Open Minutes
Commencing: Friday 15 September 2023, 1.00 pm
Venue: Tōtara Room, Whakatāne District Council, Ground floor, Commerce Street, Whakatāne
Chairperson: Cr Malcolm Campbell - Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC), as appointed at the meeting
Deputy Chairperson: Mayor David Moore - Ōpōtiki District Council (ODC), as appointed at the meeting
Members: Cr Jane Nees – BOPRC (via Zoom)
Mayor Faylene Tunui - Kawerau District Council (KDC)
Mayor Victor Luca - Whakatāne District Council (WDC)
Deputy Mayor Lesley Immink - WDC
In Attendance: Stace Lewer – Chief Executive, ODC, Stephanie O’Sullivan – Chief Executive, WDC, presenters – as listed in the minutes
BOPRC: Fiona McTavish – Chief Executive, Chairman Doug Leeder – BOPRC, Namouta Poutasi – General Manager, Strategy and Science, Amanda Namana – Committee Advisor
Apologies: Deputy Mayor Aaron Rangihika (Kawerau District Council)
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That the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee: 1 Accepts the apology from Deputy Mayor Rangihika for absence tendered at the meeting. CARRIED
An apology was also noted for Russell George – Chief Executive, KDC. |
2. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
None declared.
Decisions Required
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Port of Tauranga, Connecting New Zealand and the World Presentation: Port of Tauranga - Company Overview: Objective ID A4490502 ⇨ Presented by: Leonard Sampson - Chief Executive, Port of Tauranga (via Zoom) |
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· Highlighted the Ōpōtiki Harbour Development Project which had opened to fishing and leisure vessels that morning (15 September 2023), and would enable aquaculture growth within the Eastern Bay of Plenty. A collaborative approach was critical to the success of the project. In Response to Questions: · A future site visit requested by members was welcomed at any time it could be mutually scheduled. Agreed to providing introductions and connections for ODC to support their vision by providing contacts to international shipping lines, people in the supply chain and other beneficial opportunities · The forecast timeline for the berth extension was presently unknown and dependent upon the Environment Court’s decision - once consent was granted it would entail a two year construction period to build the new berth. The consent application was for up to 385 metres extension - this would provide capacity for the port to increase from handling 1.2M containers annually, to up to 2.5M containers annually. This capacity was expected to suffice for a minimum of 20-30 years · Average growth rate prior to the Covid-19 pandemic was 7%, no growth in terms of total volume was recorded due to capacity restraints · Sources of PM2.5 were diesel particulates, whilst PM10 sources were mostly attributed to salt spray. New residential monitors would provide a greater level of detail.
Resolved That the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee: 1 Receives the Presentation, Port of Tauranga, Connecting New Zealand and the world. CARRIED |
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Eastern Bay of Plenty - Jiangxi Relationship Tabled Document 1 - Eastern Bay of Plenty - Jiangxi Update: Objective ID A4491854 ⇨ Presented by: Simon Appleton - Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Bridge Global (via Zoom from Jiangxi) |
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· Please see Tabled Document 1 for the update presented to members, along with the prioritised project list and detailed responses to some of the questions raised. Key Points - Members: · Noted the change in membership of the Joint Committee and acknowledged previous relationships. Whakawhanaungatanga needed to be undertaken to rebuild a new relationship · Considered it best to focus on one or two project options and complete them well, rather than undertaking too many to begin with · Acknowledged that internationally there had been a general reluctance to travel following the Covid-19 pandemic, which had taken time to change.
In Response to Questions: · Some political leaders in Jiangxi had changed, although many of the same staff remained · It was unclear if the kapa haka group invitation included travel costs, although this was the case when the offer was first extended prior to the Covid-19 pandemic · Overall, there was a positive feeling toward New Zealanders in Jiangxi, with the country having a good image and receiving largely positive media attention.
Resolved That the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee: 1 Receives the Presentation, Port of Tauranga, Connecting New Zealand and the world[JT1] .
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Toi EDA Update Presentation: Toi EDA Update: Objective ID A4490506 ⇨ Presented by: Donna Perese - Chief Executive Officer |
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· A talent attraction campaign and branding was underway for the Eastern Bay of Plenty, aimed at creating hope and an environment of optimism, along with attracting talent and investment · Developing the brand included partnership and collaboration with government departments, communities and iwi leaders · Provided an update on driver operator training in the Eastern Bay of Plenty · ‘Te Puawaitanga o Te Rangatahi’ was a collaboration between New World supermarkets and high schools to inspire youth and acknowledge achievements · Toi EDA[JT2] had been approached by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to deliver part of the Cyclone Gabrielle relief fund, and was working with 54 Māori businesses affected to support resilience · Outlined strategic aquaculture opportunities in the Bay of Plenty and the workforce development strategy · Work had been undertaken with Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to support Māori land development, including macadamia and avocado orchards · The focus moving forward was on collaboration, sustainability, meaningful transformation and resilience. Key Points - Members: · Considered there was an opportunity to review/develop an update for the Eastern Bay of Plenty economic development strategy to provide a clear vision and direction, and ensure alignment · Acknowledged that some communities were not yet ready for tourism to return, particularly where issues remained relating to a lack of accommodation options following the Covid-19 pandemic e.g. Ōpōtiki.
In Response to Questions: · There was demand for the driver operating training courses, although how and where they were being delivered was a key consideration. |
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Steph O’Sullivan – Chief Executive, WDC - In Response to Questions: · The post-Whakaari tourism recovery fund from MBIE enabled a significant programme of work with WDC collaborating with different providers to strengthen small businesses or seek new product development. This included considering cycleways, adventure tourism, a network of Māori tourism operators, and other key tourism opportunities. |
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Opportunities for Shared Services Presented by: Stace Lewer - Chief Executive, Ōpōtiki District Council and Fiona McTavish – Chief Executive, Bay of Plenty Regional Council |
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· Expressed the desire to look at opportunities to share services and knowledge, strengthen capability, capacity and resilience, whilst ensuring individual identity was retained. One option was a combined Building Consent Authority (BCA) - also noted that any potential shared service was a challenge, taking resourcing and time · Options would be considered and potential coalitions identified, before opportunities were socialised through the Joint Committee as they arose · This initiative aligned with the Future for Local Government Review · A key consideration was when one of the membership councils was unable to obtain workforce for a particular activity · Noted that BOPRC had a Long Term Plan (LTP) activity on shared services. Key Points - Members: · Supported shared services for efficiency and cost effectiveness, provided the purpose was made clear to the public · Noted that the Joint Committee had a future opportunity to invite presenters from Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and/or Kāinga Ora · Cautioned that Eastern Bay of Plenty businesses needed to keep an eye on potential developments around road pricing and the implications of this.
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