Agenda of Ordinary Council Meeting - Monday, 15 November 2021

Ordinary Council meeting Minutes

26 October 2021

UNCONFIRMED

MINUTES

Ordinary Council meeting

Tuesday, 26 October 2021

Order of Business

1 Opening Karakia. 3

2 Apologies. 3

3 Public Forum.. 3

4 Acceptance of late items. 3

5 Confidential business to be transferred into the open. 3

6 Change to the order of business. 3

7 Confirmation of Minutes. 4

7.1 Minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 October 2021. 4

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest 4

9 Deputations, Presentations, Petitions. 4

Nil

10 Recommendations from Other Committees. 4

Nil

11 Business. 4

11.2 Civic Redevelopment Programme Progress Report 4

11.1 Submission to Discussion Document on Proposed Changes to the Wetland Regulations. 5

Takedn second. 5

12 Discussion of Late Items. 6

13 Public excluded session. 7

13.1 Public Excluded Minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 October 2021. 8

13.2 Ohauiti Site Access Assessment: Option Identification and Evaluation. 8

13.3 Land Acquisition - Kennedy Road. 9

14 Closing Karakia. 9

MINUTES OF Tauranga City Council

Ordinary Council meeting

HELD AT THE Tauranga City Council, Council Chambers, 91 Willow Street, Tauranga

ON Tuesday, 26 October 2021 AT 10.30am

PRESENT: Commission Chair Anne Tolley, Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston, Commissioner Stephen Selwood, Commissioner Bill Wasley

IN ATTENDANCE: Paul Davidson (Acting Chief Executive; General Manager: Corporate Services), Barbara Dempsey (General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance), Susan Jamieson (General Manager: People & Engagement), Christine Jones (General Manager: Strategy & Growth), Andrew Mead (Manager: City & Infrastructure Planning), Alistair Talbot (Team Leader: Transport Strategy & Planning), Waheed Ahmed (Senior Transport Planner), Richard Harkness (Project Leader: Urban Planning), Mike Naude (Programme Manager: Civic Redevelopment Projects), Ceilidh Dunphy (Community Relations Manager), Emma Cottin (Strategic Community Relations Advisor), Coral Hair (Manager: Democracy Services), Robyn Garrett (Team Leader: Committee Support)

1 Opening Karakia

Commissioner Rolleston opened the meeting with a karakia, and acknowledged the recent passing of both Brian Penetaka Dickson and Louis Te Kani and extended condolences to Ngāi Te Rangi and whanau.

2 Apologies

Nil

3 Public Forum

Nil

4 Acceptance of late items

Nil

5 Confidential business to be transferred into the open

Nil

6 Change to the order of business

Nil

7 Confirmation of Minutes

7.1 Minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 October 2021

Resolution CO0/21/1

Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 October 2021 be confirmed as a true and correct record; subject to the following corrections:

· That Item 3.2, second bullet point, be amended to read “The proposed new policy, to be considered for adoption later in the meeting, could provide a discretion for Council to support papakāinga housing both for upcoming development and retrospectively.”

It was clarified that Mr Kawe’s Public Forum presentation was before Council had considered and adopted the Grants for Development Contributions on Papakāinga Housing Policy at Agenda Item 11.14.

Carried

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest

Nil

9 Deputations, Presentations, Petitions

Nil

10 Recommendations from Other Committees

Nil

11 Business

Agenda item 11.2 was moved forward and considered before item 11.1

11.2 Civic Redevelopment Programme Progress Report

Staff Mike Naude, Programme Manager Civic Redevelopment Projects

Key points

· Progress would be reported at least quarterly to Council. A further update would be provided before Christmas and Projects 2, 3 and 5 would be reported on more regularly.

In response to questions

· The Civic Redevelopment Programme Governance Group membership was Independent Chairperson John Brockies, Chief Executive Marty Grenfell, General Manager: People and Engagement Susan Jamieson, General Manager: Community Services Gareth Wallis, Carlo Ellis as iwi representative and David Lambie from Twenty Two Independent Property Advisers.

· In the process of finalising the lease agreement for Devonport Road, which included the requirement for a timber structure building.

· Noted that the Commissioners and Chief Executive were moving to the Cameron Road office.

· The cinema and restaurant would be able to operate independently from the library/service centre. Screening would be installed to assist these businesses and to protect the library and service centre from any after hour users.

· Staff were working with the other tenants in the Cameron Road office to determine the location of increased Tauranga City Council signage.

· The importance of linking the various city centre plans and strategies was emphasised.

· The City Centre master plan was a work in progress and community communication around this significant work, including the refresh of the Willow St and civic centre site, was needed.

Resolution CO0/21/2

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the Council receives the Civic Redevelopment Progress Report.

Carried

11.1 Submission to Discussion Document on Proposed Changes to the Wetland Regulations

Staff Andy Mead, Manager: City & Infrastructure Planning

Richard Harkness, Project Leader: Urban Planning

Key points

· The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) had released a discussion document regarding proposed changes to the management of wetlands, which included suggested amendments to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) and the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations (NES-F). The proposed changes were generally positive and a good step forward, but staff considered the changes did not go far enough to address all council’s concerns. It was very challenging to align wetlands management and protection with urban development in the city.

· Staff had worked directly with MfE and liaised with other councils to ensure a strong local government perspective was provided on the revision proposals.

· The two key proposals in the discussion document particularly relevant to Council were the refinement of the definition of natural wetlands and the provision of a consenting pathway for urban development. While supportive of these proposals, Council’s submission included various areas of concern with the consenting pathway e.g. the requirement for urban development to demonstrate a “functional need” and the activity classification – discretionary/restricted discretionary/non-complying.

· The TCC submission highlighted why the suggested changes were needed and provided wording of what these changes could look like; worked examples of the proposed consenting pathway and consent assessment were also included in the submission.

· Modelling of the Te Tumu/Tauriko West urban growth areas indicated they could still be captured by the wetlands provisions.

· Noted that regional council and territorial authority views on wetlands protection and appropriate activity classification for urban development were varied and possibly conflicting.

· Had submitted in support of “no net loss” to wetlands rather than the current “no loss”, to enable offset by environmental aquatic mitigation measures.

· Some substantive changes were needed to the national directions to reach a point of providing certainty for TCC projects such as Tauriko West.

In response to questions

· Noted the possible conflict between the responsibilities of regional councils to protect the environment and with territorial authorities who are tasked to provide housing; suggested examples of the number of houses affected be included in the submission. Also suggested that the conflicts between various National Policy Statements e.g. Freshwater Management and Urban Development be highlighted.

· This was a Cabinet/regulatory review committee process not a Select Committee process.

· Noted that water intakes or discharges downstream of wetlands could still be caught by the setback/proximity requirements even though there were no impacts.

· Hamilton, Porirua and Wellington City Councils were putting in strong submissions regarding the functional need test and the consenting pathway.

· Western Bay of Plenty District Council had not confirmed if it was putting in a submission but had indicted general agreement with the consenting issues raised by TCC.

· The Commissioners could provide a letter to the Minister highlighting and enumerating the impact on TCC. A high-level view could get lost in the detail of the submission.

· Council’s concerns about the impact of wetlands management on urban development needed to be put in the context of Council’s own work around the protection and development of a network of wetlands over the last 20 years; e.g. Wairakei Stream and wetland development around the Kaituna River; balance was needed.

Resolution CO0/21/3

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

That the Council:

(a) Endorses the draft submission (Attachment 1) to the discussion document on proposed changes to the wetland regulations, with the amendments agreed at the meeting, for lodgement to the Minister for the Environment.

Carried

12 Discussion of Late Items

Nil

13 Public excluded session

RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC

Resolution CO0/21/4

Moved: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting, with the exception of Keith Frentz and Jandre Van Zyl from BECA who are permitted to remain at this meeting for Item 13.2 – Ohauiti site access assessment, because of their knowledge of planning and civil engineering.

The general subject matter 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 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:

General subject of each matter to be considered	Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter	Ground(s) under section 48 for the passing of this resolution
13.1 - Public Excluded Minutes of the Council meeting held on 4 October 2021	s7(2)(a) - The withholding of the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons s7(2)(b)(i) - The withholding of the information is necessary to protect information where the making available of the information would disclose a trade secret s7(2)(b)(ii) - The withholding of the information is necessary to protect information where the making available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information s7(2)(h) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities s7(2)(i) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations) s7(2)(j) - The withholding of the information is necessary to prevent the disclosure or use of official information for improper gain or improper advantage	s48(1)(a) - the public conduct of the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting would be likely to result in the disclosure of information for which good reason for withholding would exist under section 6 or section 7
13.2 - Ohauiti Site Access Assessment: Option Identification and Evaluation	s7(2)(g) - The withholding of the information is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege s7(2)(h) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities s7(2)(i) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations)	s48(1)(a) - the public conduct of the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting would be likely to result in the disclosure of information for which good reason for withholding would exist under section 6 or section 7
13.3 - Land Acquisition - Kennedy Road	s7(2)(h) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities s7(2)(i) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations)	s48(1)(a) - the public conduct of the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting would be likely to result in the disclosure of information for which good reason for withholding would exist under section 6 or section 7

Carried

14 Closing Karakia

Commissioner Rolleston closed the meeting with a Karakia.

The meeting closed at 11.54am.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed as a true and correct record at the Ordinary Council meeting held on 15 November 2021.

........................................................

CHAIRPERSON

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.2 Executive Report

File Number: A12973444

Author: Gareth Wallis, General Manager: Community Services

Nic Johansson, General Manager: Infrastructure

Susan Jamieson, General Manager: People & Engagement

Barbara Dempsey, General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance

Paul Davidson, General Manager: Corporate Services

Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Authoriser: Marty Grenfell, Chief Executive

Purpose of the Report

1. To provide updates on key projects and activities.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Receives the Executive Report.

Community Services

Arts and Culture

2. While COVID-19 restrictions led to the cancelling of the live programme of events for the Tauranga Arts Festival, a small range of festival events were able to proceed. This included visual arts projects delivered in partnership with Supercut Projects, Tauranga Art Gallery and the Elms. The festival was also able to present a free event for the community, Te Manawataki o Mauao, which is an audio-based work guiding visitors and residents on a walk that tuned into the rhythmic pulse of Mauao. Further visual arts programming from the arts festival will be delivered in the CBD over the summer, including a new installation work by artist Sara Hughes. Staff are working closely with the Arts Festival team on options for presenting additional live programming during 2022, when alert levels allow.

3. Staff met with representatives from the “Park2Park” sculpture trust to discuss plans for a new sculpture trail, which would run along the Otūmoetai foreshore between Kulim Park and Fergusson Park. Staff are providing advice to the Trust on a framework for the commissioning and development of public art, modelled on the successful Wellington Sculpture Trust. This model would see an independent trust funding the commissioning of work, covering artist fees and installation costs. Council would then own the art works, as part of the Civic art collection, and would be responsible for their maintenance. A site meeting with the chair of the Wellington Sculpture trust was scheduled, but has been delayed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

4. Planning is underway for a series of Christmas light installations and decorations, designed to attract residents and visitors into the CBD. The Christmas lights activity has previously been managed by Spaces and Places, with responsibility transferring this year to Arts and Culture, to enable the commissioning and delivery of large-scale temporary installations. Staff are working with internationally-renowned light artist Angus Muir, who will design illuminations along the length of the Strand Reserve, including lighting of trees and existing features in the reserve. The illuminations are designed to connect with the new lighting along Wharf Street, attracting foot traffic for the hospitality businesses in the CBD. The Angus Muir installations will complement the Christmas activations in Red Square, which will be delivered by Downtown Tauranga. The Incubator’s “Community Christmas Trees”, which have in previous years been installed in Red Square, will move to the Historic Village as part of a “Christmas at the Village” programme, which will include Christmas markets, curated by the Incubator. The Christmas Illuminations on the Strand will open on 20 November and run through to 9 January 2022.

5. Staff have worked with Priority One and Film Bay of Plenty to agree allocation of the $100k film fund established in the 2021-31 LTP.

a. $70k of funding will go to Film Bay of Plenty, which has made a commitment to demonstrate stronger support of the Tauranga film sector. Film Bay of Plenty will use the funding to support the attraction of national and international productions, connecting production companies with local crew. The funding will also enable a series of training and mentoring opportunities for film practitioners from Tauranga.

b. $20k of funding will go towards the newly-established “Tauranga Film Studio” project, seeking to establish a facility for Green-screen and motion capture filming in Tauriko. The funds will support the development of a feasibility study, business case and investment proposal.

c. $10k of funding will go to the Incubator, to programme and activate the community cinema based at the Historic Village. The intention behind this support is to enable a wide range of grassroots and emerging film organisations (including Tauranga Independent Film, Sonic Cinema and Bay of Plenty Actor’s Studio) to use the venue as a hub for their programming.

