FRED n1333082 v1 Submission - Waikato Regional Council ... · Kia mahara ake i ng a tini aitu a...

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Report

To: Mayor and Councillors

From: Strategic Planning Projects Manager

Date: Tuesday, 17 March 2015

File reference:

Document: 1333082 Appendix A: Waikato Regional Council 2015-25 Long Term Plan Consultation Document

Meeting date: 25/03/2015

Subject: Submission – Waikato Regional Council 2015-25 Consultation Document

Recommendation: THAT the report be received, and THAT a working party of the Mayor and Councillors Gordon and Milner be formed to work with staff to prepare a draft submission to the Waikato Regional Council 2015-25 Long Term Plan Consultation Document; and THAT the Mayor be delegated the authority to approve and sign the submission to the Waikato Regional Council 2015-25 Long Term Plan Consultation Document on behalf of the Council and to present to the submission.

Purpose The Waikato Regional Council (WRC) has prepared its 2015-25 Long Term Plan Consultation Document (CD) as part of its 2015-25 Long Term Plan development programme. Due to the timing for the closing of submissions this report seeks the formation a working party to develop a submission on key matters of interest for the Hauraki District Council and the delegation to the Mayor to approve and sign the submission on behalf of the Council. A copy of the WRC CD is attached to this report as Appendix A. The matter or suggested decision does not involve a new activity, service, programme, project, expenditure or other deliverable. Background All Council’s are required to develop a Long Term Plan for the 10 year period 1 July 2015 to 30 June, 2025 and, as part of this process, must develop a higher level summary document containing the key matters proposed in that Long Term Plan - called the Consultation Document. Submissions on the WRC CD opened on Saturday 14 March and close on Tuesday 14 April. As Council only has one meeting scheduled for this period on 25 March, 2015 and no further

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Operations Committee meeting before the close of submissions there has been insufficient time for Councillors and staff to review the CD and prepare a draft submission for consideration at this meeting of Council. Due to the time constraints the Mayor recommends that a working party made up of the Mayor and Councillors Gordon and Milner be formed to work with staff to prepare a submission and he further recommends that he be delegated authority to approve and present the submission. Issues and options Key issues identified in the WRC CD that Council may wish to consult on are:

1. The formation of a Regional Development Fund 2. The proposed removal of the regional rate on land of 2hectares or more that partly funds

the work of TB Free New Zealand 3. The funding proposals for the Natural; Heritage Partnership programme including

Maungatautari 4. Funding for indigenous biodiversity stocktake and marine pests knowledge and control 5. Funding for co-governance matters 6. Muggeridge Pump project 7. Changes to the level in the UAGC

Significance and Engagement Assessment This decision is considered not significant because as this is a statutory process with limited immediate impact. Given the time available to prepare and submit the submission no engagement is possible. Budget Implications There are budget implications for the approved 2014/15 Annual Plan. Conclusion it is recommended that a working party be formed to develop a submission on the WRC CD and that the Mayor have delegated authority to approve and sign the submission on behalf of Council. Mark Buttimore Strategic Planning Projects Manager

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Appendix A

Waikato Regional Council

2015-25 Long Term Plan Consultation Document

waikatoregion.govt.nz0800 800 401

Kororia ki te Atua,

Me whakahonore i a

Kiingi Tuheitia me tona

whare kahui ariki,

Kia mahara ake i nga

tini aitua puta noa,

Hoki mai ki a tatou o

te ao marama nei,

Tena tatou katoa.

The Waikato region is not only our home, it is also important to New Zealand.

We need to realise, however, that over the next 10 years major changes will impact on our environment and lifestyle. Some of these include:

• our natural resources will be under more pressure, in particular our rivers and streams which will have declined in quality and will be fully allocated to those taking water from them

• most of our rural towns will have fewer people living in them, in particular young people

• more of Auckland’s growth will have spilled into our region, and Auckland itself will be using more resources, including water, from the Waikato to support its growth

• the Waikato Expressway will be complete, making it much quicker to get to Auckland. However, the Southern Motorway and rail will be more congested. This will undermine the value of the expressway, and will impact on the cost and efficiency of our imports and exports through Auckland ports.

We need to change what we can. To do so, more than ever the Waikato needs to work together to reverse or at least mitigate these expected changes.

That is the crux of this 10 year plan. It is about interventions to change our future. One way we’re addressing these issues is through a Waikato Spatial Plan, being developed by the Waikato Mayoral Forum in which we are a partner. It will provide a consistent evidence base for decision making, optimise the use of the region’s infrastructure and facilities, and improve coordination of planning and investment.

Ultimately, the plan will seek to improve the region’s attractiveness for people and business, and maximise natural advantages of the region such as our strong productive base, natural beauty, vibrant and strongly growing Hamilton city, diverse and distinctive rural communities, proximity to Auckland, strongly growing Māori economy, and the region’s connections to the rest of New Zealand.

We can’t achieve this on our own. Waikato Regional Council recognises that only by working together will we successfully address our future challenges, and turn them into opportunities.

There are a range of proposals detailed here for your feedback and you’ll see how building a Waikato that has a healthy environment, strong economy and vibrant communities is at the heart of everything we do.

It’s important to us that we provide more and better services, keeping costs down for people now while still looking after

future generations. That’s why our rates revenue from existing ratepayers is going up by just 0.2 per cent.

There’s some work we are required to do by legislation, which reduces our ability to provide real options to you for feedback. But with some other proposals there is the option to either not do the work, or to do it at a slower or increased pace. And that’s where you can influence our decisions.

So, please tell us what you think of the various proposals to make a positive difference to the future of our region.

Paula Southgate and Vaughan Payne

YOURWAIKATO

2015-2025 LONG TERM PLAN CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

Influence decisions on the region’s futureWhakaarohia mō apōpō

Page 3Fund for regional scale development proposed

Page 14

Your rates

Page 6

Our plans to improve the coastal marine environment

Page 9Proposal: TB rate collection to stop

He aha te mea nui o te ao?He tangata! He tangata! He tangata! What is the most important thing in the world?It is people! It is people! It is people!

Chairperson Chief Executive

YOUR WAIKATO 2 www.waikatoregion.govt.nz

To help you get involved in Waikato Regional Council’s decision-making processes we’ve produced this document. It provides information on key proposals for inclusion in the council’s 2015-2025 Long Term Plan (LTP).

A long term plan is a strategic planning document describing the activities a council intends to fund to achieve desired outcomes over a 10 year period. Under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA), a long term plan must be prepared and adopted every three years.

This is the first consultation document of its kind.

In the past, the council prepared a 200+ page draft long term plan and a companion summary document. An amendment to the LGA in August 2014 means this consultation document replaces both the draft LTP and the summary.

We’ve tried our best to show how our work is linked, and to make this consultation document simple and concise – but it’s no easy task!

Throughout this document you’ll find information on our proposals, the rates implications and levels of service. Other documents supporting this plan can be found at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

We’ve worked hard to allocate resources to what we consider to be the programmes and projects that will make the biggest difference. Tell us what you think!

Our five priority areasKo ngā take nui e rimaWe will only address Waikato’s future challenges and realise our region’s potential by working together.Each of our five strategic priorities places great emphasis on working with others.

The Waikato region has a prime location and the quality of its businesses, people and natural assets have potential yet to be realised. Only by working together can we achieve this potential, and develop as a region in a way that lifts the quality of our environment and the social and economic wellbeing of our communities.

The complex issue of sustaining the region’s land and fresh water, which form the backbone of our economy, continues to be a priority. Water is our most precious resource and throughout the world is increasingly threatened by pollution and over-allocation. Water pollution is consistently our community’s number one environmental concern.

Collaboration with other agencies and the people of the Waikato is vital to achieve economic, environmental and social results. Our community is the region’s greatest asset, with about 40 per cent of us involved in volunteer work.

