwater capacity and reduce on site flooding. Healthy Waters own the culvert as a stormwater asset and have contributed to the increase of the culvert size.

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37. Catherine Mitchell Cultural Society - install drainage near carpark (ID 16711): Installation of drainage and renewal of the carpark at Catherine Mitchell Cultural Society building was completed during this quarter. The existing timber stairs in front of the building was rotated 90 degrees to improve access to the building leading directly from the carpark. The unsealed carpark has been replenished to ensure a gradual grade was achieved.

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38. Open space toilets - develop and renew (ID 31032): A location for a new toilet block at Oneroa has been confirmed and additional capacity at the local waste water treatment plant has been purchased from Watercare. Detailed design being finalised and resource consent

Local Board Plan Outcome 7: Resilient transport and Infrastructure

39. Waiheke Walking and Cycling Promotion (ID 775): Cycle Action Waiheke has focused on building community and smaller scale activations around the BikeBox, including monthly social rides and cycle maintenance workshops which suited smaller groups. Community events included an Easter Egg Rock hunt for the little ones, a Dutch Bike ride with support from the Dutch Embassy enjoyed by cyclists from all nations and a Bike Rave with high viz, lights and music. The Waiheke Walking Festival hosted a Matariki Walk in collaboration with Ngāti Paoa and Dark Sky Waiheke which was attended by over 200 participants.

Overview of work programme performance

Customer and Community Services work programme

40. In the Customer and Community Services work programme, there are 55 activities that were completed by the end of the year or will be by end of June 2022 (green), 21 activities that are in progress but are delayed (amber) and 10 activities that are significantly delayed, on hold or not delivered (red) in the period April to June 2022. Activities with significant impact are discussed below:

Table 3: Customer and Community Services activities with significant impact

Activity name	RAG status	Activity status	Explanation and mitigation
Swimming pool development fund and Feasibility Study	Red	In progress	Staff continue to work with the pool society in efforts to engage with Ministry of Education
Ngahere (Urban Forest) - Knowing phase	Red	In progress	The Waiheke Ngāhere Action Plan is delayed and will be presented to the local board business meeting for adoption in August 2022.
Urban Ngahere Growing FY22	Red	In progress	The Ngahere Action Plan 2022 will be presented to the local board for adoption at the August 2022 business meeting. Growing phase can then commence.
Mātiatia Gateway Masterplan	Red	In progress	Non-transport outcomes will be advanced in partnership with Ngāti Pāoa and cannot proceed until Ngāti Pāoa mandate issues are resolved.
Waiheke Island strategic response fund (Onetangi Service Assessment)	Red	In progress	The service assessment will be presented to the local board for final review and comment in Q1 of 2022/2023.
Waiheke Pathways Plan - prioritisation review	Red	On hold	The analysis and recommendations will be workshopped with the local board in Q1 2022/2023.
Onetangi Sports Park - install lighting & upgrade to sand carpet on field 3	Red	In progress	Although the larger growth project has been deferred, physical works are underway to install a safety fence around the helipad at Onetangi Sport Park

Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme

41. In the Infrastructure and Environmental Services work programme, there are five activities that were completed by the end of the year or will be by end of June 2022 (green), two activities that are in progress but are delayed (amber), one activity that is significantly delayed, on hold or not delivered (red) and one activity that has been cancelled and deferred in the period April to June 2022 (grey). Activities with significant impact are discussed below:

Table 4: Infrastructure and Environmental Services activities with significant impact

Activity name	RAG status	Activity status	Explanation and mitigation
Conservation Advocate	Red	In progress	The team have met with the board to discuss options that include discussion around the outcome of facilitated Waiheke Collective hui and options for a community co-ordinator.

Auckland Emergency Management work programme

42. In the Auckland Emergency Management work programme, there are two activities that are in progress but are delayed (amber) in the period April to June 2022. Activities with significant impact are discussed below:

Table 8: Auckland Emergency Management activities with significant impact

Activity name		RAG status		Activity status		Explanation and mitigation
	Business emergency resilience programme - Waiheke		Amber		In progress	The business packs are complete however covid has impacted in person engagement however this will recommence in 2022/2023. Unspent funds were reallocated to the community grants budget.
	Community emergency resilience programme - Waiheke		Amber		In progress	Covid impacted in person engagement, however, the Rakino draft plan has been circulated to Rakino residents. AEM to recommence planning Waiheke Island community resilience building workshops in 2022/2023. Unspent funds were reallocated to the community grants budget.

Deferred activities

43. The Lead Financial Advisors are identifying projects from the local board’s 2021/2022 Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) operational budget which meet the criteria to be carried forward. These will be added to the work programme to be delivered in 2022/2023.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

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

45. Work programmes were approved in June 2021 and delivery is already underway. Should significant changes to any projects be required, climate impacts will be assessed as part of the relevant reporting requirements.

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

· Climate Action Programme (ID732) - a three-year community-based climate action programme to guide design, prioritisation and implementation of mitigation actions as identified in the Climate Action Plan (adopted in December). The Climate Activator role was appointed in May.

· Bike Hub (ID733) - funding to Cycle Action Waiheke to operate a bicycle repair, cycling education, and advocacy centre based in Alison Park.

· Environmental Fund (ID954) - fund supports ecological restoration and management outcomes, aligned with the local board's environmental priorities.

· The Marine Education Initiative (ID729) - to support experiential learning, citizen science and student-led action to restore and protect the marine environment.

· Urban Ngahere Growing stage (ID811) - the action plan identifies the need to plant new trees across the local board area to increase the tree canopy coverage on publicly owned land.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

47. When developing the work programmes council group impacts and views are presented to the local board.

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

Local impacts and local board views

48. This report informs the Waiheke Local Board of the performance for quarter four ending 30 June 2022 and the performance for the 2021/2022 financial year.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

49. The Matiatia planning project aims to prepare a strategic plan for Matiatia which reflects the aspirations of the Waiheke community and respects the interests and rights of mana whenua for the future use of that land. Ngāti Paoa has representation on the project working group and are working to identify their aspirations for the site.

50. Engagement with mana whenua is underway for the draft Waiheke Area Plan and draft Rangihoua Onetangi Park Management Plan.

51. During this quarter funding from the Māori Responsiveness budget line was approved to increase mana whenua and mātāwaka participation in Te Reo Māori classes at Waiheke Adult Learning. A grant was also allocated to Piritahi Marae increase marae resilience and sustainability, and to support community reconnection at the marae after a period of COVID-19 restrictions.

52. The Waiheke Library continues to coordinate a variety of programmes which provide opportunities to engagement with local iwi and mana whenua and collaborate on initiatives. Twenty-five of the 45 programmes at the Artworks Theatre met Māori outcomes.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

53. This report is provided to enable the Waiheke Local Board to monitor the organisation’s progress and performance in delivering the 2021/2022 work programme. There are no financial implications associated with this report.

Financial Performance

54. Auckland Council (Council) currently has a number of bonds quoted on the NZ Stock Exchange (NZX). As a result, the Council is subject to obligations under the NZX Main Board & Debt Market Listing Rules and the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 sections 97 and 461H. These obligations restrict the release of annual financial reports and results until the Auckland Council Group results are released to the NZX – on or about 29 August 2022. Due to these obligations the financial performance attached to this report is excluded from the public.