Community Partnerships

6. A workshop is planned for mid-November to develop clearer strategic direction and a number of key performance indicators for Bay Venues Limited. Staff are also working on the Council resolution to reorganise BVL’s finance structure and funding model to be more transparent, simple and easy to understand.

7. Following a review of the Project Tauranga city partners’ programme, the decision has been made to wind-up Project Tauranga. While this programme has seen more than $6 million of funding and in-kind support provided by our city partners to community projects since 2014, the review showed that it is no longer fit-for-purpose and meeting the needs of our community. In addition, changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic mean we need to adapt accordingly. Interviews undertaken with our city partners during the review highlighted that one of the biggest benefits of being part of the programme was the opportunity for regular meetings with TCC’s Governance and Executive teams. Because our relationships with our city partners are important to us, this benefit will continue through the development of a series of Leaders’ Breakfasts.

8. Fifty-seven applications were received in the first round of the new Community Grant Fund, which closed on 27 October. An assessment panel, with representation from TCC, Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana and philanthropic funders, will meet on 12 November to make decisions on these applications. The introduction of the new SmartyGrants software has run smoothly and made the process easier for applicants and staff administering the grants process.

9. Following the review of the Council Advisory Groups, three focus group workshops were held during October, with 51 participants representing the voices of special interest groups, including older people, migrants, youth, rainbow communities and the disability sector. A summary of outcomes and a recommendations report will inform the next steps in November.

10. Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions have forced the cancellation of Mental Health Awareness event, Fluro Fest 2021, which had been rescheduled to run from September until 14 November 2021.

11. The team presented two awards under a new Social Impact category at the Young Innovator Awards Gala event on 28 October, hosted by Priority One. The two winning teams from Otūmoetai College have been given the opportunity to join the Community Partnerships’ team on a summer internship, to progress their ideas in collaboration with other stakeholders.

12. Bay of Plenty Regional Council has completed the procurement process for security at the bus interchanges and the contract has been awarded to Allied Security, which will replace Nutech as of 1 November 2021. Funding has been approved for three years, with the contract reviewed annually. The Safe and Resilient Communities Advisor is providing ongoing support under the City Centre Safety Forum.

13. Safe Communities New Zealand has determined that due to changes in the social, political and funding environments, its operating model is no longer feasible and it will therefore cease operation from December 2021. A working group which includes Tauranga Western Bay Safer Communities Strategic Group and other accredited safer communities is exploring the feasibility of a community-led and owned network, potentially alongside Local Government New Zealand.

14. The Safe and Resilient Communities Advisor is currently working with Iwi, NZ Police, health and social agencies to enhance and invigorate the Breakthrough Forum and website, a collaborative forum working in the Western Bay of Plenty to raise awareness of the harm methamphetamine and other addictive substances are causing to our communities.

15. Staff are progressing the “accessible hotspot” in Mount Maunganui, creating inclusive environments for those with accessibility challenges. This builds on the accessibility initiatives already implemented, including increased mobility parking, accessible picnic tables, beach access mats, beach wheelchairs, changing facilities and the Te Kaiwhakatere – Trail Rider. Staff are currently designing an engagement plan and connecting with key stakeholders to inform the continuation of accessibility and universal design principles across our network of facilities and public amenities.

16. The Impact and Insights Advisor is working on the launch of the Vital Update digital dashboard and the Community Partnerships Annual Outcomes report. Links to these two projects will be released in November.

17. The team participated in a co-design hui hosted by BayTrust and Acorn Foundation, with a view to significantly increase the financial support that is available to the youth sector in 2022, thanks to the generosity of the Roy and Mary McGowan legacy fund.

18. The team has been allocated 100 re-purposed TCC mobile phones and are working with Spark to put up to three months credit on the phones to help our homeless community improve their connectedness, especially in regard to COVID-19 updates, staying connected with key government departments, and being able to confirm and access appointments.

19. The Kāinga Tupu Advisor met with 20 community housing providers to discuss how the proceeds from the elder housing sale might be utilised. The sector is advocating for the funds to be reinvested into social and community housing across Tauranga.

20. The first session of the sub-region’s new Global Ambassadors’ pilot programme was held on 16 October, involving a group of 10 16-18 year-olds with huge ideas, skills, aspirations and energy, who will support the co-design of the programme. The intent is to grow and inspire a group of culturally diverse young leaders through certified training and mentoring, and leadership opportunities, to represent themselves as Global Ambassadors. This will include having a seat on the Tauranga/Western Bay Welcoming Communities Strategic Group, and engagement with local community initiatives which support diversity and inclusion.

21. On 29 October, Council held the first ‘Welcoming Planting Day’ at Gordon Carmichael Reserve, with around 25 new Kiwis from Tauranga, and lots of positive feedback. The day included a korero to welcome our new kiwis; learning about the wetland restoration work in the area from the Spaces and Places Natural Environment team; an opportunity to plant natives in the wetlands area; and an opportunity to connect over kai. It was especially meaningful as the last two citizenship ceremonies had been cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions. Staff partnered with Envirohub to produce a welcome pack, which included a leaflet and a voucher to be redeemed against a plant or a tree from the Turning Point Trust, to be planted either in the new citizen’s own garden, or as part of the ‘Welcome Forest’ initiative. A larger planting day is scheduled for Arbor Day on 5 June 2022 and will include newcomers to the city, as well as new citizens. This supports the ‘Welcoming Public Spaces’ part of the Welcoming Communities framework.

Libraries

22. The Library and Customer Services Relocation Project team attended the pre-construction blessing of He Puna Manawa. One of the preparation tasks for the move is withdrawing books to allow for a smaller space. To assist with recycling, Libraries are partnering with the James Bennett Sustainability Project. This initiative takes withdrawn items from libraries and donates them to a literacy-based charity; sells the item and donates the funds; or recycles them responsibly. This agreement, coupled with book sales and regular donations made to community groups, will help ensure that items needing to be withdrawn ahead of the move to He Puna Manawa will be disposed of responsibly.

23. In the six weeks from mid-September to early-November 2021, Pae Korokī received approximately 30,000 unique page views. The Bay of Plenty times featured an article in mid-October about items our team is preparing for digitisation. Harley Couper and Elisha Rolleston have made presentations about Pae Korokī to the National Library and the online archives community – they received fantastic feedback about the Kaitiakitanga framework we’ve implemented in our work, with many other institutions seeking to follow our lead in this space.

24. Kōrero Mai sessions for 2021 come to an end in November. The staff workshops, which began in February, were aimed to help library staff improve their pronunciation of te reo Māori and learn basic phrases that they might use in their daily work. The initiative's effectiveness can be seen and heard in the staff's new understanding of, and comfort with using te reo Māori effectively and appropriately.

25. During the school holidays, the Digital and Programmes Teams got creative to delight hundreds of families, while maintaining two-metre distancing. Staff organised a QR Code Quest and put together craft packs for children to create their own electrical circuits, and complete various science experiments, literacy and craft activities. We collaborated with STEM Wana Trust to facilitate a new community-based series of events to introduce children to STEM, hosted by the Basestation on Durham Street.

26. October saw the return of library events and school visits in our newly-formed ‘Willow & Wharf Temporary Event Space’ and the Papamoa Community Centre. Having a bigger space in the old i-SITE has been ideal for a ‘Space-themed robotic experience’ school visit. Selwyn Ridge was the first school to participate, and we received some wonderful feedback on the sessions. Wellness-themed events for the month of October included a digital seminar by Lance Burdett - Challenging our Challenges, focused on resilience and mental health.

Spaces and Places

27. Engagement for the Welcome Bay parks upgrade project has commenced. he outcome will be a list of projects that the community has chosen for delivery. Co-design of the chosen projects will commence next year. In the meantime, ‘quick win’ projects to improve the quality of the reserves across the suburb are being identified and will be packaged up into a suite of works for construction in early-2022. Examples include accessible seating and picnic tables, pathways, shade and planting. To facilitate the co-design process for individual parks projects, pre-emptive feasibility assessments are being undertaken for sites that are known to have constraints on development.

28. The destination skatepark project is underway, with a survey being undertaken through November, alongside a callout for volunteers to join the co-design group. A skate jam launch event for the project at Memorial Park unfortunately had to be postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but a new wedge ramp has been installed there in the meantime, so jam competitors can get some practice in.

29. Amenity enhancements to the Taumata Kahawai (Dive Crescent) area will commence prior to Christmas. The strengthening and refurbishment of the Cargo Shed building is also progressing to allow the building to be made available for public use in early-2022. Transfer of title for the land on the seaward side of Dive Crescent to Council and the Otamataha Trust is in its final stages with LINZ.

30. Work on the Kulim Park upgrade is progressing well, with the new shared path from Harbour Dr to Kulim Park now partially-open and the carpark ready to be sealed. This entire first section of the project will be open to the public for use in early-November. The improvements to the western entrance to the park are also now completed. The old playground has been demolished, with work commencing on the installation of the new, larger play facility. This recent removal of the old playground led to some interesting archaeological discoveries, including extensive evidence of tūhua (obsidian) workings. The bulk of works (including alterations to the existing road, carparking and new pathway) are planned to be completed prior to Christmas.

31. The resource consent for the Omanawa Falls project has been publicly notified, with the hearing now set for February. Council is working with Ngāti Hangarau to provide a kaitiaki programme over the summer to deter people from visiting the site. This was very successful last year.

32. Early contractor involvement workshops with the earthworks contractor have now concluded for the Kopurererua Valley Stream Realignment project and the finalised detailed design and pre-construction approvals are underway.

33. The streetscape upgrade for Elizabeth Street is being constructed in tandem with the Farmers development and continues to be impacted by COVID-19 related supply issues, and delays to the Farmers programme. Works on First Avenue are anticipated to be completed in November. The linear park will be completed in stages, with some sections due to be completed prior to Christmas.

34. The Elizabeth Street Carpark strengthening building consent is being processed and we are anticipating the consent will be issued shortly. Following recent Council approval to directly appoint Naylor Love, contractual documentation has been prepared by the Procurement and Legal teams. Preparation of a construction programme is underway to enable works to proceed with minimum impact to carpark users and tenancies. Works are expected to start in coming weeks, subject to the issuing of the building consent.

35. The seismic strengthening building consent for Spring Street Carpark was lodged in mid-September and is expected to be issued shortly. The procurement plan for this project has been to approach three suitably-qualified contractors with seismic construction experience. Tender documentation is being prepared to go out to the contractors in the first week of November, with tenders closing in early-December. We anticipate the contract will be awarded prior to Christmas. The methodology will require full closure of the carpark, so we are working on a communications plan for CBD parking while the closure is in effect.

36. A wide variety of renewals and minor capital projects are underway, and/or have been completed recently by the Parks and Recreation team, including:

· Collaboration between Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Trust Power and TCC to install network systems for street lighting and cameras at the McLaren Falls bridge, and the roadway leading to McLaren Falls Park. Cameras should be installed by mid-November, giving TTOC staff access which will hopefully lead to a reduction in anti-social behaviour.

· The Elmes to Bay Street boardwalk will be completed in early-November, with an official community opening being organised for later in the month.

· The new pathway at Sydenham Botanic Park is now complete and ready for the public to enjoy.

· A new play area at Tuihana Reserve is complete, with trees and gardens planted and picnic tables installed. Supply delays means the turf path is expected to be completed in late-November.

· The replacement bridge project at Kiriwai Place Reserve is nearly finished, with the final landscaping and coastal erosion protection works nearing completion.

· Te Paeroa playground was opened in Bethlehem on 21 October. This was the first playground to incorporate shade sails that have been funded via the LTP. Trees have also been planted strategically to provide long-term shade over the equipment. The remaining portion of Te Paeroa Reserve (which is split by Te Paeroa Rd) will be turned into a small arboretum next year.

Venues and Events

37. As part of the Historic Village strategic tenant programming, some exciting new arts and culture ventures are being commenced, in partnership with the Incubator. These include more artists-in-residence, a ceramics hub with gallery, a new textiles initiative, and a film collective based in The Village Cinema.

38. Historic Village staff are working with the Property team and are in the final stages of installing a new, Village-wide security system. The previous system was end-of-life, with many of the old components now obsolete. The project included the addition of a cabled network to every building, installation of over 600 siren, sensor and card reading components, providing tenants with a swipe in/out system and automation of their individual alarm systems. Testing of the new system commenced in early-November, along with staff training on the new software applications.

