Minutes of a meeting of the Tararua District Council held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Wednesday 26 August 2015 commencing at 1.00 pm.

1. Present

His Worship the Mayor – Mr R A Ellis, Crs W H Keltie (Deputy Mayor), T H Collis, J E Crispin, K R Fenemor (from item 10.9), S A Hull, C J Isaacson and D A Roberts.

In Attendance

Mr B King - Chief Executive

Mr R Taylor - Governance Manager

Mr P Wimsett - Manager Strategy and District Development

Mr R Suppiah - Chief Financial Officer and Acting Regulatory Manager

Mrs K Dever-Tod - Manager Assets Group

Mr T Dodd - Alliance Performance Manager (from item 10.9)

Others as detailed for specific items

2. Council Prayer

2.1	The Mayor opened the meeting with the Council Prayer.

3. Apologies

3.1	*That an apology be received from Cr K R Fenemor for lateness to the meeting.* Crs Roberts/Crispin Carried

4. Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

4.1

Nil

5. Declarations of Conflicts of Interest in Relation to this Meeting’s Items of Business

5.1

Nil

6. Personal Matters

6.1

Nil

7. Confirmation of Minutes

7.1	*That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 29 July 2015 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* Crs Collis/Hull Carried

8.	Any Matters Arising from the Minutes not otherwise dealt with in the Agenda
8.1	Eastern Institute of Technology Construction Foundation Training (Item 13.2)
8.1.1	The Eastern Institute of Technology Level 2 Certificate in Construction Foundation training course has been completed, with all of the students successfully achieving a pass result.

9. Community Boards and Community Committees Reports

9.1	Eketahuna Community Board
9.1.1	*That the report of the Eketahuna Community Board meeting held on 7 August 2015 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Keltie/Isaacson Carried
9.1.2	Tararua Cycleway Project Proposal
9.1.2.1	Cr Collis will undertake the role of liaison representative with the Tararua cycleway project steering group.
9.1.3	Resignation of Warren Davidson as South Tararua Ward District Councillor
9.1.3.1	The Council has initiated an external review of its governance policies, systems and processes through Local Government New Zealand. This follows the recent public comments on the Council as a governing body.
9.1.3.2	The Eketahuna Community Board’s Chairperson spoke to the Mayor in respect of this matter, and board members are aware of the approach taken by the Council.
9.1.3.3	A copy of the media release providing the details will be circulated to the Board for their information relative to the concerns raised at its August meeting.

9.2	Dannevirke Community Board
9.2.1	*That the report of the Dannevirke Community Board meeting held on 3 August 2015 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Keltie/Isaacson Carried
9.3	Pahiatua On Track
9.3.1	*That the report of the Pahiatua On Track meeting held on 5 August 2015 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Keltie/Isaacson Carried

9.4	Woodville Districts' Vision
9.4.1	*That the report of the Woodville Districts’ Vision meeting held on 4 August 2015 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Keltie/Isaacson Carried
9.4.2	Visit by the Mayor of Bieleski
9.4.2.1	A mayoral reception will be arranged when the Mayor of Bieleski visits the district.

10. Reports

10.1

Grant Application of Luke Jones to the International Representatives Scheme

10.1.1

That the report from the Recreation Officer Sport Tararua dated 19 August 2015 concerning the grant application of Luke Jones to the International Representatives Scheme (as circulated) be received, and

That the Council approves the application made by Luke Jones for assistance towards his costs to represent New Zealand as a competitor at the Youth Commonwealth Games held in Apia, Samoa from 5 to 12 September 2015, and

That the sum of $500.00 be granted from the International Representatives Scheme for this purpose.

Crs Collis/Isaacson Carried

10.2	Grant Application of Geoff Bendall to the International Representatives Scheme
10.2.1	That the report from the Recreation Officer Sport Tararua dated 20 August 2015 concerning the grant application of Geoff Bendall to the International Representatives Scheme (as circulated) be received, and That the Council approves the application made by Geoff Bendall for assistance towards his costs to represent New Zealand at the Standard Duathlon ITU World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia from 17 to 18 October 2015, and *That the sum of $250.00 be granted from the International Representatives Scheme for this purpose.* Crs Hull/Collis Carried
10.3	Sport Manawatu
10.3.1	The Mayor welcomed Trevor Shailer (Chief Executive Officer), Natarsha Nikora (Recreation Officer Sport Tararua) and Kelly Christensen (Bush Multisport Administrator) from Sport Manawatu to the meeting.
10.3.2	The Recreation Officer Sport Tararua gave a visual presentation regarding the activities and events held in the Tararua district through Sport Manawatu during the period of 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
10.3.3	The Sport Manawatu Chief Executive Officer spoke on the Kiwisport Fund, the Sport New Zealand Community Sport Strategy and the development of the Regional Sport Facilities Plan.
10.3.4	He also outlined the intention of Sport Manawatu to consider at their September Annual General Meeting the matter of regional representation on its board, and thanked the Council for its ongoing support.
10.3.5	The Bush Multisport Administrator gave a visual presentation concerning highlights relating to the multisport complex and the utilisation of the facility, and she spoke on the focus of the Trust’s development plans for the next twelve months.
10.3.6	The Mayor commended the team from Sport Manawatu on the work that they undertake within the district, and he thanked its representatives for attending the meeting and the presentation of their Annual Reports.
10.3.7	*That the reports from Sport Manawatu concerning the 2014/2015 Annual Reports for Sport Tararua and the Bush Multisport Trust (as circulated) be received.* Crs Collis/Hull Carried

10.4

International Representatives Scheme Review

10.4.1

That the report from the Governance Manager dated 19 August 2015 concerning the International Representatives Scheme review (as circulated) be received, and

That through the review of the guidelines for applications to the International Representatives Scheme the Council makes the following amendments to apply from the date of this meeting:

· Amend the number of years that an applicant may be granted funding to read; “Applicants may submit more than one application per year, but applicants can only be granted funding once very financial year ending 30 June for a maximum of three consecutive years.”

· Add a new provision to the grants guidelines to read; “Where funding is granted from the district’s community boards/community committees the applicant will not be eligible to receive financial assistance through the Council’s International Representatives Scheme.”

And that in conjunction with the next Annual Plan the Council will consider the budget provision for the International Representatives Scheme and appropriate options to provide possible funding to support other international representatives worthy of assistance outside of sport.

Crs Keltie/Hull Carried

10.5

Report on the Administration of Dog Control Policy and Practices for the Year Ended 30 June 2015

10.5.1

That the report from the Acting Regulatory Manager dated 19 August 2015 concerning the report on the administration of dog control policy and practices for the year ended 30 June 2015 (as circulated) be received, noted and adopted by the Council.

Crs Isaacson/Roberts Carried

10.6

Tararua District Council 2015 Annual Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority

10.6.1

That the report from the Acting Regulatory Manager dated 19 August 2015 concerning the Tararua District Council 2015 Annual Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (as circulated) be received and the contents are noted.

Crs Keltie/Hull Carried

10.7

Liquor Licensing Matters Determined Under Delegated Authority

10.7.1

That the report from the Liquor Licensing Officer dated 19 August 2015 concerning Liquor Licensing matters determined under delegated authority (as circulated) be received and the contents are noted.

Crs Collis/Isaacson Carried

10.8

Planning Matters Determined Under Delegated Authority

10.8.1

That the report from the Planning Manager dated 19 August 2015 concerning Planning matters determined under delegated authority (as circulated) be received and the contents are noted.

Crs Collis/Isaacson Carried

10.8.2

Cr Fenemor entered the meeting at 2.00 pm.

10.9

Mangatainoka Domain

10.9.1

That the report from the Performance Manager dated 19 August 2015 concerning the Mangatainoka Domain (as circulated) be received, and

That the opportunity to exchange land to suit the future needs of both the Hemopo’s and the Tararua District Council be authorised, with similar areas to be exchanged on the basis of option B as outlined in the attachment of the Performance Manager’s report.

Advisory Note

The Hemopo’s will meet all of the costs involved, and the agreement to this option has no negative effect on access to the Mangatainoka Domain.

Crs Keltie/Crispin Carried

10.10	Financial Report for the Year Ended 30 June 2015
10.10.1	The Chief Financial Officer spoke on the Council’s end of financial year performance and results, including significant variances from budget and the service performance measures.
10.10.2	Overall the results are generally favourable, but some measures and outcomes were not achieved and the capital works completion rate was below expectations.
10.10.3	It was pleasing to note the significant progress made in reducing rates debtors through the collection of $905,712 owing. This reduced the overall rates debtors from $1.65 million to $745,766 as at the end of the financial year.
10.10.4	The focus of this work has been directed to reducing debtors from 31% to 11% in the categories of no payments received, gone with no address, and disputed amounts.
10.10.5	The Chief Financial Officer tabled for the Council’s information a copy of the statement of financial position regarding the forestry activity as at 30 June 2015.
10.10.6	That the report from the Chief Financial Officer dated 20 August 2015 concerning the financial report for the year ended 30 June 2015 (as circulated) be received and the contents are noted, and *That the Council approves the 2014/15 Annual Report, subject to changes arising from the quality review, to be provided to Audit New Zealand for their audit of the report.* Crs Hull/Isaacson Carried

10.11	Staff Report
10.11.1	Meeting with Rural Landowners who have Historical Easements and/or High Usage Extraordinary Connections
10.11.1.1	There was general support expressed in principle to proceed as outlined with the proposed option of the Council acting as the bulk purchaser of suitable 25,000 litre tanks that farmers can then install and pay back the capital cost to the Council.
10.11.1.2	Any such arrangement must include formal agreements with the farmers to confirm their commitment to fulfilling the obligations regarding this matter that address the historical easements and/or high usage extraordinary connections.
10.11.2	Akitio Seawall
10.11.2.1	The Akitio seawall has now been completed, and the work done was commended.
10.11.3	Woodville Recycling Bin
10.11.3.1	The improvements to the Woodville recycling bin facilities were acknowledged.
10.11.4	Hovding Court Flats
10.11.4.1	The subdivision of the area that includes the ten Hovding Court flats to be sold is progressing, and once this process is finished the property shall be offered for sale by public tender.
10.11.5	Heating of Flats
10.11.5.1	This year a number of complaints have been received from tenants in Council flats throughout the district regarding the cost to heat their unit.
10.11.5.2	This has resulted in some pensioners looking at alternative heating options or obtaining financial assistance through Work and Income New Zealand to help them cope with the costs incurred.
10.11.6	El Nino – Potential Dry Summer
10.11.6.1	It was requested that the Council’s website be kept updated with information on the El Nino event that has the potential to cause a very dry summer.
10.11.7	Pongaroa Water Supply
10.11.7.1	The work of the Manager Strategy and District Development and the Manager Assets Group was acknowledged in securing the full funding requested for the Pongaroa township water treatment system, with a subsidy of up to $393,125 being granted to undertake this project.
10.11.7.2	It was requested that a public meeting be arranged in Pongaroa within the next seven weeks to outline the details of the upgraded water supply, particularly to the urban users that are connected to this service.
10.11.8	Bluff Road River Access and Land Issues
10.11.8.1	The Manager Strategy and District Development spoke on the work being undertaken to explore how the Crown land at 264 Bluff Road managed by Land Information New Zealand may be returned to the public for recreational purposes, with a planting/beautification project proposed.
10.11.8.2	This has been a matter of dispute between locals and a neighbouring farmer who controls and owns part of the current road access to the river.
10.11.9	Staff Project Meeting
10.11.9.1	A Council workshop briefing session on the plan to prioritise the projects for the new financial year will be held in September.
10.11.9.2	It is intended that a Dashboard executive summary will be used to present this information for the Council’s reference.
10.11.10	General Inspection
10.11.10.1	The problem of illegal rubbish dumping is being followed up, and infringement notices are issued where the culprits can be identified.
10.11.11	*That the report from the Chief Executive dated 18 August 2015 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.* Crs Hull/Keltie Carried

11. Portfolio Reports

11.1	Roading
11.1.1	Cr Roberts noted that the Dannevirke Community Board is proceeding with the installation of two ex-Palmerston North City Council bus shelters over the benches adjacent to the bus stops on High Street, and he requested an indication of the timeline for this project.
11.2	Forestry
11.2.1	Cr Fenemor gave a verbal report on forestry, and this included reference to the following matters: · Output for June was 3195.57 tonnes and 3125.59 tonnes in July based on five loads per day. · The top peeler pruned logs are still holding their value, with the domestic prices being stable. · The hauler is working in a 14 hectare area known as “Keith’s block” that contains a lot of top grade logs. · There is a new valuation for the forest that increased on last year from 1.269 million to 1.41 million dollars. · 42,100 trees were planted at Birch North forest, with stage 2 involving a 4.5 hectare area surrounding the harvesting hauler still be to be planted later if the weather is suitable. · The management contract with Forest Owners Marketing Limited is almost complete.
11.3	Community Relations
11.3.1	Cr Hull reported that the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand has received funding of $500,000 from the Ministry of Health for implementing suicide prevention strategies in rural communities.
11.3.2	Cr Hull attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting in Pahiatua concerning the health and safety law changes initiated by the Government.
11.4	Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Disaster Relief Fund Trust
11.4.1	Cr Hull reported that the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Disaster Relief Fund Trust has granted funding to assist the areas recovering from the flooding event, with another round to be held to consider further applications.

