Notice of Meeting

A meeting of the Tararua District Council will be held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Wednesday 27 May 2020 commencing at 1.00pm.

                                                                                                                           Blair King

                                                                                                                           Chief Executive

Agenda

 

1.               Present

2.               Council Prayer

3.               Apologies 

4.               Public Forum

A period of up to 30 minutes shall be set aside for a public forum.  Each speaker during the public forum section of a meeting may speak for up to five minutes.

Standing Orders may be suspended on a vote of three-quarters of those present to extend the period of public participation or the period any speaker is allowed to speak.

With the permission of the Mayor, members may ask questions of speakers during the period reserved for public forum.  If permitted by the Mayor, questions by members are to be confined to obtaining information or clarification on matters raised by the speaker.

5.               Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

Major items not on the agenda may be dealt with at this meeting if so resolved by the Council and the chairperson explains at the meeting at a time when it is open to the public the reason why the item was not listed on the agenda and the reason why discussion of the item cannot be delayed until a subsequent meeting.

Minor matters not on the agenda relating to the general business of the Council may be discussed if the chairperson explains at the beginning of the meeting, at a time when it is open to the public, that the item will be discussed at that meeting, but no resolution, decision or recommendation may be made in respect of that item except to refer it to a subsequent meeting.

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

7.               Personal Matters   

8.               Confirmation of Minutes                                                      5

Recommendation

That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 29 April 2020 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

 

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

10.             Reports

10.1           Treasury Risk Management Policy                                       13

10.2           Temporary waiver of fees and charges for regular users of Council community and recreation facilities                     39

10.3           Third Quarter Performance for the Period Ended

                   31 March 2020                                                                         45

10.4           Rollover Provision for Contract C01-11 for the Operation of the Dannevirke Transfer Station by Smart Environment                                                                            73

10.5           Proposed Dog Registration Fees and Charges for the 2020/21 financial year                                                           77

10.6           Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974                                                  81

10.7           Staff Report                                                                              93

 

11.             Local Government New Zealand Annual General Meeting

To determine the Council’s delegates to vote on its behalf at the Local Government New Zealand Annual General Meeting held on 20 November 2020 the following recommendation is made.

Recommendation

That the Council, being a member of Local Government New Zealand, appoint the Mayor -  Mrs T H Collis as the presiding delegate to vote on its behalf at the Annual General Meeting of Local Government New Zealand held on the twentieth day of November 2020 and at any adjournment thereof, and

That the Deputy Mayor – Cr E L Peeti-Webber be appointed as the alternative delegate to vote on the Council’s behalf in the absence of the Mayor.

 

12.             Portfolio Reports

Councillors assigned the responsibility to undertake the portfolio for a specific activity can report back on any of these matters.

13.             Mayoral Matters  

14.             Items not on the Agenda Accepted in Accordance with the Procedure Outlined as per Agenda Item 5  

 

15.             Public Excluded Items of Business

Recommendation

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

·       Proposal to build six Pensioner Units in Dannevirke

·       Chief Executive’s employment term

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
Proposal to build six Pensioner Units in Dannevirke	To protect commercial activities	Section (1)(a)(i)
Chief Executive’s employment term	To protect the privacy of natural persons	Section (1)(a)(i)

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

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

S7(2)(a)      The withholding of the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person.

 

16.             Closure

 

 

 

1.               Present

Her Worship the Mayor - Mrs T H Collis, Crs E L Peeti-Webber (Deputy Mayor), A K Franklin, S A Hull, C J Isaacson, P A Johns, K A Sutherland, R A Treder and S M Wards.

In Attendance

Mr B King               -    Chief Executive (except for item 15.2)

Mr R Taylor           -    Governance Manager

Mr R Suppiah        -    Chief Financial Officer (until item 14)

Ms E Roberts         -    Revenue Manager (until item 14)

Mr C Whiley          -    IT Alliance Manager (until item 14)

Ms M Brenssell     -    Committee Secretary (until item 14)

Mr P Wimsett        -    Manager Strategy and District Development (until item 14)

Mr C McKay           -    Finance Manager (until item 14)

Mr H Featonby      -    Alliance Planning Manager (until item 14)

Ms P Peters           -    EquiP Associate (for item 15.3)

Mr S Necklen         -    LGNZ EquiP (for item 15.3)

 

2.               Council Prayer

2.1	The Mayor opened the meeting with the Council Prayer.

3.               Apologies

3.1

Nil

4.               Public Forum

4.1

Nil

5.               Notification of Items Not on the Agenda

5.1

Nil

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

6.1

Nil

7.               Personal Matters

7.1

Nil

8.              Confirmation of Minutes

8.1	That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 26 February 2020 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. Crs Johns/Peeti-Webber                                                                                  Carried

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

9.1	Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974  (Item 11.2)
9.1.1	Club Targa Incorporated have postponed their motorsport event intended to be held on 17 May 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
9.1.2	That event is now proposed to be held on 5 July 2020 if possible, and Club Targa has submitted to the Alliance a revised road closures application to advertise the variation to the date concerning the road closures requested for that purpose.
9.1.3	Following completion of the notification process the outcome will be reported to Council regarding the alternative arrangements proposed by the applicant, and noting a waiver will be recommended to the usual twenty-six weeks advance notice requirement for submitting a road closures application.
9.2	Community Remembrance Time for Victims of Christchurch Mosques Terrorist Attack  (Item 13.2)
9.2.1	On 15 March 2020 the district came together in the Council Chamber to join with the Muslim community to enjoy the bond of friendship, and commemorate the day New Zealand as a nation showed unity, compassion and love in response to terrorism and an act intending to divide us.

