Agenda of Council meeting

Minutes of a meeting of the Tararua District Council held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Wednesday 28 August 2019 commencing at 1.05pm.

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 Taylor - Acting Chief Executive/Governance Manager

Mr W Labuschagne - Senior Financial Accountant

Mr P Wimsett - Manager Strategy and District Development

Mr C McKay - Finance Manager

Mr M Guile - Communications Officer

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

Mrs S Walshe - Financial Accountant

Mr D Le Mar - Financial Accountant

Ms J McKenzie - Projects Coordinator

Mr M Alben - Projects Manager

Speaker in the public forum and representatives from Sport Manawatu for item of business 11.1

2. Council Prayer

2.1	The Mayor opened the meeting with the Council Prayer.

3. Apologies

3.1	*That the apologies be noted from Mr B King (Chief Executive) and Mr R Suppiah (Chief Financial Officer) for non-attendance at the meeting.* *Crs Thompson/Crispin Carried*

4. Public Forum

4.1

Friends of Carnegie Committee

4.1.1

Barbara Ferguson along with many community supporters attended the public forum for the presentation of the Friends of Carnegie Committee interim three months report to Council.

4.1.2

In presenting that report Barbara Ferguson included reference to the following matters:

· A large group of people attended three meetings, and from them a Friends of Carnegie Committee has been formed comprising seventeen members.

· A legal advisor is providing advice on the formation of an incorporated society to be known as Friends of Carnegie Dannevirke/Tararua Incorporated, and an application has been submitted to establish this entity.

· The objectives of the incorporated society are:

o To foster interest in the preservation of the Dannevirke Carnegie Library building.

o To collaborate with Council to further the above purpose.

o To investigate the feasibility of making repairs to that building and raise funds for undertaking such repairs.

· An event is to be held in the Fountain Theatre on 26 September 2019 attended by representatives from various national heritage organisations and architects, and Dannevirke residents and Council members are invited to attend.

· It is hoped to tie Dannevirke Carnegie Library building in with Architecture Week.

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	Cr Franklin declared a conflict of interest concerning item of business 11.6 regarding the disclosure of a related party transaction in the 2018/19 draft Annual Report.
6.2	Cr Sutherland declared a conflict of interest concerning item of business 11.3 regarding the Annual Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority.

7. Personal Matters

7.1	The recent passings of Sir Brian Lochore (All Blacks great who was very supportive of Tararua district) and Ray Allott (former Woodville Community Board Deputy Chairperson) are noted.
7.2	Congratulations are conveyed on the outstanding calibre of nominees for this year’s Wackrow Memorial Youth Award and the winner Samuel Smith, and to Dannevirke Community Board for arranging a great presentation ceremony last night.
7.3	Congratulations are conveyed to Rebecca Mahoney on being the first ever woman to referee a Mitre 10 Cup game, Southland against Hawke’s Bay at McLean Park in Napier on 6 September 2019.

8. Confirmation of Minutes

8.1	*That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 31 July 2019 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* Crs Hull/Sutherland Carried

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

9.1	Roading Maintenance (Item 9.3)
9.1.1	The Alliance is looking to provide an overview of the district’s roading maintenance programme for residents information through a future Council Bush Telegraph page.
9.2	Bridge Maintenance (Item 11.8.2)
9.2.1	The Alliance Manager has discussed with Horizons Regional Council concerns raised relating to forestry and river bed management around bridges.

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 5 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.* *Crs Thompson/Isaacson Carried*
10.1.2	Dannevirke Skate Park Project
10.1.2.1	This project has been put on hold during the election period, and the steering committee will continue its work following the conclusion of the election.
10.2	Eketahuna Community Board
10.2.1	*That the report of the Eketahuna Community Board meeting held on 2 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.* *Crs Thompson/Isaacson Carried*
10.2.2	Traffic Diverted from State Highway 2 Through Nireaha
10.2.2.1	Concerns raised by Nireaha Reserve Board regarding this matter were noted by Tararua District Road Safety Group, and are being looked into by the Alliance.
10.2.3	Alfredton Road Zebra Crossing for Eketahuna School
10.2.3.1	A good outcome was achieved for Eketahuna School through initiatives to be implemented on Alfredton Road to improve safety in the vicinity of that area.

10.3	Pahiatua On Track
10.3.1	*That the report of the Pahiatua On Track meeting held on 7 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.* *Crs Thompson/Isaacson Carried*
10.3.2	Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week
10.3.2.1	Pahiatua On Track is commended for their ongoing commitment and support of Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week through arranging a community clean-up day event.
10.3.3	Polish Reunion
10.3.3.1	Pahiatua is hosting the Polish reunion on 1 November 2019, with a number of events planned to recognise this significant and special occasion.

10.4

Woodville Districts' Vision

10.4.1

That the report of the Woodville Districts’ Vision meeting held on 6 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.

Crs Thompson/Isaacson Carried

11. Reports

11.1	Sport Manawatu and Bush Multisport Trust Annual Reports 2018/19
11.1.1	The Mayor welcomed Brad Cassidy (Active Communities Manager), Kelly Christensen (Tararua Recreation Advisor), Raylene Treder (Bush Multisport Facility Manager) and Tania Garrett (Sport Development Manager) from Sport Manawatu to the meeting.
11.1.2	Matt Anderson (Bush Multisport Trustee) also attended the meeting for this item of business.
11.1.3	Apologies are noted from Duncan Elliot (Bush Multisport Chairman) and Trevor Shailer (Sport Manawatu Chief Executive Officer) for absence from the meeting.
11.1.4	The Tararua Recreation Advisor gave a presentation regarding activities and events held within the district through Sport Manawatu, including reference to the following matters: · Partnership plan outcomes with Council · Club capability and support · Grass Roots Regional Volunteer Awards · Further recognition of volunteers through supporting local clubs · Cycle skills at Tararua schools · Downer Tararua Sport Awards · Recreation activities and sport programmes to promote participation through community initiatives · Sport Tararua Facebook page
11.1.5	The Active Communities Manager spoke on the partnership plan outcomes for 2019/20, with the following being the areas of focus: · Tararua district exceeds the national average for physical activity, particularly in schools. · People have the skills to safely and confidently cycle on roads, shared paths and cycleways. · Sport and recreation facilities (places and spaces) across the district meet community requirements. · Sport and community sport events create social opportunities and economic benefits.
11.1.6	The Bush Multisport Facility Manager gave a presentation on highlights relating to the Bush Multisport complex, including reference to the following matters: · Contract outcomes · Official opening of the Waireka Community Trust half court in December 2018 · New participation initiatives · Increase in utilisation hours and participation figures · Satisfaction survey to assess community needs · Stage 4 development work · Central Energy Trust funded projects · Projects supported by Council
11.1.7	Bush Multisport Trustee Matt Anderson thanked Council for its ongoing support and good relationship established to assist with maintaining and developing this community facility.
11.1.8	The excellent facilities managed and operated by Bush Multisport Trust are commended, and the work undertaken by trustees is appreciated.
11.1.9	Thanks are conveyed to the team from Sport Manawatu for the activities and programmes they provide within the district, and the arrangement of the very successful Downer Tararua Sport Awards held this year in Eketahuna.
11.1.10	*That the reports from Sport Manawatu concerning the 2018/19 Annual Reports for Sport Tararua and the Bush Multisport Trust (as circulated) be received.* Crs Hull/Thompson Carried

11.2	Friends of Carnegie Interim Three Months Report
11.2.1	This report was presented earlier at the meeting in the public forum.
11.3	Annual Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority
11.3.1	Cr Sutherland (as a member of the District Licensing Committee) previously declared a conflict of interest regarding this item of business, and abstained from discussion and voting on the motion concerning that matter.
11.3.2	That the report from the Secretary of the Tararua District Licensing Committee dated 21 August 2019 concerning the Annual Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (as circulated) be received and adopted, and *That the report be posted on the Tararua District Council website, and* *That the report be sent to the Secretary for the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority by 30 September 2019.* Crs Johns/Crispin Carried

11.4

Water Supply Bylaw

11.4.1

That the report from the Manager Strategy and 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 changes detailed in appendix B of this report following undertaking consultation and reviewing the submissions forwarded through that process, and

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

That a further review of this bylaw be completed within the next three years.

Crs Benbow/Hull Carried

11.5

Audit and Risk Committee

11.5.1

That the report of the Audit and Risk Committee meeting held on 20 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.

Crs Hull/Thompson Carried

11.6	Council Performance for the 2018/19 Financial Year Ending on 30 June 2019
11.6.1	Cr Franklin previously declared a conflict of interest regarding this item of business, and abstained from discussion and voting on the motion concerning that matter.
11.6.2	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.
11.6.3	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.
11.6.4	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.
11.6.5	Council continue to improve on delivering the capital projects programme, with 85% completion achieved. Including emergency works $23.7 million was spent compared to $22.7 million budgeted.
11.6.6	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 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 *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.* Crs Johns/Hull Carried

11.7

Amendments to the Rates Resolution for the 2019/20 Financial Year

11.7.1

That the report from the Chief Financial Officer dated 22 August 2019 concerning amendments to the rates resolution for the 2019/20 financial year (as circulated) be received, and

That Council approve the following specific amendments to the rates resolution for the 2019/20 financial year:

Due Date for Payment of Rates

*Instalment*	*Due date*	*Instalment period*
*Instalment 1*	*20 September 2019*	*1 July 2019 to 30 September 2019*

Penalties for All Rates Other Than Water Metered Rates

That Council resolves pursuant to Section 57 and Section 58 to authorise the following penalties to be added on unpaid rates:

*Instalment Due Date*	*Rates Penalty Date*
*20 September 2019*	*21 September 2019*

Discount

Pursuant to Section 55(3) a 3% discount will be provided where a ratepayer makes full payment of the 2019/20 rates on or before 20 September 2019.