12. Mayoral Matters

12.1

Appointment of Replacement Representatives to Positions Previously Held by Warren Davidson

12.1.1

That the following appointments be confirmed by the Council to fill the various positions vacated through the resignation of Warren Davidson as a district councillor:

Pukaha Mount Bruce (liaison representative)

Cr S A Hull

Eketahuna Community Board

Cr T H Collis

Waste Management Portfolio

Cr S A Hull

Water and Sewerage Portfolio

Cr T H Collis

Resource Management Act/Planning

Cr S A Hull

Advisory Note

The Mayor may review these appointments pending the outcome of the by-election to fill the extraordinary vacancy for the position of South Tararua ward district councillor.

Crs Crispin/Isaacson Carried

13. Items not on the Agenda

13.1

Nil

14.

Public Excluded Item of Business

14.1

That the public be excluded from the following parts of the proceedings of this meeting, namely:

Ownership of trees on the Mill Hill woodlot

The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under Section 48 (1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution follows.

*General subject matter to be considered*	*Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter*	*Ground(s) under Section 48(1) for the passing of this resolution*
*Ownership of trees on the Mill Hill woodlot*	*To protect commercial activities*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*

This resolution is made in reliance on Section 48 (1) (a) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 and the particular interest or interests protected by Section 6 or Section 7 of that Act or Section 6 or Section 7 or Section 9 of the Official Information Act 1982, as the case may require, which would be prejudiced by the holding of the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting in public are as follows:

s7(2)(h) The withholding of the information is necessary to enable the local authority to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities.

Crs Roberts/Hull Carried

14.3	*That open meeting be resumed.* Crs Roberts/Collis Carried

14.4

That the following decision taken with the public excluded be confirmed in open meeting.

Item 14.2 – Ownership of Trees on the Mill Hill Woodlot

That Mrs D Walkley be advised that her claim to the trees on the Mill Hill woodlot will require more conclusive substantiation, with the opportunity provided for her to present some form of agreement to the Council in support of verifying such ownership, and to be forwarded within one month from the date of conveying this decision to her in writing, and

That the letter to Mrs Walkley state the Council prohibits her from any entry onto the Mill Hill woodlot, and without additional proof of ownership the Council shall consider her claim is invalid.

Crs Roberts/Collis Carried

There being no further business the Mayor thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 3.42 pm.

____________________________

Mayor

Report

Date	:	23 September 2015
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Blair King Chief Executive
Subject	:	Staff Report for September 2015 Council Meeting
Item No	:	11.12

1. Reason for the Report

This report is to update Councillors on key projects and items of interest for the period from 19 August 2015 to 23 September 2015.

Key Points

2. Government Releases Report from Rules Reduction Taskforce

The above taskforce has provided 10 recommendations to the Minister of Local Government. Four of these changes are already embedded in work projects here.

The first is coordinating work between Building Services, Planning, Customer Services, Assets, and Economic Development relating to ensuring potential business developers get consistent and timely advice (recommendation 3 below). The second is improving customer service (recommendation 7), starting with the areas with the highest service request numbers. Inside 12 months from being established, proactive steps taken by the Tararua Alliance has significantly reduced the volumes of service requests, and similar results have been achieved with recruiting a three person “water and wastewater maintenance team”. We are now working on Regulatory Services. The third work string is ensuring appropriate use of the Building Consent exemption process (recommendation 1). The fourth is around improving engagement (recommendation 8), as evident from the success of the Long Term Plan consultation process, successes achieved by the economic development hub, and the changes such as how we advertise then process road closure applications.

1. Make it easier to get building consents, including promoting the use of building consent exemptions under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004, and use progressive building consents so work can begin sooner, with non-structural details confirmed later.

2. Get serious about lifting the skills of the building sector, including work towards builders certifying their own work so as to deal with joint and several liability pressures on councils.

3. Make it easier to get resource consents, including establishing an end-to-end relationship management approach for all resource (and building) consenting within councils.

4. Reduce the cost of consenting fees, by capping government building levies.

5. Sort out what “work safety” means and how to do it, which requires defining what is meant by “all practicable steps” in the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1991 and any replacement term in the Health and Safety Reform Bill.

6. Make it clear what the rules are, such as define what is meant by “as nearly as is reasonably practicable” in the Building Act 2004, and make government agencies accept their responsibility to correct misunderstandings about their policies and regulations, particularly in the building and resource management areas, and as noted in health and safety.

7. Establish a new customer focus in the public sector, by including customer service responsibilities for chief executives, under the respective Acts, and to maintain a permanent focus on loopy rules, through establishing a website for people to report loopy rules, which are then referred to the responsible agency to put right.

8. Departments should introduce a stakeholder engagement approach to developing local government policies and regulations.

9. Reform the Local Government Act 1974 and the Reserves Act 1977.

And, most importantly:

10. Stop making loopy rules, through developing a coordinated pipeline approach to regulation, and including a cost-benefit analysis prior to development.

3. Project Delivery Control Systems

As tabled in the workshop, staff have developed a template that captures key details and milestones for Council’s projects, to enable Councillors to better monitor progress and status. This picks up the better project management framework we used in the Alliance tender process, and aims to improve the percent complete during the construction season.

4. Saddle Road

Following meetings involving the Mayors of Manawatu, Palmerston North and Tararua Councils, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and Minister of Transport, we have been advised a new Stage 3 funding was approved of $3.7m.

5. Update on By-election to Fill the Extraordinary Vacancy for the Position of South Tararua Ward District Councillor

The Council received nominations from Peter Johns and Andy Thompson to fill the extraordinary vacancy for the South Tararua ward district councillor arising from the resignation of Warren Davidson.

A by-election by postal voting using the first past the post system shall occur, with candidates names listed in alphabetical order. Voting opens on 6 October 2015, and closes at 12 noon on Election Day (28 October 2015).

Through the processing of voting papers during the voting period, it enables the provisional result to be available on Election Day, with the official declaration expected on 2 November 2015. The successful candidate then makes their statutory declaration at the Council meeting that month to commence office as a district councillor for the remainder of this term.

6. Sealing of Documents

The Council’s common seal was affixed to the following document, under signature of the Mayor and Chief Executive.

· Memorandum of Lease – Hopelands Dairies Limited

7. Human Resources

Recruitment

Recruitment for the below positions is underway with 110 applications received to date.

· Records and Information Assistant – Dannevirke – 40 applicants

· Customer Services Representative – Dannevirke – 32 applicants

· Customer Services Representative – Pahiatua – 38 applicants

Applications close on 18 September 2015 for the Customer Services positions and on 22 September 2015 for the position of Records and Information Assistant.

Advertising will commence shortly to replace Raewyn Murray who retired from her position as the Woodville Librarian/Customer Services at the end of August 2015.

20 Years of Service

Congratulations to Monica Hook and Colin Veale who recently reached 20 years of service with TDC.

Activity Reports

Tararua Alliance

8. Executive Summary

The focus in August has been continuing the work associated with the emergency event in late June. The majority of this work has been completed with the exception of the larger projects. Work has also continued on the unsealed road network to coincide with the winter conditions.

The planning team has been busy developing this year’s rehabilitation and reseal programme and aligning this to the Tararua District Council and NZ Transport Agency’s approved budgets. The majority of the rehabilitation programme has been confirmed and designs have been completed. The reseal programme has also been confirmed and seal designs are in the final stages of completion.

The planning team has also focussed on developing the Target Cost Estimate for the 2015/2016 season and aligning this to the budgets and finalising forward works programmes.

The Performance Framework has been integrated into the Tararua Alliance, and the team recently undertook a workshop with the Principals Group to outline the expectations for the 2015/2016 financial year. The focus from this meeting includes improved planning and integrated asset management. The team is also focussed on tracking costs and budgets and reporting on these on a monthly basis.

With the Alliance undertaking additional pavement work on Route 52 in June 2014 of last financial year, the budgets for the 2015/2016 season have been reduced. The result of this is that the Alliance has excess resource for this year. Additional work is being sourced outside of the Alliance to retain these resources. This includes targeting work for Horizons and Central Hawke’s Bay to reduce costs in Tararua.

With the weather improving the Alliance will be focussing on starting the 2015/2016 rehabilitation projects, pavement repairs, increased urban mowing and preparation for this year’s reseal programme.

9. Planning

The Planning Team’s focus has been on developing the Target Cost Estimates (TCE) for the 2015/16 Financial Year. The draft Target Cost Estimate was presented to the Principals Group to discuss and review this year’s budgets.

The Target Cost Estimate will be incorporated into the Alliance claim process along with reporting on the Target Cost versus Actual Cost comparison data to monitor performance throughout the financial year.

The asset team has also been heavily involved with transferring Data from RAMM to the Assetic Database, along with continued meetings between Assetic providers and TDC to resolve issues with implementation.

During the previous month, the Alliance Asset Management team has been actively working on the implementation of new asset management procedures and software systems and working closely with the operations team on programme development. The Fuse implementation for the operational asset management of the Tararua Alliance is progressing as planned with customisation of the setup for Tararua in progress. The software will be operational in November with the focus on testing and training prior to rolling it out across the operational team.

The Roading implementation of Assetic for the Roading asset register has slowed due to unforeseen circumstances with the developers. The next stages include functionality testing and data quality assurance and is programmed for October. In the meantime the asset register side of RAMM will continue to be the primary database for this information.

Work continues on defining and improving the internal processes for completed data capture, monthly programme scheduling and cost monitoring. The increased control around these items will lead to continued improvement of the KPIs in these areas and better visibility for the wider audience.

Planning has also begun for the High Speed Data Survey using the Hawkeye 2000. This survey will cover the sealed network and capture data such as rutting, texture, roughness, Lidar and GPS referenced video. The data captured will form part of the inputs to the Local Authority Downer dTIMS model, which is currently being developed and is planned to be used in the Tararua during this financial year to forecast a long term plan for the reseal and rehabilitations for the Tararua network. The primary difference between the NZ IDS model and the Downer model is that the IDS model focuses on maintaining a specific condition of the network as the primary driver, whereas the Downer model focuses on selecting the best section for renewal to minimise the maintenance activities undertaken on the whole network. Using this approach we can minimise our maintenance spend in favour of more extensive less costly treatments.

Hawkeye 2000 High Speed Data Technology

The team has also undertaken an All Faults inspection, analysis and report for the district’s cemeteries and car parks that highlighted the pavement areas requiring maintenance and renewal works.

Work has commenced on a detailed footpath and kerb & channel condition rating over the entire district to assist with developing long term renewal programmes built from up-to-date data. Maintenance Intervention Strategies have been put in place for our Forward Works Programme and will form the strategy for how we manage maintenance activities on future renewal sites.

9.1 2015/2016 Pavement Rehabilitation

The 2015/2016 rehabilitation programme is in the final stages of development. The team has identified 17 individual sites that currently require rehabilitation intervention. Budget constraints will not allow for all of this work to be undertaken so the team are prioritising the sites and revising methodology to get best value for money. The proposed sites are listed below:

2015/16 Proposed Pavement Rehabilitation Sites

Road	RP	Tentative Treatment
052-109	3788 - 4376	Stabilising (confirmed)
052-109	8297 - 8525	Stabilising (confirmed)
Carlson St	200 – 309	Stabilising
Coast Rd	3607 - 4214	Stabilising
Ormondville – Te Uri Rd	11323 - 11653	Overlay/Stabilise
Ormondville – Te Uri Rd	12780 - 14020	Stabilising
Otanga Rd	0 - 460	Stabilising
Pahiatua – Pongaroa Rd	36864 - 37782	Stabilising (confirmed)
River Rd	5574 - 6083	Stabilising
River Rd	8563 - 9011	Stabilising
River Rd	10071 - 10743	Stabilising
Tourere Rd	2633 - 2853	Stabilising
Weber Rd	28173 - 28500	Stabilising
Denmark St	15 - 360	Reconstruction
Waterloo St	0 - 315	Reconstruction
Swinburn St	256 - 583	Reconstruction
Pahiatua Track Rd	2265 - 2534	TBC

Pavement designs are confirmed for the following sites:

· Route 052-109 (8297–8525) Stabilise 2% cement 200mm deep

· Route 052-109 (3788–4376) Stabilise 2% cement 200mm deep

· Pahiatua–Pongaroa Rd (36864–37782) Stabilise 1.5% cement 200mm deep

The Alliance is currently confirming schedules/designs for the sites listed above. A handover meeting is scheduled for Route 52 sites on Thursday 17 September, with work commencing on site 2 on Monday 21 September.

Pahiatua Track Road (2265–2534) has been added to the 2015/16 list due to the surface deteriorating significantly in the last two months. This will be scheduled for pavement testing in September.

SMA (stone mastic asphalt) has been previously laid on certain corners to prevent surface stripping and is currently performing well, so this treatment will be considered this year also.

9.2 Rehabilitation Sites – Pre Construction

Route 052-109 (8297 – 8525)

Route 052-109 (3788 – 4376)

Pahiatua– Pongaroa Road (36864 – 37782)

10. Assets & Utility Design

10.1 Wilson Lane Eketahuna

All pipe laying of mains/laterals and manholes have now been completed and the trenches have been prepared ready for sealing. The Alliance is just waiting for a window of fine weather to complete the sealing of this work site.