The Waikato region is home to the second highest Māori population in New Zealand. A number of Treaty of Waitangi negotiations are settled or are underway with the Crown. Working together with iwi to implement these settlements continues to be an important area for Waikato Regional Council.

Our 10,000km2 of coastal marine area, stretching to 22km offshore, is a significant economic and social asset. Our coast and marine environments are highly valued for their recreation, food gathering, aesthetic, conservation and commercial opportunities.

Regional development Land and water Community partnerships Iwi Māori co-governance Coastal and marine

It’s easier to get involvedHe māmā te tūhono mai

www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp

The future change driversNga take me nga tini kaupapa mo apopo

Localgovernment change

Central government has a local government reform programme and Resource Management Act changes underway. Changes havebeen made to the LandTransport Management

Act.

Regional risksOur major risks are civil defence

emergencies, such as flooding, biosecurity

incursions and climate change impacts such

as drought.

Iwi Māori influenceThe political and

economic influence of iwi will continue to increase, particularly

following Treaty settlements.

Natural resource constraints

Intensified land use, urban growth and other

activities continue to place pressure on natural resources such as water,

soil, coasts andmarine.

WHAT IMPACTSTHE WAIKATO

REGION?

Demographic changes

We have an ageing population, rural depopulation and our young Māori

population is increasing.

Economic trendsThe Waikato economy

is not meeting its potential and is highly dependent on national and global economies’

performance.

Changingcommunity valuesand expectations

Survey trends indicate the community is most concerned

about job and business opportunities, financial and economic matters and the environment, particularly

water quality.

Our mission: Working with others to

build a Waikato that has

a healthy environment,

strong economy and

vibrant communities.

We need to take into account a number of key drivers that will change the council’s operating environment over the next three to five years.


REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kaua e rangiruatia te hapai o te hoe; e kore to tatou waka e u ki uta.

Don’t paddle out of unison; our canoe will never reach the shore.

This whakatauki (Māori proverb) emphasises the

importance of working together for our region to succeed.

$200,000 property - reduced

general rate - $1.76

$200,000 property

$3.24 net increase

$1,000,000 property - reduced


$1,000,000 property

$3.80 net decrease

$350,000 property - reduced


$350,000 property

$1.02 net increase

Do you support us setting up a regional development fund? If so,

do you think we’ve got the funding source right? Do you have any

comments on the proposed criteria for the fund? Tell us what you think at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Fund for regional-scale developmentHe pūtea tautoko pakihiWe’re proposing to establish a regional development fund, using some of the return from our investment fund. For a number of years councils across the region have been getting ad hoc requests to fund infrastructure, including such things as the cycleways being built around the Waikato.

It got us thinking and talking to other councils. As a result, we’ve investigated the possibility of setting up a fund for regionally significant projects which will benefit people of all ages throughout the region now and into the future.

A regional development fund aligns with our priority on regional development.

If the fund is established, we have set out the following criteria (which is available in full at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp) to assess applications. The project would:

• have to be located in our region

• be of sufficient size to be regionally significant

• promote regional economic development

• be achieved in a way that also enhances environmental, social and cultural outcomes.

Similar funds established by other councils in New Zealand have helped such things as an innovation centre, marine precinct, harbour transformation, festivals and events.

How we propose to fund itWe are proposing that money for the regional development fund comes from a portion of our investment fund’s returns, after subsidising rates and allowing for inflation-proofing.

The investment fund will continue to subsidise rates, but the amount will reduce over the next five years by approximately $250,000 per annum. However, the decrease in subsidy is offset by efficiency gains realised up front so there is no net impact on rates.

Based on the projected return from the investment fund, it’s proposed that $840,000 is redirected into the regional development fund in 2015/16, with $1.16 million in 2016/17 and $1.48 million in 2017/18.

It’s proposed that over the 10 years of the plan a total of $18.89 million would be available to inject into regional-scale projects.

Photo supplied by NDA Engineering

Alternative funding optionAlternatively, we could apply a per property targeted rate. A rate of $5 per property would raise around $850,000 each year for the fund. This is less than is proposed under our option to redirect a portion of the return from the investment fund. Under this alternative option, the investment fund return currently tagged to establish the fund would be used to offset the general rate.

The title says it all: Waikato Means Business.

It’s the name of a 20-year Waikato economic development strategy created with input from regional business leaders.

Waikato people know that ideas are one thing, action is another. The next step is developing an implementation plan to spark those ideas into life and help ensure the region fully realises its economic potential.

There’s weight behind this process – the strategy is an initiative of the Waikato Mayoral Forum, which brings together the region’s mayors and the regional council chair.

The strategy development process drew on a wide range of data and picked up a number of issues highlighted in a 2012 Waikato

Economic Profile developed by the regional council.

We’re proposing funding of $350,000 per annum for the next 10 years – $250,000 of this will be used to kick-start or support initiatives to ensure the strategy’s actions are delivered. The remaining $100,000 will be used for specialist support to coordinate implementation and to ensure progress is monitored and the independent governance group supported.

Our current budget assumes that $100,000 of this cost is paid for through the general rate, with the other $250,000 coming from returns from the investment fund. The increase in the general rate equates to around $0.26 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

Waikato Means Business

If a regional development fund isn’t set upIf we do not go ahead with the regional development fund, the investment income currently tagged to the fund would be used to reduce the general rate. The reduction would be about $0.88 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

2015/16$0.26

increase per $100,000 CV

We’re proposing to fund implementation of the Waikato economic development strategy.

He taha pakihi tō te rohe o Waikato


LAND AND WATER

A plan for the Waipa catchment

We’re proposing additional focused works in the Waipa catchment to support the restoration and protection of the Waipa River.We’re consistently being told that protecting and improving our region’s water quality is what you care about most. And we do too.

It’s reflected in our key priorities, and in work already underway on a collaborative project known as Healthy Rivers: Plan for Change/Wai Ora: He Rautaki Whakapaipai, to improve the water quality of the Waikato and Waipa rivers.

Some of that project’s outcomes are reflected in the Waipa Catchment Plan, which sets a 20 year plan to support the restoration and protection of the Waipa River, and the Waikato River from Ngaruawahia downstream.

The Waipa River’s main issue is sediment, and most of the sediment in the Waikato River comes from the Waipa.

The Waipa Catchment Plan is the first to be developed and the focus will turn to other catchments in the region as their planning is completed.

The plan identifies ‘priority areas’ in the Waipa River catchment. In these areas, on-farm actions to reduce erosion, maintain water quality and protect biodiversity would make the most difference. Priority areas could be subcatchments, reaches of rivers or streams or particular sites.

Additional funding of $594,000 is proposed in 2015/16 to develop farm plans with landowners in the highest priority soil conservation areas, and offer 70 per cent funding for soil conservation and erosion control works on less productive land identified in these farm plans. This additional expenditure is supported through a funding partnership with the Waikato River Authority.

Funding of 35 per cent will be available to landowners in priority nutrient areas for implementing water quality enhancement works.

The Waipa Catchment Plan will be implemented in partnership with Waipa and Waikato River iwi and catchment stakeholders, and will actively involve the wider community. To find out more about the plan visit www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/waipaplan.

How we’ll fund itTo support this work, our funding will need to increase by $253,000 next year, $406,000 in 2016/17 and $811,000 in 2017/18. We are proposing that this is funded through a mix of the general rate (20 per cent) and the Waikato-Waipa Catchment rate (80 per cent).

2015/16General rate

$0.05 increase per $100,000 CVCatchment rate $0.32 increase

per $100,000 CV

Reviewing our regional plan a ‘pretty big job’

The general rate increase would be $0.05 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value next year, increasing to $0.21 in 2017/18.