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 2 March 2020 (as circulated) be received. Crs Franklin/Wards                                                                                         Carried

 

10.2	Eketahuna Community Board
10.2.1	That the report of the Eketahuna Community Board meeting held on 9 March 2020 (as circulated) be received. Crs Franklin/Wards                                                                                         Carried
10.2.2	Downer Tararua Sports Awards
10.2.2.1	Due to COVID-19 restrictions the Downer Tararua Sports Awards have been postponed until next year, with a new date for arranging that event to be determined.
10.2.2.2	All nominations received at this time will be carried forward for consideration, and the period shall be extended to cover two years through recognising achievements in both 2019 and 2020.

 

10.3	Pahiatua On Track
10.3.1	That the report of the Pahiatua On Track meeting held on 4 March 2020 (as circulated) be received. Crs Franklin/Wards                                                                                         Carried

 

10.4	Woodville Districts' Vision
10.4.1	That the report of the Woodville Districts’ Vision meeting held on 3 March 2020 (as circulated) be received. Crs Franklin/Wards                                                                                         Carried

11.            Reports

 

11.1

Appointment of the Council's Electoral Officer

11.1.1

That the report from the Risk Manager dated 22 April 2020 concerning the appointment of the Council's Electoral Officer (as circulated) be received, and That Maria Brenssell be appointed as the Council’s Electoral Officer for the Tararua District to conduct its elections and polls in accordance with the provisions of the Local Electoral Act 2001 and regulations made under this Act. Crs Johns/Hull                                                                                                  Carried

 

11.2	Audit and Risk Committee
11.2.1	That the report of the Audit and Risk Committee meeting held on 17 March 2020 (as circulated) be received. Crs Isaacson/Franklin                                                                                      Carried

 

11.3

Changes to the Local Government Funding Agency Documentation

11.3.1

That the report from the Chief Financial Officer dated 23 April 2020 concerning changes to the Local Government Funding Agency documentation (as circulated) be received, and That Council delegate to Mayor Tracey Collis, Councillor Sharon Wards and the Chief Executive authority to sign the necessary Deed of Amendment and documents forwarded by the Local Government Funding Agency to enable its borrowing programme to be extended to include borrowing facilities for Council Controlled Organisations. Crs Johns/Isaacson                                                                                          Carried

 

11.4	Amendment to the Rates Resolution for the 2019/2020 Financial Year
11.4.1	It is requested the paragraph of the rates invoice insert regarding payment of rates be reviewed to make the wording clearer to understand.
11.4.2	The suggested alteration for that purpose is along the following lines: “Anyone who would like to spread their payments over the rating year, and those ratepayers who pay by eftpos and cash, please look at completing the direct debit authority form included with your rates notice”.
11.4.3	That the report from the Revenue Manager dated 23 April 2020 concerning an amendment to the Rates Resolution for the 2019/2020 financial year (as circulated) be received, and That Council approve the following specific amendments to the Rates Resolution for the 2019/2020 financial year: 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 26 June 2019 Resolution 31 May 2020 1 June 2020 Changes approved 31 May 2020 (no change) No penalty applied For water metered rates That Council resolves pursuant to Section 58(1)(a) to authorise the following penalties to be added on unpaid rates:   Instalment Due Date Rates Penalty Date 26 June 2019 Resolution 20 April 2020 21 April 2020 Changes approved 20 April 2020 (no change) No penalty applied 26 June 2019 Resolution 20 July 2020 21 July 2020 Changes approved 20 July 2020 (no change) No penalty applied
	Crs Sutherland/Johns                                                                                       Carried

12.             Portfolio Reports

12.1	Mayor’s Report
12.1.1	A copy of the Mayor’s report dated 29 April 2020 is tabled, and the information set out in that document is circulated for reference as an attachment to the agenda of the meeting relating to these minutes.
12.1.2	Matters included in the Mayor’s report are as follows: ·       COVID-19 ·       Drought ·       Anzac Day ·       Forestry ·       Regional Chiefs ·       Letters of support and congratulations ·       Events attended by the Mayor ·       Councillor’s portfolio reports

13.             Mayoral Matters

13.1

Donations to District’s Returned and Services Association

13.1.1

That for this year Council donate to the Anzac Day poppy funds of the district’s Returned and Services Association to acknowledge and look after the welfare of their servicemen and families, and                    That the following donations be provided for this purpose, recognising this year’s Anzac Day poppy fundraising collections could not proceed due to the COVID-19 lockdown: ·       Dannevirke $1,000 ·       Norsewood $   500 ·       Woodville $   500 ·       Pahiatua $   500 ·       Eketahuna $   500    And that these funds be provided from savings in the budgets for costs that will not be incurred for Anzac Day services and community support assistance through the International Representatives Scheme.   Crs Johns/Peeti-Webber                                                                                  Carried

14.             Items Not on the Agenda

14.1	Nil
14.2	The meeting adjourned at 1.35pm, and resumed at 1.55pm.

15.             Public Excluded Items of Business

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

Chief Executive's Performance Review

Chief Executive’s End of Term Review                                         

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
Chief Executive’s Performance Review	To protect the privacy of natural persons	Section (1)(a)(i)
Chief Executive’s End of Term Review	To protect the privacy of natural persons	Section (1)(a)(i)

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

s7(2)(a)      The withholding of the information is necessary to protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of a deceased person.