10.2 Manhole installs – Eketahuna

The manholes have been installed at the following locations – 1 x main to oxidation pond, 2 x Bridge Street, 2 x Stanley St, 1 x Herbert St, 1 x Anderson St. Still to complete – 1 x Haswell St Install.

The adjacent photo was taken looking into the new manhole installed by the bridge on Bridge St, Eketahuna.

This clearly shows the current infiltration of clean ground water and the subsequent flow within the sewer network.

This is prior to the open cut renewal and relining works being undertaken.

The adjacent photo is of the Anderson Street manhole installation showing the timber shoring used to protect the staff while installing deep cut manholes

10.3 Pahiatua Recycling Centre

Work has commenced on extending the sewer and water mains on Queen St in Pahiatua to service the new recycling centre. This work involves approximately a 60 m extension for each asset, including a new sewer manhole and fire hydrant at the top end. The Alliance is about to begin laying the new services within the actual recycling centre worksite.

10.4 Future Work

The Alliance have a number of manholes to install on the sewer network in Woodville. These manholes are to break up the distance between current manholes into shorter sections. This will enable Interflo to reline the mains and help address some of the current infiltration problems. Eric Bonny is working on compiling a programme / list for the Alliance.

11. Delivery

11.1 General Maintenance

Work continues on general maintenance with 12 new signs and poles being upgraded, repaired or replaced. We have also installed 100 new roadside marker pegs across the network as part of the general ongoing maintenance programme. The Alliance has also undertaken several site rail repairs and replacements during August.

Potholes are being attended to as required on the sealed pavement and there has been a minor increase in unsealed potholes due to recent rain.

Programmed routine drainage work and high shoulder removal has been undertaken on the following roads:

· Tutaekara Rd

· Surreydale Rd

· Kopikopiko Rd

11.2 Sealed Pavement Maintenance

The remainder of the 2015/16 pre-reseal repairs have been identified and programmed for completion. Work has commenced on these repairs and work is expected to be completed by the end of September. All drainage repair work has been completed for this season’s reseals sites and work is now commencing on the 2016/2017 reseal sites.

11.3 Unsealed Pavement Maintenance

Work has continued with grading of the unsealed roads and maintenance metalling has continued throughout the district. Some of the roads completed in September included the following:

· Tiratu Rd	· Maunga Rd
· Knights Rd	· Rimu Rd
· Castle Hill Rd	· Ridge Rd
· Central East Rd	· Putara Rd
· Tawataia Rd	· Haunui Rd
· Te Awe Awe Rd	· Morgans Rd
· Coach Rd	· Kakariki Rd

11.4 Emergency Works

Due to a heavy rain event in July, the majority of work in August has centred on repairing slips, dropouts, heavy scour and loss of metal on unsealed roads, blocked culverts and drainage reinstatements. All of the larger flood damage sites have now been identified and scheduled for repair.

The sites below still require further work, however they have been made safe and have the appropriate traffic management in place for the current conditions.

3.73	Hall Block Rd	Dropout/Culvert extension
2.83	Hall Block Rd	Retreat/ Culvert install
4.35	Range Rd	Re-instate wall
3.800	Paihiatua - Mangahao Rd	Large retreat
2.77	Carisbrook Rd	Re-instate shoulders 3x culvert

The photo shows the Castle Hill retreat project. All major earthworks have been completed and the pavement is currently being replaced and is programmed for surfacing on 23 October 2015.

The photo shows the completed retreat on Kaitawa Ridge Road.

11.5 Urban Construction / Maintenance

The Alliance crews have been continuing regular clearance of litter bins in Dannevirke as well as routine cleaning of all main streets. The litter bins in Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketahuna are being emptied by our Subcontractor, Brees Property Maintenance and Wilson’s Services.

Urban crews are currently working on the urban pre-sites, lifting fire hydrants and manholes. The crews continue to undertake reinstatement work as required for the Assets team. A new culvert line has been replaced on Station Rd in Woodville. Work is also programmed to remove the flagpole in the centre island on the main street in Pahiatua.

11.6 Pavement Rehabilitations

With the planning of this year’s rehabilitation nearing completion, work is scheduled to commence in September.

11.7 Saddle Road Upgrade – September 2015

With the weather starting to improve, work on the Saddle Rd Upgrade project is beginning to pick up again. Stringfellows have almost completed the cantilevered retaining wall near the bottom of Site 7 on the Ashhurst side of the project. Once this is completed, the shoulder will be constructed allowing the road to be moved over. Kerb and channel construction will follow soon after.

Work will also commence on the earthworks on Site 3 near Cook Rd as the weather improves. The fill site is currently being prepared through benching. Additional subsoil drains are being laid in areas that have showed signs of spring water during the winter. Stringfellows hope to begin excavating the design batters in late September.

Additional funding has been sought from the NZ Transport Agency to undertake further project works on the Saddle Road. This additional funding would allow the majority of the sections that were not part of the first two stages to be upgraded. We have had positive feedback from the NZ Transport Agency and the funding has been approved at a regional level and has now been sent through for national head office review.

12. Performance

12.1 Traffic Management Plans & Carriageway Access Requests

Eight Tararua Alliance work sites were audited during August. The majority of these sites had a high level of compliance, however two sites were found to have signs missing and these were rectified at the time of the audit. A further two sites of other contractors were audited with issues being raised with missing signs and noncompliant traffic management plans on site. This resulted in one site being shut down.

Thirty one carriageway access requests applications were received and approved during the month. On 22 September the Tararua Alliance is holding a service authority meeting to implement local conditions and discuss forward works programmes from all attending utilities operators and contractors.

Formal traffic management audits are being undertaken to measure the level of compliance throughout the district. This initiative is designed to lift the standard of safety on the Tararua network.

Safety Behaviour Observations have been introduced and are continuously monitored. The focus is to audit more contactors sites that are working within the Tararua District. Audits will continue on Alliance work sites focusing on health and safety with the new legislation coming in to affect early next year.

Customer surveys are being carried out monthly on a minimum of 10% of all CRMs received by the Alliance. This is designed to improve the overall level of service received by the public. The focus is on communication, response and feedback on satisfaction of work completed. Initial results have been encouraging with the majority of the surveys receiving a score of 4 out of 5. The lower scores relate to communication issues.

With the focus on response times within the Alliance, we have seen a real improvement in average completion time of CRMs over the past few months. The Alliance received 93 CRMs in August with 98% completed within the required level of service target of five days. Out of the total received, 88 were roading related and 5 were stormwater related CRMs. The Alliance is currently tracking at less than 2 days to investigate, report, programme and communicate back to the initiator of the CRM.

The above graph measures the number of CRMs completed within the 5 day target. The team has put a real focus into customer service and CRM completion times are being monitored on a weekly basis to improve response. Over the last few months there has been a strong focus to improve on this area within the Alliance and the results have been especially pleasing.

The Alliance is continually monitoring the open CRMs at the end of each month to encourage the Alliance team members to meet the goal of having all CRMs closed before the end of each month.

Current budget expenditure for Sealed Pavement Maintenance is relatively high due to some coding issues. This will be resolved for the September period claim.

With the delay in finalising the Target Cost Estimate and finalising the budgets, the financial graphs for each activity along with the Target Cost vs. Actual Cost will be reported upon in next month’s report.

13. Rural Fire

On 5, 6 and 7 August the Performance Manager represented the Tararua Alliance at the Forest and Rural Fires Association of New Zealand annual conference in Blenheim.

Assets Group

14. Executive Summary

The Group continues to make good progress in advancing the large programme of capital works. The Dannevirke water treatment upgrade project is now in the planning phase, the contract for the Dannevirke public toilets has been let, the Pahiatua Town Hall toilet upgrade is underway and the Eketahuna public toilets upgrade complete.

The relining of the number two pond in Dannevirke is complete, and the pond is currently refilling and number one pond is being lowered for desludging and relining this summer. The Pahiatua wastewater treatment plant is now in the testing phase.

The Eketahuna waste water pipe renewal programme is well underway, with both relining and pipe replacement work teams in the town. Daily audits of traffic management are continuing as contractors move from street to street. There have been some unexpected manholes needed, and the Tararua Alliance has been invaluable in getting these done as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to the programme.

The Pahiatua recycling centre rebuild project is progressing well after the earlier issues with the soft ground. The poles are in place and the floor has been poured. The roof and walls are due to be completed this week, weather permitting. At this time, the centre is scheduled to be open to the public by the end of October.

Council has received resource consent for the boundary adjustment at the Hovding Court flats. The tender documents and the signage for the site are ready, awaiting the formal Council resolution. The property will then be offered for sale by public tender.

The parks and reserves garden renovation programme has begun, albeit that we are battling with an unseasonably cold and stormy October. The first job is a large garden replant in the Upper Domain. Other projects include the Woodville Cemetery gardens and hedging, replanting bare patches in the Woodville Town Centre gardens and a district wide turf weed spraying programme.

A public consultation process regarding the future development of Fountaine Square in Woodville has commenced with a workshop with pupils of the Woodville School to gauge their views on what the Square should look like in the future. The intention is to consult with key stakeholders and the public, and from there develop a master plan for the Square. In the absence of such a plan, it is very easy for the Square to develop piecemeal, and to not meet the needs of the public overall.

For the summer period, two portable cabins have been hired for use at the Dannevirke Camping Ground. This is a cost effective way for Council to gauge whether it is worth investing in extra cabins at the site, or not, before making such an investment. The cabins come fully insulated, curtained and carpeted and have power points and lights. They plug into the standard caravan power boxes.

15. Solid Waste

15.1 Pahiatua Recycling Centre

Now that the unstable ground issues have been resolved, the building done by the contractor (Greatbatch Building Ltd) is progressing well. The concrete was poured on 11 September and weather permitting the roof and walls should be on by the 25 September.

The Alliance has completed extending the water and sewer mains up to the building and they have also installed the services to the building. It was pleasing to see how efficient this team was to do this so promptly.

There is still a lot of water coming up from the ground on the site and the Alliance and Kevin O Connor & Associates are working on a plan to drain this away.

With no other unforeseen problems, it is hoped that the building will be completed by 23 October.

There is still a reasonable amount of un-recyclable material being left at the location of the recycling bin in behind the Town Hall. As the new recycling building will only be open four days a week as it previously was, there is a concern that this may continue at the new building on the days that the centre is closed. Council may have to look at cameras etc. to help deter and catch offenders.

15.2 Norsewood Recycling Drop Off Centre

The Norsewood Recycling Drop Off Centre has now been completed with the ground levelled out and the fence having been re-erected and painted. Feedback on this area has been very good and the amount of recycling has increased since its re-location to this area.

15.3 Refuse Stickers

Our current kerbside refuse contractor Budget Waste is now selling bags in the Woodville and the Eketahuna Service Centres as well as the Dannevirke and Pahiatua New Worlds. They are going to promote their bags in these stores by having a display in each store. These bags are cheaper than Council stickers and it is hoped that as people realise this, it will help with a gradual transition to Council moving out of kerbside collection. As sales of these bags in Eketahuna increase, Council will stop selling stickers at the Service Centre and it is hoped that Eketahuna will be the first town in the district to be out of Council stickers. The contractor will however continue to pick up both Council stickered bags and Budget Waste bags until the contract ends in October 2017.

16. Utilities

16.1 Water

Dannevirke Treatment Plant

Work is continuing on the planning and component side of the treatment plant upgrade.

Pahiatua

The main replacement on Crewe Street from Tararua Street to Tui Street is 95% complete.

The Queen Street water and sewer main development has been completed up to the recycling building. The sealing of the road is programmed for Friday.

Pongaroa

Documentation has been filled in for the project milestone dates to be considered by the Ministry of Health and we are awaiting the contract documents once they have approved the project dates.

Akitio

We have had initial discussions with Hugh Ramsden of Moanoroa Station on the Akitio water upgrade and possible changes. We are doing some investigation work at present prior to any further consultation.

16.2 Wastewater

Woodville

Downer is to start fitting new manholes next week in McLean, Fergusson, Gladstone and Grant Streets ready for relining the sewer mains.

Eketahuna

The relining work is continuing. Haswell, Jones, Main and Bengston Streets have been completed. A new manhole was fitted prior to relining the sewer main in Main Street because of the alignment of the pipe and an inspection repair concreted over. The hot mixing has been completed in Haswell, Main, Jones and Church Streets and the reseal of Wilson Lane is due on Friday 25 September.

MfE Projects - Pahiatua

The UV filter has been commissioned this week. We are continuing with the testing regime.

MfE Projects – Woodville

The No.2 pond that was relined has developed several whales from the gases underneath the pond not being able to disperse. We are emptying this pond at present for the Viking relining team to assess and rectify this issue.

MfE - Dannevirke

The baffles in the No.2 pond have been installed.

The inflow from the town reticulation has been bypassed from No.1 pond directly to No.2 pond over the last week and it is now full. The No.1 pond is emptying and is showing signs of sludge volumes around the old sewage inflow area. This will take a period of time to empty fully over the next few weeks. There was a slight odour last week with the fine weather and the reduction of the level of the wastewater around the concrete wave band, and we will need to monitor this closely as part of our consent.

