1 Nau mai | Welcome

The Chair will open the meeting and welcome everyone present. The Board will move to resolve their acceptance of electronic attendances – if there are any.

2 Ngā Tamōtanga | Apologies

That the Howick Local Board:

a) accept the apology from Member Bruce Kendall for absence.

3 Te Whakapuaki i te Whai Pānga | Declaration of Interest

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

4 Te Whakaū i ngā Āmiki | Confirmation of Minutes

That the Howick Local Board:

a) confirm the ordinary minutes of its meeting, held on Thursday, 16 February 2023 as a true and correct record.

5 He Tamōtanga Motuhake | Leave of Absence

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

6 Te Mihi | Acknowledgements

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

7 Ngā Petihana | Petitions

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

8 Ngā Tono Whakaaturanga | Deputations

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

8.1 Deputation - Annette Smart of East Auckland Tourism

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. Annette Smart of East Auckland Tourism will present to the Board a deputation outlining their current activities.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) whakamihi / thank Annette Smart for her deputation and attendance.

8.2 Deputation - Louise Boswell of the Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga-Eastern Manukau

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. Louise Boswell of the Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga-Eastern Manukau will present to the Board a deputation outlining the work that they do in the Howick Local Board area.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) whakamihi / thank Louise Boswell for her deputation and attendance.

Attachments

a 16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - Deputations - CAB Presentation.......... 89

9 Te Matapaki Tūmatanui | Public Forum

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

9.1 Public Forum - Howick Village Association

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

The Howick Village Association will be in attendance to speak to the Board on their Cultural Food Festival and their recent food drive for flood-impacted families.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) whakamihi / thank the Howick Village Association for their presentation and attendance.

9.2 Public Forum - Ruth White of Business East Tāmaki

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. Ruth White of Business East Tāmaki will present to the Board a public forum outlining a plan and scope for the proposed East Auckland Business Awards.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board

a) whakamihi / thank Ruth White for her presentation and attendance.

10 Ngā Pakihi Autaia | Extraordinary Business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Howick Local Board

16 March 2023

Auckland Council’s submission on the Inquiry into the 2022 Local Elections

File No.: CP2023/01569

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek local board feedback on the Justice Committee’s Inquiry into the 2022 local elections.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Parliament’s Justice Committee is conducting an inquiry into the 2022 local elections and is calling for submissions, which close on 14 February 2023. It is usual practice for the Justice Committee to conduct an inquiry following a parliamentary or local election in case there are issues that require a legislative response. For this inquiry, the committee will examine the law and administrative procedures for the conduct of the 2022 local elections, with particular reference to:

a) low voter turnout

b) the provision of election services by private organisations, with particular reference to:

· special voting

· provision of ballot papers

· complaint processes

· accountability for local elections

· postal voting (including security of ballots and whether postal voting is an effective method of receiving votes)

c) the age of eligible voters (with reference to lowering the age of eligible voters to 16 years).

3. The changes to legislation requested in the draft submission are:

(i) to allow overseas voters the ability to obtain and return a vote electronically as they do for parliamentary elections

(ii) to accept votes date-stamped by the postal provider on the day of elections (or earlier)

(iii) to increase the nomination deposit fee for mayoral candidates to reduce the risk of having to re-run an election if any candidate is found, prior to election day, to not be qualified to stand for election.

4. Staff will report a fuller evaluation of the 2022 Auckland elections to the Governing Body meeting on 23 March 2023. Due to the Justice Committee’s early submission deadline it was not possible to complete this within the timeframe.

5. The draft submission is attached as Attachment A and focusses on the issues the Justice Committee has identified. The body of this report provides an overview of the points made in the submission.

6. The draft submission does not take a position on the question of lowering the voting age but makes comments that are relevant to Auckland Council’s context. The local board might consider whether to resolve a position on voting age.

7. Due to the constrained timeframe most local boards have not been able to meet to provide feedback but have used their urgent decision-making processes. Feedback that is received prior to the Governing Body committee meeting will be circulated. As is practice, all local board comments will be appended to the Auckland Council submission.

8. The Howick Local Board provided feedback to Auckland Council’s submission though an urgent decision (resolution number HW/2022/178). This decision is included in the Agenda Report as Attachment B.

9. This report was also included in the 16 February 2023 agenda, but the urgent decision was not included in the attachments. The item was accordingly withdrawn at the 16 February meeting and will be considered at the 16 March meeting instead.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) note the urgent decision made on 31 January 2023 to formalise the Howick Local Board’s position on the Justice Committee’s inquiry into the 2022 local elections.