55. Due to these obligations the financial performance attached to the quarterly report is under confidential cover.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

56. Information about any significant risks and how they are being managed and/or mitigated is addressed in the ‘Overview of work programme performance’ section.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

57. Work programmes for 2022/2023 were approved at the board’s business meeting in June 2022.

58. Deferral of budgets of unfinished activities will be added into 2022/2023 work programmes by quarter one reporting.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waiheke Local Board - 1 April to 30 June 2022 Work Programme Update	57
b ⇩	Waiheke Local Board - Operating Performance Financial Summary - CONFIDENTIAL - Confidential
c ⇩	Q4 Agrichem report	83

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Janine Geddes - Senior Local Board Advisor

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Adoption of Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere Action Plan 2022

File No.: CP2022/11712

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To adopt the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10-Year Action Plan.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The regional Te Rautaki Ngahere ā-Tāone o Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland’s Urban Forest Strategy responds to changes in ngahere canopy cover and potential climate change impacts. The strategy’s target is to increase tree canopy cover across all local board areas in Tāmaki Makaurau to 30 per cent by 2050.

3. In 2020/21, the Waiheke Local Board funded an implementation plan to understand the current canopy cover and plan for increasing ngahere cover in the local area. The three stages of the implementation plan are ‘knowing’, ‘growing’ and ‘protecting’.

4. The first part of the ‘knowing’ stage involved analysis of the 2016/18 Light Detecting and Ranging Technology (LiDAR) data for the Waiheke Local Board tree canopy cover. A report identifying net tree canopy cover of 40 per cent was adopted by the local board in 2021.

5. The findings show the island has excellent tree canopy coverage in parts, however in some more urban areas there is a need to increase the number of trees planted along streets and in public reserves to provide for future tree canopy coverage, increase connectivity and enhance biodiversity.

6. The final part of the ‘knowing’ stage has been to develop a 10-year action plan that identifies target areas where trees can be planted to help increase canopy cover in the local board area.

7. This report is seeking adoption of the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10-Year Action Plan (Attachment A).

8. The local board’s adoption of the action plan will set the direction for tree planting over the next 10 years and enable planning and preparation for the ‘growing’ phase to commence in 2023.

9. It is recommended the action plan is reviewed every three years to align with local board plan development. This will update the board on planting progress and enable planning for maintaining existing and highlighting next steps to further increasing canopy cover.

10. Each year an annual planting plan, including site specific assessment, tree selection, soil and environmental condition analysis, will be prepared to direct new tree planting. The annual planting plan will require local board funding.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) adopt the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10 Year Action Plan in Attachment A

b) request that Parks, Sport and Recreation staff review the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10-Year Action Plan every three years and provide a report updating the local board on progress of delivery of the action plan.

c) request that Parks, Sport and Recreation staff review the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere Action Plan implementation work programme annually and provide a report to the local board on the delivery of new tree plantings.

d) delegate authority to the General Manager - Parks, Sport and Recreation, to make minor changes and amendments to the text and design of the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10-year Action Plan.

Horopaki

Context

11. In 2016/18 staff studied the extent of urban forest canopy coverage across Tāmaki Makaurau using information captured from an aerial flight using LiDAR survey technology.

12. A detailed tree canopy analysis report was developed by staff from the Research Investigation Monitoring Unit (RIMU) and a regional strategy was developed, which the Governing Body approved in October 2018.

13. The regional strategy’s objective is to increase regional tree canopy cover to 30 per cent, with no local board area having less than 15 per cent canopy cover by 2050.

14. Local boards’ role in reaching this target is to develop local implementation plans to address the canopy loss in their local board area. The local implementation plan has three stages: ‘knowing’, ‘growing’ and ‘protecting’.

15. The ‘knowing’ stage of this planning included analysis of the cover that currently exists across the local board area. This is the first time the tree canopy coverage of the island has been analysed using the LiDAR technology. The percentage canopy cover analysis measures all vegetation on public and private land that is over three metres in height.

16. The Waiheke Urban Ngahere (Forest) Analysis Report was approved by the local board on 25 August 2021 resolution WHK/2021/85. It found that the average tree canopy cover across the local board area was 40 per cent based on the findings of the 2016/18 LiDAR work.

17. The findings from the analysis report have been used to help inform development of the Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere 10-Year Action Plan, providing guidance on how to direct new tree planting efforts to increase overall tree canopy cover.

18. The action plan will provide long-term direction on planting new trees across the local board area with a goal to increase overall tree canopy coverage.

19. Adoption and implementation of the action plan will lead to:

· planting of new specimen trees in streets in the urban areas of the Island

· undertaking enrichment planting in local parks to improve diversity

· working with rural landowners to plant new specimen ‘sentinel trees’ in the road corridor to provide connections between the forested areas of the island.

· providing guidance and direction for community groups undertaking or organizing community planting events.

· development of a community-based seed sourcing library to help increase the availability of locally sourced native plants to support restoration planting efforts.

· The development of information to highlight the value of coastal pohutukawa and best practice guidance on the protection of coastal pohutukawa forest at all of the public access points to the coastline e.g. beaches, boat ramps,

20. Targets and areas to focus planting efforts are outlined in the action plan. Planting trees in these areas will increase canopy cover, establish, or enhance ecological corridors for wildlife and provide shade for key areas in streets parks and reserves.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

21. The action plan has been informed by findings from the canopy analysis report. Findings in the analysis report were based on a LiDAR survey that was completed in 2016/18.

22. The Waiheke Urban Ngahere (Forest) Analysis Report 2021 showed in 2016/2018 the overall tree canopy coverage was 40 per cent for the Waiheke Local Board area. The report provides a number of key statistics for the Waiheke Local Board area:

· the tree canopy cover for Waiheke is approximately 40 per cent of the islands land area

· 33.5 per cent of the road corridor has tree canopy cover

· 55.8 per cent of the land area in public parks has tree canopy cover

· 41.3 per cent of the tree canopy is located on privately owned land

· detailed analysis of the dominant land use across the island has revealed that the lowest tree canopy cover percentages are on land zoned for Community Services, Commercial and Industrial Land use’s

· the Statistical Areas of Gulf Island and Ostend had the lowest percentage tree canopy cover at 33 per cent and the Statistical Area Waiheke East had the highest percentage of tree canopy cover at 45 per cent

· nearly three quarters of the total tree canopy cover of the Island is located on privately owned land.

23. The analysis report sets out key focus areas for increasing public awareness of the importance of tree canopy coverage across the local board area. These are intended to help provide long-term lasting benefits for local communities. A short summary of some of these includes:

· considering prioritisation of those reserves with little or no tree cover for assessment as part of the process that will inform the development the Ngahere Action plan

· prioritising new plantings in reserves with playgrounds and around seating areas to respond to the need for more summer shade. The playground study highlights a number of reserves where tree cover is low, and this detail can help direct the development of the Ngahere Action Plan to guide and direct future tree planting efforts

· looking at the quality and maturity of trees in the reserves across the local board area and undertake planning work to help with the future management of some of the ageing stands of exotic trees within the local board area

· considering initiating a training and education program for native seed collection to work with the local nurseries to help build the supply of native plants on the island

· working with the wider stakeholder group and Mana Whenua to consider an assessment of the vegetation quality and management of exotic weeds on public park land. E.g., Onetangi Sports Park and the large areas of gorse that need to be planted back into native forest

· raising awareness of the biosecurity threats to amenity trees in the Waiheke Local Board area specifically Myrtle Rust and Kauri Die Back as diseases that are going to have an increasing impact on these species

· undertaking connectivity analysis of tree canopy cover to identify gaps between areas of forest, and how these could be improved with targeted planting.

24. Funding for a multi-year programme of tree planting on public land in parks, open space areas and within the road corridor is necessary to help increase overall tree numbers in the local board area. A commitment to fund the programme will enable new tree plantings, which will in the long-term help to increase overall tree canopy coverage.

