3.1

Monitoring and Operations Committee Minutes - 8 June 2021

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Confirms the Monitoring and Operations Committee Minutes - 8 June 2021 as a true and correct record.

Rose/von Dadelszen

CARRIED

4.1

Fish Passage Barrier Remediation Work in the Bay of Plenty Region

Presentation - Rangitāiki Fish Passage 2021: Objective ID A3918438 ⇨  

Presented by: Kelly Hughes, ATS Environmental

Key Points:

·       The fish passage barrier remediation project initially began in the Rangitāiki catchment 4-5 years ago, extending to the wider region in the last 3-4 years.

·       Provided an overview of the status of the project and examples of barriers and remediation types used, noting that survey data had been completed for public roads within the Whakatāne and Kaituna areas and some within the Tauranga harbour.

·       Next steps: continue to remediate identified structures, plan for monitoring cycles, expand the programme and train personnel to build capacity.

·       This work was world leading with modelling technology commissioned to understand and deliver fish passage requirements and exploring the use of eDNA.

·       Mr Hughes and Coastal Catchments Manager Pim de Monchy were considering the potential for a fish care coordinator role to enable better multi-agency/stakeholder coordination and funding across the region.

In Response to Questions:

·       Remediation costs ranged from $173 - $30K, with the majority being low-level remediation under $200. A catchment-road based approach provided substantial cost efficiencies.

·       Scope existed for volunteer care groups to be involved and to provide access to funding on private property, however noted that physical involvement and the need for expertise tools could be a challenge.

·       General Manager Integrated Catchments Chris Ingle advised that the project had been funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature funding, but further funding applications had been unsuccessful.

·       Currently, the $15K funded through the coastal catchments budget was minimal and a bid through the Annual Plan process was being considered to assist with this work.

Key Points - Members:

·       Noted that this work was important to Council, iwi and the community.

5.1

Chairperson's Report

Presented by: Sarah Omundsen and Chair Cr Winters

In Response to Questions:

·       Kaituna Mole upgrade - work was in progress after a two week delay during Covid-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions and anticipated to be completed before Christmas 2021.

·       Water shortage event – granting of resource consent applications for water abstraction would consider the long-term sustainability of the aquifer. Since 2015, consents had included measures for water shortages and if necessary, a notice to cease abstraction could be issued for a short period of time.

·       Changes made to Ballance’s air discharge consent following review of the consent had been based on extensive modelling. The modelling information and changes to consent conditions have been and will be shared with tangata whenua. 

·       The customer service map (on page 28 of the agenda) identified the general distribution of pollution hotline calls during July.

·       FarmIQ Ltd was an external company that had designed a software tool to assist farmers to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NESF). Staff would stay connected with Farm IQ to avoid the doubling up of information requests to landowners.

·       The decision made on Ngāti Tūwharetoa Geothermal Assets’ discharge consent related to the extension of time that the applicant had to continue discharging fluid prior to changing to reinjection, which had been in place for many years.

Key Points - Members:

·       Collective responsibility was needed by regulatory authorities and industry to streamline interaction with farmers and property owners.

·       Collectivisation of data was needed to reduce system duplication for farms.

·       Encouraged a follow-up letter to be sent to farmers early regarding the timeline for the synthetic nitrogen fertiliser requirements.

·       Acknowledged the positive results from the Kaituna River re-diversion and Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi/Maketū estuary enhancement project.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide Cr Nees with details regarding the pollution hotline call at Maketū (refer page 28 of the agenda).

·       A report to a future Monitoring and Operations Committee meeting to provide further understanding regarding Ballance’s consent process and modelling of cumulative discharges.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Chairperson's Report.

Winters/Thurston

CARRIED

5.2

Operational Plan Annual Report 2020-21 and 2021-22 Operational Plan for the Regional Pest Management Plan

Presentation - RPMP 2020/21 Annual Report & 2021/22 Operational Plan: Objective ID A3930056 ⇨  

Presented by: Greg Corbett

Key Points:

·       Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) Appeal Update

o   Parties had reached an agreed position and an Environment Court hearing was scheduled for 22 September 2021.

o   The Court’s decision, including any recommended changes to the RPMP and budget impacts would be reported back to the Committee.

·       2021/21 Annual Report

o   Geopest database would provide for greater management and reporting

o   Overview of key statistics

o   There was increasing pressure from new pests and eDNA was proving useful in catfish surveillance

o   The RPMP was tracking well with 89% of the programme on track

o   Problematic issues: new finds of alligator weed in kiwifruit orchards, noogoora bur, expansion of Asian paddle craps in Ōhiwa harbour, woolly nightshade and wallabies.

o   Crown funding for wallabies and wilding pines was enabling the upscale of surveillance and control.

o   Wallaby update - surveillance had detected populations primarily in the Waikato region. $1M had been spent on surveillance last year, which was largely funded by the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council.