Horopaki

Context

10. Parliament’s Justice Committee is conducting an inquiry into the 2022 local elections and is calling for submissions, which close on 14 February 2023. For this inquiry, the Justice Committee will examine the law and administrative procedures for the conduct of the 2022 local elections, with particular reference to:

a) low voter turnout

b) the provision of election services by private organisations, with particular reference to:

· special voting

· provision of ballot papers

· complaint processes

· accountability for local elections

· postal voting (including security of ballots and whether postal voting is an effective method of receiving votes)

c) the age of eligible voters (with reference to lowering the age of eligible voters to 16 years).

11. The draft submission focusses on these issues and raises some additional matters for legislative change.

12. The Minister of Justice has separately established an Independent Electoral Review to review electoral law. In September 2022 the review panel released its consultation document and submissions closed in November 2022. The panel will publish a draft report in May 2023 for public comment on the panel’s recommendations and will provide its final recommendations to Government in November 2023^{^[1]}. This review deals with Parliamentary electoral law but is of relevance to local government in that matters such as the electoral term and voting age are within its scope.

13. The key steps in a local election by postal vote comprise:

· the Electoral Commission updates the Parliamentary electoral roll

· the council’s Electoral Officer updates the ratepayer roll

· the council’s Electoral Officer calls for and receives nominations for candidates

· the council’s Electoral Officer arranges for voting documents to be posted to those on the residential and ratepayer rolls

· voters have about three weeks to post their ballots

· the ballots are counted, and the council’s Electoral Officer declares the results.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Low voter turnout

14. The submission compares turnout in Auckland with turnout in other New Zealand metropolitan councils and with some councils overseas.

15. The level of turnout in Auckland is in-line with these, though higher turnout is experienced in countries with compulsory voting and in a few standouts such as Denmark.

16. The submission conveys the results of the council’s most recent post-election survey where respondents were asked why they did not vote. The top reasons were:

· I don’t know anything about the candidates

· I forgot to vote

· I am not interested in politics or politicians.

17. Some common suggestions to improve turnout include online voting (which Auckland Council has supported in the past). This is on hold while the Government Communications Security Bureau has concerns about cyber-security. In Canada over 150 municipalities conduct online voting, but a researcher there advised turnout increased by only about 3 per cent.

18. The draft submission also comments on the possibility of providing booth voting as well as postal voting. For the 2022 elections there was a noticeable increase in those who wished to vote on election day itself. Booth voting on election day, in addition to postal voting in the weeks prior, would reduce barriers for some. Electors of councils in the United Kingdom have the option of both, but turnout is same as for Auckland Council, if not lower.

19. The submission also considers the argument for introducing political parties into local elections but, again, this is the case with councils in the United Kingdom, which have low turnouts.

20. Compulsory voting would be a major change and should be left to the Independent Electoral Review panel.

21. The draft submission notes there are no obvious easy solutions to increasing turnout (other than compulsory voting) however it notes options for reducing barriers and improving voter experience.

Provision of election services by private organisations

22. The draft submission notes that it is impossible for staff to run elections as well as undertaking their normal duties. The routine election services need to be contracted out for the sake of efficiency and effectiveness.

23. For the 2022 elections, Auckland Council utilised 25 staff (mostly on a part-time basis) from across the main organisation to undertake those activities that it had a responsibility for. Collaboration between this virtual team and Elections Services was important and worked well.

Special voting

24. The identification of special voting centres and their staffing is a collaborative undertaking between the Electoral Officer, Election Services and the council. Council facilities are used and council staff take part and are trained by the Electoral Officer to undertake the associated duties.

25. There have been issues experienced with running out of special voting papers due to electors attending special voting centres outside of their area. An option being investigated for 2025 is to provide the ability to print special voting documents at special voting centres if hard copies run out.

Provision of ballot papers

26. The draft submission notes the various reasons an elector might not receive a ballot paper, a frequent one being that electors forget to update their details on the electoral roll with the result their ballot paper is sent to their former address.

Complaint processes

27. The submission notes that there are three agencies involved in complaints about local elections, those being:

· the Electoral Commission in terms of matters relating to the electoral roll

· the Electoral Officer, who is responsible for the conduct of the election

· the council, which is responsible for regulations relating to election signs and for promoting the elections.

28. This can be confusing for electors who sometimes contact the wrong agency when making a query or wanting to make a complaint. Auckland Council has learnt that there needs to be excellent communication between the agencies to ensure that queries and complaints are dealt with appropriately.

29. Council advisory staff dealt with:

· 32 complaints / queries relating to election signs

· 54 complaints / queries relating to election protocols for staff and incumbent members

· 63 complaints / queries not categorised.

