Agenda of Council meeting

Minutes of a meeting of the Tararua District Council held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Wednesday 31 July 2019 commencing at 1.03pm.

1. Present

Her Worship the Mayor - Mrs T H Collis, Crs A L Benbow (Deputy Mayor), J E Crispin, A K Franklin, S A Hull, C J Isaacson, P A Johns, K A Sutherland and A J Thompson.

In Attendance

Mr R Suppiah - Acting Chief Executive/Chief Financial Officer

Mr R Taylor - Governance Manager

Mr W Labuschagne - Senior Financial Accountant

Mr M Maxwell - Economic Development and Communications Manager

Mr P Wimsett - Manager Strategy and District Development

Mr C McKay - Finance Manager

Mr M Thomas - Strategy and Policy Adviser

Ms A Yonge - Programme and Projects Manager

Ms R Linkhorn - Senior Projects Advisor

Mr D Gerrard - Alliance Manager

Mr D Watson - Group Manager Plant and Property

Mr C Lunn - Manager Regulatory Services

Mr D Forrest - Consultant District Planner (for item 11.3)

Ms J McKenzie - Projects Coordinator

Mr D Le Mar - Financial Accountant

Mrs N McPeak - Senior Planning Officer (for item 11.3)

Mr J Harold - Planning Officer (for item 11.3)

Speakers as indicated in the public forum

2. Council Prayer

2.1	The Mayor opened the meeting with the Council Prayer.
2.2	Following the Council Prayer a moment of silence was observed as a tribute and mark of respect to Nanny Noa Nicholson who recently passed away (a massive pou (stalwart) for this area and Maori people who recently celebrated her 100th birthday).

3. Apologies

3.1	An apology is noted from Mr B King (Chief Executive) for non-attendance at the meeting.

4. Public Forum

4.1	Change of Land Use to Forestry
4.1.1	Dan Ramsden and Wright Broughton conveyed concern about the sale of productive farm land within the district for planting in forestry and to provide carbon credits, and the impact of this land use change on the future of rural communities such as Pongaroa and Akitio.
4.2	Heritage Buildings
4.2.1	Chris Capes emphasised the importance of retaining heritage buildings as part of a community’s character and identity, and to preserve for future generations a photographic record of their history if they are demolished or redeveloped.

5. Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

5.1

Nil

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

6.1

Nil

7. Personal Matters

7.1	Congratulations are conveyed to Rebecca Mahoney on her skills and abilities recognised through being the first ever woman to referee a Ranfurly Shield game, Otago against North Otago in Oamaru.
7.2	New staff members Jessica McKenzie (Projects Coordinator) and Danny Le Mar (Financial Accountant) were introduced to the Council.

8. Confirmation of Minutes

8.1	*That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 26 June 2019 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* *Crs Johns/Thompson Carried*

9. Any Matters Arising from the Minutes not otherwise dealt with in the Agenda

9.1	Zero Carbon Bill (Item 11.2.2)
9.1.1	The Manager Strategy and District Development is requested to circulate for Councillors information a copy of the submission forwarded regarding the Zero Carbon Bill.
9.2	Route 52 Funding (Item 11.6.1)
9.2.1	Council’s business case for Route 52 funding is to be aligned with the work being undertaken to scope the proposed Dannevirke Rail Hub, and take into account impacts on the roads required for the supply line to this log port.
9.3	Roading Maintenance (Item 11.6.2)
9.3.1	Consideration will be given to providing information for residents through a future Council Bush Telegraph page about the programme of works to maintain the district’s roads.
9.4	Bank of New Zealand Mobile Banking (Item 12.1.1)
9.4.1	Bank of New Zealand mobile banking services will be in the district next month.

10. Community Boards and Community Committees Reports

10.1	Dannevirke Community Board
10.1.1	*That the report of the Dannevirke Community Board meeting held on 1 July 2019 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Hull/Johns Carried
10.1.2	Saddle Road Closures
10.1.2.1	New Zealand Transport Agency updates regarding intended closures of Saddle Road are being emailed to the district’s information centres for their reference.

10.2	Eketahuna Community Board
10.2.1	*That the report of the Eketahuna Community Board meeting held on 5 July 2019 (as circulated) be received.* *Crs Johns/Thompson Carried*

10.2.2	Tararua District 30th Anniversary
10.2.2.1	It is clarified the intention is to have a large birthday cake cut into pieces for the high teas or morning teas to be arranged for the Tararua District 30th anniversary celebrations planned to take place in November 2019.

10.3

Pahiatua On Track

10.3.1

That the report of the Pahiatua On Track meeting held on 3 July 2019 (as circulated) be received.

Crs Franklin/Hull Carried

10.4

Woodville Districts' Vision

10.4.1

That the report of the Woodville Districts’ Vision meeting held on 2 July 2019 (as circulated) be received.

Crs Johns/Hull Carried

11. Reports

11.1

Water Supply Bylaw

11.1.1

That the report from the Manager Strategy and District Development dated 25 July 2019 concerning the Water Supply Bylaw (as circulated) be received, and

That this item of business be left to lie on the table until the next Council meeting to enable that matter to be referred to the August Works Liaison Committee workshop briefing session for discussion.

Crs Johns/Benbow Carried

11.2

Residential Growth Working Programme

11.2.1

That the report from the Strategy and Policy Adviser dated 24 July 2019 concerning the Residential Growth Working Programme (as circulated) be received, and

That Council approve funding of $80,000 from the General Purpose Reserve to undertake the network analysis and investment project involving detailed work to determine the impacts of growth on the district’s infrastructure as part of the residential capacity review.

Crs Sutherland/Johns Carried

11.3

Final Approval of Proposed Change No.1 to the Operative District Plan (Review No.1)

11.3.1

That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 25 July 2019 concerning final approval of Proposed Change No.1 to the Operative District Plan (Review No.1) (as circulated) be received, and

That the District Plan incorporating the approved Plan Change 1 and other minor changes be approved, and

That Plan Change 1 becomes operative on the 19th day of August 2019.

Crs Hull/Benbow Carried

11.4

Annual Dog Control Act Report to the Secretary of Local Government

11.4.1

That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 24 July 2019 concerning the Annual Dog Control Act Report to the Secretary of Local Government (as circulated) be received and adopted, and

That the report be posted on the Tararua District Council website, and

That public notice be given of the report’s availability as required by Section 10A of the Dog Control Act 1996, and

That the report be sent to the Secretary of Local Government by 31 August 2019.

Crs Johns/Thompson Carried

11.5

Delegations to Staff Performing Regulatory Functions

11.5.1

That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 24 July 2019 concerning delegations to staff performing regulatory functions (as circulated) be received, and

That Council approve the delegations set out in the schedule attached to this report to enable staff to deliver and fulfil the statutory responsibilities of the legislation relating to the regulatory functions specified.

Crs Sutherland/Isaacson Carried

11.6

Disestablishment of Waione Domain Board

11.6.1

That the report from the Governance Manager dated 23 July 2019 concerning the disestablishment of Waione Domain Board (as circulated) be received, and

That Council note the decision of Waione Domain Board to disestablish their committee due to a lack of interest in the community to continue, and thank its members for their service in overseeing the day- to-day operation of this reserve land and the community hall which is situated there, and

That in light of this decision Waione Domain Board close their bank accounts once it has settled any accounts due for payment, and

That Council agree the funds held by Waione Domain Board be made available as follows:

· The sum of $5,000 be retained by Council for creating and erecting a monument to recognise the Waione community, hall and tennis club of yesteryear.

· Acknowledging that income accumulated through the voluntary endeavours of this rural community and is generally derived from sources such as stock drives and donations the balance remaining be made available as a grant to Weber School for use in education and bus route continuation, thereby recognising this is where Waione children go to school and is now the hub of their community, and

That Council give public notice of its intention pursuant to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Reserves Act 1977 to request the Commissioner through the Ministry of Conservation and the Minister to revoke the reserve status of the Waione Recreation Reserve for the reasons this property is now surplus to the community’s requirements and is no longer needed for the purpose of providing a recreation reserve, and

That subject to completing this process the reserve land be returned to the Crown for disposal, and the community hall be offered for sale as is for removal or demolition, and

That for the purpose of defining the description of Waione Recreation Reserve the following sets out these details for this property situated on Route 52, Waione:

· An area of 6770 square metres more or less, being section 17, block III, Mount Cerberus survey district, valuation reference 11130/05602, land I.D. 20058

· An area of 1.6397 hectares more or less, being part section 14, block III, Mount Cerberus survey district, valuation reference 11130/05601, land I.D. 20057

Crs Crispin/Franklin Carried

11.7

Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974

11.7.1

That the report from the Alliance Manager dated 25 July 2019 concerning a road closures application under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974 (as circulated) be received, and

That pursuant to Section 342 (1) (b) and the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974, Council close the following roads for the purpose of allowing Targa New Zealand to hold a motor sport event on Saturday 2 November 2019.

Road names: Range Road from RP 1836 - 5481, Bluff Road RP 4820 - 8199, Hopelands Road RP 4862 - 6117, River Road RP 000 - 5338, Thompsons Road RP 000 - 3440, Kohinui Road RP 3003 - 6890

Period of closure: 9.15am to 1.45pm

Road name: Pahiatua Pongaroa Road from RP 21817 - 50363

Period of closure: 10.25am to 2.55pm

Road names: Route 52 - 93 section (from the intersection with Piwakawaka Road) from RP 14620 - 0200 from the intersection with Weber Road

Period of closure: 11.00am to 3.30pm

Road names: Mangahei Road from RP 0200 - 17875, Ormondville Te Uri Road from RP 144144 - 2370

Period of closure: 1.20pm to 5.50pm

Road names: Umutaoroa Road from RP 3183 - 5704, Armstrong Road RP 000 -4581, Smith Road RP 2938 - 4977, Laws Road RP 5360 - 6714, Top Grass Road RP 15730 - 21140, Beatty Road RP 000 - 1292, Te Kakapo Valley Road RP 000 - 2021, Umutaoroa Road RP 3183 - 5704

Period of closure: 2.20pm to 6.50pm

Road names: Range Road from RP 1836 - 5481, Bluff Road RP 4820 - 8199, Hopelands Road RP 4862 - 6117, River Road RP 000 - 5338, Thompsons Road RP 000 - 3440, Kohinui Road RP 3003 - 6890

Period of closure: 3.40pm to 7.10pm

Conditions Applied to the Granting of these Road Closures

1) That Tararua Alliance in conjunction with the organiser will assess shortly prior to this event the condition of the roads involved to determine their suitability for this purpose.

2) That if Tararua Alliance identify any road or roads as being in an unsuitable condition arising from this assessment then they have the discretion to request the organiser to withdraw such road from the route of this event.

3) That shortly after the event has been held Tararua Alliance shall carry out a drive over of the roads that were closed for this event to assess their condition.

Advisory Note

That should the Council incur any additional maintenance costs as a consequence of the event then those expenses shall be recovered from the event organiser.

Crs Benbow/Johns Carried

11.8	Staff Report
11.8.1	Route 52 Funding and Rail Hub Scope
11.8.1.1	Updates will be provided at future Works Liaison Committee workshop briefing sessions regarding progress with discussions relating to Route 52 funding and the work being undertaken through the Provincial Growth Fund to evaluate the potential of the proposed Dannevirke Rail Hub.
11.8.2	Bridge Maintenance
11.8.2.1	River bed management around bridges relating to forestry is a concern the Alliance Manager will discuss with Horizons Regional Council, and report the outcome to a future Works Liaison Committee workshop briefing session.
11.8.3	Productivity Commission Local Government Funding and Financing
11.8.3.1	The Manager Strategy and District Development will present at the next Council meeting a proposed submission on the Productivity Commission draft report findings and recommendations on local government funding and financing.
11.8.4	*That the report from the Chief Executive dated 24 July 2019 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.* Crs Thompson/Hull Carried

12. Portfolio Reports

12.1

Events and Meetings

12.1.1

The following Councillors and the Mayor reported on official events and meetings they had attended or are forthcoming:

Cr Benbow Deputy Mayor	· Accelerate 25 meeting in Whanganui
Cr Franklin	· Connect Tararua Governance Group meeting · Age on the Go Tararua Expo meeting to organise this event · Office of the Ombudsman visit (also attended by Crs Benbow and Isaacson)
Cr Isaacson	· Te Kura Kaupapa farewell for Matua Manahi Paewai (also attended by the Mayor) · Pongaroa first response unit rural ambulance launch (also attended by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor)
Cr Thompson	· Annual gathering of Ballance community · Funeral of Audrey Horne (a long-time resident of Ballance community)
Cr Hull	· Visit with Mayor to Makirikiri Marae to farewell Nanny Noa Nicholson to mourn her passing and pay tribute to the contribution she made to the community · Ngati Kahungunu Matariki celebrations at Dannevirke A and P Showgrounds · Local Government New Zealand conference (also attended by the Mayor) · Pahiatua Main Street upgrade meeting · Audit and Risk Committee review interview
Mayor Collis	· Public Inquiry into the Earthquake Commission chaired by Dame Silvia Cartwright to hear people’s experiences of dealing with the Earthquake Commission after the Eketahuna earthquake in 2014 or other events · Mayors Taskforce for Jobs meeting in Wellington · Ministry of Social Development function in Palmerston North regarding driver licencing · Meeting with New Zealand Transport Agency · Meeting with Manawatu Tararua Highway project Alliance team · Central Energy Trust Annual General Meeting in Palmerston North · Emergency Operations Centre Civil Defence exercise in Council Chamber · Sky Waka Gondola grand opening at Mt Ruapehu · Forthcoming meeting regarding Polish 75th anniversary · Forthcoming Road Controlling Authorities Forum in Wellington (also to be attended by Cr Johns)

12.1.2

Meetings also held this month were economic development/marketing and forestry portfolio holders and Works Liaison Committee workshop briefing session.

13. Mayoral Matters

13.1

Approval of an Invoice for Payment

13.1.1

That the Mayor is authorised to pay from the representation budget an invoice for costs incurred in relation to Council business.

Crs Thompson/Isaacson Carried

13.2

Chief Executive's Performance Appraisal Committee

13.2.1

That the membership of the Chief Executive’s Performance Appraisal Committee chaired by the Mayor be expanded to include all Councillors as members.

Crs Hull/Thompson Carried

14. Items Not on the Agenda

14.1

Nil

15.

Public Excluded Item of Business

15.1

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

Metered water charges write-off request

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*
*Metered water charges write-off request*	*To protect the privacy of natural persons*	*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)(a) The withholding of the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person.

Crs Johns/Hull Carried

15.2

That the report from the Chief Financial Officer dated 24 July 2019 concerning a metered water charges write-off request (as circulated) be received, and

That Council agree to remit calculated charges amounting to $919.08 relating to invoices for water charges incurred as the result of leaks in the property’s water pipelines.

Crs Thompson/Sutherland Carried

15.3

That open meeting be resumed.

Crs Thompson/Sutherland Carried

15.4

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

Crs Thompson/Sutherland Carried

There being no further business the Mayor thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 3.11pm.

____________________________

Mayor

Dannevirke Community Board

Minutes of a meeting of the Dannevirke Community Board held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Monday 5 August 2019 commencing at 1.05pm.

1. Present

Board Members W R Macdonald (Chairperson), P F Walshe (Deputy Chairperson), T J Hynes, K P Spooner and Cr C J Isaacson (Council appointed Community Board member).