Crs Hull/Johns Carried

11.8

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

11.8.1

That the report from the Alliance Manager dated 21 August 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 closes the following roads for the purpose of allowing Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce to hold the Dannevirke Mitre 10 Christmas parade event.

Road name: Stanley Street from London Street to Miller Street

Date of closure: Saturday 7 December 2019

Period of closure: 12noon to 1.00pm

Road name: High Street (State Highway 2) from Miller Street to York Street

Date of closure: Saturday 7 December 2019

Period of closure: 12noon to 1.00pm

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 Sutherland/Johns Carried

11.9	Staff Report
11.9.1	Illicit Dumping
11.9.1.1	The Manager Regulatory Services is requested in future staff reports to provide the table of information on illicit dumping to include details for each community (Dannevirke, Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketahuna) urban/rural areas.
11.9.1.2	The General Inspector is thanked for the work she does in following up illicit dumping in the district and issuing infringement notices where culprits are identified.
11.9.2	*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.* Crs Hull/Franklin 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 Hull	· Pahiatua Main Street upgrade meetings (also attended by the Mayor and Cr Franklin)
Cr Johns	· Road Controlling Authorities Forum in Wellington (also attended by the Mayor)
Cr Isaacson	· Dannevirke and District A and P Association Annual General Meeting · Dannevirke Community Board Spring Festival forthcoming events programme calendar · Dannevirke High School production opening night (also attended by the Mayor)
Cr Franklin	· Tararua Health and Wellbeing Group meeting
Mayor Collis	· Pahiatua Repertory Society One Act Play Festival · Meeting regarding forthcoming Kapa Haka Festival and White Ribbon Day · Judging Daffodil Day displays for forthcoming Cancer Society Daffodil Day

12.1.2

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

13. Mayoral Matters

13.1

Nil

14. Items Not on the Agenda

14.1	Nil
14.2	The meeting adjourned at 3.20pm, and resumed at 3.30pm.

15.

Public Excluded Items of Business

15.1

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

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant detailed design revisions

Procurement of Council’s electricity supply

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

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

s7(2)(b)(ii) The withholding of the information is necessary to protect information where the making available of the information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.

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

Crs Crispin/Thompson Carried

15.2

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant Detailed Design Options

15.2.1

That the report from the Programme and Projects Manager dated 21 August 2019 concerning Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant detailed design revisions (as circulated) be received, and

That following the completion of detailed design work to build the Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant the Alliance Agreement for this project be revised to $4,949,000.

Crs Johns/Hull Carried

15.3

Procurement of Council’s Electricity Supply

15.3.1

That the report from the Manager Strategy and District Development dated 21 August 2019 concerning the procurement of Council’s electricity supply (as circulated) be received, and

That Council delegate to the Chief Executive the authority to enter into contracts with Genesis Energy and Meridian Energy for the purpose of supplying electricity to Tararua District Council commencing from 1 October 2019 until 30 September 2022.

Crs Benbow/Johns Carried

15.4	*That open meeting be resumed.* Crs Johns/Isaacson Carried

15.5	*That the decisions taken with the public excluded be confirmed in open meeting.* Crs Johns/Isaacson Carried

There being no further business the Mayor thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 3.50pm.

____________________________

Mayor

Dannevirke Community Board

Minutes of a meeting of the Dannevirke Community Board held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Monday 2 September 2019 commencing at 1.03pm.

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

Speakers in the public forum

2. Apologies

2.1

Nil

3. Public Forum

3.1	Cancer Society New Zealand Manawatu Centre
3.1.1	Cherie Rissetto from the Cancer Society New Zealand Manawatu Centre spoke on her background and role as Supportive Care Coordinator for Tararua district.
3.1.2	This covers all communities in the district, and volunteers that assist to fundraise for scientific research into the causes and treatment of all types of cancer, as well as providing a wide range of support services, education and awareness campaigns for people affected by cancer in their area.
3.2	Health Care in Rural Communities
3.2.1	Dorothy Lock spoke on the need for better healthcare in rural communities, and making improvements to the service provided to people from this district.
3.2.2	To enable that objective to be achieved Dorothy Lock is campaigning in the election for a positon as a member of MidCentral District Health Board.

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 5 August 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	Dannevirke Spring Festival (Item 7.2)
7.1.1	The programme for this year’s Dannevirke Spring Festival calendar of events commenced this month, and will be publicised monthly through details of the programme schedule appearing in local newspapers.
7.1.2	Board Member Spooner has arranged a colouring in competition to be held in conjunction with Dannevirke Spring Festival.
7.1.3	The Chairperson encouraged board members to support Dannevirke Spring Festival through attending the associated events held whenever possible.
7.2	Electronic Promotional Sign (Item 7.3)
7.2.1	The electronic promotional sign will be installed on Dannevirke Town Hall, with that intention discussed with New Zealand Transport Agency who approved it can be located on that building.
7.2.2	The Board agree to proceed with the electronic promotional sign project at a cost of $7,220 plus GST to supply and install the sign, and $475.95 plus GST to complete the electrical work required.
7.2.3	Rules will need to be determined by the Board regarding the basis of conditions for permitting use of the sign.
7.3	Dannevirke Market Day (Item 7.4)
7.3.1	Arrangements are progressing for Dannevirke Market Day to be held in October on the Friday prior to Labour Day.
7.4	Wackrow Memorial Youth Award (Item 7.5)
7.4.1	Seven high calibre nominations were received for this year’s Wackrow Memorial Youth Award, and the Mayor intends to submit their details for consideration to receive Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Outward Bound Scholarships.
7.4.2	A very good evening ceremony was held to present the Wackrow Memorial Youth Award, and the Board convey its thanks to Huia Range School Kapa Haka Group for their outstanding performance of several waiata to open this event.
7.5	Dannevirke Skate Park Project (Item 7.6)
7.5.1	This project has been put on hold during the election period, and the steering committee will continue its work following the conclusion of the election.
7.6	Community Walkway (Item 7.7)
7.6.1	A meeting has been held with the Chief Executive and an Alliance representative to consider and determine mutually acceptable options to progress the project to extend the community walkway down Cole Street.
7.6.2	Through that discussion it was agreed some redesign work would occur to alleviate the risk of severe damage to the walkway in heavy rainfall events, with the proposed plan to achieve that objective being awaited.
7.7	Connecting with the Community (Item 7.8)
7.7.1	The matters raised through the coffee morning community forums are being followed up by the Board, with many of them relating to Council service request items for response to undertake the actions required.
7.8	Meet the Candidates Public Forum (Item 11)
7.8.1	St John’s Anglican Church in association with the Board are arranging a meet the candidates public forum for this year’s triennial local authority election to be held on 11 September 2019 at 7.00pm in the church.
7.9	Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust (Item 12.1)
7.9.1	Dannevirke Community Vehicle Trust held its Annual General Meeting, with the number of people using this service continuing to steadily increase.

8. Tararua District Council Report

8.1

That the report of the Tararua District Council meeting held on 28 August 2019 (as tabled) be received.

Spooner/Hynes Carried

8.2

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week

8.2.1

The Board will next year consider supporting Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week through arranging a community clean-up day event.

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 held a very successful meeting with Lonnie Dalzell (New Zealand Transport Agency Senior Projects Manager) at Dannevirke Services and Citizens Club regarding the Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatu Tararua Highway project.
9.1.2	Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce held its Annual General Meeting, and Stephanie Buckeridge has been appointed as its chairperson along with some new committee members.
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	Tararua Community Youth Services Annual General Meeting will be held on 19 September 2019 at 12noon in its Gordon Street premises.
9.3	Tararua District Road Safety Group
9.3.1	The Deputy Chairperson reported on the Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting held on 6 August 2019, including reference to the following matters: · For the May, June and July period there were fifty-five reported road accidents in the district. · Of these accidents thirty-seven occurred in Woodville South, with many of them caused by careless driving, driver error or falling asleep. · There were no serious injuries, some very close calls, a number of cars upside down in drains and rivers, and a bus crash on State Highway 2 at Newman near Eketahuna. · Less crashes and accidents are occurring on Saddle Road since the sixty kilometres speed restriction applied to this road. · The location of Riverdale Road give way sign is to be considered whether it could be attached onto George Street as currently it is not situated in a logical place, and has the potential to make visibility difficult.
9.4	Dannevirke and District A and P Association
9.4.1	Board Member Spooner reported Dannevirke and District A and P Association held its Annual General Meeting, and Brian Beale has been appointed to continue as its chairperson and Ian Barnett as patron member on the management committee.
9.4.2	Dannevirke Smallholders Auction will be held at the A and P Showgrounds on 18 April 2020.
9.5	Dannevirke Information Centre
9.5.1	The Chairperson reported a part-time assistant has not yet been appointed to fill the vacant position to provide back up for the Dannevirke Information Centre Manager.
9.5.2	Work is to be undertaken to refurbish the appearance of Dannevirke Information Centre interior.

10. Correspondence

10.1	*That the correspondence as listed be received.* a) Mike Harold 26 July 2019 *Re: Preservation of heritage and stories in Dannevirke* *b) Senior Constable Maxine Walshe Tararua School Community Officer* *30 August 2019* *Re: Request for funding to provide annual school patrol treat* *c) Dannevirke Combined Indoor Bowling Clubs 14 August 2019* *Re: Thanks for funding to support IDEA Services indoor bowling tournament* *d) Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce 26 August 2019* *Re: 2019 Dannevirke Mitre 10 Christmas parade* Walshe/Hynes Carried
10.2	Mike Harold
10.2.1	Mike Harold is to be invited to attend the Board’s December meeting to discuss his request seeking the Board take a lead and initiate a collaborative planning conversation between key stakeholders and interested local people to preserve local heritage and stories in Dannevirke.
10.3	Senior Constable Maxine Walshe Tararua School Community Officer
10.3.1	Board Member Spooner declared a conflict of interest concerning this item of business, and abstained from discussion and voting on the motion regarding that matter.
10.3.2	That the sum of up to $464 be granted from the Board’s discretionary funds to acknowledge the work of Dannevirke South and Huia Range Schools children which operate their school patrols and act as road safety wardens, and That this funding is made available to enable the annual school patrol treat to be provided through paying for swims, ice blocks and hire of the inflatable toy at Tararua Aquatic Community Trust swimming pool facility and to purchase sausages, sauce and bread from New World for a barbecue lunch. Macdonald/Hynes Carried

11. Chairperson’s Remarks

11.1	Acknowledgement and Thanks
11.1.1	The Chairperson thanked board members for their dedication and commitment throughout this term of office, and conveyed best wishes for the election.
11.1.2	The Mayor acknowledged the work undertaken by the Board in the best interests of connecting with the community, and conveyed appreciation for the many events and projects it has facilitated and supported.