The construction work of the track below the STP plant has commenced ready for the work on the tephra filter bunding etc. This work will be completed by the end of October. Drum filters are currently on the boat – the arrival date has been pushed back slightly due to unforeseen circumstances. They are now due at the end of October.

16.3 Infiltration

All letters have been sent to Eketahuna and Pahiatua residents. The Woodville timeline for repairs ends on Friday 25 September. Garth has been following up enquiries from some households for help on remedying the problem. Early next month we will follow up the re-checks on the Woodville properties to make sure they all comply.

17. Property

17.1 Housing for the Elderly

Occupancy

82 flats are presently occupied, there are currently 10 vacant flats, which are:

Ballarat Court, Dannevirke	1 flat vacant	77 days
Hovding Court, Dannevirke	4 flats vacant	41, 77, 407, 544 days
Elsinore Court, Dannevirke	2 flats vacant	318, 274 days (left vacant in case Hovding Court tenants need to relocate
Bengston St, Eketahuna	1 flat vacant	156 days
Ruahine Flats, Woodville	2 flats vacant	70, 92 days (both tenanted in September)

The three modern flats at Hovding are tenanted. The four vacant flats at Hovding Court are in the old complex. The vacant flats at Ballarat and Elsinore Courts remain untenanted at this time, in case they are needed to relocate any tenants from the old Hovding Court flats, once the result of the public tender process is known.

The tender documents to purchase Hovding Court are being drawn up. It is hoped that the property will be on the market by 1 October 2015.

Woodville Flats

All the flats in the Centennial and Ruahine complexes have been filled.

17.2 Community Buildings

Pahiatua Library

Work has commenced on the toilet refurbishment and the library alterations. The toilets will be completed by 25 September 2015.

17.3 Camping Grounds

Bookings for the district camping grounds in August 2015 were:

Dannevirke 89 Pahiatua 306

Woodville 63 Eketahuna 242

17.4 Parks and Reserves

Dannevirke Judo Hall

A meeting was held with the Judo club and the club were given until 18 October to vacate the building.

17.5 Cemeteries

Settlers, Dannevirke

The area where the trees were removed has been levelled out and the grass sown.

Pinfold Road Cemetery

The lease for the land adjacent to the Pinfold Road Cemetery has been finalised. The successful tenderer was Hopeland Dairies Limited.

17.6 Public Toilets

Eketahuna

The renovations of the public toilets have been completed. The outside will be painted when the Main Street development plans are available.

Dannevirke Domain

Council received three quotes for the building of the Dannevirke Domain Toilets. Greatbatch Building Ltd were the successful company for the building of these facilities.

Strategy and District Development

18. MW LASS - CCTV

Work is nearing completion on generic documents, including a memorandum of understanding, on access for the New Zealand Police to Crime Prevention of CCTV systems.

In the next few months, the Police Command Centre in Palmerston North is likely to get access to footage from the Dannevirke Camera system with the sponsorship and assistance of Inspire Net.

The NZ Police are now giving formal notice of the first stage of the CCTV system for Woodville.

19. Ex-Infracon Site Reviews

Council owned sites vacated by Infracon (In Liquidation) Limited have been identified for potential contamination. These sites are at the Tahoraiti Metal Pit, and the former depots in Woodville and Dannevirke. Prior to liquidation, Infracon undertook some tidying up work at the Woodville depot but further issues have been identified. The Tahoraiti site has an unauthorised tip and a number of old bitumen barrels and other material that require removal to an appropriate disposal site.

To comply with environmental standards, Council has contracted a suitably experienced and qualified company to test and oversee removal of any contamination found. Three companies provided pricing and assessed the extent of work. Pattle Delamore Partners was awarded the contract at a cost of $44,315. The Tararua Alliance will follow instruction for disposal.

20. Bluff Road Public Access to the Manawatu River

Clarity over land ownership is required to progress options around the Bluff Road public access to the Manawatu River. A survey of the area around the Bluff Road – Manawatu River access point has been arranged with approval from the adjacent land owner. Land Information New Zealand has been advised and the work is planned for completion by the beginning of October 2015.

21. Rural Broadband Initiative 2 (RBI2)

The initial MBIE list of Tararua towns to potentially receive RBI2 funding now includes Pahiatua and Woodville.

This is preliminary and does not mean that any town will be guaranteed funding, but it is however very promising.

Whilst we also asked for Norsewood and Eketahuna to be included, there remain non-fibre optic ways to achieve the "last mile" connection. Late last year TDC and a local business achieved fibre connectivity to lower Norsewood. Opportunities to support Eketahuna as part of earthquake repairs and CBD upgrade also exist. Our very proactive support for broadband over the past ten years gives us a great deal of credibility and was a matter of emphasis in the digital enablement plan we were required to submit to MBIE on 18 September 2015. The Business Hub will be a key part of Council encouraging local use of the Internet and a "Connected Community", however we are already well on our way.

It is also a reason why Peter Wimsett has been asked to speak at the ICMA international local government conference this week.

22. Forest Owners Marketing Services Contract

The contract with FOMS has been agreed and is now being completed for signing.

Economic Development, Marketing and Communications

23. Auckland Home Show - Post Show Report

Two members of our team attended the Auckland Home Show on Monday, 7 September 2015. The Home Show was open from 9 – 12 September, with the doors opening at 10:00am and closing at 9:00pm on all days except for Saturday (12 September) where the show closed at 6:00pm - 52 hours in total. Mayor Roly also worked on the site from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday night; the team felt it was fantastic to have his vast knowledge of Tararua on-site.

Goals for the Show

To promote the Tararua District as an excellent place to relocate and invest – additionally, to champion the affordable housing available in Tararua, the lack of problem traffic, the ease of travel to big cities, the recreational activities on our doorstep and the availability of jobs and investment opportunities in Tararua.

The Tararua District Council Site

The site received compliments from the Managers of the Auckland Home Show and from other site holders; some Event Managers rated it as the best site at the Show!

Attendees at the Home Show were very receptive to our site and interested in learning where Tararua District is. Visitors to the site were impressed with the house prices we had on display and, without exception, they all expressed their unhappiness with both the Auckland real estate market and the traffic problems experienced on a daily basis. We were able to give out a lot of information to an open, receptive audience.

Statistics

We gave out 1,500 packets of promotional items; this gives an indication of how many individuals and families we spoke to over the five days of the Home Show.

We displayed a collection of properties that are currently for sale in the Tararua District. The price of each property was highlighted on its poster. These posters attracted hundreds of visitors to our site and started some really worthwhile conversations. As we are not permitted to promote the real estate companies outright, we gave interested parties the web site address and reference numbers of properties. We also offered to email information to people when we got back to the office. We had 38 people/couples/families give us their e-mail address and ask for more information. That is an average of roughly one interested party giving us their contact details every hour-and-a-half of the show. Good results and this does not take into account the people who took photos of particular brochures and noted their reference numbers to look at on the web later.

Staff did their best to keep a record of conversations; however, due to numbers each day it was impossible to keep perfectly accurate records.

However, they managed to record as follows:

Post Show Feedback
Topic	Number of conversations
Lifestyle / Travel / House Prices	33
Tourist Interest / Visitor Attractions	29
Quick Look Around Site	5
Information On Specific House	14
Schools / Sports For Kids / Health	12
Business Opportunities	8
Cheese	2
Small Business	8
Investment Opportunities / House	19
Young Couples	4
Older / Retirees Moving	6
Weekend Breaks	7
Rentals	13
Total	160 full conversations with interested people

In Summary

The Auckland Home Show was a massive success for Tararua District Council. It exceeded all of our expectations.

We believe that the time is right to attract some of the Auckland population to our district as their dissatisfaction with house prices and appalling daily traffic jams is growing. We need to follow up the show with advertising in Auckland publications. We should be targeting the Asian market – we have the contacts for the Chinese media in Auckland. The Auckland Home Show is a great platform to attract new residents to our district - we have started the ball rolling brilliantly. One very important thing we could do is advertise job opportunities in Tararua.

We would like to thank the members of our team Louise Charlton, Angela Randall and support of Roly Ellis for such a great result.

The Tararua Business Hub facility continues to be utilised by the following:

· Dannevirke Community Board

· Red Hat Society

· Sport Manawatu

· Community Projects

· IRD - Business Training

· BCC – Business Training

· Vision Manawatu – Business Training

· Business Mentors

· Business Seminars – ‘The Business Group’

· Business Development Projects

· Dannevirke Budget Services

· Dannevirke Chamber Of Commerce

· Rural Fire Training

· Trustpower Awards

· Skype Meetings

24. Business | Potential:

We continue to provide support to new and existing businesses and ideas through links to the BCC, Vision Manawatu, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing services available in our district:

· Continued support provided for a new business which is developing markets throughout the lower North Island, as well as competing in the Innovate Competition

· Participated in meeting regarding a site development for an existing business to develop their tourism market

· Continued support for an existing business, assisting with marketing ideas and staff recruitment

· Continued support for an existing business, liaising through all Council teams; Planning, Building, Environmental Health and the Tararua Alliance

· Four new business ideas; full range of services offered, linking to Vision Manawatu, BCC and Business Mentors; training & development opportunities, as well as connections within the district’s business community

25. Development Strategies:

· Hemp Association

· Continue to explore opportunities as part of GO! Project to develop a concept for an industry in the district

· ANZ Migrant Expo

· Grasped opportunity to profile Tararua District – five reasons why it is a great idea to live in Tararua and 5 reasons why it is a great idea to do business in Tararua

· Investment Opportunities

· GO! Project - Manuka

· BCC Innovate Competition – Final attended by Business Hub team, with Tracey Collis, Carole Isaacson and Shirley Hull, as well as Mayor Roly Ellis

· Business Mentors Accreditation Steve and Louise – understand the process and the role of a business mentor

26. Training/Support Programme:

· Attending BCC Market Validation Evenings at their office, to support Top 11 competitors

· BCC – a consultant available for business every fortnight

· ‘The Business Group’ – 9 Steps To Ensure Business Success

· IRD – the GST workshop was well attended and the IRD continue to be delighted with the response and our facility

· Vision Manawatu – Accountants and support available for their clients

27. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is leading an initiative announced as part of Budget 2014, which will establish Regional Research Institutes around NZ (250 million dollars).

Eligible regions for hosting an institute are only those outside the main population centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The proposed new research institutes would support innovation in the regions by maximising the unique business, technology and economic growth opportunities in these areas.

MBIE will work with regional stakeholders to identify where the best opportunities are to develop new institutes.

We attended a workshop on 14 September to find our more about Regional Research Institutes funding.

We could align to two regions:

· The East Coast – (Masterton – Napier)

· Manawatu-Wanganui

The East Coast group aligns to our research and development for the agribusiness sector.

The Manawatu-Wanganui will be aligning to a Wanganui led initiative focusing on aged care.

We are considering all options currently.

28. GO! Project – Eastern Bridge

To coincide with Local Government New Zealand’s (LGNZ) push to promote Council connectivity with China, Eastern Bridge is a business which supports connectivity between New Zealand and Asia and they are working with councils providing Chinese (Simplified / Mandarin) Communication. We have signed up to this programme, the Communication Starter Pack includes: Translation of marketing/website content into simplified Chinese and providing ongoing support in incoming and outgoing email, phone and letter correspondence.

Within the first month of signing to this service, we have received interest in the GO! Project crops from overseas investors including:

Ginseng:

· We are working with an overseas investor looking to set up a start-up ginseng farm. Roly Ellis has been assisting to analysis opportunities in our district.

Manuka:

· We are working with a Polish investor on the opportunities in Tararua for a Manuka plant.

· We have a separate investor considering Tararua as an option. The first step for our Chinese interpreter is to go back to the investor with some evidence that there is an opportunity, that we have the relationships in place to be successful and access to the suitably skilled people.

29. Migrant Business Expo:

The ANZ Migrant Business expo; held at The Cloud on Auckland’s waterfront on Saturday 5 September went well with an estimated 12,000 migrants attending.

Apart from the Eastern Bridge booth, the only other Council to attend was Tauranga City. In the Eastern Bridge booth, they had posters from Tararua, Hauraki, Opotiki, Whakatane, and Matamata Piako. There was good interest, the majority of which were Chinese who already live in New Zealand, have a family and were looking to start a business and have a change of lifestyle. There was also interest from several Chinese real-estate businesses. They spoke with just over 90 individual groups over the day. The biggest concerns they expressed were being able to access food (no Asian supermarkets), schools for the children and not being able to communicate to set up a business.

The posters we supplied:

30. GO! Project

Berry Fruit

Following an article regarding the GO! Project in the Orchardist, we have been approached by past lecturers at Massey University. They have been trialling greenhouse berry fruit at Massey for numerous years and now they are ready to consult commercially.

They have consulted all over the world on horticulture and advised on an international project (USAID) greenhouse berry fruit production. We are very keen to include hydroponics within the GO! Project and will be visiting the Massey study and a commercial operation in Masterton.

31. Use of Facilities

32. Geographic Statistics

33. Marketing Potential

33.1 Facebook Key Statistics

34. Destination Marketing

We have installed a promotional billboard to Tararua at the Palmerston North Airport (dimensions 7.2m wide by 2.2m high) you cannot miss it! We are promoting the choice of activities in the district and the Waihi Falls.