30. Council bylaw enforcement staff conducted 154 visits of election signs as a result of complaints.

31. The Electoral Officer referred three complaints of alleged offences to the Police.

Accountability for local elections

32. The submission notes that the council has previously expressed support in principle for the administration of local elections to be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. Until that happens the council believes the current arrangements, with their respective accountabilities, work well.

Postal voting

33. The submission notes that postal services are now in decline and that Auckland Council provided vote boxes for voters to deposit their ballots at:

· Countdown supermarkets

· train stations

· libraries and other council facilities.

34. There were 136 vote boxes with 127,000 votes deposited into them (31 per cent of all votes).

35. The submission notes that postal voting does not serve overseas voters well. Staff are aware of one voter in Australia whose voting pack was posted on 16 September and who received it on 15 October, in the week following election day. This was subsequently found to be a problem with an overload in the local mail centre.

36. For Parliamentary elections, overseas voters may download their voting paper, fill it in and upload it back. This happens over the internet and regardless of GCSB concerns about online voting, staff believe this is a risk worth taking and the same option should be available for overseas voters in local elections. A recommendation is made for legislative change to allow this.

Age of eligible voters

37. The draft submission does not commit the council to a position on this topic but makes comments about some matters that are relevant to local elections and to the council:

(i) Local elections use the parliamentary electoral roll which is established under the Electoral Act 1993. Age eligibility is not set separately under the Local Electoral Act 2001, and this should continue to be the case

(ii) Local elections include electing licensing trust members. Young people cannot purchase alcohol until they are 18 years of age. This is due to greater vulnerability of younger people to alcohol harm. Vulnerability to alcohol is a separate issue to the competency to vote and should not disenfranchise a young person. Older people who are vulnerable to alcohol are not disenfranchised.

(iii) The council’s Youth Advisory Panel has a minimum age of 14 though the youngest to date has been 15 years old. Experience is that younger people contribute with well-considered opinions.

Candidate deposit to stand for mayor

38. If a candidate for mayor is found, between the close of nominations and election day, to be unqualified to stand for election the election for mayor is declared void and has to be held again. The cost of doing this is covered by insurance but it would be extremely inconvenient to electors and increase the risk of reputational damage. The election of a new mayor would not be finalised until the following year.

39. There are no other positions where this is required.

40. For the 2022 Auckland Council elections, there were 23 candidates for mayor. The higher the number of candidates, the greater the risk of an unqualified mayoral candidate, and invalidated election. If the threshold for standing for mayor was raised, it would reduce candidates to those who were serious about standing and the risk of having to hold the elections again would be reduced. The submission proposes raising the deposit for mayoral candidates from $200 to $500. A balance needs to be struck between mitigating this risk, and not limiting candidacy for mayor to those who are wealthy.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

41. Most of the issues discussed in the submission do not impact the climate except that it is likely online voting would reduce emissions if it meant that voting documents and booklets for over 1 million electors no longer needed to be printed and posted. This reduction would be ongoing.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

42. There are no impacts on the council group.

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

Local impacts and local board views

43. Local board views are being sought on the draft submission and will be incorporated into the council’s final submission as appropriate.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

44. The impact of elections on representation of Māori on Auckland Council is an important matter and is being considered separately to this submission through an internal review of the Council’s election processes to be conducted in March.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

45. There are financial implications associated with matters discussed in the submission, but these have not yet been quantified. For example, if the council introduces booth voting in addition to postal voting, then there will be an additional cost to running the election.

46. On the other hand, if the return of ballot papers is not through New Zealand Post but by voters depositing their ballots in council vote boxes, there could be a small reduction in cost due to the freepost reply not needing to be paid.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

47. The risks associated with a mayoral candidate being unqualified to stand election with the result the election has to be run again is raised in the council’s submission. This is a significant risk for Auckland Council. Mitigation to this risk is described in paragraphs 43-45.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

48. The Planning, Environment and Parks Committee will consider the submission on Thursday 2 February 2023.

49. Local board resolutions will be included in the Auckland Council submission on this matter.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Draft Submission to the Justice Committee Inquiry into the 2022 Local Elections.	21
b ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - Urgent Decision - Justice Committee’s Inquiry into the 2022 Local Elections	43

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Warwick McNaughton - Principal Advisor

Authorisers

Carol Hayward - Team Leader Operations and Policy

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - Urgent Decision - Pakuranga Tennis Club Incorporated	51

Howick Local Board

16 March 2023

Local Board views on Notice of Requirement for the Eastern Busway Stage 2

File No.: CP2023/00455

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To invite the Howick Local Board’s views on a Notice of Requirement (NoR) lodged by Auckland Transport for the second stage of the Eastern Busway. The NoR seeks to designate land for an extension of the Eastern Busway, a new bus station at Pakuranga, and the Reeves Road Flyover.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. Decision-makers on a Notice of Requirement (NoR) to the Auckland Unitary Plan must consider local boards’ views on the NoR, if the relevant local boards choose to provide their views.