39. A marketing plan has been developed for the Historic Village, to raise awareness of the Village with the local community and venue bookers, as well promoting tenant communications and collaboration. The plan has four phases, starting this quarter, and will roll-out through to June 2022.

40. The Baycourt team has focused on translating the new COVID-19 Alert Level 2 mass gathering rules that were promulgated on 5 October. The removal of the 100-person gathering limit and introduction of 1m spacing has increased the operational complexities associated with delivering events at Alert Level 2. The Baycourt team has worked incredibly hard to enable events to occur within the revised parameters, which has been appreciated by several local and visiting arts organisations. Baycourt has been at the forefront, nationally, in developing detailed operating practices that allow events to occur within the various iterations Alert Level 2 has taken this year. This experience has been shared with several other colleagues across the country.

41. During this reporting period, a total of seven events were delivered at Baycourt, including a live broadcast kapa haka event hosting six schools from across Tauranga Moana, and a six-day dance showcase featuring approximately 1,000 local children. Baycourt was also proud to be used as a filming location for the Karawhiua Vaccination Campaign featuring musician and BOP-born Laughton Kora. The national campaign, led by Te Puni Kōkiri, was developed to encourage Māori uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. This provided a great opportunity for Baycourt to further contribute to the COVID-19 response.

42. Staff are continuing to work closely with event organisers, other teams within Council and key city stakeholders to identify postponement options for events displaced by the most recent COVID-19 community outbreak. This is proving challenging and is placing a huge strain on an already-challenged industry.

43. Additionally, staff are continuing to support events that have received funding through the Event Funding Framework to roll their funding across to their postponement dates; or for events where the organisers’ financial position has been negatively impacted through cancellation, to apply to retain all or part of their funding, as per Council’s Event Funding Framework COVID-19 cancellation guidelines. To date, 109 events booked in public open spaces and/or funded through Council’s Event Funding Framework have either been postponed or cancelled.

44. Staff are working alongside the Local Organising Committee on several activations in the leadup to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which will see Tauranga hosting seven games in March 2022, including the opening match. The first of these activations will take place on 24 November, where a local artist has been commissioned to design and create a large-scale sand sculpture to promote and celebrate the “100 days to go” milestone. The activations are focused on promoting the tournament to our local community, as well as promoting Tauranga as a major events destination.

45. TCC and Bay Oval are hosting the T20 Black Clash for the first time, on Saturday, 22 January 2022. Tickets have been on sale since 23 September and are selling very well, with a high percentage to out-of-town attendees, driving good domestic visitation.

Infrastructure

Kerbside Collection Services Update

46. We are seeing increased usage (based on collection volumes) of all our kerbside collection services. Recyclables are the only area that has dropped from the July levels. This is reflective of other cities which have introduced new services, as people often save-up recycling, or in our case, number 5 plastics and have filled their bins in the first two collections. We also continue to divert over 50% of waste from landfill (excluding during COVID alert levels 3 and 4 restrictions).

47. Call centre interactions have continued to drop and now sit just above 700 a week, from near 4,000 a week in the first full week of the service. These calls and emails are comprised of questions about what goes in which bin, signing up for garden waste, questions on collection day (over the labour weekend period), missed collections, damaged bins, illegal dumping, public litter bin calls and residents whose collections have been missed because their bins were put out too late, or were overfilled or contaminated.

48. Garden waste sign-ups have continued, with about 10 sign-ups received per day. Our original target was to have 10,000 monthly collections; we are currently at 16,300 monthly collections and 11,400 individual residences signed up. This has resulted in the volume of garden waste being picked-up in September being almost double that in July.

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49. Damage to food waste bins has been an area of concern, with more being damaged or destroyed than anticipated. We have worked with our drivers to address this and are also working with residents to try and keep a 30cm gap between bins, so they do not get accidently squashed by a rubbish, recycling or garden waste bin coming down after being emptied.

50. Summer is usually the busiest time of year for waste and glass collection and we anticipate the same for food and recycling. Our education will be focusing on how we can recycle better and reminding our community not to overfill their bins to avoid missed collections.

Te Maunga Transfer Station Update

51. We are moving into the detailed design period for the Te Maunga Transfer Station upgrade, with the aim of having works begin prior to the end of the financial year.

52. We have been using the data from kerbside, vehicle movements, and construction and demolition waste to ensure the works will futureproof these facilities, which are used by much of the region. We are also taking into account MfE’s draft waste strategy and the Government’s draft emission reduction plan in our planning. This is to ensure we are able to meet the proposed waste and recycling targets, as well as what the future needs will be for our region.

53. A key focus has been bolstering an education centre onsite, as well as making the site safe for schools and other groups to learn about our transfer station, including the new construction and demolition waste sorting equipment that will be installed.

54. We will bring a report to the Commission following the final detailed design, but below is an illustration of what the transfer station is likely to look like, which is a huge shift from where we are now.

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Emissions Reduction Plan, Proposals for a new Waste Strategy, Waste Bylaw Review

55. We are currently drafting responses to both the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan and proposals for a new Waste Strategy. Both of these proposals have ambitious targets for waste and recycling.

56. We’re confident we have taken a huge leap towards these targets through the introduction of kerbside and will do so again following the upgrade of Te Maunga.

Waste Management and Minimisation Plan Review

57. We are also drafting our Waste Minimisation Plan. This will go to key stakeholders for input and for public consultation early next year, alongside our Waste Bylaw, which is due for review.

Freshwater Management Tool

58. The development of a “Freshwater Management Tool” was approved through the Long-Term Plan. The procurement for this has been finalised and the contract started early this month.

59. The “Freshwater Management Tool” is a model suite, which allows TCC to simulate the current hydrological and water run-off quality and is able to predict future changes based on intervention options and climate change predictions. This will support good policy decision-making and value-for-money investment decisions, including:

(a) The re-consenting of existing water takes;

(b) Testing of BOPRC’s proposed target-setting under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) and potential cost implications for TCC;

(c) Development of capital and operational works programmes to meet NPSFM objectives, which will be determined by BOPRC; and

(d) TCC City Plan review (stormwater rules and land use development).

60. BOPRC staff have been engaged with during the set-up of this project and agreed to be involved on an ongoing basis. This includes providing data and review of the development of the tool and outputs.

61. The development and calibration of the tool will take around one year, and thereafter we will use it to test scenarios and inform decision-making.

Te Maunga Landward Outfall Project Update

62. The Te Maunga Outfall project is part of a wider Te Maunga Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade programme that will enable Tauranga City Council to manage wastewater over the next 50-100 years. This first stage of the Te Maunga Outfall upgrade is to build resilience in the system and help minimise the likelihood of overflows.

63. Stage one of the upgrade involves the laying of a 1200mm diameter wastewater pipe from the Te Maunga treatment plant to Maranui Street. The new pipe is being placed in a 20m wide easement alongside the existing pipeline.

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64. On the south side of the highway, the construction of the pipeline has progressed past some fiddly bends, with 580m of pipe now installed, from a total of approximately 2km.

65. Permanent sheet piles were required in one portion of the pipeline, just north of the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL). This disruptive work is now complete, with all activity within consented noise and vibration limits. With the sheet piles in place, the pipeline was able to be pulled through the original duct constructed in 2012 under State Highway 2, the railway track and Truman Place.

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66. The picture below provides a birds-eye view of the works.

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CIPP stands for a cured-in-place pipe. This is a trenchless rehabilitation method used to repair existing pipelines, which creates a jointless, seamless pipe lining within an existing pipe.

67. We have completed the construction of the noise wall between the TEL and Grenada Street, as required for the next stage of works. The noise wall is designed at a height of 2.4m, using plywood for stability against wind loads and to hold the weight of the attached Hushtec Sound Blankets. This wall helps to keep the noise of general construction activity away from residents and will continue to be built as the construction moves north.

68. We are currently projecting a completion of August 2022 for this initial stage.

69. The archaeological investigations from the main highway through to Gloucester Road over the past few weeks did not uncover any unexpected items. This now completes assessment across all portions of the pipeline.

70. Building surveys are complete for all properties south of Grenada Street and are in progress for properties bordering the easement north of Grenada Street. This work will continue through November. These assessments cover both the internal and external building structure and provide a baseline for measuring any potential impact on neighbouring properties from the pipeline upgrade construction - primarily relating to vibration from heavy machinery, excavators and compactors. The signed reports are placed on the property file for each property and provide a baseline to assess any potential construction impacts.

Links Ave cul-de-sac trial

71. The Links Avenue cul-de-sac trial will begin on 15 November and is expected to last until 17 December. During this time, general through-traffic on Links Ave will be restricted at Ascot Road with the exception of buses, emergency vehicles, waste collection trucks, bicycles, and motorbikes.

72. The goal of the trial is to provide an immediate safety improvement for school children walking, biking, and taking the bus, while measuring wider network impacts to nearby roads. Additionally, while the traffic volumes are reduced, roadworks will be completed within the first two weeks of the trial to repair failing road surface areas. This work will occur between 9am and 3pm and is expected to take 3-4 days.

73. The collection of baseline data to inform the trial has been completed. The collection of qualitative and quantitative feedback from various stakeholders and the wider public will begin the week commencing 3 December and coincide with the mid-point pulse check scheduled for that week.

74. A full evaluation of the trial is expected to be completed by February, with options and an action recommendation for consideration in late-February/early-March 2022.

Lime E-scooter Trial Update

75. The four week public feedback period on the trial closed on November 10th. We received over 750 responses to the survey with a broad representation of all demographic groups and neighbourhoods. The full results of the survey will be released at the end of the month, but an early analysis of the key questions are as follows:

· Have shared e-scooters made it easier to get around Tauranga?

56% agree, 31% disagree

· Should shared e-scooters be allowed to continue to operate in Tauranga?

55% agree, 42% disagree

76. The full evaluation of the trial will be completed by the end of the year and will be included with a recommendation for Commissioners to consider in February. In the meantime, supported by the feedback provided, Lime has been granted permission to continue to operate e-scooters until a final decision is made on if/how to proceed in the long term. Over the coming weeks, as part of their fleet maintenance and management, Lime will be replacing the existing scooter used in Tauranga with a newer model which is currently used in Auckland, Christchurch, and Hamilton. This process is expected to take 4 – 6 weeks in total and Lime will be hosting additional events to familiarise the public with this change.

People and Engagement

Community Relations

77. Council’s Media Impact Score continues to improve, for the sixth consecutive month. Coverage is largely focused on progressing our policy agenda, especially on roading, environment and development themes.

78. The Community Relations Team continues to transition into new ways of working, with more engaging content being produced, including videos. They are supporting an extensive work programme across the Council and focusing on telling the big picture stories around Tauranga’s transformation. Another key focus over the coming months will be sharing progress on the implementation of our Long-Term Plan.

79. Advisors have also begun connecting with communities of place across the city to understand priorities/concerns in their specific area and deliver more joined-up communication across multiple projects.

Te Pou Takawaenga

80. The central Government Reforms (Resource Management Act, Three Waters, Local Government Act) continue to be a key priority for mana whenua, with a number of workshops to discuss and formulate responses being held. Information is fast-paced and high-volume, which continues to challenge capacity and capability. This is a regular issue raised with the government departments facilitating those consultation and engagement processes. Mana whenua have been consistent across all the reforms, that as treaty partners, they want to be involved at all levels of decision-making, with particular emphasis on the value added by including mātauranga Māori developed over many generations. For example, alternative methods for wastewater treatment that work better with the environment and early indications of issues with water quality and sustainability of supply.

81. Hui with hapū to discuss City Plan Review issues have been held with Ngāti Hangarau, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Ruahine and Ngāi Tamarāwaho. Identifying significant Māori areas and housing development aspirations are the key matters being raised by hapū. The City Plan Review process has uncovered a number of opportunities for improvement that will support and enable communities. Working closely with other mechanisms, for example legislative changes to ratings on Māori Land, provides opportunities to remove barriers and stimulate utilisation of Māori land in ways that suit Māori landowners, at the pace they are comfortable with.

82. Cameron Road and Totara Street roading projects have commenced. Both projects are working closely with mana whenua and will see some creative key cultural design elements incorporated that will enrich the narratives of these places and spaces in our city. The cultural enhancements ensure there is a welcoming and enabling aspect to what might otherwise be seen as a roading project, thereby supporting the community development objectives.

Democracy Services

83. The Council heard submitters on the Representation Review Initial Proposal on 18 October 2021 and deliberated and resolved a final proposal on 8 November 2021. The public notice was advertised on 12 November 2021, advising that appeals and objections can be made to the final proposal by 13 December 2021.

84. The Council and Committee meetings in 2022 will be held either at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chambers in Elizabeth Street, or at the Tauranga City Council building in the ground floor meeting room at 306 Cameron Road. Alternative meetings for various committees and advisory groups are planned for other venues, including marae. A meetings schedule for 2022 is included in the agenda as a separate report for approval.

