Agenda of Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

27 May 2025

Auckland Council’s Quarterly Performance Report: Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board for quarter three 2024/2025

File No.: CP2025/10066

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To whiwhi / receive the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board’s (the local board) integrated quarterly performance report for quarter three, 1 January to 31 March 2025.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. This report includes financial performance, progress against work programmes, key challenges the local board should be aware of and any risks to delivery against the 2024/2025 work programme.

3. The work programme is produced annually and aligns with Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board Plan outcomes.

4. The key activity updates from this quarter are:

· Airport to Claris Village - renew pathway (ID #37671): Physical works on the walkway were completed for three sections. Additional design and scoping works are currently underway for the remaining sections

· Mulberry Grove - seawall renewal (ID #3030): The options assessment has now been completed with five potential design solutions thoroughly evaluated. The preferred option of targeted repairs has been presented to the local board, and all feedback and concerns have been addressed

· Aotea – Customer services and support (ID #124): Aotea Family Support Group (AFSG) delivered two successful events, had two new people start, a change of chairperson, delivered over 60s lunches, and helped connect north and south communities with its new van

· Aotea - Dark Sky Sanctuary (ID #130): The Dark Sky Coordinator worked with staff to get International Dark Sky Sanctuary lighting requirements included in May 2025 rates notice to residents, communicated the new meteor watch station, and began planning events for Dark Sky Week (21 to 28 April).

5. All operating departments with agreed work programmes have provided a quarterly update against their work programme delivery. Activities are reported with a status of green (on track), amber (some risk or issues, which are being managed), red (behind delivery, significant risk) or grey (cancelled, deferred or merged). There are no activities with a red status. The following activities are reported as on hold with a status of amber:

· Park and Amenities implement improvement and priority action (ID #39962): Project scoping is currently underway

· An area plan for Aotea Great Barrier (ID #1289): The project is on hold awaiting consultation with mana whenua.

6. Net operational financial performance of the local board is in line with budget for the nine months ended 31 March 2025. Revenue is under budget by five per cent for the year to date while operating expenditure is one per cent below revised budget. Capital expenditure is approximately 58 per cent above budget for the nine months ended 31 March 2025.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) whiwhi / receive the integrated performance report for quarter three ending 31 March 2025.

b) whakaae / approve the inclusion of the Sandhill Reserve dog park scope of work in project ID #31781 – Aotea Great Barrier - LDI minor capex fund 2024/2025.

c) whakaae / approve the reallocation of Locally Driven Initiative (LDI) CAPEX as follows:

i) reallocate $44,041.38 from project ID #32033 Aotea Great Barrier - design and install pou, which is proposed to be deferred to FY2025/2026, to project ID #31781 Aotea Great Barrier - LDI minor capex fund 2024/2025.

ii) allocate an additional budget of $44,041.38 to support the delivery of planned works at Sandhill Reserve.

d) whakaae / approve allocation of the Aotea - Dark Sky Sanctuary (ID #130) budget of $1,000 to go towards the island’s 2025 Matariki celebrations.

e) tuhi tīpoka / note approval of all remaining money in the Crime Prevention Fund (totalling $4,447) being held by the Great Barrier Community Health Trust to be allocated to Aotea Family Support Group to deliver more comprehensive rangatahi programmes and activities.

f) tuhi tīpoka / note approval to progress with the option of targeted repairs for the Mulberry Grove - seawall renewal (ID #3030).

Horopaki

Context

7. The Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board has an approved 2024/2025 work programme for the following:

· Customer and Community Services

· Local Environmental

· Plans and Places

· Auckland Emergency Management

8. 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

A graph of a bar graph

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Local Board Work Programme Snapshot

9. 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

A green circle with a yellow triangle and a green circle with text

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

10. 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

A graph of a bar chart

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Key activity updates from quarter three

11. The following are key activity highlights in the delivery of Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board’s 2024/2025 work programme for reporting period quarter three, 1 January to 31 March 2025:

· Airport to Claris Village - renew pathway (ID #37671): Physical works completed for sections GB1a, GB2 and GB3. Additional design and scoping works are currently underway for sections GB4, GB6 and GB7. GB5 section was excluded as we need to move the current pathway alignment to make the pathway accessible. These sections will be funded externally

The proposed solution includes rebuilding the southern section of the seawall near the boat ramp, raising the crest height by approximately 200mm, installing a concrete beam at the toe of the seawall to prevent further undermining, and introducing scupper drains at three-metre intervals to improve stormwater drainage

· Aotea - Customer services and support (ID #124): Aotea Family Support Group (AFSG) attended a half yearly workshop with the local board in March 2025 to go over its six-monthly report. The New Years Picnic fundraising event in January 2025 was a huge success, netting over $14,000 for AFSG’s crisis fund. The local board-supported Manu comp in quarter three was also very successful. Both the picnic and the manu comp have currently been moved into the non-contestable local board annual work programme.

