Open Minutes
Commencing: Thursday 29 October 2020, 9.30 am
Venue: Mataatua Room, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, 5 Quay Street, Whakatāne
Chairperson: Chairman Doug Leeder
Deputy Chairperson: Deputy Chairperson Jane Nees – via Zoom
Members: Cr Andrew von Dadelszen
Cr Matemoana McDonald
Cr David Love
Cr Norm Bruning
Cr Bill Clark
Cr Stuart Crosby – via Zoom
Cr Kevin Winters
Cr Lyall Thurston
Cr Toi Kai Rākau Iti
Cr Stacey Rose
Cr Te Taru White
In Attendance: BOPRC: Fiona McTavish – Chief Executive, Mat Taylor – General Manager Corporate, Sarah Omundsen – General Manager Regulatory Services, Chris Ingle – General Manager Integrated Catchments; Greg Corbett - Biosecurity Manager, Yvonne Tatton – Governance Manager; Toni Briggs – Project Manager; Tone Nerdrum Smith – Committee Advisor
Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards: Matt Nelson - Chairperson of Management Committee; Jan Loney, Management Committee Member; Rick Burke - 2014 Bay of Plenty Supreme Winner
John Mather – Kiwifruit Vine Health; Alison Cowley – Public Forum
Apologies: Cr Paula Thompson, Cr Stuart Crosby (early departure)
1. Opening Karakia
A karakia was provided by Cr Iti.
2. Apologies
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That the Regional Council: 1 Accepts the apology from Cr Thompson and Cr Crosby (early departure) tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
Minute Note: Cr Thurston advised that he had been required to attend a Covid isolation facility in Rotorua the previous day. He had been wearing the required PPE gear and the risk of infection was considered extremely low, however it was appropriate to let the meeting attendees know.
3. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
Chairman Leeder – Council Director Nomination to the Board of Port of Tauranga (Item 12.5: Public Excluded section).
4. Minutes
Minutes to be Confirmed
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Regional Council Minutes - 30 September 2020 Matters Arising Noted that the Pest Management Plan had subsequently been signed off by Cr Nees and staff. |
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That the Regional Council: Confirms the Regional Council Minutes - 30 September 2020 as a true and correct record, subject to the following amendments: Schedule of Councillors’ expenses to be included as a link the minutes of the meeting; Quayside Holdings Ltd Board Director’s name was Warren Parker not Banks (both Public and Public Excluded minutes). CARRIED |
9.35am – Cr Crosby entered the meeting via Zoom.
5. Public Forum
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Public Forum: Alison Cowley regarding Te Puna Rural Business Park Presentation - Public Forum - Alison Cowley: Objective ID A3660567 ⇨ Tabled Document 1 - Tabled Item - Public Forum - Alison Cowley: Objective ID A3660570 ⇨ Presented by: Alison Cowley via Zoom |
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· Would like Council to pursue the opportunity to purchase the land at the Te Puna Station Road site to develop a regional park · The site was currently vacant and had been on the market at various times · Was not aware of the land’s value · There were few parks in Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty that could be considered destination sites · Would like to work with staff in pursuing this opportunity.
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6. Presentations
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Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environmental Awards Presentation - Ballance Farm Environment Awards: Objective ID A3657500 ⇨ Presented by: Matt Nelson, Jan Loney and Rick Burke |
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· Bay of Plenty history of awards programme · Bay of Plenty awards entrant location 2017/18 – 2018/19 · Volunteer contribution · Where we are now · Local and national sponsors and national partners · The Future. Key Points: · Outlined the catchment approach in sustainably grown products and practices · Challenging for farmers/food producers to progress positive initiatives due to time constraints, so support from Council with regards to project management/co-ordination would be highly valuable · Significant contribution by volunteers, who also provided learning opportunities for the education sector/schools · There was ‘on the ground training’ of catchment leaders · Was actively pursuing opportunities for Iwi to be involved and recognised in the Environment Awards · Noted that Ballance was a naming rights sponsor, rather than in charge of the awards/judging · Judging criteria were regularly evaluated and refined · The Trust’s work had extended beyond farming to also include kiwifruit and avocado orchards, which was a positive development · How to best reflect sustainability/climate change considerations in the award criteria was being worked through. Key Points - Members: · Recognised the significant value of the programme · Encouraged the Trust to discuss with staff the best way to work together · ‘Best practice’ differed from farm to farm, which could be challenging in the monitoring/compliance space · The Awards Programme could be used as a vehicle to engage with the farming community, in particular in relation to the current water reforms.
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7. Reports
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Chairperson's Report Key Points: · The catchup with University of Waikato Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Alister Jones had emphasised the financial challenges universities were facing due to the lack of overseas students · Appointment of the Lakes Catchment Chair was progressing. Key Points - Staff: · It was well established practice that Council would have input into the appointment of the Lakes Catchments and Coastal Reserves Chairs.
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That the Regional Council: 1 Receives the report, Chairperson's Report. CARRIED |
10.35am – the meeting adjourned.
10.55am – the meeting reconvened.