85. A six-monthly update on the actions from the Office of the Ombudsman’s Review in 2020 was sent to the Chief Ombudsman on 22 October 2021. The Office of the Ombudsman requested an update on 19 action points, four of which had previously been completed.

Human Resources

86. With the pressures all employers are facing in the COVID environment and a tight labour market, we are investigating ways to attract and retain talent for Tauranga City Council. This includes a focus on how we remunerate our people and adhere to principles of transparency, fairness and equity, while retaining flexibility and affordability.

87. Our focus on people-related data, such as exit interviews, pulse surveys to check on wellbeing, engagement surveys and staff turnover, enables us to closely track, theme and respond to the needs of our people and a rapidly-changing employment landscape.

88. The COVID-19 landscape is constantly changing and following the Government advising that it is transitioning away from its elimination strategy, and more towards suppressing the spread of the virus, we continue to plan for what that means for the Council, in terms of our ongoing pandemic planning and service delivery to the community. We encourage all our staff to stay protected against COVID-19 and get vaccinated.

89. We continue with our focus on growing leadership capability and part of this is the development of a leadership framework with three key pillars – Executing Delivery, Leading People, and Understanding Our Community. Recently, a session was held with the Senior Leadership Group to align leadership with the execution of the Long-term Plan, which provided the opportunity to practice some of the desired leadership behaviours.

Customer Services

90. A pre-construction blessing was held on 20 October. where local kaumātua Tamati Tata of Ngāi Tamarāwaho led the Commissioners, mana whenua, council staff and project team members in a karakia. The fit-out of the Goddard Centre has commenced and it is planned that the Service Centre will relocate in January 2022, with the Library following in March 2022.

91. The new Service Centre located at the Papamoa library has been receiving steady customer flows (up to 30 per day) and has given the community more options to connect with council face-to-face.

Health and Safety

92. Local councils in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato are working together to use our buying power to secure critical common health and safety services (such as training, first aid supplies), minimise cost and maximise flexibility.

93. Annual health monitoring (for example hearing and lung function tests) is underway for staff whose roles expose them to a potential health risk. We expect monitoring to be completed by mid-December.

94. Mental Health Awareness Week took place between 27 September and 3 October and engagement across the business was positive. We have recently introduced a Coffee Roulette activity, where we pair up employees across the business to connect with someone new. This activity will continue (whether in person or online) until the end of the year, with the intent that it will become a permanent fixture.

95. Safety in Design workshops have been undertaken for the Te Maunga Transfer Station and transformation of the central city Goddard Centre into our temporary service centre and library.

Regulatory and Compliance

Environmental Health and Licensing

96. Given the cancellation of larger music events this year, it is understood that many organisers have decided to hold smaller music events over the summer period, subject to any possible COVID restrictions in place. Our teams are proactively working with organisers to ensure that Alcohol and Food Act licenses can be applied for and obtained in a timely manner.

97. We have engaged a contractor verifier to assist the team with some of our overdue food verifications. We have also managed to secure employment of a new Environmental Health Officer to replace a recent resignation. With the services of the contractor and our new staff member, we believe that we will be able to reduce the current number of overdue verifications the team currently has.

Animal Services

98. During October, there were three reported attacks on a person, eight reports of dogs ‘rushing at a person’ and seven reported attacks by dogs on another domestic animal (e.g. dog attacks/bites dog, dog attacks/bites cat, etc).

99. The most serious of these occurred on 14 October 2021, when a rottweiler attacked a person. The person was taken to hospital and required surgery on a broken arm and stitches for four deep puncture wounds. The dog has been impounded and is being held at the pound pending a hearing, applied for by the dog owner, to have the dog released from the pound. This will be considered by Council’s Regulatory Hearing Panel. A District Court prosecution for the attack is pending, which will be considered by a Judge.

100. Animal Services staff continue to visit owners of unregistered dogs and have now achieved a registration rate of 92.8% of the city‘s 14,688 known dogs.

Emergency Management

101. The purpose of Mount Industrial Zone Project is to gather information to inform a better understanding of the respective emergency plans already in place for each business, their respective identified risks, and any deficits that would negatively impact a wider response in an emergency. The intent is to then encourage a collaborative approach between businesses in this zone, and to facilitate an opportunity for them to work with our Emergency Management Team to ensure we have a co-ordinated response in the case of an emergency situation. The first meeting was held on 7 October 2021 and was attended by 17 stakeholders. Action points were assigned to all present and a follow-up meeting will be scheduled.

102. The aim of the Tsunami Awareness project is:

Working with the community to minimise the risk to life from tsunami through education, planning and a high level of awareness.

103. The working group for the project has been established, with a terms of reference agreed by the group. The working group is ensuring a collaborative and community-led approach, with representatives from multiple community sectors.

104. Planning is well underway for the community awareness campaign, with a working group workshop held on 27 October to identify effective ways of ensuring there is strong community awareness and understanding of the key tsunami messaging. The community awareness campaign is scheduled for the December/January summer period.

105. Developing connections with local networks is also underway to ensure there is more evacuation support provided for those who need it.

Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)

106. Following the project to establish council’s EOC, the number of staff putting their names forward to be part of the roster has steadily increased to a new high of 80. A comprehensive training programme has commenced and will continue to ensure staff are ready to respond, if necessary.

107. Preparations are underway for another EOC set-up rehearsal to be held in November, to provide EOC staff the opportunity to:

(a) Familiarise themselves with the facility

(b) Test resources

(d) Conduct a small exercise.

108. EOC communication capability has also been enhanced with the receipt of a satellite phone and the anticipated delivery of a stinger* in the week commencing 25 October. The Emergency Management Team is currently undertaking an audit of radios to determine whether current placements are fit for purpose and identify deficits in coverage, if any.

*Note: A stinger is a loudspeaker device that can be fixed to a vehicle and used to make announcements.

Building Services

109. The volume of building consent applications and amendments received in September (289) continued to be higher than average, in line with previous months for 2021. Data for the first three weeks of October suggests that trend is continuing in October, with 226 applications received in three weeks. Interestingly, the volume of consent applications in August was only slightly lower than normal, following the surge in July related to the increase in development contribution costs.

110. The volume of amendments was significantly up in September, with 90 applications compared with an average of 47 for the preceding 12 months.

111. In the first three weeks of October, we received 54 amendment applications. We suspect the increase in applications may be in part due to product substitutions as a result of material shortages and, potentially, consents being submitted prior to the development contribution increase where the design hadn’t been completely finalised.

112. We granted 220 consents and 72 amendments (292 total) September and 181 consents and 53 amendments (234 total) in the first three weeks of October. This is on par with our most productive months of the past few years, but is only marginally above the volume of applications coming in. Unfortunately, this means that the delays caused by the high volume of applications received in July is continuing and little headway is being made in reducing the volume of consents awaiting processing (at present this is over 700).

113. Our compliance with statutory timeframes dipped further in September, to 53%, although that was bolstered by a comparatively high compliance rate for amendments (69%) compared with new consents (48%).

114. We are continuing to try and recruit experienced processors and engage additional processing contractors to assist with the current consent backlog. Unfortunately, we also had three processors leave our team in October, which leaves us in a net neutral position. We are making plans for a different recruitment strategy, which would see us take on a number of trainee staff in 2022 with the long-term goal of having a higher number of trained and competent staff by the beginning of 2023.

115. Inspection wait times continue to be very positive, with standard inspection slots typically being available with under one week’s notice and final inspections with up to two weeks’ notice. We believe this is in part due to a reduction in doubled-up bookings following the alert level 3 lockdown, and a slowdown on some jobs due to delays in material availability.

116. Our International Audit New Zealand (IANZ) assessment was completed in September. Only three General Non-Compliance’s (GNCs) were identified and remained unresolved at the end of the assessment and these are well on their way to being resolved now. The vast majority of the GNCs identified during the assessment were minor in nature (for instance an agenda template that didn’t include all the regulated matters; and incomplete calibration records for our thermometers). The final report ranks TCC’s Building Control Authority (BCA) as a low risk (one of very few BCAs that have achieved this) and notes:

(a) The BCA received no SNCs [Serious Non-Compliance] and only a medium number of GNCs, with almost all being resolved before the end of the assessment;

(b) There were no serious concerns about the BCA’s technical output.

As a result of this great assessment, IANZ have confirmed that we will return to a two-yearly audit cycle for the first time in a number of years. We are very proud of this achievement and are pleased that we are able to continue focusing on delivering a high-quality consenting system and improving the business over the next few years, without the need to focus on an additional external audit.

Environmental Planning

117. Applications for resource consents remain consistently high. The team has had to review the sharp increase in the number of Building Consents received with the change to the DC policy (July - 173, Aug - 474, Sept - 141), with the Development Contributions Advisors undertaking assessments on 254 resource consents and 883 building consents between 1 July and 30 September.

Corporate Services

Airport

118. Tauranga Airport continues to be impacted by changes in COVID-19 lockdown levels across the country and the subsequent impacts on Air New Zealand schedules. The airport remains fully-operational through all lockdown levels, as required by Government.

119. September saw 16,145 passengers pass through the terminal, compared to 23,898 during August 2020 and 45,284 in August 2019. Flights operated with an average loading of 85 percent, with the major impacts being from reduced schedules, particularly from Auckland.

120. While landing charges were impacted by lockdown levels and reduced schedules, the financial performance of the airport remains strong. Approximately $300k was lost in landing charges and carparking revenue, but the non-airport revenue base continues to perform well and management continues to work with tenants to ensure positive outcomes continue.

Marine Precinct – Vessel Works

121. Bridge Wharf (one of the significant wharfs at the Marine Precinct) has been surveyed for remedial works. Costs for the planned repairs have come in significantly higher than anticipated and we have therefore requested a breakdown of costs, based on the severity of the defects. Potential options for repair and development of the wharf will be included in a report seeking a decision by Commissioners on the future direction of the facility.

122. The Marine Precinct Strategic Reset is progressing well, with a workshop and reports to the Commissioners coming up in the next couple of months. This will provide clarity on the direction of the facility, including future land and wharf development.

Cyber Security Week

123. Cyber Security Week ran from 18-22 October and was a national initiative to raise cyber security awareness across NZ. To support this, our security team provided 23 sessions covering a range of security topics, to build users’ awareness on how they embed better cyber security habits into their home and work lives.

124. This was well-received, with 260 attendees and further sessions requested from those who were unable to attend. The overall feedback was excellent with requests for more in-depth learning requested on several of the topics covered.

125. This leads nicely into our 12-month learning and education series focused on improving cyber security in our people, which represents our greatest opportunity to improve our cyber defences.

Digital Services

126. Digital Services and the Environmental Health and Licensing team have been working closely together to pilot Regulatory and Compliance processes in SAP. What started with Hairdresser registrations has now moved to include Campground registrations and Food Business Registrations (Food Control).

127. In the last month, we’ve been working on finalising Liquor Licensing, ready for testing. This includes many different types of licences (on-license, off-licence, special licences, manager’s certificates, etc.) and moving their associated application forms online (providing a better experience for business owners). The amount of manual handling of documents has also been reduced, with no less than 100 documents and forms automatically populated and stored in Objective (our document management system), saving valuable staff time.

128. This work is paving the way for better enabling of our wider Regulatory and Compliance processes, with fit-for-purpose technology focusing on enhancing the customer experience and creating efficiencies for staff.

129. As part of our Lifecycle Programme, our storage hardware was due for replacement, as the old hardware had exceeded its life expectancy and was no longer supported by the vendor. Storage is a critical part of our infrastructure and holds all of the data used by our 220 servers and approximately 50 systems. Without working storage, our systems are unusable.

130. While working to put the replacement hardware in place, we had a partial failure in the existing hardware. This incident ended up having virtually no impact on users, due to the effectiveness of the team’s response. We worked alongside our vendors to bring the old hardware back under support and have the faulty parts replaced, and the small team responsible for this part of our infrastructure worked around the clock to migrate the data from our critical systems from the old to the new hardware.

131. Over the last three months, the team has moved 109TB of data from the old hardware to the new hardware and deleted 60TB of old data. At approximately 90 minutes per TB, a lot of manhours have gone into what was a seamless transition to the new storage platform.

Beachside Holiday Park

132. Holiday Park occupancy continues to feel the impact of COVID restrictions in the Auckland and Waikato regions, which are a large part of our customer base.

Finance

133. The majority of financial reporting is delivered to the Strategy, Finance and Risk committee. The Annual Report is due to be adopted on 6 December and in early-December, the first draft of the 2022 Annual Plan will be presented to Council.

