Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Accepts the apology from Cr Lyall Thurston tendered at the meeting.

von Dadelszen/Rose

CARRIED

4.1

Monitoring and Operations Committee Minutes - 15 September 2020

Matters Arising

·         In regards to the Whakarewarewa forest spray irrigation, the application to direct discharge into Lake Rotorua had been withdrawn.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Confirms the Monitoring and Operations Committee Minutes - 15 September 2020 as a true and correct record, subject to the following amendments:

Iti/Clark

CARRIED

5.1

Port of Tauranga - Dust Management Underway

Presentation - Particulate matter mitigation: Objective ID A3701674 ⇨  

Port of Tauranga Environmental Manager Joey McKenzie, supported by Property and Infrastructure Manager Dan Kneebone presented this item.

Key Points

·         The presentation centred around Mount Maunganui wharf side of the Port of Tauranga as that was where air quality issues relating to dust arose

·         Reinforced the Port’s commitment to ensure a healthy environment around the Port

·         The Port would be involved in the new Mount Maunganui Air Quality Working Party moving forward.

Key Points - Members

·         Recognised the efforts of the Port in regards to environmental standards and mitigating dust.

In Response to Questions

·         There was no split between loading methods for methyl bromide treatments

·         Was looking at options to help facilitate a greater use of trailers

·         Three contracted sweeper trucks worked during peak times from Monday to Friday with reduced requirement on the weekends, and this was constantly reviewed to ensure appropriate coverage.  Port users undertaking dusty activities were required to have their own sweeper trucks

·         There were virtually no unsealed yards at the Port, with the exception of the  section of grass on Waimarie Street and the KiwiRail land adjacent to the Port where the yards were unsealed

·         Invited members to visit the Port and see the dust management mitigation measures firsthand.

5.2

Introduction to Maritime Summer 2021 and new Harbourmaster

Presentation - Harbourmaster update: Objective ID A3701676 ⇨  

Harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters presented this item.

Key Points:

·            Had held the role of Harbourmaster for just one month and outlined background and working history

·            Described the activities and functions of the maritime team and each vessel in the fleet

·            One of the biggest roles of the maritime team was ensuring the safety of the community on the water, with education being an important part of this

·            There were two patrol boats in the Tauranga harbour educating and regulating people, there were also a similar team in charge of the same function in the lakes

·            2021 summer was predicted to be one of the busiest on record as there had already been an 83% increase of the number of interactions on the water compared with the same time last year

·            People from other regions were largely unaware of local maritime rules, speeds and regulations

·            All patrol boat interactions were recorded on camera.

Key Points – Members

·             Expressed concern over the safety of crossing the Ōpōtiki bar and the jet ski speeds in Ōhiwa Harbour over summer when the tourist population increased.

In Response to Questions

·            Will be more involved with iwi in regards to water safety.

6.1

Chairperson's Report

Chair Cr Winters presented this item.

In Response to Questions:

·            There would be a new bar camera installed in Ōpōtiki once the harbour project was completed

·            Laboratory samples were prioritised if the results were urgent or the sample could deteriorate, some samples took a long time to go through the analysis process

·            There were different levels of service for different levels of water treatment.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·             Reports to come to 2021 Monitoring and Operations Committee:

o    How to progress Marae OSET work across the sub-regions, how it might get phased, what the outcomes would be and the cost for doing the work

o    Update on the joint project between NZ Avocado, NZKGI and BOPRC water takes (refer Page 27 of the agenda) regarding removing seasonal restrictions on water take consents

·            Staff to investigate the viability of creating an App for reporting to the Pollution hotline.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

Winters/Rose

CARRIED

6.2

Mount Maunganui Industrial Area Update

Tabled Document 1 - Mount Maunganui Air Quality Working Party minutes - 7 December 2020: Objective ID A3701738 ⇨  

Senior Regulatory Project Officer Reece Irving and Compliance Manager: Urban, Industry and Response Stephen Mellor presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

·            A cooperative approach to finding a solution to the air quality problems the public were experiencing was high priority

·            There was still a long way to go in achieving this and there were challenges to the further investigation required.