In Attendance

Mrs T Collis - Her Worship the Mayor

Mr R Taylor - Governance Manager

2. Apologies

2.1

Nil

3. Public Forum

3.1

Nil

4. Personal Matters

4.1

Nil

5. Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

5.1

Nil

6. Confirmation of Minutes

6.1	*That the minutes of the Dannevirke Community Board meeting held on 1 July 2019 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* Hynes/Walshe Carried

7. Matters Arising from the Minutes

7.1	Huia Range School Pedestrian Crossing (Item 7.9)
7.1.1	Work has been undertaken to rectify the dip from the road to the footpath at Huia Range School pedestrian crossing.
7.2	Dannevirke Spring Festival (Item 7.4)
7.2.1	The programme for this year’s Dannevirke Spring Festival calendar of events is being printed.
7.3	Electronic Promotional Sign (Item 7.5)
7.3.1	The electronic promotional sign is to be installed at Dannevirke Town Hall, and Heritage New Zealand is agreeable to it being erected on that building.
7.3.2	Approval will be sought from New Zealand Transport Agency regarding the location of the sign, and that matter shall be raised with their representative at tomorrow’s Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting.
7.4	Dannevirke Market Day (Item 7.7)
7.4.1	Arrangements for a market day known as Dannevirke Day held in October on the Friday prior to Labour Day are progressing, with pamphlets circulated to retailers in town and the event promoted at the Dannevirke Country Carnival Market.
7.5	Wackrow Memorial Youth Award (Item 7.2)
7.5.1	Seven nominations were received for this year’s Wackrow Memorial Youth Award, and will be circulated to the judging panel this week for their consideration.
7.6	Dannevirke Skate Park Project (Item 7.3)
7.6.1	The project steering committee is progressing discussion on options for the proposed plan to design and develop this facility as a wheel park/pump park/junior road safety park, and is again meeting next Monday to further consider this matter.
7.7	Community Walkway (Item 12.3)
7.7.1	Discussions have been occurring with Tararua Alliance concerning flooding risks relating to the project to extend the community walkway down Cole Street.
7.7.2	Tararua Alliance have questions and concerns regarding the potential for the walkway to be severely damaged or washed away through heavy rainfall events.
7.7.3	The extension and size of culverts and bridge installation are issues that need to be resolved, and if a satisfactory outcome is not achieved the project may be terminated and funds secured for that purpose will not be uplifted.
7.7.4	In an endeavour to find a way forward to enable the project to proceed Board Member Hynes will arrange a meeting with the Chief Executive and Alliance Delivery Manager to consider and determine mutually acceptable options to achieve that objective.
7.8	Connecting with the Community (Item 7.8)
7.8.1	Five coffee morning forums were held during July from 10.30am to 12noon each Tuesday at the Vault Café in High Street, and these were productive and successful in connecting with the community.
7.8.2	They provided an opportunity for residents to meet board members and put faces to names, and various issues were discussed with overall attendance numbers being generally good. Matters raised and requests proposed for the Board to follow up include the following: Acknowledgement of board members being approachable and accessible, whereas it is difficult to get hold of councillors to raise concerns. Moss on the town’s footpaths. Provide a mini-bus service to Palmerston North. Parking on grass berms in Edward Street during wet weather causes these areas to cut up badly, and they should be sealed. Danger for northbound traffic turning right into Makirikiri Road at the State Highway 2 intersection. Trees at BP service station on High Street are a safety issue impeding the view of traffic. Accessibility of pedestrian crossings for mobility scooters, particularly in the Station and Grey Streets areas. Long-term damage to private wastewater laterals and water mains connections by trucks using the alternative heavy traffic route rather than staying on High Street. Investigate establishing a cinema in town, with the Fountain Theatre suggested as a possible venue. More music events be held in town, and they be widely publicised when they occur. Clean up the area surrounding Dannevirke Town Hall. Remove accumulated rubbish from gratings around the High Street trees. Repair cracked footpath tiles outside the old BNZ building. Repaint the town clock and refurbish the windmill in Copenhagen Square.

8. Tararua District Council Report

8.1	*That the report of the Tararua District Council meeting held on 31 July 2019 (as tabled) be received.* Walshe/Isaacson Carried

9. Reports from Board Representatives Appointed to Organisations and Assigned Responsibilities

9.1	Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce
9.1.1	Board Member Hynes reported Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting will now be held on 21 August 2019 at 5.15pm in the Tararua Business Network Training/Seminar Room.
9.1.2	A meeting has been arranged with Lonnie Dalzell (New Zealand Transport Agency Senior Projects Manager) to be held on 14 August 2019 in the Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club to provide an update on progress regarding the Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatu Tararua Highway project.
9.2	Tararua Community Youth Services
9.2.1	Board Member Hynes reported Tararua Community Youth Services is preparing for audits relating to funding received to undertake its programmes and activities.
9.2.2	Discussions are occurring to source funding from the District Health Board to provide drug addiction and alcohol abuse rehabilitation and mental health youth support services in Dannevirke.
9.3	Dannevirke and District A and P Association
9.3.1	Board Member Spooner reported Dannevirke and District A and P Association Annual General Meeting will be held on 8 August 2019 at 5.30pm in the A and P Showgrounds Lounge.
9.4	Dannevirke Information Centre
9.4.1	The Chairperson reported a part-time assistant is still to be appointed to fill the vacant position to provide back up for the Dannevirke Information Centre Manager.

10. Correspondence

10.1

That the correspondence as listed be received.

(a) Ruahine Ramblerz Leisure Marching Team 15 June 2019

Re: Thanks for supporting Leisure Marching Display Day

(b) Terry Walker

Re: Thanks for supporting Anderson Rally Cross Country

(c) Dannevirke Highland Pipe Band

Re: Request for financial assistance to upgrade uniforms

Hynes/Spooner Carried

10.2

Dannevirke Highland Pipe Band

10.2.1

That Dannevirke Highland Pipe Band be granted the sum of $1,198 from the Board’s discretionary funds towards the cost of upgrading their uniforms.

Hynes/Isaacson Carried

11.	Meet the Candidates Public Forum
11.1	It is agreed the Chairperson shall liaise with St John’s Anglican Church to arrange in association with the Board a meet the candidates public forum for this year’s triennial local authority elections.

12. Chairperson’s Remarks

12.1	Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust
12.1.1	The Chairperson invited board members to attend the Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust Annual General Meeting to be held on 20 August 2019 at 7.00pm in the Tararua REAP Meeting Room.

13. Items Not on the Agenda

13.1

Nil

There being no further business the Chairperson thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 1.45pm.

____________________________

Chairperson

Report

Date	:	22 August 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Peter Wimsett Manager Strategy & District Development
Subject	:	Water Supply Bylaw
Item No	:	11.4

Reason for the Report

For Council to consider adoption of an interim Water Supply Bylaw 2019 under section 155 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA).

Background

The water supply bylaw has the purpose of regulating the provision of potable water to certain areas within the district, metering and charging, the prevention of contamination of and wastage from the water supply system and the protection of water supply.

Under the LGA, Council must regularly review bylaws, to reflect changes in legislation and whether the bylaw is legally required and feasible. The draft water supply bylaw was notified on 1 February 2018. Consultation on the draft water supply bylaw followed the special consultative procedure under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA).

Submissions closed on 3 April 2018 with eight received on the draft water supply bylaw. The submissions primarily raised issues relating to ordinary/extraordinary use of water (and how they are addressed/explained) and storage requirements for some areas (e.g. Akitio, Norsewood) proposed under the draft water supply bylaw. One of the key issues is that the previous bylaw required homeowners on some lines to install water tanks that received both Council’s water supply and roof water. Following the Havelock North water inquiry, this requirement of combining water must be removed to ensure residents receive compliant drinking water.

An update on consultation is attached as Appendix A.

Council resolved, at its meeting of 31 October 2018 to undertake further work with respect to the issues raised by submissions as part of an extended review of the draft water supply bylaw.

Status of Further Work

Detailed analysis has now been completed in respect of the household connections, plumbing and tank arrangements at Pongaroa following commissioning of the new town treatment plant. This process has been comprehensive and sought to assess the financial impact of likely impacts of possible changes to bylaws on that community and Council. With a methodology now established staff will now seek to broaden this comprehensive review to the other specified areas in the bylaw, being Dannevirke rural, Norsewood and Akitio. These areas have in past bylaws been required to have house tank storage of specified sizes.

This work has been necessary given resource consent restrictions of supply, greater demand (primarily through climate variability and demand growth), greater contingency for storage, mixed use for rural areas, including for livestock, legislative change/regulation for increased treatment, and changing community needs. These impact on matters such as the nature, volume and type of water supply, capacity requirements for adequate flow and pressure, and different connections.

Adopting a new Water Bylaw, subject to further review

Having a bylaw does not affect the Health Act requirements on Council to ensure its supply is compliant with the Drinking Water Standards of New Zealand. However, it does affect how Council differentiates between those who are “flow restricted” versus “on-demand”, and ability to reduce flow with restrictors for non-payment.

Council will need to run specific consultation on what the cost and practical implication is for extraordinary and urban users of changes such as:

· Ensuring extra-ordinary users outside of the urban districts are restricted to flow rates of 3,000 litres / day, and they have on site storage if using this water for other than household use.

· Converting high demand users inside the urban areas such as rest-homes and hairdressers to meters with backflow prevention.

· Having households directly connected to a reticulation system with a consistent level of service that meets the Firefighting Code of Practice (pressure and flow), where previously they used buffer or storage water tanks between our point of supply, and their house.

A draft Water Supply Bylaw 2019 is therefore proposed for adoption and prior to the election, which focuses on changes to ensure the draft water supply bylaw is up-to-date with legislation and policy, and to assist with readability (e.g. structure) and clarity, and recognition of submitters queries and concerns regarding defined terms, duplication, language and consistency.

There are no real substantive changes to the policy intent from within the 2008 water supply bylaw around the nature and type of water supply to any areas within the district, with the status quo retained pending further review of these matters over 2020/2021 likely time period to conclude the review.

The new bylaw proposed for adoption in this report does provide further explanation as to the meaning of ordinary and extraordinary supply, as per submitter comments. In the case of storage requirements within the district (particularly Norsewood, Akitio, and Dannevirke), the status quo has been retained, consistent with submissions, and pending the review by Council as part of a broader investigation into the nature, volume and type of water supply in supply areas.

As noted above, in respect of Pongaroa, analysis has now been completed for a project that will appropriately address household drinking water within the original scope of the town water treatment project by separating roof water from town supply for drinking water purposes.

These matters address the body of submitter’s concerns pending further review and subsequent consultation over 2020/2021.

It is considered prudent to now adopt the draft water supply bylaw before the election period, so that the bylaw making process is concluded before a new Council returns later this year.

In making this recommendation, it is acknowledged that further work and a further special consultative process under the Local Government Act 2002 will be required to address some of the broader issues with water supply commencing now and into 2020. In the meantime the draft water supply bylaw and its provisions remain effective in meeting the purposes of having the bylaw and to ensure operational clarity around the application of the Local Government Act and Health Act.

Significance

Council considered the proposed changes to bylaws to be matters of significance and has followed LGA Section 86 special consultative procedure with a two month consultation period, including direct contact with a number of interested parties, widely advertised notices and articles, and formal hearings. The views of Council are now reflected in the bylaws as set out in suggested responses to submitters in Appendix 2.

LGA Section 156 requires Council to consider the use of the special consultative procedure for proposed changes or revocation of bylaws under the Significance and Engagement Policy, or if there is likely to be a significant impact on the public due to the proposals. The Council sought submissions and views to improve understanding of the views of the persons or community likely to be affected by or interested in the matter of amending or revoking bylaws.

Matter Raised in Submissions

Matters raised in submissions are addressed within Appendix A. All submissions opposed the bylaw in some way. The reasons include, in summary:

· The requirements for storage are too great in Akitio, Norsewood and Dannevirke.

· Preference is for Council owned and managed infrastructure on a larger scale.

· Concerns with consultation.

· The need to manage costs associated with the provision of infrastructure.

· Restrictions on extraordinary use raised with respect to swimming pools.

· Lack of clarity over extraordinary and ordinary use and how addressed under the bylaw in terms of how applied and costed when considering different users, areas.

· Queries of whether there is a change in approach for Dannevirke.

· Queries over fees and charges and the graduated scale.

· Health risks over use of rain/roof water and with tank storage.

Recommended Changes

The Draft Water Supply Bylaw 2019 has the following changes following submissions. The changes were predominantly introduced to address some of the confusion stated to exist with ordinary and extraordinary supply, and to provide better understanding and clarity over other intrinsically related matters such as metering, application processes and the like.

See Appendix B for further detail, however:

· Update of relevant drinking water regulations and standards in the bylaw.

· Removal of a few of the definitions as they were not used in the bylaw (for example rural and urban water supply areas as constituted by Council) or were confusing (for example the definitions of ordinary use and extraordinary use, when compared with ordinary supply and extraordinary supply).

· Addition of a definition of domestic purposes to better explain the meaning of ordinary supply under the bylaw.

· Expansion of some of the definitions, including moving examples of what was an ordinary and extraordinary water supply from the body of the bylaw to the definitions to assist with better understanding of the bylaw provisions.

· Clarification of the position that Council is under no obligation to provide an extraordinary supply of water by indicating that it may approve, at its discretion, the connection outside the urban supply areas as an extraordinary supply of water.

· Better clarity over the meaning of an urban supply area and restricted flow supply and restricted flow supply areas, including the provision of maps, as appropriate.

· Better clarity over the nature of water supply to Dannevirke, however, with no change to the status quo when considering the restricted use for internal domestic purposes. Guidance as to the meaning of “internal” has also been provided.

· Moving guidance on metering (or not) of ordinary and extraordinary use to earlier in the bylaw, with some more general changes to the metering provisions for sense.

· Improved wording (for clarity) of clause preventing installation or alteration of rainwater tanks in a manner which mixed with water supplied by the Council.

· Changes to the connections for requirements in Norsewood to ensure that there is no inconsistency with the clause preventing connection to rainwater tanks.

· Reinstatement of the previous storage requirement (1,800 litres) for Norsewood.

· Reinstatement of the previous storage requirement (5,000 litres) for Akitio Beach.

· Removal of duplication around connection to water supply in Dannevirke.

· Removal of unnecessary text around fees and charges which will be addressed annually through a separate process (Council’s annual fees and charges).

· Some changes to the breach provisions around conditions of supply.

Recommendation

That the report from the Manager Strategy & District Development dated 22 August 2019 concerning the Water Supply Bylaw (as circulated) be received, thereby uplifting this item of business from the table for discussion at this meeting, and

That the Water Supply Bylaw 2019 be adopted with the inclusion of the changes detailed in Appendix B of this report following undertaking consultation and reviewing the submissions forwarded through that process, and

That appendix 2 setting out maps of the water supply areas be confirmed, noting they do not form part of this bylaw.

Attachments

1 ⇩. Water Supply Bylaw 2019

2 ⇩. Water Supply Bylaw 2019 Summary of Submissions

11.4 Water Supply Bylaw
Attachment 1 Water Supply Bylaw 2019

WATER SUPPLY BYLAW 2019

1 PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

1.1 This Bylaw is the Water Supply Bylaw 2019.

1.2 This Bylaw is made under the Local Government Act 2002 and every other power vested in the Council to regulate the supply and sale of water. The supply and sale of water by the Council is subject to:

a. Statutory Acts and Regulations:

1. Building Act 2004

2. Fire Service Act 1975

3. Health Act 1956

4. Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2007

5. Local Government Act 2002

6. Local Government (Rating) Act 2002

7. Resource Management Act 1991; and

b. Relevant Codes and Standards:

9. Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (revised in 2008)

10. BS EN 14154-3:2005 Water meters. Test methods and equipment

11. SNZ PAS 4509:2003 New Zealand Fire Service fire-fighting water supplies code of practice

12. NZWWA Backflow Code of Practice 2006

13. NZWWA Water Meter Code of Practice 2003

14. NZS 4517 Fire Sprinkler systems for Houses

15. NZS 4503 Extinguishers and Hose Reels

16. Explanatory Note:

17. The powers within these Acts, Regulations, Codes and Standards are not necessarily repeated in this Bylaw.

2 PURPOSE

2.1 The purpose of this Bylaw is to:

a. Ensure a safe and efficient public water supply;

b. To manage and regulate the Council’s water supply; and

c. To protect public water supply infrastructure.

3 COMMENCEMENT

3.1 This Bylaw together with its amendments continues in force from the date of adoption by resolution of the Council.

4 INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS

4.1 The provisions of the District Administration Bylaw 2008 and its amendments are implied into and form part of this Bylaw.

4.2 When interpreting this Bylaw the definitions set out in this clause shall prevail unless the context requires otherwise.

4.3 For the purpose of this Bylaw, unless inconsistent with the context, the following definitions apply:

APPROVED means approved in writing by the Council, either by resolution of the Council or by any authorised officer of the Council.

BACKFLOW means the unplanned reversal of flow of water or mixtures of water and contaminants into the water supply system.

COUNCIL means the Tararua District Council or any officer authorised to exercise the authority of the Council.

CUSTOMER means a person who uses, or has obtained the right to use or direct the manner of use of water supplied by the Council.

DETECTOR CHECK VALVE is a check (non-return) valve that has a positive closing pressure and a metered bypass to measure flows typically associated with leakage or unauthorised use on a dedicated fire supply.

a. EXTRAORDINARY SUPPLY is a category of on demand supply including all purposes for which water is supplied other than ordinary supply and which may be subject to specific conditions and limitations, domestic - spa or swimming pool in excess of 10 m³ capacity,

b. Fixed garden irrigation systems;

c. Commercial, industrial and business;

d. Agriculture;

e. Horticulture;

f. Viniculture;

g. Lifestyle blocks (peri-urban or small rural residential);

h. Fire protection systems other than sprinkler systems installed to comply with NZS 4517;

i. Out of district (supply to, or within another local authority); and

j. Temporary supply.

FEES AND CHARGES means the list of items, terms and prices for services associated with the supply of water as adopted by the Council in accordance with the Local Government Act 2002 and the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

LEVEL OF SERVICE means the measurable performance standards on which the Council undertakes to supply water to its customers in the Long Term Plan.

LIFESTYLE BLOCKS is land that is generally in a rural area, where the predominant use is for a residence and, if vacant, there is right to build a dwelling. The land can be of variable size but must be larger than an ordinary residential allotment. The principal use of the land is non-economic in the traditional farming sense, and the value of land exceeds the value of comparable farmland.

METER means a device for measuring the volume of water flowing through a pipe.

ON DEMAND SUPPLY means a supply that is available on demand directly from the point of supply, subject to agreed levels of service as set out in the Long Term Plan, including Fees and Charges.

ORDINARY SUPPLY means a category of on demand supply used solely for Domestic Purposes within the urban supply area.