The Waikato-Waipa catchment rate is based on the capital value of all properties in this catchment area. The increase in rates for these property owners would be $0.32 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value next year, increasing to $1.27 in 2017/18.

We’re undertaking a significant amount of work to review the Waikato Regional Plan.A regional plan guides the use, development and protection of our region’s natural and physical resources. It gives effect to our Regional Policy Statement and helps people to achieve the environmental outcomes we all aspire to in the Waikato.

Our current regional plan became operative in September 2007 but, along with our coastal plan, is now out of date and doesn’t reflect new Government policy changes, nor responds to our changed regional environment.

Reviewing these plans is a pretty big job. It will mean combining the coastal and regional plans. The resulting changes are likely to impact on how the region’s natural resources are used, so we’re staging the review.

We have budgeted $2.035 million in 2015/16 for the review, with $1.616 million and $762,000 for years two and three of the long term plan, with work forecast to continue through to 2022 at which time the Waikato Regional Plan will become operative. This work would be funded through the general rate.

The next step is a review of the plan for the Waihou-Piako and Coromandel catchments, with preliminary work due to get underway in 2015/16.

Talking to Waihou-Piako and Coromandel landownersWe’re proposing a budget of $50,000 in 2015/16, and $88,000 per annum for the rest of the long term plan, for us to work with landowners in these communities. It will

allow us to better understand land use in these catchments, including how they affect the environment and options for managing the impacts of activities on the region’s resources. It will also mean we can talk to landowners about what they can do to prepare for the impact of any new targets and limits on contaminants which could be set during the second stage of the plan change process.

He mahere rautaki mō te whenua o Waipa

He mahi nui te aromatawai i te mahere rautaki o te rohe

Please provide your feedback at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Healthy Rivers | Wai OraWork is already underway on a review of the plan. Healthy

Rivers: Plan for Change/Wai Ora: He Rautaki Whakapaipai

aims to improve the water quality of the Waikato and

Waipa rivers. The project plans to achieve this is by setting

limits and targets on contaminants entering the water and

identifying specific outcomes for water.

While people perish, the land remains.Whatungarongaro te tangata toitu te whenua.

This whakatauki relates to guardianship: that each generation has a

responsibility to pass resources on to the next generation in a better

state.

The plan’s goalsThe plan takes a proactive, prioritised and ‘whole of catchment’ approach to managing the land and water, and includes actions to:

• improve water quality

• conserve soil

• restore and protect important biodiversity habitats

• meet iwi aspirations for the Waipa River.


LAND AND WATERTaking stock of our indigenous biodiversity

Ā tātou taputapu taketake

We’re proposing to spend the next 12 months completing an inventory of indigenous biodiversity sites in the region.In our region, extensive clearance of vegetation and drainage of wetlands has reduced the extent of habitats by 75 per cent, and 223 species of native plants and animals are threatened with extinction. This rate of loss began to occur following the first arrival of humans in New Zealand, but accelerated between the 1840s and 1970s. We are continuing to suffer incremental losses of indigenous biodiversity today.

It is possible to stop this degradation and to help restore our region’s biodiversity. But a lack of good information has made historic methods of biodiversity management less effective than they could be.

The indigenous biodiversity stocktake will underpin a more proactive and strategic approach to regional biodiversity management with landowners and key stakeholders. It will also enable us to meet our statutory requirements under the Resource Management Act and implement our regional policy statement.

A lot of the work we have planned over the next 10 years to improve our region’s land and water quality relies on this information. The regional biodiversity stocktake will enable a more efficient and integrated approach to our catchment management and service delivery.

So, we’re proposing to spend 2015/16 completing a region-wide inventory of our significant natural areas, which began in 2002. Already we’ve spent six months planning what needs to be done and aim to condense five years of work into just one. It is important to get the inventory completed so we can start to add value based on a clear understanding of the regional biodiversity resource.

It will also provide the base information to identify priority ecological networks that will underpin the development of local indigenous biodiversity strategies to start in 2016/17.

We expect this work to take three years to complete, and have budgeted $175,000 per annum from 2016/17 for this. Working with local councils, iwi, landowners and other key stakeholders these strategies will provide a range of solutions, including incentives and assistance to landowners, to protect the biodiversity values on their properties.

How we’ll fund itThe project to complete a stocktake has a $406,000

budget for the first year of the long term plan and will be funded through the general rate. This additional expenditure would result in an increase in rates of around $0.43 for every $100,000 of a property’s

capital value.

Development of the local indigenous biodiversity strategies will also be funded through the general rate.

We’re proposing a budget of $5.9 million over 10 years to reduce or mitigate the effects of sediment discharging from Lake Waikare into the Whangamarino wetland.The work we’re proposing will help to protect the health of the internationally significant

Whangamarino wetland, with other work to be undertaken to improve the water quality of

Lake Waikare.

Both are a key component of the Lower Waikato Waipa Flood Control Scheme, which was

designed in 1959 following a decade of severe floods that threatened communities, the

economy and infrastructure.

As part of the scheme, Lake Waikare and the Whangamarino wetland are used for flood

storage.

We inherited the scheme in 1989, and in 2002 we were granted a suite of resource

consents for the existing flood control structures and activities. One of these consents

allows us to discharge water from the lake to the Whangamarino wetland through an

artificially built canal.

Levels of suspended sediment in Lake Waikare are high. Sediment enters the lake from the

adjoining land and rivers, and is stirred up by wind and wave action, and the pest fish koi

carp. In the wetland, sediment comes from a number of sources, including from Lake Waikare,

the Maramarua River and adjacent land.

We’re working with our co-management partners Waikato-Tainui, hapū, local landowners,

community groups and other agencies to improve the health of both the lake and wetland.

We’re also working with landowners in the Matahuru catchment to protect streams flowing

into the lake to help reduce the amount of sediment reaching it.

How we’ll fund itWe’ve budgeted approximately $5.9 million over 10 years, with $294,000 in 2015/16,

$194,000 in 2016/17 and $219,000 in 2017/18. More significant capital expenditure is

likely to be required from 2018/19 to 2022/23 once investigations into the required works

have been completed, and project consents granted allowing us to implement measures to

remedy or mitigate the discharge of sediment from the lake. Funding for any capital works

is yet to be determined but would be through a mix of general and targeted rates.

Meanwhile, we’ll be looking to improve the overall health of Lake Waikare and the

Whangamarino wetland through a catchment management plan, which sets out measures

to best address sediment sources impacting on the wetland. It will also help us deal

with the wider range of issues in the catchment, including the lake’s water quality and

biodiversity. This work has a budget of about $400,000 over the first three years of the long

term plan.

Improving Lake Waikare and the Whangamarino wetland

He mahi whakapai i a Waikare me Whangamarino

2015/16$0.43




COASTAL AND MARINE

If the land is well, and the ocean is well, the people will thrive.

Toitu te marae a Tane, toitu te Marae a Tangaroa, toitu te iwi.

This whakatauki emphasises the inter-dependence people have with

natural resources to ensure wellbeing.

To improve our knowledge and understanding of the coastal marine environment, we’re proposing additional funding to allow us to collect the ‘right’ information.

Waikato’s coastal marine areas are popular with residents and visitors for food gathering, recreation and conservation, as well as contributing to our economy.

Maintaining the health of these areas is therefore very important, but we’ve not been doing enough monitoring in our coastal marine areas to meet legal requirements and the increasing demand for information from multiple stakeholders.

For some parts of our coastal marine area no data is available at all and in other parts it’s very limited. Relative to other regional councils, we need to invest more to establish a credible baseline of data for the coastal marine area.

We intend to collect baseline data in priority locations, such as the Firth of Thames, using real-time water quality instrumentation and the collection of water samples, including some estuaries and open sea locations.