·       2021/22 wallaby surveillance would utilise dogs, cameras and drones primarily within the containment area.

In Response to Questions:

·       Geopest had been developed internally with external consultant support.

·       42 contractors were involved in the wallaby programme during 2021/2021, which would increase going forward with a further 25 FTEs anticipated to assist with control and surveillance work.

·       Regarding tangata whenua participation in working on and around Māori land a number of contractors were prepared to support the involvement of local people in operations, however health and safety risks and associated costs was a key barrier, which also affected other biosecurity work streams.

·       Staff would be holding an initial meeting with representatives from the Ministry for Primary Industries to look at how best to enable tangata whenua participation.

·       Long Term Plan goals and expectations were to eradicate satellite wallaby populations and reduce containment area sizes by 2024.

Key Points - Members:

·       Suggested a level of caution when using metric data from Facebook to report on public awareness as the data could be misleading.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide a report to Komiti Māori on what approaches could be taken to work with Māori landowners wanting to be involved in pest management work.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Operational Plan Annual Report 2020-21 and 2021-22 Operational Plan for the Regional Pest Management Plan 2020-30;

2          Approves the 2021-22 Operational Plan for the Bay of Plenty Regional Pest Management Plan 2020-30.

Bruning/Thurston

CARRIED

5.3

Mount Maunganui Industrial Airshed Update

Presented by: Stephen Mellor and Reece Irving

In Response to Questions:

·       No further testing for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was taking place at the initial investigation site around Whareroa Marae at this stage.

·       Staff were getting prepared for compliance checks for when the new methyl bromide regulations came into effect and initial discussions regarding the new rules had begun with Genera and Port of Tauranga.

·       Staff were focusing on areas for improvement in relation to odour complaints and were looking at the potential use of new technology.

·       Councils and agencies were working collaboratively with the Mount Maunganui Air Quality Working Party community and Iwi members, and progress was heading in a positive direction.

·       Health representation on the Working Party consisted of the Medical Officer of Health from Toi Te Ora Public Health, the Chief Executive of the BOPDHB and the Chief Executive of the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation.

Key Points - Members:

·       An application had been made to the EPA 5-7 years ago for the use of ethanedrinitrile (EDN) as an alternative to methyl bromide for which a number of industries had been awaiting an outcome.

·       Multiple agencies were involved in continuing the use of methyl bromide.

·       Commended the work of community representatives and industry in regard to putting in place amenity and screen planting.

·       Noted dissatisfaction regarding the lack of analysis and priority being given to health impacts for Whareroa Marae residents and the wider community, and looked forward to discussions being held with MfE representatives.

·       BOPDHB had been challenged to be more proactive on Mount Maunganui Airshed issues.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide a detailed report at the next Committee meeting on methyl bromide use around Aotearoa New Zealand, to include the percentage of logs at other ports and method of fumigation.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Mount Maunganui Industrial Airshed Update.

Thurston/von Dadelszen

CARRIED

5.4

Consents Annual Report

Presented by:  Reuben Fraser and Nick Barnes

Cr Bruning had declared an interest in relation to this item and did not participate in discussion and voting.

Key Points:

·       2020/21 had been a busy and successful year in regard to statutory timeframes, customer satisfaction and involvement on a range of activity and issues.

In Response to Questions:

·       Overall quality of applications had significantly improved as a result of liaison with external consultants and improvements to application forms.

·       Key learnings and highlights from Consents team meetings held on marae were the building of relationships with tangata whenua, understanding their aspirations, work, challenges and perspectives on how the consent process could be improved.

·       While the numbers of customers completing the satisfaction survey were low, they were comparatively higher than other councils and staff were investigating ways to make improvements to the response rate.

·       Regarding the fast track consent for constructing and operating a boat harbour on the Whakatāne river, the timeframe for a decision from the Environmental Protection Agency was currently unknown.

Key Points - Members:

·       Congratulated staff on the improvement regarding meeting the statutory timeframes and processing of applications.

·       Noted interest in the future progress and emphasis that was being placed on building the quality of relationship and involvement of tangata whenua within the consent process.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide further detail on the number of consents in the Western Bay of Plenty area and progress of long standing consents.  

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Consents Annual Report.

White/Nees

CARRIED

5.5

Climate Change Programme Reporting

Presented by: Laverne Mason and Jane Palmer

Key Points:

·       Activities taking place were aligned to the approved Climate Change Action Plan.

In Response to Questions:

·       Bay Trust Nature Carbon Project was a local carbon offsetting scheme that businesses could use to offset carbon emissions. The project had come via the Long Term Plan (LTP) submission process with budget approved to support the setup of the project.

·       Council and territorial local authorities (TLAs) were conducting a regional risk assessment to form a regional perspective on an adaptation approach. A pilot study had been completed with next steps to appoint consultants to undertake the work.