12. Items Not on the Agenda

12.1	Appearance of High Street Vacant Shops
12.1.1	Consideration will be given to the Board in conjunction with Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce working together to enhance the appearance of High Street vacant shops through placing murals on cardboard in the windows.
12.2	Dog Owners Responsibility in Public Places
12.2.1	Council’s Dog Control Bylaw requires the owner or carer of their dog to remove faeces immediately if a dog defecates in a public place.
12.2.2	It is requested publicity be given to emphasise awareness it is the responsibility of dog owners to ensure this occurs, and they must clean up their dog’s excrement so that public places are not foul.

There being no further business the Chairperson thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 2.15pm.

____________________________

Chairperson

Eketahuna Community Board

Minutes of a meeting of the Eketahuna Community Board held in the Eketahuna War Memorial Hall, corner of Jones Street and State Highway 2, Eketahuna on Friday 6 September 2019 commencing at 10.05am.

1. Present

Board Members C C Death (Chairperson), D F Eagle, P Wilson and Cr P A Johns (Council appointed Community Board member).

In Attendance

Mrs T Collis - Her Worship the Mayor (from item 7.3)

Mr R Taylor - Governance Manager

2. Apologies

2.1	*That an apology be sustained from Board Member S E Shannon for non-attendance at the meeting.* Death/Eagle Carried

3. Personal Matters

3.1

Nil

4. Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

4.1	The following matters are noted for discussion in the Tararua District Council report section of the meeting after receiving the August meeting minutes: · Council community surveys · New district signage and brand communication

5. Confirmation of Minutes

5.1	*That the minutes of the Eketahuna Community Board meeting held on 2 August 2019 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* Eagle/Death Carried

6. Matters Arising from the Minutes

6.1	Newman Reserve Board (Item 6.1)
6.1.1	The Chairperson contacted Newman Reserve Board to ascertain arrangements for maintaining the memorial wall and associated area located in that vicinity, and advised as follows: · Twelve to fourteen graves were situated in this cemetery which is fenced off, with the names of those buried there inscribed on the memorial wall. · Pine trees have been replanted, with the appearance of the reserve area being maintained through grazing sheep. · A locked gate prevents cars from accessing the area and doing burnouts.
6.1.2	Board Member Wilson will discuss with Newman Reserve Board interest expressed from volunteers in cleaning and preserving the memorial wall that has aged and faded over time.
6.2	Traffic Diverted from State Highway 2 Through Nireaha (Item 8.2)
6.2.1	Concerns raised by Nireaha Reserve Board regarding this matter were noted by Tararua District Road Safety Group, and are being looked into by the Alliance.

7.	Tararua District Council Report
7.1	*That the report of the Tararua District Council meeting held on 28 August 2019 (as circulated) be received.* Johns/Death Carried
7.2	The Mayor entered the meeting at 10.15am.
7.3	Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week
7.3.1	The Board note for consideration next year supporting Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week through arranging a community clean-up day.
7.4	Illicit Dumping
7.4.1	Illicit dumping is an ongoing concern, and it is very disappointing to note regular instances of this occurring at the W A Miller Scenic Reserve on State Highway 2 near Kaiparoro Anzac Bridge.
7.5	Council Community Surveys
7.5.1	The Governance Manager outlined the basis of Council community surveys undertaken quarterly in the months of October, February, April and July for the purpose of: · Providing a robust measure of satisfaction with Council’s performance in relation to services. · Determining performance drivers and assisting Council to identify the best opportunities to further improve satisfaction, including satisfaction among defined groups within the district. · Assessing changes in satisfaction over time and measuring progress towards Long Term Plan objectives. Details of the survey results are included in the performance reports presented to Council on a quarterly basis, and provide supporting information for a range of service performance measures included in the Annual Report.
7.6	New District Signage and Brand Communication
7.6.1	The Economic Development and Communications Manager is in the process of initiating conversations with various community committees and iwi regarding the new district signage and brand.

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

8.1

Tararua District Road Safety Group

8.1.1

The Chairperson reported on the Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting held in Dannevirke on 6 August 2019, including reference to the following matters:

· For the May, June and July period there were fifty-five reported road accidents in the district.

· Of these accidents thirty-seven occurred in Woodville South, with there being a bus crash on State Highway 2 at Newman near Eketahuna.

· A good outcome was achieved for Eketahuna School through initiatives to be implemented on Alfredton Road to improve safety in the vicinity of that area, noting the number of children attending this school is increasing.

· The next Tararua District Road Safety Group meeting will be held on 5 November 2019.

8.2

Tararua Emergency Management Committee

8.2.1

The Chairperson reported on the Tararua Emergency Management Committee meeting held in Dannevirke on 8 August 2019, including reference to the following matters:

· Eketahuna Civil Defence Response Group annual catch-up was outlined.

· The Chief Executive spoke on his visit to America for engineers involved in Urban Search and Rescue (arranged by Fire and Emergency New Zealand) where the use of drones fulfil an important role in assessing emergency event situations.

· The Chairperson conveyed his willingness to help assist Victim Support community response in the district.

· The next Tararua Emergency Management Committee meeting will be held on 7 November 2019.

9. Correspondence

9.1	*That the correspondence as listed be received.* *(a) Loreen and Kerry Cunningham* *Re: Eketahuna Camping Ground July report* *(b) Eketahuna Our Town Incorporated* *Re: 8 August 2019 Committee meeting minutes and reports* Eagle/Death Carried

10.	Eketahuna Town Centre Mobility Parking
10.1	The Chairperson has been liaising with the Alliance Design Engineer regarding the establishment of new mobility parking locations in Eketahuna town centre.
10.2	The plan for changes to the existing mobility park in the vicinity of Four Square is proceeding with suitable access to be provided through installing a ramp.
10.3	The additional mobility park to be provided on the other side of the road in front of the old Mellemskov shop is more complicated as its proposed location involves an area that is part of a shared driveway.
10.4	Another associated subject raised relates to the bus stop outside Maison Eketahuna giftware and homeware shop. There is no signage in place indicating these spaces are designated for that purpose and no time restrictions regarding their use.
10.5	That situation results in a potential three parking spaces being lost throughout the day as the bus stop is only used for the school bus once a day after 4.00pm, and occasionally as a stop for the Palmerston North bus passing through to Masterton after 4.30pm.
10.6	The Board further considered its earlier decision regarding the additional mobility park for southbound traffic and use of the no parking area and shared driveway on that side of the road.
10.7	*That the Board agree the additional mobility park for southbound traffic be located further down Main Street outside the former Westpac bank building, and* *That the Chairperson liaise with the Alliance regarding the Board’s change of proposed location for implementation to establish new mobility parking in Eketahuna town centre.* Johns/Eagle Carried
10.8	The Chairperson will also follow up the issues regarding the bus stop, and talk to Tranzit Coachlines about the times they regularly use that area for school bus and Palmerston North to Masterton bus services.

11.	Meet the Candidates Public Forum
11.1	The meet the candidates public forum will be held in the Eketahuna Community Centre on 24 September 2019 commencing at 7.00pm, and Board Member Eagle (who is not seeking re-election) will be the facilitator. A light supper, tea and coffee will be provided at the conclusion of the candidates speaking.

12.

Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre Community Open Day

12.1

Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre community open day will be held on 27 October 2019, and the Chairperson encouraged a good attendance to support this event.

13.

Eketahuna Swimming Pool Upgrade Project

13.1

The Governance Manager provided the following report from the Community Assets and Property Manager’s update on this project presented at the Works Liaison Committee August workshop briefing session:

· From the contractor aspect the pool has been rebuilt, sealed and painted, with the old buildings removed and the new shed constructed.

· Items still to be completed are remove and replace concrete surrounds around the pool, reinforce sides of the pool and concrete in a new skimmer channel.

· This should all be completed within the $500,000 budget. At this stage there is not enough funds to rebuild the kiosk (where the lifeguards are located), so the existing facility will remain until funds allow its replacement (with plans and consents already done).

13.2

The intention is the Eketahuna Swimming Pool Management Committee will have the upgraded pool finished in time for this year’s swimming season opening.

14.	Chorus Building Project
14.1	Board Member Eagle reported the art frames to provide secure display cases for artwork will be ready for installing by the end of this month.