More knowledge will provide us with the information we need to understand environmental issues, such as land use effects on marine water quality. It will inform policy, particularly the upcoming Regional Coastal Plan review, as well as the development and implementation of new high priority coastal work, and provide opportunities for new and emerging marine industries such as fish farming.

How we’ll fund itThe total amount of new funds for this work is $3.006 million over 10 years, with $468,000 budgeted to get the work started in 2015/16. This work will be funded through the general rate. The increase in rates will be about $0.49 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

Stopping marine pestsHe mahi ārai nanakia moana

Understanding ourcoastal marine areas

We’re proposing to shift from reactive to proactive management of marine pest invasions.The marine environment and aquaculture industry in the Waikato region is at risk from invasive marine species.

We’re the lead agency responsible for the management of many marine pest species that have been present in New Zealand for some time, but we currently have little capacity to do so in the region. This was demonstrated when the marine pest Mediterranean fanworm (Sabella) was found inside Coromandel Harbour on the hull of Auckland-based barges in 2013. In collaboration with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), we responded using a non-regulatory approach. However, this carried significant risk for us, as we had no legal ability to recover the costs of the operation from the owner of the barges.

We have already begun rolling out what’s known as a

‘small scale management plan’ to mitigate the risk. We are doing this under the Biosecurity Act s100. Ultimately it allows us to put rules in place and gives us the ability to recover costs from vessel owners that fail to comply with new regulations.

How we’ll fund itWe’ve budgeted $235,000 in 2015/16, with $180,000 forecast in year two and $160,000 in year three of the long term plan. This will allow us to carry out harbour surveys in the Coromandel and Firth of Thames to accurately gauge the size and scale of the problem, meaning we can proactively use the small scale management plan to limit pests spreading.

Additional funding will also allow us to contribute to the development of National Domestic Pathways Management Plans (PMP) with MPI, other regional councils and industry stakeholders.

Ultimately, through our involvement in the national PMP, we can manage the threat before it gets to our region.

This would be a new and ongoing work programme for our council. It would be funded through the biosecurity rate, which all ratepayers in the region pay. The increase in rates will be about $0.25 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

2015/16$0.49


2015/16$0.25

increase per$100,000 CV

Ngā takutai moana




COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

We’re proposing to change some of the criteria for the allocation of money from funds that sit under the rebranded Natural Heritage Partnership Programme.

Right across our region people are working to make a better environment and where possible we’ve been supporting their work through three funds which have been in place for between 5 and 22 years.

The number of groups, level of participation, and size and complexity of the projects has changed over this time, and a

How we fund environmental projects | He pūtea tautoko taiao

Continued investment in maunga sanctuary proposedWe’re proposing to provide $300,000 per annum for three years to the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust (MEIT) from the existing natural heritage fund.

We’ve recognised the environmental, educational, tourism and community values of the internationally-lauded Maungatautari Ecological Island project by proposing to continue funding it over the next three years.

A significant amount of goodwill from a number of agencies has been invested in creating this sanctuary for native birds and animals, and so councillors believe we should protect this investment.

However, there is concern about the financial sustainability of Maungatautari and so we are seeking reassurance the project has a strategic plan in place to ensure its viability into the future. In line with the proposed criteria change to the natural heritage fund, we’ll require more rigorous reporting from the trust on its activities through a clear accountability framework.

Waipa District Council has signalled through its long term plan an intention to invest $300,000 per annum in the project, inflation adjusted over 10 years. Meanwhile, we’re also calling for the Government to make an ongoing commitment to the project.

We know the trust relies on public funding and so we’ll be interested to see its proposals for future funding sources.

It is proposed our grant of $300,000 per

annum for three years will come from the natural heritage fund. This proposal has no impact on rates, with $1.78 of the existing $5.80 per household natural heritage rate going to MEIT if approved.

He pūtea tautoko whenua rāhui

Provide your feedback on the proposed criteria changes at

www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Please provide feedback on our proposal to fund this

project for three years at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

About the funds• The natural heritage fund is for projects totalling more than $40,000, with multi-year funding applications to be considered for ecological restoration projects. Money for this fund comes from the natural heritage targeted rate of $5.80.

• The environmental initiatives fund is for projects of between $5000 and $40,000. A key change to the funding criteria is consideration of multi-year funding for up to three years and a total of $40,000. We’re also proposing a change which will allow us to fund project labour and administration costs. Money for this fund also comes from the $5.80 natural heritage targeted rate.

• The small scale community initiatives fund is for pest animal and plant control work of up to $5000 for community groups. We’re proposing to extend this to private landowners who intend undertaking control work on their QEII or district covenanted areas. We’re also proposing to increase the contestable fund available to $150,000 by reprioritising some of our current budgets. Money for this fund comes from the biosecurity rate.

Na to rourou, na taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.

With your basket and my basket the people will thrive.

This whakatauki recognises that by working together we will achieve

more. Our mission to enhance the Waikato environment, economy and

communities is also shared by many others. We already have a number of

successful community partnerships that we wish to build upon.

Of the nine sites we monitor in the region for air quality, Tokoroa is the one that exceeds the national standards a number of times a year, particularly during the winter months due to open fires and old woodburners.

As well as benefiting people’s health, improving air quality in Tokoroa is important to make sure we achieve these national standards.

We’ve been working with South Waikato District Council for almost 10 years to reduce the amount of harmful emissions and improve air quality in Tokoroa.

Since 2007 we have subsidised the cost of replacing open fires and inefficient woodburners to help people make the change to cleaner burning heating. About 60 clean heat appliances are currently installed through our programme each year. South Waikato District Council has a similar subsidy programme.

In 2012 and 2013 we worked with the district council to develop a bylaw to regulate open

2015/16$0.07

decrease per $100,000 CV

We’re proposing to reduce annual funding of the Clean Heat Retrofit programme to $100,000 to match South Waikato District Council’s contribution.

Do you support our proposal to reduce the amount of funding

for the Clean Heat Retrofit programme? Visit

www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp to have your say.

fires and old woodburners, because it was considered that incentives and education alone would not see the air quality improve. While the district council decided not to introduce a bylaw, we know that phasing out inefficient heating sources is a vital part of improving air quality in Tokoroa.

What this meansWe’re proposing to reduce the amount of funding for the Tokoroa community by $70,000 to $100,000 – the same amount provided by South Waikato District Council. The reduction in funding means there’ll be between 15 and 18 fewer fully subsidised woodburners installed each year.

We’ll also continue working with the district council to develop and implement regulation that’s achievable for the Tokoroa community. By reducing the funding, the general rate will decrease by $0.07 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

Clean heat funding cut proposed | He pūtea mimiti

number of these groups have been calling on us to change the way we support and fund them.

In response, we’ve moved the natural heritage, environmental initiatives and small scale community initiatives funds to sit under the Natural Heritage Partnership Programme.

We’ve also looked at the criteria for each of the funds to ensure they are clearly defined, simple to understand and have a transparent and easy-to-follow process for applicants.

In reviewing the criteria we’ve recognised that projects will have different levels of funding, support and relationships with our staff. The level of accountability – including audits and monitoring – will also increase with the size of grants.

This proposal has no impact on rates.


IWI MĀORI CO-GOVERNANCE

With red and black the work will be complete.

Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi.

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.

Incorporating mātauranga Māori into our work

2015/16$0.05


We’re proposing to draw on specialist expertise as needed to help with integrating mātauranga Māori into our planning, implementation and review processes.Mātauranga Māori is knowledge of Māori and traditional values. It is about the Māori world view of our environment and its people, both past, present and future.

As our partnerships deepen with iwi, it is important that traditional Māori values and knowledge are understood. It means we can have meaningful discussions and make decisions based not just on scientific information, but also on traditional knowledge and values.