25. The development of the ngahere action plan has included site assessment surveying to investigate locations where opportunities exist for planting new specimen trees. The primary areas of assessment were parks with playgrounds, assessing local streets that could provide green corridor connections between local parks and Significant Ecological Areas (SEA) and rural roads where sentinel trees could be planted.

26. The target for the local board is to maintain existing and to increase tree canopy cover in the road corridor and on public reserve land over a 10-year period. This will require the planting of a least fifty large growing specimen trees annually. Doing this annually will increase overall tree canopy coverages on publicly managed land by 2032.

27. Reporting on implementation of the plan every three years aligns with local board plan development. This will enable the local board to review the target and planting strategy, plan for the next areas of planting and consider the allocation of budgets required.

28. Staff have recommended a realistic target for the local board to work towards in the action plan. It is forecast that with small increases in new planting and decreases in tree removal year on year; the current 40 per cent cover is at least maintained with potentially an incremental increase on public land as the new annual tree plantings mature over the next 10 years.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

29. Implementation of the strategy and the action plan is an example of an integrated approach to help mitigate emissions, build resilience longer term and enable adaptation to the impacts of climate change to meet Auckland Council’s climate goals.

30. The strategy is identified as a key action in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri - Auckland’s Climate Plan 2020.

31. Increasing stock of trees and vegetation in Tāmaki Makaurau will increase carbon sequestration and contribute towards reducing net greenhouse gas emissions.

32. Increasing trees and vegetation also provides various natural functions that assist with adaptation to the climate change impacts for humans and other species, such as:

· providing a shading and cooling effect to counter rising temperatures

· slowing and reducing stormwater runoff to assist in managing increased rainfall events

· improve air quality by trapping particulates and filtering vehicle pollutants

· providing additional habitat for indigenous species to occupy, enhancing their resilience to climate change impacts.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

33. Collaboration across Parks, Sport and Recreation (PSR), Infrastructure and Environmental Services (I&ES) and Community Facilities (CF) has been key to the development of the action plan.

34. Community Facilities has helped inform where the current maintenance and renewal programme for trees can be strengthened to improve the overall diversity and increase the extent of the tree canopy cover.

35. Parks, Sport and Recreation will work with Community Facilities in developing the renewals programme to ensure an ongoing programme of tree renewal occurs to replace poor and ailing stock and to replant where dead, dying or diseased trees are removed.

36. Staff will continue to collaborate and develop a tree planting programme and implementation plan for the delivery of new tree plantings in the 2023 planting season and beyond.

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

Local impacts and local board views

37. The early draft action plan was workshopped with the local board on 7 October 2020. At the workshop board members were presented the draft plan and were asked to provide feedback.

38. The feedback received at the workshop has been incorporated into the final draft presented to board members on 18May 2022. The Waiheke Ngahere action plan 2021 is included as attachment A to this report.

39. The board requested street surveying to find opportunities to plant new trees. These are detailed in Appendices' C & D of the Island Ngahere Action Plan.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

40. The strategy was workshopped with mana whenua during its development in three workshops during 2017 and 2018. Feedback and views discussed at the hui helped to shape the final version of the strategy.

41. The use of native trees for all new tree planting is a strong view of mana whenua, and as such natives are the first choice for planting as outlined in the strategy. Native trees are also identified as the preference for planting in the action plan.

42. New tree plantings will benefit local Māori and the wider community by providing increased opportunities for access to nature and providing shade in the local park network.

43. Mana whenua engagement is ongoing on the local implementation programme and will be engaged to support tree planting advice and to provide a cultural narrative in the choice of species for local areas.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

44. The adoption of the action plan will conclude the ‘knowing’ stage of the local board’s implementation of the strategy, which is funded by the Locally Driven Initiative (LDI) OPEX budget.

45. In 2020/2021, the local board allocated $15,000 of operational Locally Driven Initiative (LDI) funding through the local board work programme for the ‘Knowing’ phase (resolution number WHK/2020/128).

46. The local board allocated $10,000 of operational LDI funding in the 2021/2022 financial year for the development of the Waiheke Island Ngahere 10-Year Action Plan. This plan will provide long term direction on future new tree planting efforts.

47. The local board has allocated $10,000 of LDI OPEX funding in the 2022/2023 financial year to enable detailed site evaluation and development of site-specific planting plans that will direct planting efforts in 2023/2024.

48. To ensure the target outlined in the action plan is met, it is recommended that a scaled approach to increasing the amount of LDI CAPEX through the local board’s Community Facilities annual work programme in 2023/2024 to increase the numbers of new trees being planted. The amount of funding required will be quantified annually based on priorities to advance new tree plantings in areas of need.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

49. The trajectory of loss of tree canopy cover across the local board area is expected to continue on private land as the area develops. New tree planting on public land is necessary to help offset these changes over the longer term.

50. Sufficient time is required to plan and prepare for planting. Should the local board not adopt the plan there is a risk that the ‘growing’ stage of the strategy will not be able to start in the 2023 planting season.

51. The 10 year action plan outlines a detailed ‘Planting Opportunities List’ to ensure the right tree is planted in the right place. Should the local board not adopt the action plan there is a risk that trees planted in 2023 will not be appropriate for their location.

52. There is a risk of poor maintenance of plants once they are in the ground. Adoption of the action plan will help mitigate this risk and enable staff to employ best practice tree planting and ongoing maintenance methods.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

53. Following adoption of the action plan, annual planting plans will be completed that identify areas for new planting in 2023 and 2024. A workshop to discuss specific areas for assessment will be arranged with the local board at the end of Quarter 2.

54. Board approval will be requested for LDI Capex funding in the 2022-2023 & 2024 LDI work program to continue development of the growing phase to plant new trees on public land with the community.

55. An annual report will be provided by departments that are leading the tree planting and collated by Parks, Sport and Recreation staff to enable high level reporting on total numbers of new trees planted.

56. In 2025, staff will review implementation progress of the action plan, report to the board on successes and challenges and recommend direction for planting and funding allocation for the following three years.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waiheke Local Board Island Ngahere Action Plan 2022	95

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Howell Davies - Senior Advisor - Urban Forest

Authorisers

Mace Ward - General Manager - Parks, Sports and Recreation

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill

File No.: CP2022/11747

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To provide feedback to the Governing Body for when it considers an Auckland Council submission on the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill (the Bill).

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Bill is an omnibus bill in that it amends several statutes. It:

· removes the restriction of 20 councillors on the Governing Body

· provides a revised process for establishing Māori wards

· allows minor changes to local board boundaries for the purpose of alignment between ward and local board boundaries

· provides a dedicated process for the reorganisation of local boards

· provides more flexibility for lodging candidate nominations (eg electronic nominations)

· provides more detail around resolving ties and conducting recounts

3. The provisions that relate to Auckland Council are in response to submissions the council has made previously. Staff recommend general support for the provisions relating to the number of councillors on the Governing Body, the alignment of boundaries and a separate process for the reorganisation of local boards (as in the proposed Schedule 3A).

4. The process for establishing Māori wards arises out of feedback from consultation on a discussion document. The proposed provisions generally align with the feedback provided by Auckland Council on the discussion document. Some local boards at that time raised the issue of Māori representation on local boards. That has not been addressed in the proposed provisions.

5. Staff recommend support for the provisions relating to candidate nominations, tied votes and recounts.

6. The Bill is attached as Attachment A. There is an explanatory note at the front of the Bill. There is additional information, including Cabinet papers and submissions on the previous discussion document, on the Department of Internal Affairs website: https://www.dia.govt.nz/maori-wards

7. Attachment B contains a comparison of proposed provisions for the reorganisation of local boards in Schedule 3A with the current provisions in Schedule 3.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill.