35. Community Potential

35.1 Trustpower Community Awards 2015

Friends of the ANZAC Bridge Kaiparoro Incorporated scooped the Supreme Award at the 2015 Trustpower Tararua District Community Awards. The Awards were announced and presented on Wednesday 16 September at the Pahiatua Town Hall in front of almost 130 spectators, the majority of whom are also volunteers.

Representatives of Friends of the ANZAC Bridge Kaiparoro Incorporated received, on behalf of their group, a framed certificate, a trophy and $1,500 in prize money. These folks also will have the opportunity to represent their region at the 2015 Trustpower National Community Awards, being held in Dunedin next March.

The competition for this year’s Awards was strong with a solid 60 entries received.

Category Winners:

Supreme Winner

Friends of ANZAC Bridge Kaiparoro Inc.

Heritage & Environment

Winner: Pongaroa The Way to Go

Runner-up: Pahiatua Railcar Society

Health & Well-Being

Winner: Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust

Runner-up: St John Southern Tararua

Arts & Culture

Winner: Te Wananga o Tamaki Nui a Rua

Runner-up: Pahiatua Repertory Society

Sport & Leisure

Winner: Eketahuna Swimming Pool Committee

Runner-up: Dannevirke Walkway/Cycleway Project

Education & Child Youth Development

Winner: Ruahine School Parents for Kids Committee

Runner-up: Pahiatua Toy Library

Youth Spirit

Winner: Jacob Bennett

35.2 Community Assistance

We have provided the following community assistance throughout the month of August:

Independent, Community Group or Organisation	Event	Assistance Provided
Tararua District Council	Welfare Trip to Vanuatu	Provided goods for a welfare trip to Vanuatu RE Cyclone Pam
Independent - Nicola Smyth	World Skills Competition	40 Postcards Provided
Dannevirke Community Board / WW1 Committee	Commemorative Concert and Display	Design and print concert programmes
Dannevirke Community Board / WW1 Committee	Commemorative Concert and Display	Created plaques (dog tags) for silhouettes of soldiers that were injured in war.
Independent - Daphne Miller	Country Carnival Market	Posters for Car Boot Sales and Community Signboard
Eketahuna Community Board	Eketahuna Town Branding Meeting	60x Promotional Product Provided
Dannevirke Community Board	Wackrow Memorial Youth Award	Provided goods for Wackrow Memorial Youth Awards
Tararua District Libraries	Adult Learners Week	Provided 60 x Prizes
Dannevirke Rotary Club	Dannevirke Spring Festival	Design and arrange printing of flyers advertising Spring Festival programme

i-SITE Visitor Centre

36. Welcome Packs

22 Welcome packs were sent out in August - 18 within the district and four outside Tararua.

37. Training – Pahiatua Information Centre staff

The i-SITE Manager held a training session at the Pahiatua Information Centre for Information Centre volunteers. Laptops were kindly supplied by Wairarapa REAP. The volunteers learnt about accessing useful websites and were taken through the Tourism New Zealand online training modules. The volunteers did very well and are very keen to continue with the training sessions.

38. i-SITE Regional Meeting – Funders Conference

A forum for i-SITE funders is being held on 3 November in Wellington - an invitation has been sent to Councillors. This one-day conference is specifically tailored to the needs of council officers and elected officials who are responsible for the oversight and funding of i-SITE Visitor Information Centres. The aim of the conference is to ensure councils gain a better understanding of the following:

· The relationship between Regional Tourism Organisations and i-SITEs

· i-SITE history and current structure (ownership and funding)

· Why do we have i-SITEs?

· What are the benefits to local communities?

· What are the current challenges?

· What are the likely solutions?

The day will be a mix of presentations, including a case study highlighting change followed by discussion in break out groups on challenges/solutions.

39. Brochure Display Figures

Operators outside the district pay a $50.00 annual fee to display their brochures at the i-SITE. This has increased from 20 last year to 24 this year.

40. Lions Hand-over to Hospice

i-SITE staff attended the official hand-over of $8,000.00 to the Arohanui Hospice, which was funds raised by the Woodville Lions Track & Tunnel Walk.

41. Google My Business

Tararua i-SITE now has 2,280 views (up from 1,930 in July) with three new followers this month. At least two stories are added each week and linked to Facebook.

42. i-SITE Profile Views on Rankers

43. Customer Surveys - August 2015 – 10 surveys completed

44.. Facebook

45. Tararua Information Centres Statistics

August was a very quiet month - this was a trend in the lower North Island

46. Media Release i-SITE NZ

Report shows local i-SITEs are adding value to regional economies

i-SITEs across the country are adding value to regional economies by improving visitor experiences that in turn increase local spending and generate local benefits, a new report shows.

The Economic Impact Analysis of the i-SITE Network report states that, across the regions, the average income returned to households for every $1 provided in funding is $5.20, while the average GDP return generated by the i-SITEs equates to $8.70 per $1 of public funds invested.

Servicing around 7.5m domestic and international tourists in more than 80 locations around the country, the i-SITE network facilitates visitor activity within the regions, which in turn facilitates the purchase of goods and services by visitors to the regions.

i-SITE New Zealand Executive Manager Paul Yeo says local i-SITEs are able to unlock and facilitate additional expenditure within the region because they link visitors with the ‘things to do’ that they were previously unaware existed.

“As a result, i-SITES can make the visitor experience more pleasurable, more convenient and generally ‘richer’ for visitors.

“In all regions, most of the economic benefit of the $146.8m GDP generated by the i-SITE network is felt in the regions that the i-SITEs are promoting and, on average, around two-thirds of the effects stay within the region where the i-SITEs operate,” says Mr Yeo.

Wellington regional analysis:

· i-SITEs in the Wellington region facilitated $4.7m commission-based sales in the 2013/14 financial year.

· The Wellington region collected $431m in holiday expenditure in 2014.

· i-SITE sales account for 2.1 per cent of the accommodation spend, 0.9 per cent of the travel spend and 0.9 per cent of the activity spend in the Wellington region.

· Wellington is the second largest region in terms of the economic contribution it makes, which is $15.2m of the i-SITE network’s overall GDP effect. This is due in part to the fact Wellington-based firms supply goods and services to other regions, especially the lower North Island.

· Local i-SITEs generate an economic return of $5.50 per $1 of public funds invested in the Wellington region.

· One component of this economic return is income, which includes salaries and wages returned to households as payment for labour. In the Wellington region, the net income effect accruing to each household is $3.40:$1 of public funds invested. This ratio shows the income returned to households (on a per household basis) relative to the public funds invested (also expressed on a per household basis).

Tourism, both domestic and international, generates $23.7 billion of expenditure in New Zealand, making it one of New Zealand’s largest industries.

The Economic Impact Analysis of the i-SITE Network report was commissioned by i-SITE New Zealand and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and released in May 2015. The work was led by Market Economics with Colmar Brunton.

Regulatory

47. Alcohol Licensing

There have been two applications for new on-licence style premises, both are hotels and result from change of ownership.

With the Act now being fully in place for one year, there has been a chance to review the internal procedures, documentation and the information on the Council’s website that is currently in place. By comparing what we do and offer, with other TA’s in the wider Manawatu licensing area, has identified some changes that can be made to improve services and reduce some of the increasingly large amount of paper that applicants complete. As a cluster group, we are working towards a more region-wide collective approach to licensing matters. We already have a Combined Agency Agreement in place that governs how all regional agencies involved in the licensing process interact and support each other.

47.1 District Licensing Activity

Of the eight applications that were presented to the DLC for determination, all eight were granted.

47.2 Performance Measures

The District Licensing Committee (DLC) discussed and agreed on the following performance measures:

Agendas to be mailed out by the Friday before each meeting (meetings are held on the first Friday of each month).

§ Defended hearing minutes to be available within five working days of the decision being made.

§ Full and comprehensive reports to be received from the Licensing Inspector in a timely manner.

§ Briefings by the Licensing Inspector on matters that may be coming up.

§ Licensing Inspector to supply copies of the important and relevant authority decisions as they are published.

The DLC will also develop performance targets to measure the committee’s effectiveness and has requested that if the Council has any specific expectations/targets of the DLC, they liaise with the DLC Secretary.

Performance Measures - Alcohol Licensing
Major Aspect	Level of Service	Performance Measure	2013/14 Results	2015 target	Current Result
Community Outcome(s): Prosperous economy •Collaborative Council • Great lifestyle
Public health	Protect public health by regulating the sale of alcohol	Percentage of licensed premises inspected annually for compliance	Achieved 100% Target 100%	95%	28% On target

48. Animal Control

Hilary and Sharon attended the Annual New Zealand Institute of Animal Control Officers conference in Wellington on 27 and 28 August. Guest presenters included Carolina Anderson, who was severely mauled by two dogs in 2004 and was instrumental in legislation change to the Dog Control Act 1996. She spoke about the incident and life after. Nigel Latta spoke about how and why people react and think when confronted by enforcement officers. This presentation was very informative and delivered in a direct and frank manner.

Dog registration is proceeding well, and we have had a good portion of payments processed via internet banking with no signed form received. With this in mind, it is a good opportunity to look at the registration process as a whole and improve for next year. Hilary and Sharon are investigating on-line registration to improve efficiency and reduce double handling of documents.

48.1 Staffing and Team Structure

We have completed the interview process for the Animal Control Officers (ACO). An excellent range of applicants was received, making the decision on how best to deliver this service, more difficult.

We started the process wanting to hire 3 ACOs – 1 Senior ACO and 2 ACOs. The intention was that we would rely less on afterhours (First Security), increase the service levels and, also the ACOs would take over most of the admin work currently being done by other staff. We also wanted to review the structure of the team ie in-house, outsource or a combination of the two – aim was to find the optimal solution to meet the agreed service levels and objectives/community outcomes for the Animal Control activity.

Outcome

We secured the services of Kevin Jensen as the Senior ACO (he will start with us on 5 October 2015) and continued with our selection and interview process for the other 2 ACOs.

After a long process, we have decided on the following:

· Nisan Stephens as a Cadet in the ACO role – Nisan currently works for Kiwi Sock Co and is a volunteer senior fire brigade member. He applied for the same position previously and interviewed very well.

The cadet role will be for six months. This will enable Nisan to gain the required knowledge and demonstrate the responsibilities of an Animal Control Officer. Towards the end of the six months, a review of Nisan’s progress and successes will occur. If he scores well, we will be able to offer him a full time role as a warranted Animal Control Officer.

· Contract with Rangitikei District Council (RDC) for the other ACO role - for a 1 year term. We will review these arrangements prior to our 2016/17 Annual Plan (around July/August 2016).

With the ACO structure now in place, we can move forward with the required changes/improvements to the Animal Control activity.

48.2 Pound Activity

48.3 Performance Measures

Performance Measures - Animal Control
Major Aspect	Level of Service	Performance Measure	2013/14 Results	2015 Target	Current Result
Community Outcome(s): Collaborative Council • Great lifestyle
Public safety	Animal control complaints and issues are resolved in a timely manner	Percentage of residents rate dog control as “fairly satisfactory” or “very satisfactory” in the community survey to be conducted in 2017, 2020, and 2023	Achieved 76% Target 70%	Not measured	N/A
		Percentage of calls that involve dog attacks responded to within 2 hours	Achieved 100% Target 100%	100%	88% Note 1
	Promoting responsible animal ownership through public education	Educational publications and programmes are available to the community	New measure	Minimum of 6 articles per year Minimum of 4 educational presentations per year	Nil Nil Note 2

Note 1:

This is mainly due to the availability of ACOs. On most days we only have one ACO, hence response times have been exceeded. Total number of calls received for dog attacks was nine and seven were responded to within two hours. However all calls relating to dog attacks were responded to.

Note 2:

We will be working with Elayne Hand who is a dog trainer and behaviourist to implement the “DogSmart Educational program for schools, in conjunction with the “ZeroBites Dog Training” developed by Christchurch City Council.

We will also work with the New Senior ACO on the publishing of educational articles.

48.4 Customer Requests

49. Building

Consent issued numbers are down, however Building Officers are very busy processing a high number of consents as well as a large volume of both phone and over the counter enquiries.

Trevor and Russell both attended the Senior BOINZ conference in Auckland. The key learnings from the conference are:

· Responsibility that councils have received correct information on consents applications so that the Building Consent can be issued

· Auckland has had issues with false documentation and fraud from Engineers and Tradesmen who have been stuck off the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Register or the Licensed Building Practitioners Register. The documents include Producer Statements, Certificate of Works, Warranties, IPENZ letters, plans, and alteration of council documents.

· The Building Manager from Invercargill City Council gave a short presentation about the Southland Stadium roof collapse. The need to follow due process and the ramifications of a legal process was highlighted.

Chris attended a Fire Documents course in Auckland. This is to meet the requirements of the diploma that the building officers are working towards.

Fonterra is beginning to call for final inspections on some of their consents, with Russell spending a considerable amount of time on this. Work on the site is beginning to wrap up and we expect more final inspections to be called for over the coming month.

Pennie and Russell have done a considerable amount of work towards ensuring that we have the current Building Warrant of Fitness documentation for buildings throughout the District on file for Council records.