PERSON means a natural person, corporation sole or a body of persons whether corporate or otherwise.

POINT OF SUPPLY means the point on the water pipe leading from the water main to the premises, which marks the boundary of responsibility between the Customer and the Council, irrespective of property boundaries. Examples of the point of supply are shown on the diagrams attached to this bylaw as Schedule 1.

POTABLE means complies with the Health Act 1956 and the Health Criteria of the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand.

PREMISES means:

a. A property or allotment which is held under a separate Record of Title or for which a separate Record of Title may be issued and in respect to which a building consent has been or may be issued; or

b. A building or part of a building that has been defined as an individual unit by a cross-lease, unit title or company lease and for which a Record of Title is available; or

c. Land held in public ownership (e.g. reserve) for a particular purpose.

PUBLIC NOTICE has the meaning provided by the Local Government Act 2002.

RANGER means that person responsible for the management of a Council controlled catchment area or water reserve.

RESTRICTED FLOW SUPPLY means a type of water supply connection where a small flow is supplied through a flow control device and storage is provided by the customer to cater for the customer’s demand fluctuations.

RESTRICTOR means a flow control device fitted to the service pipe to limit the flow rate of water to a customer’s premises.

ROADING AUTHORITY means either the Tararua District Council or New Zealand Transport Agency.

SERVICE PIPE means the section of water pipe between a water main and the point of supply.

SERVICE VALVE (TOBY) means the valve at the customer end of the service pipe.

STORAGE TANK means any tank having a free water surface, i.e. a surface that is able to fluctuate.

SUPPLY PIPE means that section of pipe between the point of supply and the customer’s premises through which water is conveyed to the premises.

URBAN SUPPLY AREA means the area formally designated by the Council as an area which is serviced by a reticulated water supply system with a firefighting capability that is intended to supply water to customers via on demand supplies.

WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM means all those components of the network between the point of abstraction from the natural environment and the point of supply. This includes but is not limited to: wells, infiltration galleries, intake structures, open raw water storage ponds/lakes, falling mains, treatment plants, treated water reservoirs, trunk mains, service mains, rider mains, pump stations and pumps, valves, hydrants, scour lines, service pipes, boundary assemblies, meters, backflow prevention devices and tobies.

WATER UNIT means the basis of measurement for a restricted flow supply and equal to a volume of 365m3 delivered at the rate of 1m3 per day.

4.4 Any explanatory notes are for information purposes only. They do not form part of this Bylaw, and may be made, amended, revoked or replaced by the Council at any time.

Part 1

PROTECTION OF WATER SUPPLY

5 ACCESS TO WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT

5.1 Unless authorised by Council in writing, no person other than the Council and its authorised agents shall:

a. Have access to any part of the water supply system, and may

b. Operate the service valve, or

c. Make any connection to any part of the water supply system.

Explanatory note: see Part 5 for details regarding applications for supply.

5.2 No person may tamper or interfere with Council equipment up to the Point of Supply (including any Meter), either directly or indirectly.

5.3 Where a person has tampered or interfered with Council equipment, the Council may, in addition to any other remedies available to them, charge for the additional water consumption not recorded or allowed to pass as a result of that person’s actions, either directly or indirectly.

18. Explanatory Note:

19. See also clauses 23 - 24 and concerning access to the point of supply and rights of access during an emergency.

6 WORKING AROUND BURIED SERVICES

6.1 All excavations within a roadway are subject to the permit process of the appropriate roading authority.

6.2 The Council shall keep accurate permanent records (“as builts”) of the location of its buried services for viewing by the public at no cost to users. Charges may be levied to cover the costs of providing copies of this information.

6.3 Any person proposing to carry out excavation work shall view the as-built information to establish whether or not Council services are located in the vicinity.

6.4 At least five working days’ notice in writing shall be given to the Council of an intention to excavate in the vicinity of its services.

6.5 Where appropriate the Council will mark out to within ±0.5 m on the ground the location of its services and nominate in writing any restrictions on the work it considers necessary to protect its services. The Council may charge for this service.

6.6 When excavating and working around buried services due care shall be taken to ensure the services are not damaged and that bedding and backfill are reinstated in accordance with the appropriate Council specification.

6.7 Any damage that occurs to a Council service shall be reported to the Council immediately. The person or entity causing the damage shall reimburse the Council with all costs associated with repairing the damaged service and any other costs the Council incurs as a result of the incident.

20. Explanatory Note:

21. Charges may be levied where copies of documents are required.

7 WATER CATCHMENT CLASSES

7.1 Surface water and groundwater catchment areas from which untreated water is drawn for the purposes of water supply may be designated as:

a. Controlled

b. Restricted

c. Open

7.2 No person may enter any land or building owned or occupied by the Council which is set aside for the protection of source water or for a public water supply facility without first obtaining the approval of Council.

7.3 No person, other than Council and its authorised agents, may access any part of a water supply system without prior written approval of the Council, except for the New Zealand Fire Service and/or Civil Defence Services.

8 CONTROLLED CATCHMENTS

8.1 The following conditions apply:

a. Entry

Catchment areas, which are designated as, controlled, or any area held by the Council as a water reserve, shall not be entered by any person except those specifically authorised or permitted in writing by the Council. Within such areas, unless provided for by the Council no person shall:

i Camp;

ii Take or allow to stray any livestock;

iii Bathe or wash any thing;

iv Deposit any dirt, rubbish, or foul material of any kind;

v Defecate.

b. Permits

Entry permits shall forbid, regulate or control the following activities:

i Hunting, trapping, shooting or fishing;

ii Lighting or maintaining any fire;

iii Taking of any dog or other animal;

iv Damaging or destroying any trees, shrubs, or other existing cover, or interference with any property;

v Carrying of any firearm or weapon of any kind, any trap or any fishing gear which may be used for the hunting or catching of birds, fish or animals; or

vi Use of any pesticide or toxic substances for any purpose whatsoever.

c. A person may be required to present a medical clearance before an entry permit can be issued.

d. Unless the Council permits:

i No person to whom any permit has been issued shall enter or leave any controlled catchment area or land held by the Council as a water reserve without presenting such a permit for inspection by the Council Ranger and notifying the Ranger of their intention of entering or leaving such area as the case may be.

ii Every person on any controlled catchment area or land held by the Council as a water reserve shall upon demand produce any such permit for inspection by the Ranger.

e. Interference and obstruction

In any controlled catchment area or any land held by the Council as a water reserve:

i Every person shall upon the request of the Ranger or other officer of the Council immediately leave the controlled catchment area or land held by the Council as a water reserve, but shall nevertheless be liable also to be prosecuted for the breach of any of the provisions of this Part of this bylaw, and the failure so to leave shall constitute a further offence.

ii No person shall obstruct or hinder any duly appointed officer of the Council in the exercise of any powers vested in that officer under the provisions of this Bylaw.

iii No person, whether holding any permit issued under the provisions of this Bylaw or not (other than an Authorised Council officer), may commit or cause or permit to be committed any act which may interfere with or be likely to interfere with the free and lawful exercise of any rights vested in any other person in any Controlled Catchment Area or any land held by Council as a water reserve.

f. No permit can be transferred.

g. The Council may at any time, by notice in writing delivered to the holder, revoke or suspend any such permit for such time as may be stated in such notice.

9 RESTRICTED CATCHMENTS

9.1 Catchment areas are designated as restricted , except for the following activities that may allow for unrestricted entry:

a. Tramping

b. Hunting

c. Trapping

d. Shooting

e. Fishing

10 OPEN CATCHMENTS

10.1 Subject to the provisions of the national environmental standards, Regional or District Plans, any person may access an open catchment areas.

11 SPILLAGES AND ADVERSE EVENTS

11.1 In the event of a spillage, or any event (such as release of chemicals or hazardous substances) which may compromise the water supply, the person responsible for the event shall advise the Council immediately.

11.2 This requirement shall be in addition to those other notification procedures that are required for other authorities.

11.3 The Council may change the Catchments status to Restricted or Controlled until such time as the spillage event and its effects have been reduced, or remedied.

Part 2

TYPES OF SUPPLY

12 GENERAL

12.1 Supplies shall be classified as either “on demand” or “restricted flow”.

12.2 The use of water from the supply shall be either “ordinary” or “extraordinary”.

13 ON DEMAND SUPPLY

13.1 Every premise within the urban supply area shall be entitled to an ordinary supply of water subject to the following conditions:

a. The exclusion of its use for garden watering under any restrictions made by the Council under clause 29;

b. Payment of the appropriate charges in respect of that property;

c. Any other charges or costs associated with sub-divisional development; and

d. Any other relevant conditions in this Bylaw.

13.2 The Council, at its discretion, may approve the installation of a connection outside the urban supply area as an extraordinary supply of water.

13.3 The Council shall be under no obligation to provide an extraordinary supply of water (see also clause 26 and clause 52).

14 RESTRICTED FLOW SUPPLY

14.1 Restricted flow supply shall be available to premises within a designated area for that purpose only, or under special circumstances set by the Council.

14.2 The water supply shall be restricted to deliver the agreed number of water units at a steady flow rate.

14.3 The Council shall charge for the restricted flow supply by either:

a. The volume passing through a meter; or

b. The agreed number of water units.

15 ORDINARY USE

15.1 Ordinary use is for domestic purposes and shall also include:

a. Use in a fire sprinkler system to NZS 4517;

b. Washing down a car, boat or similar;

c. Garden watering by hand; and

d. Subject to the provisions of clause 29, garden watering by a portable sprinkler.

22. Explanatory Note: For use from a fire protection system to NZS 4517 to be classified as an ordinary use, the customer shall comply with the conditions set under clause 51.

16 DANNEVIRKE RURAL OR LIFESTYLE BLOCKS

16.1 Any extraordinary water supply to Dannevirke rural or lifestyle blocks is for internal domestic purposes only. For the purpose of this clause this means that the water supply must not be connected to any outside tap or water storage tank.

16.2 Except with the prior written approval of Council, Customers on Dannevirke rural or lifestyle blocks shall be required to install a storage tank with a minimum capacity of 20,000 litres to store collected rainwater or other harvested water for any other use not authorised by reference to clause 16.1.

17 METERING

17.1 An ordinary supply of water will not normally be metered (subject to the Council reserving the right to fit a meter and charge where it considers water use is high, or for a meter to be fitted at the customer’s request) and the cost of such use shall be as prescribed in the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

17.2 Extraordinary and restricted flow supply of water will normally be metered and charged for in accordance with clause 54. Where the extraordinary use is for fire protection only, the supply is not normally metered.

Part 3

POINT OF SUPPLY AND ACCCESS

18 OWNERSHIP AND MAINTENANCE

18.1 The Council shall own and maintain the service pipe and fitting up to and including the point of supply.

18.2 The customer shall own and maintain the supply pipe and any fittings (e.g. back flow prevention device) beyond the point of supply.

18.3 The customer shall not install or alter a rainwater tank in a manner which results in water from that tank mixing with water supplied by the Council. A rainwater tank must only be used for purposes other than domestic purposes.

23. Explanatory Note:

24. The Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005, administered by the Ministry of Health, requires security of reticulated water supply. Water from rain water tanks will jeopardise security of supply standards.

19 SINGLE OWNERSHIP (except Norsewood and Akitio Beach)

19.1 For individual customers the point of supply shall be located as shown in Schedule 1 Figure 1 or as close as possible where fences, walls or other permanent structures make it difficult to locate it at the required position. Other positions shall require specific approval.

19.2 For each individual customer there shall be only one point of supply, unless otherwise approved by Council.

19.3 The typical layout at a point of supply is shown in Schedule 1 Figure 2.

19.4 The Council gives no guarantee of the serviceability of the valve located on the service pipe. Where there is no customer stopcock, the customer may use the service valve to isolate the supply. However the Council reserves the right to charge for maintenance of this valve if damaged by such customer use.

20 MULTIPLE OWNERSHIP

20.1 The point of supply for the different forms of multiple ownership of premises and/or land shall be:

a. For Company Share/Block Scheme (Body Corporate) - as for single ownership;

b. For Leasehold/Tenancy in Common Scheme (Cross Lease), Strata Title, Unit Title (Body Corporate) and any other form of multiple ownership - each customer shall have an individual supply with the point of supply determined by agreement with the Council. In specific cases, other arrangements may be acceptable subject to the written approval of Council.

20.2 For a multiple ownership supply that was in existence prior to the coming into effect of this chapter, the point of supply shall be the arrangement existing at that time, or as determined by agreement with the Council for any individual case.

21 NORSEWOOD

21.1 The point of supply for Norsewood shall be as for single ownership and shall be installed directly to any new premise.

21.2 For a point of supply that was in existence prior to the coming into effect of this bylaw taking effect, the point of supply will be the arrangement existing at that time, or as determined by agreement with the Council for any individual case. The exception is where the requirements of clause 21.3 are not met by the point of supply.

21.3 A supply pipe must only be connected to the customer’s rainwater tank in the following manner:

a. The supply of reticulated water into the tank shall be controlled by a ball valve with the ball cock installed to close the valve when the water level in the tank is at a point midway between the tank’s highest and lowest levels.

b. The inlet pipe into the tank shall be at least 25 mm above the tank’s maximum water level to prevent back flow, or alternatively, a back flow prevention device be installed on the inlet pipe.

21.4 No connection to the supply pipe is permitted between the point of supply and the ball valve on the rainwater tank.

21.5 Except with the prior written approval of Council, storage tanks in Norsewood must be installed at the time of connection to the water supply system with a minimum capacity of 1,800 litres.

22 AKITIO BEACH

22.1 The point of supply for Akitio Beach shall be as for single ownership.

22.2 The supply pipe shall be connected to the customer’s storage tank by means of an approved ball valve, fitted in such a manner as to ensure that there is an air gap of 25 mm above the tank’s maximum water level to prevent back flow, or alternatively, a back flow prevention device be installed on the inlet pipe.

22.3 No connection to the supply pipe will be permitted between the point of supply and the ball valve on the storage tank.

22.4 Except with the prior written approval of Council, storage tanks in Akitio Beach must be installed at the time of connection to the water supply system with a minimum capacity of 5,000 litres.

23 RIGHTS OF ACCESS

23.1 In addition to the powers of entry conferred by sections 171, 172 and 174 of the Local Government Act 2002, customers shall allow the Council, with or without equipment, access to:

a. Any area of the premises for the purposes of determining compliance with this Bylaw or any other legislative or statutory requirements,

b. The point of supply, where the point of supply is on private property, between 7.30 am and 6 pm on any day for:

i Meter reading without notice; or

ii Checking, testing and maintenance work with notice being given whenever possible.

23.2 Where checking, testing or maintenance work is required to be done outside the hours of 7.30 am and 6 pm (such as for night time leak detection), the Council will give notice to the customer.

23.3 Where the customer fails to provide access for any of the times specified in clauses 23.1 or 23.2, and a return visit is required by the Council, a fee may be charged as for the “meter reading by appointment” rate.

23.4 Under emergency conditions or where there is a fault requiring immediate rectification, the customer must allow the Council free and unimpeded access to and about the point of supply at any hour.

24 MAINTENANCE

24.1 The customer shall maintain the area in and around the point of supply keeping it free of soil, growth, or other matter or obstruction that prevents, or is likely to prevent convenient access.

Part 4

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUPPLY

25 LEVEL OF SERVICE

25.1 The Council shall endeavour to provide water in accordance with the level of service contained in the Long Term Plan. For those periods where the level of service allows non-compliance with the specified value(s), the Council shall make every reasonable attempt to achieve the specified value(s).

26 NOTICE OF MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

26.1 Wherever practical the Council will make every reasonable attempt to notify the customer of a scheduled maintenance shutdown of the supply before the work commences. Where immediate action is required and this is not practical, the Council may shutdown the supply without notice.

27 REQUIREMENT FOR UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE

27.1 If a customer has a particular requirement for an uninterrupted level of service (flow, pressure or quality) it shall be the responsibility of that customer to provide any storage, back-up facilities, or equipment necessary to provide that level of service.

25. Explanatory Note: From time to time Council may not be able to maintain the specified level of service for water supply or pressure due to practical or physical difficulties.

28 LIABILITY

28.1 The Council shall endeavour to meet the level of service requirements of clause 25, but it shall not be liable for any loss, damage or inconvenience that the customer (or any person using the supply) may sustain as a result of deficiencies in, or interruptions to, the water supply.

28.2 The Council may, under certain circumstances and solely at its discretion, make payments for damage caused to equipment, appliances, processes and materials as a direct result of a variation in the water supply; provided that any such equipment or appliances have been designed to cater for reasonable variations in the flow, pressure and quality of the water supply.

26. Explanatory Note: This clause must be read subject to Council’s obligations under section 69S of the Health Act 1956 for the supply of drinking water.