Horopaki

Context

8. The Bill was introduced on 26 July 2022. It has had its first reading and has been referred to the Governance and Administration Committee. Submissions to the committee close on 14 September 2022.

9. The Bill is an omnibus bill and amends three statutes.

10. It amends the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 to remove the set number of councillors on the governing body for Auckland Council. Like every other council, the number of councillors on the governing body will be able to be reviewed to be between 5 and 29 total councillors. Auckland Council has been requesting this since 2015.

11. It amends the Local Electoral Act 2001 to:

a) provide a revised process for establishing Māori wards

b) allow minor changes to local board boundaries for the purpose of alignment between ward and local board boundaries, to be included in the council’s proposal when it conducts its review of representation arrangements

c) provide more flexibility for lodging candidate nominations (eg electronic nominations)

d) provide more detail around resolving ties and conducting recounts.

12. It amends the Local Government Act 2002 to include a new Schedule 3A. The current schedule 3 deals with the reorganisation of councils (establishment, abolishment, amalgamation) and any reorganisation of local boards would currently have to be conducted under those provisions. The proposed schedule 3A provides a process specifically for unitary authorities which have local boards.

13. The Governing Body will consider a submission from Auckland Council at its meeting on 25 August 2022.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Local Government Auckland Council Act 2009

14. The amendment to the Local Government Auckland Council Act 2009 to remove the restriction on the number of councillors on the governing body has been requested previously by the council. It will allow the council to review the total number of members when it conducts a representation review for the 2025 elections.

15. Every other council in New Zealand is able to review the number of councillors between a minimum of 5 and maximum of 29. In reviewing the number of councillors, Auckland Council will be able to consider Auckland’s growing population. It will also take into account that the number of members elected from Māori wards is proportional to the total number of councillors.

16. Staff propose that the Auckland Council supports this provision in line with its previous submissions.

Local Electoral Act 2001 – Māori wards

17. The proposed process for establishing Māori wards has two-steps:

a) A council decides whether it should have Māori representation

b) If a council resolves to have Māori representation, then it must provide for Māori wards when it conducts its representation review.

18. The Bill requires a council to consider Māori representation at the following times:

a) If the council did not have Māori wards for the previous two elections, it must consider Māori representation for the next election

b) If the council did have Māori wards for the previous two elections, then it may consider Māori representation for the next election.

19. Before a council decides whether to have Māori representation it must engage with Māori and other communities of interest and take their views into account.

20. The decision on whether to have Māori representation must be made by 20 December two years prior to an election. The review of representation arrangements takes place in the year prior to an election year, following the decision on Māori representation.

21. Auckland Council’s submission on the discussion document that preceded the bill reflected the position of the Governing Body that Māori representation in local government should be modelled on Māori representation in Parliament. The Parliamentary Māori electorate provisions are contained in legislation – the Electoral Act 1993. Any legislation, before it is made, must provide for public consultation through a select committee. Once enacted, legislation remains in place until Parliament chooses to review it.

22. The proposed process requires councils to consider Māori representation if they do not already have it, including engagement with Māori and the community. There is no requirement on councils to resolve to have Māori representation. However, if a council has Māori representation then it is not required to reconsider Māori representation though it may if it chooses. Staff consider that the proposed process is in line with the previous position of the Governing Body and recommend support for the process.

23. Staff propose that Auckland Council supports these provisions.

24. Some local boards, in their feedback on the previous discussion document, advocated for Māori representation on local boards (the local board equivalent to a Māori ward would be a Māori subdivision). The Bill does not address this. Although possibly out of scope of the current proposals, local boards who feel strongly about Māori representation on local boards might consider advocating for this.

Local Electoral Act 2001 – minor changes to local board boundaries as part of a representation review

25. When a council establishes wards one of the principles it must observe is fair representation. This principle requires that each councillor represents the same number of people as the average across the whole of Auckland, within a 10 per cent margin. The Local Government Commission may approve exceptions to this requirement based on maintaining communities of interest. However, when ward boundaries have to change to meet the fair representation requirement, they get out of alignment with local board boundaries.

26. The Governing Body, at its meeting on 30 July 2015, aware of the potential for such misalignments to occur, resolved to:

“seek legislative change that provides the Local Government Commission the power to determine a change to a local board boundary where the key purpose is to achieve alignment with a ward boundary that is changed as a result of a review of representation; provided that either the change is minor or, if not minor, the change:

(i) ensures effective representation of communities of interest within both the local board area and the ward, and

(ii) is supported by the affected local boards, and

(iii) was publicly notified as part of the representation review.”

(GB/2015/1)

27. The advice received back at the time was that the Minister declined to take this forward. The Bill picks this issue up again but in a slightly different way.

28. Presently the boundaries of local boards can only be altered through a reorganisation process. This is a resource intensive process which means it is unlikely to be used to make minor changes to local board boundaries.

29. The Bill provides that a unitary authority, when it proposes its representation arrangements, is able to include proposals for adjusted local board boundaries in order to maintain alignment with ward boundaries where these are minor. The extent of permissible adjustment will be defined in regulations in terms of the maximum population transfer permitted. Staff expect this quantity to be low.

30. Such changes would need to result in boundaries that enable democratic local decision making by, and on behalf of, communities of interest throughout the district and enable equitable provision to be made for the current and future well-being of all communities of interest within the affected area. They would also, so far as practical, coincide with ward boundaries.

31. Staff consider that this provision will most likely be rarely used but support its inclusion as an option available to the council when it conducts its review of representation arrangements. The provisions in the Bill mean that any proposal to change local board boundaries will be included in the council’s initial proposal. The Governing Body has, in the past, consulted with local boards on any matters it includes in the council’s initial proposal that affect local boards. Following public notification of the initial proposal, the public and local boards can make submissions and the Governing Body then decides the council’s final proposal which is publicly notified for objections and appeals. The Local Government Commission determines any objections and appeals. There is therefore ample opportunity for consideration of a proposal to change local board boundaries to align with ward boundaries, with local boards and the public able to make their views known.

32. There are operational costs associated with changes to local board boundaries and these would need to be considered as part of any change to local board boundaries. For example, records on council’s property database include a local board field. A change to a local board’s boundaries would require changes to affected property records.

33. Staff propose that the Auckland Council supports these provisions.

Local Electoral Act 2001 – ties and recounts

34. The Bill provides that rather than resolving a tie by lot, a judicial recount is held. A council cannot be sworn in until recounts are resolved, but an urgent meeting may be held if necessary.

35. Staff propose that the Auckland Council supports this provision.

Local Electoral Act 2001 – candidate nominations

36. The Bill provides for candidates to submit nominations in a manner approved by the Electoral Officer (such as electronically).

37. Staff propose that the Auckland Council supports this provision.

Local Government Act 2002 – Schedule 3A - Establishment or reorganisation of local board areas in unitary authority districts

38. Currently any reorganisation of local boards would have to be carried out under the provisions relating to reorganisation of local authorities (Schedule 3 of the Local Government Act 2022). Because of this, these provisions are cumbersome when used solely to address local board numbers and boundaries within a single unitary authority. For example, they provide for dealing with assets and for transition committees, which are not relevant to local board reorganisation.

39. The Bill proposes a new Schedule 3A as a replacement for Schedule 3 when being used to addressing local board numbers and boundaries within a single unitary authority. It retains the two alternative processes for determining a reorganisation plan, but removes unnecessary requirements:

a) The Local Government Commission conducts an investigation, on receipt of a re-organisation initiative or a request for an investigation, and, as a result, adopts a re-organisation plan

b) A unitary authority adopts a re-organisation plan which the Local Government Commission must approve if the requirements in the Bill are met.