New Community Worker was inducted into the role in quarter three and is doing a great job. New Youth Team Leader was contracted to work with AFSG's youth team. Successful over 60s lunches were held in February and March 2025. AFSG’s new van is in use and helping connect north and south communities. The organisation's chairperson stepped down and the deputy chair has taken over and the organisation is working to recruit some new trustees. Also, the local board (at a workshop on 13 May 2025) agreed for all remaining money in the crime prevention fund (totalling $4,447) to be allocated to AFSG (specifically its youth worker team) to deliver more comprehensive rangatahi programmes and activities.

· Aotea - Dark Sky Sanctuary (ID #130): Annual Reporting to the International Dark Sky Association completed for the year ending 31 Dec 2024. Presentation of the report at the February 2025 local board business meeting. The Dark Sky Coordinator worked with staff to get International Dark Sky Sanctuary lighting requirements included in May 2025 rates notice to residents. New meteor watch station communicated via social media, local discussions and to island visitors. Great feedback from those who have viewed the footage. Communications and information shared around the 14 March Lunar Eclipse.

Planning began for events for Dark Sky Week (21 to 28 April). Intention to gather 2025 dark sky measurements around the moon phases and Milky Way, which both significantly affect dark sky readings. The Dark Sky coordinator is aiming get a set of measurements done in April 2025, prior to the galactic centre of the Milky Way taking over the night sky. Also, the local board (at a 13 May workshop) signed off the payment of the $1,000 sitting in this year’s budget, to go towards the island’s 2025 Matariki celebrations.

Activities with moderate issues (amber status)

12. The following work programme activities have been identified by operating departments as having some risk or issues, which are being managed:

· Park and Amenities implement improvement and priority action (ID #39962): Project scoping is currently underway. Next steps will be to workshop options with the local board and commence the procurement process.

· An area plan for Aotea Great Barrier (ID #1289): The project is on hold awaiting consultation with mana whenua.

Changes to the local board work programme (grey status)

13. The below activity is deferred from the current work programme into future years:

· Legacy Rates Grants - Aotea / Great Barrier (ID#2880): No payments made as yet and will look to allocate funding with the local grants round two in FY26

14. The below activity is cancelled:

· AoteaOra Community Trust administration support (ID #132): In quarter three, an agreement was reached between the local board and the trust that the $10,000 allocated in the work programme would be returned to council and reallocated into the contestable grants pot, on the basis that the trust had been unable to find someone to take on the administrator role. Going forward it is expected that AoteaOra will apply for contestable grants on a case-by-case basis, rather than be part of the local board's work programme.

15. The following work programmes activities have changes which been formally approved by the board:

Table 1: Work programmes change formally approved by the board

ID/Ref

Activity Name

Summary of Change

Resolution number

#132

AoteaOra Community Trust administration

Cancel the work programme item support due to lack of resource and capacity to deliver this financial year.

Approve reallocation of the $10,200 budget line to the #134 community grants Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board budget line.

GBI/2025/9

New proposed project - #52719

Aotea Great Barrier short stay moorings

Will not progress with the short-stay moorings project.

Agree to commit funding to pay for any works to date on the investigation of the short-stay moorings project.

GBI/2025/27

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

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

17. The local board is currently investing in several sustainability projects, which aim to build awareness around individual carbon emissions, and changing behaviour at a local level. Some key updates from this quarter include:

· Food Resilience and Sustainability (ID #1504): Successful collaboration with The Currach in bringing a “Farm to Table” style harvest dinner to the community. 95% of ingredients (other than meat/fish) were locally grown. 61 tickets sold, positive reviews from participants, and $300 donation from The Currach to be shared out between the three school gardens.

· Construction Waste Leadership Project Aotea (ID #3030): This quarter has seen 6.15 tonnes of construction material being diverted from landfill to Anamata. Engagement on sites is supporting builders with their waste sorting. The 4-bin set up for construction waste sorting is operating on site. Advertising in the local paper, on notice boards and Facebook is creating awareness about and the benefits of this waste separation system.

A Q&A session focussing on construction and demolition waste, on island solutions including the bin system and the newly developed building site waste plan was held at the local radio station. A weekly/bi-weekly site waste audit plan has been developed to go with the building site waste plan. Anamata worked with the Tryphena wharf upgrade contractor to divert some materials from landfill and sell for reuse thru the shop. A custom rack for steel pieces has been developed to store materials to retain their value in a well sorted and easy to access system for customers.