49.1 Statistics for Building Consents for the month of August 2015

Consent Processing Time Frames	August 2015	Year to date
Total days	167	590
Average of Days Taken (/31)	5.4	19
Consent Breakdown
10 days or Less	9	26
11 - 15 Days	4	16
16 - 17 Days	1	3
18 – 19 Days	0	2
20 Days	3	7
>20 Days	0	0
TOTAL	17	54
Percentage processed within 20 day limit	100%	100%
Consent Values
Total Value	$554,001	$1,002,881
Average Value	$32,588	$18,942

49.2 Performance Measures

Performance Measures - Building
Major Aspect	Level of Service	Performance Measure	2013/14 Results	2015 Target	Current Result
Community Outcome(s): Prosperous Economy • Collaborative Council
Public Safety	Ensure that the district’s built environment is safe and healthy	All swimming pool and/or spa fencing inspected once every 5 years	New Measure	100%	28.4% On Target
Customer Service	Building safe communities through cost effective and streamlined processes	Consents issued within statutory timeframes	Not achieved 98% Target 100%	100%	100%

50. General Inspection

Illegal Dumping totalled 870kg with only two calls to the recycling centre in Pahiatua.

The photo shows part of the 180kg of household rubbish that was tipped over a fence at Mangaramarama Road, Pahiatua. A person was identified and invoiced with the cost of removal and disposal of the rubbish being $276.00 plus a $300 infringement notice. If the rubbish was taken to the transfer station by the offender, it would have only cost them $19.92.

Rubbish on Mangaramarama Road, Pahiatua

The following two pictures show two fadges and its contents that were left at the rest area by Otanga Road, Dannevirke. They mainly contained empty racing horse feed bags, other associated refuse and a small amount of household refuse from a stable in the Ormondville area. This rubbish also contained unknown liquid chemicals. A person was identified and has been invoiced $147.00 for the removal and disposal of the rubbish, and issued with a $400 infringement notice. If the rubbish was taken to the transfer station by the offender, it would have cost them $10.60

Rubbish at Rest Area by Contents of the fadges from

Otanga Road, Dannevirke Otanga Road, Dannevirke

There were four complaints of overhanging vegetation, all of which have been dealt with by the owners.

One abandoned vehicle was removed by the owner after contact was made.

50.1 Customer Requests

01 Aug 2015 to 31 Aug 2015	Ind/Com Nth Ward	Non Rateable	Rural Nth Ward	Rural Sth Ward	Unknown	Urban Nth Ward	Urban Sth Ward	Total



Abandoned Vehicle	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Illicit Dumping	0	0	0	0	13	0	0	13
Noise - Stereo/ Drums/ Party - First Call - Record Only	0	0	0	1	8	9	3	21
Noise - Stereo/ Drums/ Party - SECOND CALL / ATTENDANCE REQUIRED	0	0	0	1	3	13	4	21
Noise Other - First Call - Record Only	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Noise Other - SECOND CALL / ATTENDANCE REQUIRED	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Overhanging Trees or Projections from Private Property	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	4
Roaming Stock	0	0	1	2	21	2	1	27
Stock Crossings	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Total	0	0	1	4	48	27	10	90

50.2 Performance Measures

Performance Measures – General Inspection
Major Aspect	Level of Service	Performance Measure	2013/14 Results	2015 Target	Current Result
Community Outcome(s): Collaborative Council • Sustainable environment • Great lifestyle
Liveable communities	Excessive noise complaints will be attended to by Council to minimise disturbance to others	Percentage of noise complaints responded to within an hour	New Measure	95%	100%
Attractive communities	Control excessive rubbish dumping, overhanging vegetation and fire hazards through monitoring and enforcement	Percentage of complaints responded to within 48 hours	New Measure	90%	100%

51. Health

	August 2015
High Risk Food Inspections	16
Low Risk Food Inspections	4
New Business Enquiry	3
New Food Business Registered	2
Business Closed	1

Health annual renewal fees invoices have been sent to all registered food businesses.

51.1 Food Act 2014

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have provided information after the first consultation of the Regulations under the Food Act 2014. Items of interest to Territorial Authorities include:

· Businesses operating under a National Programme will be required to register with the TA on a biennial basis. This is to reflect the lower risk a National Programme poses to food safety and to reduce costs to small businesses.

· Food Businesses will transition into the Food Act 2014 over a three year period. The final date, at this stage, for the transition will be 28 February 2019.

· Food businesses that operate a food control plan will be given three years to transition.

· Businesses that operate a food control plan will not be required to renew their registration during the transition period. This will impact on the registration fees received by the TA in 2015/16 through to 2018/19.

· TAs have been given the verification function for food control plans under s.137 Food Act 2014, however this will be revised at the end of transition.

· TAs wishing to retain verification of businesses that operate under the National Programme will need to apply to MPI to become a recognised agency and meet the requirements for Accreditation or hold Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17020: 2012.

51.2 Customer Requests

01 Aug 2015 to 31 Aug 2015	Ind/Com Nth Ward	Non Rateable	Rural Nth Ward	Rural Sth Ward	Unknown	Urban Nth Ward	Urban Sth Ward	Total
Dead Animal Carcass	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	3
Dead Stock	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Hazards Environmental Spill	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Health Complaint Miscellaneous	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Poultry Noise	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2
Rodent Infestation	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	1	0	0	1	2	2	4	10

51.3 Performance Measures

Performance Measures – Environmental Health
Major Aspect	Level of Service	Performance Measure	2013/14 Results	2015 Target	Current Result
Community Outcome(s): Prosperous economy • Collaborative Council
Public safety	Protect public health by regulating the sale of food, funeral parlours, offensive trades, hairdressing salons and camping grounds	Percentage of registered premises inspected for compliance	New Measure	90%	14% On target

Emergency Management

Rural Fire

52. Fire Season

Still quiet with the current spate of wet weather, however North West winds are starting and will dry things out quickly. The continuing El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean typically mean an increased likelihood of more southerlies over New Zealand for spring. Dry, drought conditions are still being predicted for late December and January. The current state of the Southern Oscillation Index continues to indicate that we may get a drought similar to that experienced in 1997/1998. This will mean a volatile fire season.

53. Incident Reports

*NRFA Classification Type*	*Jul*	*Aug*	*Sep*	*Oct*	*Nov*	*Dec*	*Jan*	*Feb*	*Mar*	*Apr*	*May*	*Jun*	*Total*
Power Lines	1	0	0										1
Vehicle - Car, Truck etc.	0	0	0										0
Farm/Forest Machinery	0	0	0										0
Camp fires/bonfires/rubbish fires	1	1	0										2
Smokers	0	0	0										0
Land clearing escaped - Open Fire Season	0	0	0										0
Land clearing escaped - Restricted/ Prohibited Fire Season (no Fire Permit)	0	0	0										0
Structural - House/Shed	4	0	3										7
Pyrotechnics Fireworks	0	0	0										0
False Alarm	4	6	2										12
Medical Assist	1	0	0										1
Motor Vehicle Accident	0	1	0										1
Miscellaneous	0	0	1										1
*Total*	11	8	6										25

54. Tiraumea Rural Fire Force

Tiraumea Volunteer Rural Fire Force has got a new lease of life since receiving their Rural Fire utility vehicle and station upgrade. They have attended two courses to date and two of their members are booked in for Crew Leader training. They have received new personal protection equipment and are raring to go. Of interest is the number of new younger recruits they have managed to obtain.

55. Rural Fire Meetings

Nil.

56. Rural Fire Plan

The Tararua District Council Rural Fire Authority Fire Plan has been reviewed and updated in accordance with the Forest and Rural Fires Regulations. A list of amendments etc. will be ready for the Council Meeting on 30 September 2015 for approval.

Civil Defence

57. Incidents

A tsunami warning was received as a result of the 8.3 Chile earthquake experienced on 17 September 2015. All coastal settlements in Tararua were warned and kept informed and a 24 hour monitoring watch maintained by the EMO. Warnings for strong currents and the odd extra high wave are still in place for the Chathams and the East Coast of the North Island as at the writing of this report. No further issues are expected.

58. Meetings

Paddy attended the Group Emergency Management Officers Meeting in Palmerston North on 3 September 2015.

59. Civil Defence Plans/Standard Operating Procedures/Manuals

Continuing to work on the Tararua District Council Civil Defence Plan and still on target to be completed by the end of November, providing the fire season doesn’t require extra hours from the District Resilience Manager.

60. Seminars/Workshops/Courses/Forums/Training

Our Regional Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) trainer spent two days providing EMIS introduction training. This was a very valuable session leading up to an EMIS exercise to be held on 22 September 2015.

Work has been carried out in preparation for a flood exercise to be held at TDC on 22 September 2015. The exercise, called “Floodex 2015”, will test our call takers and the use of EMIS for message recording. Four Council call takers will receive an inject phone call every 2 minutes for 2 hours (a total of 50 calls) as well as business as usual calls. Messages will be analysed and forwarded to the relevant sections of the EOC. The message injects relate to the actual calls received during the 2004 flood event and the July 2015 floods. From this we expect enough information to formulate a Situation Report and an Action Plan. There will be a debrief and a report following the exercise.

Library

61. Farewell to Raewyn Murray

August saw the Council farewell Raewyn Murray who retired from the Woodville Community Library. Raewyn has been an integral part of the Library team and will be missed by the Woodville Community. However, Raewyn has agreed to be a casual staff member for us in times of need, and is planning to be one of our volunteers at Woodville, helping with our Reading Programmes over the summer months.

62. General

The Library celebrated National Poetry Day by running our second annual poetry competition. Twenty one people entered from all over New Zealand. The poems were judged by Akitio local, Muriel Cowan and the winners were Karen Rees from Pahiatua, and Steve Clarkson from Taupo. All poems entered were published on the Library Blog. In Dannevirke, print copies were put on display in the library foyer and the public interest in these was very high.

The annual collection management of the Fiction collection was ongoing throughout August, with stock not moving removed for either deletion or reallocation to another branch. The collections at Eketahuna and Pahiatua have been completed and Woodville and Dannevirke will be finished by the end of September.

Woodville and Eketahuna Libraries were kept busy with rates rebates and dog registrations as well as their other library duties. This and the Winter Warmers programme makes August a very busy time for these two offices.

Preparations are underway for Adult Learners Week events in September, including the Trivia Quiz and Poetry Workshop.

With the assistance of the Records Manager, the Tararua Library Trust paperwork that was stored in the Dannevirke Library stackroom has been assessed and sorted for destruction or retention. All statistical and report information has been kept and will be sorted and digitized in the future.

63. Children’s Services

Winter Warmers 2015

Tararua District Libraries rolled out Winter Warmers to 11 primary schools in the district as well as enrolling extra children who were not participating through schools.

Library books were delivered to the schools in class lots and the children were given review booklets in which to retell, through words or drawings, the books they read.

After five reviews, participants received a prize and were awarded a book and certificate at the end of the programme. If children completed the maximum of ten reviews they received another small prize.

As an extra incentive this year, 750 pizza wheel vouchers were awarded after seven reviews courtesy of HELL Pizza, major sponsor of the LIANZA Children and Young Adult Book Awards 2015.

Over seven weeks, library staff and volunteers visited schools, checked 1,244 review booklets, gave out thousands of stickers and awarded 856 books and certificates.

Funding is generously provided by the Eastern & Central Community Trust. This enabled digital literacy prizes in the form of one tablet per school in Pahiatua and Dannevirke to be awarded to children who completed the programme.

Feedback from teachers involved was overwhelmingly positive with the following comments being typical responses.

“A huge source of motivation for all readers, includes family/whanau and gives the children ‘mileage’.”

“Inspired my reluctant readers” and “the incentives along the way were great for those who struggle to maintain their independent reading for greater periods of time.”

“Great programme that has managed to get a number of my reluctant readers reading chapter books.”

Also in August, the library ran our annual year 7/8 quiz promoting the New Zealand Children’s Book awards finalists. Nine teams from Pahiatua, Woodville and Dannevirke Libraries competed to win the coveted trophy. This year’s winners were Norsewood & Districts School.

64. Statistics as at 31 August 2015

Customer Services

65. General

July 2015 saw a very busy month with dog registrations due on 31 July 2015. Thanks to the team for their efforts during this very busy month and a special thank you to Hayley Pocock and Jade Dittmer from the Pahiatua office for stepping up to assist with the administration.

August 2015 provided an equally busy month with the first instalment of rates due on 31 August. Thanks again to the team for stepping up during this time, which was particularly busy for the Dannevirke Office who coped without a full complement of staff.

Customer Services staff from Dannevirke and Pahiatua attended Emergency Management Information System (EMIS) training in August. Staff will now participate in a Civil Defence exercise that is taking place on 22 September 2015 aimed at testing the telephone and messaging system in the event of a real emergency.

66. CRM Dashboard Report – August 2015

Sport and Recreation

67. General

· A six week 3v3 Basketball initiative has been taking place out of Tararua College. The programme is aimed at children who do not currently participate in organised sport.

· Capability Advisor has been working closely with the Dannevirke Athletics Club. An initial participation initiative was very successful with a subsequent case study being produced. The next phase of support will see the capability of the club being developed through support with committee structuring, coaching, and planning. Job descriptions have already been produced that will allow the club to prepare for succession planning.