40. Attachment B contains a table comparing the current process under Schedule 3 with the proposed process under Schedule 3A. This shows the process the council would use for a reorganisation of local boards without a legislation change compared to the process with the legislation change.

41. The following describes the key elements of the process in Schedule 3A.

First process

42. Under the first process, a unitary authority or group of 10 per cent or more of electors (of the affected area), or the Minister, may submit a reorganisation initiative or request for an investigation. Before making a decision on whether to investigate the Commission must consult the unitary authority and any affected local board. If the Commission decide to investigate, it must adopt a process. The process must include consultation.

43. The Commission must take into account how best to achieve all of the following objectives:

a) enabling democratic decision making by, and on behalf of, communities within the local board area

b) better enabling the purpose of local government to be given effect to within the local board area

c) efficiencies and cost savings

d) assurance that a local board has the resources necessary to enable it to effectively perform or exercise its responsibilities, duties, and powers in respect of any local board area established or change

e) effective responses to the opportunities, needs, and circumstances of the affected areas

f) better alignment of local board areas with communities of interest

g) enhanced effectiveness of decision making for non-regulatory activities of a unitary authority

h) enhanced ability of local government to meet the changing needs of communities for governance and services into the future

i) effective provision for any co-governance and co-management arrangements that are established by legislation (including Treaty of Waitangi claim settlement legislation) and that are between local authorities and iwi or Māori organisations.

44. The Commission may then adopt a reorganisation plan. In deciding whether to adopt a reorganisation plan the Commission must have regard for:

a) the scale of the potential benefits of the proposed changes in terms of the objectives set out in the previous paragraph and the likelihood of those benefits being realised

b) the financial, disruption, and opportunity costs of implementing the proposed changes at the proposed time

c) the risks and consequences of not implementing the proposed changes at the proposed time

d) existing communities of interest and the extent to which the proposed changes will maintain linkages between communities (including iwi and hapū) and sites and resources of significance to them

e) the degree and distribution of demonstrable public support for the proposed changes within communities in the affected area

f) the degree and distribution of any public opposition to the proposed changes within communities in the affected area.

45. A reorganisation plan specifies:

a) the name of the district of the unitary authority

b) the number and names of local board areas within the district

c) the boundaries of—

(i) each local board area

(ii) electoral subdivisions, if any, of each local board area

d) the number of elected members of the local board for each local board area and, if a local board area is subdivided for electoral purposes, the number of members to be elected by the electors of each subdivision

e) whether each local board may include members appointed by the governing body of the unitary authority

f) for each local board, whether the chairperson of the local board is to be—

(i) elected by the members of the local board from among themselves using one of the systems of voting set out in the Local Government Act 2002; or

(ii) directly elected to that office by the electors of the local board area.

46. The provision in e) is relevant to local boards established under the Local Government Act 2002 and does not apply to Auckland Council local boards (Auckland Council local boards are established under the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009). It allows a unitary authority to appoint ward councillors to local boards.

47. The provision in f) is also relevant to local boards established under the Local Government Act 2002 and not Auckland Council local boards.

Second process

48. The second process is termed a unitary authority-led reorganisation application. A unitary authority may adopt a reorganisation plan as if it were the Commission and then submit it to the Commission for approval.

49. Before submitting a unitary authority-led reorganisation application, the unitary authority must consider any views and preferences expressed by any local boards that would be affected by the reorganisation plan.

50. The reorganisation plan must be accompanied by—

a) a statement that

· explains how the plan will achieve the objectives (as set out above for an investigation by the Commission)

· provides a balanced assessment of the reorganisation plan and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the plan.

b) a report from the affected unitary authority, adopted by that unitary authority, that records—

(i) unconditional support for the plan from the governing body of the unitary authority

(ii) any views and preferences expressed by any local boards that would be affected by the reorganisation plan

(iii) the public consultation undertaken by the unitary authority

(iv) the themes and outcomes of that consultation.

51. The Local Government Commission must not approve the reorganisation plan if:

a) the reorganisation plan is not accompanied by the required documentation; or

b) the Commission considers, on reasonable grounds, that—

(i) the provisions for adopting reorganisation plans, their notification and content, were not complied with; or

(ii) the unitary authority has not complied with the requirement to consider the views of affected local boards; or

(iii) the plan does not have the support of affected communities.

Submission

52. Staff consider the council should support a streamlined process defined for the reorganisation of local boards within a single unitary authority. The proposed process maintains the essence of the current process but provides a process that is more fit for purpose for local boards and requires a unitary authority to consider the views and preferences of affected local boards.

53. There has been longstanding provision for reorganising community boards as part of the review of representation arrangements conducted by a territorial authority. Community boards may be established and disestablished as a part of such a representation review. An option might be to deal with the reorganisation of local boards through a representation review similarly to community boards. Staff consider that this would not be appropriate. Local boards are a part of the shared decision-making governance of Auckland Council and not just a means of increasing representation at the community level. It is more appropriate for the reorganisation of local boards to be dealt with as if they were local authorities rather than as if they were community boards but the processes for reorganisation should be simpler than those for local authorities – as being proposed in Schedule 3A.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

54. The proposals being considered in this report are neutral in terms of impact on climate.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

55. The outcome of a change in representation arrangements or the organisation of local boards would have implications for the group. However, the proposed legislative change is about the process for deciding the outcomes and not about the outcomes themselves.

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

Local impacts and local board views

56. The provisions relating to the alignment of local board and ward boundaries and the provisions for the reorganisation of local boards are of major significance to local boards. Local boards will be supported by local board staff with feedback or drafting their own submissions for attachment to the Auckland Council submission approved by the Governing Body.

57. The provisions relating to Māori wards are of significance to those local boards who consider there needs to be Māori representation on local boards (Māori subdivisions).

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

58. Staff are currently engaging with mana whenua and mataawaka on Māori representation. The models being considered are the ‘Parliamentary’ model (which the current legislation provides), the ‘Royal Commission’ model (which provides for an appointed mana whenua councillor as well as two elected members) and other less-developed models.

59. The current position of the Governing Body is to support the Parliamentary model but the Independent Māori Statutory Board has asked the Governing Body to also consider the Royal Commission model. The incoming Governing Body will reconsider its position based on feedback from the engagement in December 2022.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

60. There are no financial implications surrounding the decisions to make a submission.

61. The proposed legislative provisions may or may not have financial implications. Engaging with the community on establishing Māori wards will have a cost. Increasing the number of councillors will have costs associated with councillor support and corporate property and technology assets. The reorganisation of local boards will have an associated cost.

62. Increasing the number of councillors is likely to have an impact on the remuneration of councillors under current Remuneration Authority determination framework.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

63. With all submissions to Parliament the time frame is constrained and there is a risk that local boards and the Governing Body do not have sufficient time to consider all the ramifications. Usually this risk is mitigated in the sense that all other councils, Local Government New Zealand and Taituarā also make submissions – any aspect that is missed by one may be picked by another. However most other councils will not be interested in the provisions that apply only to Auckland or that apply only to unitary authorities. The mitigation here is that there has been good communication between the Department of Internal Affairs and Auckland Council at staff level.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

64. Staff will be reporting the Bill to the Governing Body on 25 August 2022 and seeking approval for a submission to the Select Committee.

65. Boards who wish their feedback to be reported to the Governing Body should provide it by Monday 22 August 2022. Staff will recommend that the Governing Body delegates further consideration of local board feedback to the mayor and deputy mayor following the Governing Body meeting, then those boards who cannot meet the 22 August 2022 deadline have until Friday 26 August 2022.