29 DEMAND MANAGEMENT

29.1 The Council may, by publicly notified resolution, set water use levels to manage the District’s water use during high seasonal or other demands. The levels are:

a. Level 0: No restrictions apply.

b. Level 1: Sprinkler use evenings only, every two days: unattended Hoses, Sprinklers, and garden irrigation systems can only be used between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm; for even numbered houses on even dates, and odd numbered houses on odd dates. Handheld Hoses can be used at any time.

c. Level 2: Sprinkler use prohibited. Handheld Hoses only, every two days: unattended Hoses, Sprinklers, and garden irrigation systems cannot be used. Handheld Hoses can only be used between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm; for even numbered houses on even dates, and odd numbered houses on odd dates.

d. Level 3: Irrigation prohibited – Hose pipe ban: unattended Hoses, Sprinklers, garden irrigation systems and handheld Hoses cannot be used. Car washing by hand-held Hose is also prohibited.

29.2 In setting water use levels the Council will take into account the usage of water compared to the target levels set by Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council, seasonal weather conditions, including recent rainfall, and the prospects for rain.

29.3 Customers must comply with any water use levels put in place by the Council.

30 EMERGENCY RESTRICTIONS

30.1 During an emergency, the Council may restrict or prohibit the use of water for any specified purpose, for any specified period and for any or all of its customers.

30.2 Water restrictions shall be advised by public notice unless immediate action is considered by an Authorised Officer to be necessary under emergency provisions. Natural hazards (such as floods, droughts or earthquakes) or accidents which result in disruptions to the supply of water, may be deemed an emergency and may be exempted from the level of service referred to in clause 25 of this Bylaw.

30.3 The Council may enact penalties over and above those contained in these conditions to enforce these restrictions. The decision to make and lift restrictions and to enact additional penalties shall be made by the Council, or where immediate action is required, subject to subsequent Council ratification.

30.4 No person may use any water, or allow any water to be used, in contravention of any restriction or prohibition made under this clause.

31 BACKFLOW PREVENTION

31.1 It is the customer’s responsibility (under the Health Act 1956 and Building Act 2004) to take all necessary measures on the customer’s side of the point of supply to prevent water which has been drawn from the Council’s water supply from returning to that supply. These include:

a. Backflow prevention either by providing an adequate air gap, or by the use of an appropriate backflow prevention device;

b. The prohibition of any cross connection between the Council water supply and

i Any other water supply (potable or non-potable)

ii Any other water source

iii Any storage tank

iv Any other pipe, fixture or equipment containing chemicals, liquids, gases, or other non-potable substances.

27. NOTE: Fire protection systems that include appropriate backflow prevention measures would generally not require additional backflow prevention, except in cases where the system is supplied by a non-potable source or a storage tank or fire pump that operates at a pressure in excess of the Council’s normal minimum operating pressure.

31.2 Notwithstanding clause 31.1, the Council may fit a backflow prevention device on the Council side of the point of supply where the customer cannot demonstrate that the risk of backflow is adequately managed.

32 METERING

32.1 Where required by the Council, flow meters and restrictors shall be supplied and installed. The Council reserves the right to recover any associated costs.

32.2 All meters and restrictors shall be maintained by, and remain the property of, the Council.

32.3 Where on demand supplies are not universally metered, where it considers water use is unusually high, the Council reserves the right to fit a meter at the customer’s cost and charge accordingly.

32.4 Meters and restrictors shall be located in a position that is readily accessible for reading and maintenance and if practicable immediately on the Council side of the point of supply, (Schedule 1 see Figure 2).

33 ACCURACY OF METERS AND RESTRICTORS

33.1 Meters shall be tested as and when required by the Council or as prescribed in OIML R49.

33.2 The maximum permissible error for the upper flow rate zone (Q2 <Q <Q4) is ±2%, for temperatures from 0.3oC to 30oC and the maximum permissible error for the lower flow rate zone (Q1 <Q <Q2) is ±5%. This accuracy shall be applied to all water meters with Q3 < 100 m3/h and may be applied to water meters with values of Q3 >100 m3/h. The flow restrictors shall be accurate to within ±10 % of their rated capacity.

28. NOTE : Where Q is the flow rate: Q1 is the minimum flow rate; Q2 is the transitional flow rate; Q3 is the permanent flow rate; Q4 is the overload flow rate as defined in OIML R49-1.

33.3 A customer who disputes the accuracy of a meter or restrictor may apply to the Council for it to be tested provided that it is not within three months of the last test.

33.4 If the test shows non-compliance with the accuracy required under this clause, then the customer shall not be charged for the test. If the test shows compliance, the customer shall pay a fee in accordance with the Council current fees and charges.

33.5 Meters shall be tested as prescribed in the International Organization of Legal Metrology, OIML R 49-3 and the test report small be made available as prescribed in OILM R 49-3.

33.6 The variation in the error curve shall not exceed 3% for flow rates in the lower zone and 1.5% for flow rates in the upper zone. For the purpose of determining these requirements the means values of the errors (of indication) at each flow rate, shall apply. The curves shall not exceed a maximum error of ±6% for flow rates in the lower zones and ±2.5% for flow rates in the upper zone.

33.7 Restrictors shall be tested by measuring the quantity that flows through the restrictor in a period of not less than one hour at the expected minimum operating pressure. A copy of independent certification of the test result shall be made available to the customer on request.

34 ADJUSTMENT OF METERS

34.1 If any meter, after being tested, is found to register a greater or lesser consumption than the quantity of water actually passed through such a meter, the Council shall make an adjustment in accordance with the results shown by such tests, backdated for a period at the discretion of the Council but not exceeding 12 months and the customer shall pay a greater or lesser amount according to the adjustment.

34.2 Where a meter is under-reading by more than 20% or has stopped, the Council reserves the right to charge for the amount of water assessed as having been used over the past billing period, taking into account any seasonal variations in demand.

34.3 Where a meter is over-reading, the Council shall make appropriate adjustments to the customer’s invoice(s) based on a period of similar uses and background to when it is agreed the over-reading is likely to have occurred.

35 READING OF METERS AND ACCOUNTS

35.1 Meters will be read, and where applicable accounts rendered at such intervals as Council considers appropriate.

35.2 Meter readings made at the request of the Customer will be charged for as determined by the Council.

35.3 The Customer must pay all charges for the supply of water as determined by the Council.

36 ESTIMATING CONSUMPTION

36.1 Subject to clause 37.2, should any meter be out of repair or cease to register, or be removed, the Council shall estimate the consumption for the period since the previous reading of such meter, (based on the average of the previous four billing periods charged to the customer) and the customer shall pay according to such an estimate.

36.2 When by reason of a large variation of consumption due to seasonal or other causes, the average of the previous four billing periods would be an unreasonable estimate of the consumption, the Council may take into consideration other evidence for the purpose of arriving at a reasonable estimate, and the customer shall pay according to such an estimate.

36.3 If metering shows a significant increase in consumption for a premises, and the increase is established as being caused by a previously unknown leak, the Council may estimate consumption as above, providing that the customer repairs the leak with due diligence.

36.4 Where the seal or dial of a meter is broken, the Council may declare the reading void and estimate consumption as described above.

37 INCORRECT ACCOUNTS

37.1 Other than as provided for in clause 45, where the recorded consumption does not accurately represent the actual consumption on a property, the account shall be adjusted using the best information available to the Council.

37.2 Such situations include, but are not limited to, misreading of the meter, errors in data processing, meters assigned to the wrong account and unauthorised supplies.

37.3 Where an adjustment is required, whether the adjustment is in favour of the Council or the customer, the adjustment shall not be backdated more than 12 months from the date the error was detected.

38 PLUMBING SYSTEM

38.1 Quick-closing valves, pumps, or any other equipment that may cause pressure surges or fluctuations to be transmitted within the water supply system, or compromise the ability of the Council to maintain its stated levels of service shall not be used on any piping beyond the point of supply.

38.2 Specific compatibility features of the Council supply which need to be taken into account are. for both normal and maximum operating pressures, as measured in “metres head” and/or kPa. Please contact Council directly for up-to-date measurements for this purpose as each location is different and can be affected in changes made to the reticulation system.

39 PREVENTION OF WASTE

39.1 The customer shall not waste or allow to be wasted water from any pipe, tap or other fitting, nor allow the condition of the plumbing on the customer’s side of the point of supply to deteriorate to the point where the leakage or wastage occurs.

39.2 The customer shall not use water or water pressure directly from the supply as an energy source or for driving lifts, machinery, eductors, generators, or any other similar device, unless specifically approved.

39.3 The customer shall not use water for a single pass cooling system or to dilute trade waste prior to disposal, unless specifically approved.

39.4 Where leakage or wastage is identified, the Council may by written notice require the customer to complete the works specified in the notice to remedy the leakage or wastage within a specified timeframe.

39.5 Where the Customer fails to comply with a notice under clause 41.4, the Council, in addition to any other remedies available to it, may charge the Customer for disconnecting the water supply.

Part 5

APPLICATIONS FOR SUPPLY

40 APPLICATION

40.1 Every application for a supply of water shall be:

a. Made in writing on the standard Council form

b. Lodged by a person with the authority to act on behalf of the owner for which the supply is sought with written evidence of this authority as required; and

c. Accompanied by the prescribed charges.

40.2 The applicant shall provide all the details required by the Council and the Council may request further information to assist it in processing the application.

41 CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS

41.1 On receipt of an application, the Council shall, after consideration of the matters in clauses 12 to 17 and clause 32 of this Bylaw, either:

a. Approve the application and inform the applicant of the

i type of supply,

ii the level of service,

iii the size of the connection, and

iv any particular conditions applicable; or

b. Refuse the application and notify the applicant of the decision giving the reasons for refusal.

41.2 For the agreed level of service for the applicant, the Council shall determine the sizes of all pipes, fittings and any other equipment, up to the point of supply.

41.3 The Council shall supply and install the service pipe up to the point of supply at the applicant’s cost or may allow the supply and installation of the service pipe to be carried out by approved contractors.

41.4 An approved application for supply that has not been actioned within six months of the date of application will lapse unless a time extension is approved. Any refund of fees and charges shall be at the discretion of the Council.

42 ACCEPTANCE OF SUPPLY

42.1 The customer must comply with the requirements of this Bylaw including any conditions of approval imposed by the Council.

42.2 Every person found to be in breach of any condition of consent under this Bylaw may have the approval withdrawn by a Council Officer with immediate effect.

43 CHANGE OF USE

43.1 Where a customer seeks a change in the level of service or there is a change in the end use of water supplied to premises and/or the supply changes from an ordinary to an extraordinary type (see Part 2) or vice versa, a new application for supply shall be submitted to the Council by the customer.

44 PRESCRIBED CHARGES

44.1 Charges applicable at the time of connection may include:

a. Payment to the Council for the cost of the physical works required to provide the connection;

b. A development contribution charge determined in accordance with the Local Government Act 2002;

c. A financial contribution charge determined in accordance with the Resource Management Act 1991.

Part 6

FIRE PROTECTION

45 FIRE HYDRANTS

45.1 No person may take water from a fire hydrant unless that person:

a. Is an Authorised Officer or agent of Council;

b. Is a fire fighter, a member of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, or a member of a volunteer fire brigade or is taking the water for the purposes of firefighting; or

c. Has the written approval of Council and the taking of water is in accordance with any conditions on the approval.

45.2 The Council may seize and impound any equipment used by a person to gain access to, or draw water from a fire hydrant.

45.3 The Council may assess and recover the value of the water drawn without authorisation and recover any of the associated costs incurred by the Council.

46 FIRE CONNECTION APPLICATION

46.1 Any proposed connection for fire protection shall be the subject of a specific application (on the standard Council form) made to the Council for approval.

46.2 Any such connection shall be subject to the terms and conditions specified by the Council.

47 DESIGN

47.1 It shall be the customer’s responsibility to ascertain, in discussion with the Council, and monitor whether the supply availability is adequate for the intended purpose.

47.2 The Council is under no obligation to provide a fire protection connection at any particular flow or pressure.

47.3 Any Fire Sprinkler System must be constructed, installed and maintained in good order, and must be designed and fixed so that water cannot be drawn from it for any purpose other than firefighting.

47.4 The Council may require specific backflow protection to any fire protection supply and may fit a backflow prevention device on the Council side of the Point of Supply.

48 SUPPLY OF WATER FOR FIRE PROTECTION

48.1 Where the supply of water to any premises is metered, the Council may allow supply of water for the purposes of firefighting to be made in a manner which bypasses the meter, provided that:

a. The drawing of water is possible only in connection with the sounding of an automatic fire alarm or the automatic notification of the fire brigade; or

b. A Council approved detector check valve has been fitted on the meter bypass.

48.2 Any unmetered connection provided to supply water to a fire protection system shall not be used for any purpose other than firefighting and testing the fire protection system unless the fire protection system is installed in accordance with NZS 4517.

48.3 Where a fire connection has been installed or located so that it is likely or possible that water may be drawn from it by any person for purposes other than firefighting, the Council may require the supply to be metered.

49 FIRE HOSE REELS

49.1 Where the supply of water to any premises is metered, fire hose reels shall be connected only to the metered supply, not to a fire protection system. The water supply to fire hose reels shall comply with the requirement of NZS 4503.

50 CHARGES FOR FIREFIGHTING

50.1 Water used for extinguishing fires shall be supplied free of charge. Where the fire protection connection is metered and water has been used for firefighting purposes, the Council shall estimate the quantity of water so used, and credit to the customer’s account an amount based on such estimate.

51 ONGOING TESTING AND MONITORING

51.1 Customers intending to test fire protection systems in a manner that requires a draw-off of water, shall obtain the approval of the Council beforehand. Water used for routine flushing and flow testing does not constitute waste but the quantity of water used may be assessed and charged for by the Council.

Part 7

ADMINISTRATION

52 FEES

52.1 Every ‘type’ of water supply provided shall be charged in accordance with Council’s set out in the current fees and charges in the current Annual Plan or Long Term Plan.

53 PAYMENT

53.1 The customer must pay for the supply of water and related services in accordance with the Council current Fees and Charges prevailing at the time.

53.2 The Council may recover all unpaid water charges as prescribed in sections 57 to 82 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

54 TRANSFER OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

54.1 The customer shall not transfer to any other party the rights provided for under this bylaw.

54.2 A supply pipe shall serve only one customer, and shall not extend by hose or any other pipe beyond that customer’s property.

54.3 In particular and not in limitation of the above any water that the customer draws from the Council supply shall not be provided to any other party without approval of the Council.

55 CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP

55.1 In the event of a premises changing ownership the Council shall record the new owner as being the customer at that premises.

55.2 Where a premises is metered, the outgoing customer shall give the Council five working days’ notice to arrange a final reading.

55.3 Where there are outstanding rates for water supply at the final reading the Council will invoice the outgoing Customer.

56 DISCONNECTION AT THE CUSTOMER’S REQUEST

56.1 The customer shall give 20 working days’ notice in writing to the Council of the requirement for disconnection of the supply. Disconnection shall be at the customer’s cost.

57 BREACHES OF CONDITIONS OF SUPPLY

57.1 Without limiting the Council’s discretion as to whether acts or omissions are in breach of this Bylaw or the conditions of supply, the following are deemed to be breaches of the conditions to supply water:

a. An incorrect application for supply which fundamentally affects the conditions of supply or a decision to approve the application;

b. Failure by the customer to meet and comply with any of the requirements of this Bylaw and/or any conditions imposed by the Council in permitting the connection to the water supply scheme under Part 5;

c. Failure to meet any obligation placed on the customer under all current enactments and regulations specified in this Bylaw;

d. Frustration of the Council’s ability to adequately and effectively carry out its obligations;

e. An act or omission including but not limited to any of the following:

i Failure to pay the appropriate charges by the due date;

ii Failure to repair a leak, or in any way wilfully allow water to run to waste or be misused;

iii The fitting of quick-closing valves , pumps or any other equipment which may cause pressure surges or fluctuations to be transmitted within the water supply system, or compromise the ability of the Council to maintain its stated levels of service;

iv Failure to prevent backflow;

v Failure to comply with water use restrictions or prohibitions introduced by the Council for any specified purpose

vi Using water or water pressure directly from the supply for driving lifts, machinery, eductors, generators, or any other similar device, unless specifically approved by the Council

vii Using water for a single pass heating or cooling system, or to dilute trade waste prior to disposal, unless specifically approved

viii Extending by hose or any other pipe a private water supply beyond that customer’s property

ix Providing water drawn from the Council supply to any other property without approval of the Council.

f. Connecting to the water supply without formal written approval of Council.

g. Any tampering or interfering with Council equipment, either directly or indirectly, shall constitute a breach.

57.2 In the event of a breach, the Council shall serve notice on the customer advising the nature of the breach and the steps to be taken to remedy it.

57.3 If, after one week, the customer persists in the breach, the Council reserves the right to reduce or disconnect the flow rate of water to the customer without further notice. In such an event, the full service of supply shall be re-established only after payment of the appropriate fee and remedy of the breach to the satisfaction of the Council.

57.4 In addition, if the breach is such that the Council is required to disconnect the supply for health or safety considerations, such disconnection should be carried out forthwith.

58 OFFENCES

58.1 Every person who commits a breach of this Bylaw commits an offence and is liable to pay:

a. A fine pursuant to the Local Government Act;

b. A fine or penalty specified in the Health Act 1956;

c. Any other penalty specified in another Act for the breach of this Bylaw.