Integration of mātauranga Māori in planning, policy formulation and review, including our monitoring and reporting activities, is also required to meet our obligations under Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation and the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River.

This need is likely to increase as other Treaty settlements are finalised in the region.

Teaching mātauranga Māori to an organisation, and helping to ‘normalise’ it so that it can become business as usual, requires specialist skills. We don’t have the expertise

in house and therefore we intend to draw on specialists in this area outside the organisation.

How we’ll fund itWe have budgeted $100,000 per annum for the first three years of the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, to assist in getting mātauranga Māori ‘normalised’ within our organisation, and embedded into the way we do

things.

We’re proposing a budget of $50,000 per annum for every year after that, to help us continue to learn, and deepen our understanding of mātauranga Māori.

This work will be funded through the general rate. The additional funding will mean an increase in the general rate of $0.05 for every $100,000 of a property’s capital value.

Ngā take tiriti houNew Treaty settlement requirements

We’re allocating additional funding of $50,000 per annum to ensure we can successfully engage with Hauraki Collective iwi.The Crown and Hauraki Collective are scheduled to sign a deed of settlement early next year and that will lead to new co-governance and co-management arrangements.

Once these arrangements have been agreed and finalised, they will be set in stone via Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation.

It’s really important to us that we work well with iwi in the Waihou-Piako and Coromandel catchments, as well as local councils, to embed legislative requirements in our day-to-day business processes.

For us, the new co-governance and co-management arrangements will have significant implications for how we manage the Waihou, Piako, Coromandel, Mangatangi, Mangatawhiri and Whangamarino catchments.

How we’ll fund itWe have included $50,000 per year for the next 10 years in our budget for this work. Our budget assumes that $500,000 is received from the Crown to be used over the first three years to facilitate the Hauraki settlement.

This work is funded through the uniform annual general charge. The additional $50,000 we have provided means an increase of $0.26 for every property in the region.

2015/16$0.26 increase

per property

Mātauranga Māori me te Pūtaiao Pākehā

Please provide your feedback atwww.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Please provide your feedback atwww.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.


Do you support our decision not to collect a rate on behalf of

TBfree New Zealand? Please give us your feedback at

www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Proposal: Council to stop TB rate collection

Kia mutu ai ngā reiti mō TB

Local projects | Ngā mahi ā Takiwā

We’re proposing to decline a request from TBfree New Zealand to collect a rate on its behalf for vector possum control work.TBfree New Zealand’s national bovine TB eradication programme involves controlling vectors such as possums and ferrets that can carry tuberculosis and infect dairy, beef cattle and deer.

We recognise the importance of dairy, beef cattle and deer farming operations

to the regional and national economy, and we support the intentions of TBfree New Zealand’s possum control work.However, we do not believe that regional council rates are the appropriate mechanism for funding the activity. This is a view shared by a number of other councils around New Zealand which have also signalled they intend to stop collecting the rate.As a result, we acknowledge that TBfree New Zealand may choose to reduce its programme in the Waikato.

Three years ago we told TBfree New Zealand that 2013/14 would be the last year the regional council would collect the $650,000 regional contribution for its national programme.We wanted to give TBfree New Zealand time to find alternative funding mechanisms, rather than using the regional council as the collection agency. TBfree New Zealand has the ability through the Biosecurity Act to strike its own levies.Last year we were asked to continue

collecting the rate for one more year, as there had been delays in TBfree New Zealand’s review of its funding strategy. After considering submissions, we agreed to do so.

We have again been asked by TBfree New Zealand to rate rural landowners in 2015/16 for its work. To do so would push up our average rates revenue increase by 0.8 per cent, instead of the 0.2 per cent rise projected. Only ratepayers with properties 2 hectares or greater in area would pay this rate.

Flood protection work at Tauhei

He mahi ārai waipukeWe’re proposing to undertake capital works to prevent flooding of the land adjacent to the upper Tauhei stream.

Over the last seven years, the landowners of the Tauhei drainage area within the Mangawara River valley have been experiencing flooding of the land adjacent to the upper Tauhei stream.

The area is suffering up to 10 floods a year with inundation exceeding three days duration. This is causing significant loss of production and increasing costs of flood damage, remedial works including re-grassing, silt removal and other.

Over the last year we’ve investigated the flooding issues and options for reducing the flood impacts. The preferred option includes stream channel enlargement, relocation of an existing stopbank and riparian works at an estimated cost of $1.3 million.

Landowners have previously indicated they support the proposal and are prepared to fund their share of the capital works. Funding of $100,000 was allocated in the 2014/15 budget to start the project. It is anticipated the physical works will be completed over two years.

We’re proposing to construct a new pump station in the Pouarua subcatchment within the Piako River Scheme.

We manage a multi-million dollar system of natural and built infrastructure across the region to keep productive pastoral land draining freely.

As a result of peat decomposition within the Pouarua subcatchment, ground levels have been dropping by an average of 25mm per year. The construction of a new pump station is required to ensure we can maintain the level of service – flood water and drainage-removal of surface water within three days for an up to ten year event – and productivity of the land.

The work will have direct benefit for 21 properties and is a partnership between the council and Hauraki District Council.

The works are budgeted to cost $2.5 million over the first two years of the long term plan, with operational expenditure of $60,000 budgeted for every year after that.

A newsletter providing detailed information on this proposal will be mailed to all directly affected ratepayers in March.

If you live in these areas, do you support these works being

undertaken? Visit www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp

to have your say.

New ‘Muggeridge’s pump’ in NgateaHe papu hou ki Ngatea


Mō ngā pūtea

80%

2015/162016/17

2017/182018/19

2019/202020/21

2021/222022/23

2023/242024/25

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

35% 34% 34% 34% 34%35% 35% 34% 34% 34%

33% 34% 34% 34% 35%33% 33% 34% 35% 35%

20%

10%

0%

General rates Targeted rates Limit on rates revenue as % of total revenue

Rates revenue as % of total revenue

6%

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

5%

4%

3%

2%

1%

0%

Rates increase as % of operating expenditure

Limit on rates increase as % of operating expenditure

Rates increases as % of operating expenditure

About thefinancesThe strategy for our finances

He rautaki pūtea

Our financial strategy sets out how we prioritise spending and how we plan to pay for the work we’re doing across the region. It also defines limits on rates revenue and rates increases.

In our financial strategy we’ve identified three objectives:

Rates affordability We recognise the need to balance the demand for work with the community’s ability to pay. This balance is achieved by prioritising work, as well as using a robust revenue and financing policy to target the costs to those who cause or benefit from the work undertaken. The strategy sets limits on rates revenue and rates increases that we work within to provide our services to the region. The budgets we are proposing fit comfortably within the limits that have been set.

There is variability in our expenditure and we use reserves to smooth this year-to-year.

Financial risk management We provide a range of core services to our community, and need to ensure key areas of our business have funds available to continue. It is especially important that we have funding to carry out our disaster recovery work and have a buffer against potential cost and revenue variations in relation to our public transport services.

Insuring our assetsAs a regional council, we’re responsible for the provision of flood protection and control works across the region. These assets are valued at around $430 million. Because these assets help to protect both people and property from risks posed by floods and other natural weather events, it’s important we can ensure that, if they are damaged, we are able to get on and fix them without worrying about how to fund such work.

In order to do this, we have in place a range of risk management options. This year we have increased the insurance cover we hold so we know we can meet the potential costs of more frequent events that cause less damage. We know insurance won’t cover everything, so we are planning to retain our cash reserves to allow us to meet those costs that are not insurable. At the end of the 10-year period, we plan to have regional disaster recovery reserves of around $6.4 million available. This amount will depend on any natural events over this period that we need to respond to.