134. The Annual Plan will also include options around changes to the rating structure, looking at more equitable ways to distribute rates. Other new funding and financing options will also be brought into the Annual Plan, where appropriate.

Strategy and Growth

135. With the establishment of the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee, most of the matters associated with the Strategy & Growth portfolio are now reported through that structure. Rather than duplicating information, only matters not addressed in the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee will be reported via the Executive Report. The 20 September Strategy, Finance, Risk Committee agenda included the quarterly report on Urban Planning and also Transport Planning. There are no additional matters to report within this Executive Report.

Attachments

Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.3 Review of the Delivery of Mainstreet Programmes

File Number: A13014642

Author: Anne Blakeway, Manager: Community Partnerships

Authoriser: Gareth Wallis, General Manager: Community Services

Purpose of the Report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the delivery of Tauranga City Council’s four mainstreet programmes and identify any recommended changes to existing arrangements.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Receives the Review of the Delivery of Mainstreet Programmes report.

(b) Directs staff to implement all seven review recommendations (outlined below), including the appointment of a 0.5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) role within the Community Partnerships division to manage the ongoing relationship with the mainstreet organisations.

Executive Summary

2. Council recently undertook a review of the delivery of the four mainstreet programmes (Tauranga CBD, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Papamoa) with the following objectives:

· to review the extent to which they contribute to the creation of thriving town centre business districts within the city;

· to review the strategic alignment with Council; and

· to identify and recommend any changes to existing arrangements that are expected to drive improved outcomes for retail centres.

3. A number of key stakeholders were interviewed as part of the review, along with several staff members from Tauranga City Council (TCC), and the review is provided as Attachment 1.

4. Each of the four mainstreet organisations were given an opportunity to provide feedback to the draft review and these are provided as Attachment 2 (Mainstreet Tauranga), Attachment 3 (Mount Business Association), Attachment 4 (Greerton Village) and Attachment 5 (Papamoa Unlimited). This feedback has been incorporated into the final review by the review author, at their discretion.

5. The following recommendations have come out of the review:

(i) that TCC continues to deliver its mainstreet programmes through a collaborative business-community led model;

(ii) that the accountability regime proposed in the report be implemented as soon as possible;

(iii) that, as part of the accountability regime, TCC provide the mainstreet organisations with a three-yearly letter of expectation, coinciding with the Long-term Plan cycle, as the mechanism for ensuring strategic alignment of direction between the mainstreet organisations and TCC;

(iv) that the existing arrangements with the mainstreet organisations be reviewed as soon as possible, to reflect the proposed accountability regime and to standardise, where possible, the terminology in the agreements;

(v) that TCC undertake periodic surveys of the opinion of the owners and occupiers of the properties within the targeted rates areas that fund the mainstreet programmes, about the effectiveness of those programmes;

(vi) that TCC monitor progress with the rebuilding of the delivery of the mainstreet programme in Mount Maunganui; and

(vii) that an at least 0.2 FTE role be created within the Community Partnerships division of the Community Services group to manage the relationship with the mainstreet organisations.

6. While the reviewer’s recommendation is that an at least 0.2 FTE role is created, it is the staff recommendation that a 0.5 FTE role is created to manage the mainstreets relationships. This new role would also be responsible for managing relationships with our city partners following the decision to wind up Project Tauranga and deliver in its place, a series of “Leadership Breakfasts” with the Commission, the Executive, and our city partners. This new 0.5 FTE role can be funded from existing budgets.

Background

7. There are agreements in place between TCC and the four mainstreet organisations for the delivery of services. The intent of the agreements is to the effect that:

· The mainstreet organisations will contribute to the achievement of a strong and vibrant city and town centres, by promoting the appeal of their respective areas to residents and visitors through events, promotions and other means.

· That TCC will provide funding for these mainstreet services by way of a targeted rate on commercial property within each of the respective mainstreet business areas.

· The mainstreet organisations are incorporated societies and all business operators within their respective targeted rates areas are regarded by the mainstreet organisations as being their members.

8. Mainstreet organisations receive a targeted rate through Council, totalling $708,426 per annum across the four organisations. Activities undertaken by all the mainstreet organisations appear to be having a positive effect on the activation and economic vibrancy of their areas, largely through events and promotions.

9. It is difficult to measure the outcomes achieved by the mainstreet programmes in economic terms, meaning that generally only anecdotal and informal measures of success are available. However, informal measures, such as estimated numbers of people attending events, surveys of retailers to determine if customer foot traffic or turnover was improved by events and promotions etc., would be useful, provided they are objective.

10. The review suggests that the most meaningful measure of success available to Council is the opinion of those paying the targeted rates that fund the mainstreet programmes, and that periodic surveys of these people would be valuable.

Accountability

11. The review highlights that there is a lack of understanding on the part of some of the mainstreets with regards to TCC’s role in funding their organisations – and the wording of the current agreements does not help in that regard.

12. Rather than being a membership levy collection agency, Council sets a targeted rate to fund the mainstreet services and is accountable for the use of those rates to the same extent as it is for any other rates it sets. In effect, Council is giving grants to the mainstreet organisations each year.

13. The funding agreements set out an annual structure of accountability, including:

· a formal annual request for the level of targeted rates funding sought by each of the Mainstreet boards to be received by TCC by 1 December;

· an annual business plan to be provided to TCC by 30 June;

· six-monthly reports;

· audited financial accounts to be provided to TCC by 30 September; and

· meetings with TCC staff at least twice a year to discuss performance, effectiveness etc.

14. However, the review has highlighted that application of the “accountability regime” is weak, and specifically that:

· annual business plans are not provided and are instead substituted with a brief commentary on the six months ahead in the six-monthly report;

· only basic commentary is provided by TCC staff in the cover report that accompanies the six-monthly reports going to Council, without any qualitative commentary on performance and/or on the adequacy of information provided;

· one of the mainstreet organisations has not submitted audited financial reports since the 2018 financial year without any consequence; and

· the regular meetings with the mainstreet organisations are more perfunctory in nature than fulfilling the purpose contained within the agreements.

15. The review sets out the elements that you would expect to find in a good accountability regime for externally provided mainstreet services to ensure strategic alignment with TCC, including:

· At the very least, a three-yearly letter of expectation coinciding with the Long-term Plan cycle, or alternatively a statement of intent approach.

· Submission of an annual business plan by the mainstreet organisations – at the same time that funding is requested, to enable TCC to make a “value for money” judgement when it considers the funding request.

· Six-monthly reporting by the mainstreet organisations against the business plan, accompanied by a robust, qualitative TCC process for assessing and considering these reports.

· Provision of audited financial statements accompanied by formal TCC oversight of these reports.

· Regularly scheduled meetings between the mainstreet organisations and TCC staff.

16. The ability to actively implement the accountability regime outlined above is, of course, dependent on there being a resource within TCC that is charged with responsibility for making this happen (see paragraphs 19 to 21 below).

Mainstreet models

17. The review explores the common characteristics of successful mainstreet models, as well as other models that might be used. It concludes that neither the in-house model nor the outsourced oversight model (for example, through Priority One) are likely to produce better outcomes than the current business community-led approach that is in place, with direct oversight by TCC.

18. The reviewer argues that “it is this involvement of the local business community that is at the heart of the success of mainstreet programmes, as the business community is genuinely invested in achieving successful local outcomes and is likely to have better knowledge of many of the business drivers of that than does TCC.”

Responsibility within Tauranga City Council

19. There are currently four TCC staff members who have a role in the interface with the mainstreet organisations, although the mainstreet relationship function does not form part of the position description for any of these staff.

20. There is no single role that has primary responsibility for managing the relationship and this was identified as a key issue that needed to be resolved.

21. The reviewer proposes that responsibility for managing the relationship with the mainstreet organisations should sit within the Community Partnerships division. In a similar way to the CCO relationships role, this proposed role would champion collaboration to develop new strategic direction through three-yearly letters of expectation, to aid the success of the mainstreet programmes.

Strategic / Statutory Context

22. In terms of TCC’s community outcomes that were in the Long-term Plan 2021-2031, well-run mainstreet programmes make a worthwhile contribution to city centre vibrancy and to a city that is well planned, with a variety of successful and thriving compact centres and resilient infrastructure.

23. Well-run mainstreet programmes also have a key role in making a significant contribution to the social, economic, cultural and environmental well-being of the region.

24. The City Centre Strategy (2012) is relevant to Mainstreet Tauranga to the extent that its vision is to create a thriving commercial centre. This strategy is currently under review and expected to be completed by the end of the year. Specific actions may be assigned to Mainstreet Tauranga to implement as a key stakeholder in the strategy.

Financial Considerations

25. Mainstreet organisations receive a targeted rate through Council totalling $708,426 per annum across the four organisations.

Legal Implications / Risks

26. There are no legal implications or risks associated with this review.

Consultation / Engagement

27. Each of the four mainstreet organisations were given an opportunity to provide feedback to the draft review and these are provided as Attachments 2 to 5. This feedback has been incorporated into the final review by the review author, at his discretion.

Significance

28. The Local Government Act 2002 requires an assessment of the significance of matters, issues, proposals and decisions in this report against Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. Council acknowledges that in some instances a matter, issue, proposal or decision may have a high degree of importance to individuals, groups, or agencies affected by the report.

29. In making this assessment, consideration has been given to the likely impact, and likely consequences for:

(a) the current and future social, economic, environmental, or cultural well-being of the district or region

(b) any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the matter.

30. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the matter is of low significance.

ENGAGEMENT

31. Taking into consideration the above assessment, that the matter is of low significance, officers are of the opinion that no further engagement is required prior to Council making a decision.

Next Steps

32. Council’s decision to receive this report and its recommendations, or otherwise, will be communicated to the mainstreet organisations.

33. Staff will commence immediately with the appointment of a 0.5 FTE role, working within the Community Partnerships division, to manage the relationship with the mainstreet organisations.

34. The recommendations and accountability regime proposed in the review will be implemented by the new appointee before the beginning of the next financial year.

Attachments

1. Review of the Delivery of Mainstreet Programmes, October 2021 - A13014904 ⇩

2. Mainstreet Tauranga - feedback to draft Mainstreets Review, October 2021 - A13014902 ⇩

3. Mount Business Association - feedback to draft Mainstreets Review, October 2021 - A13014899 ⇩

4. Greerton Village - feedback to draft Mainstreets Review, October 2021 - A13014900 ⇩

5. Papamoa Unlimited - feedback to draft Mainstreets Review, October 2021 - A13014901 ⇩

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.4 Reclassification of land parcel within Golf Road reserve - Mount Playcentre

File Number: A13030708

Author: Ross Hudson, Team Leader: Planning

Authoriser: Gareth Wallis, General Manager: Community Services

Purpose of the Report

1. To seek approval, in principle, to change the classification of part of Golf Road Reserve, and to authorise public notification of the proposed re-classification, pursuant to the Reserves Act 1977.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Approves, in principle, the re-classification of a portion of Golf Road Reserve, up to 800m², identified indicatively in the plan attached at Figure 2 of this report, from recreation reserve to local purpose (community building) reserve, pursuant to section 24 of the Reserves Act 1977; and

(b) Authorises public notification and public consultation of the proposed re-classification, pursuant to section 24 of the Reserves Act 1977.

Executive Summary

2. Council has a long standing action to relocate Mount Maunganui Playcentre (the Playcentre) from Blake Park, given the significant pressure on this site from sports users. Several alternative sites have been identified over the last 5-10 years.

3. The Omanu Bowls Club disbanded in 2020, freeing up land within the Golf Road Reserve. Council has worked with the Playcentre to assess the viability of this site from a Council and Playcentre perspective, with the outcome being that in principle, this is a suitable location for the Playcentre.

4. To progress the use of this land for the Playcentre, Council needs to reclassify a portion of the reserve from recreation reserve to local purpose (community buildings) reserve. The balance of the site will remain as recreation reserve.

BACKGROUND

Mount Maunganui Playcentre

5. The Playcentre is located on Blake Park, a strategic active reserve with multiple sport and recreation user groups. Blake Park is under significant and growing pressure from sports users as the city grows.

6. Relocation of the Playcentre from Blake Park has been a long held strategic goal for Council. It is supported by the Tauranga Reserves Management Plan, which requires “the current Playcentre lease will expire in 2019 and will not be renewed. Before the lease expiry in 2019 Council will work with the Playcentre to investigate new sites and will assist in the relocation of the Playcentre to a suitable location”.

7. Council has been working with the Playcentre for many years to identify an alternative location. A site at Tatua Reserve was agreed in the Tauranga Reserves Management Plan. However, a subsequent opportunity was identified in 2020 when the Omanu Bowls Club, who occupied a large area of the Golf Road Reserve, disbanded.