3. Each local board has a responsibility to communicate the interests and preferences of people in its area on Auckland Council policy documents, including on a NoR. A local board can present local views and preferences when expressed by the whole local board^{^[2]}.

4. The Eastern Busway Alliance, on behalf of Auckland Transport, has served a NoR on Auckland Council for the construction, operation, and maintenance of Eastern Busway Stage 2 on land between the intersection of Ti Rakau Drive/ South-Eastern Highway and Pakuranga Road / William Reeves Road, Pakuranga.

5. The NoR was publicly notified on 21 November 2022 and submissions closed on 19 December 2022. Fourteen (14) submissions were received. The key themes arising from submissions include the effects of the works on access to the Pakuranga Plaza, inconvenience and disruption to businesses within the Plaza, reduction in car parking, construction noise and vibration, and effects on education facilities in the area. There were also two submissions in support of the NoR.

6. This report is the mechanism for the local board to resolve and provide its views on the NoR. Staff do not recommend a view the local board should convey.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) provide local board views on the Notice of Requirement for Eastern Busway Stage 2, being a new designation.

b) appoint a local board member to speak to the local board views at a hearing on the Notice of Requirement.

c) delegate authority to the chairperson of Howick Local Board to make a replacement appointment in the event the local board member appointed in resolution b) is unable to attend the hearing on the Notice of Requirement.

Horopaki

Context

7. Each local board is responsible for communicating the interests and preferences of people in its area regarding the content of Auckland Council’s strategies, policies, plans, and bylaws. Local boards provide their views on the content of these documents. Decision-makers must consider local boards’ views when deciding the content of these policy documents.^{^[3]}

8. The NoR is for a new designation to provide an extension to the Eastern Busway, a new bus station at Pakuranga and the Reeves Road Flyover into the Auckland Unitary Plan. Local boards must have the opportunity to provide their views where any process proposes a change to the Auckland Unitary Plan.

9. If the local board chooses to provide its views, the planners include those views in the hearing report. Local board views are included in the analysis of the NoR, along with all submissions.

10. If appointed by resolution, local board members may present the local board’s views at the hearing to commissioners, who will make a recommendation on the NoR.

11. Following receipt of the recommendation, the Requiring Authority would be required to advise the council, within 30 working days, whether they accept or reject the recommendation in whole or in part. Once the council has received a decision from the Requiring Authority, submitters will be advised and are then given an opportunity to lodge an appeal with the Environment Court if they are not satisfied with the outcome. Auckland Council will also have the opportunity at this stage to appeal the decision.

12. This report provides an overview of the NoR and a summary of the key themes in submissions.

13. The report does not recommend what views the local board should convey. Staff cannot advise the local board as to what its views should be, and then evaluate those views.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

14. Auckland Transport has prepared a NoR and sought resource consents for bulk earthworks, vegetation removal, discharge of contaminants to land, and activities within the coastal marine area to enable the Eastern Busway Stage 2.

15. The Eastern Busway Stage 2 starts at Pakuranga Town Centre and encompasses works on Ti Rakau Drive, Pakuranga Road, Reeves Road, Cortina Place, Palm Avenue, Aylesbury Street, Pennell Place, and the South-Eastern Highway.

16. It forms part of the wider Eastern Busway Project, a multi-stage transport project being undertaken between Panmure and Botany to improve the transport networks across south-east Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Auckland Transport states that Eastern Busway Stage 2 will help address network congestion, provide improved transport choices, address network safety issues, and support the urban intensification of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

17. These works will involve an extension of the existing Panmure to Pakuranga busway, the construction of a new Pakuranga Bus Station and the Reeves Road Flyover; as well as modifications to the on and off ramps of South-Eastern Highway, and upgrades to local walking, cycling and stormwater infrastructure.

18. The location of the NoR is shown on Figure 1 below:

19. The timing of the works will depend upon funding and Auckland Transport has asked for a 10 year lapse period for the designation.