Diversified investment strategy We hold an investment fund which originated from the sale proceeds of shares in the Port of Tauranga and Ports of Auckland in the early 1990s. We work hard to ensure this fund is carefully managed and balances risk and return.

Investment policy changesWe have taken a look at our strategy for the mix of assets we hold in the investment fund, and how the returns from the fund are distributed.

With the proposed changes – such as establishing

• an amount to inflation proof the fund value – this ensures the real value of the fund is maintained for future generations

• an amount to subsidise rates.

Any return remaining after this will be available to distribute to the regional development fund if approved and to meet the costs of implementing the regional economic development strategy which we estimate to be $840,000 in year 1 and $2.13 million by year 5.

We are proposing that the level of rates subsidy reduces from the current level of $2.3 million to half of that progressively over 5 years. In preparing our budgets we have offset the reduced rates subsidy by efficiency savings so there is no overall impact to ratepayers.

Further information on the proposed regional development fund is on page 3 of this document.

a regional development fund, and funding for the implementation of the regional economic development strategy being met from returns from the investment fund – it’s given us the opportunity to reconsider how we manage the investment fund on behalf of the community.

We’re proposing to increase the amount we invest in equities (shares). This will increase from 30 per cent of the fund to 40 per cent. As a result, the amount we invest in bonds and term deposits will reduce from 70 per cent to 60 per cent.

We’re budgeting on a return from the fund of 4 per cent per annum (after fees and inflation). Our professional advisors have told us that if we retain the current asset mix, we would need to consider a reduction to this level of return.

We’re proposing that the returns from the fund are applied in the following ways:

www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp for the full financial strategy


Looking after assets worth millions

He tiaki taputapu nui

We manage flood protection and land drainage assets with a replacement value of $430 million. These stopbanks, pump stations and flood gates minimise flooding and erosion, and protect people, property and productive farmland. Our Infrastructure Strategy identifies the significant infrastructure issues over the next 30 years and how we’ll manage them.

AGEING ASSETSThe major schemes and associated assets were constructed from the 1960s through to the 1990s. Over time, the assets deteriorate and many will reach the end of their life in the next 30 years and need replacement.

We propose continuing to undertake renewal programmes that ensure assets provide the level of service as agreed with communities. This is forecast to include about $58 million of renewal works in the next 10 years and about $178 million over the next 30 years. The average annual spend over the first three years of this LTP is $6.4 million due to extra work on pump stations. We use reserves to ensure the costs to maintain our assets are funded over time, and by those who receive a benefit from the assets.

LEVEL OF SERVICEMaintaining existing levels of service comes with a number of challenges caused by environmental, legislative, social or growth related changes. Some specific challenges include peat settlement, pressures associated with urban and rural development and land use/catchment changes which can impact on downstream portions of catchments.

Ongoing programmes will be in place to monitor and maintain the condition and performance of infrastructural assets. Monitoring of other trends including environmental, development and legislative in association with the relevant sections of the council will also occur.

REGULATORY CONTEXTMuch of the flood protection and drainage infrastructure sits either adjacent to or has the ability to affect high value environmental, recreational or conservation areas. This influences the regulatory requirements including obtaining, reviewing, implementing and monitoring resource consents.

Where appropriate, we seek to obtain comprehensive consents that allow for a number of activities over 20-30 years. This gives certainty that the required flood protection and control work can be undertaken under a set of defined conditions. This also provides an upfront understanding of any mitigation requirements that can then be planned and budgeted for.

CLIMATE CHANGE New Zealand is projected to get hotter, have heavier rainfall and experience more severe droughts and floods as a result. Sea level rise will also be a key factor in many areas with a projected increase of 30cm above the current mean sea level by 2050. The response to longer term impacts of sea level rise and increased rainfall requires further development.

A long term strategy is to be developed to set out our response to climate change forecasts. This exercise will inform asset management planning.

MANAGING RISKS RELATING TO NATURAL DISASTERSThe Waikato region is one of the most hazardous in New Zealand and extreme events such as tsunami, coastal storm surge, land instability, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions pose significant threat to infrastructural assets. Infrastructure resilience and being able to recover from such events as quickly as possible is important as it not only minimises the risk to the community and the economy, it also minimises damage to the actual assets.

We’re developing business continuity plans to manage the risk and reduce the damage potential of natural hazards on our assets. We’ve also reviewed our disaster funding provisions to ensure we can respond as needed following adverse natural events.

RESIDUAL RISKIn the context of river and flood management, residual risk areas are those areas directly behind flood control structures that would be inundated if the asset was damaged, failed or overtopped in an event. When flood protection structures fail or are overtopped, the consequences are often much higher than in a typical flooding event.

Areas that are likely to be inundated in the event of failure, damage or overtopping of the asset will be identified and assessed, and communicated to the council and wider community.

ECONOMIC CONDITIONSThe region’s economic conditions have an impact on the affordability of the services provided and may influence the levels of service sought by communities.

We will continue to monitor economic indicators and trends to identify responses needed in regard to levels of service.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENTPlanned increases in level of service or new services are typically driven by demand. Flood protection to reduce the risk of damage to existing properties, drainage to develop agriculture potential and population growth have all been shown to generate demand for additional levels of service.

We will monitor trends in regional growth and development with the view to planning for, and incorporating growth into, ongoing maintenance and renewal programmes.

RESPONSEISSUE

Has the strategy captured the main issues? Do you think we have identified

the right actions to address these issues? Do you agree with the level of

investment that is planned in relation to the maintenance of our flood protection

assets? Have your say at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.


Do you support the proposed changes to the UAGC?

Provide your feedback atwww.waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

As part of the development of the long term plan, we’ve reviewed our revenue and financing policy to ensure it still aligns with the activities that are proposed to be undertaken over the period of this plan.

The revenue and financing policy sets out how we plan to fund the work we do. The policy needs to consider:

• the council outcomes that the work contributes to

• who benefits from the work, and who contributes to the need for the council to undertake the work

• whether the work should be funded separately

• the overall impact of the allocation of funding across the community.

As a result of the review, we’re proposing to make some changes to the way we currently fund our work. In particular, we are proposing:

• changes to the way we apply the uniform annual general charge (UAGC), which is a flat rate applied across all properties in the region. This means all property owners in the region pay the same amount.

• a new funding policy to meet the costs of the proposed Waipa catchment management works outlined on page 4

• a change to the funding of the Lake Taupō monitoring programme.

This year will mark the successful completion of the ground-breaking Protecting Lake Taupō project.

Lake Taupō is New Zealand’s largest lake and valued highly for its crystal blue water and dramatic vistas. These features support a domestic and international tourist mecca featuring a world class fishery and multitude of recreational opportunities.

The lake is the cultural and spiritual heart of Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

The lake’s excellent water quality derives from

extremely low levels of plant nutrients and phytoplankton.

The Protecting Lake Taupō Project was established to manage the direct link between water quality and nitrogen discharges from farms which contributed more than 90 per cent of the manageable nitrogen load into the lake.

The Lake Taupō Protection Trust is due to sign its final agreement with landowners to keep nitrogen out of the lake forever in the first quarter of 2015.

It is a real success story that has influenced national and international thinking about water quality management and community-based change processes.

The Protecting Lake Taupō rate will reduce this year and stop completely next year. It is proposed that the cost of the ongoing monitoring programme set by the Lake Taupō Joint Committee will be funded through the general rate. The programme will include ongoing compliance monitoring, state of the environment monitoring, information requests and publicity.

How changes to the revenue and financing policy affect you | Me pēwhea ngā hurihanga pūtea e pā atu ki a koe

There are some changes proposed around what services will be funded by way of the uniform annual general charge (UAGC). This is a flat rate applied to all properties in the Waikato region. The changes will see an increase in the UAGC for everyone – but the overall impact will vary depending on property value. To understand how a proposed increase in this charge will affect you, see the table below.