And that Pamela Peters Equip Associate and Scott Necklen of LGNZ EquiP are permitted to remain at this meeting after the public has been excluded because of their knowledge to facilitate item of business 15.3 regarding the Chief Executive’s End of Term Review process.

	Crs Hull/Johns                                                                                                 Carried
15.4	That open meeting be resumed. Crs Johns/Hull                                                                                                 Carried

 

There being no further business the Mayor thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 5.15pm.

 

 

 

____________________________

                       Mayor

 

     

Date	:	20 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Cameron McKay Finance Manager
Subject	:	Treasury Risk Management Policy
Item No	:	10.1

 

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            To present the updated Treasury Risk Management Policy - Including Liability Management and Investment Policies, for Council’s consideration for adoption.

2.             Background

2.1            The purpose of the Treasury Risk Management Policy is to outline the approved policies and objectives in respect of all treasury activity to be undertaken by Council. 

2.2            The Treasury Policy is reviewed periodically to ensure that the policy enables Council to achieve its strategic objectives in the Long Term Plan (LTP) and to ensure treasury risks within Council continue to be well managed.

2.3            The borrowing limits contained within section 4.2 of the Treasury Risk Management Policy will become the financial prudence benchmark limits, and will inform the Financial Strategy for the 2021/31 Long Term Plan. Borrowing limits are an important aspect of managing risk and maintaining flexibility in relation to Council’s external debt liabilities. Council is able to set its own debt limits up to the LGFA (Local Government Funding Agency) covenant limits.

2.4            The key proposed updates to the Treasury Risk Management Policy enables Council:

·        more flexibility in managing interest rate risk, allowing for greater participation in lower floating interest rates,

·        the ability to increase debt to fund future capital programmes by increasing the debt to revenue percentage from 100% to 150%

·        to undertake borrowing over a longer period that is aligned to the Local Government Funding Agency offerings.

 

3.             Economic Environment

3.1            The economy has significantly changed since the current Treasury Risk Management Policy was approved. Since 2019, the outlook from the Reserve Bank has been lower for longer interest rates. This resulted in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) reducing from 1.75% to 1.00%. Recently, COVID-19 resulted in the OCR being reduced to 0.25% as a mechanism to encourage significant investment in the economy as New Zealand enters the recovery phase of the recent lockdown events.

3.2            The following graph showing the OCR indicates the likely cost of floating debt for Council.

 

 

 

4.             Key Policy Changes

More flexibility in managing interest rate risk

4.1            A key policy objective of the Treasury and Risk Management Policy is to ensure Council’s total debt is spread across a range of maturities, and a minimum amount of interest rate fixing is maintained.

4.2            As highlighted in section 3, the Reserve Bank has reduced the OCR rate (indication of floating interest rates), with a view that interest rates are going to be lower for longer.

4.3            Currently, the policy has the requirement of having at least 55% fixed rate debt based on the 12 month debt forecast. This is to manage the risk of increasing interest rates. The updated policy proposes minimum and maximum fixing limits that takes into consideration the forecast debt of Council’s 10 year Long Term Plan (LTP) and allows greater flexibility to participate in lower floating interest rates by only requiring a minimum of 40% of debt to be fixed. This approach, known as a corridor approach is based on the interest rate fixing limits contained in the table below (section 6.1.3 of the Treasury and Risk Management Policy). The reducing amount of interest rate fixing as time progresses ensures Council does not have an over exposure to interest rate fixing.

                                                                   Table : Debt Interest Rate Policy Parameters

Undertake borrowing over a longer period

4.4            Council is able to pre-fund an upcoming loan maturity by borrowing up to 12 months earlier than the maturity date of the loan. This manages the risk of credit margins charged by lending institutions being high on maturity date of the loan. The impact COVID-19 had on the market was an instance where a short, sharp rise in margins were experienced before the Reserve Bank issued bonds to the market. The new policy recognises the effectiveness of this strategy, and proposes that prefunding can be transacted 18 months prior to maturity.

On-lending to Council Controlled Organisations

4.5            A further change to the policy is the allowance for Council to on-lend to Council Controlled Organisations (CCO/CCTO’s). This reflects the recent changes to the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) trust deed to enable lending to CCO’s. Council currently does not have any CCO’s, but the inclusion of this section ensures that if in the future a CCO is created, it would have access to low cost debt through LGFA. This new section is contained in section 4.8 of the Treasury and Risk Management Policy.

Borrowing Limits

4.6            The table below highlights Council’s current borrowing limits against what is proposed in the updated Treasury Policy. The LGFA covenants are also shown as a comparison.

S/N	Item	Current Council Borrowing Limit	Proposed Council Borrowing Limit	LGFA Covenants
1.	Net external debt as a percentage of total revenue	<100%	<150%	<175%
2.	Net Interest on external debt as a percentage of total revenue	<7%	<7%	<20%
3.	Net Interest on external debt as a percentage of annual rates income (debt secured under debenture)	<10%	<10%	<30%
4.	Liquidity (External debt + available committed bank facilities + cash and cash equivalents to existing external debt)	>110%	>110%	>110%

                                                                   Table : Council Borrowing Limits

4.7            A limit change is proposed, increasing “net external debt as a percentage of total revenue” limit from 100% to 150%. Council increased the limit from 50% to 100% in the previous LTP as a result of the projected increasing external debt.