66. The deadline for submissions to the select committee is 14 September 2022.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Local Government Electoral Legislation Bill	143
b ⇩	Comparison of current Schedule 3 and proposed Schedule 3A	189

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Warwick McNaughton - Principal Advisor - Governance

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Carol Hayward - Team Leader Operations and Policy – Local Board Services

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Proposed Auckland Climate Grant programme 2022/2023

File No.: CP2022/12031

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek local board feedback on the proposed new Auckland Climate Grant, including grant programme scope and criteria, priority action focus areas and timing of funding rounds.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Budget for a climate grant programme was allocated through the 10-year Budget 2021-2031.

3. In 2021/2022 these additional funds were distributed through the existing Regional Environment and Natural Heritage grant while staff worked to establish a new grant scheme.

4. Staff have now developed a proposal for a new Auckland Climate Grant. This has been developed with feedback from mana whenua and community group stakeholders.

5. In 2022/2023 the Auckland Climate Grants programme has a budget of $400,000.

6. The purpose of the grant scheme is to support projects that will:

· reduce greenhouse gas emissions through community-based action

· build community resilience to climate change impacts

· support Māori-led responses to climate change

7. Key priority areas for funding for the grant in 2022/2023 have been identified, based on the priorities in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri and an analysis of other available grants. They are:

· Transport: Projects that support a low carbon and safe transport system.

· Built environment and Energy: Projects that support a built environment and energy system that provides for a low carbon, climate disaster resilient Auckland.

· Food: Projects that support a low carbon, resilient, local food system and enable Aucklanders to make sustainable and healthy food choices.

· Māori-led projects: Projects that build Māori capacity to respond to climate impacts and support mana whenua and mātāwaka to reduce emissions and build community resilience.

8. All local board feedback received by 26 August 2022 on the proposed Auckland Climate Grant will inform the recommendation to the Environment and Climate Change Committee.

9. The proposed Auckland Climate Grant will be presented to the Environment and Climate Change Committee for approval on 8 September 2022.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a) provide feedback on the proposed Auckland Climate Grant programme.

Horopaki

Context

New funding for a climate grant scheme

10. Budget for a climate grant programme was allocated through the 10-year Recovery Budget 2021-2031. The grant was intended to provide increased investment to support local community-based climate projects that would:

· reduce emissions

· increase community resilience to climate impacts

· generate more community-based climate action projects, reaching at least 20,000 Aucklanders over 10 years.

11. Previously support for regional sustainable living projects has been allocated through the Regional Environment and Natural Heritage (RENH) grant programme.

12. In 2020/2021 staff distributed the increased funding for community climate projects through the RENH. This allowed funds to be allocated rapidly to the community by December 2021, after the adoption of the Recovery Budget in July 2021.

13. While funds were being allocated in this fashion, staff carried out a review of the current processes used to distribute climate and sustainability grants through the RENH along with the other priorities it covers such as conservation, water quality and kaitiakitanga.

14. The review showed that there are various disadvantages to continuing to use the existing Regional Environmental and Natural Heritage Grant to distribute climate and sustainability projects. These include that the:

· the existing process covers many priorities with less clear guidance about what type of climate projects to fund than might be expected from a stand-alone climate grant

· assessment processes are more complex and time consuming for staff due to the wide range of priorities – they require various moderation and review workshops to ensure that grants are being compared fairly across the range of priority areas.

15. Staff determined that creating a stand-alone climate grant would provide a better experience for applicants and simplify and improve the grant assessment process.

Stocktake of existing grants and analysis of allocations

16. To develop a new climate grant, staff carried out a review of other grants that are available to fund projects which have climate outcomes. Grants identified include the:

· RENH – provides funding for conservation projects

· Community Coordination and Facilitation grant – supports capacity building for conservation groups

· Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund

· Love Food Hate Waste

· Auckland Transport Community Bike Fund

· Ngā Tiriti Ngangahau - The Vibrant Streets Programme

· local board grants to projects with climate outcomes.

17. Grants external to Auckland Council, such as those offered through Foundation North were also considered. This process aimed to avoid the grant ‘duplicating’ or ‘replacing’ other potential sources of funding for community groups.

18. Staff also analysed allocations from regional and local grants to over 200 projects with climate outcomes over the last five years. This review yielded insights into which areas the community are already active and working in (and seeking funding in). It also identified that some Aucklanders are being under-served by our current grants processes.

19. The proposed new climate grant aims to expand areas of community enthusiasm for climate action and to make the grant process more accessible to some under-served groups (including Māori, Pacific people, other diverse ethnic groups and youth-led organisations).

20. Three online workshops were also held to get feedback from community group stakeholders and previous grant applicants in May 2022.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

21. An outline of the proposed grant purpose, priorities, criteria, activities that are in scope and exclusions are provided below for local board members to review.

Proposed grant purpose

22. For the 2022/2023 pilot year the Auckland Climate Grant programme has a proposed purpose of supporting projects that:

· reduce greenhouse gas emissions through community-based action

· build community resilience to climate change impacts

· support Māori-led responses to climate change

23. The Auckland Climate Grant programme will support community projects focused on providing resources, education, and opportunities that result in more Aucklanders engaging with climate change issues. It will support Aucklanders to make behaviour changes in areas with the greatest greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential.

24. Projects that support reductions in greenhouse gas emission will be the focus for the 2022/2023 funding allocations with a target allocation of 70 per cent of grants. This allocation target will be reviewed annually. This 70 per cent may also include projects that are Māori-led (the purpose statements are not exclusive).

25. The Auckland Climate Grant programme will also support projects that build community resilience to respond to the impacts of climate change. Projects should focus on giving Aucklanders a voice in proactive community resilience planning and climate adaptation, particularly communities who will be the most vulnerable to climate impacts and have traditionally been under-served by the council.

26. By building stronger connections between neighbours and within neighbourhoods, at key community sites, and with community-based organisations, projects can create resilience against climate-related stresses with a focus on food and energy.

27. The Auckland Climate grant programme will also aim to support projects that enable mana whenua and mātāwaka to respond to climate change. The allocation of funding will recognise the partnership between the council and Māori-led organisations – particularly mana whenua in the council’s role as a partner under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Scope and criteria

28. Projects supported through the Auckland Climate Grant programme should meet one or more of the following criteria:

· result in new or expanded climate action activity, either by implementing new initiatives, or by significantly expanding the scope or coverage of existing activities

· support mana whenua and mātāwaka to reduce carbon emissions and build community resilience to climate related impacts

· provide support and resources to Māori organisations and community groups to build organisational capacity and capability, develop strategic plans and develop sustainable funding models, increasing the total funding or support secured for climate projects in Auckland

· increase participation in climate action activity in high emission communities (generally, higher income communities) targeting the highest emitting behaviours

· increase participation in activities that build community resilience in under-served communities who most need our support to respond to climate impacts

· support Aucklanders of different ages, abilities and ethnicities to take climate action.

Climate action priority areas

29. Projects supported through the climate grant may address a wide range of the priorities included in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan including built environment, energy, transport, communities and coast, food, and Te Puawaitanga ō te Tātai.

30. For the 2022/2023 pilot year priority will be given to applications under the transport, energy and food themes and to Māori-led projects. This will include:

· Transport: Projects that support a low carbon, safe transport system that delivers social, economic and health benefits for all.

· Food: Projects that support a low carbon, resilient, local food system that provides all Aucklanders with access to fresh, sustainable, affordable and healthy food and projects that support Aucklanders to make sustainable dietary choices.

· Energy: Projects that support a built environment and energy system that provides for a low carbon, climate disaster resilient Auckland.