29. Explanatory Note: This clause should be read in conjunction with the Tararua District Administration Bylaw.

59 ADDITIONAL REMEDIES

59.1 Without prejudice to its other rights and remedies, the Council shall be entitled to estimate (in accordance with clause 37) and charge for the additional water consumption not recorded or allowed to pass where a meter or restrictor has been tampered with and recover any costs incurred.

60 REPEALS SAVINGS AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

60.1 Any consent, exemption or approval previously granted under the Tararua Water Supply Bylaw 2008 that was in force immediately before the commencement of this Bylaw, continues in force as if it is a consent, exemption or approval of that kind issued under this Bylaw, provided that:

a. The consent, exemption or approval expires on the date specified, or

b. Where no expiry date is specified, the consent, exemption or approval expires 12 months from the commencement of this Bylaw, and

c. In either case, such consent, exemption or approval may be renewed only by application made and considered in accordance with this Bylaw.

60.2 Any resolution or other decision made under the Tararua Water Supply Bylaw 2008 remains in force in the area to which it applied until revoked or replaced by an equivalent resolution or decision made by the Council under this Bylaw.

This Bylaw was made by the Tararua District Council by resolution at a Council meeting on 28 August 2019 and must be reviewed within five years.

Sealed with the Common Seal of the

Tararua District Council

In the presence of:

_____________________________

[SEAL] Mayor

____________________________

Chief Executive

SCHEDULE 1

Examples of point of supply location for Figure 1

30. Note: Point of supply is tail piece of boundary box, meter or service valve regardless of property boundary.

31.

32. Note: Point of supply is tail piece of boundary box, meter or service valve regardless of property boundary.

SCHEDULE 2

Water Supply Areas Policy Only – Not Part of Bylaw

· Akitio

· Dannevirke

· Eketahuna

· Norsewood

· Pahiatua

· Pongaroa

· Woodville

11.4 Water Supply Bylaw
Attachment 2 Water Supply Bylaw 2019 Summary of Submissions

APPENDIX 2

Tararua District Council bylaw consultation

Updated July 2019

Summary of submissions

No.	Submitter	Bylaw(s) submitted on	Summary of points	Decision
5	Grant Crosse	Water supply	Akitio bach-owner. Opposed to requirement to install 20,000 L tank. Contour and size of section makes this difficult/costly (his estimate is $5–6,000). Supports instead the installation of one large reservoir for the community monitored by Council.	Discussion Considerations relating to the nature of water supply connections, storage capacity, and the use of rainwater tanks will be considered as part of a broader comprehensive review of the bylaw heading into 2020. Given changes proposed to Council’s water supply, and the potential for further regulation of drinking water quality by central government, the preference of Council officers to make minor amendments to the current Water Supply Bylaw 2008, and defer any major changes for consideration as part of the more comprehensive review. Those changes would be the subject of further consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002. In the meantime, the current bylaw provisions are still considered effective, with some amendments proposed to ensure that the bylaw is up to date and to better assist in readability and understanding. Recommendations That the requirement for installation of 20,000 litre tanks (or greater) at Akitio be removed from the draft Water Supply Bylaw, and that the existing (2008) requirement for installation of 1,800 litre tanks be reinstated pending a more comprehensive review of water supply over the next 24 months. (Bylaw, clause 22)
6	Peter Greatbatch, Chairperson – Akitio Beach Community and Ratepayers Association	Water supply	· Concerned about the impacts of the requirement to install 20,000 L tanks on Akitio’s small community (many of the properties being holiday baches and not permanently occupied) · The size of some properties is not big enough to accommodate a large water tank · Preference is for a large Council-owned reservoir, and no change to minimum size required to individual tanks (currently 1800 L) · Requests a further consultation meeting with Akitio property owners.	Discussion · Refer response to submission #5. · As part of the further comprehensive review there will be further consultation with the Akitio property owners. · A proposal to install a large reservoir may trigger a need for community consultation if significant and would require a Council decision. Recommendation See response to submission #5, including the recommendation that there is no change to the minimum size of the tanks at Akitio Beach pending a more comprehensive review of water supply/storage requirements in the District.
7	Christopher Horrocks	Water supply	· Akitio bach-owner. Concerned about the impacts of the requirement to install 20,000 L tanks on Akitio’s small community · Also expressed concern about inadequate notice given for public meetings, location of consultation etc.	Discussion · Refer response to submission #5 · Public consultation occurred over a period of two months when only one month was required. Consultation was widely advertised, with direct contact having been made with interested parties. This led to formal and informal community responses. Nevertheless, there will be no change to storage requirements as part of this bylaw review. The status quo will apply, pending the further review of water supply/storage requirements. Recommendation See response to submission #5, including the recommendation that there is no change to the minimum size of the tanks at Akitio Beach pending a more comprehensive review of water supply/storage requirements in the District. (Bylaw, clause 22)
8	Annelise Hallager	Water supply	· Oppose. The installation of 20,000 + litre tanks is not affordable for many households. The Council should consider supplying bulk-purchased tanks (at a more affordable cost) to the households requiring upgraded tanks. · Concerned too about the ongoing cost of the proposed pipeline from Dannevirke and the impact that will have on rates, as well possible implications for individual homeowners who may have to upgrade plumbing etc.	Discussion · Considerations relating to the nature of water supply connections, storage capacity, and the use of rainwater tanks will be considered as part of a broader comprehensive review of the bylaw heading into 2020. Given changes proposed to Council’s water supply, and the potential for further regulation of drinking water quality by central government, the preference of Council officers is to defer any major changes in policy intent for consideration as part of the more comprehensive review. Those changes would be the subject of further consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002. In the meantime, the current bylaw provisions are still considered effective, with some amendments proposed to ensure that the bylaw is up to date, clear in effect, and to better assist in readability and understanding. · Pending a comprehensive review of water supply/storage/connection requirements in the urban and non-urban areas, the status quo will apply in respect of water storage in the District. · Agree that the options and payment for a pipeline will be considered as part of any future project proposal. Recommendation That Council consider the requirements of Norsewood water in respect of a comprehensive review of the supply, storage and connections to premises. That the requirement for installation of 20,000 litre tanks (or greater) at Norsewood be removed from the proposed bylaw, and the existing (2008) requirement for installation of 5,000 litre tanks be reinstated pending the ongoing review of water supply/storage/connection in the District. (Bylaw, clause 21)
9	Rubina Hallager	Water supply	Oppose. Supports the requirement for householders to install a 20,000 litre tank as the most cost-effective solution over the long term, but Council should assist with costs by making a bulk purchase of water tanks. The proposed pipeline from Dannevirke will have major up-front costs, possibly be subject to disruption to the pipeline and will likely incur further replacement/upgrade costs in the future - all of which will have a major impact on rates. May also require householders in Norsewood to upgrade existing infrastructure/house plumbing pipes to accommodate the increase in pressure.	Discussion · Refer response to submission # 8. · Agree that the options and payment for a pipeline will be considered as part of any future project proposal, including consideration of household connection. Recommendation Refer to recommendation in submission # 8. (Bylaw, clause 21 and clause 16)
10	Maggie Oulaghan, Woodville Districts' Vision	All bylaws	Supports all proposed bylaws but had some additional comments, the main points being: Water Supply: Requests an additional requirement that private owners of swimming pools exceeding 1,000 litres be required to seek a permit to fill/empty their pools, particularly in times of water restrictions.	Discussion · The bylaw provides for oversight and management of the needs of users for water, including filling of pools as extraordinary users. This can be accommodated provided Council approval under the bylaw, provided that the water take is not exceeded and / or compliance with any other reasons for when restrictions may be imposed on the supply. · The nature, type and volume of water supply will be considered as part of the comprehensive review proposed for 2020/2021 Recommendation That no action is necessary for now.
11	Tony Rhodes	Water supply	· Does not support proposed changes to bylaw. · Definitions of “extraordinary use” and “ordinary use” are unclear and the purpose of separating them is unclear. The definition of the latter relies on the concept of “domestic use” but this is not defined. The definitions also seem to be applied inconsistently to different groups of users, e.g. Dannevirke rural and lifestyle property owners. · Has concerns about Clause 17.2 because it represents a “very significant change and potential financial liability for Dannevirke Rural or Lifestyle residents” · Clause 52 Fees: No indication of the nature and extent of a graduated scale of fees is provided, so the financial implications for users is unclear. There is also some inconsistency with the preamble. · Changing the bylaw so that the use of reticulated water by “extraordinary users” (i.e., Dannevirke rural and lifestyle property owners) is for domestic use only is contrary to the role of the Dannevirke reticulated water supply scheme, and will impose significant expense without analysis of the full costs and benefits. · Noted that the Dannevirke users were not contacted for comment on the bylaw.	Discussion · There is a need for clarification of the definitions of domestic user, extraordinary use and ordinary use in the bylaw; as well as some more guidance on what each of these uses means in practical terms. · The proposed Water Supply Bylaw for Dannevirke is unchanged from the existing 2008 bylaw in respect of the requirement to have a 20,000 litre tank on rural or lifestyle properties and restrictions on domestic use. · Fees are set in the fees and charges of Council according to the revenue and financing policy. This process is subject to public consultation and fees and charges adopted through the annual plan and long-term plan. · We note the concern regarding the potential cost of full compliance and need for further analysis. The status quo has therefore been retained under the draft Water Supply Bylaw pending further review over the coming 24 months. · Consultation was not made directly with the Dannevirke extraordinary users (outside of the special consultative procedure) as there was no proposed change in tank storage size for Dannevirke. Direct consultation was sought, where possible, with interested and affected persons of Akitio, Norsewood and Pongaroa where changes to tank sizes were proposed. Recommendation That the existing requirement for installation of 20,000 litre tanks be retained pending a more comprehensive review of water supply connections, storage capacity, and the use of rainwater tanks over 2020/2021. A definition of domestic purposes has been included to inform the meaning of ordinary supply, with duplication in definitions removed as between ordinary and extraordinary use and supply. Also, further guidance has been provided when considering the meaning of the existing restrictions for water supply to Dannevirke (internal domestic purposes, for example), as well as more direction as to the areas where extraordinary use is proposed. This includes removal of out of date defined terms relating to urban and rural water supply areas, and the inclusion of a new urban supply area definition. See also the above recommendations regarding the more comprehensive review of the nature, volume and type of supply in the District and the potential for infrastructure. This will include assessment of issues is undertaken for the imposition of tanks on rural and lifestyle properties and the supplies use for domestic purposes.
13	Allan Mullacrane	Water Supply	· Installation of separate water tanks for each household will do little to reduce public health risks because some people will continue to drink roof water, and because the effect of chlorination is lost when water is stored · Support instead a permanent reservoir and treatment facility to be built at Norsewood. The reservoir could then serve as an emergency supply if the (proposed) pipeline from Dannevirke ever fails. · Support pipeline from Dannevirke. · Also support speed restrictions (50 kmph) being introduced at the ‘extremities’ of water supply locations.	Discussion · Agreed - roof water and storage are matters that need further consideration and the status quo (2008) has therefore been retained (without change) pending the further review discussed above. · A review of a pipeline and/or town reservoir will be considered by Council as consultation undertaken once options and costs have been estimated as part of a project scoping exercise, separate to the bylaw. · The speed limits bylaw is not currently being consulted on. It is noted that the Government may review the process of using bylaws to set speed limits. Recommendation See also the above recommendations regarding the more comprehensive review of the nature, volume and type of supply in the District and the potential for infrastructure. In the meantime, the proposed requirement for installation of 20,000 litre tanks (or greater) at Norsewood be withdrawn and that the existing requirement for installation of 5,000 litre tanks be retained until this matter is further reviewed under a new bylaws review process. (Bylaw, clause 16 and clause 21) That Council review the storage needs for the Norsewood water supply with consideration of health, in compliance with Ministry of Health and legislative compliance requirements, demand management and the use of the supply by users, its proposed practical application and associated cost. Further consultation will take place on any subsequent amendments to the bylaw as required by the Local Government Act 2002.

11.5 Audit and Risk Committee
Attachment 1 Audit and Risk Committee Minutes 20 August 2019

Audit and Risk Committee

Minutes of an Audit and Risk Committee meeting held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Tuesday 20 August 2019 commencing at 1.40pm.

1. Present

Mr K Ross (Chairperson), Her Worship the Mayor- Mrs T H Collis, Crs A L Benbow (Deputy Mayor), J E Crispin and S A Hull.

In Attendance

Mrs A Franklin - Councillor

Mr B King - Chief Executive

Mr R Taylor - Governance Manager

Mr R Suppiah - Chief Financial Officer

Mr P Wimsett - Manager Strategy and District Development

Mr W Labuschagne - Senior Financial Accountant

Ms S Lowe - Risk Manager

Ms A Yonge - Programme and Projects Manager

Mr D Watson - Group Manager Plant and Property

Mrs S Walshe - Financial Accountant

Mr R Cannon - Alliance Planning and Asset Manager

Mr C McKay - Finance Manager

Mr J Whittal - Audit New Zealand Associate Director

2. Apologies

2.1

Nil

3. Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

3.1	It is noted the implementation of the Horizons Regional Council One Plan is an ongoing risk for the district, and should accordingly be a future agenda item for the Audit and Risk Committee.

4. Confirmation of Minutes

4.1	*That the minutes of the Audit and Risk Committee meeting held on 11 June 2019 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* Ross/Benbow Carried

5. Matters Arising from the Minutes not otherwise dealt with in the Agenda

5.1

Nil

6. Reports

6.1	2018/19 Annual Report Interim Management Report
6.1.1	The Senior Financial Accountant indicated Audit New Zealand has completed the interim audit of Council’s 2018/19 Annual Report, and concluded the following: · Assessment of the control environment - Council is considered to have created a culture of honesty and ethical behaviour. · Sensitive expenditure - Management aims to have the sensitive expenditure policy updated, adopted and implemented by March 2020.
6.1.2	Progress on technical issues affecting Council’s financial statements relate to Manawatu Gorge closure and New Zealand Transport Agency assuming maintaining the temporary State Highway 3 route, and Tararua Aquatic Community Trust consolidation.
6.1.3	There were twelve outstanding recommendations with six of these now complete, and the review of four items is to be concluded as part of the final management report. Progress has been made with the other two items, but they are not fully resolved.
6.1.4	*That the report from the Finance Manager dated 14 August 2019 concerning the 2018/19 Annual Report Interim Management Report from Audit New Zealand (as circulated) be received and noted.* Crispin/Benbow Carried

6.2	Council Performance for the 2018/19 Financial Year Ending on 30 June 2019
6.2.1	The Senior Financial Accountant spoke on significant variances to the operating performance resulting from responding to severe weather events impacting on the district’s roading network, and additional expenditure required to meet increasing legislative compliance requirements especially in water management and progressing the removal of roadside trees.
6.2.2	Four surveys were completed over the prior twelve months, with the results for twenty-two service performance measures agreed in the Long Term Plan being sixteen met and six not met.
6.2.3	External debt as at 30 June 2019 was $25 million compared to a planned $21 million largely due to greater infrastructure investment to address climate change, meet legislative requirements and satisfy community outcomes.
6.2.4	That the report from the Senior Financial Accountant dated 13 August 2019 concerning Council performance for the 2018/19 financial year ending on 30 June 2019 (as circulated) be received, and That the Audit and Risk Committee recommend approval of the draft Annual Report 2018/19 subject to the correction of any typographical errors or changes which may be required to provide to Audit New Zealand for their audit of the report, and *That it be recommended to the incoming Council following the election to adopt the audited final Annual Report 2018/19 subject to audit clearance, and* *That the recommendation to not consolidate the financial statements with Tararua Aquatic Community Trust be acknowledged, and* *That the disclosure of the two related party transactions as included in the draft Annual Report 2018/19 be noted.* Benbow/Hull Carried

6.3

Health and Safety and Risk Management

6.3.1

The Risk Manager elaborated on the following matters that include reference to:

· Establishment of the Health and Safety Regional Group and its agreement contractor management is the first area for collaboration and project to consider.

· Labelling options are being looked at for asbestos management as required under section 6.12.1 in the approved code of practice.

· The strategic risk register has been completed.

· The management of strategic risk is a key process which underpins the successful achievement of Council’s priorities and outcomes.

· The next step in implementation of risk management will be working with Council, the Audit and Risk Committee and management to agree upon a risk appetite statement.

6.3.2

That the report from the Risk Manager dated 13 August 2019 concerning health and safety and risk management (as circulated) be received and noted, and

That the reviewed strategic risk register is approved to be published.

Benbow/Ross Carried

6.4

Project Risk Management

6.4.1

The Programme and Projects Manager outlined the focus of the Programme and Projects Office to strengthen Council’s approach to the management of project risk, including reference to the following matters:

· Improving the handover of projects to business as usual.

· Complexities found in finalising some aspects of operations.

· Competing priorities diverting attention elsewhere.

· Minimal project review process undertaken.

· Intention to tailor recommendations by the size and risk of project.

6.4.2

That the report from the Programme and Projects Manager dated 13 August 2019 concerning project risk management (as circulated) be received, and

That the emphasis and focus being directed to minimise the risk of incomplete or delayed project delivery through implementing planning processes to manage and ensure the completion of projects as intended is noted and acknowledged.