4.8            It is anticipated that the 2021/31 Long Term Plan will continue to see the introduction of a number of significant capital projects as a result of increasing compliance and improving service levels. Changing the above measure ensures sufficient borrowing headroom is available to deliver on the proposed capital programme in the LTP. The limit of <150% leaves headroom for borrowing against the LGFA covenant for unforeseen events.

4.9            Limits 2 and 3 in table 1 above are related to the cost of servicing external debt. These measures have a direct impact on affordability of debt, therefore no change is proposed. Council will continue to manage its cost of debt and liquidity requirements prudently.

 

5.             Conclusion

5.1            The Treasury Policy has been reviewed and updated to ensure it enables the strategic objectives of the 2018/2028 Long Term Plan, and the upcoming 2021/2031 Long Term Plan.

5.2            As a result, it is proposed to increase the debt limit in s/n 1 of Table 1 from 100% to 150%, ensuring that Council has sufficient borrowing capacity to deliver on the proposed capital programme.

5.3            A significant change to the policy recommends adjusting the mechanism for managing interest rate exposure. The new policy manages interest rate exposure by linking to the Long Term Plan forecast debt. It also reduces the minimum amount of interest rate fixing from 55% to 40% allowing for greater flexibility and participation in low floating interest rates currently on offer through the LGFA.

 

 

6.             Recommendation 6.1            That the report from the Finance Manager dated 20 May 2020 concerning the Treasury Risk Management Policy (as circulated) be received, and 6.2            That the key changes to update and align the policy to Council’s strategic objectives to provide more flexibility in managing interest rate risk be noted, and 6.3            That Council adopt the Treasury Risk Management Policy including Liability Management and investment Policies as attached to this report.

 

Attachments

1⇩.    Treasury and Risk Management Policy

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date	:	20 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Cameron McKay Finance Manager
Subject	:	Temporary waiver of fees and charges for regular users of Council community and recreation facilities
Item No	:	10.2

 

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            The purpose of this report is to consider a temporary waiver of fees and charges for regular users of Council’s community facilities for a period of three months.

2.             Background

2.1            Council is responsible for leading the Tararua District Recovery from COVID-19. One of the objectives in the Draft Recovery Strategy is to “Enable our communities to recover quickly by building resilience and stability.”

2.2            Council has received a request (attached) from the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. to consider waiving in part, or full, fees charged to local community sports groups using Council facilities. It raises the following issues arising from COVID-19 for local community sports groups:

·        Limited access to grant-funding (on average 25% of a club’s annual income)

·        Restrictions on social gatherings (currently limited to 10)

·        Likely reductions in memberships

2.3            There has also been a request from a local recreation group for a reduction of fees due to the restrictions imposed limiting the number of people in a group to 10.

2.4            The objective for fees setting for community facilities is to encourage utilisation, with fees charged used to partially offset the costs of maintaining the facilities. Due to Covid-19, it is necessary to clean each facility after usage to eliminate the risk of the spread of the virus.

2.5            The Government has introduced funding through Sport NZ Community Resilience Fund for sports clubs and district bodies who are affiliated to national bodies for the purpose of paying fixed costs for the period of April to June 2020.

3.             Proposed options for Fees Waiver

3.1            Option 1 (Preferred Option) – Waiving of fees to council facilities for regular community groups

User Type	Fees Charged	Why	Financial Impact
Regular community group user	No charge for the period of 1 June to 31 August. Additional support maybe announced by the Government in coming weeks. Council may revisit the length of the fee waiver in August.	Community groups, including sport and recreation groups using Council facilities are impacted by COVID-19, from loss of grants available and revenue due to restricted numbers allowed currently. These groups are an important aspect of social recovery, especially due to the social isolation faced by all during the lockdown. Support currently available from the Government does not target all community groups, and was intended only for the period of April to June for sports groups.	$5,000 loss of Fees Revenue
One-off use e.g: weddings and social gatherings	Normal charges as per Councils Fees and Charges Document	Priority for support is specifically given to regular community groups who are being impacted economically from restricted numbers and are important to the Districts social recovery.	None

 

3.2            Option 2 – No relief for fees charged for community facilities is given from Council.

3.2.1         Council has an objective in its Draft Recovery Strategy to “Enable our communities to recover quickly by building resilience and stability.”

3.2.2         We have now entered level 2 which allows for facilities to be used but with the limit of 10 people to a group. Council can enable regular community groups who use Council facilities to recover quickly and in a more stable manner by providing fees relief for using its facilities.

3.2.3         This option does not meet the above recovery objective, and places additional uncertainty on these community groups as some will not be eligible for support under the through Sport NZ Community Resilience Fund.

3.3            Option 3 – Fees waived on a case by case basis

3.3.1         This option would allow fees to be waived for 3 months if certain conditions are met upon application from a regular user of Council facilities.

3.3.2         This requires additional administration cost on both Council, and applicants. Due to the additional stress and uncertainty caused by COVID-19, and the small cost to Council of applying a blanket fee waiver as outlined in 3.1, this option is not recommended.