When looking at what activities to fund by the UAGC, we consider the following:• it is a “public good” to which every ratepayer has equal access• it doesn’t directly change the condition or economic value of a property or resource• it is related to people rather than property.

Currently the following activities are funded by the UAGC:

Based on the review, we think the following activities should now also be funded by the UAGC:• Iwi partnerships• Community partnerships (partial funding)• Biodiversity.

In addition to the UAGC, there are two other rates that we set on a uniform basis across all ratepayers. These rates are the Natural Heritage rate and the Civil Defence and emergency management rate. The combined total of these rates make up 18 per cent of our total rates revenue. The overall impact to ratepayers of changes to these rates is summarised below.

• Governance• Organisational planning and reporting• Social and economic information (partial funding)• Maritime services

• Home of Cycling grant funding• Emergency management• Resilient development.

He hurihanga

pea o te utu reiti

The UAGC

may change

Successful end to Lake Taupō projectI whakaoti pai ngā mahi o te roto o Taupō-nui-a-Tia

HOW CHANGES TO THE UAGC WILL AFFECT YOUR RATES PROPERTY

VALUE $200,000 $350,000 $1,000,000CURRENT

RATESPROPOSED

RATES2015/2016

CURRENTRATES

PROPOSEDRATES

2015/2016

CURRENTRATES

PROPOSEDRATES

2015/2016

GENERALRATE

$60.50 $61.50 $105.88 $107.62 $302.50 $307.50

PER PROPERTY

RATES(UNIFORM)

$69.73 $85.00 $69.73 $85.00 $69.73 $85.00

$130.23 $146.50 $175.61 $192.62 $372.23 $392.50

INCREASE $16.27 12.5%

$17.01 9.7%

$20.27 5.4%

CURRENTRATES

PROPOSEDRATES

CURRENTRATES

PROPOSEDRATES

CURRENTRATES

PROPOSEDRATES

See page 14 for the overall impacts on your Waikato Regional Council rates.


Ngā wāhi noho

For information on the proposed rates for your property,go to www.waikatoregion.govt/rates/find-out-your-rates.

4.0%

3.5%

3.0%

2.5%

2.0%

1.5%

1.0%

0.5%

0.0%

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Projected average increase in rates revenue He whakarahi i a tātou reiti

Following on from the review of how we fund our work, we have also looked at the way we charge for some of our services. Two key changes are proposed:

Fixed charge for monitoring of farm water consents

We’re proposing to introduce a new fixed charge for compliance monitoring of farm water consents. Using a fixed charge removes the need for us to charge based on actual time spent monitoring, and also provides certainty for consent holders on the amount they are required to pay on an annual basis.

This creates a number of operational efficiencies that will reduce costs for the council and consent holders.

A fee of $60 (excluding GST) is proposed. This would be included with the consent holder charge that is paid once a year. Monitoring would typically occur every three to four years, where compliance is achieved. Where non compliance is identified, follow up inspections are likely to be required which will be charged on a user pays basis.

If we don’t implement this change, the current charging method of actual costs (time and expenses) would be retained.

State of the environment (SOE) monitoring for water takes

With the implementation of Variation 6 to the Waikato Regional Plan now well embedded, we’re able to take another look at the way we charge to partly recover the costs of the environmental monitoring work we do in response to consent holders using the region’s water resources. Currently, the charges for this work are split between groundwater takes and surface water takes. A scale of charges is in place, depending on the volume of water taken. We are proposing to make the following changes to these charges:

• combine our charging for groundwater and surface water – we manage the water resource as a whole, so we think this differentiation is not needed

• move to a more graduated charging mechanism which matches with the volume of take permitted under each resource consent.

So, for example, a water take of 100m3 per day would pay $53 (excluding GST) per annum (100 x 53 cents), while a water take of 40,000m3 per day would pay $16,900 (excluding GST) per annum for state of the environment monitoring (30,000 x 53 cents plus 10,000 x 10 cents).

The overall impact of the proposed change is that approximately 64 per cent of current consent holders will see a reduction in their charges, but there’ll be an increase for large resource users.

If the proposed change is not supported, we would retain the current consent subcategories and charging steps.

Changes to our charges

He hurihanga ki ngā reiti

Council staff are currently spread over six premises in Hamilton which is not an efficient and effective way to run our business. In 2008 we acquired an adjoining property, currently leased and earning rental income, with the potential to develop the site for office accommodation. However, councillors have decided that due to the uncertainty of local government reform any decision on office accommodation should be deferred and accordingly the tenant leases on the property have been extended through to 2018. No provision has been made in the budgets over the term of the plan for new premises.

Accommodation

Where our funding comes from

GENERAL RATE25%

UAGC10%

TARGETED RATES33%

INVESTMENT INCOME6%

GOVERNMENT GRANTS9%

FEES AND CHARGES17%

Volumetric consent Description 2014/15 SOEsubcategory monitoring charge ($)

Groundwater – extra large Takes exceeding 10,000m3 of water per day 8491

Groundwater – large Takes from 1001 to 10,000m3 of water per day 737

Groundwater – medium Takes from 201 to 1000m3 of water per day 236

Groundwater – small Takes of up to 200m3 of water per day 100

Surface water – extra large Takes exceeding 10,000m3 of water per day 11,841

Surface water – large Takes from 1001 to 10,000m3 of water per day 414

Surface water – medium Takes from 201 to 1000m3 of water per day 203

Surface water – small Takes of up to 200m3 of water per day 128

Consented water takes Variable charge rate for every cubic metre of water consented (based on daily net limit) $ / m3 (charged only once per annum)

First 30,000m3 per day 0.53

Any component above 30,000 m3 per day 0.10

CURRENT CHARGING STEPS

PROPOSED CHARGES

The proposed plan results in the following average projected rates revenue increases from existing ratepayers. Nō whea ā tātou

pūtea tautoko?

2021/22


Hamilton City Council

All properties $162.75 $172.80 $220.91 $231.23 $472.91 $484.40

Transport $73.12 $65.68 $127.96 $114.98 $365.60 $328.40

Catchment $12.58 $12.95 $16.17 $22.66 $31.70 $64.75

Total estimated rates $248.45 $251.43 $365.03 $368.86 $870.21 $877.55

Hauraki District Council

All properties $161.67 $173.85 $219.02 $233.06 $467.51 $489.65

Catchment $28.50 $27.44 $49.88 $48.03 $142.50 $137.22

Other targeted rate (2ha+) - - - - $64.05 $52.26


Matamata-Piako District Council

All properties $161.97 $179.68 $219.54 $243.27 $469.01 $518.80

Catchment $28.50 $27.44 $49.88 $48.03 $142.50 $137.22



Ōtorohanga District Council

All properties $160.95 $172.07 $217.76 $229.96 $463.91 $480.77

Catchment $58.08 $61.21 $40.32 $45.87 $115.20 $131.05



Rotorua District Council

All properties $152.29 $167.80 $202.59 $222.47 $420.59 $459.40

Catchment $18.49 $21.97 $32.35 $38.45 $92.43 $109.85



South Waikato District Council

All properties $160.33 $173.64 $216.67 $232.70 $460.81 $488.61

Catchment $16.40 $18.63 $28.70 $32.60 $82.00 $93.15



Taupō District Council

All properties $161.11 $167.71 $218.04 $222.32 $464.71 $458.97

Catchment $22.92 $24.11 $40.11 $42.19 $114.60 $120.55



Thames-Coromandel District Council

All properties $159.52 $167.26 $215.25 $221.53 $456.74 $456.70

Catchment $32.76 $33.20 $39.30 $39.77 $67.64 $68.24



Waikato District Council

All properties $156.03 $167.12 $209.14 $221.28 $439.40 $455.99

Catchment $38.17 $39.71 $66.80 $69.49 $190.87 $198.55



Waipa District Council

All properties $159.35 $172.69 $214.96 $231.03 $455.91 $483.84

Catchment $24.26 $27.53 $42.46 $48.18 $121.30 $137.65



Waitomo District Council

All properties $162.19 $169.29 $219.93 $225.09 $470.11 $466.87

Catchment $23.08 $26.19 $40.39 $45.83 $115.40 $130.95



Current

Current

$200,000 CV

$200,000 CV

$350,000 CV

$350,000 CV

$1 million CV

$1 million CV

Current

Current

Current

Current

Proposed

Proposed

Proposed

Proposed

Proposed

Proposed

Your rates Ōu reiti

Catchment rates shown here exclude any direct benefit rates that individual properties may pay.