18. Work programmes were approved in June 2024 and delivery is underway. Should significant changes to any projects be required, climate change impacts will be assessed as part of the relevant reporting requirements.

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

19. 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

20. This report informs the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board of the performance for quarter three ending 31 March 2025.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

21. Māori Outcomes are an integral part of the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board Plan 2023. The 2024/2025 work programme supports engaged and thriving mana whenua and delivers on key initiatives weaved throughout the plan. Some key updates from this quarter include:

· Aotea Great Barrier – design and install pou (ID #32033): Relationship established with Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai Ki Aotea Trust. First location identified for the Pou project (Oruawharo, Medlands, in the centre of the Island) and conversations are currently underway with the Public Arts Team, Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, and Parks and Community Facilities. We are working as a team to ensure we get the best outcomes for this project, to create art that has meaning, is valued and can be maintained.

· Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea – Visitor Information Centre (ID #3455): Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board members met with the local board to discuss the future of the Visitor Information Centre. The Trust created a Pou Whairawa Steering Group to assist with day-to-day operations of the information centre and identified a lack of strategy for tourism which is what they are now focusing on for Q4.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

22. This report is provided to enable the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board to monitor the organisation’s progress and performance in delivering the 2024/2025 work programme.

23. Changes are being proposed to the local board’s capex programme due to the Aotea Great Barrier short stay moorings project not progressing. These changes will enable the budget to be used more effectively within the current financial year.

Table 2: Proposed variation to the 2024/2025 Parks and Community Facilities work programme

ID/Ref

Activity Name

Proposed variation

Budget source

Financial year

Approved with variations after year-end balancing (GBI/2024/67)

Proposed Budget Allocation

#32033

Aotea Great Barrier - design and install pou

A total reduction of $44,041.38 is proposed to deliver the Sandhill Reserve dog park scope of work in the financial years 2024/2025 under the project ID #31781 Aotea Great Barrier - LDI minor capex fund 2024/2025.

This reallocation will not impact the delivery or outcomes of the pou project and allows for more effective use of the available 2024/2025 budget.

Locally Driven Initiative (LDI): CAPEX

2022/2023

2023/2024

2024/2025

$12,125.72

$3,553.12

$46,888.64

Total $62,567.48

$12,125.72

$3,553.12

$2,847.26

Total $18,526.10

#31781

Aotea Great Barrier - LDI minor capex fund 2024/2025

A total additional allocation of $44,041.38 is proposed to deliver the Sandhill Reserve dog park scope of work in the financial years 2024/2025

This additional funding will enable timely progress on local improvements within the current financial year.

Locally Driven Initiative (LDI): CAPEX

2023/2024

2024/2025

$340

$5,678

Total

$6,018.00

$340

$49,719.38

Total

$50,059.38

Financial Performance

24. Operating expenditure was $1.9 million, which is $101,000 below budget. This variance includes a $74,000 underspend in Asset Based Services (ABS Opex) and a $27,000 underspend in Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI Opex). The underspends are mainly due to timing differences and are expected to reverse in the coming months.

25. Operating revenue of $2,000 was in line with budget and was generated from library and community leases.

26. Capital expenditure of $497,000 was $115,000 above budget. Major projects during the period included enhancements to park accessways and connections, and the renewal of the Airport to Claris Village pathway.

27. The financial report for the nine months ended 31 March 2025 for the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board is in Attachment B.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

28. While the risk of non-delivery of the entire work programme is rare, the likelihood for risk relating to individual activities does vary. Capital projects for instance, are susceptible to more risk as on-time and on-budget delivery is dependent on weather conditions, approvals (e.g. building consents) and is susceptible to market conditions.

29. The approved Customer and Community Services capex work programme include projects identified as part of the Risk Adjusted Programme (RAP). These are projects that the Community Facilities delivery team will progress, if possible, in advance of the programmed delivery year. This flexibility in delivery timing will help to achieve 100 per cent financial delivery for the financial year if projects intended for delivery in the current financial year are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.

30. Information about any significant risks and how they are being managed and/or mitigated is addressed in the ‘Activities with moderate issues’ section.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

31. The local board will receive the next performance update following the end of quarter four (30 June 2025).

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board - 1 January – 31 March 2025 Work Programme Update	17
b ⇩	Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board - Operating Performance Financial Summary	29

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Author	Jacqui Fyers - Senior Local Board Advisor
Authoriser	Tristan Coulson - Local Area Manager

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

27 May 2025

Auckland Council’s submission to proposed waste legislation changes – local board feedback

File No.: CP2025/09998

Te take mō te pūrongo

Purpose of the report

1. To outline the process and opportunity for local board members to tuku / provide feedback on the Government’s proposed amendments to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and Litter Act 1979 to inform the council’s draft submission.