15. Chairperson’s Remarks

15.1	Daffodil Day
15.1.1	Another successful Daffodil Day was held in Eketahuna to support the Cancer Society, with the proceeds received being similar to the previous year.
15.2	Eketahuna Health Centre Quiz Night
15.2.1	Eketahuna Health Centre held a successful fundraising quiz night on 17 August 2019 to help support maintaining its services within the community.
15.3	Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatu Tararua Highway Project
15.3.1	The Chairperson attended the New Zealand Transport Agency public information session in Pahiatua regarding the presentation of the preliminary concept design, recent on-site activity, pre-construction works and next steps for the Te Ahu a Turanga-Manawatu Tararua Highway project.
15.4	Acknowledgement and Thanks
15.4.1	The Mayor acknowledged the passion, dedication and commitment of board members working in the best interests of the Eketahuna community.
15.4.2	This in particular included paying tribute to the Chairperson for his community service which was recognised last year through the Civic Award he received, Board Member Shannon for her contribution to the town centre upgrade and Board Member Eagle for coordinating the Chorus building project.
15.4.3	Board Member Eagle spoke on the success of the Board and its achievements resulting from a team approach focussed on enabling good outcomes for the Eketahuna community, and thanked the Chairperson for his leadership.
15.4.4	The Chairperson concluded the final meeting of this Board’s term of office by extending appreciation and thanks as follows: · To the Governance Manager for the support and assistance he provides. · To Board Member Shannon (who is not seeking re-election) for six years of service, undertaking the position of Deputy Chairperson this term, the significant time given to developing and implementing the town centre upgrade project plan, and for her knowledge around the table at Board meetings. · To Board Member Eagle (who is not seeking re-election) for nine years of service, the significant time given to developing and implementing the Chorus building project plan, advocating for the community on the St John Bush Area Committee and other committees. · To Board Member Wilson for her first term, and who was thrown in the deep end at the May 2017 New Zealand Community Boards conference in Methven when accepting the Engaging Communities category and Supreme Award overall winner for the Board’s town centre upgrade project nomination to the Community Boards Awards. Also for representing the Board at meetings of the Tararua District Road Safety Group. · To Cr Johns for his input around the table as Council’s appointed Community Board member and at Council meetings. · To Mayor Collis for her previous service as Council appointed Community Board member, work on the town centre upgrade project, commitment given to the district as its Mayor this term and being accessible and available to talk to when required.
15.4.5	The Chairperson presented a bunch of flowers to Board Member Eagle to thank her for the service given to the Board and the community, and will also visit Board Member Shannon (who could not attend today’s meeting) to similarly acknowledge her contribution and service.
15.4.6	The Chairperson conveyed best wishes to the Mayor for the forthcoming election, and to candidates seeking election as South Tararua Ward councillors and Eketahuna Community Board members.

16. Items Not on the Agenda

16.1	Refer to the items set out in sections 7.5 and 7.6 of these minutes.

There being no further business the Chairperson thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 11.22am.

____________________________

Chairperson

Report

Date	:	19 September 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Peter Wimsett Manager Strategy & District Development
Subject	:	Proposed Sale of the Former Woodville Depot
Item No	:	11.3

1. Reason for the Report

1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek agreement in principle on the framework to move forward with the proposal from Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua (Ngāti Kahungunu) for the sale of the Woodville site located on the corner of Vogel Street and McLean Street.

1.2 Council grant the Chief Executive delegation to proceed with the sale based on the framework set out in this report.

2. Background

2.1 Council recently sought tenders for the sale of the former Woodville Infracon administration building and yard. These properties are:

Woodville Street	Valuation Reference	Title
49 Vogel Street	11450/20200	TOWN SECS 72 73 - SEC 73 INT IN R/W
16 Atkinson Street	11450/20001	TOWN SEC 79 WOODVILLE - SUBJ TO & INT IN R/W
18 Atkinson Street	11450/20000	LOT 1 DP 20670

2.2 With the proposal to build a new i-SITE in 2017, funding of $225,000 was earmarked from the sale proceeds from the sites above to reduce the need for debt funding.

2.3 Council indicated they would prefer a sale to a party that is likely to enhance the district economy, such as through either employment opportunities or tourism, and to enhance the aesthetic value of the town. These non-price factors are important to maximise the long term strategic community benefit of the sale.

2.4 All tenders received in July 2019 were rejected due to not meeting the $500,000 expected value of the site. The highest tender received was $400,000. Council chose to negotiate further with one tenderer, being Ngāti Kahungunu, due to the non-price factors of their proposal, despite not being the highest tenderer.

2.5 The proposal from Ngāti Kahungunu was deemed as an attractive option to pursue due to the potential long term benefit to the Woodville community, and the wider economic development opportunity for the Tararua District.

3. Ngāti Kahungunu Proposal

3.1 The proposal put forward by Ngāti Kahungunu is conditional on a successful Provincial Growth Fund application and consists of:

· Creating a unique tourist trail between Woodville and Ashhurst, showcasing distinctive Māori culture through depicting images of Māori Atua (gods) on wind turbine towers at Meridian Energy’s Te Āpiti Wind Farm. The images will be completed by internationally acclaimed aerosol artist Mr G.

· The initiative also includes a visitor centre based at Woodville that will house exhibitions and virtual reality experiences to provide visitors with information on the Atua, the Manawatū Gorge (including the history up until its closure and the present day), and wind energy. It will also serve as a booking venue for associated tourism ventures run by Ngāti Kahungunu (and others).

3.2 It has been identified that for the visitor centre to be effective it needs to be located at a prominent site that is highly visible to the three main traffic flows through Woodville; from the new Te Ahu a Turanga highway from Palmerston North (State Highway 3), from Wairarapa via State Highway 2, and from Hawke’s Bay traveling west on State Highway 2.

3.3 The preferred site is that owned by Tararua District Council on the corner of Vogel and McLean Streets (49 Vogel & 67 McLean). This is due to:

· visibility from all three of the main traffic flow routes (including the benefit of traffic being slowed at this intersection),

· the availability of parking that the site provides (either off McLean St or via the rear sections on Atkinson St),

· close proximity to the rest of Woodville township to encourage visitors to extend their stay and spend at other retail and hospitality venues in town.

4. Proposal Benefits

4.1 The Long Term Plan outlines the three limbs of Council’s Strategy. One of these is Council is committed to promoting and facilitating economic development through:

· supporting and facilitating growth in local business;

· building district identity;

· promoting the district by telling our story;

· providing business friendly and welcoming support for new residents and businesses;

· facilitate the development of key reserves and recreational facilities to attract (and retain) residents and visitors.

4.2 The Te Āpiti, Te Whenua o ngā Atua project is closely aligned to Council’s economic development strategic limb outlined above. The outcomes of the project include:

· Tourism development – to create a must-see attraction for the Tararua-Manawatū area that increases the number of visitors stopping at Woodville and associated attractions.

· Economic development – generating more revenue and jobs from the additional tourism expenditure, increasing the demand for local goods and services in the Tararua District, and increasing the utilisation and returns on the Māori asset base.

· Education – providing locals, students and tourists with an educational experience about Māori culture and the history of the Manawatū Gorge

4.3 Benefits from this project include direct job creation for the visitor centre, and increased tourism visitors to the Tararua District. It will also be beneficial to Council meeting its own strategic outcomes. This unique offering will encourage more tourists to specifically travel to the Tararua and is likely to have a wider impact on businesses both in Woodville and the Tararua District.

4.4 The proposal is consistent with previous Council economic development strategy to work with the wind farm industry for economic wellbeing, and the Government strategy to increase production of electricity from renewable sources.

The Tararua has a valuable wind resource that is viewed by the wind energy industry as among the best in the World. The 2012-2022 Long Term Plan (page 24) the Council provided $50,000 budget for scoping initiatives such as a wind farm training centre and visitor centre.

The Government’s Interim Climate Change Committee (ICCC) were tasked to report on Electricity generation with evidence and analysis. It is considered by the Committee that electricity “will become an even more important pillar of our economy “. The April 2019 ICCC Accelerated Electrification report notes that new wind generation (and its associated transmission and distribution infrastructure) will play a vital role in achieving emissions reductions. The modelling indicates that around 2,600 MW would be built in an accelerated electrification future – four times more than is currently in the system. Work Council does to support this outcome will be viewed positively by both the wind farm industry and Government.

5. Options to Proceed with Sale of Woodville Site

5.1 Council has already utilised its right to reject the tenders from the sale process for this site that concluded in July, in favour of negotiating directly with Ngāti Kahungunu. This has resulted in an improved offer of $400,000 from $200,000. The negotiated purchase price will still require a real estate commission to be paid to Property Brokers Commercial because Ngāti Kahungunu was party to their contracted tender process.

5.2 This is still $120,000 lower than the highest tenderer during the tender process. However it is recognised that the project proposed by Ngāti Kahungunu will incur significant construction cost outlay, and will have a significant positive effect on Woodville and the Tararua District.

5.3 Ngāti Kahungunu have outlined the project is conditional on receiving a grant from the Provincial Growth Fund, and also achieving the project funding plan.

5.4 Option 1 – Accept sale price of $400,000 that is partially offset by Council with a grant of $120,000 and retain right of first purchase (preferred option).

5.4.1 Agree in principle to selling the Woodville sites listed in 2.1 to Ngāti Kahungunu for a price of $400,000, where $280,000 in cash is immediately paid, but future payments of $120,000 is offset by grant or grants ,subject to the conditions being met as set out in option 2 below. The difference between a grant and a suspensory loan is how we treat this sale for accounting purposes. A grant shows a financial commitment and/or expense by Council to the partnering that has a fair value attached to it.

5.4.2 The support by Council by way of grant is consistent with the economic benefits associated with the project and is supportive to the Provincial Growth Fund application.

5.4.3 Recognising the long term value of this property, Council should impose conditions that it will be given first right of refusal to purchase the property at the original sum price.

5.4.4 The Sale and Purchase agreement for the properties will be subject to the Provincial Growth Fund acceptance of funding a project that will achieve outcomes similar to the proposal, namely a visitor centre and a tourist trail highlighting Maori culture.

5.5 Option 2 – Accept sale price of $400,000, consisting of $280,000 cash and $120,000 suspensory loan

5.5.1 Agree in principle to selling the Woodville sites listed in 2.1 to Ngāti Kahungunu for a price of $400,000. The $400,000 would consist of $280,000 cash, and $120,000 as a suspensory loan from Council.

