Agenda of Ordinary Council Meeting - Monday, 13 June 2022

UNCONFIRMED Ordinary Council meeting Minutes

11 April 2022

MINUTES

Ordinary Council meeting

Monday, 11 April 2022

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. 3

Nil

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest 4

9 Deputations, Presentations, Petitions. 4

Nil

10 Recommendations from Other Committees. 4

Nil

11 Business. 4

11.1 Council Controlled Organisations' Half Yearly Reports to 31 December 2021. 4

11.2 Shareholder Feedback to the Draft Statements of Intent for Council Controlled Organisations 2022/2023 to 2024/2025. 7

11.3 Executive Report 8

11.4 Greerton Maarawaewae Study Update. 9

11.5 Dog Registration Fees 2022/23. 11

11.6 Traffic & Parking Bylaw 2012 Amendment 36. 12

12 Discussion of Late Items. 12

13 Public excluded session. 12

13.1 Reappointment of Board Members to Tourism Bay of Plenty and Bay Venues Limited 2022. 13

13.2 Civic Programme - Procurement of Development Manager 13

13.3 Exemption from Open Competition for Plant & Equipment for Clarifier 3. 13

14 Closing karakia. 14

MINUTES OF Tauranga City Council

Ordinary Council meeting

HELD AT THE Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chambers, Regional House, 1 Elizabeth Street, Tauranga

ON Monday, 11 April 2022 AT 10am

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

IN ATTENDANCE: Tony Aitken (Acting General Manager: People & Engagement), Paul Davidson (General Manager: Corporate Services), Barbara Dempsey (Acting General Manager: Community Services), Nic Johansson (General Manager: Infrastructure), Christine Jones (General Manager: Strategy & Growth), Steve Pearce (Acting General Manager: Regulatory and Compliance), Gareth Wallis (General Manager: Central City Development), Josephine Meuli (Council Controlled Organisation Specialist), Anne Blakeway (Manager: Community Partnerships), Carl Lucca (Programme Director: Urban Communities), Alastair McNeil (Manager: Legal & Commercial), Mike Naude (Director; Civic Redevelopment), Brendan Bisley (Director of Transport), Nigel McGlone (Manager: Environmental Regulation), Will Hyde (Senior Transportation Engineer), Coral Hair (Manager: Democracy Services), Robyn Garrett (Team Leader: Committee Support), Sarah Drummond (Committee Advisor), Anahera Dinsdale (Committee Advisor)

1 Opening karakia

Commissioner Rolleston opened the meeting with a karakia.

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

Nil

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest

Nil

9 Deputations, Presentations, Petitions

Nil

10 Recommendations from Other Committees

Nil

11 Business

11.1 Council Controlled Organisations' Half Yearly Reports to 31 December 2021
	Staff Josephine Meuli, Council Controlled Organisation Specialist External Simon Clarke (Chair) and Chad Hooker (Chief Executive), Bay Venues Limited Rosemary Protheroe (Chair) and Stephen Cleland (Director), Tauranga Art Gallery Trust Russ Browne (Deputy Chair) and Oscar Nathan (General Manager), Tourism Bay of Plenty Key points Bay Venues Limited (BVL) · Noted key achievements which included: quick responses to Covid requirements e.g., vaccine passes being introduced and then removed; becoming a living wage employer; installation of pou at Mount Hot Pools. · Despite Covid, schools’ water safety programmes were maintained in BVL pools. · Had been a challenging six months, particularly financially; the impact of only having limited events had hit hard. Were still struggling with restrictions on indoor events. · Noted the latest forecast deficit of $3.6m; BVL was working hard to manage costs and minimise impact. In the short-term it was proposed to have loan funding increased for the next 12-18 months; however, there needed to be a larger conversation around what BVL funding should look like. · Noted the work to date on the strategy refresh – new vision and mission statement; new draft values. Still a work in progress. · Outlined venue/facility strategy and what this looked like moving forward; a network approach had been taken. · Outlined key challenges and risks. · Noted the work undertaken by the Board – venue/asset tour; Cultural Connections course; new board intern appointed; working towards a tangata whenua appointment. A Board review was planned for June 2022. Tauranga Art Gallery Trust (TAGT) · A strong cohesive board, with an intern joining in May and the appointment of a mana whenua representative being progressed. · Noted the challenges faced with Covid, particularly with gaining external funding and with the reduced footfall in town with roadworks, construction and the upcoming CBD development. · Successful period in terms of exhibitions; had noted key events in Tauranga’s calendar e.g., the Rena exhibition. Challenged the Gallery to bring in more diversity and communities not necessarily included in gallery exhibitions previously. · Noted the importance of collaboration – the Gallery had partnered with several venues across the city e.g., Baycourt, the Historic Village, Bayfair. · Noted the visitor numbers – onsite visitation trended low but good engagement citywide with offsite events. Education programme had also experienced lower numbers and cancellations due to lower/unpredictable student numbers. More online education resources had been provided. · Working more closely with Toi Ohomai, launched an emerging artist programme for new graduate artists in the region. · Low visitation rates in central city and cancellation of inner-city events affected the Gallery significantly. Unlikely to meet end of year visitation targets; also noted impacts on revenue. · Higher than normal staff turnover in this period, which had placed pressure on HR budget lines. · Had reduced programming for the first half of the year to minimise unnecessary risk and to maintain staff welfare. Tourism Bay of Plenty (TBOP) · Challenged with Covid interruptions. Domestic tourism had been hard, with unsettled visits from Auckland and Hamilton. TBOP was looking forward to the gradual reintroduction of international travel as the borders opened. · TBOP was improving and building on stakeholder relationships; noted the work of the Commission; increasing collaboration with other CCOs. · Have had to target the right people at the right time with the right messages – very challenging in the unpredictable Covid environment. Increased focus on local market. · Bay of Plenty as a region performed better than many other regions, fortunate that it was an attractive local destination. A campaign to maintain Bay of Plenty top of mind as a local destination had used local band LAB for the soundtrack. · Noted a tightening of KPIs for next year, considered 31 KPIs were too many. 26 were on track; five were at risk but becoming more manageable as Covid restrictions were eased. · Two KPIs were not achieved - cruise visitation not achieved; deferred Qualmark auditing. · Noted key milestones delivered – organisation realignment and talent recruitment; specific focus on cycleways and waterfalls to target local audiences; noted use of MBIE funding received; noted the inaugural Flavours of Plenty Festival; distribution of the Regional Events Fund with TECT partnership; partnered with Mount Mainstreet in terms of tourism activations and iSite Ipod; Memorandum of Understanding signed with a local tourism provider hapū. · TBOP was making significant progress with iwi liaison and key Māori business. In response to questions BVL · BVL was involved in the community centre strategy; comfortable with its direction. · Healthy School Kai new three-year contracts were being signed; a couple of local schools were looking to provide part themselves and would work with BVL. During Covid school lunches were down by about 20%. · Synergies with other CCOs were being explored, there were ongoing conversations between CCOs to ensure alignment and understand opportunities. BVL was keen to work with other CCOs and there had been work on governance-to-governance discussions; opportunity particularly between TBOP and local events; also the opportunity to get ‘Brand Tauranga’ working well. · BVL was working with TCC on a masterplan with the Baypark site, with Ngā Pōtiki, in terms of mana whenua input and creating a sense of place. TAGT · Suggestion to work more closely with TBOP in terms of marketing to increase foot traffic; need to think differently how to get messages out beyond the building. · Noted the possible use of public spaces for smaller exhibitions to encourage people to then visit the Gallery e.g., exhibition in Bayfair. Noted increase of partnerships and collaboration e.g., TCC, Historic Village; it was important to find alignment areas with other projects happening around the city and not operate in isolation. · Civic centre redevelopment was an exciting opportunity; TAGT had been in conversation with TCC for some time. The Gallery needed to grow to meet the demands of the city, TAGT would work with TCC and the civic centre redevelopment to achieve that. TAGT was well-placed to run a world-leading programme and be a leader in NZ but were constrained by the building, are boxed-in. · TAGT were consciously building expertise within the gallery staff to develop relationships with galleries around the world to gain the level of prestige necessary to bring international exhibitions in and promote NZ artists internationally. TBOP · International marketing was an opportunity for TBOP – main partner was Tourism NZ; also worked with Pacific Coast Highway partners and established international marketing alliances (IMAs). It was too expensive for TBOP to undertake international marketing on its own. · Wayfinding, signage and directions were key for development of cycleways. · The Regional Events Fund was a one-off fund from MBIE to stimulate domestic tourism; was provided to the nine IMAs. The Bay of Plenty IMA ran a contestable fund process, in conjunction with TECT, and 15 events were funded. Funding for the events was spread over three years; some follow-up events were being renegotiated for timing of delivery as impacted by Covid. · Noted opportunities with the Mainstreets throughout the city. · Noted the opportunity for further linkage between trails and cycleways with local and regional parks, particularly active recreation parks. Significant work was being planned around natural landscapes and storytelling. Discussion points raised · Acknowledged the very difficult time that the CCOs had been through with Covid and its impacts, and the good examples of governance and leadership being provided by the various Boards.
Resolution CO6/22/1 Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston That the Council: (a) Receives the Council-Controlled Organisations’ Half Yearly Reports to 31 December 2021 Report. (b) Receives Bay Venues Limited’s report on its performance for the six months to 31 December 2021, as required by the 2021-2022 Statement of Intent. (c) Receives Bay of Plenty Local Authority Shared Services Limited’s report on its performance for the six months to 31 December 2021, as required by the 2021-2022 Statement of Intent. (d) Receives Tauranga Art Gallery Trust’s report on its performance for the six months to 31 December 2021, as required by the 2021-2022 Statement of Intent. (e) Receives Tourism Bay of Plenty’s report on its performance for the six months to 31 December 2021, as required by the 2021-2022 Statement of Intent. (f) Receives the Local Government Funding Agency’s report on its performance for the six months to 31 December 2021, as required by the 2021-2022 Statement of Intent. Carried
Attachments 1 Presentation - BVL - 11 April 22 TCC Commission Half Year Update 2 Presentation - Tauranga Art Gallery - TCC-6-month presentation 3 Presentation - Tourism Bay of Plenty - 6-month report presentation to TCC 11 April 2022

11.2 Shareholder Feedback to the Draft Statements of Intent for Council Controlled Organisations 2022/2023 to 2024/2025
	Staff Josephine Meuli, Council Controlled Organisation Specialist Anne Blakeway, Manager: Community Partnerships Key points · Included group-wide feedback. · There were very few changes this year, mainly minor amendments and rewording of targets. · Noted there were still challenges ahead with the unpredictability of Covid. · CCOs were in a much better place than 12 months ago, had worked hard and had developed good visions. · Noted the two-way loan agreement between BVL and TCC outlined in the report. Discussion points raised · Important to see more transparency around CCO operations; ratepayers should know how their money was being spent. Had been good progress in this area. · A joined-up strategy across the CCOs and with TCC was very important, looking forward to that alignment developing.
Resolution CO6/22/2 Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley That the Council: (a) Receives the Shareholder Feedback to the Draft Statements of Intent for Council Controlled Organisations 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 report. (b) Receives the draft Statements of Intent for Bay Venues Limited, Tauranga Art Gallery Trust, Tourism Bay of Plenty, Bay of Plenty Local Authority Shared Services Limited, and Local Government Funding Agency for 2022/23 to 2024/2025. (c) Notes that as joint shareholder of Tourism Bay of Plenty, Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC) will be asked to approve the shareholder comments on the draft Statement of Intent for TBOP at their 6 April 2022 Council meeting. (d) Approves a request, on behalf of Bay Venues Limited, for an increase of $5 million to the Intra-Group Two-Way Loan Agreement between Tauranga City Council and Bay Venues Limited, from $25 million to $30 million. Noting that this is subject to Tauranga City Council being able to remain within its Treasury Policy limits, and to Bay Venues Limited continuing to work with Council staff in monitoring their cashflow position. Carried

