Open Minutes
Commencing: Tuesday 25 June 2024, 9.30am
Venue: Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga, and via Zoom (Audio Visual Meeting)
Chairperson: Cr Paula Thompson
Deputy Chairperson: Cr Kat Macmillan
Members: Cr Stuart Crosby
Cr Toi Kai Rākau Iti
Chairman Doug Leeder
Cr Matemoana McDonald
Cr Jane Nees (Via Zoom)
Cr Ron Scott
Cr Lyall Thurston
Cr Andrew von Dadelszen
Cr Te Taru White (Via Zoom)
Cr Kevin Winters (Via Zoom)
In Attendance: Staff: Fiona McTavish – Chief Executive; Namouta Poutasi – General Manager, Strategy and Science; Reuben Fraser – General Manager, Regulatory Services; Stephen Lamb - Natural Resources Policy Manager; Nicki Green – Principal Advisor Policy and Planning; Nassah Rolleston-Steed – Principal Advisor, Policy and Planning; Karen Parcell – Team Leader Kaiwhakatinana; Dean Howie – Programme Manager, Regional Economic Development; Reece Irving - Senior Regulatory Project Officer; Kathy Thiel-Lardon – Environmental Engineering Team Leader; Arsalan Karim – Planner; Merinda Pansegrouw – Committee Advisor
Apologies: Cr Malcolm Campbell, Cr Ken Shirley
1. Chairperson’s Opening Statement
Chairperson Cr Paula Thompson opened the meeting and reminded those present that the meeting was being livestreamed and recorded and that the recording would be available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Toi Moana (BOPRC) YouTube channel following the meeting.
Recording link: Strategy and Policy Committee Meeting - 25 June 2024
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1 Accepts the apologies from Councillors Campbell and Shirley tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
1. Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
None declared.
Minutes to be Confirmed
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Strategy and Policy Committee Minutes - 9 April 2024 |
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1 Confirms the Strategy and Policy Committee Minutes - 9 April 2024 as a true and correct record. CARRIED |
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Operating Environment Presented by: Namouta Poutasi - General Manager, Strategy and Science Stephen Lamb - Natural Resources Policy Manager In Response to Questions · Confirmed that, as part of the operating environment, partnerships/relationships with territorial local authorities/central government, were a priority; staff were working closely with all partners throughout their respective long term plan processes/joint projects · Provided an update on progress regarding the Select Committee Inquiry into Climate Adaptation. · Te Uru Kahika (TUK) Submission: TUK had lodged a comprehensive submission with a refined terms of reference focussing on: Resource Management Bill 1 (general matters)/Climate Change Adaptation/Coastal Permits for Marine Farms/Water Services Bill. The submission on the Resource Management Bill had been circulated to members, requesting urgent feedback · Summarised the key points to be considered as part of the wider sector submissions from TUK and the Aotearoa Climate Adaptation Network as follows: seeking co-investment in climate resilient infrastructure/seeking clarity around liability and roles/seeking alignment of tools/seeking legislative consistency/ensuring partnering with Māori/iwi and ensuring a strong data research component to support the prioritisation framework. Had circulated this submission as part of previous correspondence; staff undertook to recirculate a copy to members. Key Points - Members · Expressed concerns regarding intensive winter grazing/sloped land; requested further opportunity to comment/provide feedback into the TUK submission process · Enquired about the latest direction/requirements from central government regarding the zoning of land/availability of Tier One land for residential capacity · Noted the delay in the signing of the Te Whānau a Apanui Deed of Settlement.
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1 Receives the report, Operating Environment. CARRIED |
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National Planning Standards Compliant Regional Policy Statement Presented by: Nassah Rolleston-Steed - Principal Advisor, Policy and Planning Karen Parcell - Team Leader Kaiwhakatinana Stephen Lamb - Natural Resources Policy Manager Key Points - Members · Pointed out that converting the operative Bay of Plenty Regional Policy Statement (RPS) structure and format to give effect to the National Planning Standards (Standards) had increased the document by up to 200 pages, making it less user friendly than the current document · Acknowledged the challenging work undertaken by staff in aligning the document with the new planning framework · Acknowledged that there had been no amendments to policy content/objectives/method; however, did raise some concerns; was seeking an opportunity for further discussion with staff on matters relating to: o Alignment of explanations with various policies and methods/ integrated management sections to ensure user friendly navigation for readers o Minor typographical/reference corrections o Overlap between some sections · Were supportive of deferring the report to a future meeting to enable members and staff to have further discussions on streamlining the conversion.