· Māori-led projects: Projects building Māori capacity to respond to climate change and supporting mana whenua and mātāwaka to reduce emissions and build community resilience.

31. Some projects that support other priorities in the plan may also be funded. These include:

· Built environment: Projects that support a low carbon and resilient built environment.

· Communities: Projects that support communities to increase awareness of climate change and to prepare for changes in our climate and coastline and projects that support Aucklanders to understand their carbon footprints and changes they can made to reduce these.

32. Applicants will be directed for future guidance on what types of activities to support through these priorities to Auckland Council’s Live Lightly website, which provides advice and information for individuals and community groups on climate change: https://livelightly.nz/

33. Priority areas will be updated on an annual basis.

Exclusions

34. General grant programme exclusions outlined in the Community Grants policy will apply to the Auckland Climate Grants. In addition, specific exclusions for the Auckland Climate Grants programme are:

· climate action projects focused on the natural environment, industry and the economy are out of scope for the Auckland Climate Grant programme – this will avoid duplication with other funds such as the RENH and Climate Connect, the new climate innovation hub being developed by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited

· projects with a focus on the circular economy, food waste, composting, upcycling, recycling, repair and reuse should apply through the Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund

· activities whose primary purpose is the private gain or advancing of private business interests without a significant public good component

· purchase of vehicles and any related ongoing maintenance, repair, overhead costs or road user charges

· conference fees and costs

· funding for existing roles or organisational costs

· subscription services where these are ongoing and not associated with a specific event or outcome

· replication of council services

· websites and electronic platforms.

Applicants

35. The grant will be open to community groups, neighbourhoods, mana whenua and mātāwaka applicants, social enterprises, businesses, business improvement districts and education providers (early childhood centres, schools, kura and tertiary institutions).

36. Staff propose to hold several response grants rounds which are intended to make the application process quicker, simpler and easier for community groups and increase the volume of successful applications from under-served groups.

Types of grants available

37. Grants from $1,000 up to $50,000 will be offered, with both response grants and strategic grants available as shown in Table 1 below.

Response grants ($1,000 - $15,000)

38. These grants seek to grow community participation in climate action, and amplify existing community action, particularly among under-served communities such as youth, Pacific peoples and Māori-led groups.

39. Applications will be encouraged from groups that have not previously engaged with climate action activity or are rapidly building capacity in this area.

40. Staff propose that for these smaller grants, allocation decisions will be made by the General Manager of Environmental Services.

Strategic grants ($15,000 – $50,000)

41. These grants seek to support programmes and activities aligning with the Auckland Climate Grant purpose, scope and priority actions. Strategic grants will be expected to have more significant impacts than response grants. They could potentially be used to either expand best practise projects or develop innovative new responses to the climate challenge.

42. Staff propose that allocation decisions for strategic grants could be made by the Environment and Climate Change Committee (or equivalent committee) in future years.

43. In 2022, because of the timing of the proposed grant adoption decision in early September, staff propose that decision-making for the strategic grant be delegated to the General Manager Environmental Services for this year. This will provide continuity of funding for community groups by December 2022.

44. If grants are approved by a committee of council, it will not be possible for them to be allocated to community groups until May 2023 due to the timing of the election and the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Table 1. Timing of grants rounds

Open

Close

Decision date

Response grants

September 2022

February 2023

April 2023

October 2022

March 2023

May 2023

November 2022

April 2023

June 2023

Strategic grants

September 2022

October 2022

December 2022

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

45. The Auckland Climate Grant will support projects that lead to community climate change action to reduce carbon emissions and increase community resilience to climate impacts. The provision of grants through the Auckland Climate Grant programme contributes towards Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan action area C4: Remove barriers and support community initiatives that reduce emissions and build resilience in a fair way.

46. Individual projects supported through the Auckland Climate Grant programme may respond to a range of action areas within Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan including:

· Action area T3: Increase access to bicycles, micro-mobility devices and the safe, connected and dedicated infrastructure that supports their use.

· Action area C1: Work together to strengthen the resilience of our communities, people and places.

· Action area F4: Increase supply and demand for local, seasonal and low carbon food.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

47. The Auckland Climate Grants may potentially impact work within the Waste Solutions and Customer and Community Services departments, and the existing support provided to community-led food initiatives. Input from the Waste Solutions department and Regional Service Planning, Investment and Partnerships team within Customer and Community Services was sought during the development of the Auckland Climate Grant and their views on relevant applications will be sought during the delivery of the 2022/2023 pilot grant rounds.

48. The Auckland Climate Grants support of community-led transport initiatives may have an impact on Auckland Transport. Input from Auckland Transport was sought during the Auckland Climate Grant development and their views on relevant applications will be sought during the delivery of the 2022/2023 pilot grant rounds.

49. Input into the Auckland Climate Grant was sought from Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. These grants will not overlap with support provided through Climate Connect and there is no impact on Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

50. The Environment Climate Committee decision is not a strategy, bylaw, policy or plan so the local board’s feedback can be made under delegated authority if needed (Local Government Act 2022, sch7 clause 36D (1) (a)).

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

Local impacts and local board views

51. Equitable geographical distribution of grant allocations across different local board areas will be considered alongside other factors when setting funding recommendations for the Auckland Climate Grants.

52. Information on funding allocation and successful applicants will be provided to all relevant local boards following the approval of grant recommendations by the General Manager Environmental Services or Environment and Climate Change Committee.

53. Local boards have the ability to operate their own local grants programmes and may choose to fund local climate action projects and activities, some of which may complement the grants provided at a regional level, or vice versa.

54. Local board views are being sought on the proposal to establish the Auckland Climate Grant programme. Local board feedback will inform the recommendation to the Environment and Climate Change Committee on 8 September 2022.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

55. Staff presented to the Infrastructure and Environmental Services Mana Whenua Hui seeking feedback from mana whenua kaitiaki representatives on aspects of the grant development.

56. Key feedback points included the need for the grant process to be easy and accessible to mana whenua organisations and for the grants to build capacity of mana whenua to respond to climate change.

57. From December 2021 to March 2022, Māori specialists in the Community Climate Action team also met with each of the 19 iwi to seek their feedback on climate priorities that they would like to see advanced through the sustainable and resilient marae project. Feedback from mana whenua through this process has informed the priorities identified in the grant scheme, particularly in relation to Māori-led climate action.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

58. Budget for the Auckland Climate Grants was allocated through the 10-year Recovery Budget 2021-2031. For 2022/2023 financial year there is $300,000 available for allocation.

59. As climate projects had historically been supported through the Regional Environment and Natural Heritage (RENH) grant programme, $100,000 from the RENH grant budget will be used to support grant allocations through the Auckland Climate grant.

60. Grant allocations through the Auckland Climate grant response and strategic grant rounds will be managed within the $400,000 total grant budget. The majority of funds will be allocated through the strategic grants round.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

61. A risk assessment has only identified two low level risks associated with the adoption of the Auckland Climate Grant programme. These are listed below along with the mitigations:

· Low reputational risk – applicants may query the grant scope, priorities and decision making and feel these are inconsistent or unfair. This risk is mitigated through the grant development process seeking community input and the transparent evaluation and assessment process applied to guide decision making.

· Low financial risk – insufficient applications of sufficiently high quality will be received to fully allocate available funds. This risk is mitigated through grant programme promotion and applicant support. Support with the application process will be available from Auckland Council staff and community contractors involved with delivery of other areas of the Community Climate Action Team local and regional work programme.

62. Once grant allocation decisions are made, staff will maintain regular contact with grant recipients during project implementation to follow up on progress and make sure any risks of individual projects are properly addressed.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

63. All local board feedback received by 26 August 2022 on the proposed Auckland Climate Grant will be considered before an updated version is presented to committee.