4.             Significance Assessment

4.1            Deviation from Council’s Fees and Charges can be approved by way of Council resolution.

4.2            This decision does not trigger Council’s significance and engagement policy.

5.             Conclusion

5.1            Council plays a critical role in the community by way of leading the district’s recovery.

5.2            Council has received requests for relief from fees charged for usage of Council’s community facilities.

5.3            Option 3.1 that proposes a full fee waiver for 3 months from 1 June to 31 August will be welcome relief to the regular users of Council’s community facilities as they have restrictions on group sizes imposed by COVID-19. This also recognises that community sports groups will be suffering from a lack of grant funding currently available. The impact of this decision is $5,000 reduction in Council revenue, providing support to 12 community groups.

 

 

6.             Recommendation 6.1            That the report from the Finance Manager dated 20 May 2020 concerning a Temporary waiver of fees and charges for regular users of Council community and recreation facilities (as circulated) be received, and 6.2            That a deviation is approved from the fees and charges payable by allowing regular users of Council’s community and recreation facilities a full fee waiver of their fees for the period of 1 June to 31 August 2020, thereby providing support towards the district’s recovery from the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Attachments

1⇩.    Letter from NZ Amateur Sports Association Inc requestion fess relief for local community sports groups

   

Date	:	21 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Sarah Walshe Senior Financial Accountant
Subject	:	Third Quarter Performance for the Nine Months Period ending 31 March 2020
Item No	:	10.3

 

Contents

Executive Summary

1.    Reason for Report

2.    Background

3.    Dashboard

 

Detailed Report

4.    Operating Results and Variances

5.    Summary of Service Performance Results

6.    Capital Expenditure Report

7.    Debtors Report

8.    Treasury Report

9.    Self-Funded Activities Report

a.      Forestry

b.      Pensioner Housing

10.  Compliance Exception Report

 

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            For the Council to:

·        Receive and comment on Council’s Performance Report for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020.

·        Provide indication of year end result.

·        Update and where required, seek variations for capital expenditure projects for 2019/20.

2.             Background

This report is the first nine months of the 2019/20 financial year Performance Report which covers the period 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2020.

The structure and content of this report is consistent with the other quarterly reports.  The purpose is to inform Council of the financial and non-financial performance, indicate expected year end results and seek variations identified for capital expenditure projects.

3.             Dashboard

 

 

4.             Operating Results and Variances

	2018/19 Actual 000’s	2019/20 Actual 000’s	2019/20 Budget 000’s	Variance 000’s
Revenue	29,923	32,061	28,002	4,060
Operating Expenditure	29,929	31,464	29,591	(1,874)
Operating Surplus/(Deficit)	(7)	597	(1,589)	2,186
Other Gains/(Losses)	-	-	-	-
Total Comprehensive Revenue & Expense	(7)	597	(1,589)	2,186

 

4.1            Overall Results

Council has achieved a favourable operating variance of $2.19 million for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020.  A deficit of $1.59 million was budgeted, but a surplus of $597,000 was achieved. 

The following activities are the main contributors for the favourable variance:

·        The emergency reinstatement funding from New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) remains to be one of the main drivers of the favourable variance.  As seen in the activity variance below, it accounts for $3,377,000 of the revenue received and an unfavourable variance in expenditure of $1,165,000.

·        Commercial Investments – Harvesting of roadside stands $657,000 unfavourable offset by proceeds received of $204,000 favourable. Forestry is a self-funding activity and does not have a rates impact.

·        District Promotions & Development - $98,000 received from external funding such as the Provincial Growth Fund offset by costs spent ($62,000 unfavourable) in relation to the funding received.

·        Health & Safety – increase in building revenue exceeding budget as a result of the increased number of building consents issued by Council $121,000 offset by increases to costs incurred in relation to earthquake prone buildings and remedial work for incorrectly installed fire alarms ($41,000).

·        Water Supplies – Ministry of Health grant received upon the completion of the Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant and increase in water supply revenue with the reduction in minimum cubic metre charges $504,000 offset by the increase in extraordinary maintenance costs incurred $218,000 as a result of the water issues the district has experienced.

·        Support Activity – $200,000 received to date from the Provincial Growth Fund for the Rail Hub feasibility project, offset by an unfavourable variance in this area for increased software licence costs and increased insurance costs ($153,000)

Note this list is not exhaustive and explained in more detail in sections 4.2 and 4.3 below