11.3 Executive Report
	Staff Nic Johansson, General Manager: Infrastructure Services Barbara Dempsey, General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance Paul Davidson, General Manager Corporate Services Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth Tony Aitken, Acting General Manager: People and Engagement Gareth Wallis, General Manager: Central City Development Steve Pearce, Acting General Manager: Regulatory and Compliance Key points · Noted work to be done with the Civic Art collection in terms of policy review; a resolution was sought to deaccession 25 items. · Explained the water usage graph at paragraph 20 of the report and the comparative rates of usage; noted the correlation with rainfall. Noted the current status of water sources. · Noted the opening of He Puna Manawa, very positive feedback. Tours of the Heritage Collection had been booked out. Noted how busy the Events team had been during a very difficult time. · Marine precinct continued to be quiet, similar around the country. Fees for smaller vessels were being refined to stimulate those vessels coming into dry dock. · The SAP finance upgrade was a significant project; Digital Services was working with the communications team in terms of how to use more digital channels to reach out to the community. · Noted the request from Kāinga Ora for reduction in the Te Papa Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) request; still uncertain about the level of Waka Kotahi funding. Very complex processes with tight timeframes. · The Local Government Commission had endorsed the Council’s proposed representation arrangements with no changes. · Noted the appointment of an additional Emergency Management co-ordinator; highlighted the good IANZ audit result; and noted a decrease in building consent applications. In response to questions · Civic art works could be displayed in public spaces where appropriate. Also opportunities to display taonga in public places such as libraries would be considered. · Feedback and behaviour indicated that people had been mindful of water usage over this very dry summer and that the Water Watchers campaign had been successful. Utilisation was important not just supply. · The current two sources were aquifer-fed, and there was limited understanding of aquifer supply and use. The joint project with WBOPDC and BOPRC to establish a sub-regional working party would help address this gap; the development of the freshwater management tool would also assist understanding. Noted that there would be significant changes coming to freshwater management; important to ensure sufficient supply was planned. · Could still do a better story for the community in terms of what TCC was doing in the infrastructure space; need to ensure that infrastructure projects were well communicated. · Water storage – currently almost a hand-to-mouth system with focus on treatment of water rather than availability; supply and storage issues would be addressed as part of the tripartite project. Finding other sources was now increasingly important with diminishing supply. Grey water systems were important from a sustainability and environmental perspective rather than necessarily a water supply perspective. · Noted the extension of the epidemic preparedness notice; there was some sector work towards enabling the continued use of remote meetings and use of technology. Discussion points raised · Was a need to align the policies between the Civic Art collection and the heritage collection. · Acknowledged the tremendous work done by the Events team for the ICC Women’s World Cup. · Compliments to Democracy Services team for the representation review work.
Resolution CO6/22/3 Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood That the Council: (a) Receives the Executive Report (b) Approves the recommendation to formally deaccession 15 items from the Civic Art Collection. (c) Approves the appointment of Paula Naude as an Emergency Management Recovery Manager. Carried

11.4 Greerton Maarawaewae Study Update
	Staff Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth Carl Lucca, Programme Director: Urban Communities External Elizabeth Hughes Key points · The report provided feedback from the community engagement process and consultant multi-criteria analysis for the Racecourse options study. · No decisions were sought at the stage; there would be a further report in June. · Outlined the purpose of the engagement. Need to bring the community along on a conversation to consider the use of the reserve land; wanted to bring together the widest range of community views and not provide specific options or preconceived ideas. Highlighted the need to factor in the future needs of the city, both for housing and recreational space. · Sought input from mana whenua from the outset of the process. There was a strong desire to keep as the Racecourse reserve as recreation space - any change in use could lead to mana whenua discussions with the Crown over land ownership. · Outlined the process of community engagement undertaken. Two phases - first – what was the best use; second – which of seven options was preferred. Face-to-face consultation was important as it allowed deeper questioning and conversations. · Summarised feedback from existing users. · Community feedback showed strong support for retaining/creating a multi-purpose green space (included retention of the status quo); strong support for creating active recreational spaces and other community amenities e.g., a multi-cultural community centre. There was limited support for housing on the reserve land. · Outlined the seven options taken out to the community. Option 7 was created after contact was made by the District Health Board and interest expressed in a health precinct. · Three ‘plus’ options were developed following feedback for options 3, 6 and 7. Option 3 Plus – central park; Option 6 Plus – homes, plus destination park (reduced residential from option 6); Option 7 Plus – health services and recreation (slight reduction in health services site). · Outlined the assessment process undertaken to take into account community feedback alongside TCC needs and the needs of the city. Used a matrix approach to assess each option. Explained the weightings applied to the various multi-assessment criteria, being the needs of city and existing users (scored horizontally) and technical and engagement considerations (scored vertically). Each option was marked with and without costs. Option 7 Plus ranked highest both with and without costs. Options which included the racecourse did not come through into the top four rankings. · Establishment of a cross-organisational working group was recommended for identification of suitable sites for a sub-regional racing facility. In response to questions · Concern expressed about numbers of people that took part in the process – about 1500. Noted continuing discussions with mana whenua and the Tauranga Racing Club. Suggested a further community consultation/input process on selected options could be useful before any final decision was made. · Noted that existing users had entered into this process in good faith; should try to provide those users with some certainty. · Would be informative to know how representative of a wider community view was the input received, as was different from a more formal traditional process. Discussion points raised · Acknowledged the work of the consultant team and staff to get to this point. Had been an open and interactive process. · Importance of connecting the space to Kopurererua Valley was a recurring theme. · People needed to know what options there were if existing users were displaced, could inform their opinions on the options. · Ngai Tamarawaho had lodged a claim regarding this land; emphasised the importance of continuing the dialogue.
Resolution CO6/22/4 Moved: Commission Chair Anne Tolley Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood That the Council: (a) Receives the Greerton Maarawaewae Study report and attachments, and notes the community feedback received on the study options. (b) Approves further engagement to be undertaken with mana whenua and existing Tauranga Racecourse Reserve users in relation to the additional study options developed following community engagement and the option assessment. (c) Supports Tauranga City Council participating in a cross-organisational working party to identify potential sites for a sub-regional equine racing facility, with a lead role by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Tauranga Racing Club and including key stakeholders (d) Notes that a full report and recommendations for the preferred options from the study will be provided to Council in June 2022. Carried

11.5 Dog Registration Fees 2022/23
	Staff Nigel McGlone, Manager: Environmental Regulation Key points · The report was taken as read.
Resolution CO6/22/5 Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston That the Council: (a) Receives the Dog Registration Fees 2022/23 report. (b) Increases the dog registration standard fee by $5.00 to $97.00 per dog. (c) Sets the penalty for dogs that are not registered by 31 July at 50% of the standard fee. Carried

11.6 Traffic & Parking Bylaw 2012 Amendment 36
	Staff Brendan Bisley, Director of Transport Key points · The bylaw amendments contained the adjustments required for the temporary CBD bus interchange.
Resolution CO6/22/6 Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston That the Council: (a) Receives the Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2012 Amendments Report. (b) Adopts the proposed amendments to the Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2012 Attachment as per Appendix B, relating to the interim CBD bus interchange, to become effective from the date of works completion. (c) Adopts the proposed amendments to the Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2012 Attachment as per Appendix C, relating to minor changes for general safety purposes, to become effective from 12 April 2022. Carried

12 Discussion of Late Items

Nil

13 Public excluded session

RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC

Resolution CO6/22/7

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting.

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 - Reappointment of Board Members to Tourism Bay of Plenty and Bay Venues Limited 2022	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)(c)(i) - The withholding of the information is necessary to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied	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 - Civic Programme - Procurement of Development Manager	s7(2)(g) - The withholding of the information is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege	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 - Exemption from Open Competition for Plant & Equipment for Clarifier 3	s7(2)(h) - The withholding of the information is necessary to enable Council to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities	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

At 1pm the meeting adjourned.

At 1.30pm the meeting reconvened in public excluded session.

14 Closing karakia

Commissioner Rolleston closed the meeting with a karakia.

The meeting closed at 1.47pm.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed as a true and correct record at the Ordinary Council meeting held on 13 June 2022.

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

CHAIRPERSON

UNCONFIRMED Ordinary Council meeting Minutes

13 & 15 December 2021

MINUTES

Ordinary Council meeting

Monday, 13 December 2021 &

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Order of Business

1 Opening karakia. 3

2 Apologies. 3

3 Public forum.. 3

3.1 John Robson. 3

4 Acceptance of late items. 4

4.1 Late reports. 4

5 Confidential business to be transferred into the open. 4

6 Change to the order of business. 4

7 Confirmation of minutes. 4

7.1 Minutes of the Council meeting held on 8 November 2021. 4

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest 4

9 Deputations, presentations, petitions. 4

9.1 Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association - Links Ave Petition. 4

10 Recommendations from other committees. 5

13 Public excluded session. 5

13.1 Public Excluded Minutes of the Council meeting held on 8 November 2021. 5

13.2 Access Options to Parau Farms. 6

13.3 Civic Precinct - Otamataha Trust Accord. 6

13.5 Lease Negotiations 90 Devonport Road update. 6

11 Business. 6

11.3 Twelfth Avenue Community Issues Update. 6

11.1 Adoption of Tauranga City Council Annual Report 2020/21 for the year ended 30 June 2021. 7

11.2 Annual Plan 2022/23 - Indicative Draft Budget 8

11.4 Update - Three Water Reforms. 9

11.5 Letters of Expectation 2022-2023 for Council-Controlled Organisations. 10

12 Discussion of late items. 11

12.1 Report - Establish Joint Committee. 11

13 Public excluded session (continued) 12

13.4 Marine Precinct Strategic Refresh. 12

14 Closing karakia. 13

MINUTES OF Tauranga City Council

Ordinary Council meeting

HELD AT THE Tauranga City Council, Council Chambers,

91 Willow Street, Tauranga ON

Monday, 13 December 2021 AT 2.52PM AND

WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2022 AT 9AM

Monday, 13 December 2021 at 2.52pm

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

IN ATTENDANCE: Marty Grenfell (Chief Executive), Paul Davidson (General Manager: Corporate Services), Barbara Dempsey (General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance), Susan Jamieson (General Manager: People & Engagement), Nic Johansson (General Manager: Infrastructure), Christine Jones (General Manager: Strategy & Growth), Gareth Wallis (General Manager: Community Services), Kathryn Sharplin (Manager: Finance), Tracey Hughes (Financial Insights & Reporting Manager), Paul Mason (Safe & Resilient Communities Advisor), Anne Blakeway (Manager: Community Partnerships), Josie Meuli (CCO Specialist), Cathy Davidson (Manager: Directorate Services), Marin Gabric (Senior Financial Accountant), Jim Taylor (Manager: Transactional Services), Coral Hair (Manager: Democracy Services), Robyn Garrett (Team Leader: Committee Support), Sarah Drummond (Committee Advisor)

1 Opening karakia

Commissioner Rolleston opened the meeting with a karakia.

2 Apologies

Nil

3 Public forum

3.1 John Robson

Key points

· Annual Plan – considered that the commissioners had started to address the inequities between commercial and residential ratepayers, and encouraged this continue to make an equitable city.

· Development community – requested that more emphasis be placed on the role of development contributions. Was still a significant level of inequity in funding in the draft Annual Plan; suggested an increase in the contribution required from the development community so that development properly funded itself and did not put an increased burden on the residential ratepayers.

· The commissioners had the opportunity in this Annual Plan to make a significant move towards establishing an equitable and sustainable city.

4 Acceptance of late items

4.1 Late reports

Resolution CO24/21/1

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the Council accepts the following item for consideration at the meeting:

• Late report – Letters of Expectation 2022-2023 for Council-controlled Organisations (supplementary late agenda)

• Late report – Establish Joint Committee (tabled)

The above items were not included in the original agenda because they were not available at the time the agenda was issued, and discussion cannot be delayed until the next scheduled meeting of the Council.

Carried

5 Confidential business to be transferred into the open

Nil

6 Change to the order of business

Noted that the order of business of the meeting may alter as the meeting progressed dependent on timing and staff availability.

7 Confirmation of minutes

7.1 Minutes of the Council meeting held on 8 November 2021

Resolution CO24/21/2

Moved: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 8 November 2021 be confirmed as a true and correct record.

Carried

8 Declaration of conflicts of interest

Nil

9 Deputations, presentations, petitions

9.1 Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association - Links Ave Petition

External Philip Brown, Papamoa Residents and Ratepayers Association

Key points

· The trial of Links Ave turning it into a cul-de-sac was against the wishes of the people who used the road, caused congestion and continued traffic and parking issues.

· Council should consult with residents and road users to achieve a more practical way of achieving the outcomes desired.

· The perceived safety issue between buses and pedestrians, especially school children, could be resolved by removing the bus lanes.

· Feedback obtained from an online poll had been shared with council staff. 98% polled opposed Links Ave being a cul-de-sac; 67% supported the bus lane being removed.

· Would like a hearing to be held as a response to the petition.

· Safety of the children was first priority, amenity of the residents second priority.

· Buses were part of future transport solutions but needed to be on the right roads e.g., Maunganui Rd. Bus travel times must be equitable to car travel times for bus use to be successful.

· New thinking was needed and councils/Waka Kotahi needed to work with the community. Suggested a formal collaboration group be established.

Discussion points raised

· Chairperson Tolley advised that a report on Links Ave and the petition would be brought back to Council in the New Year, and noted that the Links Ave trial finished on Friday.

Attachments

1 Links Ave petition - PRRA

10 Recommendations from other committees

Nil

The Chairperson advised the meeting would move into Public Excluded session.

13 Public excluded session

RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC

Resolution CO24/21/3

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting, with the exception of members of the Otamataha Trust for item 13.3; and Ms Jo Dudson, Mr Tim Richardson and Mr Paul Bedford for item 13.2.

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 8 November 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)(g) - The withholding of the information is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege 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
13.2 - Access Options to Parau Farms	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 - Civic Precinct - Otamataha Trust Accord	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
13.5 - Lease Negotiations 90 Devonport Road update	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	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

11 Business

Agenda item 11.3 was taken as the next item of business.

11.3 Twelfth Avenue Community Issues Update

Staff Paul Mason, Safe & Resilient Communities Advisor

Anne Blakeway, Manager: Community Partnerships

Key points

· Council had worked closely with the police, community outreach programmes and Kāinga Tupu.

· Police had noticed a significant decrease in activity being reported from that area; did not support creating an alcohol-free area.

· Had not specifically moved people to another location, there were other pockets of the city that experienced similar issues, but not so much in residential streets.

· Had developed a good relationship with the business community in the 12th Avenue area.

In response to questions

· Council was working with agencies for safer areas for car sleepers, particularly regarding access to toilets and ablutions.

Discussion points raised

· Supported continuing the proactive monitoring of the area.

Resolution CO24/21/4

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

That the Council:

(a) Receives the Twelfth Avenue Community Issues Update Report.

Carried

Commissioner Rolleston closed the meeting with a karakia.

At 5.35pm the meeting adjourned.

Wednesday, 15 December 2021 at 9am

At 9.00am on 15 December 2021 the meeting reconvened.

Commissioner Rolleston opened the meeting with a karakia.

The Chairperson noted that this was the last Council meeting to be held in the Willow Street Chambers.

11 Business (continued)

11.1 Adoption of Tauranga City Council Annual Report 2020/21 for the year ended 30 June 2021

Staff Paul Davidson, General Manager: Corporate Services

Kathryn Sharplin, Manager: Finance

Tracey Hughes, Finance Insights & Reporting Manager

External Clarence Susan and Warren Goslett, Audit NZ

Key points

· Thanks to Audit NZ for their assistance in achieving completion of the Annual Report and audit by the statutory deadline.

· Noted that the Annual Report had been brought to the Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee as a draft. Explained the process for adoption of the Annual Report.

· Noted significant changes since the draft such as the revaluation of three waters assets.

· An additional note around water reforms was included; noted the numbers sitting on the misstatement sheet - $18m valuation; $1m of depreciation.

· Update financials were tabled.

Audit NZ

· Audit opinion was unmodified; only the report was modified.

· Outlined the rationale and amounts for the misstatements.

Discussion points raised

· The Commission thanked staff and noted that it had been a marathon effort to complete the Annual Report by the end of the year. The Report was well-presented and gave a good picture of what TCC had done during the year.

· Noted it had been a difficult year with the impacts of Covid on the staff.

Resolution CO24/21/5

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

That the Council:

(a) Receives Report – Adoption of Tauranga City Council Annual Report 2020/21.

(b) Receives the Audit report on the Annual Report 2020/21.

Carried

Resolution CO24/21/6

Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Council:

(c) Adopts the Audited Tauranga City Council Annual Report 2020/21 pursuant to the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002.

(d) Authorises the Chief Executive to make any necessary minor numerical, drafting or presentation amendments to the Annual Report 2020/21 prior to final printing.

(e) Notes the audited summary annual report will be published using summarised material from the approved annual report. It will be presented to council for information in February 2022.

Carried

Attachments

1 Annual Report Section 7 - Financials

2 Annual Report - Additional pages

3 Audit Report - 30 June 2021

11.2 Annual Plan 2022/23 - Indicative Draft Budget

Staff Paul Davidson, General Manager: Corporate Services

Key points

· Noted the OPEX 1% movement in rate number from the original Long-term Plan number; reflected rises in operational costs and external market costs.

· Capital programme was a slightly lower number than in the Long-term Plan, with some net adjustments needed for recent settlements.

· The draft budget recognised the overall policy to move the rating ratio towards commercial weighting; residential valuations would be rebalanced by the commercial differential change.

· Options around a transport rate would be brought back for consideration, with a staged approach to spread adjustments over several years.

· Noted that the inflation forecast in the Long-term Plan was 2%, and had been adjusted to 5%.

In response to questions

· The rebalancing of the commercial differential was to respond to concerns raised during the Long-term Plan process, to ensure that growth funded growth and the commercial sector paid a fair share in relation to benefits received from community assets e.g., roading infrastructure.

· The 1% increase on forecast reflected general inflation and costs rising for supplies e.g., construction materials and the effect on capital programme.

· Would bring back various options for the rating differential and the optimum setting for the commercial sector. Other targeted rate options were also being investigated as another mechanism.

· In comparison with other metros in terms of commercial differential, TCC was noticeably lower than the majority.

Discussion points raised

· Highlighted the need to bring equity to the conversation about who benefits and who pays – through the use of development contributions or adjustment of the commercial differential to achieve equity particularly for residential ratepayers.

· Certainty was important to the commercial and development sectors, emphasised the need to be clear and specific in the Annual Plan.

· Highlighted the need to deliver on promises made to ratepayers – deliver the capital programme and the operating plan for the city. The message from ratepayers was that they were willing to pay more but wanted to see the benefits and the outcomes delivered.

Resolution CO24/21/7

Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Council:

(a) Receives the report Annual Plan 2022/23 - Indicative Draft Budget

(b) Endorses in principle the Annual Plan draft budget for capital and operations as summarised in Attachments A.

(c) Confirms the funding mix for general rates, stormwater, resilience and community targeted rates between the commercial/industrial sector and the residential sector will at least be maintained at 76%/24% once the property revaluation process on capital values is completed for the 2022/23 financial year

(d) Endorses the principle that the benefits provided by the transport activity be further considered in February 2022, to more fairly allocate rate revenue funding between the commercial/industrial sector and residential sector, for inclusion in the draft 2022/23 draft Annual Plan.

(e) Plan to consult with the community during the 2022/23 Annual Plan process on how best to transition to a higher differential for the commercial/industrial sector to align with benefits received from council investment to ensure the rate funding mix is better balanced across all its activities.

CARRIED

Item 11.3 - Twelfth Avenue Community Issues Update - has been moved to another part of the document.

11.4 Update - Three Water Reforms

Staff Nic Johansson, General Manager: Infrastructure

Cathy Davidson, Manager: Directorate Services

Key points

· Explained the setup of the four entities and summarised the proposed new structure.

· The Water Services Entities Bill was now delayed to the New Year to allow for the newly established governance working group to make recommendations.

· Three Waters reform was a major initiative. TCC was trying to stay ahead of it to be able to influence the process; noted the effort from staff to respond comprehensively to the MBIE survey. Extra work on top of already substantial workloads.

In response to questions

· Government had made it clear that the reform was happening; critical that TCC water services were set up in a way that could be easily transferred to the new entity, particularly in terms of rating, income and costs. The collaborative three waters project established with Western Bay of Plenty District Council (WBOPDC) was almost a mini version of what was to come. Important that the water rate could be clearly extracted – there was some complication with the stormwater infrastructure as it served multiple purposes; also an issue to sort in terms of overhead allocation to those activities.

· Some minor wording amendments to the submission itself were suggested.

Discussion points raised

· Noted that Mayor Webber from WBOPDC was on the local government governance working party.

· Important that the voice of the community was clearly heard. The Bill being delayed meant that the regulation regime side of the reform could be well developed. Had been a lack of oversight of water services by some councils.

Resolution CO24/21/8

Moved: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Council:

(a) Receives the report Update - Three Waters Reform; and

(b) Approves that Tauranga City Council provides a response to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on proposed economic and consumer protection regulation regime for Three Waters.

Carried

11.5 Letters of Expectation 2022-2023 for Council-Controlled Organisations

Staff Gareth Wallis, General Manager: Community Services

Josephine Meuli, Council Controlled Organisation Specialist

Key Points

· Letters of Expectation had been reviewed to incorporate feedback received from the Commissioners at the previous Council meeting.

· Outlined the changes made to the various letters.

· Noted the increasing transparency of the CCO operations and reporting; also the implementation of the living wage.

· Increased emphasis on delivery of social and community outcomes.

Resolution CO24/21/9

Moved: Commission Chair Anne Tolley

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Council:

(a) Receives the Letters of Expectation 2022-2023 for Council-Controlled Organisations report.

(b) Approves the Letter of Expectation from Tauranga City Council to Bay Venues Limited (Attachment 1).

(d) Approves the Letter of Expectation from Tauranga City Council to Tourism Bay of Plenty (Attachment 4), noting that approval of the Western Bay of Plenty District Council as joint shareholder will be sought at their Council meeting on 16 December 2021.

(e) Approves the Statement of Intent template for all three council-controlled organisations (Attachment 5).

(f) Approves the amendment to Tourism Bay of Plenty’s Statement of Intent for 2021-2024.

Carried

12 Discussion of late items

12.1 Report - Establish Joint Committee

Key Points

· The report established a joint Tauranga Public Transport Committee between Tauranga City Council (TCC) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC), with two members appointed to the committee from each council.

· The Terms of Reference for the joint committee would be confirmed in the New Year.

· Chair Tolley and Commissioner Selwood would be appointed for TCC; BOPRC was considering the same report at its meeting the following day and would also appoint two members.

· The report had been received as a late item for consideration earlier in the meeting.

Discussion points raised

· It was integral that public transport service provision and infrastructure be co-ordinated and collaborative between BOPRC and TCC. The intention of the joint committee was to work together with stronger alignment between the two authorities regarding public transport, as the Regional Council had the responsibility for running a public transport system/service and TCC had the responsibility of providing transport infrastructure and the urban planning for the city.

· While the scope and Terms of Reference for the joint committee required further development, the committee would bring together the two authorities at a governance level to set strategic and operational direction for an integrated public transport system for Tauranga.

· The joint committee would provide a very clear focus for public transport; achieve agreed outcomes with governance direction.

· The Links Avenue trial was an example of where a transport issue had implications for both TCC and BOPRC functions and highlighted the need for public transport to be treated as an integrated system.

Resolution CO24/21/10

Moved: Commissioner Shadrach Rolleston

Seconded: Commissioner Bill Wasley

That the Council:

(b) Pursuant to clause 30(1)(b) Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002, establishes a Joint Committee (name to be confirmed) of the Tauranga City Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to set the strategic and operational direction for an integrated public transport system for Tauranga City.

(d) Appoints the following members on behalf of the Tauranga City Council to the Joint Committee:

(i) Commission Chair Anne Tolley

(ii) Commissioner Stephen Selwood.

Carried

Attachments

1 Report - Establish Joint Committee

13 Public excluded session (continued)

RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC

Resolution CO24/21/11

Moved: Commissioner Bill Wasley

Seconded: Commissioner Stephen Selwood

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting.

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
13.4 - Marine Precinct Strategic Refresh	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	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 10.15am, 15 December 2021.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed as a true and correct record at the Ordinary Council meeting held on 13 June 2022.

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

CHAIRPERSON

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

13 June 2022

11 Business

11.1 Links Avenue 2nd Trial residents petition

File Number: A13533805

Author: Brendan Bisley, Director of Transport

Stuart Goodman, Team Leader: Regulation Monitoring

Authoriser: Nic Johansson, General Manager: Infrastructure

Purpose of the Report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide a staff response to the petition received from Matt Nicholls regarding the 2^nd trial currently underway on Links Avenue to improve safety for vulnerable users and to reduce the traffic volumes back to a level that is appropriate for what it should be as a residential street.

2. The petition requested the following actions from Council:

· Council refunds the tickets issued for the infringement notices for drivers using the bus lanes

· Council removes the trial

· Council undertakes widespread consultation on any future changes to Links Avenue

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Receives the report and staff recommendations as follows:

· Tickets that have been and will be issued during the trial are not refunded

· The trial continues for the intended full duration to correctly assess its impact

· The residents surveys are completed, staff report back on the trial in August and the community panel is formed as soon as possible to discuss alternative layouts for the street to implement the safety outcomes needed beyond the current trial. The community panel recommendations are also reported back in August ideally.

Discussion

3. Council has been approached by concerned residents about the safety of the layout on Links Avenue since a bus lane was installed approximately 3 years ago and the impact on the proximity of the traffic lanes to the shared path. The bus lane was installed to improve reliability for the bus services as they were significantly impacted by the increasing traffic volumes using Links Avenue after the B2B project started construction.

4. Traffic volumes have tripled on Links Avenue in the three years and have gone from 2-2500 vehicles per day (vpd) to 7-7,500vpd in Oct 2021. Volumes had increased by 2,000vpd in the 12 months up to October 2021 so the anticipated volumes without safety intervention would be approximately 9,000vpd.

5. In addition to the normal commuter traffic, we saw large commercial vehicles and inter regional bus services drive through Links Ave to avoid congestion.

6. Links Avenue is a local residential road, and its function is to provide access to properties that are located along the street and for the streets that come directly off it. This should result in a volume that is approximately 2,500 vehicles per day. Links Avenue is not an arterial road and has not been designed to carry high traffic volumes. As a result the pavement on Links Avenue has suffered significant degradation and will require a full reconstruction to bring it back to an acceptable standard once the B2B contract is complete.

7. Links Avenue has high numbers of school children that use the street to get to and from the three schools in the area. In additional, a high number of school students catch bus services from Links Avenue. These services were moved to Links Avenue after safety concerns about the bus services being located on Maunganui Road due to the higher speed limits (up to 70km/h) and multiple lanes that passengers needed to cross to get to their destination.

8. The B2B contract was supposed to have been completed in late 2021 but is running approximately 2 years behind schedule due to ground conditions, Covid etc. This means traffic patterns in and around that project may not return back to normal until late 2023 or early 2024.

9. Council had received information from staff over that period and also received an options report on potential solutions that could be implemented in Links Avenue in Oct 2020. Council left this report sitting on the table and did not make a decision on the preferred outcome.

10. Commissioners requested staff undertake a Safe System review in March 2021 and this was completed in June. This identified that the street had an unacceptable risk of a serious or fatal accident occurring between a vehicle and a vulnerable user (pedestrian or cyclist). Previous to the Safe System review, previous safety audits and reviews had indicated that the road was safe, but these were undertaken when the traffic volumes were significantly lower. The higher traffic volumes have altered the road from being safe to a risky and unsafe route.

11. In response to the safe system report, staff recommended a trial of the cul-de-sac option that had been identified in the options report provided to Council in 2020. The cul-de-sac is the best option to lower traffic volumes and provides the highest increase in safety for the vulnerable users on Links Avenue and the residents that live on Links Avenue.

Links Avenue Trial #1

12. The first trial was undertaken in October/November 2021 and was located near Ascot Avenue. This trial showed the impact of the restriction did improve safety, but the location was inconvenient for the majority of residents who responded to the survey. The trial also showed that the wider transport network did cope with the redistribution of the traffic flows, but the trial was not long enough to see the change in behaviour that would eventuate from a permanent closure.

13. In trial #1, Council did not issue infringements for drivers using the bus lane. The reasons for this related to the short duration of the trial (6 weeks), the road layout being harder to make clear, bylaw descriptions of the bus lanes and the desire to see if drivers would modify behaviour without enforcement.

14. During the course of the trial, there was a reduction in the number of daily drivers using the bus lanes, but it was still high, and the numbers only dropped when the media discussed infringements but would climb again after a few days.

15. Residents were granted a waiver approximately half way through the trial due to the impacts of the location. This did result in more drivers using the bus lanes from other areas as they followed the residents through probably assuming it was not being enforced as they were seeing high numbers of cars driving through the bus lanes.

Links Avenue Trial #2

16. A second trail was undertaken this year and is located at Concorde Avenue as this was the preferred location that the majority of the residents who responded to the feedback survey. The trial is planned to run for a minimum of 4 months, and this will an assessment of the impact of the location as well as being in place long enough to assess the impacts on the wider transport network.

17. Infringement notices are being issued in this trial and the bus lanes have been well sign posted, with drivers passing between 2-5 signs (depending on direction of travel) before entering the bus lanes. The bus lanes themselves have a sign on either side and are painted green with ‘BUS LANE’ written in large letters so drivers can clearly see it is no longer a normal road and they should not enter. Drivers that are receiving infringements are choosing to disregard the warning signs and continue through the bus lanes. The signage is consistent with other bus lanes in Tauranga (and across the country) so drivers from both Tauranga and elsewhere are used to the signage being displayed.

This is the layout as drivers approach from the Concorde Avenue end of the bus lanes.

18. Council has camera’s in place to monitor the bus lanes 24/7 and these record the offending vehicles driving through as well as the license plate. The camera’s allow Council to review the footage and see if vehicles have accidently driven into the bus lane and this footage can be used as part of the review if the fines will be waived if a request is made by the driver.

19. Since the start of the trial the number of infringement notices has trended downwards and the data up to the point of writing the report was:

Mon 11^th	393	Mon 18^th	266	Mon 25^th	198	Mon 2nd	254	Mon 9th	180	Mon 16th	303	Mon 23rd	237	Mon 30th	128
Tue 12^th	554	Tue 19th	430	Tue 26^th	375	Tue 3rd	318	Tue 10^th	201	Tue 17th	266	Tue 24th	207	Tue 31st	158
Wed 13^th	488	Wed 20^th	459	Wed 27^th	430	Wed 4^th	338	Wed 11^th	189	Wed 18th	260	Wed 25th	220	Wed 1st	157
Thu 14^th	221	Thu 21^st	559	Thu 28^th	530	Thu 5^th	91	Thu 12^th	227	Thu 19th	360	Thu 26th	194	Thu 2nd
Fri 15^th	570	Fri 22^nd	555	Fri 29^th	440	Fri 6^th	388	Fri 13^th	274	Fri 20th	358	Fri 27th	331	Fri 3rd
Sat 16^th	994	Sat 23^rd	480	Sat 30^th	370	Sat 7^th	371	Sat 14^th	281	Sat 21st	360	Sat 28th	285	Sat 4th
Sun 17^th	279	Sun 24^th	293	Sun 1^st	277	Sun 8^th	243	Sun 15^th	234	Sun 22nd	181	Sun 29th	192	Sun 5th
	3499		3042		2620		2003		1586	2088		1666		443

20. This shows an approximate 52% reduction in volume over the trial period, and we would expect this to continue to drop as drivers continue to receive infringements. Council has waived approximately 20% of the tickets issued already, typically for first time offenders.

21. Approximately 8,500 warning notices were also issued during the first two weeks of the trial and infringement tickets were not issued until week three of the trial. Council has also had extensive media advertising of the closure, and this is continuing during the trial. This has involved radio advertisements (The Breeze, The Rock, More FM and The Edge), social media posts (Facebook and Instragram articles), the digital banner on Sunlive and NZME in addition to the TCC website, letter drops, the Arataki newsletter and media releases etc that occurred. The extensive social media comment about the trial is evidence in itself that commuters are aware of the trial and the implications of illegally using the bus lane.

22. In relation to the tickets issued, 150 offenders have received 3 or more tickets (one driver has 26 tickets issued). The majority of these drivers had also received a warning letter during the initial two-week period. Approximately 25% of the infringement tickets issued have already been paid.

23. Council is intending to undertake the surveys with the community in June as well as further traffic counts and will continue to monitor the travel time data for the key routes being monitored.

24. In relation to this trial, there are other roadworks underway in the area that are increasing congestion (Maunganui Road and Granada), but we expect that to reduce in early June as the Tui St roundabout will be completed as will the Granada St sewer works. The B2B project is also expected to reduce congestion at the Baypark intersection from mid to late June which will make this a more attractive route for drivers.

Petition Recommendation

25. In relation to the specific requests of the petition, staff have the following responses:

26. Infringements – In the first trial, high numbers of drivers continued to use the bus lanes when tickets were not issued. The issuing of tickets appears to be the only way Council is able to achieve the behaviour change of drivers and reduce the traffic volume on Links Avenue. The bus lanes are well sign posted and marked so drivers that drive through the bus lanes have ample opportunity to stop and turn around before they incur the fine. Those that do drive through are knowingly driving through a bus lane. Staff do not support the refunding of tickets and support that the bus lanes continue to be enforced through the duration of the trial, given the number of tickets being issued continues to decrease and would appear to be influencing driver behaviour.

27. Abandon the Trial – The Safe System review highlighted an unacceptable level of risk; therefore it is not safe to leave the street in the layout it was prior to the trial starting. Simply removing the bus lanes will result in an excessive volume of traffic returning to using Links Avenue as a through route and this will impact on the reliability of the bus services and will also decrease the safety for vulnerable users. Prior to 2019 and the implementation of the bus lanes, there had been 11 crashes on Links Avenue: 1 serious, 6 minor and 3 non-injury in 4 years, even with the lower traffic volumes.

28. Staff do not support the removal of the current trial until it has run for its intended duration. If the bus lanes were not to remain, an alternative layout would be required in order to maintain the ability for buses to use the street (as 2/3 of the passengers are school children), maintains the lower traffic volumes and ensures Links Avenue remains a residential street, not a through route.

29. Stopping the trial early would not allow time for the driver behaviour change and for drivers to adjust the time of the day they travel, the mode they use and the route. The trial needs to continue for the planned full duration for that to occur.

30. Community Consultation – Full face to face consultation with the community has been impacted by the restriction imposed via Covid restrictions. This limited the ability to have face to face meetings during the first trial and severely limited the numbers that could be involved prior to the start of the second trial. Some face-to-face meetings were held with the residents from Links Avenue and the surrounding streets, but the numbers were limited by the venue size under the orange traffic light setting. Council is intending to undertake a survey with the affected residents in June as well as the wider community, the schools in the area ns users of the park on Links Avenue. The Commissioners have advocated for the residents jury and staff will work with Commissioners and the community to get this up and operating to consider the potential layout of the street post completion of the trial.

Community Panel

31. The overwhelming community interest in these trials has given rise to Council proposing – a community panel for the final design on Links Ave.

32. A community panel could be established if there is sufficient community interest. The community panel would be invited to design a permanent solution to the safety concerns on this road.

What is a community panel?

· A community panel is a group of people who are invited to develop a community-led solution based on (a) commitment to agreed outcomes (b) local knowledge and (c) independent advice.

· The Council’s contribution is (a) commitment to agreed outcomes (b) provision of data and information and (c) resourcing.

Required outcomes from the Council’s perspective

33. Any solution proposed on Links Avenue needs to achieve the following criteria:

· The street must be safe for vulnerable users throughout the day and on weekends due to the presence of the schools in the area, its importance as a cycle connection through Arataki and to and from the park.

· Traffic volumes need to be maintained at the 2-2,500 vehicles per day level to ensure it remains at a residential level.

· Bus services need to be maintained on Links Avenue as a high number of students use the bus services and pickup and drop-off on Links Avenue. Bus journey time reliability must be maintained along Links Avenue.

· Under the TSP framework, Links Avenue has walking and cycling and PT priority modes and these need to be maintained.

· The available budget for changes is $1.5million and this includes professional fees.

· The draft designs are required ideally by late August 2022.

To establish the community panel, the Council proposes:

34. Inviting community groups in the area to nominate panel members and also to invite individuals from a variety of backgrounds, who have shown a keen interest in the trials, to participate.

35. providing independent traffic engineering and urban design expertise to work with the community panel.

36. providing resourcing to support the community panel to meet e.g. meeting room, administration.

37. agreeing a process and timetable for reporting back to the Council.

38. Note: it will be important that the panel is made up of a variety of different road users and representatives from both those living on Links Ave and those that use facilities the surrounding areas. It’s envisaged that there will be 10-15 panel members with the majority directly impacted by the current trial.

Next Steps

39. The trial needs to continue for the planned duration to ensure we can correctly assess the impact of the changes and the ability of the transport network to cope. It also allows drivers to adjust their behaviours to try alternative modes etc.

40. The community surveys will get underway in June and work is underway to implement to the residents jury to develop concepts that could be implemented upon completion of the current trial. Staff are intending to report back to Council in August on the current trial and ideally it would be good to have the alternate options available for consideration at that time.

Attachments

Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

13 June 2022

11.2 A Vision for Tauranga

File Number: A13522169

Author: Sarah Stewart, Strategic Advisor

Lindsay Price, Strategic Community Relations Advisor

Jeremy Boase, Manager: Strategy and Corporate Planning

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. This report presents a vision for Tauranga City to be endorsed by Council for external use and to be adopted as the overarching vision for Tauranga City Council.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Acknowledges the valuable contribution made by the community that has enabled the development of a vision for Tauranga.

(b) Endorses the following Vision for Tauranga:

Tauranga, together we can

· Prioritise nature

Tauranga is a city where we celebrate, protect and enhance our natural environment.

· Lift each other up

Tauranga is a city where we foster and grow our communities, celebrate our differences, and lift-up those who are vulnerable.

· Fuel possibility

Tauranga is a city where we foster creativity and innovation, celebrate our arts and culture, and empower our changemakers to create a vibrant city into the future.

With everyone playing their part

Together we can create the change our city needs

Kei a tātou te pae tawhiti

The future is all of ours

Because, Tauranga, together we can.

Background

2. During late 2019 and early 2020, Tauranga City Council gathered a range of inputs as the first phase of developing and delivering a shared future vision and multi-partner action plan for Tauranga City. This work highlighted that many city leaders had a strong appetite for a vision that would propel our city forward. As such, Council’s Policy Committee approved the City Futures Project concept on 16 June 2020.

3. A range of factors contributed to rethinking the City Futures Project, including the need to respond to the challenges brought by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, various local government reform initiatives underway and changes to Council’s political leadership.

4. As a result, it was proposed that the envisaged multi-partner City Futures Project be superseded by the Strategic Framework Refresh Project, which included a vision for Tauranga City. It was acknowledged that all City Futures Project inputs to date would continue to be valuable to the city vision and the wider Strategic Framework Refresh Project.

5. The Strategy, Finance and Risk Committee approved the Strategic Framework Refresh Project concept (including the City Vision) on 28 June 2021, resolving that the Committee:

· Supports a focussed Council-led approach to the development of a city vision, drawing on information received through prior engagement processes and seeking further community input through a further defined engagement process.

6. The city vision project is one of ten workstreams of the Strategic Framework Project. A separate report on the strategic framework will be provided at the next council meeting for consideration.

city vision purpose

7. The purpose of a vision for Tauranga is to create a shared vision with the community that:

· Acknowledges where we’ve come from and the challenges of today

· Creates a foundation of shared identity for everyone in the city

· Brings our communities together and inspires meaningful change.

8. Key outcomes of this project are that Tauranga City has a vision agreed and owned by the Tauranga community, that people in the city know what the city stands for, and that the vision resonates for people that live, work, play and learn here.

9. For Council, the vision will establish an enduring pathway forward and will guide Council’s work with our community to achieve a positive future. It will inform all that Council does to ensure we are working together to achieve the same goals. Council’s response and contribution to the vision for the city will be achieved through the delivery of key projects and initiatives via the strategic framework.

development of a vision for Tauranga

10. Over the last couple of years there have been numerous community engagements that have provided insight to what our communities’ aspirations are for the future of our city.

11. Analysis and synthesis of these previous works have been used to inform the development of a vision for the city. Key pieces of work are outlined in the diagram below, and include the 2020 Vital Update Survey, Strategic Conversations through the City Futures Workshops, WSP Future Ready workshops, Long Term Plan community feedback and many other Council projects that have involved an element of consultation or engagement. For further detail, refer to Attachment 1- City vision findings report.

My Tauranga Vibe campaign

12. The final community engagement was decided on 30 August 2021 when Council approved the concept design and proposed method for My Tauranga Vibe. At this meeting consideration was given to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 situation, including the impact of Level 3 and Level 4 lockdown restrictions impacting on the safety and ability for people to gather. It was agreed that the city vision project was to progress primarily using on-line methods with the aim to deliver the majority of outputs by December 2021, with the vision being finalised in 2022.

13. My Tauranga Vibe, a primarily online campaign, was develop and launched in November 2021 (including the creation of a website, video and social media) with the help of Stanley Street (a fully integrated creative agency offering creative strategy, media and design services). My Tauranga Vibe enabled people to tell us what they value today and gained a sense of understanding around what is going to be important to them in the future. The campaign was designed to be fresh and youthful as a way of encouraging rangatahi and those who do not usually engage with Council to become involved.

14. The four week campaign resulted in 19,000 people visiting the My Tauranga Vibe website with the thoughts of just under 4,000 people being captured, in addition to engagement with many more on social media. This included a good response from younger age groups with 11 percent of respondents aged between 16-24 years.

15. For more detail on My Tauranga Vibe refer to Attachment 2 – My Tauranga Vibe campaign report.

what our communities have told us

16. There has been substantial consultation and engagement with city partners and our communities over the last two years. We have been listening to our communities and have heard from over 10,000 people through the various pieces of work described above.

17. More recently, we have been working with an external consultancy ‘Stanley Street’ to help bring together the key themes from consultation to develop a vision for Tauranga on behalf of our communities.

18. Three key themes were clearly expressed as being important for a future Tauranga – environment, community and inclusivity, and vibrancy:

· Environment – prioritising nature

Our communities have told us that protecting and enhancing the natural environment is the first priority for our future Tauranga. More accessible green spaces, bringing nature back into our city and looking after our own backyard are crucially important for our communities.

· Community and inclusivity – lifting each other up

Over coming years, Tauranga’s population is projected to get older and more diverse, changing the needs of our population. With an increasingly diverse community coupled with a widening socio-economic gap, it might be easy to think that the future of our city looks divided. On the contrary, our communities have told us that a more inclusive Tauranga, a city where social cohesion is a priority and where we lift-up those more vulnerable is of utmost importance to them.

· Vibrancy – fuelling possibility

Our communities have told us that they desire a future that is full of energy, possibility, and personality. The need for vibrancy in our city was a key theme captured through the city vision work. People want more events and activities, and increased opportunities for young people. Other clear messages we have heard include that we have underinvested in our city for too long and we do not have the infrastructure and community facilities we need. Also, that our city needs and deserves a heart we can all be proud of.

A vision for tauranga – ‘Tauranga, together we can’

19. A vision for Tauranga is presented below. The three key themes or pillars clearly expressed by our communities (environment, community and inclusivity, and vibrancy) form the basis of the vision statement.

20. ‘Tauranga, together we can’ is founded in the concept of Hoki whakamuri, haere whakamua (Walking backwards into the future). This acknowledges our past through the values of our kaumatua and focuses on the future through the hearts and minds of our rangatahi, as it is their voices that will shape the city they are set to inherit.

21. ‘Tauranga, together we can’ is a call to action for individuals, communities, and organisations to both individually and collectively work towards creating the change our city needs. We intend that community groups, organisations and businesses will support the vision for Tauranga and consider how they can best take action to work towards the three key pillars of the vision – Because Tauranga, together we can.

22. To assist with dissemination, a video has been developed to communicate the vision to the community and to inspire all to take action to work together to make our city a better place now and in the future.

Strategic / Statutory Context

23. For Council, the vision will help inform all that Council does to ensure we are working together to achieve the same goals. Council’s response and contribution to the vision for the city will be achieved through the delivery of key projects and initiatives via the strategic framework.

Options Analysis

24. Two options are identified in the tables below for consideration. The tables outline the benefits, disadvantages and key risks for each option.

Option 1 – Endorse the Vision for Tauranga for use by the wider community and adopt the vision for Tauranga as the overarching vision for Tauranga City Council

Description
Endorse the Vision for Tauranga for use by the wider community and adopt the vision for Tauranga as the overarching vision for Tauranga City Council.
Benefits	Disadvantages	Key risks
Is founded on our communities’ aspirations for future Tauranga and therefore creates a foundation of shared identity for everyone in the city. Provides a call to action so that everyone can individually and collectively create and inspire meaningful change for the future. Is supported by city leaders and partners across the city.	None	Reputational risk: Success of the vision requires others to buy-in to the vision and apply it to their own work. This may require socialisation, and brand and collateral development, if this is to be a vision for the city as well as a council vision.

Option 2: Do not endorse the Vision for Tauranga for use by the wider community and/or do not adopt the vision for Tauranga as the overarching vision for Tauranga City Council

Description
Do not endorse the Vision for Tauranga for use by the wider community and/or do not adopt the vision for Tauranga as the overarching vision for Tauranga City Council.
Benefits	Disadvantages	Key risks
More time to engage or consult with communities and stakeholders.	Will take time to plan and scope new methods if more consultation is required. Lack of overarching vision for the city to inspire meaningful change. Lack of overarching vision for Council to guide the strategic framework and delivery of Council projects. Delays may impact the wider Strategic Framework Project.	Reputational risk: Potential negative community and stakeholder perception following communication about the city vision process and the overwhelming support received from stakeholders when shared with them.

25. Option one is the recommended option. Option one recognises that there is substantial information from previous community engagement activities that provides a strong foundation for the creation of a vision for Tauranga. This option clearly articulates what our communities have told us. It also has support from our city partners, through Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Partnership and the Kaumātua Forum, and is supported by other city leaders including the business community, community groups and neighbouring councils.

Financial Considerations

26. Financial costs for this project totalled approximately $310K in the 2021/22 financial year. This includes both the My Tauranga Vibe campaign (creative strategy and design, website creation and maintenance and video production) and analysis and distillation of themes from all previous community engagement activities. Budget was available within the approved 2021/22 budget.

Legal Implications / Risks

27. This report has no legal implications.

28. The key risk to this project is ‘take-up’ from external organisations. It is intended that council staff continue to work alongside our city partners and community organisations to ensure the success of the ‘Tauranga, together we can’ vision across the city.

29. If adopted by Council, it should be noted that the vision statement will become Tauranga City Council’s vision that will help guide all that we do as a Council.

Consultation / Engagement

30. As described above, there have been many community engagement activities that have provided insight to what our communities’ aspirations are for the future of our city.

31. In addition, our city leaders (community groups/organisations, businesses, and other councils) and city partners (through Te Rangapū Mana Whenua o Tauranga Moana Partnership and the Kaumātua Forum) were invited to presentations held in May 2022 for the purpose of:

· sharing key findings and key themes from the city vision work

· presenting our thinking on the city vision outcomes and outputs

· gauging support and/or endorsement from our city partners

· exploring how to socialise and utilise the city vision with our communities.

32. Feedback from these sessions was supportive and suggestions have been incorporated into the final version.

Significance

33. 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.

34. 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.

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

ENGAGEMENT

36. Taking into consideration the above assessment, that the decision is of high significance, officers are of the opinion that no further engagement is required prior to Council making a decision. There has been considerable engagement over the last three years that has been used in the development of the vision.

Next Steps

37. The next steps are:

· Work in partnership with city partners and community organisations to develop collateral and branding to ensure the successful take-up across the city

· Work across Council to embed the vision through the strategic framework project and other council processes and initiatives.

Attachments

1. Attachment 1 - City Vision Findings Report - A13533845 (Separate Attachments 1)

2. Attachment 2 - My Tauranga Vibe Campaign Report - A13541846 (Separate Attachments 1)

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

13 June 2022

11.3 Greerton Maarawaewae Future Options Study

File Number: A13188599

Author: Carl Lucca, Programme Director: Urban Communities

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. To recommend the preferred Greerton Maarawaewae Study options to be taken forward for consultation with mana whenua, existing users and the community, and for subsequent decision making.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Approves consultation on the following options for the future use of the Tauranga Racecourse Reserve:

(i) Consultation Option A: Merged option of:

(1) Health and Recreation (Study Option 7plus); and

(2) If Health New Zealand and the Crown decide not to progress with a health facility on the site, then reverts to Central Park (Study Option 3plus).

(ii) Consultation Option B: Central Park (Study Option 3plus)

(iii) Consultation Option C: Enhanced status quo (Study Option 2).

(b) Approves ‘Consultation Option A’ in (a) (i) above as the preferred option.

(c) Delegates the Chief Executive to approve consultation material, based on the information contained within this report and the attachments, and also the 11 April Council report and attachments.

(d) Removes general residential housing options from further consideration and undertakes the following consequential actions:

(i) Removes reference to ‘comprehensively developed housing’ as it relates to the Greerton Racecourse Reserve from the Te Papa Spatial Plan and other relevant strategic documents.

(ii) Recommends to the SmartGrowth Leadership Group that the Tauranga Racecourse Reserve be recognised as assessed as not providing a future residential housing opportunity.

Executive Summary

2. The purpose of the Greerton Maarawaewae Study (GMS) is to:

· Identify opportunities that will support wellbeing and liveability as the city continues to grow over the short, medium and long term; and

· Provide certainty to current users of the Greerton Racecourse and Golf Course and to the general community of the intended medium and long term use of the site.

3. The 85ha study area includes the Greerton Racecourse and Golf Course, as described in the Tauranga City Council (TCC) Reserves Management Plan.

4. At the 11 April 2022 Council meeting an update on progress of the study was provided, including outcomes of community engagement, option development and the consultants’ option assessment. The consultants’ reporting ranked the top study options as follows:

Rank	Without Costs	With Costs
1	Option 7plus: Health and Recreation	Option 7plus: Health and Recreation
2	Option 6plus: Homes and Community Park	Option 6plus: Homes and Community Park
3	Option 4: Community Spaces & Active Recreation Destination Park combined with Equestrian	Option 3plus: Central Park
4	Option 3plus: Central Park	Option 4: Community Spaces & Active Recreation Destination Park combined with Equestrian

5. Following receipt of the study update, the following resolutions were made at that meeting:

(a) That the Council:

(i) Receives the Greerton Maarawaewae Study report and attachments, and notes the community feedback received on the study options.

(ii) Approves further engagement to be undertaken with mana whenua and existing Tauranga Racecourse Reserve users in relation to the additional study options developed following community engagement and the option assessment.

(iii) Supports Tauranga City Council participating in a cross-organisational working party to identify potential sites for a sub-regional equine racing facility, with a lead role by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Tauranga Racing Club and including key stakeholders

(iv) Notes that a full report and recommendations for the preferred options from the study will be provided to Council in June 2022.

6. Clear direction was also provided by commissioners that further consultation with the community be undertaken on any recommended options prior to a final decision being made.

7. Following the 11 April Council meeting, the consultants’ reporting has been finalised, with no further feedback or other matters having resulted in changes to the above top-ranking options.

8. This report considers the consultants’ top ranked options and seeks to confirm which options or blend of options should proceed to further consultation and which options are removed from consideration. The report also outlines the proposed consultation process.

9. In summary, it is recommended that the following options be carried forward for consultation:

(a) Consultation Option A (preferred option): Merged option of:

(i) Health and Recreation (Study Option 7 plus); and

(ii) If Health New Zealand and the Crown decide not to progress with a health facility on the site, then reverts to Central Park (Option 3 plus).

(b) Consultation Option B: Central Park (Study Option 3 plus)

10. It is further recommended that all other options are removed from further consideration.

11. It is also noted that at the time of writing, a cross-organisational working party to identify potential sites for a sub-regional equine racing facility is being established (which will also include consideration of equestrian eventing facilities).

Background and context

12. A full outline of the background and context to the project is contained in the 11 April Council meeting report on the study. This section provides a recap of the study scope and consultants’ option analysis and rankings presented at that meeting.

13. As outlined above, the purpose of the GMS is to identify opportunities that will support wellbeing and liveability as the city continues to grow, and to provide certainty as to the future use of the site. Within this context, the agreed scope for the study included:

(a) Preparation of broad options for the subject site, to form the basis for engagement, assessment and recommendations on the future use of the site. Options shall range from status quo through to mixed open space / residential land use.

(b) Development and consideration of any options will include engagement with mana whenua through the process, including consideration of their aspirations for the land.

(i) provide an understanding of the subject site’s potential opportunities in the context of city growth and community wellbeing

(ii) understand the aspirations for the site from existing and potential future users, to be incorporated into option development and recommendations for future use.

(d) Following on from previous engagement, the importance of the open space to the community was also acknowledged as a key area to further explore with the community.

(e) As part of the options study assessment, feasibility, risks, relocation requirements and delivery timeframes shall inform any recommendations.

14. The study has been led by consultants SGL and Boon, with expertise and support in the following areas:

(a) Steve Bramley (SGL): strategic leadership, leisure planning and business feasibility, capital funding and project management of community projects

(b) Glen Brebner (Boon): master planning, specialising in recreation and leisure facility design and project delivery

(d) Martin Udale: Residential and commercial lead

(e) Rawlinsons: costings.

15. Broader inputs including transport, open space and community facilities considerations, and communications and engagement support have been provided by TCC.

16. The study has been supported by Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities as part of their broader partnership with Council to support quality urban development within our growing city for people and whānau to live, work, learn and play. Further input from Crown agencies will be required where a change in use is proposed as a result of the study.

17. 10 options were prepared for the study – refer Attachment A: Study Options Report. These options are summarised as follows:

Study Option	Racing	Golf	TESA[1]	Description
1 – Status quo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Some community use; no walking or cycling access to Kopurererua Valley
2 – Enhanced status quo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Sportsfields/artificial turfs within the Racecourse area; possible community centre with multipurpose bookable rooms; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values; reduced equestrian space
3 -Community spaces & active recreation combined with golf & equestrian	No	Yes	Yes	A destination recreation park with outdoor courts, sports fields, artificial turfs and play space; community centre with multipurpose bookable rooms; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values
3plus – Central Park	No	Yes	No	As per option 3, with refinements (including equestrian relocated)
4 – Destination park combined with equestrian	No	No	Yes	A destination parkland; sports pavilion and outdoor sports fields, artificial turfs, etc; community centre with multipurpose bookable rooms; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values
5 – Golf course and new homes	No	Yes	No	700 to 1000 new homes with a range of housing types; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values; option for new school and community centre
6 – Destination park, new homes & potentially a new school	No	No	No	A destination parkland; 1000 to 1500 new homes with a range of housing types; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values; option for new school and community centre
6plus – Homes and community park	No	No	No	As per option 6, with refinements; 900 to 1300 new homes with a range of housing types
7 – Enhanced community spaces, golf course, active recreation & potential health services	No	Yes	No	Active recreation; health precinct; community centre with multipurpose bookable rooms; enhanced connections to Kopurererua Valley and cultural values
7plus – Health and Recreation	No	Yes	No	As per option 7, with refinements

18. The consultant team undertook a multi criteria assessment (MCA) of the 10 options. The key challenge was to develop a process which genuinely took into account community engagement responses for each option alongside the strategic needs of the city. The options were considered and ranked with and without costs:

Rank	Without Costs	With Costs
1	Option 7plus: health and recreation	Option 7plus: Health and recreation
2	Option 6plus: homes and community park	Option 6plus: Homes and community park
3	Option 4: community spaces & active recreation destination park combined with equestrian	Option 3plus: central park
4	Option 3plus: Central Park	Option 4: Community Spaces & Active Recreation Destination Park combined with Equestrian

19. A full summary of the MCA is attached to the 11 April 2022 Council meeting report.

Mana Whenua Engagement

20. Council staff have met with representatives of mana whenua (specifically Ngāi Tamarāwaho) on five occasions since the inception of the study, most recently as part of a hui with TCC Commissioners.

21. Ngāi Tamarāwaho has advised that they support the ongoing recreation reserve status of the land and would seek to have land ownership discussions should an alternative or revised use be proposed. A formal statement of claim has been lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal and there has been correspondence provided to the Crown.

22. As stated in the Waitangi Tribunal claim, the Ngāi Tamarāwaho kōrero is that the return of the reserve lands and indeed all lands within its rohe used for public or community purposes was not pursued as part of its historic Treaty claim. Ngāi Tamarāwaho have also indicated through correspondence that they are happy for the land to continue to be used for community recreational purposes and would support use of the land for a wider range of recreational uses such as walking and biking pathways through the racecourse and golf course lands.

23. TCC will continue to engage directly with mana whenua on these matters and acknowledge that as owners of the land, ongoing kōrero with the Crown will also be necessary if any changes to the existing use are proposed.

Engagement with Existing Users, Community and Key Stakeholders

24. A full summary of engagement to date was provided as part of the 11 April Council meeting report.

25. The overall community engagement outcomes are summarised as follows.

(a) Extremely strong support for creating a multi-purpose destination green space for the city with improved access to Kopurererua Valley.

(b) Very strong support for creating active recreational spaces and for other community amenities – including telling the cultural story of the whenua and providing a multi-cultural community centre.

(d) Some support for relocating equestrian (if a suitable location can be found).

(e) Not much support for relocating the golf course.

(f) Limited support for housing on this reserve land.

(g) Some support for a public health precinct / future hospital facility (more when the possibility of housing on the existing hospital site is factored in).

26. There were also ongoing meetings and discussions held throughout both phases with existing users. These were integral to understanding existing user needs and the potential for these to be considered as part of any options or potential for relocation.

27. More specially, Racing Tauranga have stated that they support options 1 and 2; they do not support options 3-7; and have stated that they would like to ensure the TCC is committed to ensuring the appropriate land and funding is available to achieve a relocation of Racing Tauranga in the Tauranga Region if indeed one of options 3-7 eventuate.

28. Tauranga Golf Course has stated that they do not support the relocation of the golf course and could work with Council on options 1, 2, 3 and 7. They have further indicated the willingness to contribute to some of the broader objectives of enhanced utilisation of the Reserve.

29. TESA strongly support the retention and/or expansion of the current equestrian offering at the Tauranga Racecourse reserve location.

Relevant 2022/23 Annual Plan Decisions

30. As part of recent Annual Plan decisions, TCC will has made the following relevant decisions:

· TCC supports investigations of a potential racecourse relocation site in the Bay of Plenty by providing partial funding for stage 1 of the proposed cross-organisational working party study. The cross-organisational working party study shall also consider specific equestrian eventing opportunities.

· TCC will continue to work with the Tauranga Equestrian Sports Association (TESA) to complete a concurrent relocation site options study for day-to-day equestrian activities.

Matters considering in making recommendations

31. As outlined above, this report considers the consultants’ top ranked options and seeks to confirm which options or blend of options should proceed to further consultation and which should be discounted as not practicable or not considered appropriate to proceed further with.

32. The recommendations in this report have included consideration of:

(a) The consultants’ multi criteria assessment: This included consideration of the needs of the city and existing users alongside technical and engagement considerations:

(i) Need for a health site

(ii) Provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit plus active recreation and community facilities

(iii) City housing needs

(iv) Current site stakeholder requirements (i.e., Tauranga Racing, Tauranga Golf Club and TESA).

(v) Need to occur on this site (ready choice of alternate options and/or challenge of relocation)

(vi) Importance of public transport corridor and urban spatial plan on this site

(vii) Community engagement support

(viii) Overall importance to the city

(ix) Net Costs.

(b) Mana whenua engagement outcomes: Specific consideration has been given to mana whenua views, including the matters raised in the Waitangi Tribunal claim and correspondence, as outlined above.

(d) The need for safe, reliable public health facilities: Through the initial engagement stages, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (DHB) identified potential for the subject site to provide for health services. This is pertinent given a need to respond to significant seismic issues (with an upgrade or rebuild required within 12.5 years) and address accommodation pressures for the longer term. In feedback provided, the DHB indicated that the site could provide for relocation of the hospital, allowing the existing hospital site to be released for development, including medium to high residential. Ministry of Health are now working with the DHB (soon to be Health NZ) on a business case looking at future options.

(e) New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing direction for racing in the Region: As outlined in the NZTR Directions Paper, for the Bay of Plenty area “NZTR has met with the Racing Rotorua and Racing Tauranga and encouraged them to work together on what the future of racing will be for the Bay of Plenty region. While acknowledging the Bay of Plenty is a population growth hub, NZTR is of the view that thoroughbred racing in the region may be best sustained in the long-term if there is only one venue for racing in the region”.

(f) It is noted that at the time of writing, a cross-organisational working party to identify potential sites for a sub-regional equine racing facility is being established (which will also include consideration of equestrian eventing facilities).

(g) Active reserves need for the city: TCC’s Spaces and Places team have assessed the opportunities for active reserves over the site. The site provides an excellent potential location for a community sports hub, including sportsfields, indoor courts, hardcourts and a suite of outdoor play and leisure opportunities. It could also provide a suitable space for a ‘hub’ community centre. The catchment for these facilities would be the southern part of Te Papa, the Western Corridor and a wider City West arc from Bethlehem through to Ohauiti. Alternative locations for recreational spaces are very limited in the Western Corridor, are increasingly expensive due to demand for land for housing and would displace an alternative housing use.

(h) Level and breadth of community utilisation of existing racecourse and golf course: Overall, it is considered that the use of the racecourse land (11-13 race meetings per annum and about 20-25 horses train at the course daily) is relatively low comparative to broader opportunities for the community (e.g., active sports). In addition, given the existing use, the community does not benefit from open access to the site as a green space. While it is acknowledged the facilities provide for wider community activities, potential exists for these to be rehoused on site as part of a new ‘hub’ community centre. Relocation of equestrian activities is also considered feasible.

(i) With regard to the golf course, Tauranga Golf Club has about 984 members (Nov 2021) and catered for about 46,000 total rounds in the 2021 year. This land is considered to have higher potential for enhancing general public access, including walking and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley and broader provision of activities on site (e.g., use of the club rooms by general public, and a wider range of events / activities on site).

Options Analysis

33. This section includes a summary of the advantages and disadvantages relating to each of the consultants’ top ranked options, including recommendations as whether the option be carried forward.

34. The ‘Enhanced status quo’ (Study Option 2) is included and recommended to be carried through for consultation.

35. Merged option: Option 7plus (health and recreation) and Option 3plus (Central Park):

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Supports need for public health site (potential for hospital relocation), with opportunity for significant health facility improvements for the sub-region and opportunities to work with tangata whenua and Health NZ (Hauora Aotearoa) to enhance hauora Māori.

· Supports broader city housing needs through potential to open up future land for higher density residential on the existing hospital site over the longer term.

· Supports provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit.

· Provides for wider city active recreation needs.

· Provides opportunity for community facilities.

· Retains golf course, with opportunity to enhance overall public benefit associated with this area of land.[2]

· Good alignment with community engagement outcomes.

· Mana whenua have stated support for continued community recreational purposes (noting, they have indicated they would seek to have land ownership discussions should an alternative or revised use be proposed, which may include a health precinct).

· Should the public health component not come to fruition, the future site use can revert to active and passive recreation, in line with option 3plus (recommended below).

· Provides for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley.

· Provides opportunity to enhance cultural values and narratives over the site.

· May over time, release the existing hospital site for redevelopment including for housing purposes.

· Requires relocation of existing Tauranga racing and equestrian related facilities.

Recommendation to carry forward: Yes

· Overall, this option generally aligns with engagement outcomes to date and supports wider city needs including active recreation, health and housing opportunities (off-site).

36. Option 6plus: homes and community park:

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Supports broader city housing needs through provision of higher density residential on the site (900-1,300 dwellings).

· Provides opportunity for community facilities.

· Supports provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit including community facilities.

· Provides for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley.

· Provides opportunity to enhance cultural values and narratives over the site.

· Residential use of the site is not supported by mana whenua.

· Residential use on the site has received very limited support from the community through engagement to date.

· Does not support broader city needs such as active recreation and/or health.

· Requires relocation of existing Tauranga racing facilities, TESA related facilities and golf course facilities

· High costs of golf course relocation relative to other options.

Recommendation to carry forward: No

· Overall, this option does not align with engagement outcomes to date and does not support wider city needs such as active recreation and/or health.

37. Option 3plus: Central Park:

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Supports provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit.

· Provides for wider city active recreation needs.

· Provides opportunity for community facilities.

· Good alignment with community engagement outcomes.

· Mana whenua have stated support for continued community recreational purposes.

· Retains golf course, with opportunity to enhance overall public benefit associated with this area of land.

· This option remains is interchangeable with option 7plus in relation to health precinct opportunities.

· Provides for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley.

· Provides opportunity to enhance cultural values and narratives over the site.

· Requires relocation of existing Tauranga racing facilities and TESA related facilities.

· Does not support broader city needs such as health and/or housing.

Recommendation to carry forward: Yes

· Overall, this option aligns well with engagement to date and provides a good balance between benefits for the city.

38. Option 4: community spaces & active recreation destination park combined with equestrian:

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Provides opportunity for community facilities.

· Supports provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit plus active recreation and community facilities.

· Good alignment with community engagement outcomes.

· Mana whenua have stated support for continued community recreational purposes.

· Provides for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley.

· Provides opportunity to enhance cultural values and narratives over the site.

· Does not support broader city needs such as health and/or housing.

· Requires relocation of existing Tauranga racing facilities, golf course facilities and equestrian eventing.

· Equestrian related facilities and activities would be limited and unable to provide for broader functional needs of large events, which would need to be relocated.

· High costs of golf course relocation relative to other options.

Recommendation to carry forward: No

· Overall, while this option aligns well with engagement to date, the costs are much greater in relation to other top ranking options and overall benefits achieved.

39. Option 2: Enhanced status quo:

Advantages

Disadvantages

· Provides for some wider city active recreation needs (however, with limitations).

· Provides opportunity for community facilities.

· Ongoing provision of existing user’s needs.

· Mana whenua have stated support for continued community recreational purposes.

· Provides for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to Kopurererua Valley.

· Provides some opportunity to enhance cultural values and narratives over the site.

· Is limited in the ability to support provision of green space for ‘broad’ public benefit, given requirements of racing.

· Does not support broader city needs such as health and/or housing.

· Does not support active recreation on meaningful level.

· Potential compromises of equestrian and/or active recreation activities given incompatibilities and limited area available for both.

Recommendation to carry forward: Yes

· Overall, this option is not considered to meet the needs of the city and would likely see both existing and proposed activities compromised.; however, it is considered appropriate to keep on the table for engagement, allowing the community to provide feedback on existing uses.

40. Having regard to the above, it is recommended that the following options be carried forward for consultation:

(a) Consultation Option A (preferred option): Merged option of:

(i) Health and Recreation (Study Option 7 plus); and

(ii) If Health New Zealand and the Crown decide not to progress with a health facility on the site, then reverts to Central Park (Option 3 plus).

(b) Consultation Option B: Central Park (Study Option 3 plus)

41. It is further recommended that all other options are removed from further consideration.

Consultation / Engagement

42. Having regard to the above, the following consultation process is recommended, in line with Local Government Act requirements. The consultation will:

(a) Assist in determining Council’s final preferred option for the future use of the Racecourse Reserve, including any refinement to the proposed preferred option.

(b) Enable those who want to be heard by the commissioners, the opportunity to do so

(d) Continue the conversations with mana whenua and existing users on the proposals around future use of the land

43. Key elements of the consultation shall include:

(a) Engagement with mana whenua, including in relation to the matters raised in the Waitangi Tribunal Claim.

(b) Collateral provided during the consultation period focusing on “which of the options do you prefer and why?”

(i) advertising

(ii) website

(iii) social media

(iv) letter-drop

(v) submission form

(vi) email update to the database

(vii) options material available for public access.

(d) People will be invited to make submissions and offered the opportunity to attend the Commissioners Panel on set dates and times (to be confirmed). A final report with recommendations shall go to Council for the decision following engagement and submissions being heard.

44. Consultation is proposed to be undertaken over the following timeframes:

(a) Mid-July to mid-August 2022 (proposed Monday 18 July to Monday 15 August): phase 3 consultation period (four weeks) with two community open days (weekday evening and weekend Sat afternoon)

(b) Mid–August to mid–September: Analysis of submissions and preparation for hearings

(d) October 2022: Final decision (Council meeting)

45. In parallel to the consultation, ongoing conversations with existing users and other key stakeholders (including Crown) will be undertaken, to inform the process.

46. Consultation material shall be based on the information contained within this report and the attachments.

Financial Considerations

47. Financial costs and benefits have been considered as part of the assessment of options and are included in the assessment reporting.

48. Costs of engagement shall be met through existing operational budgets.

Significance

49. 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.

50. 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.

51. In accordance with the considerations above, criteria and thresholds in the policy, it is considered that the matter of the future of Greerton Racecourse Reserve is of high significance, with interest from mana whenua, existing users, key stakeholders and the local community.

52. Having regard to the above, section 77 of the Local Government Act requires that:

(1) A local authority must, in the course of the decision-making process, -

(a) seek to identify all reasonably practicable options for the achievement of the objective of a decision; and

(b) assess the options in terms of their advantages and disadvantages; and

(c) if any of the options identified under paragraph (a) involves a significant decision in relation to land or a body of water, take into account the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral land, water, sites, waahi tapu, valued flora and fauna, and other taonga.

53. It is also acknowledged that the subject site is of significance to mana whenua and that the specific attention needs to give to section 4 of the Local Government Act:

In order to recognise and respect the Crown’s responsibility to take appropriate account of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and to maintain and improve opportunities for Māori to contribute to local government decision-making processes, Parts 2 and 6 provide principles and requirements for local authorities that are intended to facilitate participation by Māori in local authority decision-making processes.

Other Legal considerations

54. In addition to Local Government Act requirements, any change to the reserve status would require a further process to step through. The reserve is Crown owned land, TCC is the Administering body of the reserve, appointed to manage and control the reserve under the Reserves Act. Section 24 of the Reserves Act 1977 outlines the required steps for a revocation or reclassification process. In summary, this includes:

(a) Either Council or the Minister of Conservation can initiate the change process. If initiated by Council, they must consult with Minister of Conservation prior to advertising the proposed change and the reasons for the proposal.

(b) Following public notification of the proposed reserve change, a Council Committee considers the submissions and decides whether to pass a resolution requesting the change to the reserve.

(c) Where the reserve status is revoked, the resolution and submissions are then forwarded to the Minister of Conservation to make a decision as soon as practicable on the proposed change to the reserve. Where the reserve status is changed (but remains reserve), the decision making can be delegated to Council. If approved, the Administering body completes the reserve change by registering a Gazette Notice.

55. The application of section 4 of the Conservation Act 1987 (and the requirement to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi) is a key consideration in these Reserves Act 1977 processes.

56. There is also a possible pathway for change to reserve status if a future Specified Development Area (SDP) is progressed and if that SDP includes the Racecourse area.

Next Steps

57. Consultation be undertaken with mana whenua, the community, existing users and other key stakeholders (including Crown), as outlined in this report.

58. Following consultation and hearing of submissions, council staff prepare a report outlining recommendations of the study, including a final recommended option and next steps.

Attachments

1. Greerton Maarawaewae Study Options Report - A13529883 (Separate Attachments 1)

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

13 June 2022

11.4 Aotearoa New Zealand's First Emissions Reduction Plan

File Number: A13533660

Author: Jeremy Boase, Manager: Strategy and Corporate Planning

Alistair Talbot, Team Leader: Transport Strategy & Planning

Authoriser: Christine Jones, General Manager: Strategy & Growth

Purpose of the Report

1. To share the local government relevant actions in the government’s first emissions reduction plan.

Recommendations

That the Council:

(a) Receives the report titled Aotearoa New Zealand’s First Emissions Reduction Plan.

Discussion

2. On 16 May 2022, the government published Te hau mārohi ki anamata – Towards a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy: Aotearoa New Zealand's first emissions reduction plan (“the ERP”). The ERP was published following a period of consultation on the draft emissions reduction plan during October and November 2021. Council’s submission was considered at the 15 November Council meeting.

3. The ERP sets out the actions the government believes need to occur to meet the emissions budgets published in accordance with the Climate Change Response Act, and to contribute to global efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

4. The full ERP document is 348 pages long and can be found on the Ministry for the Environment’s website here. A separate table of all actions was also published and can be found online here.

5. There are 292 separately identifiable actions and sub-actions listed in the document spread over 15 categories.

6. Each action and sub-action has a lead agency or agencies identified. Most of the lead agencies are central government ministries or departments. ‘Local government’ is a co-lead agency (with Waka Kotahi and, in one instance, the Ministry of Transport) for five sub-actions within the Transport section:

· Action 10.1.1 – Incorporate transport emissions impact assessments into transport plans (timeline 2024)

· Action 10.1.2A – Develop vehicles kilometres travelled (“VKT”) reduction programmes for Aotearoa New Zealand’s major urban areas (Tiers 1 and 2) in partnership with local government, Māori and community organisations (timeline – 2023-24)

· Action 10.1.2B – Support a major uplift in all urban bus networks nationwide, including by improving bus driver terms and conditions (timeline – starts in 2022)

· Action 10.1.2C – Substantially improve infrastructure for walking and cycling (timeline – 2022 and ongoing)

· Action 10.1.2E – Improve walking and cycling infrastructure to and along school routes, in schools, and in surrounding neighbourhoods (timeline – by 2025)

7. There are 109 actions and sub-actions where ‘local government’ is referenced as a key stakeholder or partner. A full list of the actions referencing local government is included as Attachment 1 to this report.

8. Particular areas of interest to Council are noted below.

Planning and infrastructure

9. All seven actions in the planning and infrastructure chapter reference local government. These actions include:

· Address infrastructure funding and financing challenges with a proposed output of ‘Policy changes to address infrastructure and financing challenges in a way that aligns with emissions reductions and climate resilience objectives (and other objectives)’

· Improve the evidence base and tools for understanding and assessing urban development and infrastructure emissions

· Promote innovation in low-emissions, liveable neighbourhoods, through Crown-led urban regeneration projects (led by Kāinga Ora).

Transport

10. The transport section of the ERP has the largest number of actions and sub-actions (83) and by far the largest number where local government is either the lead or a stakeholder or partner (53).

11. The government has identified three focus areas in their approach to reducing transport emissions:

· reduce reliance on cars and support people to walk, cycle and use public transport

· rapidly adopt low-emissions vehicles

· begin work now to decarbonise heavy transport and freight.

12. To support these focus areas, the government has set four transport targets:

· Target 1 – Reduce total kilometres travelled by the light fleet by 20 per cent by 2035 through improved urban form and providing better travel options, particularly in our largest cities.

· Target 2 – Increase zero-emissions vehicles to 30 per cent of the light fleet by 2035.

· Target 3 – Reduce emissions from freight transport by 35 per cent by 2035.

· Target 4 – Reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuel by 10 per cent by 2035

13. To achieve these targets the ERP identifies that Government will work with key partners including local government to take the initial actions outlined in the first emissions budget period between 2022-2025. Examples of the initial actions include:

By end of 2022: Sub-national light vehicle VKT targets for Tier 1 (e.g. Tauranga) areas are published, following consultation with local government, iwi/Māori and community representatives. These targets will align with the national target of reducing total kilometres travelled by the light fleet by 20 per cent by 2035.

2022 onwards:

· Substantially improving infrastructure for walking and cycling.

· Supporting initiatives to increase the uptake of e-bikes.

· Working with local government to make public transport more affordable, with a particular focus on low-income users.

2022-23:

· Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) review completed mid-2022 and implemented in 2022–23.

· National walking, cycling and micro-mobility plans completed.

· Implementing Accessible Streets proposals nationwide to support safe walking, cycling/scootering and other active modes.

· Completing assessments of joint spatial plans and implementation plans for all Urban Growth Partnerships, to understand transport emission and funding impacts, and to identify key risks and opportunities for reducing transport emissions.

2023-24: VKT reduction programmes for Tier 1 (e.g. Tauranga) areas published. These programmes will identify the combination of activities required to meet sub-national VKT reduction targets by 2035, the funding required to deliver them at the scale and pace required, and the critical dependencies to achieve targets.

By 2024: Regional Land Transport Plans and amended Resource Management Act 1991 plans incorporate assessments of vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by light vehicles, mode share, and transport emissions. These assessments will be required to meet eligibility for transport funding.

2024-25:

· Require new investments for transport projects to demonstrate how they will contribute to emissions-reduction objectives and set a high threshold for approving new investments for any transport projects if they are inconsistent with emissions-reduction objectives

· Establish a high threshold for new investments to expand roads, including new highway projects, if the expansion is inconsistent with emissions-related objectives

By 2025:

· Public transport national strategy published that provides a set of principles for planning and funding diverse kinds of public transport, within and between towns and cities, to enable the development of a national public transport network

· Working with local government to deliver public transport, cycling and walking improvements in low socio-economic areas and for transport disadvantaged groups (including disabled people)

· Require only zero-emissions public transport buses to be purchased and set a target to decarbonise the public transport bus fleet by 2035, and support regional councils to achieve these outcomes through additional funding

· Exploring a pilot Mobility as a Service project (MaaS)

· Setting targets for active travel to and from schools and work with councils and schools to implement active transport plans arounds schools

· Walking and cycling infrastructure improvements made to/along school routes, in schools, and in surrounding neighbourhoods.

Building and construction

14. Among the actions of relevance for Council (either as a local authority or as a building consent authority) are the following:

· Realise cross-sector opportunities to reduce whole-of-life embodied emissions

o Explore requiring waste minimisation or recovery plans for building consent

o Investigate barriers to reusing, repurposing and recycling building materials

· Identify and explore potential options to address financial barriers to low-emissions buildings.

Waste

15. The focus of the ERP’s waste section is the reduction of organic waste (food and garden waste, paper, cardboard, timber, etc). Thirteen of the fourteen actions in the waste section reference local government, including many that are consistent with Council’s current operations such as:

· Support participation in improved kerbside collections

· Improve household kerbside collection for food and garden waste

… and others that are consistent with potential improvements to services such as:

· Enable businesses to reduce food waste

· Invest in organic waste processing and resource recovery infrastructure

· Require the separation of organic waste (households and businesses)

· Invest in sorting and processing infrastructure for construction and demolition waste.

useful commentary

16. Naturally there has been much commentary about the ERP since it was published. A relevant and easily digestible summary has been published by one of Council’s legal advisors, Simpson Grierson. A copy is included as Attachment 2 to this report.

Next Steps

Transport specific

17. The actions identified in the ERP will need to be considered for their implications to Council’s existing transport programme as represented by the Urban Form and Transport Initiative (“UFTI”) and the Western Bay Transport System Plan (“TSP”) and also at a project level (e.g. individual multi-modal corridor improvement projects like Cameron Road Stage 2). To aid this work Waka Kotahi has advised that they will be releasing national guidance on the ERP. This guidance, which it is understood will be released soon, is intended to ensure a consistent response to the ERP is provided by all councils and Waka Kotahi as transport programmes and projects are developed and delivered.

18. To aid Council’s own understanding of the potential for specific interventions or levers (e.g. travel demand management; increasing uptake of electric vehicles; improvements to the carbon efficiency of fuel, etc) staff are continuing to develop a Transport Emissions Analysis Tool. Using the TSP as its base this tool will allow different interventions options to be tested to identify their relative impact on overall emissions from transport as anticipated by the TSP. This tool is viewed as an important information base to support engagement with Government and partners as different interventions options are considered to achieve the ERP.

Tauranga Climate Plan

19. Council is about to embark on the development of its first climate plan (consultant engagement is almost complete at the time of writing). A key element of the brief for the climate plan project is that it considers and responds to the government’s ERP and establishes a Tauranga-specific response to the opportunities and challenges that it sets.

20. The first Tauranga Climate Plan is due to be completed by the end of 2022 to inform the 2023/24 Annual Plan process and then the 2024-34 Long-term Plan process.

Attachments

1. Emissions Reduction Plan Local Government Actions - A13533668 ⇩

2. Simpson Grierson - Emissions Reduction Plan - A13544882 ⇩

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

13 June 2022

11.6 Next Steps at Golf Road Reserve

File Number: A13460881

Author: Ross Hudson, Team Leader: Planning

Emma Joyce, Policy Analyst

Authoriser: Barbara Dempsey, Acting General Manager: Community Services

Purpose of the Report

1. To agree the next steps for the development of Golf Road Reserve.

Recommendations

That Council

(a) Agree that pursuant to section 24 of the Reserves Act 1977, and pursuant to a Council resolution dated 8 February 2022, the Tauranga City Council as the administering body for this reserve hereby resolves to change the classification of Section 1 within Section 106 Block VII Tauranga Survey District (Golf Road Reserve) from Recreation Reserve to Local Purpose (Community Building) Reserve.

(b) Endorses the intended future use of the remainder of the Golf Road Reserve as a community garden with the former bowling club building retained as a bookable neighbourhood community space (subject to detailed building assessment).

(c) Endorses an investigation into options for the provision of Council land for development of a beach volleyball centre, to be considered within the wider sport and recreation planning work currently underway.

Executive Summary

2. At its 8 February 2022 meeting, Council confirmed that the Mt Maunganui Playcentre would occupy part of Golf Road Reserve, noting that as a matter of process a further resolution on the matter would be required upon completion of the survey plan (resolution number CO1//22/3). The full text of the resolution is pasted below for information.

That the Council

(a) Receives the Golf Road Reserve – Submissions on Proposed Partial Reclassification report and attachments.

(b) Approves the partial reclassification of 1000m2 of Golf Road Reserve from recreation reserve to local purpose (community building) reserve pursuant to section 24 of the Reserves Act 1977 and acknowledges that as a matter of process, a further Council resolution is required to confirm this upon completion of the survey plan.

(c) Approves for the Mount Maunganui Playcentre to be located at Golf Road Reserve, and to commence detailed design and lease negotiations.

(d) Requests staff to advance plans for the future use of the remainder of the Golf Road Reserve within three months.

CARRIED

3. As the survey plan (attachment 1) is now complete, Council is now required to formally reclassify the part of the reserve which will now be occupied by the playcentre building (as per resolution (b) of the February meeting). This is marked as section 1 on the appended survey plan.

4. At the same meeting, Council requested staff advance plans for the remainder of the site. This work is now complete with a community garden and retention of the bowling club building as a bookable community hub space identified as the best options for the remaining area. This report asks Council to note this intended use.

5. Volleyball New Zealand expressed interest in using the old bowling greens as a facility for beach volleyball, noting that this has been successful in other parts of New Zealand. While Golf Road Reserve was not identified as the best option for this activity, staff recognised that there is merit in locating some beach volleyball away from Mount Main Beach and the need for additional beach volleyball facilities in Tauranga. Should Council endorse as part of this report to allow a community garden on the reserve, we would be seeking to work with Volleyball New Zealand to identify appropriate space for beach volleyball as part of wider sport and recreation planning underway.

Background

6. Council confirmed in February 2022 that a portion of Golf Road Reserve would be used to re-locate the Mt Maunganui Playcentre from Blake Park.

(a) As a matter of process, Council is now required to formally reclassify the land to be occupied by the playcentre following the completion of the survey. (There is no intention to revisit the decision to locate the playcentre through this recommendation).

7. Council is working closely with the playcentre to prepare the site for development. Planning work underway includes site investigation and preparation, boundary treatment and resource consent. At this stage, subject to funding confirmation, resource consent/building consent approval and all the other variables impacting development currently, timeframes are for site preparation to commence early August and construction to commence October 2022. The new playcentre is scheduled to open in February 2023.

8. Council also requested staff advance plans for the remainder of the site not occupied by the playcentre. The following were put forward for consideration as options for the remainder of the site’

· beach volleyball centre

· community garden

· Mt Maunganui Menz Shed

· golf club extension

· community centre

9. Staff undertook an assessment of each option (attachment 2). The preferred options are to retain the open space as community garden and investigate using the former bowling club building as a bookable, neighbourhood community centre (subject to a detailed building assessment). Work is required to ensure the building meets the current building code, including the installation of fire doors and accessible toilets.

10. While the Menz Shed and beach volleyball proposals were not supported for this location, they are acknowledged as having merit. Staff will continue to work with Menz Shed and Volleyball New Zealand to facilitate their location elsewhere in Tauranga.

Strategic / Statutory Context

11. This report is (in part) to formally reclassify the portion of land to be occupied by the playcentre from recreation reserve to local purpose reserve. This recognises that a playcentre does not easily align with the purpose of recreation reserve, for example, providing for sport and recreation or the physical welfare and enjoyment of the public.

12. The intended future use of the remaining land as a community garden aligns with the purpose of recreation reserve. As such, there is no requirement to seek reclassification under the Act of the remaining land. However, resource consent may be required if the development of the community garden requires some disturbance of soil.

13. No change to the Tauranga Reserves Management Plan (TRMP) is required to provide for the proposed community garden. While the reserve is categorised in the TRMP as an active reserve, this is in respect of its previous use as a bowling green. While the reserve is too small to meet the definition of an active reserve as “large reserves primarily for organised sport”, as a community garden it would still provide for outcomes of providing space for recreation and relaxation.

14. The Community Gardens Policy notes council’s support for the establishment of new community gardens. The Golf Road proposal aligns with policy requirements to ensure new gardens are linked with other community groups and activities. Staff are working with interested persons to establish a management committee for Golf Road as per the policy.

Financial Considerations

15. At its 24 May 2022 meeting, Council approved an additional $161,000 for the Golf Road building resulting in total funding of $388,000 for this project. This funding is to be confirmed upon adoption of the annual plan at the end of June.

Legal Implications / Risks

16. This report is to mitigate any risk of proposed activities on the reserve not aligning with the classification of the reserve under the Reserves Act 1977.

Consultation / Engagement

17. As noted in the February 2022 report to Council, residents and neighbours were invited to suggest uses for the remainder of the site as part of consultation on the playcentre location and reserve reclassification proposal. There was strong support for a community garden and retention of open space and opposition to additional buildings on the reserve.

18. Staff have spoken to existing users of the former bowling club building (Bay Conservation Alliance and Mount Maunganui Toy Library). Users are keen to keep using the space and are open for it to be shared with other users.

19. Staff have communicated the recommendations in this report to all parties who expressed interest in using the remainder of the site.

Significance

20. 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.

21. 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.

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

ENGAGEMENT

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

Next Steps

24. Staff are working with the person who proposed the community garden to formalise a management structure for the garden and issue a license to occupy.

25. Staff continue to work with Menz Shed and Volleyball New Zealand to facilitate them locating on council land in Tauranga.

26. An open day will be held at the reserve to let the neighbours know of the future plans. If possible, this will be in conjunction with the soft opening of the Eastern Surf Rescue Centre.

Attachments

1. Survey Plan - Golf Road Reserve - A13493690 ⇩

2. Golf Road Reserve - assessment of options - A13493740 ⇩

[2] As outlined in the submission from Tauranga Golf Club dated 17 February 2022, the Club believes it can “contribute to some of the broader objectives of enhanced utilisation of the Reserve”. This includes “cycle and pedestrian access ways to the Kopurererua Valley”, greater community access to the clubhouse, and so forth. The Club recommends proposes that it enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Council as a next step in the process to achieving these outcomes.


AGENDA Ordinary Council meeting Monday, 13 June 2022
I hereby give notice that an Ordinary Meeting of Council will be held on:
Date:	Monday, 13 June 2022
Time:	9.30am
Location:	Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chambers Regional House 1 Elizabeth 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

· 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.