Whakapā atu ki ōutoki kaunihera

What’s happening next? | He aha ināianei?

Contact yourcouncillors

Paula SouthgateChairpersonHamilton constituency021 589 [email protected]

Jane HennebryHamilton constituency021 229 [email protected]

Bob SimcockHamilton constituency021 991 [email protected]

Lois LivingstonHamilton constituency021 704 [email protected]

Timoti BramleyNgā Tai ki Uta Māori constituency021 0842 [email protected]

Kathy WhiteTaupō-Rotorua constituency 021 676 [email protected]

Clyde GrafThames-Coromandel constituency021 919 [email protected]

Tipa MahutaDeputy ChairpersonNgā Hau e Whā Māori constituency021 919 [email protected]

Stuart HusbandWaihou constituency027 233 [email protected]

Hugh VercoeWaihou constituency021 673 [email protected]

Peter BuckleyWaikato constituency 021 227 [email protected]

Theresa StarkWaikato constituency 021 941 [email protected]

Stuart KneeboneWaipa-King Country constituency (07) 827 3079 or 021 943 [email protected]

Alan LivingstonWaipa-King Country constituency 027 572 [email protected]

14 March 2015Consultation begins Go to waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp to make your submission online. Please make written comments as clear as possible.

14 April 2015Consultation ends at 4pmPlease make sure all submissions are received by the close-off time and date.

4-8 May 2015Hearings Members of the public are welcome to listen to the hearings. Meeting details, including agendas are available online at waikatoregion.govt.nz/agendas.

25-29 MayCouncillors deliberate Councillors will meet to discuss the submissions and make final decisions on the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan.

30 June 20152015-2025 Long Term Plan adopted The final plan will be adopted at the council meeting. A copy will then be available online at waikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp.

Independent auditor’s report on Waikato Regional Council’s Consultation Document for its proposed 2015-25 Long Term Plan

1 The International Standard on Assurance Engagements (New Zealand) 3000 (Revised): Assurance Engagements Other Than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information and The International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3400: The Examination of Prospective Financial Information.

I am the Auditor General’s appointed auditor for Waikato Regional Council (the Council). Section 93C of the Local Government Act (the Act) requires an audit report on the Council’s consultation document. I have carried out this audit using the staff and resources of Audit New Zealand. We completed this audit on 12 March 2015.

Opinion

In my opinion:

• the consultation document provides an effective basis for public participation in the Council’s decisions about the proposed content of its 2015-25 long term plan, because it:

- fairly represents the matters proposed for inclusion in the long term plan; and

- identifies and explains the main issues and choices facing the Council and region, and the consequences of those choices; and

• the information and assumptions underlying the information in the consultation document are reasonable.

Basis of Opinion

We carried out our work in accordance with the Auditor-General’s Auditing Standards, relevant international standards and the ethical requirements in those standards.1

We assessed the evidence the Council has to support the information and disclosures in the consultation document. To select appropriate audit procedures, we assessed the risk of material misstatement and the Council’s systems and processes applying to the preparation of the consultation document.

We did not evaluate the security and controls over the publication of the consultation document.

Responsibilities of the Council and auditor

The Council is responsible for:

• meeting all legal requirements relating to its procedures, decisions, consultation, disclosures, and other actions associated with preparing and publishing the consultation document and long-term plan whether in printed or electronic form;

• having systems and processes in place to provide the supporting information and analysis the Council needs to be able to prepare a consultation document and long term plan that meet the purposes set out in the Act; and

• ensuring that any forecast financial information being presented has been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice in New Zealand.

I am responsible for reporting on the consultation document, as required by section 93C of the Act. I do not express an opinion on the merits of any policy content of the consultation document.

Independence

We have followed the independence requirements of the Auditor-General, which incorporate those of the External Reporting Board. Other than our work in carrying out all legally required external audits, we have no relationship with or interests in the Council.

Clarence Susan Audit New Zealand On behalf of the Auditor General Tauranga, New Zealand

Attach extra pages as required


ww

w.w

aikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp

Hearings

If you indicate that you wish to present your subm

ission to the council in person, we w

ill contact you to arrange a date and time.

Hearings are scheduled to take place from

4-8 May 2015 at W

aikato Regional Council’s Ham

ilton East office.

Please make your w

ritten comm

ents as clear as possible and use the presentation time to highlight the m

ost important aspects.

Deliberations

The councillors will m

eet to deliberate on all submissions in M

ay, with the final plan adopted on 30 June 2015.

EnquiriesFor all enquiries about the consultation docum

ent and the submission process, please call W

aikato Regional Council’s freephone 0800 800 401.

Submissions close at 4pm

on Tuesday, 14 April 2015.

Tell us what

you thinkW

e’re making it easier for you to have your say

– and saving costs at the same tim

e!

Visit ww

w.w

aikatoregion.govt.nz/ltp and click the link to the online subm

ission form.

Register your details, if you haven’t before. N

ow you’ll be able to read our 2015-2025 Long

Term Plan Consultation D

ocument.

Read something that m

akes you jump for joy or

hopping mad? Tell us about it by clicking on ‘m

ake subm

ission’ and then follow the prom

pts.

Submitter

Title (please circle): Dr M

r Mrs M

s Miss O

ther (please specify)

First name: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Surname: .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Organisation/group subm

itting (if applicable): .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Postal address (Please ensure you provide your full postal address, including rural delivery and postcode):

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

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

............................................................................................................................................................................... Postcode: ................................................................................................................................

Phone (daytime): .................................................................................................................................. M

obile: .....................................................................................................................................

Email (please print): ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I/we w

ish to receive all information via em

ail ........................................................................................................................................................................................... Yes No

I wish to present these com

ments to the council in person at the hearings . ................................................................................................................. Yes N

o

Hearings are scheduled for 4-8 M

ay 2015. You will be notified w

hen to appear.

Signed: ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Your submission

Note that your subm

ission and any information you supply as part of your subm

ission is considered public information

and will be available in reports and docum

ents relating to this process and may be published on our w

ebsite at

ww

w.w

aikatoregion.govt.nz.

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Faxed to:07 859 0998

Emailed to: haveyoursay@

waikatoregion.govt.nz

Delivered to:

Waikato Regional Council

401 Grey Street

Ham

ilton East H

amilton

Posted to:2015 LTP project team

Freepost 118509 W

aikato Regional Council Private Bag 3038 W

aikato Mail Centre

Ham

ilton 3240

Want to subm

itbut don’t have access

to a computer

or the internet?

Your submission can also be:

Submission form

| He pānui tuku kōrero

2015-2025 Long Term Plan

Have your say – do it online

He aha ōu

whakaaro

FRED n1333082 v1 Submission - Waikato Regional Council ... · Kia mahara ake i ng a tini aitu a...

Documents

Transcript of FRED n1333082 v1 Submission - Waikato Regional Council ... · Kia mahara ake i ng a tini aitu a...