Benbow/Collis Carried

6.5

New Zealand Transport Agency Investment Audit

6.5.1

That the report from the Alliance Planning and Asset Manager dated 13 August 2019 concerning the New Zealand Transport Agency Investment Audit (as circulated) be received, and

That the findings and recommendations from this audit be noted, with the conclusions being:

· The Tararua Alliance is seen to work by all parties for the provision of road maintenance and renewals work undertaken for the Council, and no issues were identified.

· The operation and management of the control environment structure in Council and the Tararua Alliance is appropriate to manage the associated risks, and effectively and efficiently delivers value for money from the New Zealand Transport Agency investment in the Council’s land transport programme.

Hull/Benbow Carried

6.6	Update on Central Government’s Three Waters Review
6.6.1	The Group Manager Plant and Property spoke on the risks and implications arising from Central Government’s Three Waters Review, with its first priority being to strengthen the regulation of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater.
6.6.2	The intention of the reforms proposes all drinking water supplies (except individual domestic self-suppliers) will be covered by the regulatory system and required to provide safe drinking water on a consistent basis.
6.6.3	This recognises that access to safe and reliable drinking water is essential to life, health, wellbeing and resilience of communities and a high performing economy.
6.6.4	The risks and implications of these reforms place more emphasis around protecting drinking water sources through new and enhanced obligations on regional councils and territorial authorities, and this is likely to further increase the costs of providing this service.
6.6.5	That the report from the Group Manager Plant and Property dated 13 August 2019 concerning an update on Central Government's Three Waters Review (as circulated) be received, and *That* Government’s proposal to establish a central regulator to carry out new and enhanced functions across the drinking water regulatory system (including some wastewater and stormwater functions) is noted along with the intention to implement these reforms over a five year period, and *That staff continue to monitor the potential impact of the Three Waters Review on the delivery of these Council services, and provide regular updates concerning this matter.* Hull/Benbow Carried

There being no further business the Chairperson thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 3.45pm.

____________________________

Chairperson

Report

Date	:	21 August 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Wiehan Labuschagne Senior Financial Accountant
Subject	:	Council Performance for the 2018/19 Financial Year ending on 30 June 2019
Item No	:	11.6

1. Reason for the Report

1.1 For Council to :

1.1.1 Receive the Performance Report for the 2018/19 Financial Year ending 30 June 2019;

1.1.2 Subject to any further changes arising from quality reviews, recommend approval of the financials and Service Performance Measures results to be provided to Audit New Zealand for their audit of the Report.

1.1.3 Recommend to the incoming Council to adopt the final Annual Report 2018/19 and summary, subject to Audit clearance.

1.1.4 Acknowledge the recommendation to not consolidate the financial statements with Tararua Aquatic Community Trust.

1.1.5 Highlight to the Council the disclosure relating to a related party transaction not entered into at arm’s length.

2. Background

2.1 This report is the Performance Report for the financial year 2018/19, which covers the period 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019. This report summarises key highlights in the full Annual Report 2018/19.

2.2 This is the first Annual Report of the 2018/28 Long Term Plan (LTP). The structure of the Annual Report has been updated based on the theme of the LTP.

2.3 In addition to the financial statements, the front-end of the new Annual Report structure provides the mechanism to report progress against the strategies and objectives of the LTP and will be used for the next three years.

3. Performance Dashboard Summary

3.1 Please refer to the attachment “Appendix 1: Performance Dashboard for the year ended 30 June 2019”.

The Performance Dashboard highlights Council’s performance for the year and includes detailed variance analysis at the activity level.

4. Performance Overview for the Year

4.1 The Annual Report is an accountability document. The draft Annual Report 2018/19 explains Council’s performance for the 2018/19 financial year. The section titled “Our Scorecard –Progress towards the strategies in its Long Term Plan” explains in detail how Council has performed against the following key areas:

· Strategic scorecard (pages 15 to 27)

· Financial scorecard (pages 28 to 30)

· Service performance scorecard (pages 31 to 32)

· Community survey scorecard (pages 33 to 34)

4.2 Staff have also included a section – Laying the foundation – that explains the structures, resources and culture management put in place to enable Council to deliver on the outcomes in the LTP for the community.

4.3 The following sections briefly summarises the key points in each of the above key areas. Please refer to the draft Annual Report for the details.

4.4 Laying the Foundation

4.4.1 It was critical Council focused not only on achieving results but also invested in:

4.4.2 Developing a strategic approach – these ensured a long term and an outcome focused approach is taken. Council are here to play the long game - the long game is having a long term plan, long term goals, or doing things now that set the district up for the future.

4.4.3 Building staff capacity and capability – it is all about staff, imbedding the right culture and developing leaders.

4.4.4 Enabling innovation – innovation is critical to growth, meeting customer expectations, anticipate and meet future trends and demand, manage cost escalation, and attract and retain talent.

4.4.5 Innovation itself is a strategy transforming the concepts of strategy into realities and allows Council to sustainably achieve its outcomes. Council cannot succeed without innovation.

4.4.6 Nurturing leadership development – leadership development is not simply sending staff to leadership courses, promoting them to leadership positions or expecting them to become leaders. It is more than that. It is about creating an environment where staff feel safe to experiment, take risk, step up and step out of their comfort zone, challenge and influence.

4.5 The recognition Council and staff have received is a result of “laying the foundation”. The price of failed leadership is too high. Council need to recognise how critical staff, leadership, culture and innovation are for success.

4.6 Strategic Scorecard

4.7 Council continue to progress its Vision and Strategic objectives in the LTP. Notable improvements are in the following strategic limbs:

4.7.1 Build resilience in water, wastewater, stormwater, and roading networks

4.7.2 Meet legally required performance standards

4.7.3 Promoting and facilitating economic development

4.8 An area where focus remains is cost control in the “continued financial viability through sustainable growth and investment” limb.

4.9 Financial Scorecard

4.9.1 The financial scorecard provides an overview on how Council has performed in the areas of operating performance, treasury performance, and capital expenditure performance. Overall, Council performed well, particularly in the areas of treasury and delivering on the capital programme, however its operating revenue and operating expenditure varied from the Annual Plan.

Operating performance

4.9.2 Summary Operating Result:

	2017/18 Actual 000’s	2018/19 Actual 000’s	2018/19 Budget 000’s	Variance 000’s
Revenue	37,839	41,567	35,286	6,281
Operating Expenditure	37,089	39,664	36,594	(3,071)
Operating Surplus/(Deficit)	741	1,903	(1,308)	3,210
Other Gains/(Losses)	129	1,496	79	1,417
Gain on Asset Revaluations	41,063	9,609	18,736	(9,127)
Total Comprehensive Revenue & Expense	41,933	13,008	(1,574)	(4,501)

4.9.3 The significant variances to the operating performance resulting from responding to severe weather events impacting our roading network, additional expenditure required to meet increasing legislative compliance requirements, especially in water management, and progressing the removal of roadside trees.

4.9.4 Council received significant subsidies from NZTA towards funding the required repairs and maintenance to the damaged areas of the road network from bad weather. As a portion of this work was classed as renewal, the additional subsidy resulted in the overall operating result being favourable by $3.2 million.

4.9.5 Council has increased the budget in the 2019/20 Annual Plan by $600,000 as a result of the ongoing impact of severe weather on our roading infrastructure. Council is also increasing its investment in both infrastructure and operations in Water and Wastewater as it responds to the ongoing need to ensure safe drinking water and manage its ongoing impact on the environment respectively.

4.9.6 Gain on revaluation is significantly lower than budget. The method that the planned increase is set is based on the Local Government Cost Index, whereas the actual valuation is based on Council’s actual unit rates. This is reflective of the Tararua Alliance using innovation and measuring efficiency to minimise increases asset unit rates. This benefits Council due to the flow on effect to depreciation, which is funded by rates.

Treasury Function

4.9.7 Council’s treasury function continues to perform well. Council achieved an average interest rate for the year of 3.40% compared to a planned 4.4% on external borrowings. This has been aided by the low official cash rate (OCR) which has reduced from 1.75% at the beginning of the financial year to 1.00% recently. Active treasury management has also ensured the ability to participate in low interest rates.

4.9.8 The swap valuation, a non-cash accounting adjustment, resulted in a loss of $758,000 recorded on the Statement of Comprehensive Revenue and Expense. This is as a direct result of the falling interest rate environment. The valuation compares the swaps against the original floating loan and factors in future cash flow expectations. Council uses interest rate swaps as a risk management tool by fixing a portion of its external debt over a range of maturities. This reduces the risk of a sudden interest rate increase at a particular point in time, which could lead to a shock to the amount of rates required to service our debt.

4.9.9 External debt as at 30 June was $25 million compared to a planned $21 million. This was due to Council borrowing $3 million of short term loans in April for 5 months at the favourable interest rate of 1.99%. The increase in debt is largely due to greater infrastructure investment to address climate change, meet legislative requirements, and satisfy community outcomes.

Capital projects

4.9.10 Council continue to improve on delivering our capital programme. This year we introduced a Programmes and Projects team to increase our capacity and capability in project management. Overall, we completed 85% of our capital programme (excluding unplanned emergency works), improving from 71% in 2016/17. Including emergency works, we spent $23.7 million compared to $22.7 million budgeted.

4.9.11 Unspent capital budgets are currently being reviewed by management for consideration for carry-forward into the 2019/20 year. These will be brought for approval at the Council meeting in September.

4.10 Service Performance Scorecard

4.10.1 Council use a range of service performance measures to monitor the service levels we deliver to our customers.

4.10.2 These were reviewed in the 2018/28 Long Term Plan. With this being year 1 of the LTP, the revisions entailed 27 new measures, targets increased for 25 measures and the targets reduced for 5 measures. Twenty five previous measures were removed.

4.10.3 Despite the increase in targets for 25 measures, and 27 new measures introduced, Council has achieved well overall, with 80% of the measures met.

4.10.4 For details on Council performance for the service performance measures, refer to the ‘Activities and Service Performance’ section of the 2018/19 Annual Report.

4.11 Community survey Scorecard

4.11.1 Four surveys were completed over the prior 12 months. The results of the 22 service performance measures agreed in the Long Term Plan:

Year	Met	Not Met
2019	16	6
2018	16	7
2017	13	10

4.11.2 Council also took the opportunity to seek feedback on other aspects that are of strategic significance and the notable results are:

· Satisfied with Vision and Leadership

· Satisfied with staff

· Satisfied with Availability of water

· Satisfied with Quality of water

· Satisfied with Ability to protect property from flooding

· Feel safe from dogs

· Satisfied with Council recreational facilities

· Satisfied with Council community Buildings

· Satisfied with Library opening hours and range of books/other materials

· Satisfied with Provision of dedicated walkways/cycleways

· Satisfied with urban roads

4.11.3 Satisfaction with rural roads is being maintained just about the 50 %. The challenges we have had been compounded by the George closure, severe weather events, funding allocations and rates affordability and NZTA priorities.

4.11.4 In this LTP Council have refocused its efforts on several strategies namely drainage, road side tress, better design, minor safety improvements and Route 52 (seeking PGF and NZTA subsidies).

5. Financial Prudence Benchmarks

5.1 Please refer to the attached report “Appendix 2: Annual Report 2018/19: Financial Prudence Benchmarks” for the Financial Prudence section of the Draft Annual Report 2018/19.

5.2 In summary, Council complies with all of the prudence financial benchmarks. The Operations Control benchmark is still outstanding and will be updated as part of completing the Cashflow Financial Statement.

6. Consolidation with Tararua Aquatic Community Trust (TACT)

6.1 Council ceased consolidating TACT since the 2016/17 Annual Report. However this year, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) had advised Council that we should have continued to consolidate TACT and the basis of their opinion issued in 2002 is still valid

6.2 Council obtained an independent review (as required by OAG) and the review concluded that :

“Whether the Council controls the Trust for financial reporting purposes is a matter of judgement, based on the definition of control and the particular circumstances.

In our view, it is reasonable for the Council to conclude that it does not control the Trust.”

6.3 However, OAG is still of the view that we should consolidate. We have sought further clarifications from OAG on 5^th July and waiting their reply.

6.4 For the 2018/19 financial year, management recommends that Council does not consolidate. The impact of this is that Audit NZ will require disclosure in the Letter of Representation and a management item in the Management report.

7. Related Party Transaction

7.1 The Council had multiple transactions with the Black Stump Café, Pahiatua of which a councillor is an owner. Two of these transactions have had discounts applied to them;

· A discount for a voucher awarded to an adult reading competition which is provided by the library;

· A high tea held for women’s suffrage provided by Council where the food was provided at cost with no labour charge applied.

7.2 Management consider these two transactions were not at arm’s length as discounts have been applied and are not on normal commercial terms. These are required to be disclosed as related party transactions in the published Annual Report.

8. Recommendation

8.1 That the report from the Senior Financial Accountant dated 21 August 2019 concerning Council Performance for the 2018/19 Financial Year ending on 30 June 2019 (as circulated) be received, and

8.2 That Council approve the draft Annual Report 2018/19 subject to the correction of any typographical errors or changes which may be required to provide to Audit New Zealand for their audit of the report, and

8.3 That it be recommended to the incoming Council following the election to adopt the audited final Annual Report 2018/19 subject to audit clearance, and

8.4 That the recommendation to not consolidate the financial statements with Tararua Aquatic Community Trust be acknowledged, and

8.5 That the disclosure of the two related party transactions as included in the draft Annual Report 2018/19 be noted.

Attachments

1 ⇩. Appendix 1 Full Year Performance Report

2 ⇩. Appendix 2 Annual Report Disclosure Statement

Report

Date	:	22 August 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Blair King Chief Executive
Subject	:	Staff Report
Item No	:	11.9

Reason for the Report

This report is to update Councillors on key projects and items of interest over the period from 24 July 19 August 2019.

Key Points

Proposed Flushing of Watermain Reticulation

The Alliance, our Water Treatment Operators, and Communications team are developing a schedule to progressively flush all water mains across the district urban water supplies. By doing this work prior to summer, we aim to reduce any “dirty water” service requests, and cut down on the amount of Residual Chlorine required as a treatment barrier in these piped networks.

Attendance at Structures Specialist Refresher Course through USAR

Fire and Emergency NZ arranged for me to attend a specialist course designed for engineers involved in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), at the end of July. The training dealt with the immediate aftermath of a major emergency such as building collapses in Christchurch or mud slides such as that at Matata in the Bay of Plenty. Exercises included hazard assessment and mitigation, monitoring with total station, crane chart review, calculating weights and centroids for crane actions, GPS new icon awareness to create priorities for rescue work across a wide area, and geotechnical awareness including initial and longer term approach to trench collapse mechanisms.

This course was very valuable for our role as a Civil Defence and Building Consent Authority, in understanding common issues with Earthquake Prone buildings and, as a client under the Worksafe legislation for teams creating trenches for water pipes and similar.

Restrictors and “Transmitting” Water Meters on Raw Water line, Eketahuna

Dave Morgan from the Tararua Alliance along with Tom Dodd from the Projects team completed new meters and flow-rate restrictors on all but one of the Raw Water line users that have historical easements. Whilst the river flow is up, we have temporarily removed the restrictors, to allow us to measure what volume of water farms may potentially purchase on a weekly basis above their flow-rate allocated.

The work from this will also feed into the next stage of farms connected to our water mains in Woodville, then Dannevirke. Pahiatua is less affected with raw water users given the location of the proposed new treatment plant due for completion in May 2020, and reflects the Balfour line is now decommissioned.

Sealing of Documents

The Mayor and Chief Executive signed the following documents under Council’s common seal:

· Deed of licence for Makakahi Domain, Pahiatua - Lawrence Campbell Kidd

· District Plan Change No. 1

THE ALLIANCE

Executive Summary

The Alliance team have had another busy month, our leadership team met recently to look at our upcoming challenges ahead in terms of workload and resources, a small projects team will be put together to brainstorm some of our challenges and find solutions to better manage these challenges ahead of us, our field based staff are still very reactive to the ongoing weather related challenges such as slips, surface flooding etc. An application has been submitted to NZTA for more emergency funding after the June rain event, the team are liaising with NZTA to progress this application

The Alliance field based team have recently been through a toolbox meeting focusing on ‘HOW TO BE A GOOD TEAM MATE” this toolbox primarily focuses on its ok to have a bit of work place banter but knowing where the boundary lines are, looking out for each other and standing in the gap when required. The tool box has been well received by the team with some open interaction and discussions between management and our field team.

The recent announcement of approval for a Railhub in the Dannevirke area has spurred the TDC strategic planners into action to determine what effect it will have on the district. A working group has been formed that includes all parties involved which will be meeting soon to determine a scope for the initial impact study. It is likely it will involve analysis on the transportation network to get a good gauge on how a change in traffic flows will affect already aging infrastructure. The Tararua Alliance will possibly do a lot of the leg work for this study as their Asset Manager – Hamish Featonby has experience as a road deterioration modeller and was heavily involved in a similar study for the Whanganui district.