5.5.2 The suspensory loan would be written off over time based on a series of conditions being met. It would be advised to keep these conditions simple, with the following as recommended conditions:

· Approval of business case and receipt of grant from Provincial Development Unit for the project

· Completing of the construction and building is in operation

· Venture successfully in operation after two or three years

5.5.3 Suspensory loans require additional accounting disclosures and significant assessment and accountability measures for future councils to determine. This creates uncertainty for both parties, especially where the loan repayment is triggered, and increases the risk of division and may leave investment made by Iwi stranded, and the site in a different condition to that at time of sale. In effect, suspensory loans for a successful project are grants payable upon the conditions above being met. This requires annual accounting adjustments to account for the loan correctly, and administration by both parties to verify the meeting of the write-off conditions. If the loan is set up on the basis that it does not need to be repaid, then the fair value in our accounts should be minimised rather than reduced annually.

5.5.4 Management do not prefer this option due to the additional administration demands to account for the suspensory loan correctly. Option 1 has a provision for the site to be offered back to Council to repurchase for the original sale price in the event that Ngāti Kahungunu is unable to proceed with the project.

5.6 Option 3 – Cease Negotiations and remarket property (Not preferred)

5.6.1 Council indicated they would prefer a sale to a party that is likely to enhance the district economy through either employment opportunities or tourism, and to enhance the aesthetic value of the town. These non-price factors are important to maximise the long term strategic community benefit of the sale.

5.6.2 The highest tender received of $400,000 from the original sale process did not meet the non-price factors above.

5.6.3 Directly negotiating with Ngāti Kahungunu has resulted in an increased offer of $280,000, and the potential to provide significant employment opportunities and tourism to Woodville and the Tararua District.

5.6.4 Rejecting the proposal would be seen to be at odds with the conditions of sale, and Council’s strategy of economic development set in the Long Term Plan.

6. Significance Assessment

6.1 The granting of delegation is a procedural matter for Council to determine, and the following recommendation is made for this purpose.

7. Conclusion

7.1 After rejecting all tenders from the sale process concluding in July, Council have negotiated directly with Ngāti Kahungunu. Their proposal of the site meets Council’s non-price factors of providing economic development opportunities to Woodville and the Tararua District.

7.2 Ngāti Kahungunu’s original offer of $200,000 has been increased to $280,000 through negotiation. If the proposal does not materialise, Council intends to include a provision for first right of purchase of the Woodville site.

8. Recommendation

8.1 That the report from the Manager Strategy & District Development dated 19 September 2019 concerning the Proposed Sale of the Former Woodville Depot (as circulated) be received, and

8.2 That Council agree in principle to accept an amount of $400,000 offered by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tamaki nui-a-Rua Trust to purchase this property as its preferred framework for negotiating an agreed sale, to be offset by a Council grant or grants totalling $120,000, and

8.3 That the proposed sale of this property be subject to approval of a Provincial Growth Fund achieving outcomes of a visitor centre and a tourist trail highlighting Maori culture, and

8.4 the condition of a first right of refusal is provided to Council to purchase it back at the original price paid in the event of the intended Te Apiti Te Whenua o nga Atua project not proceeding on the site, and

8.5 That Council provide delegation to the Chief Executive to negotiate an agreement for the sale of that Woodville property described as follows to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki nui-a-Rua Trust:

· 49 Vogel Street, valuation reference 11450/20200, town sections 72 and 73 - section 73 interest in right of way

· 16 Atkinson Street, valuation reference 11450/20001, town section 79 Woodville, subject to an interest in right of way

· 18 Atkinson Street, valuation reference 11450/20000, lot 1 DP 20670

Attachments

Nil.

Report

Date	:	18 September 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Blair King Chief Executive
Subject	:	Staff Report
Item No	:	11.15

Reason for the Report

This report is to update Councillors on key projects and items of interest over the period from 20 August to 18 September 2019.

Key Points

Australasian Local Government Asset Management Conference

The CFO and I attended the above conference in Tasmania to present on the learnings from the Alliances we have in place, at the end of August 2019. Our presentation was well received, where we discussed solving the typical “command and control” culture that exists in Council contracts and moving to one of equals jointly sharing information, risks and vision. Attendee’s noted how some of the Councils had a belief that multiple Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and onerous reporting requirements was prudent, compared to the streamlined system we have developed. One contract had over 200 KPI’s, that required 10 staff on the contractors side to deliver each month, and as many on the client side to digest, with little insight by the client as to what they could do to reduce the transactional costs and mistrust that system created.

Key note presentations focused on why Climate Change mitigation should be a “need”, rather than a “want”, when considering options for capital and maintenance programmes. For example, the Australian Roading Funders accept that unless they incentive use of modified pavements that use plastics, crumbed tyre rubber or plastics, the Councils will only use the traditional methods, and the waste stream continues increasing. The term circular economy was used, which Downers illustrated by how road sweepings and stormwater sump cleanings are taken to a site, and then screened, rather than disposed of as “clean-fill”. This ensures aggregate from the road is recycled, heavy metals from brake lining and exhaust particulates in sediment is captured and correctly disposed of preventing fresh water degradation.

Recycling by Councils needs significant work. Comparing Tararua to other Councils highlighted the level of service we fund, is not encouraging active recycling. In main streets and sports parks, our refuse bins are not partnered with specialist recycling bins, and the high number of cigarette butts going into stormwater will cause Council challenges under the proposed fresh water preservation changes being consulted on Central Government. One of the presenters noted how “gamifying” disposing of cigarette butts had minimised the number being littered.

In terms of improvements to communications on projects, we picked up some enhancements we can do on our new webpage with adding links for drone footage and photos.

Sealing of Documents

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

· Memorandum of lease with Outgro Fertiliser for area at Dannevirke Aerodrome

· Deed of licence for Raumati Hall land with Petur and Vivienne Hognason

THE ALLIANCE

Executive Summary

August is a transitional month for the Alliance – pre construction but post design. We have done a significant amount of preparation for the upcoming season and have handed a lot of it over to our delivery teams. It is great to see this happening earlier and earlier in the financial year – the sooner the Delivery team have a seasons’ work confirmed the sooner they can begin their operational planning. The benefit in that is the less reactive we are the more efficient we can be, so we will continue to work to ensure planning stays well ahead of delivery.

We are currently workshopping the detailed forecasting and planning of our financial year, confirming budgets and target cost rates, planning our maintenance works for the year and validating surfacing and pavement renewal sites for the following season which will allow our design team time to stay ahead of delivery. Emergency works sites continue to be worked on by the design team along with some physical works and our funding application is still with NZTA waiting approval.

Our delivery teams have been focusing on work that is best suited to this time of year. Re-metalling and grading of our unsealed roads has had a big push as the wetter weather allows better adhesion to existing material and where possible our pre-reseal repair water channel and high shoulder work have continued. The 3 Waters team have begun a programme of renewals and continue to respond to in house and external customer requests. Bridge maintenance and renewals planning and delivery has begun as well.

Our asset management team continues to focus on the Railhub and Residential Growth studies with both projects in the data collection / pre-analysis phase. The outputs and answers from both will help focus our next round of Asset Management Plans which now have a looming deadline of less than 12 months. We continue to have representation at the REG Regional Workshops which have a strong focus on preparation for the next round of AMPs – helping align all local authorities with the business case approach to Activity Management that NZTA requires.

A new feature of our report beginning this month is the Process Profile. Within our organisation we have our own lingo and understanding of what we do, who does it and most importantly why we do it. During the year different processes are underway that contribute to the overall success of the Alliance but are often performed in the background or are not obvious. This month we will be explaining a little about our jack of all trades workers – the Patrolmen.

Last but not least we have begun physical works on the Pahiatua CBD upgrade. The push to be ready for physical works on the 2^nd September saw a concerted effort to complete the setup of a satellite depot to run the project and the required documentation, funding discussions and designing steps. Having an engineering team dedicated to this project gives us confidence in delivery of the required outcomes and ensures anything unexpected will be dealt with swiftly.

The Alliance leadership team have set goals for their teams for the year including a push to ensure planning of our renewals stays well ahead of delivery and renewed efforts to improve our Target Lost Estimates (TCEs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and budget achievements. The team are also considering ways to share our planning processes in a more transparent way to provide confidence to our stakeholders – over the next month some examples will be trialled and put out for feedback.

Process Profile - Patrolmen

In the Tararua Alliance we have two Patrolmen that are one-man band jack of all trades individuals that cyclically span the whole network looking for work that can be performed by one person. They have a structured routine of roads that they will patrol for find and fix work – so if they find a pothole or broken sign they will fix it on the spot. The two Patrolmen take great pride in their work and wherever they can will stretch their repairs to fix as much as possible – however once the fault is too large for a manual repair they will add it into Road Assessment and Maintenance Management software (RAMM) (our digital all faults system) and alert the people organising the larger works.

Their routine is on a weekly basis and they get around every road over an 8 week period. Using RAMM they are able to see where they have been and where they have still to go for the week and endeavour to hit 100% of the suggested roads each week.

However, being jack of all trades they are often redirected to help in other areas or assess customer requests. They are the guys that are the first Alliance responders to accidents, who will get out to a slip and quickly sign it up to keep the public safe and who will assist other crews when needed.

Our Patrolmen perform an important role within the delivery of road maintenance because while individually they are quite small tasks they add up to a whole user experience and with so many of their repairs related directly to safety we credit them with our good record of safety on Tararua’s roads.

Planning

Monthly Work Completed

920 individual maintenance faults were repaired in August – 290 by Work Crews and 630 by Patrolmen. The location of the works, type of work and volume are indicated below.

The large number of signs and pavement sealed work done by the Patrolmen are mostly safety improvements / repairs.

Asset data collection

Due to the end of year capitalisation process we identified that we needed to extensively streamline our process of collecting asset data. When jobs are completed, with new assets being installed, an as-built is created to record all information about the asset i.e., location and specification of the asset. It is vital to collect this information as it is used to inform and enable decisions about asset maintenance, renewal and replacement requirements.