4.2            Operating Revenue

Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
Representation	($10,000)	O	External revenue from elections being less than budgeted. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Cemeteries	($18,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to a lower number of interments compared to budget which has been offset by an increase in plot sales compared to budget of $3k. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Community Buildings	$30,000	P	Favourable variance relates to lease charges to FENZ for the use of Council buildings. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.
Housing	$34,000	P	We continue to see the favourable variance in housing with a 100% occupancy rate of Council owned flats. Council prepared the 2019/2020 budget based on a 90% occupancy rate. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.
Parks & Reserve	($25,000)	O	Unfavourable variance is a result of Domain Board revenue budgeted for that has not yet been processed as at 31 March ($65k). This has been offset by the $26k of funding received from Ministry of Business and Innovation for the Responsible Camping Funding Agreement in the first quarter and an increase in camp ground revenue compared to budget of $14k. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.
Commercial Investments	$204,000	P	Favourable variance relates to the sale of roadside trees and honey income that had not been budgeted for. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end. Forestry is a self-funding activity.
Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
District Promotions & Development	$98,000	P	Favourable variance relates to unbudgeted funding we have received from the Provincial Growth Fund ($30k Alternative Land Use, $15k Tourism & Cycle/Walkway, and $20k Economic & Development project support, $30k Right Tree Right Place project). As well as minor increases in sales compared to budget at the i-site. Expect there to be a favourable variance in this area at year end.
Health & Safety	$121,000	P	Favourable variance is made up of building revenue exceeding budget by $137k. Council is seeing an influx of new house builds currently which are a major contributor to this variance. As at 31 March 288 consents were issued, with a further 19 that were on hold due to requests for information.  This is offset by ($16k) from environmental health and liquor licencing where there is a cyclical nature in these activities. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.
District Planning	$18,000	P	Favourable variance is a result of an increase in subdivision income over budget for the quarter of $15k, and land use consents $5k. Offset by LIM income being slightly less than budgeted ($2k). Council is experiencing a huge volume of enquiries in this area as well as the increased number in consents being processed. Council has processed 63 consents as at 31 March 2020 compared to 53 consents processed for the same period for the 2018/19 year and 27 consents processed for the same period for the 2017/18 year. Expect there to be a favourable variance in this area at year end.
Roading	$3,377,000	P	Favourable variance mainly relates to higher than expected NZTA subsidy with Council’s claim for emergency works for the period ending 30 June 2019 being accepted in October 2019. Also expenditure increased over the summer months with the reseal programme which lead to increased revenue as it is subsidised. Expect there to be a variable variance at year end.
Footpaths	($142,000)	O	Unfavourable variance is a result of lower than expected NZTA subsidy with works on footpath maintenance due to start beginning March with Pahiatua Main Street however put on hold with COVID-19.
Solid Waste	$107,000	P	Favourable variance is a result of a combination of higher than budgeted dumping fees ($95k) as a result of the increased fees and charges implemented 1 July 2019 (tonnage is tracking lower than the same period last year). Also Council has received higher than budgeted trade waste levy received ($10k) and glass recycling revenue ($1k). Glass is only sent to Auckland when a truck and trailer are full to minimise transport costs. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.
Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
Water Supplies	$504,000	P	Favourable variance is made up of a $393k grant Council received from Ministry of Health for Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant, Council had budgeted for this in the 2016/2017 year. The remaining favourable variance is made up of an increase in revenue from metered water (a combination of the reduction of the cubic metre charge from 100 to 80 cubic metres, and an increase in the per cubic metre charge over the 80 cubes there has been a slight increase in water consumption for the period compared to the same period in the previous year) and revenue received from water restrictor installations not budgeted for. Expect there to be a favourable variance in this area at year end.
Support Activities	$299,000	P	Favourable variance is a result of funding received for the Rail Hub feasibility study ($200k) and the remaining variance is an increase in rates penalties applied compared to budget for the period. For budgeting purposes penalties are difficult to get the phasing and value correct as these vary year on year and quarter to quarter. Expect there to be a favourable variance at year end.

 