In Response to Questions:

·            The air monitor at Blake Park only monitored Total Suspended Particles (TSP) so the data received from this monitor was an indicator only, and options for including PM₁₀ were being considered, along with the logistics and viability of this

·            Over the next three to six months, staff would be working on an Action Plan to identify how all parts of the organisation contributed to improving air quality.  This would form an important part of community messaging around the consents process and how this contributed to the overall air quality.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Mount Maunganui Industrial Area Update.

Crosby/Nees

CARRIED

6.3

Rotorua Airshed Boundary Extension

Presentation - Rotorua Airshed and adjacent subdivisions map: Objective ID A3688101 ⇨  

Senior Regulatory Project Officer Marion Henton and Compliance Manager: Urban, Industry and Response Stephen Mellor presented this item.

Key Points:

·            The black outline on the map defined the current boundary of the Rotorua Airshed

·            The role of the Rotorua Air Quality Working Party was to seek and encourage a reduction in particulate matter within its boundary

·            The Working Party wanted to protect the air quality gains already made and prevent new sources of particulate matter flowing into the Airshed

·            Concern was raised over smoke from woodburners installed in new subdivisions just outside of the existing Airshed boundaries, affecting the air quality within the Airshed and increasing the  concentration level of particulate matter

·            Rotorua Lakes Council was unable to restrict woodburner consent applications outside of the Airshed boundary.

In Response to Questions:

·            Although the Airshed boundary had to be defined, the Strategy and Policy Committee could work with Rotorua Lakes Council to future proof any scheduled developments.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Rotorua Airshed Boundary Extension;

2           Recommends to the Strategy and Policy Committee that the Rotorua Airshed boundary be extended to include any subdivisions that could contribute additional particulate matter into the Rotorua Airshed.

Rose/von Dadelszen

CARRIED

6.4

Focus Catchments update

Presentation - Focus Catchments Update: Objective ID A3701679 ⇨  

Principal Advisor, Land and Water Jackson Efford presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

·         Commended the work and especially the focussed approach on specific catchments

·         Would like to see more financial reporting around what was being invested in different focus catchments, percentages on funding to landowners and what monitoring plans were in place to measure success of interventions

·         Climate change reporting to identify what carbon was being sequestered through the planting programme.  This type of information being captured and collated across the organisation would be valuable to identify the real impacts of all planting work carried out.

In Response to Questions:

·         A large amount of work had been undertaken at Kaiate Falls including 10km of new fencing erected over the past season to keep stock away from waterways above the Falls

·         Jobs for Nature funding from the Ministry for the Environment would greatly increase the amount of work being undertaken in focus catchment programmes

·         There had been no supply issues so far with fencing, and plants could be ordered ahead to be grown on contract although contractor availability had been an issue in some of the more remote areas

·         All councils were working on standardising the best measure of swimmability.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Focus Catchments update.

Bruning/Clark

CARRIED

6.5

Rivers and Drainage Update

Rivers and Drainage Assets Manager Kirsty Brown presented this item.

In Response to Questions:

·            Kaituna scheme classification review was due to go out for tender in early 2021, with works beginning around April 2021

·            Sheetpiles had been manufactured for the Kaituna Mole repair project, but due to shipping issues they were not expected to arrive until February 2021

·            The fishing area at this location would be closed during the works and the public would be notified

·            The Bell Road catchment was included in the review

·            Rock procurement meetings were progressing according to plan.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Rivers and Drainage Update.

White/von Dadelszen

CARRIED

6.6

Annual Care Group Summary Report

Presentation - Care Groups 2020 summary: Objective ID A3701684 ⇨  

Team Leader Western Catchments Rusty Knutson presented this item.

Key Points:

·            Regional Council support comprised funding, pest management tools, plants for restoration and technical advice

·            Highlights for the year included:

o   Groups stayed active despite the Covid-19 outbreak and achieved excellent results across the region

o   A mobile GIS mapping App had been developed mostly in-house and was used by groups to plot their traplines, report their pest catches and to visually see the outcomes of their mahi.  This App was to be formally released in 2021

·            There had been an increase in engagement noted from landowners within some of the focus catchment groups which had generated funding requests.

Key Points - Members:

·            Commended the work of the care groups and expressed appreciation for the valuable work they did in the community.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Annual Care Group Summary Report.