64. Staff will present the proposed Auckland Climate Grant to Environment and Climate Change Committee for approval on 8 September 2022.

65. Once guidelines for the Auckland Climate Grant have been approved, staff will start the promotion and delivery of 2022/2023 Auckland Climate Grant funding rounds.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Emma Cowie-Dixon - Principal Advisor

Jacob van der Poel - Advisor Operations and Policy

Authorisers

Carol Hayward - Team Leader Operations and Policy – Local Board Services

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Waiheke Local Board Nomination to the Mayoral Conservation Award for Waiheke Marine Project - Koura Survey	209
b ⇩	Urgent Decision-making memo	213

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Workshop - Regional Stormwater Network Discharge consent review	219
b ⇩	Waiheke Local Board feedback on the Healthy Waters Regionwide Stormwater Network Discharge Consent Review	227
c ⇩	Urgent decision making memo Stormwater discharge	231

Waiheke Local Board

24 August 2022

Feedback under delegation noting report - Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill

File No.: CP2022/11658

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To note the Waiheke Local Board’s feedback provided under delegation to inform Council’s submission to the Health Select Committee on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco^{^[1]}) Amendment Bill.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan sets out several measures that focus less on influencing consumer behaviour and more on changing the smoking environment.

3. The Health Select Committee has introduced the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill (the Bill), which contains measures to help reduce smoking rates. Specifically, the Bill:

· significantly limits the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products

· aims to prevent young people from taking up smoking by prohibiting the sale of smoked tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009

· aims to make smoked tobacco products less appealing and addictive

4. The deadline for local board feedback to be considered to inform Council’s submission was 16 August 2022. Given that feedback was required before the next business meeting the Waiheke Local Board collectively developed and provided feedback to Council’s submission via agreed the agreed (Resolution number WHK/2020/54 22 April 2020) input to central government submissions delegation to the chair.

5. The board supported the general intent whilst also recommending that the Bill should include educational components focused on prevention as well as smoking cessation support.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendations

That the Waiheke Local Board:

a. note the boards feedback, provided under delegation, to support Councils submission to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill:

i. note the action supporting a Smokefree Aotearoa in its 2020 Local Board Plan which states: “Support actions and policies aimed at reducing harm caused by alcohol, smoking, drugs and gambling, including development of a local alcohol policy”.

ii. support the measures contained in the Bill which:

a. significantly limit the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products.

b. aim to prevent young people from taking up smoking by prohibiting the sale of smoked tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.

c. aim to make smoked tobacco products less appealing and addictive.

iii. recommend that the bill should include educational components focused on prevention as well as smoking cessation support.

Horopaki

Context

5. The government has a goal that Aotearoa-New Zealand is smokefree by 2025. The Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan sets out several measures that focus less on influencing consumer behaviour and more on changing the smoking environment. Legislative change is required to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal and address the gaps remaining in New Zealand’s comprehensive regulation of tobacco products. Auckland Council has endorsed this goal for Tāmaki Makarau.

6. The Health Select Committee has introduced the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, which contains measures to help reduce smoking rates. Specifically, the bill:

i. significantly limits the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products

ii. aims to prevent young people from taking up smoking by prohibiting the sale of smoked tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009

iii. aims to make smoked tobacco products less appealing and addictive.

7. The Bill is currently being considered by the Health Select Committee, who have invited submissions.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Summary of feedback on the Bill

8. There are three elements to the Bill:

6. Proposal One – Reduce smoked tobacco supply

new provisions restrict the sale of smoked tobacco products to retailers approved by the Director-General of Health, set out the application process and criteria to be an approved retailer, and provide for the Director-General of Health to set a maximum number of retail premises allowed in a certain area. The intent of these provisions is to significantly limit the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products

7. Proposal Two – Smokefree generation

new provisions allow for the introduction of a smokefree generation policy by prohibiting the sale of smoked tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The intent of the policy is to prevent young people, and successive generations, from ever taking up smoking

8. Proposal Three – Nicotine removal in smoked tobacco.

new provisions regulations on the manufacturing, importing, sale and supply of smoked tobacco products. A specific provision sets limits on the quantity of nicotine levels and other constituents of smoked tobacco products.

9. The intent of these provisions is to increase the number of people who successfully stop smoking, and support tamariki/young people to remain smokefree, by making smoked tobacco products less appealing and addictive. These legislative changes are mutually reinforcing, and together are expected to deliver the substantial changes needed to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal and improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders.

10. Overall, council supports the passage of the Bill. However, to maximise the effectiveness of measures in the Bill we suggest it is paired with:

· more and better support for smokers to quit

· more effective enforcement of existing regulations, particularly around vaping

· a plan to consider the role of vaping, which is an effective smoking cessation tool but will become unnecessary to the degree that the Bill is effective in achieving the goal of a smokefree Aotearoa

· a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure the Bill is effective and enable its implementation to be adjusted as necessary.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

11. The submission will have no impact on climate change.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

12. The provided feedback aligns with council’s goal that Tāmaki Makarau is smokefree by 2025 and Council’s plans to achieve this. This goal and the associated plan were developed with input from relevant departments and Council-Controlled Organisations.

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

Local impacts and local board views

13. Local board views were sought to feed into the draft submission and to be incorporated into the Council’s final submission where possible.

14. The Waiheke Local Board supports a Smokefree Aotearoa and has included the following action in its 2020 Local Board Plan which states:

“Support actions and policies aimed at reducing harm caused by alcohol, smoking, drugs

and gambling, including development of a local alcohol policy”.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

15. In Tāmaki Makaurau Māori and Pacific communities have the highest overall smoking prevalence, with the highest prevalence rates amongst these communities in Henderson, Massey, Glen Innes, Point England, Māngere, Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara, Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Papakura.

16. To reach the national smokefree 2025 goal, 7000 to 8000 Māori and Pacific peoples in Tāmaki Makaurau would need to stop smoking each year over the next four years. The number of new Māori and Pacific smokers would also need to reduce to zero.

17. Overall, the measures in the Bill are likely to help to reduce smoking rates among Māori and Pacific communities. However, we believe the Bill would be more effective if partnered with more and better support for smokers to quit. Given the high smoking rates in some Māori and Pacific communities this support should be delivered with community partners with experience and connections in these communities.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

18. There are no financial implications associated with this submission.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

19. There are no significant risks associated with the submission.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

20. Feedback from local boards will be incorporated into the council’s final submission as appropriate. Local board resolutions on the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill draft submission will be appended to the Auckland Council submission.

21. Below are the key dates for the submission:

· 11 August: draft submission sent to local boards

· 16 August: deadline for feedback to be considered in the council’s submission

· 17 August: final date for any formal local board feedback to be appended to the submission

· 23 August: final submission will be approved by Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee Chair, Deputy Chair and Independent Māori Statutory Board member

· 22 September: The final submission will be reported retrospectively to the Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee and circulated to elected members.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a	Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill	239

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Jacob van der Poel - Advisor Operations and Policy – Local Board Services

Mark Inglis - Local Board Advisor

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager - Local Board Services

Glenn Boyd - Local Area Manager – Aotea/Great Barrier and Waiheke Local Boards

[1] Definition: any tobacco product manufactured from tobacco and intended for use by smoking and inhalation, but does not include any medicine (being a medicine in respect of which there is in force a consent or provisional consent given under section 20 or section 23 of the Medicines Act 1981) that is sold or supplied wholly or principally for use as an aid in giving up smoking.

Chairperson	Cath Handley
Deputy Chairperson	Kylee Matthews
Members	Robin Tucker
	Bob Upchurch
	Paul Walden