Whakarāpopototanga matua

Executive summary

2. The Ministry for the Environment released its consultation document Have your say on proposed amendments to waste legislation - Tukuna ō whakaaro mō ngā menemana marohi ki te ture para, on 22 April 2025 outlining proposed amendments to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA) and Litter Act 1979. Submissions on the proposed amendments close on 1 June 2025.

3. The proposed amendments for consultation relate to the following aspects:

· creating a framework for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

· improving the allocation, distribution and use of waste disposal levy (WDL) funding

· clarifying roles and responsibilities for central government, local government and the waste sector

· creating a modern, effective compliance regime

· enabling controls to address impacts of ‘mismanaged waste’ (e.g. illegal dumping, litter and or ‘escaped’ waste carried by wind or water from one site to another).

4. Approval is being sought from the Policy and Planning Committee on 15 May 2025 to delegate authority to the Chair and Deputy Chair of that committee, and a member of Houkura, to review and approve the council’s final submission due 1 June 2025.

5. Waste Solutions staff will lead the development of Auckland Council’s submission which is due to the Ministry for the Environment by 1 June 2025.

6. A preliminary assessment of potential implications for Auckland Council of the proposed legislative amendments highlights the following key aspects, refer also to Attachment B:

· Implementation of extended producer responsibility: creating an EPR regulatory framework for end-of-life products would provide better support for waste minimisation and management outcomes for households and others. The EPR implementation may potentially provide positive impacts on resource recovery systems across the region, including opportunities through Auckland’s Resource Recovery Network.

· Funding impact: a change to the method to distribute waste disposal levy funds across all territorial authorities is proposed to provide a more equitable share distributed from larger councils to smaller councils. This would result in Auckland Council receiving a reduced amount from the ministry compared to the current population based method. This reduction will be partly offset by total levy funding increases from 2025–2027, due to higher waste disposal levy rates that the government confirmed in 2024. Maintaining certainty for the existing 50:50 share of levy revenue between central government and local government remains important to the council to ensure long term planning.

· Service delivery and costs: creating the ability to use waste disposal levy funding to support a wider range of environmental activities provides opportunities for the council and its partners to address local and regional issues, (including managing waste generated from climate-related and natural disasters, remediation of vulnerable closed landfills, and activities that reduce environmental harm). However, this would also introduce competing demands for limited waste disposal levy funding. There may also be the potential for increased operating costs to the council should a levy be applied to existing (or future) waste-to-energy facilities which are yet to be defined.

· Monitoring and enforcement of ‘mismanaged’ waste: a new compliance regime with potential impacts on effectiveness and resourcing.

7. Auckland Council’s submission will be developed based on policy positions articulated in relevant council strategy, such as Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para 2024 - Ki te Para Kore / Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2024 – Towards Zero Waste (Waste Plan 2024) and other recent council submissions on government policy relating to waste management and minimisation.

8. Mana whenua will be invited to provide input on the council’s submission. Given the short timeframes involved in developing and submitting a submission, relevant, recently documented views from local boards and mana whenua on the waste plan 2024 may also be referred to.

9. Local boards can provide formal feedback by 22 May 2025 to be incorporated into the submission; or by 12.00pm on 30 May 2025 to be appended to the council’s submission

10. Further evidence and supporting positions will be obtained from subject matter experts across the Council Group.

11. The council’s draft submission will be circulated to the delegated members for input and approval.

12. A copy of the final submission will be provided to all elected members, local board members, Houkura and mana whenua once submitted.

Ngā tūtohunga

Recommendation/s

That the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board:

a) tuku / provide feedback on the government’s proposed amendments to the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and Litter Act 1979 to inform the council’s draft submission

Horopaki

Context

Government’s consultation on amendments to waste legislation

13. On 22 April 2025, the Ministry for the Environment - Manatū Mō Te Taiao (the ministry) released its consultation document, Have your say on proposed amendments to waste legislation - Tukuna ō whakaaro mō ngā menemana marohi ki te ture para (consultation document). A summary of the proposals and consultation questions is provided in Attachment A. Consultation closes 1 June 2025.

14. The consultation document states that the proposed amendments are to “create fit-for-purpose, modern waste legislation that gives us more options and flexibility to reduce and manage waste effectively and efficiently”.

15. Feedback is sought on 37 consultation questions across the following five proposals:

· creating a framework for ‘extended producer responsibility’

· improving the waste disposal levy system through changes to allocation, distribution, and use

· clarifying roles and responsibilities in the waste legislation

· creating a modern, effective compliance regime

· enabling efficient and effective controls for littering and other types of ‘mismanaged waste’.