In order to obtain this information, we have been working closely with the Supervisors to provide as-builts in an efficient and timely manner. The collection process can be streamlined even further with the addition of on-site electronic collection when available. So far we have identified, among others, 810m of new or renewed footpath, 292m of new or renewed culverts and 300m of new or renewed retaining walls installed for the 18/19 year.

Collecting asset data is an on-going process that we hope to make more efficient and manageable for all staff.

Residential Growth Study

Significant data has been collected and collated in readiness to commence assessing potential residential growth, firstly concentrating on Woodville Township.

Phase 1 - collect as much information relating to existing assets and carry out gap analysis. Various maps have been produced to capture catchment information, pipe sizes, lengths and material.

Gap analysis showed critical information missing relating to sewer RL’s (height between points), needed to assess network performance. Surveys to take place to gather this information are expected have been completed by mid-September.

Analysis has taken place around 2013 Census data to match this to the 3 Waters network, however, there may have to be consideration made for the anticipated release of the 2018 Census which would require a relook at previous assumptions.

Phase 2 – Enter the collated data into modelling software and build the network model to assess current network performance and capacity. Run various scenarios to predict effect of additional demands on the 3 Waters network while taking inflow and infiltration effects into account.

The attached map is an example of the work being performed – in this case it shows the Census data (2013) to the sewer catchment relationship, it shows dwellings and population in relation to assets. This will be used to overlay areas where growth or infill could be expected and assess impact on the 3-waters network.

Out of Context Curve Assessment as part of the Railhub Impact Study

As part of the Railhub Impact study we are looking at safety issues on the affected roads using a tool provided to us by NZTA. The New Zealand Road Assessment Programme was developed in 2008 on the State Highway Network to improve the safety of roads and roadsides to reduce the likelihood of crashes occurring, and to minimise the severity of crashes if they do occur. This has now extended to local authority road networks. We are now able to view all curves that are considered to be “out of context”. These can be due to a variety of reasons including variations in entry/exit speeds, and existing curve radii. There are several categories of curve designations ranging from “desirable” to “unacceptable”. As an example, on Route 52 between the boundary and Weber there are 10 unacceptable and 23 undesirable curves as per the tool.

The screenshot below shows a section of route 52-63 between Franklin and Angora Rd. The sections in orange and red designate undesirable and unacceptable curves respectively.

We are focussing on the potential impacts of the Railhub proposal in Dannevirke and looking at potential improvements of the safety of Weber Rd and several sections of Route 52 in anticipation of increasing logging activity associated with the above project.

Resolutions to existing out of context curves may include installation of new signage e.g. chevrons and curve speed warnings, up to minor horizontal realignments if deemed appropriate.

Pahiatua CBD Upgrade

Planning for the beginning of the physical works has concluded and the 2^nd September planned start date was achieved with a ceremonial spade in the ground with the Mayor a great way to start things off. Sewer main replacement is progressing well with the current reasonable weather a contributing factor. The preparation of the temporary depot has been actioned and has almost everything necessary is in place to support the delivery teams. Having office space at this depot will ensure the engineers can be close to the action and available quickly when needed.

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 bridge maintenance program for 2019-2020 is underway, and before and after pictures of the latest physical works are below.

Works are progressing smoothly, and this is being assisted by a combination of dedicated staff, competent contractors, and the current mild weather.

A14 No. 2 Manuhara Rd Bridge– Gold seal painting before and after

Safety and Improvements

The Easton Street tip gate stormwater improvements and tip gate realignment works have been surveyed and the design has now been completed, with the physical works commencing in the coming month.

These will create a significant improvement on the current alignment, and will dissipate the current stormwater concerns.

Investigation work has also begun on Oxford Rd for shoulder widening. With the road now back at 100km/h the lack of consistency of width has highlighted safety concerns which has pushed this site up the list.

Deliver

y

3Waters

Water Renewals

We have recently received the Bacto test results for the Burns St watermain renewal and will be programming the changeover / cut ins to be completed in September.

All work requested by Tom Dodd on the Eketahuna raw water line has been completed. During this work we also found a leak on the main feed line to Eketahuna. Due to the leaks location and the criticality of this asset we are currently looking to source a fitting from Australia that will eliminate the need to shut the line down which will ensure continuity of supply to the town.

A new 63mm water connection has been installed to feed the Eketahuna swimming pools. The old line had sprung a leak under the new concrete skate park. So rather than dig up and repair this line, a new connection was installed off Church St and also included an install of a backflow preventer which helps protect the water supply network from contamination.

Planned Water Maintenance

During August a full round of dead end mains flushing was completed across the district and we are currently completing the 2 quarterly water meter reading.

Wastewater

The team are currently working on a sewer renewal in Dagmar St Dannevirke. This renewal comprises of 130m of 150mm sewermain and two manholes. During August we have been completing a washdown and inspection of the all the wastewater sewer pumping stations.

A schedule to inspecter sewermains greater than 225mm diameter has been complied. We are unable to camera these pipelines with our existing equipment due to the high volume of flow within the pipes.

The schedule has been sent to three specialist pipe companys that have the capabilitys and gear needed to inspect these pipes. A by-product of this work is that to view the pipes they need to be cleaned and flushed first so this will be done at the same time. This work will give us condition ratings on some of our crictical sewer assets which we currently have no information on.

Roads

Maintenance

As with July, our teams have put a lot of effort into getting our pre-reseal repairs completed in preparation for the fast approaching re-seal season. Drainage has been competed on various roads including (but not limited to) Takapau – Ormondville Road, Ormondville – Te Uri Road, Norsewood – Ormondville Road, Beattie Road, Bushman Road and Totara Road, all of which have reseals programmed. Our drainage teams have completed 18km of High Shoulder removal and 33km of Stormwater channel clearing which is a great result considering they also had some very disruptive weather to contend with.

Maintenance of our unsealed roads continued in August. Our teams have spread 1,200m3 of running course on various roads including Rimu Road, Coast Road, Old Coach Road, South Road No.1, Pahaheke Road and Waituna Road. Our teams have focused on “Spot Spreading” which means they apply running course to the areas that need replenishing rather than doing the entire road to stretch the annual allocated quantity as much as possible. Along with metaling we also graded 230 kilometres of the unsealed network including Coast Road, Coonoor Road, Flat Bush Road, Rock Road, Makakahi Road and Surreydale Road. We will continue this level of service through the month of September also which will see the unsealed network in good condition for summer when grading and metaling is less favourable.

With the heavy wind in August, our Cyclic teams responded to numerous trees down across the network closing various roads for a short amount of time. With the wind causing disruption our teams managed to keep on top of their monthly patrols which is proving to be working well. They filled 500 potholes, fixed 600 metres of edge break, replaced many edgemarker posts along with replacing 50 road signs, half of which were caused from vandalism in the Woodville area.

Renewals

Our drainage renewals programme has commenced with the reseal sites being a priority at this stage. Culverts have been renewed on Manawatu River Road with further planned for Pahiatua Pongaroa Road within the reseal sites.

Our Urban teams have been busy undertaking footpath renewals and Construction across the district including King Street in Dannevirke where we have constructed a new footpath from the Cole / Allan Street intersection through to King Street. This was a two-year project which has now been completed. (Pictured below).

Due to two reactive logging operations which have started on both Sugarloaf Road and Marainanga Road we have had to commit resource to these roads to start a heavy metal overlay due to the rapid deterioration of the pavement which has gone from having fifteen light vehicles a day to fifteen light vehicles and seven or eight 50 Tonne logging trucks a day. The heavy metal overlay consists of improved drainage, minor realignment improvements and pavement strengthening.

Emergency works

We have made some great progress in August with getting a large number of our Emergency works sites re-instated and sealed. These sites include Route 52, 63 section retreat, various sites on Ormondville Te-Uri Road, Matamau – Ormondville Road, and numerous other sites on Route 52. The recent funding application is still pending however planning work on the 150 new sites has begun in preparation to ensure once approval is granted we can begin on these sites as soon as possible.

With the ground being saturated we have found ourselves in a couple of interesting situations where we have had a couple of eight tonne boulders land on Surreydale Road. (Pictured below).

Performance

Regulatory

Building Consent Authority (BCA)

Colin Pickering from Qualico Ltd has recently visited the council to perform competency assessments for each building officer. Building officers must be assessed annually for the knowledge and skills to process building consents and inspect building work, under the BCA Quality Management System.

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	69	70	68
Number of Inspections Requested	226	194	181
Performance
Number of Applications Processed	63	75	60
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	97%	40%	95%
Number of inspections Performed	338	250	297
Investment
Total Value of Applications Processed	$1,936,417.00	$3,617,881.00	$3,304,286.00

Animal Control

An article was run in the Bush Telegraph to remind dog owners to take extra care around newly born livestock. Owners are liable for damages to stock caused by their dog.

Elaine Vermeer and Taff Baker attended a ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop run by animal behaviour expert Mark Vette. Mark is an animal psychologist and behaviourist, who has been studying, treating and training dogs for more than 40 years.

The workshop covered the science of dog behaviour and practical dog handling and training skills, with a focus on dog aggression. This workshop provided officers with the training to ensure their health and safety around dogs, and improve our assistance to owners experiencing problem dog behaviours.

Registration notices were sent to dog owners in the first week of July. Owners were required to register their dogs by 1 August. Owners that register their dogs from 2 August incur a late penalty fee.

6804 dogs have registered with 673 dogs remaining unregistered. This is a reduction of 236 unregistered dogs, since the report to council last month.

Owners of unregistered dogs are scheduled to receive a reminder notice by mail in September. The template notice has been updated from last year, to incorporate constructive feedback from dog owners. The objective of the notice is to encourage voluntary compliance.

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	1	3
Road or No Property Address	2	1	1
Urban North Ward	1	5	6
Urban South Ward	6	0	1
TOTAL	9	10	11

Environmental Health and Licensing

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

Jade Dittmer, administrator for environmental health, visited Palmerston North City Council for initial training in data entry for food registration and verification software (MAPS and Titiro) and reviewed processes that may be suitable for Tararua.