20. The NoR includes technical reports that evaluate:

· ecology (coastal and terrestrial)

· noise and vibration (construction and operational)

· open space

· air quality

· visual and landscape values

· social impact

· arboriculture

· stormwater

· archaeology

· integrated transport

· ground contamination

· erosion

· sediment control

21. The reports and other application details are available from council’s website at

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/unitary-plan/auckland-unitary-plan-modifications/notices-of-requirement-to-designate-land/Pages/default.aspx

22. Council’s planners, and other experts, are evaluating the NoR, and will report on:

· technical reports supplied by the applicant

· submissions

· views and preferences of the local board, if the local board passes a resolution.

23. Auckland Transport requested that the NoR be publicly notified. The NoR was publicly notified on 21 November 2021 and submissions closed on 19 December 2022.

Themes from submissions received

24. Submissions on the NoR were made by fourteen organisations and people:

Submissions	Support/support in part or with amendments	Neutral / unclear	Oppose/oppose in part
NoR EB2	4	2	8

25. Key submission themes are listed below:

· concern about changes to access and car parking at Pakuranga Plaza

· ongoing inconvenience to businesses in Pakuranga Plaza

· concern about effects of construction on businesses particularly within Pakuranga Plaza

· concern about linkages to and support for intensification of area around the bus station

· effects of heavy traffic on safety of road network during construction especially for school students

· support for improvements in passenger transport facilities.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

26. The council’s climate goals as set out in Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland's Climate Plan include:

· to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero emissions by 2050

· to prepare the region for the adverse impacts of climate change.

27. The local board could consider if the NoR:

· will reduce, increase or have no effect on Auckland’s overall greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. does it encourage car dependency, enhance connections to public transit, walking and cycling or support quality compact urban form)

· prepare the region for the adverse impacts of climate change i.e. does the NoR elevate or alleviate climate risks (e.g. flooding, coastal and storm inundation, urban heat effect, stress on infrastructure).

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

28. Auckland Transport is the requiring authority that has lodged the NoR.

29. Watercare Services did not submit on the NoR.

30. The council’s Healthy Waters and Parks Services departments have specialists within the council’s project team, who will contribute to the reporting planners’ hearing report.

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

Local impacts and local board views

31. The NoR falls within the Howick Local Board area.

32. Factors the local board may wish to consider in formulating its view include:

· interests and preferences of people in local board area

· well-being of communities within the local board area

· local board documents, such as local board plan, local board agreement

· responsibilities and operation of the local board.

33. Auckland Transport has advised that the Howick Local Board was provided regular updates on the project and planned consultation activities.

34. Feedback at that stage was informal. Restrictions on delegations prevent that informal feedback from being the views of the local board.^{^[4]}

35. This report is the mechanism for obtaining formal local board views. The hearings panel and will consider local board views, if provided, when making its recommendation on the NoR.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

36. If the local board chooses to provide its views on the NoR, it includes the opportunity to comment on matters that may be of interest or importance to Māori, well-being of Māori communities or Te Ao Māori (Māori world view). In the 2018 census, 6% residents in the local board area identified as Māori.

37. Auckland Transport has engaged with local iwi to help identify key cultural issues associated with the project and address any potential effects that may raise.

38. No mana whenua groups have submitted on the NoR.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

39. There are no financial implications with the local board providing its views.

40. The local board is not exposed to any financial risk from providing its views.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

41. The power to provide local board views regarding the content of a NoR cannot be delegated to individual local board member(s).^{^[5]} To avoid the procedural risk of an individual local board member expressing the views of the local board, this report enables the whole local board to decide whether to provide its views and, if so, to determine what matters those views should include.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

42. The planner will include, and report on, any resolution of the local board in the hearing report. The local board member appointed to speak to the local board’s views will be informed of the hearing date and invited to the hearing for that purpose.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

David Wong - Senior Policy Planner

Authorisers

John Duguid - General Manager - Plans and Places

Victoria Villaraza - Local Area Manager

Howick Local Board

16 March 2023

Approval for a new public road name at 2 Elevation Street, Flat Bush

File No.: CP2023/01947

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek approval from the Howick Local Board to name a new public road created by way of a subdivision development at 2 Elevation Street, Flat Bush.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Auckland Council Road Naming Guidelines (the Guidelines) set out the requirements and criteria of the council for proposed road names. The guidelines state that where a new road needs to be named as a result of a subdivision or development, the subdivider /developer shall be given the opportunity of suggesting their preferred new road name/s for the local board’s approval.

3. On behalf of the developer and applicant, Aklander Investment Limited, agent Beatrice Zhang of McKenzie & Co. Consultants Limited has proposed the names presented below for consideration by the local board.