At the same time the Tararua Alliance team are working closely with Malcolm Thomas to define a possible response to a potential change in residential growth in the region. The announcement of the upcoming Tararua-Manawatu highway project along with a toughening housing market in the Manawatu has signalled that residential options in Tararua are likely to become more popular. A plan to analyse the current capacity of existing Roading and 3 Water networks and determine required infrastructure investments and zoning changes has been devised and will help form a strategic response to potential demand scenarios. This work is likely to pull current Asset Management team members away from their business as usual work so the team are looking to backfill in the short term with staff from the wider Downer Asset Management team to ensure these projects are achieved in a timely and robust manner while not neglecting day to day requirements.

The Alliance Planning and Delivery teams are currently reviewing 18/19 Target Cost Estimates (TCE) build ups and gathering the supporting information for the Alliance leadership team to review and rebuild for the 19/20 financial year, upon completion the TCE’s will be submitted to Brian Smith the Alliance independent auditor to complete his annual audit. When the audit is completed and any recommendation changes, the final TCE and Target Outturn Cost (TOC) will be submitted to the Alliance Principles Group for approval and sign off.

Other projects, such as the Pahiatua Main Street Upgrade is progressing well, the team recently presented to the council where they are at, regarding project methodology and budget, the project team will present a breakdown of the budget at the next works liaison committee meeting, to update the team before the projects commences on the 2^nd of September, all prelim site investigation work has now taken place and the team are focusing on establishing the site to start all physical works.

Planning

Monthly Work Completed

728 individual maintenance faults were repaired in July. The location of the works, type of work and volume are indicated below.

Start of the new financial year

A number of intensive Asset Management processes began on the 1st July. The team have focussed heavily on completing capitalisation and as-builts for the 2018/19 year and will once again start the Forward Works Programming process to ensure we have renewals programmes in place in a timely manner and preparation for the re-valuation has begun as well.

Dannevirke Rail Hub Impact

The Provincial Development Unit has signalled Provincial Growth Fund approval for a logging Rail Hub to be built at Dannevirke. There are a number of impacts this decision will have on Tararua including a change to the way logs exit our district and as such, a change in usage of our road network. As part of the funding approval a portion has been allocated to investigate impacts of the Rail Hub and so a study will be performed to analyse how this affects the roads in terms of increased safety issues and condition deterioration.

At this stage the team involved have formed a governance team and will be confirming the scope and funding for the study shortly to begin in earnest as soon as possible after that. In the interim the Asset team have begun safety investigations, have highlighted road condition data available and have pulled together a list of bridges requiring safety and capacity assessments so as soon as the green light is given we can start to pull together the information that will tell us what the likely impact is.

Residential Growth Study

With increasing market pressures within surrounding districts and confirmation of the Gorge replacement route a question has been asked of us regarding the capacity of our infrastructure to absorb residential growth, and what investment would be required based on different growth scenarios. This is the first expectation of growth in our district for a while so we have had to define a process to answer this question effectively. The Asset team has begun GAP analysis to determine what data collection is required in order to model the effect of increases in usage of the 3 waters networks. The goal is to be able to provide guidance back to council on investment levels needed for growth purposes but initial investigations show that we will likely be recommending a change in renewal strategy due to the poor condition of our networks, because of both the downstream effects of growing the network and the current poor state of some of the pipes.

Bridge maintenance

Structures form a crucial part of the Tararua District Road network, facilitating the movement of people and goods through the district, contributing to an economically productive district.

The purpose of these structures, including bridges, large culverts and retaining walls, is to provide continuous all-weather road access over rivers, streams and uneven terrain, supporting vehicles and ensuring the safety of road users.

The bridge maintenance program for 2019-2020 has now begun, with the first of physical works just completed being the repair of the collision damage to the E-116 Eketahuna Town Bridge.

Pavement Renewals Design and Planning

The pavement and geometric designs for the 2019/20 financial year have now been completed by the target of the 1^st of August. The physical works will commence from September.

Safety and improvement projects

A number of safety and improvements investigations are underway:

· Adele St in Woodville ( to address drainage issues)

· Allan and Queen St in Dannevirke (pedestrian safety)

· Easton Street Dannevirke (Tip gate alignment and stormwater improvements)

Deliver

y

3Waters

Water Renewals

Our team are currently working on a watermain renewal in Burns St Dannevirke. The existing main is a 1920s cast iron watermain with a lot of the service laterals being old galvanised iron pipe, both of these assets are at end of life.

The section of watermain being renewed is between Swinburn and Cole St. The renewal is made up of

· 310 l/m of 100mm pipe

· 25 x service laterals

· 25 x tobies / Manifolds

· 4 x Fire hydrants

· 2 x isolation valves.

The team are making good progress, with around 70% of the main laid and 50% of laterals completed. We have approximately 1 week of pipe install to complete and then we will be undertaking the pressure testing and disinfection process, prior to liven up the new main.

We have also been working alongside and under the direction of Tom Dodd from the TDC projects team, installing meters and restrictors on the raw water feed line to Eketahuna. This has also involved the termination of existing unmetered water laterals. All installs have had stock proof fences constructed around them to minimise the chance of damage.

General water maintenance has been steady and we have also installed three new sets of service connections to service new or relocated dwellings in July.

Emergency works

Emergency works continues to be a priority for us as we make great progress on a number of large sites which were a result of the September 2018 event. We are seeing some great innovations from our key sub-contractors in regards to treatment selections such as MSE walls (Material Stabilised Earth), Teramesh walls and the live smiles that were mentioned in the last report. With these treatment selections in mind we are also looking to do more retreats across the network where we realign the road away from a road dropout. This is one of the more expensive treatment options but ensures we are building resilience into the network.

Work is also progressing in the background collating data to support a further NZTA funding application for the rain event we had in June. We have recorded approximately 150 individual sites that need repairing. The estimated cost to do so is $3.8million.

Route 52 63/17.25 retreat – before and after

The large retreat on Route 52, 63 section is progressing well. Now that the earthworks have been completed, the team is focussing on preparing the new surface ready for sealing.

A number of Mechanically Stabilised Earth (MSE) walls have been completed in the past month

Route 52 121/0.533 – before and after

Route 52 121/1.627 – before and after

Roads

Maintenance

Maintenance continues to be consistent across the network. Our teams were busy earlier in the month cleaning up slips and detritus across the network following the weather event we received in June. Later in the month our teams managed to get back on top of their programmed work which consist of mostly drainage work.

With our drainage asset inspections underway, our inspectors have identified a number of culverts that are blocked across the network. We have recognised this as being a high priority so we have added these faults to our July and August work programmes. We currently have two teams working on clearing these district wide.

With our reseal season fast approaching we have started on our pre-reseal repairs with a focus on the drainage at this stage along with lifting fire hydrants, valve boxes and manhole lids so they are the same height as the new seal layer. Our team have been removing “high shoulder” to allow the water to run off the pavement into the water tables along with replacing deficient culverts to ensure we are not disturbing the seal in the near future if a culvert were to fail.

Planning is also underway to commence our heavy vegetation programme which equates to approximately 700kms on both our unsealed and sealed networks. This is the second year into a three year programme which will see heavy vegetation completed across the entire network. The sealed and unsealed chemical vegetation control will also commence in the coming months.

Renewals

Both the reseal and rehab designs have been completed and handed over to the delivery team to progress estimating total cost to ensure we can complete both programmes within the allocated budgets. Along with this material procurement can commence, which puts us in a good position nice and early in the season to get stockpile sites cleared, aggregate and chip carted to sites along with sourcing dumpsite. Our reseal programme is currently sitting at 58kms which equates to 325,000m2. Our internal sealing team will be self-delivering the programme this year which is a great outcome for us.

Our Planning and Delivery teams continue to work closely together to confirm our Heavy metal overlay and seal extension programme for the upcoming season. In general, the pavement on our unsealed roads is in reasonable condition so we will be focusing our programme on forestry operations which is currently quite reactive making programming a little difficult.

Performance

Regulatory

Building Consent Authority (BCA)

The Building Act 2004 requires ‘Building Consent Authorities’ to be subjected to a full technical reassessment at least once every two years. International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ) have given notice a routine reassessment is planned for November.

The IANZ assessment team will assess the BCA against all the requirements for accreditation specified in the Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Regulations 2006. The IANZ assessor will be accompanied by a technical expert.

An application for reassessment and the required information and documentation will be provided to IANZ by the end of September.

The following table compares year-to-date trends for workload, performance and investment in relation to building consents:

Building Consents	2017/18 YTD	2018/19 YTD	2019/20 YTD
Workload
Number of Applications Received	40	36	40
Number of Inspections Requested	116	103	103
Performance
Number of Applications Processed	40	48	26
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	97.5%	35.4%	100%
Number of inspections Performed	135	117	149
Investment
Total Value of Applications Processed	$1,530,376.00	$1,609,134.00	$1,137,571.00

Animal Control

Two dog registration articles were published in the Bush Telegraph to remind owners to re-register their dogs by 1 August to avoid late penalties. The articles also advised owners to contact council for a replacement re-registration notice, if it did not arrive or was misplaced.

Dog owners are required by law to re-register their dogs by 1 August every year and to advise council of any changes to address and ownership. However, each year a number of notices are returned as ‘gone no address’ because owners have not notified council of changes. Late registration attracts a penalty fee, which can be avoided by actively contacting council to register on time.

The following table compares year-to-date trends for dog attack customer requests:

Dog Attacks by Community	2017/18 YTD	2018/19 YTD	2019/20 YTD
Ind/Com Nth Ward	0	0	0
Ind/Com Sth Ward	0	0	0
Non Rateable	0	0	0
Rural North Ward	0	3	0
Rural South Ward	0	0	2
Road or No Property Address	0	1	0
Urban North Ward	1	4	5
Urban South Ward	4	0	1
TOTAL	5	8	8

Following the annual dog registration period, 5905 dogs have been registered with 909 not registered as of August. This is a reduction from 4743 reported at last month’s council meeting.

Environmental Health and Licensing

No licensing applications have required a public hearing. There have been no appeals to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.

The Health Promotion Agency has released a report prepared by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER): How we’re buying: New Zealand’s purchasing patterns at venues selling alcohol (here). Some of the key findings included are that:

§ Off-licence sales peak at 5pm whilst on-licence peak at 7pm

§ Purchasing builds to a peak on Friday and Saturday

§ There was an increase in early evening on-licence spending (2009 to 2014)

§ Older age groups drive purchasing on Mondays whilst younger age groups swell the Saturday spend.

§ Men spend twice what women spend at off-licences

§ 18-year olds purchase at on-licences later than other ages

§ 18-year olds’ Saturday midnight on-licence purchase volume is twice their 10pm volume.

§ 19-year olds spend more than others at off-licence premises.

The Environmental Protection Services Unit at the Palmerston North City Council has been contracted to provide environmental health services for a three year period to 30 June 2022.

The service includes statutory licencing and inspecting/verifying food businesses, hairdressers, camping grounds and funeral directors. The service also includes investigating and responding to food safety, hazardous substance, and health nuisance complaints.

Environmental health staff Jason Rosenbrock and Kathryn Knightbridge will be working out of the Dannevirke Office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staff will be available to attend urgent matters on other days as required.

The following table compares year-to-date trends for illicit dumping customer requests:

Illicit Dumping by Community	2017/18 YTD	2018/19 YTD	2019/20 YTD
Ind/Com Nth Ward	0	0	1
Ind/Com Sth Ward	0	0	3
Non Rateable	0	1	1
Rural North Ward	1	2	0
Rural South Ward	1	1	0
No Property Address Given	10	13	12
Urban North Ward	1	1	2
Urban South Ward	0	0	0
TOTAL	13	18	19

2 infringement notices have been issued for illicit dumping for the year-to-date. The total value of the infringement notices is $800.00.

District Planning

Tararua District Council, Palmerston North City Council and Manawatu District Council are interested parties, to the appeals lodged with the Environment Court regarding the decision by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to approve their designations for the new Manawatu Tararua Highway. If the appeals are unable to be resolved through mediation with NZTA, an Environment Court Hearing will likely be scheduled this year.

The consent conditions for the Turitea Wind Farm, requires Mercury Energy to submit various management plans for certification by the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council (Horizons), Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) and Tararua District Council (TDC).

Mercury’s Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) has recently been certified as complete by Horizons, PNCC and TDC, following a technical compliance review by Graeme Ridley of RidleyDunphy Environmental.

Mercury’s Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) and Construction Noise Management Plan (CNMP) are currently being reviewed for technical compliance by Mike Skelton of Stantec and Nigel Lloyd of Acousafe, respectively.

The following table compares year-to-date trends for workload and performance in relation to resource consents:

Resource Consents	2017/18 YTD	2018/19 YTD	2019/20 YTD
Workload
Number of Applications Received	7	5	8
Performance
Total Number Applications Processed	4	5	1
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	100%	100%	100%

Plant and Property

Executive Summary

Over the last year Central Government has been collaborating with Government Agencies, Ministry of Health, Regional Councils, Iwi/Maori, Councils and stakeholders to overhaul the three waters regulation as part of the Three Waters Review.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced (1 July 2019) a plan for the Three Waters Reform – Strategy for 2019 and beyond. The first priority is strengthening the regulation of Drinking Water, Wastewater and Storm water. At the heart of the reforms are proposals that all drinking water supplies (except individual domestic self-suppliers) would be covered by the regulatory system and be required to provide safe drinking water on a consistent basis.

This process recognises that access to safe and reliable drinking water is essential to life, to health, wellbeing and resilience of our communities and a high performing economy. Local authorities are given clear responsibility to ensure communities have access to a reliable source of safe drinking water.

The proposed Regulator will have varied functions across the new drinking water regulatory system. With clear obligations to manage risk to drinking water, compliance and monitoring. Increasing National Environmental standards for Wastewater and stormwater discharges and over flows will also be part of the changes.

There will be more focus and importance around protection of drinking water sources and new and enhanced obligations on regional councils and territorial authorities. Development and implementation of a source water risk management plan for auditing, compliance and monitoring purposes with central regulator. Monitoring of source water quality and quantity and reporting on trends to manage risk to source waters.

District Water

Woodville Intake Pipe

New Y-joint pipe connections are being fitted on main water intake pipe line prior to impounded supply take off point. This will allow staff to scour the pipe of waste after high rainfall and high turbidity levels in the raw water source. A new actuator valve is also being installed on the intake pipeline to allow staff remote control for harvesting water into the impounded supply. This will allow better control of taking water when raw water quality is at its best when it is available rather than the interim manual valve that we have at present.

Staff are working through a better way to settle the filter backwash water. As the carry-over of coagulant in the backwash water is not settling in the current basin configuration so this water can be reused.

Eketahuna

The Resource Consent application for the Eketahua water permit renewal has been lodged with Horizons Regional Council.

Planning for the installation of the 2000m3 Kliptank from Woodville racecourse to its new site prior to the treatment plant at Eketahuna is well underway. Survey has been completed at the new site and agreement from farmer has been arranged. Awaiting for quote from Kliptank to reposition the tank at the new site.

Staff have almost completed the installation of new meters and restrictors on farms on the intake water line. Several leaks were also observed which have now been repaired.

Dannevirke Impounded Supply

The reconfiguration of some pipework and valving from the outlet of the impounded supply to the pumps is underway. This will allow less friction loss when pumps are pulling water from the bottom half of the water stored in the impounded supply.

Pahiatua Water

The final pipe alignment and valving is underway for the new reservoir. This will then allow remote control of both reservoirs.

District mains flushing of urban reticulation is being scheduled prior to the spring / summer period. This will be a completed reticulation flushing program for each of the four main town systems.

District Wastewater

Pahiatua

Staff are having some real challenges with the optimisation of the treatment plant processes. We have been working through a plan with a wastewater consultant. We are still experiencing floc carry over from the clarifier and the sludge components are not settling out. The algae issue are ongoing and staff are working with the chemical supplier to remedy the situation and find a suitable solution.

Dannevirke STP

New Shower and toilet facility at treatment plant

Property

Buildings

Norsewood Museum

Following the request from the Museum committee we visited the museum and inspected the buildings. Although the buildings are looked after by the committee they are technically owned by Council. The committee wanted help with the repairs to the Settlers Cottage. These repairs were mainly to do with the wooden windows which have deteriorated. One of these windows is now rotten and needs replacing and the rest need the putty around the glass panels renewed.

They also have a building which they are unsure is safe. The building inspectors are going to check it to ensure it is safe.

Norsewood War Memorial Hall

The 24 hour toilet needs a revamp. We have received a quote to re vinyl the floor and install a new toilet pan. We are waiting on a quote for painting.

Dannevirke Town Hall

The asbestos removal firm have been in and inspected the building. They are booked to come back mid-November to remove the asbestos that is in one of the boiler areas.

Pahiatua Service Centre

Beca have forwarded the fire report plus the structural drawings. We hope to receive the cost estimate together with the architectural drawings by the end of August.

Cemeteries

Mangatera Cemetery

A new berm has been installed which will allow for 84 plots. There is still room for two more berms in this area.

The new ashes area has become very muddy and unattractive over the winter. We are looking to install a concrete nib along the driveway leading to the RSA area and plant a buxus hedge inside the nib. This hopefully will deter vehicles driving into the area and will beautify the area which at present is looking very sad.