Environmental Health staff have audited one Food Control Plan, and additional audits have been scheduled for September. Staff have visited four hairdressers for routine annual inspections under the health regulations.

The following tables compare 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	4
Ind/Com Sth Ward	0	0	3
Non Rateable	1	1	2
Rural North Ward	5	2	2
Rural South Ward	1	1	0
No Property Address Given	30	18	29
Urban North Ward	1	1	4
Urban South Ward	2	1	0
TOTAL	40	24	44

Last month, Council requested illicit dumping statistics be provided by community, rather than ward. Work has begun on scoping what changes are required to council’s computer systems to provide this information.

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

The Ministry for the Environment has started consultation on proposed national direction under the Resource Management Act (RMA) for freshwater, highly productive land and urban development. A summary of the proposals and link to the detailed discussion documents are provided below.

The proposed package of freshwater management changes includes a National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM); National Environment Standards (NES) for Freshwater, Sources of Drinking Water, and Wastewater Discharges and Overflows; Water Services Act; RMA Regulations; and Amended NES for Sources of Human Drinking Water.

The package seeks to achieve improvement in water quality within five years and return freshwater resources, waterways and ecosystems to a health state within a generation. The package seeks to introduce new standards and rules relating to nutrients, farm conversions, management plans, fencing, waterways, water takes, stormwater, wastewater, drinking water and monitoring. The package would have a significant impact on the Tararua District. A workshop with councillors is required to discuss the changes and impacts in detail. Submissions close on 31 October.

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/consultation/action-for-healthy-waterways

The proposed National Policy Statement for Urban Development (NPS-UD) would direct councils to be more strategic about planning how and where development should occur, including identify areas where evidence shows that urban development may not be appropriate. The NPS-UD would not impact the Tararua District as it applies to urban areas over 10,000 residents and major urban centres. However, it would need to be reflected in the District Plan when it is next reviewed. Submissions close on 10 October.

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/consultations/nps-urbandevelopment

The proposed National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL) would direct councils to identify areas of highly productive land and amend plan rules to retain and protect the productive capacity of that land. The NPS-HPL would impact planning for urban growth (rezoning areas of rural land) and further subdivision of highly productive land. Submissions close on 10 October.

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/consultation/proposed-nps-highly-productive-land

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 Noise Management Plan (CNMP) has recently been certified as complete by PNCC and TDC, following a technical compliance review by Nigel Lloyd of Acousafe. Mercury’s Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) is currently being reviewed for technical compliance by Mike Skelton of Stantec.

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	12	18	13
Performance
Total Number Applications Processed	9	15	9
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	100%	100%	100%

Plant and Property

Executive Summary

Staff attended the Hawkes’ Bay Regional Operational Drinking Water meeting where John McGrath from Ministry of Health (via skype) led a discussion on the proposed 3 Waters Reform.

Key points

· Water Services Bill to Cabinet prior to end of 2019

· Establishment of new Regulatory unit

· Dedicated team to be appointed and funded within the next 12 - 18 months

· New Legislative requirements to influence the Regulatory regime

· Clear direction from Cabinet

· Resources to achieve and address the issues – rather than set up to fail

· Primary focus Drinking water / Health

· Led by Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and supported by Ministry of Health (MoH)

A decision will be made after local government (LG) elections maybe mid - November

· On the shape of the Regulator

· Whether that be a stand-alone agent

· Merged with an existing agent

· Or a government department

One of the Regulator’s first jobs will to be look at the Drinking Water Safety New Zealand (DWSNZ) and also make a decision on small supplies needing a Water Safety Plan.

There is going to be more framework around the Water Safety Plan (WSP) and how you manage risk in your systems. Entire new management approach not just a tick box compliance document.

District Wastewater

Pahiatua. With the continuing algae carry over in the clarifier treatment process and having difficulty dropping the sludge component out, we have the opportunity to trial a Dissolved air flotation (DAF) plant which is a water treatment process that clarifies wastewaters (or other waters) by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids.

The feed water to the DAF float tank is often (but not always) dosed with a coagulant (such as ferric chloride or aluminium sulfate) to coagulate the colloidal particles and/or a flocculant to conglomerate the particles into bigger clusters.

A portion of the clarified effluent water leaving the DAF tank is pumped into a small pressure vessel (called the air drum) into which compressed air is also introduced. This results in saturating the pressurized effluent water with air. The air-saturated water stream is recycled to the front of the float tank and flows through a pressure reduction valve just as it enters the front of the float tank, which results in the air being released in the form of tiny bubbles. Bubbles form on the surface of the suspended particles, adhering to the particles. As more bubbles form, the lift from the bubbles eventually overcomes the force of gravity. This causes the suspended matter to float to the surface where it forms a froth layer which is then removed by a skimmer. The froth-free water exits the float tank as the clarified effluent from the DAF unit.

This trial plant has the capacity to treat 30 cubic metres an hour 720 m3 total per day, which is less than half the daily total wastewater at the Pahiatua plant. This will give us the opportunity to run the two plants simultaneously and carry out testing of the final effluent and compare results.

Woodville impounded supply pipe configuration at the pump shed has been completed and Scada electric are on site this week to finalize the telemetry program to allow remote control of water into the impounded supply from the intake at the headworks.

Pahiatua water

The water treatment team are having issues with accumulated silt in the river pump station.

They have had Howells sucker truck there dealing with that. Derek is concerned that the infiltration gallery may also be congested with silt material which may be causing the system to produce discoloured water. Looking into contracting Davey’s from Hawke’s Bay to jet blast the gallery to clear any silt etc. that may be clogging the filter pack area. We used the same contractor to eliminate the problems we were having at the Dannevirke intake earlier this year.

The Mangatainoka river level is very low at present and the intake weir is not operating at 100% so the pump is drawing water from low in the well.

Property

Dannevirke Administration Building

Four of the old air conditioning units have failed and have been replaced. The other four old units are also failing and will be replaced shortly. These units were some of the earliest wall mounted units and are at least 20 years old.

Pahiatua Administration Building

Beca have completed the Seismic Strengthening Assessment on the building and forwarded it to Council for review and comments. The reports on the strengthening proposals and cost estimates have been sent to Councillors for their consideration.

Eketahuna Administration Building

Asbestos has been discovered in the ceiling cavity of the Eketahuna Library. The asbestos won’t be removed but the manholes will be sealed and only authorised personnel with the specialised protective gear will be allowed access into the ceiling.

Eketahuna Community Centre

Work has begun on painting the kitchen, supper room and hallway. Leaks in the past have caused considerable damage especially to the ceiling. The leaks have been sealed to prevent any further damage. Asbestos cladding on the outside of the building was identified at the recent asbestos survey. This is to be sealed with a clear sealant to encapsulate the asbestos.

Bush Multisport Grandstand

Work is due to commence on the upgrade of the toilets in the grandstand. These toilets are used by patrons when the stadium is closed.

Dannevirke Town Hall

The Dannevirke Information Centre in front of the town hall is about to be given a long overdue spruce up. This will include an internal repaint and the laying of new carpet tiles.

Cemeteries

Mangatera Cemetery

Work has commenced on the nib wall in the lawn ashes area.

Parks and Reserves

Fountaine Square

Fountaine Square has been receiving a lot of vandalism in the past few months. This has been in the form of graffiti in and on the band rotunda and motor bikes ripping up the lawns. The latest event was the damaging of the roktopus which requires a complete rebuild.

Swimming Pools

Contracts need to be finalised for the three outdoor pools in the district.

Eketahuna

Progress is continuing on the Eketahuna Pool. A new water line has been installed from Church Street to fill the pool. The area behind the shelter shed and Church Street has been built up and a container has been installed for storage. The concrete surrounds of the pool have been concreted.

Economic Development, Communications
and District Marketing

Economic Development

Massey Business Internship

We have submitted a project to the Massey Business School Internship programme to review our visitor website.

Sister City Forum

Angela attended this event in Wellington to hear from other Councils, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and others about how their sister city relationships came about and how they can be nurtured for mutual benefit, what those benefits can be and how these relationships can evolve over time.

Business Support

Three new businesses were seen by Mark and Angela during August, and Angela continued working with others.

Communications

Media and Project Information Memoranda (PIM)

Mark attended a meeting of Civil Defence PIM Managers in Napier. PIM Managers from Horizons, Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti regions attended, along with representatives from national radio stations. The objectives of the meeting was to discuss how we can work more collaboratively in an event.

Appointment of Communications Officer

The team are pleased to welcome Mitchell Guile as the new Communications Officer. Mitchell will be responsible for dissemination of information – for example, Council’s website, Facebook, Bush Telegraph and media releases will now be managed by Mitchell.

Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade

Construction: Underground works commenced on Monday 2 with a blessing of the construction site by local iwi and a sod-turning ceremony performed by the Council and Project Team. The initial works are concentrating on the installation of the new sewer and water mains at the northern end of town. A breakdown of the construction timing and staging is available on the Council’s website.

Business After 5 Meeting: Council engaged members of the community through a Business After 5 meeting, hosted by the Pahiatua Chamber of Commerce. With over 25 attendees from the business community, the evening provided an opportunity for people to hear about the upgrade, ask questions and ultimately celebrate the commencement of this major project for Pahiatua.

Toolbox Meetings: Council is providing an opportunity for general public to meet face-to-face with the project team at the beginning of each week to discuss the works planned for the week and to answer any queries or concerns that are resulting from the construction. As at 10 September, two meetings have been held with nil attendance. This is likely due to the fact that the information provided at these meetings is also being sent through email and this is proving to be sufficient. People can sign up to receive the email updates on the Council website. The Toolbox Meetings will be reviewed if nil attendance continues.