· The final report for the Dannevirke Netball Centre has been produced, with all three years of the fundamental skills programme being successful. 88 children went through the programme, with feedback showing a very positive response.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor and Community Sport Advisor met with BAMS Boxing and Fitness to discuss a Small Project KiwiSport application. The club is now applying for an in school programme as a result and plan to include coach upskilling as part of the application.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor and Community Sport Advisor met with Habit HQ to discuss a KiwiSport application. The original programme proposal was altered slightly to meet KiwiSport requirements and the application is now in the creation process.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor and Community Sport Advisor met with Tararua Community Youth Services Inc to discuss potential for a KiwiSport application. As a result, the organisation is now aware of what they can and cannot apply for, and are considering creating a programme to suit KiwiSport.

· New Zealand’s reigning heavyweight boxing champion, Joseph Parker has been confirmed as the Visique Dannevirke and Pahiatua Optometrists guest speaker for the 2015 Tararua Alliance Sport Awards on Friday 16 October at the Dannevirke Town Hall.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor modelled the SportStart Year’s five and six, and seven and eight invasion games lesson plan to two senior teachers at Norsewood School. The next session will include an observation of the teacher’s topic delivery.

· Norsewood School has signed up for Cycle Safety/Learn to Ride programmes scheduled in term four.

· Ballance School has signed up as a Sport Manawatu Partner School. The school hopes to commence SportStart professional development and Cycle Safety/ Learn to Ride in term four.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor observed the SportStart delivery of three Huia Range teachers. All three demonstrated a good understanding of the programme.

· The Tararua Recreation Advisor and a Community Sport Advisor are scheduled to meet with representatives from the Dannevirke Sports Club, Dannevirke Tennis Club, and Tararua College to share information about the Sport NZ Club Warrant of Fitness, Grassroots Coaching Course, Tararua Alliance Sport Awards, and local funding opportunities.

68. Upcoming events (that we deliver or directly impact on)

· Tickets for the 2015 Tararua Alliance Sport Awards go on sale on Monday 7 September. Tickets are available for purchase from all Tararua District Council Service Centres.

· The Dannevirke Multisport Complex Inc Society AGM will be held on Wednesday 9 September, 7pm at the Tararua Business Hub.

· Planning is underway for the 2016 MidCentral Fit Whanau Triathlon.

69. KiwiSport Regional Partnership Fund

· The Dannevirke Netball junior programme came to its conclusion. 24 children went through the programme, with feedback showing that the programme was a success, and provided an excellent avenue to provide the Netball NZ Future Fern programme to the region.

70. Recommendation

That the report from the Chief Executive dated 23 September 2015 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.

Attachments

Nil.

9.1	Dannevirke Brass Band
9.1.1	Board Member Delaney tabled for board members information a copy of the minutes from the 127^th Annual General Meeting of the Dannevirke Brass Band held on 12 August 2015 in the band room.
9.1.2	Board Member Delaney conveyed the Dannevirke Brass Band’s thanks for the support it receives from the Dannevirke Community Board, and noted that a new and different band will rise through the challenge of Neil and Michelle Williams departure after many years of outstanding service.
9.2	Dannevirke Information Centre
9.2.1	The Deputy Chairperson reported that the Dannevirke Information Centre Annual General Meeting is held on 28 September 2015.
9.3	Cycle/Walkway – Smith/Cole Streets and Adelaide Road
9.3.1	Board Member Christison reported that a working bee was arranged last Saturday to complete the first stage of this project, and work on the next part will commence shortly.
9.3.2	An official opening of the cycle/walkway will occur on 31 October 2015.
9.3.3	The development of the cycle/walkway has been appreciated and commended as being beneficial to the community, with the possibility of undertaking a similar project on Riverdale Road to be investigated.

9.4	Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce
9.4.1	Board Member Christison reported that the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce is considering undertaking a spring clean to tidy the appearance and image of High Street businesses.
9.5	First World War Commemorations Committee
9.5.1	Board Member Delaney reported that the commemorative concert and display held on 8 August 2015 in the Dannevirke Town Hall was a very successful and well received event.
9.5.2	The display involving the 32 soldier cut outs representing the people from the Dannevirke area that fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and the Battle of Chunuk Bair added special meaning to this occasion.
9.5.3	The First World War Commemorations Committee will meet again soon to consider further events next year.
9.5.4	Copies of Rob MacDonald’s First World War research publication are still available for purchase from the Dannevirke Information Centre.
9.6	Wackrow Memorial Youth Award
9.6.1	The Deputy Chairperson reported that this year’s Wackrow Memorial Youth Award was very successful, with seven nominations being received.
9.6.2	The award function held in the Hub was well attended, with the award being presented to Myra-Dawn Spooner as this year’s winner.
9.7	Tararua District Road Safety Group
9.7.1	The Chairperson reported on the Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting held on 25 August 2015, and this included reference to the following matters: · Discussions are occurring with the Transport Minister, Simon Bridges regarding the provision of additional funding to upgrade the Saddle Road and establish more passing lane opportunities. · The Regional Road Safety Coordinator continues to provide and implement a programme of community road safety education initiatives and projects.
9.8	Project Tararua Community Needs Assessment 2015
9.8.1	The Chairperson reported that a meeting was held with Robin Winter concerning the Project Tararua Community Needs Assessment 2015.
9.8.2	Through those discussions an outline was given of the cycle/walkway, town centre security cameras monitoring system and the Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust projects supported by the Board.

9.9	Trustpower Tararua District Community Awards 2015
9.9.1	The cycle/walkway and the Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust projects have been nominated for the Trustpower Tararua District Community Awards 2015.
9.9.2	The awards presentation function will be held in the Pahiatua Town Hall on 16 September 2015 at 5.30 pm.

7.1	Kerbside Berm Mowing (Item 6.1)
7.1.1	The Chairperson circulated for board members reference a copy of the map agreed with the Alliance Performance Manager detailing the kerbside berm mowing level of service in Eketahuna.
7.2	Tararua Cycleway Project Proposal (Item 6.3)
7.2.1	Cr Collis will undertake the role of liaison representative with the Tararua cycleway project steering group.
7.3	Eketahuna Christmas Parade (Item 6.4)
7.3.1	Emma Elliott is progressing the arrangements for the Eketahuna Christmas Parade to be held on 28 November 2015 at 12 noon.
7.4	Resignation of Warren Davidson as South Tararua Ward District Councillor (Item 7.2)
7.4.1	The Board noted that the Council has initiated an external review of its governance policies, systems and processes through Local Government New Zealand.
7.4.2	This process is being undertaken following the recent public comments on the Council as a governing body, and the review and report from Local Government New Zealand with its recommendations shall be completed before the end of 2015.
7.5	Tararua Alliance Sport Awards (Item 8.2)
7.5.1	The Chairperson advised that various nominations from Eketahuna have been encouraged to enter the Tararua Alliance Sport Awards.

7.6	Eketahuna Community Civil Defence Response Group (Item 8.5)
7.6.1	The Chairperson tabled for board members information a copy of the updated Eketahuna Community Civil Defence Response Group Plan.

*General subject matter to be considered*	*Reason for passing this resolution in relation to each matter*	*Ground(s) under Section 48 (1) for the passing of this resolution*
*Saddle Road Upgrade*	*To protect commercial activities*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*
*Proposed Land Swap to Legalise a Cemetery Encroachment*	*To protect commercial and industrial negotiations*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*
*Offer to the Council to Purchase Land adjoining the Queen Street Recycling Centre Site*	*To protect commercial and industrial negotiations*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*
*Offer to Purchase the Thyra Street Depot*	*To protect commercial activities*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*
*Chief Executive's Performance Appraisal Committee Report*	*To protect the privacy of natural persons*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*

10.	Correspondence
10.1	*That the correspondence as listed be received.* (a) Sport Manawatu Tararua Recreation Advisor 20 August 2015 Re: Request for financial assistance to support the 2015 Tararua Alliance Sport Awards (b) Tararua District Council 17 August 2015 Re: Submission to the 2015/2025 Draft Long Term Plan (c) Dannevirke Theatre Company 1 September 2015 Re: Christmas carols at the domain *Christison/Macdonald Carried*
10.2	2015 Tararua Alliance Sport Awards
10.2.1	That Sport Manawatu be granted the sum of up to $274.35 from the Board’s discretionary funds as assistance towards the cost of hiring the Dannevirke Town Hall for the Tararua Alliance Sport Awards held on 16 October 2015. *Macdonald/Delaney Carried*
10.3	Christmas Carols at the Domain
10.3.1	The proposed arrangements for the Christmas Carols at the Domain community event held on 19 December 2015 (with the following day as the alternative if the weather is unsuitable) were noted.
10.3.2	To enable the Board to consider the request for assistance to support this event the organising committee shall be asked to provide details of the proposed advertising budget.

5.	Declaration for the Appointment of Cr T H Collis as an Eketahuna Community Board Member
5.1	Cr T H Collis made and attested her declaration required as the Council’s appointed replacement representative on the Eketahuna Community Board. The signing of the declaration was witnessed by the Board’s Chairperson.

11.	Council Flats Heating
11.1	This matter was included as part of the Council report presented by Cr Collis earlier at the meeting as detailed within the third item of reference 8.2 in these minutes.

12.	World Skills International Competition
12.1	Board Member Hull spoke on the trip by Matty Hull as a member of the 2015 Tool Black New Zealand team that competed at the August World Skills International Competition held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

13.	Eketahuna Town Centre Upgrade
13.1	A very successful public meeting was held on 26 August 2015 to present the Board’s preferred design concepts for the Eketahuna town centre upgrade.
13.2	Through these discussions the following were identified as the concepts supported by the community for inclusion to develop the project plan: 1) Kiwi relocation 2) Public conveniences picture/theme 3) History 4) Real Kiwi Country branding 5) Eketahuna War Memorial images
13.3	The Board requests that the design plan includes as many of these concepts able to be undertaken within the budget funding available for this project.
13.4	The provision of new footpaths is not considered as the priority for the town centre upgrade, and such work regarding paving options should be costed separately.
13.5	The Board’s proposal is to proceed with the upgrade based on the concepts identified by the community as the priorities for the work to be undertaken, and any expenditure on footpaths could be programmed if the remaining budget can accommodate that cost.
13.6	The Board will present its proposed Eketahuna town centre upgrade plan to the Council’s workshop briefing session in Dannevirke on 30 September 2015, with the time of 11.00 am indicated for this purpose.
13.7	It was agreed that Board Member Shannon and Cr Collis shall be the Board’s liaison representatives for contact regarding this project.
13.8	An update will be included in the community newsletter to outline the outcome of the consultation to develop the Board’s project proposal, and the process from here to progress this matter.
13.9	The upgrade concepts plan is to be placed on display for viewing at the Eketahuna Information Centre.

15.	Items not on the Agenda (excluding those previously discussed through reports from Board representatives)
15.1	Zone 3 Meetings
15.1.1	It was noted that Cr Collis may convey an apology for non-attendance at some Board meetings when the date is the same day as the Zone 3 Local Government New Zealand meetings.
15.2	Pop-up Cheese Seminar/Fest in Eketahuna
15.2.1	The Board noted the proposal from Biddy Fraser-Davies concerning the pop-up cheese seminar/fest in Eketahuna, and it requires more definite details as the information provided is insufficient to consider the request for assistance to support this event.
15.3	Time of Next Month’s Board Meeting
15.3.1	It was agreed that next month’s Board meeting held on 2 October 2015 will return to the usual commencement time of 10.00 am.
15.4	2016 New Zealander of the Year Awards
15.4.1	The background information was noted concerning the details of the Local Heroes 2016 New Zealander of the Year Awards, and to consider any nominations of individuals or community organisations from Eketahuna.