Parks and Reserves

Pongaroa Domain

The squash club have contacted us regarding the leaking building where the courts are housed. This has been caused by a broken down pipe leaking water into the wall. Although this building is under the auspices of the Pongaroa Domain Board we have arranged to repair the down pipe and asked the squash club to get a quote on what repairs are required.

Economic Development, Communications
and District Marketing

Economic Development

Regional Collaboration Meeting

Angela and Mark attended the regional collaboration meeting (between economic development staff from councils in the Manawatu/Whanganui region, co-ordinated by CEDA) where CEDA explained their review of working partnerships between them and their economic development partners.

Small Towns Forum

Angela and Mark attended this meeting facilitated by Boffa Miskell and hosted by Manawatu District Council in Fielding. The primary topic was earthquake prone buildings. Presentations were given by Heritage New Zealand and Heritage EQUIP and the group toured two privately own square-front buildings to talk with the owners about their journey to bring their buildings up to new earthquake proof standard.

Skills and Talent Network

Mark attended a Regional Skills and Talent meeting in Whanganui. The group discussed what plans each district had to better understand their local supply and demand of labour. Mark discussed his proposal to develop an eco-system of social enterprise ventures to deliver industry training. The group also met the head of the Te Ara Mahi programme. The Provincial Development Unit (PDU) proposed they conduct a survey of the group to establish what resources are needed to further this work as this was a common theme from districts.

Building Contractor’s Training

Mark spoke to a group of builders brought together by the Building Inspectors for training. Mark discussed the economy and a small survey was conducted about recent hiring and employment needs.

Land Diversification Project

Mark and Malcolm visited feijoa industry participants in the Bay of Plenty. Visits for this project have now included growers, nurseries, exporters and the President of the Feijoa Association. Mark and Angela met with Food HQ regarding opportunities to identity nutraceutical elements of the crops being investigated, starting with feijoas. Angela attended a Hemp workshop hosted by Rangitikei District Council. Mark met with Alicia Caldwell of MPI during the month to update her on the project.

Rail Hub Project

Mark, Angela and Malcolm along with other TDC and Tararua Alliance staff attended a workshop organised by the Provincial Development Unit (PDU) to scope the brief for the up-coming project following the recent Ministerial announcement of a rail hub at Dannevirke for logs to Napier port. Also in attendance were representatives of PDU, Kiwirail and NZTA.

Massey University Internships

Mark and Angela attended a networking evening run by Massey University Business School. It was an opportunity to meet with both current interns and those proposing to undertake an internship in 2020 to explore project opportunities. Managers have been invited to consider project opportunities for their departments.

Business Support

Naylor Lawrence facilitated a workshop for small businesses on the basics of financial record keeping and using the Xero programme. Two new businesses engaged in assistance during July.

Communications

Community Support for Dannevirke Community Board

Kimberley and Michelle are assisting the Dannevirke Community Board with planning and promotion of both the Dannevirke Market Day and the Dannevirke Spring Festival.

Council Website

The redesign and redevelopment of the council’s website is complete, and work continues on refining content for the new website structure. The latest addition to content is the Projects section of the website (www.tararuadc.govt.nz/Services/Projects) which houses updates and information on major projects and programmes that Council is undertaking.

Projects listed in this section so far include Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade, Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant and both Pahiatua and Dannevirke Service Centre Earthquake Strengthening.

Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade Communications

Underground works will commence in early September. Communications will include toolbox meetings and after 5 meetings with local businesses. Signage is also being produced and information and updates are available on the Council website.

District Promotion – Tararua i-SITE Visitor Information Centre

Welcome Packs

Due to resourcing in the Revenue department, no notices for welcome packs have been received as yet. Three were given out to new residents that came in for information.

Visitor Guide 2019-2020

Awaiting a final proof before printing.

Tourism Business Evening

A tourism business evening has been planned for August 2019 at the i-SITE. Guest speaker – Joy Barnes from Ormond Street Motel will speak about adding your business on Trip Advisor and the importance of great customer service.

Creative Communities NZ

The August funding round has been advertised and application forms sent out. This will close at the end of August.

Tararua District i-SITE and Information Centre Visitor Enquiries for July 2019

Library

Executive Summary

A new team member has been appointed in the role of Dannevirke Library Assistant. Amirian Bristowe will start work with the team on 19^th August. This appointment sees the library team return to a full staffing complement.

Refresher Library Management Training (Searching) was run in early August to upskill newer team members and those identifying these skills needing to be improved.

Dannevirke Library has a new volunteer – Brooke Alexander-Paewai is now volunteering on a weekly basis.

Community loans to Norsewood and Pongaroa were delivered late July.

Some team members have reported to management that they are finding the reading challenges and new APNK equipment very challenging on top of their normal Business As Usual. Management is investigating what support can be put in place to assist those team members.

Planning

Kotui - BC Mobile

Kotui have started work on the draft app. The app will be available to the Library for testing by the end of August. This app is replacing the Bookmyne app currently used and is designed for the Library catalogue and online services to work better in a Mobile environment.

Author Visit – Dannevirke Library

Author, Emma Stevens, will be speaking at an event at the Dannevirke Library on 30^th August. Emma has written a trilogy biography. She is touring the country speaking about her life in Bush Alaska.

Math is Fun

Planning is underway for the Term 3 holiday programme. Math is Fun is provided by Wairarapa REAP. The week long programme is run at each of the libraries. The theme this year is Shapeshifters. Library team members need to set dates, and confirm a tutor. Promotional material is provided by Wairarapa REAP. Tutors run the programme, with each library responsible for setting up the space each day.

Poetry Day

Planning and promotion has been completed for the Library events being run at Dannevirke, Woodville and Eketahuna. There are four events being run across the three sites.

New Zealand Book Awards Lit Quiz

Entries for the quiz close at the end of August. Pre planning is ongoing for this event.

Collaboration with Eketahuna School Book Week

Team members at Eketahuna are continuing their collaboration with the Eketahuna School. The Senior Librarian who leads Children’s Services for the district has been made aware of this potential collaboration and will work with the team members at Eketahuna.

Delivery

APNK (Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa) Refresh

The replacement of the hardware at Tararua took place from 23-26 July. Due to a delay in equipment being delivered from overseas, all the Phase 4 libraries have had to complete the rollout with less devices than had initially been planned for. The additional equipment will be delivered mid to late August.

This has meant a drop in levels of service for several weeks. Customers at the sites are managing well with both the change of equipment, and the lower number of available devices. Initially the new printer at the Dannevirke Library was not operational. A work around was put in place so customers were still able to print documents in the interim. A new printer was sent and installed two weeks after the initial installation of equipment. The one Chromebook at Woodville stopped working after a couple of days, APNK replaced this within a few days of being notified with a further 2 devices.

Each library has taken the opportunity of the removal of the fixed PC stations to introduce a change of layout. The layout at each library has been implemented and planned by the team members at that library.

Library Events & Programmes

Adult’s Winter Reading Challenge

At week six of the reading programme, sixty eight adults had signed up. 145 challenges have been completed, and as at mid-August, fourteen people had already qualified for the final prize draw. Many others are expected to meet the criteria for this within the timeline for the end of the programme.

Verbal feedback from those participating has been very positive, and team members are also enjoying the reader advisory role that is part of this challenge. Reader advisory is a fundamental library service which involved suggesting titles to a reader, it requires a team member to be familiar with the resources available and allows library staff to interact and engage readers.

Children’s Winter Reading Challenge

As part of the Reading Challenge, classes can “Book a Librarian” to visit them, or book a class visit to their local library. So far there have been 14 of these sessions taken up.

Library team members have been visiting their local schools on a regular basis throughout the programme, to check off the children’s achieved challenges. In addition to that, each library has children registered individually where their school wasn’t taking part in the programme, or they are home-schooled.

The programme finishes at the end of the month.

Memoirs club – Woodville

The Memoirs Club is gaining an audience now with 10-12 people attending monthly the programme. This programme is run by an outside organisation, with the Woodville library providing the venue.

Programmes and Projects Office

Project updates

For a short period of time we have a full team on board, with Jessi McKenzie (Project Coordinator) and Marco Alben (Project Manager) starting at TDC. We are currently confirming which projects they will support, and developing a workplan for continuing to refine the project management approach across TDC. Jessi will take over from Rachael Linkhorn to coordinate project reporting, and is assisting with rolling out a new records management structure for consistent capture of key project information across TDC.

Activity over the last month has included assistance with a number of project areas, including the Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade and the long term plan. The team have also been supporting Finance in updating project information for the 18/19 Annual Report, and will be meeting shortly to consider a process for scoping projects for the 20/21 Annual Plan.

On the operational side, Tom has been continuing with work on the relocation of the water storage Kliptank to Eketahuna, and the installation of flow restrictors to some rural properties in this area. There have also been some further refinements for the Pahiatua Reservoir. Work on the detailed design planning for the Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant project has also continued.

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant

The detailed design phase has progressed to enable a revised cost and schedule to be produced, though will continue to refine detail for the mechanical and electrical designs which are not yet required. These are not expected to materially affect the time and cost estimates, and will be finalised over the next period after peer review. The resource consent has been granted, and the building consent is currently being processed for construction commencement of the civil build on 2 September. The design has also been confirmed to meet the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) requirements.

Projects section on the TDC website

With the new project reporting now in place, the Tararua District Council website has also been updated with information on those projects under the new template. This information will now be updated monthly in line with the project reporting frequency, and will be developed over time to include more general project information.

Civil Defence Emergency Management

Training and Exercises

· Ten staff successfully completed a 2 day ITF Intermediate training course (for those who will work in or with the Emergency Operations Centre). Representatives from Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand also attended. The course was co-facilitated by Stephen and the Emergency Management Officer from Manawatu District Council. Fifty three Council and Alliance staff have now completed this important civil defence course. A further course is planned for Pahiatua in November.

· Exercise Puketoi was held on 25 July 2019. The exercise was a full practice to activate and operate the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Dannevirke. The scenario was based around a severe earthquake centred on the Puketoi Range. Thirty five staff took part and met the three main goals of; setup the EOC while the emergency response is underway; to use EOC processes learned in the ITF training; to work together across the EOC functions. Feedback has been that the exercise was valuable and more are needed.

· The Tararua Local Welfare Committee (a group of agencies who will provide emergency welfare services) met at the Woodville Sports Stadium on 7 August and completed a table top exercise. The scenario was based on day three following an earthquake affecting the Woodville area. The focus of the exercise was to transition a community led civil defence centre to a “one stop shop” civil defence centre with appropriate welfare agencies represented. Council staff included our civil defence Welfare Managers and Animal Control Officers.

· The Woodville Civil Defence Response Group met on 25 July and had a walk through practice on radio procedure and setting up a community led civil defence centre.

Community Engagement

· Attended a meeting of the Akitio Civil Defence Response Group at Akitio Fire Station. The draft community plan was reviewed, a fridge magnet with local emergency numbers and tsunami information is being developed, and a plan for community education over summer was discussed.

· Spoke at Tararua Federated Farmers meeting.

· Attended a community resilience meeting led by Heather Monk at the Pongaroa Hall along with Police. Approximately fifty community members attended. Outcomes included three people offering to volunteer for St John ambulance, and Phil Black agreeing to lead community civil defence for the area with support offered by Pongaroa The Way To Go.

Planning and Projects

· The Tararua Emergency Management Committee (EMC) met at Dannevirke on 8 August. The meeting was well attended and information shared. A key point of discussion was the need to address Victim Support services for Tararua. The EMC plans to establish a Tararua Lifelines Group (with representatives from utility providers) and hold a multi-agency exercise next summer are progressing.

· Continue to participate in the East Coast LAB Hikurangi Response Framework project, planning for the response to a large earthquake in the Hikurangi subduction zone.

· Discussions with two potential providers for the Digital Radio Project continue with a result that will meet the project goals now expected in August.

· The Manawatu Whanganui Regional Lifelines Group have completed the Lifelines Initial Earthquake Response Plan. The plan sets out response arrangements at the regional level and relies on lifeline utilities (including Council for roading and three waters) to carry out their own business continuity plans while providing information to support the regional response.

· Provided feedback to the development of a regional Mass Evacuation and Reception Plan.

· We have the initial results of the regional civil defence survey carried out by SIL Research in April/May. Overall, 76% of residents believed they were prepared for a civil defence emergency. For Tararua preparedness was slightly above the average (especially being prepared for up to seven days) however lower for knowledge of where to go to get civil defence information. Final results will be used to inform regional civil defence goals.

· The next Tararua Emergency Management Committee meeting will be 9:30am on 7 November.

· The next Local Welfare Committee meeting will be at 10am on 28 November.

1. Recommendation

1.1 That the report from the Chief Executive dated 22 August 2019 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.

Attachments

Nil.

*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*
*Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant detailed design revisions*	*To protect the commercial position of a third party*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*
*Procurement of Council's electricty supply*	*To protect commercial activities*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*

8.1	Eketahuna Health Centre Meeting on Eketahuna St John Ambulance Service
8.1.1	The Chairperson attended the Eketahuna Health Centre meeting on 18 July 2019 to discuss Eketahuna St John Ambulance Service, and provided the following report on the outcome: · Steve Yanko, a St John representative attended the Eketahuna Health Centre meeting, and confirmed St John is and will continue to be committed to having an Ambulance Service in Eketahuna through retaining the community response unit which will be available on a 24/7 basis. · There are two types of vehicles available for the first response unit. The vehicle for Eketahuna is due for review, and St John will consult their staff and the community before a decision is made. · Eketahuna Ambulance Service is reliant on volunteers to maintain the level of current cover. St John is looking for new volunteers, and should the uptake allow training could be provided in Eketahuna. · Anyone interested in being a St John volunteer is invited to contact Paul.Haigh@stjohn.org.nz to discuss undertaking that role to support this essential community service.
8.2	Nireaha Reserve Board
8.2.1	The Chairperson reported on the Nireaha Reserve Board Annual General Meeting held on 23 July 2019, including reference to the following matters: · Eight members attended the meeting. · A new chairperson was appointed as the existing office holder stepped down from undertaking that role. · The new Nireaha Reserve Board Chairperson is Charlie Death, with Trish Spring as Secretary and Rena Tyler is Treasurer. · Minutes from the previous Annual General Meeting were confirmed and financial accounts adopted for the 2018/19 financial year. · No maintenance was required to Nireaha Hall in that year, with its toilets updated over the last two years. · Support was made available to various local community organisations.
8.2.2	At the Annual General Meeting Nireaha Reserve Board raised the matter of traffic diverted from State Highway 2 through Nireaha. It has been observed the number of vehicles using the bypass has increased significantly since it was put in place.
8.2.3	A number of trucks do not have a lead vehicle, and it is not uncommon for a local resident to go around a corner and meet a large truck in the centre of the road. Also narrow country roads are not maintained to the same level as State Highway 2.
8.2.4	The question has been raised if Council receive funding from New Zealand Transport Agency to maintain the road used as the bypass, and whether consideration could be given to New Zealand Transport Agency opening up Newman rail crossing for large vehicles?
8.2.5	It is agreed the points made by Nireaha Reserve Board regarding this matter be referred for discussion at the Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting held on 6 August 2019.

10.	Proposed Alfredton Road Zebra Crossing for Eketahuna School
10.1	School Community Office Maxine Walshe, Senior Sergeant Jymahl Glassey, Eketahuna Police Officer Donna Olliver, Eketahuna School Principal Melinda Cowe and Everlyne Chase attended the meeting for this item of business.
10.2	School Community Officer Maxine Walshe outlined a proposal to create on Alfredton Road a Zebra crossing for Eketahuna School with 40 kilometre signs at key points.
10.3	This will improve road safety in that vicinity and assist to enhance the work being undertaken by Eketahuna School children that operate their traffic warden system.
10.4	Eketahuna School Principal Melinda Cowe endorsed this proposal proceeding as there is a need to alert traffic they are approaching the school and ensure vehicles slowdown in that area. Everylne Chase (resident on Alfredton Road) concurred with that point of view.
10.5	The Board strongly support the proposal as outlined being promptly implemented as soon as possible, and this will be conveyed at the Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting held on 6 August 2019.

	Instalment	Due date	Instalment period
26 June 2019 Resolution	Instalment 1	31 August 2019	1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019
Changes requested	Instalment 1	20 September 2019	1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019

	Instalment Due Date	Rates Penalty Date
26 June 2019 Resolution	31 August 2019	1 September 2019
Changes requested	20 September 2019	21 September 2019

6.1	Newman Reserve Board (Item 8.1)
6.1.1	The Chairperson will contact a representative from Newman Reserve Board to ascertain the arrangements for maintaining the memorial wall and associated area located in that vicinity.

Category	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19
On/Off/Club new applications	1	1	13
On/Off/Club renewal applications	24	25	10
Special Licence applications	58	44	52
Managers Certificates (new and renewal)	52	75	58
Temporary Authority	4	0	15
Total applications	139	145	148

	Date full payment made
26 June 2019 Resolution	31 August 2019
Changes requested	20 September 2019