Signage: There will be two different types of signage installed at this stage of the project. The first type of signage will be located at the three main entrances to Pahiatua (Main Street, SH2 and Mangahao Road) and will advise motorists entering the township that construction is in progress for our town centre upgrade and that they should expect delays. These will be installed by the end of September 2019. The second type of signage will be located in the central zone and will display information about the project background and objective, construction timing and staging for the project and artists impressions of what the upgrade will look like. Council has displayed print-outs of this information signage at three locations in Pahiatua while signage is being constructed and installed.

Funding: The Project Team have met with Eastern Central Community Trust (ECCT) to discuss the project and opportunities for funding under the ECCT umbrella.

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant

Following the completion of the Detailed Design, construction commenced on Monday 2 September with a blessing of the construction site by local iwi. A media release was issued on 2 September to inform residents as to how this project is progressing.

2019 Local Elections

Nominations for the 2019 Local Elections closed at 12noon on Friday 16 August.

Candidate names and profiles are available on the Council website: www.tararuadc.govt.nz/2019elections

Meet the Candidates events have been organised by local community boards, community committees and organisations and dates/times of these are available on the Council website: www.tararuadc.govt.nz/2019elections

The next key date is 20-25 September. This is when voting documents will be sent.

The focus for communications going forward is encouraging voters to both participate in the elections and to make informed decisions.

Events

Once again Tararua District Council and Sport Manawatu attended the North Range Trio 2019. This offers four off-road walking/running events, catering for a range of fitness levels.

The three returning events were the popular 25km North Range Traverse, the 12.5km Tararua District Hall Block Humdinger and the Manawatu and Tararua Districts’ only off-road ultra-marathon, the 50km Catchment Ultra!

This year, Sport Manawatu included a fourth course, the 5km Mini Dinger.

A total of 501 participants (40 of which were participating in the new Mini Dinger) took part in the events.

ShakeOut 2019 – National Earthquake Drill and Tsunami Hīkoi

ShakeOut is held across the world to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake — Drop, Cover and Hold — and to practise a tsunami hīkoi (evacuation) if in a coastal area.

The 2019 drill is scheduled to take place at 1:30pm on 17 October 2019

Planning on the communications strategy is underway. The focus audience is school-age children and the strategy will likely revolve around this theme.

Community Support

Community Support - Spring Festival

Support has been provided to the Dannevirke Community Board for the organisation and promotion of the 2019 Spring Festival.

Community Support

Mark met with the board of a community trading organisation in Dannevirke to discuss some challenges they face and explore opportunities for business support.

Tararua i-SITE Visitor Information Centre

Welcome Packs

July /August – 124 packs were sent out, 36 of these were sent outside the Tararua District.

Visitor Guide 2019-2020

The new Visitor Guide has arrived and features one of Pukaha’s newest attractions on the front cover. The guide needed quite a few changes and the story of Tu Te Manawa has also been added.

Tourism Business Evening

The Tourism Business evening was a great success. The next one will be in November at Dannevirke Fantasy Cave followed by a Christmas Party in December at Masters Hall where the wonderful Christmas Lights will be on display.

Creative Communities NZ

The August funding round has closed with 12 applications received for amounts totalling $32,138. The committee meets in September to allocate funding.

Tararua District i-SITE/ Information Centre visitor enquiries. August 2019

Library

Executive Summary

The three programmes being delivered by the library team in August have had an excellent take up. The biggest challenge for the Library team this month has been the additional workload explaining the changes with the Aotearoa Peoples Network Kaharoa equipment. For most customers, once shown the new equipment, they have not required additional staff help. The minority who have needed assistance have been ably assisted by the library team who have embraced the Chromebooks and cloud technology.

The last of the static shelving at Pahiatua and Dannevirke Libraries has been replaced. The mobile units that are at each of the library sites perform better in earthquakes, and allow complete flexibility for layout.

Planning

Kotui - BC Mobile

Kotui have provided the draft app for testing. Some minor errors were found and these are being corrected. 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. It is expected to be ready for use in September.

Math is Fun

Planning for this programme continues.

New Zealand Book Awards Lit Quiz

Entries for the quiz close at the end of August. As at the end of August, Woodville had three teams confirmed to attend and Dannevirke had eleven. Eketahuna had reported that their schools had confirmed they would not be taking part.

Collaboration with Eketahuna School Book Week

The Eketahuna team are waiting to hear back from the principal at Eketahuna School.

Term Four Summer Reading Programme

The Children’s Service Team of Nikki Price, Leilani Gundry, Wyn Davidson and Corinna Carew have started planning for the replacement programme for the Term Four holiday programme. They will be drafting a programme to present to the library team in September.

Delivery

APNK (Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa) Refresh

The outstanding Chromebooks have arrived and been delivered to each site this month. The Dannevirke Printer was also replaced after arriving faulty.

At present, the team are still familiarising themselves with the equipment, booking and print management software. There have been some teething issues, and APNK team have been very quick to sort these out.

Library Events & Programmes

Author Visit – Dannevirke Library

On 30 August, New Zealand author, Emma Stevens, visited Dannevirke Library and talked about her adventures going to Alaska, living and eventually falling in love with her now husband who was also present. Emma wrote three books about her time in Alaska. Eleven people were treated to a very interesting talk.

Poetry Day

Successful Open Mic nights were held at both Eketahuna and Woodville libraries on the evening of the 22^nd August. Five people attended at Eketahuna and 24 people at Woodville.

This is Woodville’s third year hosting an Open Mic night, and initially they started off small and it has grown every year.

Dannevirke Library held a Cut-Out Poetry workshop that was attended by six keen poets.

The Annual Poetry competition was held, and this year both the winner and runner up were both from the Tararua District.

Winner – C Beale; Runner Up - L McConchie.

Adult’s Winter Reading Challenge

The programme continued throughout August. The last week is the first week of September. The winner of the Pamper Hamper will be drawn from all those participants who completed the Challenge.

Children’s Winter Reading Challenge

628 children at Dannevirke and Woodville Libraries registered in July to take up the Winter Reading Challenge. There were registrations at Pahiatua and Eketahuna also, however there have been no numbers recorded at the time of writing this. The Challenge could be completed as an individual at their local library, or as a class through their school.

There were visits to the library by schools at Pahiatua, Woodville and Dannevirke during August. Team members at different sites were also “booked” to visit classes as part of the programme challenges.

Team members continued regular visits to the participating schools to check off the children’s challenge puzzles. This has been challenging for one site to manage, and this will be explored during the evaluation of this new programme by the Children’s Services Team.

The programme officially finished at the end of August. Team members are still finalising and updating the challenges children completed. Books loaned to the schools are being returned to each library. During September the prize giving for the schools will be held.

The Children’s Services Team have designed feedback forms for children and teachers in order to evaluate the success of the programme. At least one library site has expressed disappointment with the number of children who completed the programme. This, alongside the feedback received from schools and children will assist the Team to adjust the programme to be even better next year.

Programmes and Projects Office

Project updates

With Jessi McKenzie (Project Coordinator) and Marco Alben (Project Manager) on board, the Programmes and Projects Office is able to start helping in more projects across TDC, as well as working to build our ongoing project management capability.

Initially, Jessi is supporting the development of the long term plan, together with a review on parks and reserves service provision. Marco has taken on project management of the Business Intelligence project, that uses algorithms to makes sense of all the data our water and other networks capture on a daily basis. He is also supporting with a review of solid waste service provision, and an assessment of requirements for an application to support contractor and contract management. Additionally, the team is providing support for project reporting, as well as ad hoc project support for projects such as the Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade.

On the operational side, Tom has been continuing with work in Eketahuna, with the installation of flow restrictors to some rural properties in this area highlighting some other refinements required on the reticulation lines. There have also been some further refinements for the Pahiatua Reservoir.

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant

The blessing of the plant project has taken place, with ground works commencing with civil contractors Morris & Bailey working on site. The resource consent has also been granted.

The peer review of the civil build and the review of impact on the wastewater plant has resulted in some suggested design changes, which are currently being worked through to ensure a robust plant building is developed. The impact of these changes is still being assessed.

Ground works are continuing on site, in preparation for the build work to commence once the design changes have been confirmed and the building consent has been granted. Finalisation and peer review of the mechanical and electrical designs is currently underway.

Civil Defence Emergency Management

Emergency Management

A service provided by Council is to facilitate community civil defence groups (LTP 2018-2028). Their purpose is for community leaders to develop emergency response plans, promote readiness, and lead the community response to a disaster.

Dannevirke

There is no group in Dannevirke. South School and Totara College have trained to be community led civil defence centres.

Pahiatua

The Pahiatua group is active led by Tim Sorenson supported by Shirley Hull. They held a community meeting in July and will meet again 1 October. They have a plan dated July 2016.

Woodville

The Woodville group is active led by Joy Kopa supported by Jenny McNeur, and Susan Barber. They last met for training and a meeting in July. They have a plan dated November 2016.

Eketahuna

The Eketahuna group is active, led by Charlie Death supported by Corinna Carew. Their annual meeting was in July and training is planned. They have a plan dated July 2016.

Norsewood

The Norsewood group is active led by Robyn Yearbury. They have not set a date for their annual meeting as yet but this year met with the primary school and held a Community Connect barbeque. They have a plan dated September 2017.

Pongaroa

The Pongaroa group is active led by Phil Black with support from Heather Monk. They held a community meeting in July. They have a plan dated November 2016.

Akitio

The Akitio group is active led by Diane Fergus. They met in August and have a plan dated September 2014.

Makuri

The Makuri group is active led by Jane Seymour. Met with Jane in July to plan a training session but no date has been set as yet. They have a plan dated August 2018.

There are no groups in any other communities that we are aware of.

1. Recommendation

1.1 That the report from the Chief Executive dated 17 September 2019 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.

Attachments

Nil.

Date	:	17 September 2019
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Mark Maxwell Economic Development and Communications Manager
Subject	:	Economic Development Plan
Item No	:	11.1