8. In the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan, Council resolved to investigate the viability of the Playcentre relocating to Golf Road Reserve, and brought forward funding of $144,310 to contribute to relocation costs.

Golf Road Reserve

9. Golf Road Reserve is located at 62 to 64 Golf Road, Mount Maunganui.

10. It is approximately 8,240m² and is classified as recreation reserve under the Reserves Act 1977 (The Act). It is zoned Active Open Space in the Tauranga City Plan and categorised as an Active Reserve in the Tauranga Reserves Management Plan.

11. The primary purpose of recreation reserves is for “the recreation and sporting activities, and the physical welfare and enjoyment of the public”.

12. The Active Open Space Zone applies to the City’s parks and reserves that are primarily used for organised sport and events, but are also used for passive purposes.

13. The Tauranga Reserves Management Plan identifies the key management outcomes for Active Reserves are priority for organised sports or events, where the community can take part in and watch sports. The management statement for Golf Road Reserve is to “consider using part of the site for buildings for community organisations, including storage.”

14. Other users of the site are Mount Maunganui Bridge Club, who are temporarily occupying the old bowling club building whilst their new facility is being built. The new facility will be jointly occupied with Surf Lifesaving NZ. This new build will occupy approximately 1,000m² of the site and is located on the Gold Road frontage.

15. Both user groups are consistent with the recreation reserve classification (which can also include more passive recreational activities). The reserve is bordered to the north east and south west by residential properties, to the east, south and west by the Mount Maunganui Golf course, and has a road frontage to Golf Road.

Figure 1: Golf Road Reserve – outlined in yellow

The proposal

16. The proposal is to lease an area of approximately 800m² to the Playcentre, and allow them to construct a new building and operate a playcentre at the reserve.

17. The proposed location for the leased area is shown on the plan below, shaded blue.

18. The Playcentre agrees that the Golf Road site is suitable for their needs and are keen to progress this. The proposal is consistent with the Tauranga Reserves Management Plan requirements for potential use of this reserve. The Playcentre have funding to enable them to proceed with development of a new facility and the identification of a suitable site for their relocation has been ongoing for many years, therefore, it is recommended that the reclassification process commences as soon as possible.

19. Further discussions are underway regarding the potential use of the balance of the site (on the Mount Golf Course end), in accordance with the existing recreation reserve classification and City Plan zoning.

Figure 2: Indicative location of Playcentre leased area

ISSUES

20. In order to facilitate the re-location of the Playcentre to Golf Road Reserve, Council will need to re-classify the part of the recreation reserve proposed to be leased to the Playcentre to local purpose reserve (community building) reserve. This is because a playcentre is not consistent with the purpose of a recreation reserve under the Act.

21. Steps required to be undertaken by Council include a survey of the reserve to prepare a Survey Office Plan for the area proposed to be re-classified, notification of the proposed re-classification to the Department of Conservation, public notification, engagement with mana whenua, receipt of submissions and objections, consideration of mana whenua feedback, consideration of objections, and a Council resolution to confirm re-classification or not.

22. Council has authority to apply final discretion on whether the reserve is re-classified in accordance with the 2013 Instrument of Delegation for Territorial Authorities by the Minister of Conservation.

Strategic / POLICY/ Statutory Context

23. Relocation of the Playcentre to Golf Road Reserve is consistent with:

(i) Council’s broader strategic outcomes of having a well-planned city with a variety of community amenities, where people of all ages and backgrounds are included, feel safe, connected and healthy.

(ii) Council’s Community, Private and Commercial Use of Council-Administered Land, which specifically provides for the relocation of the Playcentre to Council land.

(iii) The Tauranga Reserves Management Plan. The proposal has been assessed against this plan and it is considered that the Playcentre can successfully occupy part of the site to meet its requirements, without adversely affecting the use of the rest of the site.

(iv) The Tauranga City Plan, which provides for community buildings on Active Open Space zoned sites as permitted activities, subject to a number of permitted activity conditions. Should the proposed development not meet the permitted activity conditions, a resource consent will be required.

24. Relocation to this site is not consistent with the Reserves Act, unless part of the site is re-classified to local purpose (community buildings) reserve.

Options

25. Option 1 – do not approve, in principle, the re-classification of part of Golf Road Reserve and do not authorise public notification or consultation. This option retains the status quo.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Nil	Does not facilitate re-location of the Playcentre from Blake Park.
	Does not assist Blake Park to meet the increasing demands from sports users.

Risks: The Playcentre loses funding from third parties that is conditional upon them securing a site and beginning construction this financial year.

Financial implications: Nil

26. Option 2 – approve, in principle, the re-classification of Golf Road Reserve and authorise public notification and consultation.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Facilitates the re-location of the Playcentre from Blake Park.	Nil
Assists Blake Park to meet the increasing demands from sports users.

Risks: Nil – this is an “in principle” decision and can be reversed upon the receipt of, and consideration of, objections and mana whenua feedback.

Financial implications: Staff time and operational budgets to undertake the re-classification process.

Legal Implications / Risks

27. There are no identified legal implications or risks to Council in making this decision at this stage. As this is an “in principle” decision, it is able to be reversed upon the receipt of, and consideration of, objections and mana whenua feedback.

Significance

28. The Local Government Act 2002 requires an assessment of the significance of matters, issues, proposals and decisions in this report against Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. Council acknowledges that in some instances a matter, issue, proposal or decision may have a high degree of importance to individuals, groups, or agencies affected by the report.

29. In making this assessment, consideration has been given to the likely impact, and likely consequences for:

(a) The current and future social, economic, environmental, or cultural well-being of the district or region.

(b) Any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the proposal.

30. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that this decision is of low significance.

ENGAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION

31. The Reserves Act prescribes the engagement/consultation that is required when considering re-classification of a recreation reserve:

(i) Engagement with tangata whenua/mana whenua on the proposed re-classification and potential use of the land.

(ii) Consultation with DOC and notification of the reasons why the re-classification is required.

(iii) Public consultation on the re-classification, which will include advertising/information through print and online media, and the ability for people to provide feedback to Council within a specified period.

32. All feedback will be reported on and considered through a deliberations report to Council.

Next Steps

33. Should Council resolve, in principle, to re-classify part of Golf Road Reserve, staff will initiate the site survey, consultation and engagement processes and will present feedback, including objections, as part of the deliberations report.

34. Council will then confirm (or not confirm) the re-classification.

Attachments

Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.7 City Plan Review Update

File Number: A13012286

Author: Janine Speedy, Team Leader: City Planning

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. The purpose of this report is to decide whether the City Plan Review project should proceed given the resource management reform or an alternative pathway is taken.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Put the City Plan Review on hold (option 3) pending outcomes of the government’s resource management reforms and instead progress with priority plan changes;

(b) Communicate with key partners, including central Government that Tauranga City Council has decided to put the City Plan Review project on hold and progress priority plan changes;

(c) Staff prepare a draft work programme for priority plan changes to be reported to Council for consideration in early 2022.

Executive Summary

2. The City Plan Review project currently intends to publicly notify the next Tauranga City Plan for formal submissions by April 2024 to meet the legislative timeframes required by the National Planning Standards, which apply to all local authorities under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

3. The Government’s intended resource management reform has led to a point where Council needs to consider whether the City Plan Review should proceed past completing Phase 2 (issues and options). Three pathway options are presented:

Option 1 – Proceed with the full City Plan Review;

Option 2 – Cease City Plan Review, undertake a limited plan change work programme and make the City Plan as compliant as possible with the National Planning Standards; or

Option 3 – Put the City Plan Review project on hold and undertake agreed priority plan changes.

4. Option 3 is recommended to put the City Plan Review project on hold and instead develop a work programme that completes existing plan change commitments and looks to undertake priority plan changes in response to key issues for Tauranga and aligned national policy direction. This would occur whilst Council awaits the new Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA), intended to replace the RMA (and our District Plan) with a combined plan for the Bay of Plenty region under a new national planning framework. If and when the governments Resource Management reform are confirmed and implemented the City Plan review would then be formally abandoned.

Background

5. The last City Plan Review commenced in 2008. New legislative requirements and national / regional policy direction now place significant additional obligations on local authorities through their district plans. Given these matters and the pressures facing the city, our District Plan is no longer fit for purpose.

6. The City Plan Review project plan was endorsed by the Urban Form and Transport Development Committee on 21 July 2020. It sets out six phases for the City Plan Review project, with key milestones at each stage.

7. The project received direction from the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee on 17 May 2021 to proceed with completion of Phases 1 and 2 of the City Plan Review. The project is on track to complete Phase 2, signalled by the release of five topic-based discussion documents in October 2021 for engagement with stakeholders and tangata whenua on options to address key issues. Stakeholders include groups across the public and private sector such as environmental, sustainability and housing affordability groups and property developers.

8. To facilitate efficient and responsible use of external resources, as well as to support effective internal resource planning, a decision on the next steps for the City Plan Review project is required. Relevant considerations to the decision as to whether the project proceeds as planned are the:

· increasingly urgent need to address housing supply for Tauranga

· impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which has made it more difficult to work at pace

· shortage of skills with staff vacancies remaining unfilled for periods of time

· resource management reform replacement legislation expected timeframes and new planning framework

· recently announced Resource Management (Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill introducing mandatory medium rise residential standards, which require a plan change to the City Plan to be notified by August 2022.

Strategic / Statutory Context

9. Section 79 of the RMA requires regional and territorial authorities to commence a review of their plans at least once every 10 years.

10. The National Planning Standards require Tauranga City Council to have notified its reviewed plan within five years of the National Planning Standards becoming operative i.e.. April 2024.

11. Given that the resource management reforms propose a combined plan for the Bay of Plenty region it is considered appropriate to progress with priority plan changes which achieve strategic outcomes for the city and give effect to National Policy Statements rather than meet legislative requirements that will be repealed.

12. The RMA does not set out the consequences for not meeting the requirements to review every 10 years and comply with the National Planning Standards. Formal communication will be sent to the Ministers of Local Government and the Environment on the resolutions set out in this report.

Options Analysis

13. There are three options considered given the resource management reforms are set out below.

14. Option 1 – Proceed with full City Plan Review

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Able to meet all legislative requirements under the RMA.

· Council reviews all chapters in the City Plan and therefore can provide a fit for purpose new plan.

· City Plan provisions may have new requirements under the NBA legislation.

· Inefficient use of resourcing and funding allocated to the City Plan Review that may not be required.

· Significantly drawn our timeframes to address urgent resource management issues facing the city.

15. The risks associated with this option is that work undertaken for the full City Plan Review may not be used if the RMA is replaced before the City Plan is notified or made operative and rework is required in preparation for a combined plan.

16. Option 2 – Cease City Plan Review, undertake a limited plan change work programme and make the City Plan as compliant as possible with the National Planning Standards.

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Able to make changes to the City Plan to (substantively) address National Planning Standards.

· Earlier delivery of plan changes to notification and provisions come into effect earlier for key issues.

· Likely cost savings in not undertaking a full review and undertaking a limited number of plan changes.

· Cannot make all appropriate amendments to the operative City Plan.

· Time and resource required to translate the existing City Plan into a new structure to meet National Planning Standards provides minimal community benefit.

· Will not fully meet the National Planning Standards or RMA District Plan review requirements.

17. Under this option the engagement work during Phases 1 and 2 of the City Plan Review will be used to contribute to how issues are addressed.

18. Option 3 – Put the City Plan Review project on hold and undertake agreed priority plan changes.

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Council decides the level of investment needed to give effect to current national, regional and local direction and priorities for resource management.

· Allows Council to address immediate housing supply and other challenges within shorter timeframe, through rezoning and intensification plan changes.

· Earlier delivery of plan changes to notification and provisions come into effect earlier.

· Cannot make all appropriate amendments to the operative City Plan.

· May not give effect to all current national and regional policy direction

· Less efficient to undertake plan changes individually than through a full review.

Financial Considerations

19. The Long-term Plan 2021-2031 approved $7,206,250 to progress the City Plan Review project to formal public notification and through to hearings and appeals from 2021-2028. Under Option 3, it is considered that this budget (or a substantive proportion of it) will be required to progress the priority plan change work programme.

20. No additional budget is required to progress with Option 3.

Legal Implications / Risks

21. Section 79 of the RMA requires regional and territorial authorities to commence a review of their plans at least once every 10 years. The Tauranga City Plan was made fully operative in 5 July 2014. Therefore, Council is required to commence the City Plan Review prior to July 2024. The City Plan Review project commenced in July 2020 with the approval of the project plan.

