Open Minutes
Commencing: Friday 16 August 2024, 09:30AM
Chairperson: Mayor Tania Tapsell – Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC)
Deputy Chairperson: Deputy Chairperson Victor Luca – Whakatāne District Council (WDC)
Members: Mayor David Trewavas – Taupō District Council (TDC) via Zoom
Deputy Chairperson Jane Nees – Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC)
Mayor Mahé Drysdale – Tauranga City Council (TCC)
Mayor Faylene Tunui – Kawerau District Council (KDC)
Mayor David Moore – Ōpōtiki District Council (ODC)
Mayor James Denyer – Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC)
In Attendance: Staff: David Bewley – Acting Chief Executive WDC; Namouta Poutasi - General Manager Strategy & Science BOPRC; Marty Grenfell - Chief Executive TCC; John Holyoake - Chief Executive WBOPDC; Julie Gardyne - Chief Executive TDC - via Zoom; Morgan Godfery - Chief Executive KDC; Andrew Moraes - Chief Executive RLC; Rachael Davie – Deputy Chief Executive WBOPDC; Tone Nerdrum Smith – Senior Advisor Governance BOPRC
Presenters as listed in the minutes
Livestreaming Statement
Mayor Tapsell advised those present in Chambers and via Zoom that the meeting was being recorded and that the recording would be made available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website following the meeting Mayoral Forum Recording 16 August 2024 - YouTube
A karakia was provided by Mayor Tania Tapsell.
1. Apologies
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That the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum: 1 Accepts the apologies from Chairman Doug Leeder, Chief Executive Fiona McTavish and Chief Executive Stace Lewer tendered at the meeting. CARRIED |
2. Minutes
Minutes to be Confirmed
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Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum Minutes - 3 May 2024 |
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That the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum: 1 Confirms the Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum Minutes - 3 May 2024 as a true and correct record. CARRIED |
3. Presentations and Verbal Updates
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Introduction and Welcome to Tauranga City Council Mayor Mahé Drysdale |
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Mayor Tapsell welcomed the new Tauranga City Council Mayor, Mahé Drysdale, to the Mayoral Forum table. Key Points – Mayor Drysdale: · Current focus was to build a cohesive and well-functioning team of councillors · Recognised the exciting opportunities ahead for Tauranga and the wider region · Getting ‘stuck in’ was the priority for the next few weeks. |
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United Nations' Decade for Healthy Aging Presentation Carole Gordon - Mayoral Forum 16 August 2024 pdf: Objective ID A4744761 ⇨ Presented by: Carole Gordon - Strategic Advisor to the Aotearoa New Zealand UN Decade of Healthy Ageing Forum |
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· A generation of baby boomers would reach the age of 80 in 2026 · Tauranga was the highest aging major city in New Zealand · Important that councils prioritised healthy aging in its strategic planning · Noted the symposium on silver economy organised jointly with SmartGrowth some years ago. Key Points - Members: · Recognised the importance and value of the work being undertaken. |
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Positive Money NZ: Local Water Financing Done Well Presentation Positive Money NZ - Mayoral Forum 16 August 2024 pdf: Objective ID A4756649 ⇨ Presented by: Martin Taylor and Cliff Hall - Positive Money NZ |
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An introduction of this item was provided by Mayor Luca. Key Points: · Positive Money NZ was an advocacy group committed to fair funding initiatives and solutions · Concerned about the financial burden of the new Local Water Done Well regime that was being placed on local authorities by central government · Water infrastructure should be retained in local ownership/control · Affordability was a real and significant issue in all sectors · Setting up an institutional framework meant the funding model could also be utilised for future projects · Recognised the ‘too good to be true’ factor/thinking, and the concerns surrounding access to funding and the potential impact on ratepayer debt levels · The model had operated successfully abroad for a number of years with a cross-party approach · Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) issued debt, unlike private borrowing, meaning that if the debt was not repaid, a commissioner (rather than a private receiver) would work with the Water Entities to identify a viable way forward · Also advocated that the reserve bank could become a ‘light-handed’ overseer · Focus had been on addressing the financing, i.e. less costly debt, to support the central government proposed water structure · Inclusion of the Infrastructure Commission in the model would ensure consistency and larger scale investment in infrastructure, rather than each Council competing for the same delivery at the same time. It would also provide a pipeline of work for infrastructure providers · Recognised that there often was an aspirational wish list for infrastructure development from each council · Agreed that the financing model should not remove financial/asset control from the councils · There could be an opportunity for councils to go directly to the Reserve Bank for borrowing, i.e. straight to stage five of the model. Key Points - Members: · Recognised the innovative approach to a challenging and ongoing issue · Queried a model where a Council Controlled Organisation (CCO) acted as the guarantor, which meant the debt would ultimately sit with the parent council · Recognised that although it was different groups who paid the debt, i.e. ratepayer vs taxpayers, the costs were still carried by the same residents · Recognised the similarities with the current Waka Kotahi NZTA model, which was causing some frustration for councils as it meant they lost authority over local/regional projects. Action/Next Steps: · Summary/narrative to further explain the proposed funding model to be provided so it could be forwarded to all the councils. |
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Update on Youth Councils Across the Bay of Plenty (Presentations/Roundtable Discussion) Presentation Mayor Tapsell - Youth Council - Mayoral Forum 16 August 2024 pdf: Objective ID A4756676 ⇨ This item was led by Mayor Tania Tapsell - RLC |
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· Had started her political career at RLC’s Youth Council · If there was an appetite for youth councils, this was the time to commence the process for 2025 · The development of the Rotorua Lake waterfront playground was done in high level of participation between RLC and local youth · Civic education and leadership development were valuable outcomes of youth councils · Many councils in New Zealand had youth councils · Youth council applications normally attracted rangatahi in their final year of college, which often meant multi-term participation, i.e. beyond 12 months · The RLC youth council tended to include representation from a variety of schools across the district, supporting interaction and creating connections otherwise not occurring · Youth council participation occurred at a time when rangatahi were actively choosing their personal and professional pathway, and the positive impact was tangible. Key Points - Members: · KDC had supported its youth council initiative since 2008 · Different councils applied varying programmes and models to involve youth, e.g. BOPRC ran summer assistant programmes that had tangible and positive impacts · Noted the various councils internship programmes with slightly older youth, that provided significant benefits both to those involved and the councils. Action/Next Steps: · KDC youth council video to be distributed to members. |
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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:
2 That Nigel Tutt - Priority One and David Caselli and Justin Kimberly - both RotoruaNZ be permitted to stay in the public excluded section of the meeting due to their knowledge of the matter under discussion, being Regional Infrastructure Funding. CARRIED |
A karakia was provided by Mayor Tania Tapsell.
1.20 pm – the meeting closed.
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Chairperson, Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum