Annual Report 2014/15 | Pūrongo ā-tau 2014/15 · 2016. 10. 28. · Hoki mai ki a tātou o te ao...

ANNUAL REPORT 2014/15 PŪRONGO Ā-TAU 2014/15

Contents

4SECTION 1: SETTING THE SCENE | WHAKARITEA TE WĀHI

5Message from the Chairperson and Chief Executive | Kōrero Matua a te Tiamana me te Tumu Whakarae

8Your regional councillors | Ngā toki kaunihera me o rātou takiwā

9Our region | To tātou Rohe

11About Waikato Regional Council | Mō te Kaunihera - a rohe o Waikato

15About the report | Ko ngā pitopito kōrero e pā ana ki te pūrongo

18SECTION 2: 2014/15 YEAR IN REVIEW | TE AROTAKE O TE TAU 2014/15

18How we've met our priorities | I pēwhea tātou i tūtuki ai i ngā kaupapa-matua

23Local government responsibilities to Māori | Ko te noho haepapa o te kāwanatanga-ā-kāinga ki Ngai Māori

24Financial summary | He kōrero whakarapopoto pūtea

28SECTION 3: OUR ACTIVITIES IN DEPTH | KO TE HOHONUTANGA Ō Ā TĀTOU MAHI

28Our activities in depth – Groups of activities | Ko te hohonutanga ō ā tātou mahi – Ko ngā mahi-ā-rōpū

29Catchment management | Ko te whakahaeretanga-a-waiumu/kāuru

36Flood control and protection works | Ko te haumaru-waipuke, te haumaru-mahi hoki

42Community safety | Ko te hauora-ā-hapori

50Environmental, community and economic information | Ko te taiao, ko te hapori, me ngā kōrerorero mahi ōhanga

61Natural environment and heritage | Ko te taiao, me ngā taonga tuku iho

68Regional democracy | Ko te manapori-ā-rohe

75Resource management implementation | Ko te whakatinana i ngā mahi penapena rawa

85Strategic and integrated planning | Ko ngā rautaki me ngā mahere whakaurūru mahi

92Transport connections | Ko ngā tūhononga-waka

102SECTION 4: FINANCES | PŪTEA

102Financial statements

109Explanation of major variances against budget

110Notes to the financial statements

164Financial reporting and prudence regulations

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168SECTION 5: AUDIT OPINION | AROTAKE

174SECTION 6: SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL | KO ĒTEHI ATU KŌRERO/MEA

174Equal employment opportunity

175Search and Surveillance Act reporting

176Council controlled organisations

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SECTION 1: Setting the scene | Whakariteate wāhi

Mihi

Korōria ki te Atua,

Me whakahōnore i a Kiingi Tūheitia me tōnā whare kāhui ariki,

Kia mahara ake i ngā tini aituā puta noa,

Hoki mai ki a tātou o te ao mārama nei,

Tēnā tātou katoa.

Greeting

Glory to God,

Honour to King Tūheitia and the Māori royal family,

Let us remember the dearly departed,

Returning to the world of light,

Greetings to one and all.

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Message from the Chairperson andChief Executive | Kōrero Matua a teTiamana me te Tumu WhakaraeThe work we do helps to make the Waikato a great region inwhich to live, work and play by producing a balance ofenvironmental, economic, cultural and social benefits.

We have a mission to work with others to create a Waikatoregion that has a healthy environment, strong economy andvibrant communities. The work that we've been doing over2014/15 contributes to this and you'll see that reflected throughthis report.

It's a huge pleasure for us to be reporting on a successful yearfor the council. We achieved 92 per cent of our performancetargets, compared with 88.2 per cent in 2013/14, and deliveredan operating surplus for the year. After transfers to reservesand allowing for carryover of funds to finish works started butnot finished last year, the surplus provides unallocated fundsof $702,000.

These positive budget results reflect a wide variety of factors,including an ongoing focus on controlling and reducing costs,salary savings due to staff vacancies, and additional interestincome from the council’s investments.

During this financial year our council’s investment fundreturned 9.1 per cent before inflation and fees, 0.3 per centabove benchmark. That means we’ve exceeded our council’slong term investment objective of 4 per cent after inflationand fees, with the investment return over 10 years being 4.6per cent.

Healthy environment

Over the past year we've been looking at ways to betterprioritise our catchment work across the region. To achievethis, a significant project has begun using science andmodelling data to identify catchments in our region with themost significant erosion and water quality issues, as well asthe areas with the best biodiversity. In essence, this workidentifies the hotspots within a catchment where we can getthe greatest return on investment. Already we're using thisinformation to guide our future work and planning, which willultimately result in better outcomes for the environment.

The information from this project has been used to makedecisions on where work should begin in the Waipā catchment,to best achieve the priorities set out in the Waipā CatchmentPlan adopted in late 2014. The water quality of the Waipā Riveris particularly affected by sediment and this plan – whichreceived additional funding from the Waikato River Authorityduring 2014/15 – sets goals to be achieved over the next 20years.

Our work in the Waipā catchment is being undertaken withlocal iwi and other agencies. It's through these partnershipswith others that we can achieve great things for the Waikato.

That's the case on our region's coasts too. Over the past yearwe've supported the planting of more than 42,000 native duneplants on the Coromandel and region's west coast as part ofthe successful beachcare programme. It's been great to seehundreds of people of all ages who care for our environmentgetting involved in the plantings. This work plays an importantpart in protecting beaches from coastal erosion and flooding,and providing a home for endangered insects and lizards,which in turn are food for native birds.

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Strong economy

We need a healthy environment to create a strong economy– healthy soils to grow food, clean water to drink and servicefarms and industries, wetlands for flood protection and waterpurification, and clean air to breathe. This supports tourismand new business and makes the Waikato a great visitordestination.

Last year we granted more than 9000 resource consents,providing developers with investment certainty. We alsocontinued to manage our 2000km drains to enable low-lyingland to be farmed.

Other work which we have been closely involved in over thepast year which also helps to grow our economy includesWaikato Means Business.

This business-led economic development strategy is aninitiative of the Waikato Mayoral Forum. The strategy's visionis to improve standards of living for people in the Waikatoregion, where all people, communities and businesses reachtheir potential. To ensure the region's success, we're supportingimplementation of Waikato Means Business by working withothers to build on our location advantages, grow globalindustries, make business easier, and build, attract and retainskills and talents.

Vibrant communities

We believe that by lifting our economic and environmentalperformance we can improve the quality of life for people wholive in our region.

Over the past year we've also taken a look at our regulatoryenvironment and made changes to make it easier forbusinesses to grow, invest and create jobs. But creating vibrantWaikato communities is about much more than that.

Our public bus services provide transport for more than 4.5million passengers each year, enabling them to access work,education, retail and health facilities.

And with stunning inland and coastal waterways, it's hardlysurprising our region draws such large numbers of usersthroughout the year, but especially over summer. We wantpeople to enjoy all of this, but also to be safe. Following thetragic deaths of 13 people on the Coromandel Peninsula overthe 2010-11 summer, a partnership was established betweena number of agencies, including our council. The goal of themulti-partner Safe Summer Coromandel project is to save livesand stop people getting hurt on the peninsula over summer –and it's worked! The project even took out the Best Partnershipcategory and overall Best Problem Solving Project at the NewZealand finals of the Problem Orientated Policing Award in2015. It just goes to show what can be achieved when agenciesteam up to address a problem.

Working with others

We know that it's through the strength of our partnershipswith others – including the people in the region – that we canmaximise the opportunities for the Waikato region. So, we'vecontinued to build on existing relationships over the past yearto enable us to do just that.

For example, we've strengthened our working relationshipwith the University of Waikato with the aim of creating widebenefits for the region's freshwater and economic performance.This exciting new memorandum of understanding (MoU) is ashift from a more science-based agreement to one where we’reworking more strategically together on key issues likefreshwater management and regional development.

Managing the water quality of the Waikato River has continuedto be the focus of the Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change/WaiOra: He Rautaki Whakapaipai project. Over the past year somefantastic progress has been made on the project. In October2014 more than 200 people participated in a stakeholderforum, and then over several months in early 2015 we hadmore than 500 people providing their views and aspirationsfor the rivers during a large workshop and drop in sessions,and in an online survey. It's been especially encouraging tohear good feedback about the success of the collaborativeprocess from members of the Collaborative Stakeholder Group.

Another ground-breaking collaborative project focused on thehealth of the Waikato and Waipā rivers has kicked off duringthe year and we’re pleased to be involved. It's fair to say theWaikato River Restoration Strategy takes the spirit ofcollaboration over river health to new heights in the Waikatoby ensuring our work – and that of other agencies – iscoordinated and integrated. Together we truly can protect therivers in a way that supports the economy, our communitiesand our environment.

We've also made some big gains as part of the Waikato MayoralForum, which comprises the region's mayors and our councilchairperson. For example, a Significance and EngagementPolicy developed as part of the mayoral forum’s regulatoryand policy bylaw work stream resulted in a standardised policythroughout the region. We've also supported ongoingdevelopment of a Waikato Plan, contributing technicalexpertise to guide discussion and decision making, particularlywith respect to economic and environmental wellbeing.

But it's not just our partnership with other organisations that'shaving positive benefits, good work is happening because ofpartnerships across our community. We're working withindividual landowners, volunteers involved in beachcare andland care groups, as well as other community groups, to createa healthier environment, stronger economy and vibrantcommunities.

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Leadership and innovation wins awards

It's been a great year for our talented staff, many of whom arespecialists in their field, and it's been great to see the council'sleadership, hard work and innovation rewarded.

We received three awards for the Tui Mine remediation project,and another two for our council's CarpN Neutral project whichturns invasive pest fish like koi carp into a useful product.

Giving people access to the right information to keep themsafe on our region's inland and coastal waterways has alsobeen applauded, with the MarineMate smartphone applicationalso an award winner. Led by our council on behalf of a numberof partners, MarineMate has now been downloaded more than20,000 times by water users across New Zealand.

Our maritime services team has also won recognition for fivebar crossing safety videos, produced in collaboration with Bayof Plenty Regional Council.

We congratulate our hard working staff.

Looking forward

The future looks good. Our long term plan was adopted at theend of June 2015 and has set the budget for a work programmethat will continue to deliver on our mission and five strategicpriorities over the next 10 years.

There's a strong focus on improving water quality, protectingour coastal marine areas, and restoring biodiversity to keepour environment healthy.

We will also continue to encourage regional development asa priority in the plan, with the council working with others tohelp the region realise the potential of its prime location andthe quality of its businesses, people and natural assets.

We've also looked for opportunities to partner with iwi,businesses, education and research institutions, community,local and central government organisations to deliver the bestoutcomes for our communities now and into the future.

Nā māua noa,

Nā Vaughan PayneNā Paula Southgate

Chief ExecutiveChairperson

Chairperson Paula Southgate and Chief Executive Vaughan Payne.

Photo: Waikato Times.

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Your regional councillors | Ngā tokikaunihera me o rātou takiwā

PortWaikato

Coromandel

Raglan

Mokau

Cambridge

LakeTaupō

Thames

Te Awamutu

Tokoroa

Matamata

Te Kuiti

Ōtorohanga

Hamilton

Taupō

Whangamata

Paeroa

Huntly

Morrinsville

Taupō-RotoruaPop: 36,213Seats: 1

Waipa-King CountryPop: 64,677Seats: 2

HamiltonPop: 141,597Seats: 4

WaikatoPop: 63,369Seats: 2

Ngā Tai ki Uta Pop: 40,719 Seats: 1

WaihouPop: 63,954Seats: 2

Thames-CoromandelPop: 33,819Seats: 1

Ngā Hau e WhāPop: 43,014 Seats: 1

Hugh Vercoe

Lois Livingston

Bob Simcock

Jane Hennebry

Hamilton

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Our region | To tātou RoheWaikato regional boundaries

The Waikato region is the fourth largest region in New Zealand,covering most of the central North Island. It coversapproximately 25,000km² (2.5 million ha) stretching from theBombay Hills and Port Waikato in the north, south to Mokauon the west coast, and across to the Coromandel Peninsula onthe east coast. In the south, the region extends to the slopesof Mount Ruapehu and the Kaimai Range.

The region is made up of distinct landforms generally foundwithin four areas: The Taupō volcanic zone, Waikato lowlandand Hauraki plains, western and central hill country and theeastern ranges. The Waikato region contains seven localauthority districts and parts of three other districts which crossregional boundaries, and one city council.

Our environment

The Waikato region has a diverse landscape including wetlands,mountain ranges, rivers, geothermal resources and coastalshorelines. Our region contains:

the Waikato River (at 425km, the longest river in NewZealand)

Lake Taupō (at 623km², the largest lake in Australasia)

internationally significant wetlands

more than 100km of coastline

geothermal systems (80 per cent of New Zealand’sgeothermal resources)

extensive native and exotic forests

Tongariro National Park.

The Waikato is the most important mineral producing area inNew Zealand. Coal, aggregate, irons and limestone areextracted, along with gold and silver. The Waikato is also alarge energy-producing region. One large thermal, 12 hydroand 8 geothermal powerstations (fired by coal and/or gas)operate in the Waikato, along with a number of co-generationand heat plants (also fired by coal and/or gas).

The Waikato region has several noteworthy inland water siteswith more than 100 lakes, including Lake Taupō, as well asmore than 20 rivers, including the Waikato, Waipā, Piako,Waihou and Mokau and about 1420 streams.

There are more than 600 different soil types in the Waikatowith many being highly productive and a fundamental resourcefor the economy.

The Waikato region witnesses a wide variety of weather overa year, from flood and high wind warnings to drought. Duringsummer, warm dry and settled weather predominates withtemperatures ranging from 21°c to 26°c, rarely exceeding 30°c.Total sunshine hours average 2000 to 2100 per annum withtotal rainfall around 1100 mm. Winters are cool with typicalair temperatures ranging from 10°c to 14°c. In winter frost canoccur in clear and calm conditions.

(1)

Our people

The Waikato is the fourth largest region by population in NewZealand (after the Auckland, Canterbury and Wellingtonregions) with around 430,000 people, about 9.6 per cent ofNew Zealand’s total population.

(2) The population of the region

has increased about 6 per cent from Census 2006 to Census2013, the second largest growth increase behind Auckland.

(3)

Approximately 51 per cent of the population is female with 49per cent being male. Almost three quarters of the populationlive in urban areas, the largest urban area being Hamilton.

Approximately 84,000 Māori usually live in the Waikato whichis approximately 14 per cent of the national Māori population,and ranks second in size out of the 16 regions in NewZealand.

(4) Eight rohe or tribal areas lie within the region –

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Te Arawa, NgātiManiapoto, Waikato-Tainui, Hauraki and Ngāti Te Ata.

(5)

The median weekly household income in the Waikato hasgrown from $720 in 2009 to $788 in 2013. This is lower thanthe national average of $834.

(6) Household income was sixth

lowest compared with the other 12 regions identified in NewZealand, with income distribution primarily low to middleincome.

1 National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd

2 Statistics New Zealand http://nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz/wbos/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TABLECODE7501 [accessed Dec 2014].

3 Berl report. http://berl.co.nz/in-focus/census-2013/population/not-all-the-population-growth-is-in-auckland/

4 Quick stats about a place. http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=13631&tabname=

5 Statistics New Zealand 2013. 2013 Census regional summary tables – parts 1 and 2.http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/data-tables/population-dwelling.aspx[accessed August 2014].

6 Statistics New Zealand 2013http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/Income/NZIncomeSurvey_HOTPJun13qtr/Commentary.aspx/nzis-june2013-qtr-all-tables [accessedJanuary 2015] SE

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The educational attainment of Waikato school leavers is belowthe national average, with only 71.1 per cent attaining aqualification at level two or above compared with a nationalaverage of 74.2 per cent (as at 2013).

(7) Between 2011 and 2013

there was a growth from 81.6 per cent to 83.4 per cent ofschool leavers with at least NCEA level 1. This compares to thenational level of 85.2 per cent. In 1996, 58 per cent of adultshad at least a high school qualification. By 2013 this hadincreased to 75 per cent.

(8)

The social deprivation score of the Waikato is 5.8, slightly worsethan the national average.

(9) The overall life satisfaction level

(around 85-86 per cent) for people living in the Waikato regionis similar to the national average.

(10)

Our economy

The Waikato region is a medium sized economy contributingapproximately 8.5 per cent to the national gross regionalproduct.

(11) The region is New Zealand’s foremost dairy-farming

region with other industries including coal mining,

hydroelectricity generation, timber milling and pulp and papermanufacturing. The region has strong inter-regional exports,electricity generation, road and rail transport, as well aseducational, research and business development institutions.The region has high value manufacturing (such as agritech,aviation and material and equipment manufacturing) and highvalue services (such as agriculture, geothermal energy, andinformation and communications technology).

(12)

Māori contribute eight per cent to the total GDP of the Waikatoregion. In 2012 Māori businesses generated $1.4 billion in valueadded to the Waikato region.

(13)

In the year to March 2014, the labour force participation ratewas 68.4 per cent compared with the national average of 68.7per cent. The unemployment rate in the Waikato regiondecreased from 7.2 per cent in the year to March 2012 to 6.4per cent for the year to March 2014. This was higher than thenational average of 6.1 per cent.

(14)

As at October 2014, the average core house price index forHamilton was $367,509 with a national average of $483,424.

(15)

7 Education counts. http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/know-your-region/region/region-summary?region=3

8 Waikato Progress Indicatorshttp://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Community/Waikato-Progress-Indicators-Tupuranga-Waikato/Report-cards/Educational-attainment/ogress Indicators.

9 Ministry of Health 2012. NZ DEP2006 Index of deprivation. http://www.halth.govt.nz/publication/nzdep2006-index-deprivation [accessed Jan 2012]

10 Waikato Progress Indicators. http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Community/Waikato-Progress-Indicators-Tupuranga-Waikato/Report-cards/Life-satisfaction/

11 Regional Economic Activity Report 2014, NZ Government

12 Waikato Regional Council, 2012. Waikato regional economic profile, Waikato Regional Council Technical Report 2012/37.http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/PageFiles/23558/TR201237.pdf [accessed Jan 2015].

13 Berl report. http://berl.co.nz/economic-insights/economic-development/maori-economy/maori-contribute-1-4-billion-to-the-waikato-economy/

14 Regional Economic Activity Report 2014, NZ Government.

15 Quotable Value Limited http://qv.co.nz/resources/news/article?blogId=170 [accessed Dec 2014].Wai

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About Waikato Regional Council | Mōte Kaunihera - a rohe o WaikatoOUR ROLE INCLUDES:

governance and management of natural resources – land,air, freshwater, coastal marine area – on which our primarysector and export economy is based

strategic planning at the regional scale delivered throughstatutory instruments such as the Regional Policy Statement,the Regional Land Transport Plan, the Regional PestManagement Plan, Civil Defence and EmergencyManagement, and non-statutory instruments such asregional economic development strategies

provision of regional scale infrastructure, such as floodprotection assets that protect billions of dollars worth ofurban areas, roading infrastructure and productive farmland

transport planning and provision to keep our region movingeconomically and socially

regional-scale response to, and assessment of, naturalhazards, including floods, earthquakes and tsunami, toprotect communities and assets

biosecurity/biodiversity activities to safeguard theproductive and export-earning capacity of the naturalenvironment, and support indigenous biodiversity, a keyfoundation to a sustainable economy

obtaining, storing and evaluating information so we knowhow well the region is doing environmentally andeconomically

managing catchments in a holistic way.

WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL'S STRATEGICDIRECTION 2013-16

To ensure we continue to effectively address current issues,we review our strategic direction at the start of each newcouncil term. In February 2014, Waikato Regional Counciladopted a new strategic direction to guide work over thecurrent council's term.

Vision for the Waikato region | He tirohangawhakamua

Competing globally, caring locally

The Waikato plays an important role in New Zealand’sperformance internationally. Strong local communities withhealthy environments are behind our contribution nationally,and also position us to take advantage of global opportunities.To help achieve our vision of ‘Competing globally, caringlocally’ the council is focused on supporting a strong,export-driven economy, underpinned by a healthyenvironment.

Our mission | Ko te uaratanga

Working with others to build a Waikato region that has ahealthy environment, a strong economy and vibrantcommunities.

Working together toward common goals is vital for a successfulregion. The environmental, economic and social issues ourregion is facing are complex and interlinked and can only beresolved through the combined resources of many differentagencies working in concert.

Waikato Regional Council will continue to collaborate withbusinesses, industry groups, central and local government,tertiary education and research providers, commercialisationand economic development agencies to create conditions forour region to compete globally, care locally.

It will also continue to support and work with communitygroups so communities can achieve things that are importantto them and to Waikato Regional Council.

Our priority areas

Waikato Regional Council will focus attention on these fivepriority areas, while continuing to deliver on our other work.

Coastal and marine

Our 10,000km² of coastal marine area, stretching to 22kmoffshore, is a significant economic and social asset. Areas suchas the Hauraki Gulf are facing growing demands from a rangeof users. Our priority is to help avoid conflicting uses,degradation and loss of future opportunities, while preservingvaluable natural processes.

The Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari project is working withother agencies and mana whenua to develop a marine spatialplan to safeguard the Hauraki Gulf. We’re also working togetherwith other agencies to develop an aquaculture strategy.

Iwi Māori co-governance

As a result of Treaty of Waitangi settlements, we have a numberof co-governance and co-management agreements with iwiregarding their participation in natural resource managementdecision making.

Waikato Regional Council is aiming for iwi partnerships tobecome ‘business as usual’. We have two Māori constituencies,with the first two councillors being elected to the council inOctober 2013.

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Community partnerships

The people of the Waikato are the region’s greatest assets,with about 40 per cent of us involved in volunteer work.Partnering with the community is the most effective way toachieve environmental, economic and social results. The councilsupports communities to solve problems themselves and toachieve what’s important to them.

Land and water

The complex issue of sustaining our land and fresh water,which form the backbone of our economy, continues to be apriority. Water is our most precious resource and throughoutthe world is increasingly threatened by pollution andover-allocation. Water pollution is consistently our community’snumber one environmental concern.

In 2012 the council established a Land and Water Portfolio tomore efficiently and effectively manage our sustainable landand fresh water management projects, programmes andinitiatives. This approach ensures we are focusing on the rightpriorities and will maximise return on investment.

Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change/Wai Ora: He RautakiWhakapaipai is a major project for the council and River iwi,working to help restore and protect the health of the Waikatoand Waipā rivers.

Regional development

Our priority is to continue working with others to help theregion realise the potential of its prime location and the qualityof its businesses, people and natural assets.

We are working to create conditions for green growth –developing our economy without harming the environmentupon which it depends. This is particularly important becausethe Waikato region is increasingly facing natural resourceconstraints.

OUR PRINCIPLES

Underpinning the Waikato Regional Council’s vision, missionand priority areas are the principles of good governance. Theseare derived from section 14 of the Local Government Act 2002.Under this provision local authorities are required to act inaccordance with various principles, including:

conducting business in an open, transparent anddemocratically accountable manner, and give effect to itsdesired outcomes in an efficient and effective manner

making itself aware of, and having regard to, the views ofall its communities

in decision making, taking account of the diversity of thecommunity, the interest of current and future communities,and likely impacts on the interests of communities

providing opportunities for Māori to contribute to decisionmaking processes

co-operating with other local authorities

conducting commercial transactions with sound businesspractice.

In addition, Waikato Regional Council acknowledges theimportance of having a constructive relationship with centralgovernment. This is important so the council understands howit can contribute to achieving the Government’s policy agenda,as well as making sure the region’s issues are understood bycentral government.

OUR COMMUNITY OUTCOMES

Community partnerships

Our region is renowned for linking environmental awarenesswith community action.

Heritage sites and landscapes of significance to whanau,hapū and iwi are preserved and valued.

All our people and communities can participate in decisionmaking.

Iwi, hapū and Māori work together with central government,local government and community organisations in mutuallybeneficial partnerships.

Environmental quality

The iconic landscapes and natural features of ourenvironment define and sustain us. We respect andcelebrate them as taonga.

Our natural environment is protected and respected. Itsecological balance is restored, its air, soil and water qualityis improved and its native biodiversity is enhanced.

We are aware of what we need to do to look after ourenvironment.

Our coastal and waterway environments are restored andpreserved, and access to them is maintained.

Our region’s waterways have consistently high water quality.

Waste reduction, recycling, energy conservation and energyefficiency are promoted and are part of how we all live.

We use land management practices that protect and sustainour soil and land.

Regional economy

We take a practical and coordinated approach to planningand providing services which work effectively acrossboundaries and sectors, and respond to our communities’needs.

Our economy is built on primary industries and weencourage planning and practices that protect and sustainour productive resources.

Our region has a reputation for entrepreneurship,innovation, research and education, attracting investmentand people to work, study and visit.

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Safe and resilient communities

Our historic places are retained and cared for.

We safeguard productive land, people and property.

We have reliable, efficient and well-planned infrastructureand services.

During the year, new outcomes were developed during workon the council's 2015-2025 Long Term Plan. These newoutcomes will be reported on in the 2015/16 Annual Report.

Community outcomes monitoring and reporting

Community outcomes state what the council intends to achieveto maintain and improve the wellbeing of the region in thepresent and in the future. They form the basis for the council’sservice delivery, thus determining the levels of service providedto the community.

Under schedule 10, 23(c) of the LGA 2002, the council mustreport the results of any measurement undertaken during theyear of progress towards the achievement of communityoutcomes.

The Waikato region continues to progress well on matters suchas increased numbers of Māori language speakers, relativelyhigh levels of Māori and women on local authorities,improvements in educational participation and attainment,and increased waste recycling and other environmental actions.

The results also identify areas of improvement for the region.We need to continue to investigate ways to reduce the levelsof nitrogen and phosphorus flowing into the region’s riversand streams, as well as foster improved attitudes and actionstowards the natural environment, including more energyconservation and further promotion of waste minimisation.We need to better understand and investigate ways to promotecultural wellbeing in the region and continue to improveeducation rates, from early childhood education topost-compulsory learning.

The council has developed a set of measures to assess theoverall progress of the region’s economic, social andenvironmental wellbeing. The Waikato Progress Indicators –Tupuranga Waikato (WPI) include 32 indicators and the resultsare summarised in an overall score card and in individual reportcards for each indicator. The indicators are updated annually,changes and trends over the last few years are reported andthe results are compared with other regions and nationally.

The WPI results and information products are used for variouscouncil projects and work programmes. They provide a robustbasis for discussing regional challenges and opportunities, andto identify priorities for action and closer collaboration andpartnerships. The WPI works with Government (including theTreasury, Statistics NZ, Ministry for the Environment) and localpartner agencies to share data, analyse trends and identifyissues. Results and more information can be found atwww.waikatoregion.govt.nz/wpi.

OUR VALUES

Our values help to define how we will work as individuals andas an organisation to achieve our vision, mission and flagshipgoals.

We always aim to do what's right for the Waikato region, nowand in the future. Through our elected council, we areaccountable to our communities and stakeholders.

We share knowledge and make well-informed decisions basedon good information. We listen carefully, look for solutionsand remain open to new ideas.

We take responsibility for our own actions and trust others todo the same. We put safety first for ourselves and others.

While we are realistic about what we can achieve today, weare mindful of the effect our decisions and actions will haveon future generations.

For this reason, we always strive to make a positive difference.

High performance, innovation and adaptability are vital to oursuccess. We build on our strengths and support each other tobe the very best we can be at work. We appreciate oursuccesses and those of others.

The services we provide enable regional development andpreserve the natural environment in ways that improve qualityof life.

Above all, we are purposeful and ethical in all we say and do.We behave in ways that keep the public's trust and respect.

We are direct, honest and courteous in all our relationships.

Within our organisation, we create a working environmentwhich is enabling, supportive and inclusive so that each of usis valued for the differences, skills and experiences we bringto the workplace.

Work-life balance is a strong focus of our culture. We supportour people to put family first and take pride in the roles theyfulfil in their communities through the environmental, socialand cultural activities that make the Waikato region a richerplace.

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KEY STATISTICS

Last yearThis year

446 (fulltimeequivalents)

443 (fulltimeequivalents)

Regional council employees asat 30 June

198,858properties

198,861properties

Rateable properties as at 30 June

$107.149billion

$107.151billion

Total capital value of rating unitsas at 30 June

$61.061billion

$61.061billion

Total land value of rating unitsas at 30 June

2,120,179ha

2,116,420ha

Rateable hectares as at 30 June

9035consents

9693consents

Resource consents administeredas at 30 June

1574consents

1732consents

Resource consents processedannually

22 days14 daysAnnual resource consent hearingdays

628 km628 kmStopbanks

298,218 ha298,218 haLand benefiting from floodprotection improvements

226,238 ha226,238 haLand benefiting from landdrainage schemes

24,853 ha26,167 haLand covered by soilconservation schemes

1372 sites1374 sitesData collection sites*

373,603 ha236,768ha

Total hectares under prioritypossum control**

*Data collection sites

Environmental monitoring data collection sites for 2014/15included 1374 sites. These range from recorders collectingcontinuous data to bi-annually sampled sites.

It does not include any non-routine work such as algaesampling, low flow gaugings or sediment snapshots, which arealso part of our annual workload.

The 1374 routine sites include:

25 rainfall sites

53 surface water sites

6 coastal sites including water temperature, sea level, waveamplitude, wind speed, wind direction, wind gust,barometric pressure

10 automatic groundwater level sites

1 climate site

15 lake level sites

10 air quality monitoring sites

29 coastal erosion profile sites

19 estuary monitoring sites

170 ecological monitoring sites

431 manual groundwater level sites

253 groundwater quality sites

123 surface water quality sites (including 12 bathing beachsites)

8 suspended sediment monitoring sites

15 soil monitoring sites

36 temporary/portable recorder water quality sites

27 clean streams sites

13 catchment environmental monitoring sites

17 lakes water quality sites

69 fisheries monitoring sites

44 geothermal sites.

**Total hectares under priority possum control

This year's figure only includes land under priority possumcontrol for 2014/15. Last year's figure reflects total prioritypossum control for all years.

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About the report | Ko ngā pitopitokōrero e pā ana ki te pūrongoThe annual report is the key accountability document adopted each year by the council and sets out thedifferences between planned and actual performance for the year.

This annual report identifies highlights and key achievements in activities and levels of performancefrom 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.

It reports against the third year of Waikato Regional Council's 2012-2022 Long Term Plan.

THE PLANNING AND REPORTING CYCLE

The annual report is one of a suite of statutory documentsrequired under the Local Government Act (LGA) 2002.

A long term plan is a strategic planning document covering a10 year period and describes the activities a local authoritywill fund and provide to achieve desired community outcomes.Community outcomes state what the council intends to achieveto maintain and improve the wellbeing of the region in thepresent and in the future.

A long term plan is reviewed and prepared every three years.It may be amended at any time, provided the full consultativeprocess described in the LGA is used. The 2012-2022 Long TermPlan was adopted in June 2012.

The other documents which make up the planning andreporting cycle are the annual plan and annual report. Anannual plan is adopted in years two and three of the long termplan by local authorities and sets out the budget and thesources of funding for the year. The 2014/15 Annual Plan wasadopted by the council on 26 June 2014.

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SECTION 2: 2014/15 year in review | Tearotake o te tau 2014/15

How we've met our priorities | Ipēwhea tātou i tūtuki ai i ngākaupapa-matua

LAND AND WATER

Ensuring the health of our rivers

The Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change/Wai Ora: He RautakiWhakapaipai project has progressed well, with the council,Waikato and Waipā river iwi and a multi-sector 24 memberstakeholder group together developing a proposed change tothe Waikato Regional Plan.

The proposed plan change will set objectives, limits and targetsto reduce the levels of sediment, bacteria and nutrientsentering water bodies in the Waikato and Waipā catchments.

A new timeline for the project has been adopted. The proposedplan change will now go to the council for adoption in April2016, and will be publicly notified shortly thereafter. The newtimeline ensures the Collaborative Stakeholder Group (CSG)has the technical information on groundwater it requires.

During 2014/15 the CSG has attended nine workshops in theWaikato and Waipā river catchments and been on a numberof field trips. The workshops are hosted in different parts ofthe catchments so the CSG hears a range of differentperspectives, and experiences and understands the diversityof these areas.

The CSG, supported by the project team, held an intensiveengagement period between March and May, with over 500people providing feedback during a large workshop and dropin sessions, and via an online survey.

This project supports the implementation of the National PolicyStatement for Freshwater Management 2014 and the Vision andStrategy for the Waikato River/Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa oWaikato. The Vision and Strategy is the primary directionsetting document for the Waikato and Waipā rivers and mustbe given effect to by regional and district plans within therivers’ catchments. The Vision and Strategy applies to the riversand to activities in the rivers’ catchments, and focuses onrestoring and protecting the health and wellbeing of the riversfor current and future generations.

The Proposed Waikato Regional Policy Statement (RPS) – theregion’s primary resource management policy document –remains close to being made operative in 2015/16. Whileagreement has previously been reached with parties whichlodged appeals, we are waiting on the Environment Court toapprove consent orders submitted in mid-2014. Once approvalhas been reached, the RPS will become operative.

In the meantime, the council has continued work onimplementation of the RPS during 2014/15. In particular,preparatory work has begun for the reviews of the regionaland coastal plans, which will take the policy directions of theRPS and apply rules where necessary. The key focus of thesereviews initially is on land and water, and coastal and marineareas.

In February, a significant new Waikato River RestorationStrategy project was launched. The strategy will help guideinvestment decisions for improving the health of the Waikatoand Waipā rivers over the next 5 to 15 years. It’s also designedto guide the work of other stakeholders committed toimproving the health and wellbeing of the river. This projectinvolves ground-breaking collaboration between DairyNZ, theWaikato River Authority and Waikato Regional Council, andalso involves a range of other organisations. Our iwi partnerswill be central to the success of restoration projects.

In late 2014 the council approved the Waipā Catchment Plan.It sets a 20 year plan to support the restoration and protectionof the Waipā River, and the Waikato River from Ngāruawāhiadownstream. The plan is being implemented in partnershipwith Waipā and Waikato river iwi and catchment stakeholders,and will actively involve the wider community. Although theWaipā Catchment Plan covers the entire Waipā Rivercatchment, priority areas have been identified. In these areas,on farm actions to reduce erosion, maintain water quality andprotect biodiversity would make the greatest difference to theWaipā River’s water quality. Some of these areas have thegreatest impact on the river’s water quality. The plan has beendeveloped in collaboration with the Waipā CatchmentCommittee, which includes landowners and communityrepresentatives, iwi, the Department of Conservation, districtcouncils and Mighty River Power representatives, as well as

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representatives of Waikato-Tainui Te KauhanganuiIncorporated, Maniapoto Māori Trust Board, RaukawaCharitable Trust, Ngāti Mahanga and Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura.Its development has been co-funded by the Waikato RiverAuthority.

Stakeholder engagement

The council continues to develop relationships with keystakeholders from the Waikato River Authority, agriculturalsector and environmental groups who use and value ourregion’s land and water resources. This year we havecollaborated with key stakeholders to engage about 2100farmers and rural professionals in activities such as field days,Landcare networking days, and the Effluent Expo.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Waikato Mayoral Forum

Five work streams are being carried out under the auspices ofthe Waikato Mayoral Forum, which consists of the region’smayors and the chairperson of the regional council. The workstreams – covering roading, water and wastewater services,the development of a Waikato (spatial) Plan, economicdevelopment and regulatory bylaws and policies – are anintegrated package designed to help get the best out of theregional economy and deliver multi-million dollar cost savingsfor ratepayers. Detail on work streams the council hascontributed to are provided below.

Waikato (spatial) plan

Over the past year the council has continued to supportdevelopment of the Waikato Plan. A Joint Waikato PlanCommittee has been established with representatives fromthe contributing Waikato local authorities and five independentmembers. Waikato Regional Council has contributed technicalexpertise to guide the committee’s discussion and decisionmaking, particularly with respect to economic andenvironmental wellbeing. The council has produced a seriesof GIS layers (maps) to support the plan process.

Influence of Auckland

Auckland and the Waikato region have a strong interdependentrelationship and are connected physically, as well as socially,economically and culturally. The size of Auckland’s populationand economy means that it has a very significant effect ondevelopment of the Waikato region. Over the past year WaikatoRegional Council has worked with the University of Waikatoto better understand the influence of Auckland on the Waikato.This helps us understand better how to maximise benefits forthe region from its close proximity to Auckland, to understandhow the region can support Auckland’s and New Zealand’sgrowth overall, and to understand how best to manage any

negative impacts on the Waikato from Auckland’s growth. Thecouncil has also been working closely with staff from Waikatodistrict and Auckland councils on these matters.

Waikato Means Business

Waikato Means Business (Waikato's economic developmentstrategy) was developed by a Governance Group led by industry(including Māori business) and including local governmentrepresentatives. The strategy was released in March 2014. Theoutgoing members of the Governance Group were invited tooversee the development of an annual implementation planto follow on from the strategy. The first implementation planwas completed in February 2015. The Governance Group agreedthat the implementation of Waikato Means Business will beoverseen by a public-private partnership organised as asteering or coordination group, with clear terms of referenceand some decision-making authority. In June 2015 the chair ofthe Waikato Mayoral Forum invited the Governance Group tooversee the implementation of Waikato Means Business and itmet for the first time in July 2015. The council contributedthrough membership on the Governance Group and byproviding secretariat services.

Māori Asset Report

The Federation of Māori Authorities – on behalf of Te PuniKōkiri – and Waikato Regional Council commissioned Businessand Economic Research Limited to provide a snapshot of theoverall economic contribution of Māori in the Waikato region.The report was used to inform the “Leveraging Māoridevelopment” cutting theme of Waikato Means Business, theWaikato economic development strategy. The Māori economyin the Waikato region report was released, and a Māorieconomic development workshop was held in November 2014.Facilitated group discussions covered the topics of:

increasing productivity of Māori assets

exploring export opportunities

improving educational achievement.

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Upper North Island Strategic Alliance (UNISA)

UNISA has been operating for over three years and politicaland technical relationships have continued to develop. WaikatoRegional Council is managing a project that builds on previouswork by identifying constraints and opportunities facing keyupper North Island sectors, associated with labour demandand supply and changing demographics. This will identifyactions UNISA can take or champion to improve productivityand allow UNISA to understand the extent to which it isimportant that industry development and transport decisionsare made within an upper North Island context for the successof New Zealand and individual regions and cities.

Advocacy for central government legislation andpolicy changes

Waikato Regional Council continues to make positive progresswith respect to resource management matters, with ongoingsector-wide engagement in association with Local GovernmentNew Zealand, particularly on Resource Management Actreforms and the implementation of the National PolicyStatement for Freshwater Management that introduces theNational Objective Framework. A number of staff from ourScience and Strategy directorate have had a significant role inthe development of national guidance material, including thedefinition of Freshwater Management Units, collaborativeprocesses and maintaining or improving freshwaters.

One submission was made to central government policyrelating to the proposed national climate change emissionstarget post 2020. Waikato Regional Council focused on longlived atmospheric carbon dioxide as opposed to agriculturalcontributors such as methane and nitrous oxide. Thesubmission advocated that the creation carbon ‘sinks’ besupported to reduce the country’s net emissions and to achieveland and water objectives such as water quality improvementsand catchment security.

The council was involved in coordinating requests from theMinistry for the Environment’s International Co-operation Unitand the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to host visiting

international delegations interested in geothermal resourcemanagement, renewable energy and water management. Thisincluded hosting delegations from the USA and Indonesia.

Waikato Progress Indicators

Waikato Regional Council has developed a set of measures toassess the overall progress of the region’s economic, socialand environmental wellbeing. The Waikato Progress Indicators– Tupuranga Waikato (WPI) include 32 indicators and the resultsare summarised in an overall score card and in individual reportcards for each indicator. The indicators are updated annually,changes and trends over the last few years are reported andthe results are compared with other regions and nationally.The WPI results and information products are used for variouscouncil projects and work programmes. They provide a robustbasis for discussing regional challenges and opportunities, andto identify priorities for action and closer collaboration andpartnerships. Waikato Regional Council works with Government(including the Treasury, Statistics NZ, Ministry for theEnvironment) and local partner agencies to share data, analysetrends and identify issues. More information can be found atwww.waikatoregion.govt.nz/WPI.

Regional development fund

As part of our 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, Waikato RegionalCouncil has established a fund to support regional-scaledevelopment.

The fund will help the region to realise its full potential andsupport projects with intergenerational benefit. It will help tobuild and attract investment and economic progress in ourregion, enable our environment to be enriched as we go, andmake the Waikato a better place in which to live, work andplay.

Over the plan’s 10 years it’s expected almost $19 million willbe available to inject into regional-scale projects. It will befunded by way of revenue from the council’s investment fund,after subsidising rates and allowing for inflation-proofing.

This whakatauki refers to co-operation where if everyone does their part, the work will

be complete. Similarly, co-governance is about a partnership that results in positive

outcomes for all. The colours refer to the traditional kōwhaiwhai patterns inside

meeting houses.

IWI MĀORI CO-GOVERNANCE

Waikato Regional Council has continued to work to fulfil ourco-governance responsibilities by making co-governance oneof our organisational priorities, implementing our jointmanagement agreements and growing our relationships withiwi partners.

This financial year saw Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura and Ngāti Hauāfinalise their Treaty Settlement which included statutoryacknowledgements. It brings both iwi under the jointmanagement agreement (JMA) provisions the council has withWaikato-Tainui. This includes an extension of theWaikato-Tainui JMA into the Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura and NgātiHauā sub catchments within Co-management Area B.

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Further iwi are at different stages of progressing theircomprehensive Treaty settlements and these include theHauraki Iwi Collective, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and the West CoastHarbours.

Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Hinerangi have alsobeen in negotiations with the Office of Treaty Settlements. Weexpect discussions will include recognition of respective iwiinterests, particularly in the Waikato, Waihou and Piako rivercatchment areas.

The council expects to be an active participant in aco-governance model for Waihou/Piako and Coromandelcatchments which will include iwi and district council partners.

Our approach is to participate constructively in Treatynegotiations and to embed the resulting legislativerequirements into day-to-day business and decision makingprocesses.

We have continued our partnership with Waikato-Tainui in amulti-agency working group set up to look at issues aroundcustomary activities, namely whitebait fishing in the lowerWaikato. The project has continued into a new phase ofdiscussions with the community in the Tuakau and Waiukuareas focusing on structures and associated pressures of thoseon the Waikato River.

During 2014/15 we have supported the development of the TeArawa River Iwi Trust Fisheries Plan; Te Arawa River IwiEnvironmental Management Plan; and Te Rautaki Taiao ARaukawa – Raukawa Environmental Management Plan. Thesedocuments will assist our decision making.

Iwi representation in council decision making

The two Māori seats have strengthened local democracy andMāori engagement throughout the region in the last financialyear.

Iwi partners and Māori participants are involved in all levelsand stages of the Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora project. This includescontinued decision making with Waikato and Waipā river iwipartners on Te Rōpū Hautū (the project steering group) andthe Healthy Rivers Wai Ora Committee. This provides a robustco-governance decision making process for the plan change,as well as fulfilling many of the council’s statutoryrequirements.

The council has continued its commitment to support the JMAswith River iwi by maintaining the co-governance committeeswith Waikato-Tainui, Raukawa, Te Arawa River Iwi, andManiapoto.

Waikato River Authority hearings commissioners are appointedto resource consent hearings consistent with the settlementlegislation. Further appointments, outside of legislativerequirements, were made by the council to include a hearingscommissioner with expertise in matters of significance toMāori. These experts were involved in three resource consenthearings during the financial year.

Each of the council’s catchment committees offer membershipto iwi and the committees assist the council to set prioritisationof catchment works and services, and levels of service.

The council is working with Maniapoto Māori Trust Board,Waikato-Raupatu River Trust, and Raukawa Charitable Trustto implement the Waipā Catchment Plan, which was producedto protect and restore the Waipā, and in turn the Waikato,rivers.

COASTAL AND MARINE

A plan to safeguard the future of the Whangapoua harbourand catchment on the Coromandel Peninsula was signed offat the end of the 2014/15 year. The plan’s development drewon a huge amount of scientific information and local knowledgeto inform actions and work programmes being carried out andplanned for by the council, Department of Conservation,Thames-Coromandel District Council, industry and iwi. Thiswork will take place alongside activities by care groups,landowners and others working towards a healthier harbourand catchment.

Meanwhile, work has continued over the year on implementingharbour and catchment management plans for Whangamata,Wharekawa and Tairua. It is expected a review ofimplementation actions against what was identified in theplans will be carried out in 2015/16.

As previously mentioned, preparatory work for the reviews ofthe regional and coastal plans got underway during 2014/15.

Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari

The council is a core partner in Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari,a project which will develop a non-statutory marine spatialplan for all of the Waikato's east coast and Firth of Thames,and will provide a framework for sustaining “a productivegulf”.

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A Stakeholder Working Group is well on its way to developingthe marine spatial plan. Marine spatial planning is aboutworking together to find ways to share – and care for – amarine space now and for future generations. Marine spatialplanning is a proven methodology, used around the world. TheSea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari process will be following world

best practice. The best available scientific information andmātauranga Māori knowledge of the natural and physicalresources of the gulf will be used.

During 2014/15, seven advisory groups (called Round-Tables)investigated issues and options in detail and reported theirfindings and recommendations to the Stakeholder WorkingGroup. The plan is due for completion in 2015/16. For moreinformation, see www.seachange.org.nz.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

We know it's only by working with others that Waikato RegionalCouncil can help the region realise the potential of its primelocation and the quality of its businesses, people and naturalassets. We're committed to building and maintainingrelationships with our partners and key stakeholders, whichis why we developed a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy,adopted by the council in March 2015. The strategy sets aframework for how we'll develop and maintain theserelationships, and will inform the development of specificapproaches for engaging with the general public, ourcustomers, individual business unit stakeholders and partnersor project-based stakeholders.

We've increased our working relationship with the Universityof Waikato with the aim of creating wide benefits for theregion's freshwater and economic performance. A newMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in April2015 and it sets out how the two organisations will strategicallywork together on issues of interest to the region. It’s a shiftfrom a more science-based agreement to one where we’reworking together more strategically on things like fresh watermanagement and regional development. We’ve got staff who

are leaders in their field and this MoU will enable us to moreeffectively link up to combine our expertise. This will havehuge benefits for both organisations, but more importantlyfor the future of our region.

The biennial air quality expo held in Tokoroa in May 2015 wasorganised by the regional council in partnership with SouthWaikato District Council. About 250 people attended theday-long event, which was held to raise awareness of cleanair, ways to reduce the amount of harmful PM

10 emissions and

to promote the clean heat scheme.

During the year we have continued to support communitiesto achieve their aims by providing information, skills, fundingor materials, and even working in partnership with communitygroups. For example, we supported the planting of 42,541native dune plants – including more than 6200 threatenedplants – by volunteers at 18 of 24 Beachcare sites in theWaikato. Of those sites, 11 were on the Coromandel Peninsulaand 7 on the west coast. Beachcare groups are partnershipsbetween the regional council, community members, districtcouncils and iwi, working together to protect and restoreWaikato’s beaches. All projects undertaken put a strongemphasis on the importance of collaboration with each keystakeholder, all working together for a common outcome.

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Local government responsibilities toMāori | Ko te noho haepapa o tekāwanatanga-ā-kāinga ki Ngai MāoriWaikato Regional Council values its relationships with iwi andMāori of the region and has sought to work closer with Māori,having prioritised iwi Māori co-governance as one of itsorganisational priorities.

While we are required to discharge our statutory anddemocratic accountabilities, we are committed to providingfor Māori participation and engagement in our business.

Opportunities for Māori to participate in decision makingprocesses were strengthened in 2014/15 through:

Ngāti Tūwharetoa Hapu Forum working with the council toassist negotiations with the Crown regarding theircomprehensive Treaty settlement

regular engagements with representation and staff ofTūwharetoa Māori Trust Board

including either Waikato River Authority appointedCommissioners, or Mātauranga Māori Commissioners onall resource consent hearings that impact on the Waikatoand Waipā River catchments

the establishment of two more co-governance committees,with Maniapoto and Waikato-Tainui to join the existing TeArawa River iwi and Raukawa co-governance committeesto support the joint management agreements

working with the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board to developa Joint Management Agreement as specified under the NgātiTūwharetoa, Raukawa, Te Arawa River Iwi Waikato RiverAct 2010

annual “rangatira ki te rangatira” meetings organised withiwi governance representatives to share in high leveldiscussion on matters of significance to both iwi and thecouncil

continued decision making with Waikato and Waipā riveriwi partners on the Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora project throughTe Rōpū Hautū (the project steering group) and the HealthyRivers Wai Ora Committee

continued Māori involvement in the CollaborativeStakeholder Group for the Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora projectboth as Māori and community representatives

including Mātauranga Māori experts who provide technicaladvice and guidance on the Technical Alliance for theHealthy Rivers/Wai Ora project

maintaining Māori representation on the eight catchmentliaison subcommittees

the development of the Upper Waipā River IntegratedManagement Plan over the next year as a partnership withManiapoto under the Ngā Wai o Maniapoto (Waipa River)Act 2013

regular information sharing and collaborative engagementwith staff employed by (post settlement) iwi governanceentities.

The council expects further engagement opportunities withtāngata whenua and Māori through the our work programmesin response to the National Policy Statement for FreshwaterManagement.

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Financial summary | He kōrerowhakarapopoto pūtea

What we deliveredWhat we planned

Actual revenue was $119.241 million. The key contributors to the variance fromprojected revenue levels include:

Revenue

Projected revenue for the year was$115.302 million.

The council's investments returned $8.92 million for the year, against a budgetedreturn of $6.97 million. This reflects increased interest earned on the council'sworking capital funds, as well as the favourable performance of the investmentfund.

Of this:

$79.398 million was to come fromrates

Additional revenue associated with forest harvesting within the Waihou zone ($1.175million). This revenue is offset by additional costs incurred in the harvesting processto date ($1.104 million).$10.747 million from Government

grants Additional fines revenue was received this year as a result of decisions by the courtson non-compliance with the Resource Management Act ($247,000).$9,256 million from fees and

charges

$6.97 million from returns on thecouncil's investments

Actual expenditure for the year was $111.549 million. Of the unspent budget, $1.601million will be carried over to the 2015/16 financial year to enable work underway atthe end of the financial year to be completed. Key variances relate to:

Cost of services

Waikato Regional Council's 2014/15Annual Plan projected totalexpenditure of $113.498 million.

Revised timeframes for the Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora project have meant thatexpenditure for the year is $2.764 million favourable to the annual plan budget.Funds for the completion of the project have been provided for in budgets forfuture years.

Expenditure is lower than budget due to the timing of a number of possum controloperations ($1.166 million). Funds will be carried over to future years to allow forthe planned operations to be completed. Overall savings of $450,000 have beenmade in the work programme this year.

Actual net operating surplus was $7.692 million, with $4,984 transferred to reserves.Net operating position

The higher than budgeted reserve transfers reflect:A net operating surplus of $1.804million was projected.

Unspent biosecurity targeted rate revenue of $1.402 million was transferred toreserves. This funding will be applied in future years to complete planned pestcontrol operations.

A higher than budgeted transfer to the public transport reserve of $530,000 hasbeen made at the end of the financial year. This reflects lower costs for the operationof the network as a result of reduced inflation payment for contracts followingdrops in oil prices, delays in extensions to northern routes until 2015/16, and delaysin the tendering of work under the Public Transport Operating Model.

The transfer of favourable investment fund returns to the investment equalisationreserve. The purpose of this reserve is to manage the variability in investment fundreturns between financial years.

Operational capital expenditure was $2.195 million. Contributing to theunder-expenditure has been a delay in the replacement/upgrade of the council'sdocument management system ($650,000). Work on scoping the system requirementshas been completed, but a system purchase has not yet been made. Funding will becarried over to 2015/16 to allow for this.

Capital expenditure

Operating capital expenditure(including intangible assets) wasprojected to be $3.145 million.

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What we deliveredWhat we planned

Infrastructural capital expenditurewas projected to be $6.903 million.

Infrastructural capital expenditure was $6.984 million. This expenditure includes costsfunded through the carry over of capital funding not spent in the previous financialyear. $2.321 million of unspent capital will be carried forward to 2015/16 to allow forthe completion of the planned capital works programme. The major project includedwithin this budget carry over is Muggeridge's pump station.

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SECTION 3: Our activities in depth | Ko tehohonutanga ō ā tātou mahi

Our activities in depth – Groups ofactivities | Ko te hohonutanga ō ā tātoumahi – Ko ngā mahi-ā-rōpūHow to read this section

This section describes the council’s activities as grouped in the 2012-2022 Long Term Plan (LTP). Within each group of activities(GOA), work is structured into individual activities within activity areas. Each GOA includes the following sections:

Why we do it

Provides a brief description of the activities within the GOA and the objectives or purpose, plus the outcomes the activitiesprimarily contribute towards and any identified effects the activities had on the community.

What we did

Features highlights, as well as some business as usual activities/areas for the year.

Looking forward

Identifies key programmes of work within the activity for the 2015/16 year.

What we delivered

Provides a description of the level of service, measure, target and actual result for each activity. Performance status is describedusing four categories as described in the key below. Aggregated performance at the group level is presented graphically.Commentary is provided for measures that were not achieved or were achieved in part. Additional performance commentaryis included if it provides useful context.

All components of the performance measure have been met, including meeting orexceeding a stated target for performance

Achieved

One or more but not all of the components of a measure have been completed – this isfor work where the measure can be broken into more than one component

Achieved in part

All components were not achievedNot achieved

No work scheduled or data available in the current yearNot applicable

What it cost

Reports on the cost of the service including any variances.

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Catchment management | Ko tewhakahaeretanga-a-waiumu/kāuruWhy we do it

Catchment management activities are catchment-wide bynature, with the benefits experienced both locally anddownstream. The council has adopted a ‘whole of catchment’management approach, which aims to achieve:

more stable rivers and catchments

reduced sedimentation of rivers, harbour and estuaries

promotion of land and water sustainability

improvement or maintenance of water quality

improvement or protection of biodiversity.

The activities undertaken, especially the enhancement of waterquality and high potential biodiversity sites on land owned bythe council, are consistent with achieving the outcomes soughtby iwi through co-management settlements with the Crown.

The catchment management group of activities includes thefollowing activities:

catchment services

harbour catchment management.

The catchment management group of activities primarilycontributes towards the community outcomes of:

safe and resilient communities

regional economy

environmental quality.

Our work in this group of activities has had a positive effecton the community by safeguarding productive land, peopleand property. Catchment management work also helps torestore soil and water quality.

What we did

Work to remediate the contaminated Tui Mine site wascompleted in 2013/14. In this financial year Waikato RegionalCouncil has received three awards recognising our leadershipof this collaborative project. Recent monitoring has shownimprovements in the ecological health of both the Tunakohoiaand Tui streams. In particular, there is increased diversity andabundance of aquatic macro-invertebrates such as stoneflies,caddisflies and dipteral, meaning we're on track to meet waterquality levels that will enable swimming in the next 15 years.In the 2014/15 financial year the site was formally transferredto the Department of Conservation and Matamata-PiakoDistrict Council as the new landowners. However, the counciland the Ministry for the Environment will continue to supportboth organisations in monitoring and maintaining the works

over the next two years. We have also supported the iwiadvisory group in implementing the cultural monitoring plandeveloped under the project.

A plan to safeguard the future of the Whangapoua harbourand catchment on the Coromandel Peninsula was signed offat the end of the 2014/15 year. The plan’s development drewon a huge amount of scientific information and local knowledgeto inform actions and work programmes being carried out andplanned for by the council, Department of Conservation,Thames-Coromandel District Council, industry and iwi. Thiswork will take place alongside activities by care groups,landowners and others working towards a healthier harbourand catchment.

Meanwhile, work has continued over the year on implementingharbour and catchment management plans for Whangamata,Wharekawa and Tairua. It is expected a review ofimplementation actions against what was identified in theplans will be carried out in 2015/16.

The council has been working with landowners to ensurecatchment scheme works are maintained to the requiredcondition as set out in zone management plans. Inspectionswere carried out as per the sampling schedule and a result of90 per cent compliance was found which is on target. Allinstances of non-compliance were recorded and remedialworks were programmed with property owners.

During the 2014/15 year the council achieved 78.4 kilometresof new fencing in priority catchments and significant naturalareas.

Two important new plans designed to help protect and restorethe health of the Waipā River and the Upper Waikato Rivercatchments were completed in October 2014. The WaipāCatchment Plan, co-funded by the Waikato River Authority,builds on existing and former regional council-incentivisedcatchment programmes such as Project Watershed and CleanStreams. It is a non-statutory plan that sets 20-year aspirationalgoals for the catchment, including reduced erosion andsedimentation of the river, having swimmable water qualitythroughout the catchment, and providing good flood protectionand enhanced ecological health. The plan takes an integratedapproach to managing the catchment’s land and water qualityissues to achieve the goals that have been set. This will includepromoting sustainable land uses and management practices,providing targeted funding and assisting landowners to developproperty or farm plans. It will be implemented in partnershipwith Waipā and Waikato river iwi and catchment stakeholders,and will actively involve the wider community.

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The Upper Waikato zone plan will guide the regional council’sintegrated catchment management activities between Taupōand Karapiro to address declining water quality, erosion andland use change, loss of indigenous biodiversity andriver-related catchment works. The plan will support the newCrown-iwi co-management framework for protecting andrestoring the health of the awa.

Two prestigious awards were won for the CarpN Neutralproject, which has involved developing an automated systemto control invasive fish, and in particular koi carp, in the lowerWaikato catchment. Our invasive fish ‘recycling’ centre anddemonstration site at Lake Waikare incorporates the use of aninvasive fish trap combined with an energy efficient bacterialdigester to process large quantities of invasive fish –approximately 30 tonnes in the last 3 years. The resultantfishmeal, also known as ‘carpacinno’, is nutrient rich andpotentially certifiable as organic. We have been investigatingits use as a fertiliser for native plants, as well as ‘carpacinno’baits and chew cards for controlling other invasive animalssuch as stoats, pigs and rats.

Looking forward

Over the next year, areas of focus for the council within thisgroup of activities* will be to:

develop zone plans for Lake Taupō and West Coast zones

implement the Waipā catchment management planincluding the development of farm plans with landownersin the highest priority soil conservation areas and offeringfunding for soil conservation and erosion control works

work with DairyNZ and the Waikato River Authority toprioritise water quality, sediment and biodiversity activitiesin the Waikato and Waipā catchments

commence development of an integrated catchmentmanagement plan for the Lake Waikare/WhangamarinoWetland catchment (Lower Waikato zone)

begin scoping of the next harbour and catchmentmanagement plan in either Whitianga/Mercury Bay orCoromandel-Manaia.

*Please note the groups of activities have changed as part ofthe 2015-2025 Long Term Plan. Catchment management willbe known as Integrated catchment management and will alsoinclude biosecurity and biodiversity activities.

What we delivered

The total number of catchment management measures is six.One measure was not applicable for the 2014/15 year and theremaining five measures were achieved (100 per cent). Detailedcommentary for all these measures can be found in thefollowing tables.

Achieved100%

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Activity: Catchment services

Level of service: To provide region-wide land and catchment management services to enhance water quality, biodiversityand promote the sustainable use of land and soil.

CommentaryActualTargetPerformance measure

Catchment scheme works - compliance with zone plans

Property inspections are undertaken over the course of theyear according to the schedule in place for each zone.Properties not meeting the required standards will be

90%,achieved

2013/14:79%, notachieved(target was85%)

90%Percentage of sampled catchmentscheme works* maintained ineffective condition to thestandards set out in zone plans recorded and remedial works programmed in consultation

with the property owner. 293 property inspections havebeen completed to date with 90% of inspectedcompartments in effective condition.

2012/13: 71%,not achieved(target was80%)

*A rotating sample of approximately 60 properties (10% of all catchment scheme works) are selected and inspected to assessscheme condition every year. Works include fencing, planting and erosion control structures.

Fencing - priority catchments and significant natural areas (SNAs)

The fencing programme proceeded as planned, with 78.4kmcompleted fencing in priority catchments and significantnatural areas.

78.4km,achieved

2013/14:64.1kmachieved

≥ 60kmKilometres of new fencing (toexclude stock) in prioritycatchments* and significantnatural areas

2012/13:84km,achieved

*Priority catchments as defined in zone management plans, harbour and catchment plans and Project Watershed

Level of service: To complete new riparian, coastal and land protection measures across management zones accordingto established priorities in zone management plans and within budget estimates.


New catchment protection measures - annual progress report

On track for these reports to be prepared followingcompletion of all year end transactions. The reports will bepresented at the first round of catchment committeemeetings in 2015/16, commencing in August 2015 andconcluding in late September. The minutes of thesemeetings will be reported to the Integrated CatchmentCommittee on 15 October and full council on 29 October.

Achieved

2013/14:achieved

2012/13:achieved

AchievedPrepare an annual progress reportthat details protection measuresthat have commenced in thepreceding 12 months

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Level of service: To work with partner agencies on the remediation of Tui Mine.


Tui Mine remediation programme

Project managed in accordance with the project transitionplan. All actions for this year were completed on time andwithin budget.The next year (2015/16) will be the last year of monitoringand maintenance under the project plan.

Achieved

2013/14: achieved

2012/13: achieved

AchievedComplete the remediationprogramme of the Tui Mine by2015 as set out in the projectmanagement plan

Activity: Harbour catchment management

Level of service: To prepare plans and undertake works to ensure the sustainable management of harbour catchments.


Harbour and catchment management plans - Coromandel

As written in the annual plan, this is not applicable for the

2014/15 financial year as resources have been redirected to

the Whangamata mangrove removal project.

Not applicable

2013/14: not

applicable

Not

applicable

Complete harbour and

catchment management plans

for each of the key Coromandel

Peninsula harbours and

catchments:

- Whangamata

- Wharekawa

- Whangapoua

- Tairua

- Whitianga

- Coromandel-Manaia

The Whangapoua harbour and catchment management plan

(HCMP) was adopted by the council on 30 June 2015. The

Whangamata, Wharekawa and Tairua HCMPs have been

adopted in previous years. Work will commence in 2015/16

to progress the HCMPs which are yet to be implemented

(being Whitianga and Coromandel-Manaia).

2012/13: not

achieved (target:

Whangapoua)

Harbour condition surveys

The harbour condition survey for Whangapoua was completed

in December 2014. No further survey works were carried out

this year and there are no catchment condition surveys until

next financial year.

Achieved

2013/14: not

achieved

Survey

undertaken

for next

harbour

catchment

Undertake catchment condition

surveys prior to and during

implementation of harbour plans

to measure progress

2012/13: achieved

management

plan to be

completed

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WHAT IT COST

Expenditure for catchment management

2013/14Last year

$000

2014/15Annual Plan

$000

2014/15Actual$000

3,151 2,991 2,991General rates

4,726 4,231 4,231Targeted rates

- - -Government grants

76 - 174Fees and charges

1,213 100 1,517Other income

9,166 7,322 8,913Total income

8,329 7,163 9,303Operating expenditure

837 159 (390)Operating surplus / (deficit)

Total funding from / (to) reserves

(557) 166 356Watershed

152 (73) 126Peninsula

(135) 1 1 (92)West Coast

44 (100) 92Waihou

49 (25)Piako

(294)

Annual Report 2014/15 | Pūrongo ā-tau 2014/15 · 2016. 10. 28. · Hoki mai ki a tātou o te ao...

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Transcript of Annual Report 2014/15 | Pūrongo ā-tau 2014/15 · 2016. 10. 28. · Hoki mai ki a tātou o te ao...