4.3            Operating Expenditure

Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
Community Support	$51,000	P	Favourable variance relates to the timing of when Council grants are paid throughout the financial year compared to budget. These funding requests come in at various times making the budget phasing difficult to get correct.
Representation	($15,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to external legal fees offset by the timing of when the increase in elected member’s remuneration pool was applied post-election. Expect there to be a minor variance at year end.
Community Buildings	($66,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to building maintenance that has been carried out earlier than anticipated due to contractor availability. Also $42k spend that was not budgeted for was required for asbestos testing and removal that needed to take place. Council is anticipating there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Housing	($8,000)	O	The unfavourable variance relates to maintenance that has been carried out, Council is expecting this to be on budget come year end. Housing is a self-funding activity.
Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
Libraries	($33,000)	O	The variance relating to final salary payout to previous library manager a one-off higher duties payment to staff stepping into to provide cover while we recruited a new Library Manager. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Parks & Reserves	$89,000	P	As with the revenue side, the majority of this favourable variance ($65k) relates to domain board expenditure that has been budgeted for but not yet processed. The remainder of the variance relates to multiple ups and downs across maintenance areas with an overall offset by higher than budgeted insurance costs ($7k) incurred.
Public Conveniences	($25,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to an increase in cleaning costs ($9k), unbudgeted extraordinary maintenance carried out ($7k) and higher electricity costs than budgeted ($6k). Also with the funding Council received from the Ministry of Business & Innovation from the Responsible Camping Fund, Council has provided the Norsewood War Memorial Community Centre with a cleaning grant ($5k). Expect there to be a minor unfavourable variance at year end.
Service Centres	($24,000)	O	Unfavourable variance mainly relates to increase in staff costs ($18k) to enable cover to be provided for the Emergency Operations Centre to be staffed during the water crisis and an increase in insurance costs compared to budget. Expect there to be a minor unfavourable variance at year end.
Swimming Pools	($17,000)	O	Unfavourable variance is made up of a one off payment from the depreciation reserve to Tararua Aquatic Community Trust to enable the replacement of a pump. Expect there to be a minor unfavourable variance at year end.
Commercial Investments	($657,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to costs incurred in the removal of roadside trees. Forestry is a self-funding activity. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
District Promotions & Development	($62,000)	O	Unfavourable variance mainly relates to an increase in consultant costs as a result of the Provincial Growth funding Council received for economic development projects. This is to enable Council to utilise the PGF fund with completion of applications and project development, as well as an increase in promotional material for the district. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance for this at year end.
Animal Control	($63,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to legal fees incurred in obtaining legal advice on various prosecutions ($29k), additional PPE gear required for Health & Safety purposes, contract setup costs and an increase in cleaning costs. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Activity	Variance	Favourable/ Unfavourable	Explanation
Health & Safety	($41,000)	O	Unfavourable variance relates to an increase in consultant costs in relation to Earthquake prone buildings and advice sought on previous Code Compliance Certificates issued as well as remedial work in relation to incorrect fire alarms installed in commercial buildings. These costs are offset by savings in contract costs for Environmental Health as well as savings in liquor licencing area. Expect there to be a minor unfavourable variance at year end.
District Planning	$22,000	P	Favourable variance continues to be a result of savings in staff costs with having only an extra half FTE in this area with a full FTE being budgeted for. These savings are partially offset by the increase in external consultant fees to date with the engagement of a consultant primarily with the focus work on the Manawatu Gorge project to allow staff to process the rapidly increasing number of consents in this area and enquiries they are receiving.
Roading	($1,165,000)	O	Unfavourable variance is a result of higher emergency works that Council is continuing to experience.  Emergency reinstatement costs incurred to date of $376k more than budgeted.  As expected, the level of emergency works continued into this quarter from the last working on the backlog of works for the September 2018 and June 2019 events. The remaining variance is due to roading expenditure work increasing in the summer months with the reseal programme starting. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Footpaths	$196,000	P	With the focus of works having taken place in the emergency reinstatement, and Pahiatua Main Street upgrade being put on hold due to COVID-19, Council is currently behind their operational spend in footpath maintenance. We are unsure if this will be carried out through the remainder of the year.
Stormwater Drainage	$28,000	P	Favourable variance is made up of stormwater drains maintenance that has been budgeted for but not yet completed, we anticipate this to be completed by year end.
Water Supplies	($218,000)	O	Unfavourable variance is a result of significantly higher extraordinary maintenance incurred as a result of water crisis issues the district experienced. These include the installation of restrictors to farm lines, additional maintenance carried out, and costs incurred for the set up with KiwiRail for delivery of water. Expect there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.
Support Activities	($153,000)	O	Unfavourable variance mainly relates to an in increase in software licences required with additional staffing levels, and an increase in staff costs with the additional IT support required and an increase in insurance costs with higher premiums driven by past events making New Zealand a high risk country. We are expecting there to be an unfavourable variance at year end.

 

 

5.        Summary of Service Performance Results

5.1       Performance Measures impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 Pandemic and the associated lockdown that occurred from 26 March to 13 May will result in a number of performance measures no longer being met at year end. These measures can be categorised and have been impacted in the following manner:

Category	Covid-19 Impact	Number of Measures impacted
Utilisation	Council was required to close all non-essential services. This includes all community facilities, business workshops, libraries, and swimming pools.	4
Solid Waste	With the exception of glass, all recycling collected during this period was sent to landfill, resulting in lower recycling volumes and higher refuse per resident.	2
Physical Inspections	Progress on measures requiring physical inspections, with the exception of essential services, was stalled during the lockdown. Due to the time lost, and the need to maintain social distancing during level 2, these measures will not be met. It is likely that there will be a big volume of work on consents restarting in Level 2 which may impact on the applicable timelines.	4

See the service performance measures section of the attached 3^rd quarter report for further details.

 

5.2            Summary of Results

Council uses a range of service performance measures to monitor the service levels delivered to customers.

Table 2 below highlights the performance for the third quarter:

Category	2019/20 measures			% (out of 112 measures)	Last Year Results
	Council	Survey	Mandatory
Achieved / On Target	26	15	35	68%	78%
Needs Improvement	5	8	-	12%	-
Not achieved	7	-	2	8%	19%
Measured at Year end (including baseline year measures)	11	-	3	12%	3%

Table 2: Service Performance Measures Results

5.3            Council and Mandatory Performance Measures

Council uses a range of measures and targets to inform how we are performing against agreed service levels. These measures range from complaints in the Customer Request Management (CRM) system, to physical inspection of assets. These measures are categorised as Council and Mandatory Performance measures. The Department of Internal Affairs mandates 40 mandatory measures with Council setting the targets to be achieved. Council measures are agreed during each Long Term Plan.

The following highlights the critical mandatory and Council measures requiring improvement:

·        The water issues experienced in Woodville (December), and subsequently in Dannevirke (February) has resulted in 36 complaints regarding the continuity of supply exceeding the target of 24. Tararua experienced a significant drought that resulted in Council opening its Emergency Operations Centre. A number of leaks were identified and fixed both on private properties and the Council networks, and a focus on reducing residential and extra-ordinary demand ensured drinking water was available to residents.

·        We are investing in Internet of Things devices for extraordinary users and additional flowmeters to be able to actively monitor usage and better identify water loss. This identified abnormal water use that aided with reducing overall water usage. This data collection is also necessary for the upcoming water bylaw review.