22. Central Government introduced the National Planning Standards to make council plans and policy statements easier to prepare, understand and comply with and more consistent across councils. The first set of planning standards came into force on 3 May 2019. The National Planning Standards require Council to publicly notify the next Tauranga City Plan for formal submission by April 2024.

23. Given the expectation of new legislation being introduced to Parliament in 2022 to replace the RMA, not meeting the National Planning Standards is a pragmatic approach which carries a relatively low risk for Council. If the resource management reforms change in direction or timing, the City Plan Review will be able to recommence, however timeframes to meet notification in April 2024 would be difficult.

Consultation / Engagement

24. The Communications & Engagement and Tangata Whenua/Cultural workstream are two of the five workstreams for the City Plan Review project. The implemented engagement approach has ensured stakeholders, tangata whenua and the community have had input into the first two phases of the project.

25. During Phases 1 and 2 of the City Plan Review project, issues and opportunities have been gathered, including through stakeholder workshops and tangata whenua engagement in March, April and July 2021. Individual hui with hapu are continuing.

26. Feedback on the five topic-based discussion documents and options to address the identified key issues will inform either the next steps with the City Plan Review or the alternative pathway option of a plan change work programme.

27. The Ministers of Local Government and the Environment have been informed of the matter under consideration, along with Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Significance

29. In making this assessment, consideration has been given to the likely impact, and likely consequences for:

(a) the current and future social, economic, environmental, or cultural well-being of the district or region

(b) any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the decision.

30. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the decision is of medium significance.

31. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the decision is of medium significance. The City Plan Review is of high significance as it affects a wide range of people, and there is the potential for large consequences for the city, however the decision proposed in this report is of medium significance. While it is recommended to put the City Plan Review on hold pending outcomes of the government’s resource management reforms, the delivery of policy under the RMA will be through an alternative pathway using work done to date on the project and current allocated funding.

ENGAGEMENT

32. Taking into consideration the above assessment, that the decision is of medium significance, staff are of the opinion that appropriate engagement has been undertaken and no further engagement is required prior to Council making a decision.

Next Steps

33. Should Council resolve not to proceed with the City Plan Review project, a draft work programme for priority plan changes will be prepared which considers resourcing, current plan change commitments, the current proposed amendments to the RMA and priorities for delivery. The draft work programme will be reported to Council for consideration and endorsement.

34. The draft work programme will be informed by engagement with central government, local government and tangata whenua.

35. Communication is required with Central Government that Tauranga City Council has resolved to put the City Plan Review project on hold pending outcomes of the government’s resource management reforms.

Attachments

Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.8 Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill and Plan Change 26 implications

File Number: A13014085

Author: Janine Speedy, Team Leader: City Planning

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill and the implications this has on Plan Change 26 – Housing Choice.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Place Plan Change 26 – Housing Choice on hold until the Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is passed.

(b) Endorses the key submissions points on the Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill as set out in this report.

Executive Summary

2. On 19 October 2021, Central Government released the Resource Management (Enabling Housing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill (Amendment Bill) that proposes amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

3. The Amendment Bill directs tier 1 councils (Tauranga, Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch) to apply medium residential standards by 20 August 2022.

4. Where compliance with the standards can be achieved development up to three dwellings of up to three storeys on sites without a resource consent is enabled. The Amendment Bill also requires a faster plan change process to implement these new standards.

5. Submissions on the Amendment Bill close on 16 November 2021 and it is intended that the Amendment Bill be passed mid December 2021.

6. While there are benefits to providing a consistent approach for delivering medium density residential standards across the tier 1 councils, there are concerns on the timeframes, ability to resource, infrastructure capacity, urban design and implications for Plan Change 26 – Housing Choice (PC26).

7. The Amendment Bill sets clear direction which does not fully align with PC26 outcomes. It is considered appropriate to place PC26 on hold until the Amendment Bill is passed. If the Amendment Bill remains generally consistent with its current form following the select committee process, it will be recommended that Council withdraw PC26 and instead commence a new plan change to meet the new standards.

Background

8. The Amendment Bill introduces a new planning process to support tier 1 councils to implement the National Policy Statement on Urban Development policies with greater speed.

9. The Amendment Bill proposes that tier 1 councils publicly notify an ‘intensification planning instrument’ (intensification plan change or variation) by 20 August 2022. This will include the implementation of the medium density residential standards (MDRS), and potentially the incorporation of other plan provisions to give effect to modified Policy 3 of the National Policy Statement – Urban Development (NPS-UD).

10. The MDRS includes seven standards as set out in the Amendment Bill, such as height, setbacks, site coverage and overshadowing. The MDRS is to be applied to all existing residential areas and enables the development of up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites without the need for resource consent.

11. Exemptions to the MDRS will apply based on qualifying matters set out in the NPS-UD, such as heritage areas and natural hazards.

12. The MDRS will have legal effect from notification, unless a qualifying matter applies, more permissive standards are proposed or greenfield land is being rezoned to residential land.

13. Staff have been considering the contents of the Amendment Bill and have identified the following key submission points:

· Councils ability to resource the development of an intensification planning instrument and ISPP process given the timeframes set out in the Amendment Bill and resourcing constraints across the planning sector driven by a range of factors such as the resource management reforms;

· The need to ensure the provisions of the Amendment Bill enable the widest possible scope for intensification and greenfield rezoning;

· The ability to enable consideration of infrastructure capacity to service the development capacity unlocked by the MDRS as a qualifying matter (or similar);

· The related issue of infrastructure funding to support the intensification up zoning and the needs for effective tools to deal with other matters that constrain development and implementation of the MDRS (eg covenants);

· The ability to ensure/consider quality urban design outcomes and whether non bulk and location standards can be considered such as waste management areas;

· The potential for the Amendment Bill to enable intensification in unsuitable locations that may not align with the Government draft Emissions Reduction Plan (eg locations not serviced by public transport and/or insufficient transport capacity generally);

· The potential for the Amendment Bill to incentivise low scale intensification in areas like Te Papa which are more suitable for high density multi-storey apartment development (ie the Amendment Bill should not apply to areas where high density is planned);

· Implications of the Amendment Bill on tier 1 councils current projects to meet the NPS-UD such as PC26.

14. Due to limited timeframes the full submission is not attached to this report. It will either be distributed as a late item or tabled on the day at the Council meeting.

15. Engagement has been undertaken with all tier 1 councils to consider the Amendment Bill and its implications. The key matters identified above are consistent across all tier 1 councils.

16. Staff have considered the implications that the Amendment Bill has on PC26. PC26 proposes to enable greater housing choice and residential density in the Suburban Residential and City Living zones. While the general direction in the Amendment Bill is similar to where PC26 is heading through the hearing report, the details in the provisions set out in the Amendment Bill of what must be implemented are different and far more wide reaching geographically.

17. Key implications of the Amendment Bill in PC26 are as follows:

· The scope of the changes required are wider than PC26;

· PC26 hearing report must be made public as set out in the hearings procedures and directions, prior to Council knowing what is in the final Amendment Bill.

· A further plan change is required to incorporate these changes across all residential zones and need to ensure there are sufficient resources that can be dedicated to this;

· On current timeframes it is likely that PC26 will still be working through appeals when another plan change is required to be notified by August 2022;

· To meet the MDRS and Policy 3 of the NPS-UD city wide, is likely to require a quite different approach to the drafting of planning provisions than adopted in PC26.

18. Given the significant resourcing required to progress both PC26 and a new plan change in parallel with the far-reaching implications of the Amendment Bill, it is considered that PC26 should be put on hold. In addition, it is considered that withdrawing or withdrawing in part PC26 should be considered once the Amendment Bill has passed. This may be required to enable Council to comprehensively address the Amendment Bill through one process, while utilising relevant work from PC26 to provide for the best planning outcome.

Strategic / Statutory Context

19. Council’s submission considers how the Amendment Bill aligns with and supports the strategic direction set out in the Urban Form and Transport Initiative.

Options Analysis

20. Three options have been considered for PC26 in response to the Amendment Bill.

21. Option 1 – proceed with current timeframes to undertake a hearing in early February 2022.

Advantages

Disadvantages

- Staff can proceed with the hearing report, meet timeframes and reduce risk of having to withdraw the plan change under the new legislation.

- There will be significant rework required through a future plan change/ intensification planning instrument.

- This approach may not be the best use of limited resources when all indications are that the Amendment Bill will be passed and further plan change will be required in 2022.

- Likely to require future changes to Te Papa provisions to ensure they are ‘enabling’ and more appealing than 3 storey units. Particularly overshadowing. (PC26 is currently limited in scope and time to review this).

- Potential for appeals to PC26 being ongoing after new intensification plan change was notified.

22. Option 2 – to place PC26 on hold, awaiting the final outcomes of the Amendment Bill in December 2021 – recommended option.

Advantages

Disadvantages

- Provides time for Council to assess the final wording of the Amendment Bill to determine the best approach going forward.

- Some parts of PC26 can be carried forward and included in the intensification planning instrument to be notified by 20 August 2022 (if PC26 is subsequently withdrawn).

- If the Amendment Bill is delayed or withdrawn the option of continuing with PC26 remains.

- Align Suburban Residential Zone and Te Papa provisions, and potentially consider a zone for Te Papa.

- The objectives and policies for Te Papa and the Suburban Residential Zone under PC26 still have weighting until the plan change is withdrawn (if that occurs). This will need to be revisited once the Amendment Bill is passed.

- Resources can be redirected to understanding the implications of the Amendment Bill.

- Depending on the final Amendment Bill, the plan change may not meet the 20 February 2022 timeframe and must be withdrawn.

23. Option 3 – to withdraw PC26 under clause 8D of the RMA.

Advantages

Disadvantages

- Allows time to continue to work on Te Papa provisions in light of new MDRZ provisions to ensure they are ‘enabling’ and then look to implement these in other areas of the city considered to have ‘high suitability’ to give effect to intensification policies of the NPS-UD in one comprehensive plan change.

- Some parts of PC26 can be carried forward and included in the ISPP to be notified by 20 August 2022.

- Resources can be redirected to understanding the implications of the Amendment Bill.

- Likely to delay achieving a planning framework that enables greater heights in Te Papa in the short term

- Does not provide the opportunity to consider the final Amendment Bill and whether there is the option to withdraw part of PC26.

- If the Amendment Bill is delayed or withdrawn then the ability to continue with PC26 is removed.

- No weighting to Te Papa and Suburban Residential objectives and policies in the interim through resource consent applications.

Financial Considerations

24. Existing opex budget has been used to progress PC26 to this point. There are costs associated to progress to hearing, including staff resources, the four independent hearings commissioners appointed to the hearings panel and expert evidence to support the hearing report. If appeals are received when the decisions are notified, this can also include significant cost and resource.

25. Placing PC26 on hold awaiting the outcome of the Amendment Bill would ensure efficient use of the existing opex budget.

Legal Implications / Risks

26. To progress with PC26 will not meet the Amendment Bill in its current form and require a future change. On current timeframes, Plan Change 26 decisions would be notified in April 2022, then 30 days to make an appeal. If no appeals are received, the plan change would be operative in approximately June 2022. Therefore, there is approximately two months that Plan Change 26 is operative until notifying a new plan change that has legal effect. If appeals are received these would not be resolved prior to notifying a new plan change and PC26 would become redundant.

Consultation / Engagement

27. Consultation has been undertaken with tier 1 councils, legal advisors and central Government agencies on the implications of the Amendment Bill and to step through options for PC26. Support was provided for Option 2 to place PC26 on hold awaiting the outcomes of the final Amendment Bill.

Significance

29. In making this assessment, consideration has been given to the likely impact, and likely consequences for:

(a) the current and future social, economic, environmental, or cultural well-being of the district or region

(b) any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the decision.

30. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the decision is of medium significance as the decision is to put PC26 on hold awaiting the final Amendment Bill.

ENGAGEMENT

31. Taking into consideration the above assessment, the timing of the need for a decision, that the decision is of medium significance, officers are of the opinion that no further engagement is required prior to Council making a decision.

32. In the event that PC26 is withdrawn or withdrawn in part, it is considered that the decision would be of medium significance.

Next Steps

33. Technical work to progress the provisions for the Te Papa peninsula will continue to support any future plan change, however preparation of the hearing report with be on hold for PC26 until the Amendment Bill is passed through parliament.

34. Staff will report back to Council on the final Amendment Bill and next steps for PC26.

35. Following the Amendment Bill being passed, staff will commence preparation of scoping a new plan change to report back to the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee in early 2022.