Nees/Love

CARRIED

6.7

2019/2020 Regulatory Compliance Activity Report

Presentation - Regulatory Compliance Activity: Objective ID A3701687 ⇨  

Compliance Manager – Primary, Industry and Enforcement Alex Miller and Compliance Manager – Urban, Industry and Response Stephen Mellor presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

·            Suggested a more customer-centric approach to regulatory compliance.

In Response to Questions:

·            Reporting complaints through the pollution hotline was valuable in escalating enforcement action

·            There was a dedicated triage role within the team for complaints across the Bay of Plenty, which was a recent addition

·            A high number of substantiated complaints were in relation to air quality

·            Stormwater ponds across the region were monitored by the  relevant TAs and they were required to report to BOPRC who could ensure they were meeting the required limits and obligations within their consent

·            The capacity for coordination of the three waters portfolio is expanding

·            Municipal wastewater significant and moderate non-compliance:

o   Currently the most significant was in Kawerau, for which enforcement had been undertaken by issuing a number of abatement and infringement notices and further investigation was being carried out

o   A particular type of monitoring required on integrity of the pipeline from the Katikati treatment plant was unable to go ahead, but staff are working with iwi and community groups to reach a compromise.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, 2019/2020 Regulatory Compliance Activity Report.

Nees/Crosby

CARRIED

6.8

Pāpāmoa Hills Upgrade Project - Te Uku o Takakopiri

Senior Projects Officer (Coastal Catchments) Courtney Bell and General Manager Integrated Catchments Chris Ingle presented this item.

Key Points - Members:

·            The current carpark was often at 90% capacity and that Pāpāmoa Hills Park was becoming a viable alternative to Mauao for the public

·            Neighbouring landowners needed to be engaged with during the design phase

·            Cautioned that it was important to achieve sign off by parties at each step of the design process when consulting with tangata whenua, particularly with regards to signage.

In Response to Questions:

·            Health and safety had been a key consideration in relation to cars entering and exiting the carpark and trucks using the quarry - the new carpark location would address this issue

·            Pāpāmoa Hills has had a revegetation plan since 2007

·            Additional funding had not been sought from the Crown from the One Billion Trees fund but could potentially be used to offset costs associated with the approximately 30,000 trees and shrubs currently being planted annually

·            There was potential to accelerate the planting plan in place, though this would have increased operational and maintenance costs.

Minute Note: Subsequent to the meeting the following information within the report was corrected: The land was jointly purchased by BOPRC, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council in 2004 with BOPRC buying out the other two owners and effectively becoming the sole owner in 2007.

12:34 pm - Cr Rose entered the meeting.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Pāpāmoa Hills Upgrade Project - Te Uku o Takakopiri.

2           Endorses the attached project concept document that has been co-designed with, and endorsed by, tangata whenua.

3           Directs staff to proceed to detailed design, updating of cost estimates and commencing procurement planning for construction starting in 2021.

4           Nominates Cr Crosby, Cr Nees and Cr Bruning to a Working Party to be part of the detailed design process alongside tangata whenua.

Iti/White

CARRIED

6.9

Resource Consents Process: Customer Service Deep Dive Insights and Next Steps

Consents Manager Reuben Fraser presented this item.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1           Receives the report, Resource Consents Process: Customer Service Deep Dive Insights and Next Steps.

2           Confirms the public be excluded on the grounds set out in the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 from consideration of the following report attachments:

(a)   Regional Council - Guts (consultants) under Section 48(1)(a)(i) Section 7 (2)(a) as withholding the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons and that this attachment remain in Public Excluded.

(b)   Regional Council - Guts (Tangata Whenua) under Section 48(1)(a)(i) Section 7 (2)(a) as withholding the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons and that this attachment remain in Public Excluded.

Rose/Thompson

CARRIED

Resolved

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:

White/Nees

CARRIED

7.1

Resource Consents Process: Customer Service Deep Dive Insights and Next Steps (Continued)

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1       Supports the rollout of new guidance material specifying timeframes and indicative costs for tangata whenua engagement.

Rose/Crosby

CARRIED

Resolved

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:

Rose/Crosby

CARRIED