16. The term ‘extended producer responsibility (EPR)’ is described in the consultation material as a suite of policy instruments that shift financial and/or operational responsibility for material recovery and waste management towards producers, importers and retailers, instead of falling by default on councils, communities, future generations and nature. EPR can include tools such as product stewardship schemes and deposit return models, such as a container return scheme for beverage containers.

17. The term ‘mismanaged waste’ is referred to in the consultation document as meaning litter, illegal dumping, or ‘escaped’ waste carried by wind or water from one site to another due to inappropriate management/storage.

18. The proposals include consolidating the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 (WMA 2008) and Litter Act 1979 into one bill.

19. The ministry states it will analyse all submissions received by 1 June 2025 to help inform policy and government decisions. If cabinet agrees, an amendment bill will then be introduced to parliament.

20. A delegated authority is sought to approve council’s submission, given the next Policy and Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for after the 1 June 2025 submission deadline.

Previous government’s consultation on waste policy and legislation reform

21. The WMA 2008 requires that all territorial authorities “must have regard to the New Zealand Waste Strategy” when developing waste management and minimisation plans. In late 2021, under the previous government, the ministry undertook a public consultation to update the New Zealand Waste Strategy (which had not been updated since 2010) and to reform the Waste Minimisation Act 2008 and Litter Act 1979.

22. At that time, delegated approval for the council’s submission on the ministry’s consultation document was provided by the Planning Committee on 4 November 2021, resolution PLA/2021/127.

23. In March 2023, the previous government adopted Te Rautaki Para - Waste Strategy to replace the previous version of the NZ Waste Strategy. Around the same time, cabinet papers were also released outlining the previous government’s proposed new legislative provisions.

24. In March 2023, the Policy and Environmental Planning Committee approved that any proposed replacement legislation for the Waste Management Act 2008 and Litter Act 1979 would be a priority submission for council (PEPCC/2023/33).

Recent updates to NZ Waste Strategy and waste legislation

25. On 5 March 2025, the Government released its Waste and Resource Efficiency Strategy to replace the Te Rautaki Para strategy document adopted by the previous government in 2023.

26. In March 2025, the ministry also released its two-year work programme, indicating waste legislation reform would take place during the first half of 2025.

27. Prior to the release of the new strategy and work-programme, the Government made targeted amendments to the WMA 2008 in 2024 which included enabling central government to spend its portion of waste disposal levy funds on a broader range of waste and environmental activities. The waste disposal levy is applied to every tonne of waste disposed at approved disposal facilities across the country, and the funds are administered by the Ministry for the Environment for purposes of waste minimisation activities (and other broader central government activities as set out in recent amendments to the WMA 2008).

28. These recent amendments to the WMA 2008 also allowed for waste disposal levy rates to continue to increase incrementally up to July 2027. In 2009, the waste disposal levy rate was originally set at $10 per tonne for a Class 1 landfill (a disposal facility that accepts waste materials from household, commercial, industrial or institutional sources), and remained at that rate until 2021. Since then, waste disposal levy rates have increased incrementally, with lower levy rates also getting applied to other classes of landfills (Class 2 construction and demolition landfills, and Class 3 and 4 managed or controlled fill facilities). For a Class 1 landfill the rate is now $60 per tonne and will increase to $75 per tonne on 1 July 2027.

29. Table 1 below shows the increase in waste disposal levy rates that the government has confirmed to be introduced over the next three years. The ministry acknowledges New Zealand’s waste disposal levy rates will remain comparatively lower than similar waste disposal rates in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Table 1. Confirmed increase in waste disposal levy rates for 2025-2027

Facility Class	1 July 2025	1 July 2026	1 July 2027
Facility Class	($ per tonne)	($ per tonne)	($ per tonne)
Class 1 (municipal landfill)	$65	$70	$75
Class 2 (construction and demolition fill)	$35	$40	$45
Class 3 & 4 (managed or controlled fill facility)	$15	$15	$20

30. Under the WMA 2008, central government and territorial authorities equally share revenue generated by the waste disposal levy (after administration costs). The share of levy funding that goes to territorial authorities is distributed according to population within councils and districts.

31. In FY 2023/2024, Auckland Council received $26.6 million waste levy funding, compared to $5.6 million received in FY 2020/2021, before levy rates increased. Under the WMA 2008 territorial authorities must spend the levy funding on activities set out in a council’s Waste Minimisation and Management Plan, with some exceptions.

32. For central government, the focus to date has been on investing in waste minimisation projects largely through the ministry’s contestable Waste Minimisation Fund.

Council’s strategic framework relating to waste minimisation

33. Auckland Council’s strategic direction relating to waste is set by the Te Mahere Whakahaere me te Whakaiti Tukunga Para 2024 - Ki te Para Kore / Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2024 – Towards Zero Waste (waste plan 2024) and complemented by Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan 2020.