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1. Receives the report, National Planning Standards Compliant Regional Policy Statement; 2. Defers consideration of the report “National Planning Standards Compliant Regional Policy Statement” to the Strategy and Policy Committee scheduled for 17 September 2024, to enable Elected Members the opportunity to provide further comment/input. CARRIED |
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Policy on Dangerous, Earthquake-prone and Flood-prone Dams Presented by: Nassah Rolleston-Steed - Principal Advisor, Policy and Planning Arsalan Karim - Planner Kathy Thiel-Lardon – Environmental Engineering Team Leader Reece Irving - Senior Regulatory Project Officer Key Points · Building Dam Safety Regulations 2022 (the Act) had come into effect on 13 May 2024 · Regulations required Regional Council to adopt a policy on Dangerous, Earthquake-prone and Flood-prone dams within 3 months (rather than the anticipated 18 months) of the regulations coming into effect · Regulations had prompted all councils to revise the regulatory framework of their existing policy on dangerous dams by defining classifiable dams and shifting the responsibility (from Council to dam owners) to classify dams and provide certification for dam classification, safety assurance program and annual compliance · Was seeking approval of the Draft Policy and Statement of Proposal for public notification between 26 June and Monday 29 July 2024 · Sought appointment of a Hearings Sub-Committee to hear submissions, deliberate and make recommendations to the Strategy and Policy Committee. In Response to Questions · For the purposes of the Act, a classifiable dam meant a dam that had a height of 4 or more metres and stored 20,000m3 or more volume of water · Confirmed that the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) had changed the definition of a classifiable dam – excluding dams under 4 metres from being subject to the dam safety regulations; consequently removing the majority of farming type bunds to not be captured under this policy. (Detention dams were generally limited to 10,000m3 volume/1.5m high, or 5,000m3 volume/2.5m high) · Learnings from past experiences, such as the 1987 Edgecombe Earthquake, were continuously captured in new policies/guidelines and standards · Confirmed that there were currently no dams within the region classified as dangerous that were near major centres of population. A process to review all dams would form part of the implementation of the new regulations. Staff are aware of three older dams within the region that had been built without engineering specifications; these had no population base downstream; staff were currently working with landowners to identify appropriate measures going forward.
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1 Receives the report, Draft Policy on Dangerous, Earthquake-prone and Flood-prone Dams; 2 Approves the Draft Bay of Plenty Regional Policy on Dangerous, Earthquake-prone and Flood-prone Dams; 3 Approves the process and timeframes for the review and adoption of the Bay of Plenty Dangerous, Earthquake-Prone and Flood-Prone Dams policy; 4 Establishes a Hearing Sub-Committee pursuant to Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002, for the purpose of hearing and deliberating on submissions and making recommendations to the Strategy and Policy Committee; 5 Approves the Terms of Reference for the Hearing Sub-Committee; 6 Appoints at least three members to the Hearing Sub-Committee for the purposes set out in 4 above: (i) Cr Jane Nees (ii) Cr Kat Macmillan (iii) Cr Ron Scott (iv) Cr Stuart Crosby; and 7 Confirms the decision has a medium level of significance as determined by the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. Council has identified and assessed different options and considered community views as part of making the decision, in proportion to the level of significance. CARRIED |
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Proposed Change 6 (NPS-UD) - Appeals Sub-committee Terms of Reference Presented by: Nassah Rolleston-Steed - Principal Advisor, Policy and Planning.
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1. Receives the report, Proposed Change 6 (NPS-UD) - Appeals Sub-committee Terms of Reference; 2. Approves the draft Terms of Reference for the RPS Change 6 (NPS-UD) Appeals Sub-committee, including any amendments made at this meeting; and 3. Delegates authority to the General Manager, Strategy and Science the ability to appoint replacement Appeals Sub-committee members if a situation arises where an existing member must stand down. CARRIED |
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Circular Economy for the Western Bay of Plenty Presented by: Dean Howie – Programme Manager, Regional Economic Development Reece Irving – Senior Regulatory Project Officer Key Points · Report had identified opportunities to assist key sectors in the Western Bay of Plenty subregion with moving towards more circular economy principles and activities · Focus was on three target sectors: construction and demolition; health care and food and beverage · Based on the findings to guide Regional Council’s role in promoting circular economy practices across the region, the first focus area is engagement with the construction and demolition sector · Since completion of the report, further opportunities to address waste in the kiwi fruit industry and food wastage in parts of the health sector had been identified. In Response to Questions · In terms of the allocation of timeframes to complete initiatives, progress would be dependent on availability of resources. With the forthcoming completion of Long Term Plan processes, staff would be able to identify and progress actions based on available capacity · Staff would continue to engage with the Central North Island Waste Liaison Group and territorial authorities across the wider region to explore and support circular economy and waste minimisation initiatives · Noted that coordination regarding waste management with both the Dentistry and Aged Care/Rest Home Industries remained a challenge due to the lack of a centralised body to liaise with.
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That the Strategy and Policy Committee: 1. Receives the report, Circular Economy for the Western Bay of Plenty. CARRIED |
10:24 am – the meeting closed.
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Chairperson, Strategy and Policy Committee