4. The proposed road name options have been assessed against the Guidelines and the Australian & New Zealand Standard, Rural and Urban Addressing, AS NZS 4819:2011 and the Guidelines for Addressing in-fill Developments 2019 – LINZ OP G 01245 (the Standards). The technical matters required by those documents are considered to have been met and the proposed names are not duplicated elsewhere in the region or in close proximity. Mana Whenua have been consulted in the manner required by the Guidelines.

5. The proposed names for the new public road at 2 Elevation Street are:

· Sagitta Drive (applicant’s preference)

· Octans Drive (alternative)

· Squill Drive (alternative)

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) approves the name ‘Sagitta Drive’ (applicant’s preferred name) for the new public road created by way of subdivision undertaken by Aklander Investment Limited at 2 Elevation Street, Flat Bush, in accordance with section 319(1)(j) of the Local Government Act 1974 (Road naming reference RDN90105945, resource consent references BUN60342308 and SUB60342355).

Horopaki

Context

6. Resource consent reference BUN60342308 (subdivision reference number SUB60342355) was issued in November 2021 for the creation of 50 new residential lots and two commonly owned access lots (COALs).

7. Site and location plans of the development can be found in Attachment A and B.

8. In accordance with the Standards, every public road and any private way, COAL, or right of way, that serves more than five lots generally requires a new road name in order to ensure safe, logical and efficient street numbering.

9. In this development the new road will be vested to Council as a public road and will serve more than five lots. Therefore, this new road requires a name. This can be seen in Attachment A, where the road that requires a name is highlighted in yellow.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

10. The Guidelines set out the requirements and criteria of the council for proposed road names. These requirements and criteria have been applied in this situation to ensure consistency of road naming across the Auckland Region. The Guidelines allow that where a new road needs to be named as a result of a subdivision or development, the subdivider/developer shall be given the opportunity of suggesting their preferred new road name/s for the Local Board’s approval

11. The Guidelines provide for road names to reflect one of the following local themes with the use of Māori names being actively encouraged:

· a historical, cultural, or ancestral linkage to an area; or

· a particular landscape, environmental or biodiversity theme or feature; or

· an existing (or introduced) thematic identity in the area.

12. Theme: the proposed names reflect either the theme of stars found in the Auckland sky, or a historical link to the area.

Proposed name	Meaning (as described by applicant)
Sagitta Drive (applicant’s preference)	Sagitta is a star cluster visible to the north in the Auckland sky.
Octans Drive (alternative)	Octans is a star cluster visible to the south in the Auckland sky.
Squill Drive (alternative)	Squill is a landscape plant found in Scotland and Ireland – in reference to the history of the early settlers in the area.

13. Assessment: All the name options listed in the table above have been assessed by the council’s Subdivision Specialist team to ensure that they meet both the Guidelines and the Standards in respect of road naming. The technical standards are considered to have been met and duplicate names are not located in close proximity. It is therefore for the local board to decide upon the suitability of the names within the local context and in accordance with the delegation.

14. Confirmation: Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has confirmed that all of the proposed names are acceptable for use at this location.

15. Road Type: ‘Drive’ is an acceptable road type for the new public road, suiting the form and layout of the road.

16. Consultation: Mana whenua were consulted in line with the processes and requirements described in the Guidelines. Additional commentary is provided in the Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori section that follows.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

17. The naming of roads has no effect on climate change. Relevant environmental issues have been considered under the provisions of the Resource Management Act 1991 and the associated approved resource consent for the development.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

18. The decision sought for this report has no identified impacts on other parts of the Council group. The views of council controlled organisations were not required for the preparation of the report’s advice.

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

Local impacts and local board views

19. The decision sought for this report does not trigger any significant policy and is not considered to have any immediate local impact beyond those outlined in this report.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

20. To aid local board decision making, the Guidelines include an objective of recognising cultural and ancestral linkages to areas of land through engagement with mana whenua, particularly through the resource consent approval process, and the allocation of road names where appropriate. The Guidelines identify the process that enables mana whenua the opportunity to provide feedback on all road naming applications and in this instance, the process has been adhered to.