34. Other policy, planning, and regulatory documents of relevance to waste activities include the council’s Long-term Plan 2024–2034, Infrastructure Strategy 2024, Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau, local board plans, Sustainable Procurement Framework, the Auckland Unitary Plan, and the Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw 2019.

35. The waste plan 2024 continues a Zero Waste by 2040 vision originally set out in Auckland Council’s first Waste Minimisation and Management Plan in 2012. The waste plan 2024 has over 100 actions across 12 priority focus areas.

36. Waste disposal levy funds are used by Auckland Council to deliver a range of council’s waste minimisation activities and actions set out in its waste plan 2024, including the provision of a Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund, community engagement programmes managed by council’s Wastewise team, and various projects to reduce waste.

Tātaritanga me ngā tohutohu

Analysis and advice

Process to develop council’s submission

37. Staff are in the process of reviewing the consultation document and coordinating a response. Thorough consideration of the scope and implications of the proposed amendments is required before well-defined advice and detailed feedback can be provided to the proposed delegated elected members.

38. The council’s submission will be developed based on current policy positions articulated in council’s adopted plans and policies. Evidence and data gathered through the recent development of the waste plan 2024 will be used, along with reference to the council’s submission provided to the ministry in 2021 as part of the previous government’s consultation on waste legislation.

39. Staff are seeking via this report local board feedback. Mana whenua have also been invited to provide input on the council’s submission. Local board and mana whenua views will also involve drawing on relevant input received through the pre-engagement and consultation process to develop the waste plan 2024.

40. Further evidence and supporting positions will be obtained from subject matter experts across the Council Group.

41. Once developed, the council’s draft submission will be circulated to the delegated elected members for input, review and approval.

42. Staff will submit an approved submission through the Ministry’s Citizen Space portal before 11.59pm, 1 June 2025.

Preliminary advice on proposals

43. To support the process to gather feedback from elected members and the Council Group, a preliminary review of the proposals in the consultation document and consideration of potential implications for Auckland Council and the region is provided in a table in Attachment B. This preliminary analysis is expected to inform the general direction of council’s submission.

44. A summary of the main implications for Auckland Council from an initial review of the proposed legislative amendments is provided below.

Funding impact

· A new method is proposed to distribute levy funding to territorial authorities, to provide for a more equitable approach for the provision of levy funds to smaller councils. Instead of using only a population-based method, the proposed new method is to provide all authorities with a flat amount (based on distributing 20 per cent of the 50 per cent share allocated to all councils), and an amount that distributes the remaining 80 per cent of funds to councils based on a city or district’s population.

· This proposed calculation method would reduce the amount Auckland Council receives annually, compared to the current distribution method. Table 2 below shows the comparison between the actual funding amount Auckland Council received in FY 2023/2024 compared to the proposed funding model. The FY 2027/2028 projection illustrates the increase due to increased waste disposal levy rates under the current funding model, and the difference under the proposed new funding model. This shows that while the council will receive an additional $26.8 million over the four-year period from FY 2023/2024 (due to waste disposal levy rates increasing), the proposed new method would reduce the annual amounts the council would receive by $5 million and $10 million each year, depending on when such a proposal would be implemented.

Table 2. Estimated waste disposal levy funding under the proposed funding model

Auckland Council’s waste disposal levy funding	Actual FY 23/24 funding (annual)	Estimated 27/28 funding (annual)*	Funding difference from 23/24–27/28
Current method	$26.6m	$52.8m	$26.8m
Proposed method	$21.4m	$42.7m	$21.7m
Reduction	($5.2m)	($10.1m)	($5.1m)

*this is based on the total levy revenue that is generated from the total tonnages of waste disposed to landfills across the country, as well as population data within each territorial authority. Figures provided to council staff by ministry staff in late 2024.

· Increased levy rates between 2025 and 2027 will result in more revenue generated for central and local government. In the longer term, the proposed change in the method to distribute levy funds would continue to require close strategic and financial planning, especially if combined with the proposed broadening uses of the levy funds (refer Attachment B for details).

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and implementation

· As EPR schemes develop under a proposed new regulatory framework, Auckland Council would benefit from shifting certain responsibilities for end-of-life waste to producers/consumers of products. However, the council would likely need to adapt its waste planning functions, waste collection and resource recovery systems, and associated community engagement programmes, to complement EPR schemes as they are designed and implemented.

Service delivery

· The proposed broadening of the range of environmental activities that the council could use waste levy funding for may result in changes to the current range of waste minimisation service provision and outcomes, especially if not offset by other waste initiatives being funded through other means (e.g. private sector resource recovery initiatives or implemented ERP schemes) and in the absence of having a clear decision-making framework to help assess competing priorities.