Attachments

Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

15 November 2021

11.9 Submissions on Draft Parking Strategy

File Number: A12994185

Author: Peter Siemensma, Senior Transport Planner

Waheed Ahmed, Senior Transport Planner

Alistair Talbot, Team Leader: Transport Strategy & Planning

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. To provide a summary of the submissions received to consultation on the draft Parking Strategy and to seek adoption of the Parking Strategy, subject to amendments as a result of the submissions received.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Receives the draft Parking Strategy report.

(b) Notes the submissions received from consultation on the draft Parking Strategy.

Executive Summary

2. Parking management plays an important role in the successful functioning of a City and its transport network. Successful parking management can contribute to:

· Improving the vibrancy of centres and people’s access to them;

· Enabling a multi-modal transport system;

· Enabling a more compact urban form;

· Supporting access for all, by helping to prioritise space for those with the greatest need (e.g. mobility parking);

· Ensuring value for money and best use of resources by making sure that parking revenues cover the costs and that future investments would provide value for money.

3. The Urban Form & Transport Initiative (UFTI) and the Western Bay of Plenty Transport System Plan (TSP) identify that parking management is a key lever to support the delivery of the Connected Centres programme and achieving its benefits. The direction provided by UFTI and the TSP is supported by the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD) which strongly encourages Councils to “manage effects associated with the supply and demand of car parking through comprehensive parking management plans”.

4. The draft Parking Strategy has been developed to guide Council’s approach to the management of Council controlled parking spaces across the City. It provides an over-arching approach to guide Parking Management Plans for areas of the city that need specific attention due to existing high occupancy and/or areas where occupancy levels are expected to change in the near future due to significant planned land use change.

5. The draft Parking Strategy was approved for public consultation, subject to requested changes, by the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee on 16 August. The changes made to the draft Parking Strategy related to:

(a) The inclusion of additional discussion of the key wider issues that have led to the need for developing a Parking Strategy and the challenges associated with delivering it successfully (e.g. new Section 6 of the draft Parking Strategy).

(b) Discussion added to Section 4.1 of the Parking Strategy also supporting increased density and amenity.

(c) Introduction of a new section 4.2 to reflect the Tauranga City Council Street Design Guide and its role in street design.

(d) ‘Outcome 3 amended to make reference to the Parking Strategy contributing to a more attractive and more compact urban form.

(e) Note added that event venues also include marae and that large events at marae could lead to parking demand and overspill into surrounding areas.

(f) Discussion added that that the removal of the requirement for minimum on-site parking provision by Central Government as part of residential development would likely lead to increased on-street parking demand in residential areas.

6. Public consultation was undertaken over four weeks from 10 September to 8 October 2021. 23 responses to the consultation have been received, considered by staff and have led to some recommended changes to the draft Strategy. These changes relate to:

(a) Clarification that monitoring of Parking Management Plans (PMP’s) is intended;

(b) That parking pricing has a role in the perception of the price advantage for alternative mode use.

(d) Reference to motorbike parking is added to draft Parking Strategy;

(e) The importance of clear communication and consistent enforcement to the success of a PMP is discussed further in the draft Parking Strategy;

(f) The use of ‘exponential pricing’ as a tool in PMPs.

the draft parking strategy

7. The draft Parking Strategy proposes a ‘graduated approach’ to parking management whereby it looks to achieve a balance between occupancy and turnover of spaces, particularly in busy centres. A benchmark for optimal occupancy is around 85% of available spaces. This occupancy level means spaces are well used but people can still find a space if needed (i.e. 15% of spaces should be available). Pricing or time controls tend to be the approach applied to manage occupancy and availability of spaces where demand is regularly higher than the 85% benchmark.

8. The draft Parking Strategy outlines the way it is intended to manage parking in a range of circumstances and settings, covering:

· Parking on residential streets

· Kerbside space allocation, cycle parking and berm parking

· Parking in centres

· The prioritisation of parking space by vehicle type/reason for parking

· Park and ride facilities

· Parking enforcement and monitoring

9. The draft Parking Strategy has been developed through technical analysis, examination of best practice in New Zealand and overseas, and parking surveys and perception surveys. The package of analysis that has supported the development of the draft Strategy is available online on TCC’s website. The draft National Parking Management Guidance, provided by Waka Kotahi, as well as recently developed parking strategies from other cities have been used to inform the development of the draft Parking Strategy.

10. The draft Parking Strategy recommends implementing the strategy through area-based ‘Parking Management Plans’ (PMP). A PMP is a location-specific plan that recommends changes to how parking management is undertaken, for example, in a centre, a neighbourhood, a reserve, or near a large employment site. It recognises that priority should be given to areas with high parking demand, which typically include centres. A PMP will include measures such as pricing and time limits. The ‘next steps’ section below provides an indicative programme for the development PMPs.

Strategic / Statutory Context

11. UFTI identifies that parking management is a key lever to support the delivery of the Connected Centres programme and realising its benefits. This is supported by the National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 (NPD-UD) strongly encourages councils to “manage car effects associated with the supply and demand of car parking through comprehensive parking management plans”.

Consultation process and Analysis of submissions

12. Consultation on the draft Parking Strategy involved:

(a) An internet-based survey on a dedicated Parking Strategy page of Council website. This survey sought feedback on the direction and approaches in the draft Strategy;

(b) Messaging on Councils website (which was visited by approximately 400 people), Councils Facebook page (post reach of approximately 2,500) and LinkedIn channels advising of the draft Strategy and advising of the opportunity to provide feedback;

(c) Email notification to approximately 90 key stakeholders including City centre businesses and representative groups (Mainstreet), community interest groups (EnviroHub), collaborative forums (e.g. SmartGrowth), partner organisations (e.g. Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency; Bay of Plenty Regional Council; Bay of Plenty District Health Board) as well as several smaller businesses. The list of those notified by email is provided in Attachment 1.

13. Information on the draft Parking Strategy was also made available in Tauranga’s public libraries and at Council’s Customer Service Centre.

14. A Workshop with key stakeholders was planned. However, due to the Covid situation this did not occur. Instead the stakeholder groups were emailed to advise that staff were available to have individual on-line internet-based meetings. As a result, staff held two meetings, one with representatives of the ‘Greater Tauranga’ group and the other with a Waikato University representative.

15. 23 submissions were received to the consultation. A summary of the submissions including a discussion of the matters raised and a recommended response is provided in Attachment 2 to this report. The updated draft Parking Strategy is attached in Attachment 3.

16. In summary, key matters raised by submitters include:

(a) The need for a Parking Strategy that provides a consistent framework for how Council controlled parking will be managed;

(b) City centre: a variety of responses were received some of which offered differing perspectives on similar issues (e.g. the need for more parking versus the need for better managed parking) but generally submissions identified:

(i) Parking is crucial to success of the City centre and there is a need for a specific plan for parking. Council should move more quickly on this;

(ii) Clarity around how pricing and time limits could work;

(iii) Not disadvantaging the City centre over other competing places like suburban shopping malls;

(iv) A need for the parking plan to be integrated with other planning for the City centre so that the impact of parking management is understood in relation to other initiatives;

(v) The balance between access to the City centre by vehicle mode (car; bus; bike; walk) will be influenced by the parking management approach and will need careful consideration to ensure the desired outcome is achieved;

(vi) Good consultation and very clear communication of the parking plan for the City centre.

(c) The lack of parking availability near the Historic Village and the need for more supply, better management and enforcement of the current parking resource in this area.

(d) The need for an integrated, incremental/gradual and responsive approach to parking management.

(e) The need for integration between parking pricing and bus fares given the relationship between these matters and mode-shift objectives.

(f) A need for PMPs to be monitored.

(g) The use of the term ‘mobility impairment’ rather than ‘disabilities’ in the Parking Strategy.

(h) Reference to ‘exponential pricing’ as a tool to achieve desired outcomes.

(i) Clarification of how the 85% availability approach works.

(j) That resident parking permits are a management tool to be considered.

(k) The need for parking management approaches to consider options and their costs and benefits e.g. impact on businesses; carbon emissions; social outcomes; equity issues.

(l) The need to work closely with key stakeholders (e.g. local businesses, schools, residents) and those impacted by parking management approaches when PMP’s are developed.

(m) The need for the draft Strategy to address different forms of parking including motorbike and cycle parking.

Amendments made to the Draft Parking Strategy

17. Changes to the draft Parking Strategy in response to the consultation responses relate to:

(a) Clarification that monitoring of PMP’s is intended to ensure the intended outcomes from the parking approach are being achieved and if not investigations to consider alternative can be undertaken (Section 8.4 & 8.6 of the draft Strategy);

(b) That Outcome 2 and Section 6.4 of the draft Parking Strategy are expanded to further explain that parking pricing has a role in the perception of the price advantage for alternative mode use.

(d) That motorbike parking is added to Section 7 of the draft Parking Strategy;

(e) That text is added to Section 8.1 of the draft Parking Strategy to better acknowledge the importance of clear communication and consistent enforcement to the success of any PMP;

(f) That reference to the tool ‘exponential pricing’, whereby the first few hours are relatively cheap, but the rate increases the longer someone parks is added to Section 7.1 of the draft Parking Strategy.

18. In addition, in response to the responses received it is noted that:

(a) Consultation responses received relevant to the City centre are used to inform the development of the City Centre PMP;

(b) Hospital / Historic Village precinct area:

(i) A parking survey of the area is undertaken to confirm the availability of parking and need to develop a PMP; and

(ii) Councils Parking Enforcement Team will investigate parking compliance in this area.

Financial Considerations

19. Budget for implementation of the draft Parking Strategy, through detailed parking surveys, consultation and the development of Parking Management Plans (PMPs) has been included in the Long-Term Plan.

20. Future parking management, including pricing and time limits, once implemented, is likely to have costs and revenue implications and can be identified through the development of PMPs.

Consultation / Engagement

21. Consultation on the draft Parking Strategy is addressed in the Discussion section of this report. Feedback to this consultation has identified the need to further highlight the importance of consultation and engagement to implementing the Parking Strategy. A change to Section 8.1 of the draft Strategy is recommended in response.

Significance

22. The Local Government Act 2002 requires an assessment of the significance of matters, issues, proposals and decisions in this report against Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy. Council acknowledges that in some instances a matter, issue, proposal or decision may have a high degree of importance to individuals, groups, or agencies affected by the report.

23. In making this assessment, consideration has been given to the likely impact, and likely consequences for:

a. The current and future social, economic, environmental, or cultural well-being of the district or region

b. any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the issue, proposal, decision, or matter

c. the capacity of the local authority to perform its role, and the financial and other costs of doing so.

24. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the matter is of low to medium significance. The draft Parking Strategy is aligned to direction provided by UFTI and the TSP and is also intended to support the City’s well-being. Consultation on the draft Strategy is proposed allowing people to provide comment on the direction it proposes.

Next Steps

25. Subject to approval of the draft Parking Strategy, the next steps are focused on developing necessary PMPs. The development of the City Centre PMP is to be prioritised for development first as the current CBD parking trial is planned to end in February 2022.

Attachments

1. List of key stakeholders - A13023554 ⇩

2. Overview and summary of submissions to the Draft Parking Strategy - A12985989 ⇩

3. Draft Parking Strategy - amended based on consultation - November 2021 - A13033350 ⇩

[1] Emissions budgets set a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed across a five-year period (or in the case of the first budget, a four-year period). The budgets must put Aotearoa on a path to meeting the targets. The reductions required must also be technologically achievable, economically viable and socially acceptable.

[2] Emissions reduction plans set out the policies and strategies for achieving the emissions budgets.

[3] Note that questions we do not intend to respond to have been struck-out. These are areas that council has no control/influence over.


AGENDA Ordinary Council meeting Monday, 15 November 2021
I hereby give notice that an Ordinary Meeting of Council will be held on:
Date:	Monday, 15 November 2021
Time:	10.30am
Location:	Tauranga City Council Council Chambers 91 Willow Street Tauranga
Please note that this meeting will be livestreamed and the recording will be publicly available on Tauranga City Council's website: www.tauranga.govt.nz.
Marty Grenfell Chief Executive

Chairperson	Commission Chair Anne Tolley
Members	Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston Commissioner Stephen Selwood Commissioner Bill Wasley
Quorum	Half of the members physically present, where the number of members (including vacancies) is even; and a majority of the members physically present, where the number of members (including vacancies) is odd.
Meeting frequency	As required

Date	Meeting
21 March 2022	Council: Adopt Annual Plan for public consultation
9- 12 May 2022	Council – Hearing of submissions
23-24 May 2022 and 26 May if required	Council – deliberations on submissions
27 June 2022	Council - Adopt Annual Plan

· To ensure the effective and efficient governance of the City

· To enable leadership of the City including advocacy and facilitation on behalf of the community.

· Oversee the work of all committees and subcommittees.

· Exercise all non-delegable and non-delegated functions and powers of the Council.