21. On 3 February 2023 mana whenua were contacted by council on behalf of the applicant, through the Resource Consent department’s central facilitation process, as set out in the Guidelines. Representatives of the following groups with an interest in the general area were contacted:

· Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Tribal Trust)

· Ngāti Maru (Ngāti Maru Rūnanga Trust)

· Ngāti Pāoa (Ngāti Paoa Iwi Trust)

· Ngāti Pāoa (Ngāti Paoa Trust Board)

· Ngāti Tamaterā (Ngāti Tamaterā Settlement Trust

· Ngāti Te Ata (Te Ara Rangatu o Te Iwi o Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua)

· Ngāti Whanaunga (Ngāti Whanaunga Incorporated)

· Te Ahiwaru – Waiohua (Makaurau Marae Māori Trust)

· Te Ākitai Waiohua (Te Ākitai Waiohua Iwi Authority)

· Te Patukirikiri (Te Patukirikiri Incorporated)

· Waikato – Tainui (Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Incorporated)

· Ngāti Tamaoho

22. By the close of the consultation period, no responses, comments, or feedback were received. While acknowledging that this does not automatically signify a lack of interest in the matter, and noting that dependent on the scale of a development and its level of significance, not all road naming applications do receive comments from mana whenua, the applicant now wishes to continue to a decision from the local board.

23. This site is not listed as a site of significance to mana whenua and no Te Reo Māori names are proposed.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

24. The road naming process does not raise any financial implications for the Council.

25. The applicant has responsibility for ensuring that appropriate signage will be installed accordingly once approval is obtained for the new road names.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

26. There are no significant risks to Council as road naming is a routine part of the subdivision development process, with consultation being a key component of the process.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

27. Approved road names are notified to LINZ which records them on its New Zealand wide land information database. LINZ provides all updated information to other users, including emergency services.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Report Attachment A - Site Plan	65
b ⇩	Report Attachment B - Location Plan	67

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Amy Cao - Subdivision Advisor

Authorisers

David Snowdon - Team Leader Subdivision

Victoria Villaraza - Local Area Manager

Howick Local Board

16 March 2023

Alteration to the 2022-2025 Howick Local Board meeting schedule

File No.: CP2023/02539

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To seek approval for the June 2023 Howick Local Board business meeting date to be replaced in order to accommodate the finalisation of the Howick Local Board Agreement 2023/24.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. At its meeting on 8 December 2022 the Howick Local Board resolved (HW/2022/199) to adopt its business meeting schedule for the 2022-2025 electoral term. Per that resolution, business meetings were to occur on the third Thursday of every month – with the exception of January (no business meetings) and December (the second Thursday of the month).

3. At that time the specific times and dates for meetings for local board decision making in relation to the Local Board Agreement 2023/24 were unknown.

4. It is now known that the Board needs to hold a workshop on 15 June 2023 to finalise the Howick Local Board Agreement 2023/24, and then resolve to adopt it a business meeting during the following week.

5. 15 June is the current date of the June 2023 workshop. By altering this date to 22 June, the Board can finalise its Local Board Agreement during a workshop on 15 June, and then resolve to adopt it at the 22 June business meeting.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Howick Local Board:

a) approve the replacement of the following business meeting date to accommodate the Local Board Agreement 2023/24 timeframes as follows:

i) Thursday, 22 June 2023, 12:00pm to replace the scheduled meeting that was to be held on 15 June 2023, 12:00pm.

Horopaki

Context

6. The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) and the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA) have requirements regarding local board meeting schedules.

7. In summary, adopting a meeting schedule helps meet the requirements of:

a) clause 19, Schedule 7 of the LGA on general provisions for meetings, which requires the chief executive to give notice in writing to each local board member of the time and place of meetings. Such notification may be provided by the adoption of a schedule of business meetings.

b) sections 46, 46(A) and 47 in Part 7 of the LGOIMA, which requires that meetings are publicly notified, agendas and reports are available at least two working days before a meeting and that local board meetings are open to the public.

8. The Howick Local Board adopted its 2019-2022 business meeting schedule at its 9 December 2019 meeting.

9. The timeframes for local board decision-making in relation to the local board agreement which is part of the 10-Year Budget 2021-2031 were unavailable when the meeting schedule was originally adopted.

10. The board is being asked to make decisions in early-December, early-May and mid-June to feed into the 10-Year Budget 2021-2031 process. These timeframes are outside the board’s normal meeting cycle.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

11. The local board has two choices:

i) add the meetings as additions or replacements to the meeting schedule or;

ii) add the meetings as extraordinary meetings.

12. For option one, statutory requirements allow enough time for these meetings to be scheduled as additions to the meeting schedule and other topics may be considered as per any other ordinary meeting. However, there is a risk that if the 10-Year Budget 2021-2031 timeframes change again or the information is not ready for the meeting there would need to be an additional extraordinary meeting scheduled anyway.

13. For option two, only the specific topic 10-Year Budget 2021-2031 may be considered for which the meeting is being held. There is a risk that no other policies or plans with similar timeframes or running in relation to the 10-Year Budget 2021-2031 process could be considered at this meeting.