· The proposals to have minimum obligations for territorial authorities to enable household waste and recycling services and making it a discretionary requirement to provide litter bins in public places, may require the council to review the various delivery models used across the region.

· There are also potential future cost implications for the council and its CCOs services (in particular, Watercare) in relation to a proposed amendment that could require waste-to-energy plants to be subject to a waste disposal levy. However, the consultation document is not clear on the types of waste to energy facilities that would have to pay the levy. Potentially, this may include the Ecogas facility processing Auckland’s kerbside food scraps. For Watercare, a levy on waste-to-energy facilities would be a significant factor to consider as it explores future options to manage biosolids generated at its Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plan. Further clarifications of the proposals, and implications, are required.

Compliance, monitoring and enforcement framework for mismanaged waste

· The proposed compliance framework and integration of provisions into legislation to address issues with ‘mismanaged waste’ (including litter, dumping, and waste that has the potential to escape a site) would support key issues and actions contained within the council’s waste plan 2024. It may also require assessment of the council’s enforcement capacity, and the potential for additional resources to implement such changes.

Access to and management of waste data

· Proposed amendments to enhance data on mismanaged waste and ERP schemes would help inform the council’s planning and decision-making processes but may also necessitate potential investment in systems to collect, manage, and share with regulators specific data on waste issues and activities.

Strategic alignment

· The council’s waste plan 2024 largely aligns with the proposed legislative amendments. However, as the proposed amendments, decision-making frameworks, and regulatory changes are further clarified and developed, the implementation of the waste plan 2024 may require further review.

Timeframe for the consultation

45. The timeframe for feedback and submission on the consultation document is provided in Table 3.

Table 3. Timeframe milestones for consultation

Milestone	Date
Consultation document released	22 April 2025
Online briefing for local board members	19 May 2025
Deadline for incorporated feedback	22 May 2025
Deadline for appended feedback	30 May 2025 – 12pm
Consultation period closes	1 June 2025
Copy of final council submission circulated to Governing Body members, local board members and Houkura.	2 June 2025

Tauākī whakaaweawe āhuarangi

Climate impact statement

46. The disposal and treatment of waste comprises around four per cent of Auckland’s gross greenhouse gas emissions.

47. The main source of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the disposal and treatment of waste is the release of bio-genic methane from landfills (generated from organic waste, such as garden waste, timber, food scraps, biosolids, paper or cardboard). Lesser contributions to New Zealand’s waste-sector emissions arise from wastewater treatment, incineration and open burning, and biological waste treatment (composting).

48. Emissions associated with the transportation of waste materials are not categorised within waste-sector emissions. Rather, these contribute to emissions from the transport sector. Embodied emissions contained within wasted products (i.e. emissions generated across the lifecycle of a product) are also not included within the four per cent of gross emissions associated with waste treatment or disposal.

49. The consultation document is not explicit in how the proposed amendments intend to respond to impacts from climate change. However, there are implicit connections made between reducing emissions by achieving waste minimisation outcomes (e.g. through proposals to strengthen EPR outcomes), and by adapting to the impacts of climate change through broadening the scope of activities that waste levy funds can be used for (e.g. for costs associated with managing emergency waste, remediating closed landfill sites which may be vulnerable to extreme weather events, or investing in “activities that reduce environmental harm or increase environmental benefits” which is broad in nature and could be interpreted as including climate change mitigation or adaptation activities).

Ngā whakaaweawe me ngā tirohanga a te rōpū Kaunihera

Council group impacts and views

50. Feedback on the consultation document will be sought from subject matter experts across relevant council departments and CCOs, including Waste Solutions, Finance, Parks and Community Facilities, Auckland Transport and Watercare.

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

Local impacts and local board views

Local impacts

51. The potential local impacts from the proposed amendments will be considered as part of the council’s submission, however it is expected that the proposed legislative changes will impact local communities in various ways, including the following key points.

· Introducing extended producer responsibility schemes would have an impact on people’s purchasing choices and waste minimisation behaviours. The implementation of schemes could lead to changes in product design to minimise waste, or the provision of new collection systems and differing financing arrangements, that could result in new resource recovery, reuse, or recycling infrastructure within the Auckland region.

· Stronger controls to monitor and enforce ‘mismanaged waste’ would mean local ‘Litter Control Officers would gain enhanced powers to address litter and illegal dumping, and this would potentially improve Auckland’s ability to reduce negative issues associated with litter and illegal dumping

· Broadening the use of waste levy funding for activities that ‘reduce environmental harms or increase environmental benefits’ may present an opportunity for local boards to respond to local environmental issues. This would need to be supported by a clear decision-making framework on how the use of waste levy funding gets accessed across the Council Group without compromising the strategic objectives and goals of the council’s waste plan 2024.