·       An update of the 2015/16 BOP regional carbon footprint study would be provided following the project’s completion and would include a sub-regional breakdown of transport and primary industry emissions. Staff were seeking to cover a three year period from 2018/19 - 2020/21 within the project’s scope that would incorporate pre Covid-19 insights.   

·       Staff were awaiting the imminent release of Central Government’s emissions reduction plan to analyse and understand potential implications.

·       The Te Arawa Kaupapa Māori Pilot had been very effective and was being used as an example to other iwi/hapū of how it could be applied. Other iwi had shown interest in Te Arawa’s approach and staff were working to assist and facilitate this mahi. Next steps would be to incorporate the pilot’s findings into the regional risk assessment.

·       Community engagement was being addressed through the programme’s communications plan and action plan. Incorporated in the community engagement action plan was the FutureFit carbon footprint tool project that communities could use to create specific projects to help action by community. This project was not currently underway, but would be supported by Council and the TLAs with the vision of being a strong community platform going forward.

·       LTP submissions from tangata whenua were primarily being incorporated into the adaptation work. Funding had been recently released on Council’s website, inviting expressions of interest for iwi-community led climate change adaptation and risk assessment responses. Tangata whenua LTP submitters had been notified of the initial funding that was available. No other specific work was currently occurring to build on relationships with the submitters, which would need to be built into the programme and considered as part of future budget and resourcing.

Key Points - Members:

·       Noted the need to engage and push information out to the general public on making a difference in the climate change space.

·       Suggested that staff link in with initiatives being undertaken by Te Arawa Lakes Trust.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide information in future reporting on TLA strategies and action plans that were being developed outside of the regional risk assessment.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Climate Change Programme Reporting.

Nees/Rose

CARRIED

5.6

Environmental Code of Practice for Rivers & Drainage Maintenance Activities - 2021 Annual Review

Presented by:  Chris Ingle and Bruce Crabbe

Key Points:

·       Key highlight areas for the Rivers & Drainage team activity was:

o   Incorporating habitat restoration, fish passage and native planting as part of routine work

o   Increased and improved collaboration with hapū/iwi and liaison to incorporate Mātauranga Māori within river schemes work

o   Incorporating ‘making room for the river’ principles where appropriate

o   Overall, over 1,400 works were completed within the last financial year

o   19 complaints had been received.

·       Director Strategic Engagement Kataraina O’Brien acknowledged there were a number of historical iwi/hapū management plans. Staff had a project to support the review of these plans with iwi/hapū, which Council had budget to assist with. Third generation plans would also consider the inclusion of emerging issues, such as climate  change, legislative reforms and spatial plans.

Key Points - Members:

·       Quality engagement could be challenging, time limited and resource constrained for iwi/hapū, therefore recommended that staff look at ways to combine engagement on various matters of relevance.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Environmental Code of Practice for Rivers & Drainage Maintenance Activities - 2021 Annual Review.

Bruning/White

CARRIED

5.7

Rivers and Drainage, Operational and Capital Works 2020-21

Presented by:  Chris Ingle and Paula Chapman

Key Points:

·       2020/21 Rivers & Drainage capital works programme was a significant piece of work associated with flood repair, river scheme maintenance, climate resilience and other capital works.

In Response to Questions:

·       Delivery of 74% of capital programme work was reflective of multi-year and multi-faceted projects that could be affected by various reasons such as winter delays and consent processes. Therefore, it was important to look at these projects across the scope of the entire project.

·       Climate resilience projects were multi-year projects that were brought forward to meet Central Government funding with ambitious timelines.

·       Regarding programmed work underspends:

o   The April 2017 flood repair project underspend was due to savings made as a result of low priority jobs self-healing.

o   Multi-year project underspends would carry forward into the new financial year

o   Waioeka Estuary restoration project was a shovel ready project with an ambitious completion date that had been delayed by land purchase negotiations.

o   A few capital items had had some slippage, with large multi-year projects that tended to skew the percentage results.

Items for Staff Follow Up:

·       Provide councillors an update on SmartGrowth development and growth modelling in the Western Bay/Kaituna catchment area that would be used to help inform the Te Puke Stormwater modelling project.

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Receives the report, Rivers and Drainage, Operational and Capital Works 2020-21.

von Dadelszen/Leeder

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/Thurston

CARRIED

7.1

Agenda Item 10.2 - Rotoiti/Rotomā Sewerage Reticulation Scheme Project Background and Update

Attachments - Public Excluded Agenda Item 10.2 - Report, Attachment and Presentation (Released into Open): Objective ID A3934337 ⇨  

Resolved

That the Monitoring and Operations Committee:

1          Confirms that the report, its attachment and PowerPoint presentation be released to the public following the meeting.

Winters/White

CARRIED