Decisions Required
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Partnering with Kiwifruit Vine Health to Control Wild Kiwifruit Presented by: Greg Corbett - Biosecurity Manager, Chris Ingle – General Manager Integrated Catchments and John Mather – Kiwifruit Vine Health. Key Points: · It was a standard requirement for landowners to contribute 25% of removal costs, with some exceptions where a landowner did not contribute/exacerbate the problem · Kiwifruit Vine Health had developed a policy to provide clear guidance and understanding for landowners of their responsibilities and rights with regards to kiwifruit management · 85% of the kiwifruit in New Zealand was grown in the Bay of Plenty, and there was significant issue with wild kiwifruit growing in gullies · Council actively worked with landowners when there was an opportunity to remove various pest plants at the same time, e.g. woolly nightshade/wild kiwifruit. |
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That the Regional Council: 1 Receives the report, Partnering with Kiwifruit Vine Health to control wild kiwifruit. 2 Notes that the Collaboration Agreement for the Management of Wild Kiwifruit commits Council to fund $100,000 per annum, for ten years, to Kiwifruit Vine Health to control wild kiwifruit in the Bay of Plenty; 3 Notes that this amount has been allowed for in the Council’s current biosecurity budget; 4 Notes that Kiwifruit Vine Health, on behalf of the kiwifruit industry, will lead the control of wild kiwifruit across the region and contribute $150,000 per annum; 5 Approves the Collaboration Agreement for the Management of Wild Kiwifruit and authorises the Chief Executive to sign the Agreement on behalf of Council. CARRIED |
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Climate Change Budget 2020/21 Presented by: Chris Ingle – General Manager Integrated Catchments. Key Points: · There was currently no dedicated climate change budget · Staff worked within clear direction that climate change initiatives undertaken by other councils/organisations were not to be duplicated, however there was a need for more overarching scoping work to be carried out at a regional level · Would like to do different streams of works in different parts of the region, in accordance with the individual communities’ needs and wants · The $150,000 opex was a one-off, not an ongoing annual contribution · The funding would be used for climate change initiatives directly related to the Chief Executive’s KPIs. Key Points - Members: · Queried if this was the best use of funds at this stage, recognising that the LTP would require prudency and caution with regards to spending in the climate change space · The request appeared slightly ad-hoc and it might be more suitable to undertake a more detailed discussion within the LTP framework · Recognised the importance of Council working with the community in the climate change space, as Central Government had made its expectation of increased efforts in this area clear · Noted that the Chief Executive’s KPIs were set by Councillors and that the funding request was a result of direction to prioritise climate change initiatives. Staff in Response to Questions: · If the Equalisation Reserve did not generate a surplus in the 2020/21 financial year, the $150,000 would instead be drawn from one of Council’s other unallocated funds · Allocating the $150,000 within existing operational expenditure would mean a reprioritisation of current allocated opex funding 11.38 am – Cr Crosby withdrew from the meeting. |
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That the Regional Council: 1 Receives the report, Climate change budget 2020/21. 2 Approves additional operational expenditure of $150,000 in 2020/21 for climate change initiatives, and this will be funded by General Funds from the Equalisation Reserve. Nees/Rose Proposed Amended Resolution 2: Approves additional operational expenditure of $150,000 in 2020/21 for climate change initiatives, and that this will be funded within existing operational expenditure. Bruning/von Dadelszen
Procedural Motion to Adjourn Debate: That the item of business being discussed be adjourned to the next meeting of Council. Von Dadelszen/Love The procedural motion was PUT and LOST on show of hands
The amendment was PUT and CARRIED New Substantive Motion: 1 Approves additional operational expenditure of $150,000 in 2020/21 for climate change initiatives, and that this will be funded within existing operational expenditure. CARRIED
Division Requested:
For the Motion: Cr Bruning Cr Clark Cr Iti Chairman Leeder Cr McDonald Cr Nees Cr Rose Cr Thurston Cr Von Dadelszen Cr White Cr Winters.
Against the Motion Cr Love.
Absent due to Apology Cr Crosby Cr Thompson.
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Adopt Minor Changes to the Bay of Plenty Regional Navigation Safety Bylaw 2017 Presented by Toni Briggs – Project Manager and Sarah Omundsen – General Manager Regulatory Services Key Points - Members: · The changes needed to be clearly communicated and easily accessible to the wider community. In Response to Questions: · Harbour Master had worked closely with Maritime NZ and the risk of having non-piloted vessels between 250gross tonnes and 500 gross tonnes was considered minimal as it would affect some smaller fishing vessels only. |
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That the Regional Council: 1 Receives the report, Adopt Minor Changes to the Bay of Plenty Regional Navigation Safety Bylaw 2017. 2 Agrees that further regional consultation is not required. 3 Adopts the minor changes to clause 1.1 “Title and commencement” and “Schedule 8 “Pilotage” and “Carriage of the Pilot” as outlined in the report. CARRIED |
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Resolution to exclude the public 1 Excludes the public from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting as set out below: The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under section 48(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:
CARRIED |
12.55 pm – the meeting closed.
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Chairperson, Regional Council