Local boards

52. Local boards provided strong direction through the development of the waste plan 2024 and the council’s 2021 submission on government waste policy and legislation. These views will help to inform the submission.

53. Local board views received will be either incorporated within the report or appended to the submission, depending on when they are able to provide views.

Tauākī whakaaweawe Māori

Māori impact statement

54. Staff have contacted Houkura and are seeking to engage with iwi through the Mana Whenua Resilience and Infrastructure forum to alert them to this public consultation and the opportunity to input on council’s submission. Staff will do the same for the Tāmaki Makaurau mana whenua entities.

55. Feedback expressed to the council on previous related submissions, and through the engagement process to develop the draft waste plan 2024 will be incorporated into the development of this submission where relevant.

Ngā ritenga ā-pūtea

Financial implications

56. The submission will be developed as part of the council’s business-as-usual central government advocacy activity.

57. As the consultation is on proposed legislation changes, it is not yet possible to quantify the budgetary consequences for the council. However, as highlighted the consultation document proposes changes to the amount of waste disposal levy funding Auckland Council currently receives and on what activities the funding can be used for.

58. The potential financial implications for the council will be further considered as part of the council’s submission.

Ngā raru tūpono me ngā whakamaurutanga

Risks and mitigations

59. There is a minimal risk in making a submission to the Ministry for the Environment consultation document.

60. Potential risks to the council arising from strategy and legislation changes will be considered as part of the council’s submission.

Ngā koringa ā-muri

Next steps

61. Local board resolutions on the government’s proposed amendments to waste legislation will be included in the Auckland Council submission on this matter.

62. Below are the key dates for input into the submission.

· 22 May 2025: deadline for feedback to be considered in the council’s submission.

· 30 May 2025 12 pm: final date for any formal local board feedback to be appended to the submission.

· 30 May 2025: final submission will be approved by delegated members subject to Policy and Planning Committee 15 May 2025 meeting.

· 2 June 2025: final submission will be circulated retrospectively to Governing Body members, Houkura and local board members.

Ngā tāpirihanga

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Summary of proposals and consultation questions	43
b ⇩	Preliminary assessment of proposed amendments and implications for Auckland Council	51

Ngā kaihaina

Signatories

Authors

Tania Utley - Senior Waste Planning Specialist

Nadine Wakim - Senior Waste Planning Advisor

Authorisers

Justine Haves - General Manager Waste Solutions

Lou-Ann Ballantyne - General Manager Governance and Engagement

Tristan Coulson - Local Area Manager

Chairperson	Izzy Fordham
Deputy Chairperson	Chris Ollivier
Members	Laura Caine
	Patrick O'Shea
	Neil Sanderson

Date	Subject
13 May 2025	Memo: School Speed Zones Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board area (appended as Attachment A)
9 May 2025	Auckland Transport Flood Recovery Status Update (appended as Attachment B)
16 April 2025	Aotea / Great Barrier Auckland Transport 2024 customer report for February 2025 (appended as Attachment C)
15 April 2025	Aotea / Great Barrier Auckland Transport 2024 customer report for March 2025 (appended as Attachment D)

Date	Subject
2 May 2025	Policy on future use of storm affected land now approved (appended as Attachment E)
17 April 2025	Revaluation 2024 timing update – FAQ (appended as Attachment F)
15 April 2025	MEMO: Regional Public Transport Plan review (appended as Attachment G)

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	Memo: School Speed Zones Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board area	59
b ⇩	Auckland Transport Flood Recovery Status Update	61
c ⇩	Aotea / Great Barrier Auckland Transport 2024 customer report for February 2025	75
d ⇩	Aotea / Great Barrier Auckland Transport 2024 customer report for March 2025	77
e ⇩	Policy on future use of storm affected land now approved	79
f ⇩	Revaluation 2024 timing update – FAQ	109
g ⇩	MEMO: Regional Public Transport Plan review	113

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	20250415 Workshop proceedings	135
b ⇩	20250429 Workshop proceedings	215
c ⇩	20250506 Workshop proceedings	227
d ⇩	20250513 Workshop proceedings	235

Author	Guia Nonoy - Democracy Advisor
Authoriser	Tristan Coulson - Local Area Manager

No.	Title	Page
a ⇩	250509 Letter to Will Scarlett re Helicopters with Will Scarlett's letter	119
b ⇩	20250423 Letter from Hon Shane Jones	123
c ⇩	20250415 Letter from Mike Inglis - Acting Deputy Director-General, Biosecurity New Zealand	125