Date	:	21 September 2015
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Kathy Dever-Tod Manager Assets Group
Subject	:	Advancing the Long Term Plan Decisions regarding Pensioner Housing
Item No	:	11.3

Name of Service	Housing
Scope	There are 80 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units, which are provided under a tenant contribution scheme (purchase of tenancy). The one bedroom units are located at Dannevirke (50), Eketahuna (3), Pahiatua (15) and Woodville (12). The 12 tenant contribution units are all located in Dannevirke. In total Housing assets have a land area of 1.6 Ha and a building floor area of 4325 m2. The units Council provides the administration and for the maintenance of the units
Purpose	To provide access to affordable and suitable long-term housing for older people with limited income and assets
Rationale for Service	There is a social need for low income superannuitants to be able to afford accommodation that enables them to stay close to family and friends and to be able to participate as active members of the community. Council sets rentals at lower than market rates, with the aim to be not more than 25% of the applicable New Zealand superannuation. Beneficiary tenants can apply to Work and Income for assistance with their housing costs. Council has decided to exit the service to an approved social housing provider, as this will maximise the ability for the community to access government funding. Contribution to Community Outcomes: · Efficient Infrastructure – Strongly Related · Prosperous Economy - Related · Great Lifestyle - Strongly Related · Sustainable Environment – Not Related · Collaborative Council - Related
Governance	The activity is delivered by the Tararua District Council. Governance decisions are made by Council (elected members) after considering advice from Council management. Significant decisions would involve a consultation process with the community and / or major stakeholders and those directly impacted by any decision.
Funding	The activity is self-funding from rental income. This is a policy decision that has proved difficult to meet in the past due to governance decisions limiting the level of rents. In 2015/16 rents were increased by $10 a week which will place the activity on a better financial footing. Rental levels in the Tararua rental market are low compared to the New Zealand average. This reduces the need for Council subsidised housing and limits the rental levels that Council can charge for the service. This in turn reduces the ability to fund future renewals of housing stock.
Current Service Delivery Arrangements	Council staff manage the tenancies and screen applicants against Council policy on tenant requirements. The Assets Group staff manage the occupancy of the housing units and capital projects and Customer Service staff arrange for local contractors to carry out maintenance as issues are raised by tenants. Tenants are ideally aged 65 + years and have limited financial assets. As vacancy rates for some units have increased (the oldest units) Council has widened the age criteria in order to increase occupancy.
Major Contracts	There are no major contracts associated with this activity. Maintenance is carried out by a range of trades businesses and are generally of small values.
Last Review and Options considered	Council has considered the future of housing previously on an ad-hoc basis. Lack of demand for the units in Norsewood and Ormondville resulted in their sale to the private sector in 2011. Proceeds were added to the housing reserves. There was some community opposition to this sale at the time. Exiting the entire activity was not considered as an option. There were no ongoing issues with the sale. Council consulted on the future of the Housing activity as a specific significant issue in the 2015-25 LTP process. In the Consultation Document the following options were consulted on: 1. Status quo – as decided in the 2014/15 Annual Plan Sell six of the older units in Dannevirke, and use the sale proceeds to help fund the building of six new units. This option does not address all the ageing units in the housing portfolio and it will be some years before they are renewed and/or modernised. Reserves in the activity will be depleted by the end of the ten years. Weekly rentals will need to increase from an average of $71 to $85 in Year 1 and then gradually increase to $95 by Year 5. 2. Sell part of the older units and use proceeds to modernise the remaining housing stock Council would retain the newer units, and sell the balance of 12 older units (Dannevirke and Eketahuna) for redevelopment; recognising that Council has already identified that the older units are not suitable for modernisation. The balance of units in the portfolio are able to be modernised. The balance of units in the portfolio are able to be modernised through the use of the proceeds of sale and the housing reserves, without Council having to borrow. However, weekly rentals will need to increase from an average of $76 to $88 in Year 1 and then gradually increase to $97 by Year 5. 3. Exit from this service - sell the whole portfolio to a suitable social housing provider or providers (preferred option) Existing tenants continue to live in subsidised social housing units. Greater community benefit through government funding entering the district in the form of social housing grants - monies that Council is not eligible to access. With a suitable housing provider in place, this ensures that the housing outcomes are better for the community as well as tenants. Council can divest to several providers, if that is the best option, rather than a one solution for the entire district. The balance of the reserves for the pensioner housing - including monies from the sale proceeds - is available for other Council projects in the district. At the end of the sales process, Council is anticipating the proceeds from sales and the reserves balance will total $3.7 million. These funds will be used to repay debt and/or invest in district wide infrastructure. Council received 170 submissions concerning the operation and management of the pensioner housing, with the views expressed as follows: · 77 submissions supported the Council exiting from this service and selling the whole portfolio to a suitable social housing provider or providers. · 71 submissions supported the Council retaining this service with rentals increased to cover the associated costs maintained at affordable levels · 8 submissions supported the status quo through the Council retaining the pensioner housing service and selling part of the older units, with the proceeds used to modernise the remaining flats. · 5 submissions supported either option to sell or retain the pensioner housing service · 9 submissions covered a range of other views / options. Council adopted the following position in the approved 2015-25 LTP: · Council recognises the potential community benefit from government funding it cannot access if it retains the ownership of its pensioner housing portfolio, and · Council invites expressions of interest from respected not for profit social housing providers to purchase its pensioner housing units, and · Council will exit from this service if the tenants are protected and there will be an ongoing operation of pensioner housing within the district. Council confirmed that the ten older units at Hovding Court (Dannevirke), as previously resolved, are to be sold separately.
Current Performance	Occupancy rates have been declining for some time, with an upturn following the sale of units in Norsewood and Ormondville in 2011. The occupancy rate decline in 2015 can be discounted from the data set as Council management were leaving empty units vacant in Hovding Court as Council had previously resolved to rebuild these units. In 2015 these 10 units had an occupancy rate of 60%. Occupancy rates are generally lower in Eketahuna and Woodville (note small number of units can give misleading statistics), and in the older units. Tenants have a high satisfaction rating for the service with a 100% rating in 2013 and 99% in 2014.
Financials	Rental Income has only grown modestly over the last 6 years, while total operating costs have grown faster in the last few years. This has resulted in reserves growing slowly (excluding the large increase from the sale of units in Norsewood and Ormondville in 2011/12). Renewals have largely been limited to windows and roof issues. The oldest units are in need of complete renewal to address design issues as well as reaching end of life. The reserves are not sufficient to fund these costs. Rental income will not be able to fund the forecast renewals in the next 10 years and beyond. Council has resolved to exit the service by 2017/18 so the 2015-25 LTP only includes financials for the next 3 years. Overall funding depreciation is the major issue. Even with the rental increase the operating revenue does not cover fully funding depreciation and other operating costs. This implies that the reserve balance will decline in the future and an injection of capital will be required to fund renewals. Valuations done on Dannevirke rents in February indicate that at current rentals (around $90 a week) Council housing will be at around 85% of market rents. Council has a policy that rents will not exceed 25% of NZ Super (single). NZ Super is now $431.10 a week gross – which implies a maximum rental of $107.75 a week. This is around the market rent level.
Future Issues	The ageing population will increase demand for affordable housing. Whether this translates into an increase in the number of people accessing subsidised housing or not, remains to be seen. The housing must still meet the increasing standards being demanded by tenants. Occupancy rates are currently falling as Council units are increasingly not meeting the minimum standards demanded by tenants. This includes more storage, bigger rooms, disabled access, places for mobility scooters, larger appliances, etc. Changes to government policy on funding for rental subsidies and funding for social housing providers have eroded the reasons why Council delivers this activity. There is considerable affordable private rental housing in the District. At market rents tenants who meet all the criteria are eligible for rental supplements of 70% over the threshold level of $94 a week (for Tararua). This effectively means that there is little difference between Council rents and private sector rents.

Alternative Options - Governance	Council has a number of options for the governance of this activity. They are: Council status Quo – Council could continue to own the assets. This would require a capital injection to renew the assets in the medium term. Council ownership is not eligible for government funding. Local Trust – Council could form a community housing trust charged with the governance of the housing assets. The main benefit from this would be to open up alternative funding sources, although to obtain government funding the trust would have to register and be approved as a social housing provider. A limiting factor is that existing Council tenants are not eligible for additional funding under the social housing policy of government. In order for the funding to be sustainable Council would likely need to gift the housing assets to the trust. The trust would need to attract alternative funding or take on debt to renew the older units. A number of Councils have taken this approach to pensioner housing assets (Manawatu, Carterton). CCO – A CCO would provide an arms-length and commercial focus to managing the housing assets. It would not be eligible for government funding. Unless the statement of intent allowed full market rents there is no obvious benefit to this option. Shared Service – Council could investigate setting up a shared service governance arrangement with a combined larger housing service. Neighbouring Councils, however, have different policies and structures. Palmerston North City provides a substantial rates subsidy to reduce rents, while Manawatu and Wairarapa Councils have transferred housing to a Trust over the years. Forming a multi Council shared service also creates complexity for decision-making for politically sensitive services such as pensioner housing. Private sector commercial – Council can exit the service by selling at market rates to the highest bidder. Council has however decided that there is still a need for a social housing service for asset poor residents aged 65+. This service would cease if sold to commercial operators and it is unlikely that another organisation would step in to provide the service. Council View Council has decided on three policy positions: 1. There will be no rates funding of the activity 2. There is a need for the service in the District now and into the future 3. If Council exits the activity it expects to receive fair value for the assets. There is only one viable option that can meet the Council position. The option needs to access government funding that will ensure the ongoing operation of the service without rates input. The Trust is only viable if Council gifts the assets to the new organisation. Overall Council has resolved to sell the assets to an organisation that is a specialist and focused social housing provider that can access government funding for the service.
Alternative Options - Funding	Options are limited by government policy and policies of grant agencies. Council has four basic options: 1. Retain ownership and fund through rental income and rates (or rates supported borrowing) 2. Transfer to a trust for no consideration and instruct the trust to become a registered social housing provider. 3. Sell to an existing social housing provider who is eligible for government funding. 4. Charge market rents or sell to a commercial business. If Council charged market rents there is no longer a rationale for retaining ownership. Council view Council considered these options as part of the 2015 LTP process and decided that accessing government funding was critical given the policy position of no rates funding. The best outcome for existing tenants and the residents of the District was to sell to a reputable registered social housing provider. This provides security for the tenants, secures the service for the future and returns some capital to the Council that can be used to invest in other community assets in the future.
Alternative Options – Service delivery	Given the analysis in governance and funding the practicable options are limited. Any service delivery through a commercial model is not eligible for government funding as a registered social housing provider. Council currently delivers the service through a very lean management structure, and low overheads. Total operating costs (excluding depreciation) are $373,000 in 2014/15, including $41,000 in overhead charges. This is to manage and maintain a property asset worth $4.1 million. There is little savings to be made from joining with other organisations. Shared services may in fact increase costs as most other Council or Trust operations have higher levels of service. In-house delivery – This is the status quo option and is only viable if Council sells most of the older units. CCO, owned or partly owned by Council – A service delivery through these options would not qualify for government social housing funding. As such this option is not viable unless Council sells most of the older units. Another local authority – A local authority is not eligible for government social housing funding. As such this option is not viable unless Council sells most of the older units. Private sector – Maintenance services are already delivered by a range of private sector trades and are likely to continue to mostly do so under most governance models. Another agency (for example central government, an organisation or a community group) – The government policy is to support community social housing providers to deliver these services. Housing NZ is not being funded to purchase additional social housing, and has little involvement in providing subsidised housing for able bodied older people. Council View Exiting the service to be provided by a community organisation is the preferred option for Council – in this case a respected not for profit social housing provider.
Does the Cost of the Review outweigh the benefits (s17A(3))	Council has already carried out a Special Consultative Procedure as part of the 2015-25 LTP process. Council consulted on three options including exiting by selling to a respected not for profit social housing provider(s), or two variations on retaining the service in-house. Council considers that there are no other viable options that meet the policy positions of Council, and deliver a financially sustainable service into the future. As such there is little to gain from carrying out a full cost benefit analysis of the viable options covering governance, funding and service delivery. Pensioner housing in Wairarapa is already governed, funded and delivered by a community trust, as is Manawatu. Palmerston North has a policy of using rates to partly fund its service, while Councils in Hawkes Bay are possibly entering an amalgamation process. Council is satisfied that the potential benefits of any further analysis and review would not justify the costs of undertaking the review. Council therefore considers that the 2015 – 25 LTP process, with additional analysis contained in this report, has met the requirements of s17A of the LGA 2002.

Date	:	17 September 2015
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Chris Edsall Alliance Manager
Subject	:	Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974
Item No	:	12.5

Managers Certificate - Renewal of Manager Certificate
License / Cert No	Premises	Applicant	Issue Date	Expiry Date
401.2009.00002746.001	Post Office Hotel	A J Bourke	10 Aug 2015	02 Jun 2018
401.2011.00005036.001	Bridge Cafe	Ms R J Algie	10 Aug 2015	30 Jun 2018
401.2014.00005130.001	Pongaroa Hotel	Ms F M Ramsden	10 Aug 2015	23 Jul 2018
401.2014.00005128.001	Beach Haven Inn	Mrs L J Bloom	10 Aug 2015	06 Aug 2018
401.2014.00005129.001	Beach Haven Inn	Mr A J Bloom	10 Aug 2015	06 Aug 2018
401.2011.00005039.001	Countdown Kilbirnie	Ms S C Dickson	10 Aug 2015	16 Aug 2018

Club Licence - Renewal of Club Licence
License / Cert No	Premises	Applicant	Issue Date	Expiry Date
400.2009.00002242.001	Tararua Club	Tararua Club Inc.	17 Jul 2009	23 Jul 2018

Special Licence - Special Licence
License / Cert No	Premises	Applicant	Issue Date	Expiry Date
400.2015.00005449.001	Dannevirke Squash Club	Dannevirke Squash Club Inc.	29 Aug 2015	09 Oct 2015
400.2015.00005451.001	Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club	Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club Inc.	19 Aug 2015	05 Dec 2015
400.2015.00005444.001	Woodville Pahiatua Racing Club	Woodville Pahiatua Racing Club Inc.	10 Aug 2015	26 Apr 2016

3.1	201.2014.42.1	Woodville Pahiatua Racing Club Inc. - Upper McLean Street, Woodville
3.2	201.2015.9.1	R. & N. Parker - 78286 State Highway 2, Oringi
3.3	20.2015.26.1	Hilly View Land Company – Nireaha-Hukanui Road and North Road, Eketahuna
3.4	201.2015.27.1	V. Larsen and H. Goodall – 119 Norsewood-Ormondville Road, Norsewood