14. Since there is enough time to meet statutory requirements, staff recommend option one, approving this meeting as an addition to the meeting schedule, as it allows more flexibility for the local board to consider a range of issues. This requires a decision of the local board.

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

15. This decision is procedural in nature and any climate impacts will be negligible. The decision is unlikely to result in any identifiable changes to greenhouse gas emissions. The effects of climate change will not impact the decision’s implementation.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

16. There is no specific impact for the council group from this report.

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

Local impacts and local board views

17. This report requests the local board’s decision to schedule additional meetings and consider whether to approve them as extraordinary meetings or additions to the meeting schedule.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

18. There is no specific impact for Māori arising from this report. Local boards work with Māori on projects and initiatives of shared interest.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

19. There are no financial implications in relation to this report apart from the standard costs associated with servicing a business meeting.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

20. If the local board decides not to add this meeting to their schedule this will cause a delay to the Howick Local Board Agreement 2023/24 process.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

21. Implement the processes associated with preparing for business meetings.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author

Matt Fletcher - Democracy Advisor

Authorisers

Louise Mason - General Manager Local Board Services

Victoria Villaraza - Local Area Manager

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - 23 February 2023 Record of Workshop	75
b ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - 2 March 2023 Record of Workshop	77
c ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - 9 March 2023 Record of Workshop	79

Howick Local Board

16 March 2023

Howick Local Board Workshop Record
Workshop record of the Howick Local Board held at the Howick Local Board Meeting Room, 7 Aylesbury Street, Pakuranga on Thursday 9 March 2023, commencing at 10.00am.
PRESENT * = virtual attendance
Members:	Damian Light, Bo Burns, Katrina Bungard, David Collings, Mike Turinsky*, Adele White, and Peter Young

Apologies:	David Collings (for lateness), Bruce Kendall (for absence), and John Spiller (for absence)

Also present:	Victoria Villaraza (Local Area Manager), Ian Milnes (Senior Advisor), Blair Morrow (Local Board Advisor), Matt Fletcher (Democracy Advisor), Tracey Freeman (Engagement Advisor), and Asma Bashir (Community Broker).

Workshop Item and Presenters		Governance role	Summary of Discussions
Howick Local Board Plan Ian Milnes		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	The Senior Advisor provided an update on and sought further feedback & direction from Members on the Local Board Plan.
Auckland Transport – Forward Works Programme 2023/24 Jennifer Fraser*, Matthew Ah Mu, Raman Singh		Keeping informed	The Board received an overview of the Local Board Transport Capital Fund (LBTCF) as part of the Auckland Transport Forward Works Programme for 2023/24.
*Lunch Break*
Eke Panuku: 47R Shelly Beach Parade Cockle Bay - proposal to reclassify and grant a new lease Gulina Monroe, Rose Smits		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	The Board workshopped the reclassification of 47R Shelly Beach Parade – ahead of the Board formally considering this matter at a future business meeting.
Direction Setting – Annual Budget Consultation Tracey Freeman		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	Board Members were provided direction setting on upcoming Annual Budget “Have Your Say” events during March 2023.
Direction Setting – Local Board Plan Discussion Ian Milnes		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	The Senior Advisor had time at the end of the workshop to answer further questions & comments from Members on the Local Board Plan.
Direction Setting – Local Board Feedback Damian Light		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	The Chair reminded Board Members to provide feedback on key matters including Auckland Council’s LGNZ membership and the internal Council review of the 2022 local elections.
Direction Setting – June Business Meeting Matt Fletcher		Setting direction, priorities and budgets	The Democracy Advisor advised the Members that a workshop to finalise the Local Board Agreement 2023/24 needs to take place during the third Thursday of June – when a business meeting is scheduled (15 June). Members agreed to move the June business meeting to the fourth Thursday of June (22 June).

The workshop concluded at 1.22pm

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	16 March 2023 - Howick Local Board - Hōtaka Kaupapa	83

[2] Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, section 15(2)(c).

[3] Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, ss15-16.

[4] Local Government Act 2002, Schedule 7, Part 1A, clause 36D

[5] Local Government Act 2002, Schedule 7, clause 36D

Chairperson	Damian Light
Deputy Chairperson	Bo Burns
Members	Katrina Bungard
	David Collings
	Bruce Kendall
	John Spiller
	Mike Turinsky
	Adele White
	Peter Young, JP

Author	Matt Fletcher - Democracy Advisor
Authoriser	Victoria Villaraza - Local Area Manager

Purpose of the report

Exclusion of the Public: Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987