·        Council will not comply with Part 5 (protozoal compliance) of the NZ Drinking Water Standards this year. Council aims for all plants with the exception of Pahiatua to have 24 hour monitoring in place by the end of the financial year. The Pahiatua Treatment Plant is due for completion at the end of August and will have 24 hour monitoring in place upon completion. Twelve months of data is required to be available for assessment once UV disinfection was installed. Therefore, plants that were commissioned in the previous 12 months also will not comply.

·        The regulatory department continues to experience a significant increase in demand by way of enquiries. Both the planning department, and building control team are fielding an increased level of enquiries from people interested in building and subdividing. Of 286 building consents issued, 25 applications took longer than 20 working days, resulting in this measure not being met this year.

·        The 50% increase in enquiries and the Manawatu-Tararua Highway project have impacted on the responsiveness of the planning team. As a result these 2 measures are unlikely to be met this year. The additional demand has negated the effect of the extra 0.5 planner resource. Planning consultants used to manage the overflow of work are also experiencing unprecedented demand meaning a limited ability to contract out the excess work.

5.4            Community Survey

Council continue to undertake the community survey, with a planned total of 452 residents surveyed each year. The frequency of the survey has been reduced from quarterly last year, to three times this year, being October, February, and May. The February wave survey results were included in the six month report, with the May results to be published in the Annual Report in August.

The objectives of the survey are:

·        To provide a robust measure of satisfaction with Council’s performance in relation to services.

·        To determine performance drivers and assist Council to identify the best opportunities to further improve satisfaction, including satisfaction among defined groups within the district

·        To assess changes in satisfaction over time and measure progress towards the Long Term Plan objectives.

5.4.1         Of the 23 survey measures 8 need improvement. The key ones are:

·    Only 45% are satisfied with rural roads, and 75% with urban roads against a combined target of 75%.

Council continues to advocate and submit for external funding to upgrade Route 52, a critical road for both heavy traffic operators, residents and tourism traffic. Council has put Route 52 forward for funding from Government as part of “Shovel Ready” projects to aid the countries recovery from Covid-19. The condition and safety aspects of this road is poor and is a major cause to dissatisfaction.

·    Satisfaction with recycling collection services has declined from 82% in the first quarter to 79%. Only 19% have indicated they use the kerbside recycling service, with 76% using the recycling drop-off service at the transfer station. Management are undertaking a waste audit to identify options to increase resident recycling and identify education opportunities.

·    Stormwater satisfaction is 66%. However, 45 of the 79 respondents unsatisfied live outside of the serviced stormwater network area.

5.4.2         Council’s reputation performance has increased significantly from the first survey (72% to 82%), with vision and leadership increasing from 74% to 85%.

6.             Capital Programme Update

6.1            Council has spent $19.8 million of its $29.3 million annual budget for 2019/20, across three reporting statuses:

·    Planned/Business as Usual (BAU) projects: These projects are planned to be undertaken over the financial year.  These can include multi-year projects.  The composition of these can vary from very small works to major projects.

·    Reactive programmes and works: These projects have budgets to allow for responsive work to be undertaken throughout the year if required, but underspending in this area might be due to less or no need rather than lack of progress.  Consequently, these projects should be separated when considering completion rates for the work programme.

·    Projects with dependencies: These projects are those where the ability for Council to progress is subject to some external or internal factor.  This means that most of these are currently on hold or delayed, pending the resolution of these factors.  Again then, it is important to note this when considering completion rates.

Covid-19 Impact

6.2            Council’s progress with its capital programme has been significantly impacted by Covid-19. This impact will have a flow on effect on Council’s 2020/21 Annual Plan. Not only will this put pressure on Council’s ability to deliver on a significantly larger capital programme but also on staff resources to deliver on operational projects and service level expectations.

6.3            Management will work through the Covid-19 impact and will in the year-end report be able to determine the carry forward budgets required.

6.4            Management has identified 47 projects that will not be completed this year and the remaining budgets will need to be carried forward to the next financial year. Initial worst case scenario estimates place the total value of budget that could be carried forward as $8.2m compared to $6.55m last year.  Council’s proposed capital programme for the draft 2020/21 Annual Plan pre-Covid was $16.8 million.

The above graph highlights the changes in project phases as we progress through the financial year. The graph shows the shift in both the Planned/ BAU projects and Projects with Dependencies progressing through the stages from not started through to complete. As expected Reactive programmes and works categories have not progressed through the project stages too much.

Of the reactive programmes and works, there are 14 projects or cost areas under way, 8 of which are in the planning stage and only 3 not started/on hold.  This reflects that this area is operating as intended, with budgets available for project work if the need arises.

In the 3^rd quarter we are seeing in the planned/ BAU category an additional 2 projects have been completed, the majority (53) are under way, with another 15 in the planning phase. This leaves us with 9 which are not yet started.

The main highlights in the CAPEX report are:

·   Pahiatua Main Street Upgrade:  Was impacted by Covid-19 particularly in level 4. As most of the activities on the Pahiatua project were not deemed “essential” the site was shut down for the majority of April. The site was inspected on a daily basis to ensure it remained safe during this time. Work still continued in the background in regards to design and planning of the above ground works while also formulating a plan of how the team can fast track the programme prior to the winter months. External funding applications are still underway and yet to be confirmed.

·   Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant: Civil construction has progressed well during the last 2 months despite major disruption from Covid-19. The project continues to focus on progressing without further delay through construction and commissioning phases. Additional costs have been incurred due to Covid-19 HSE requirements. The additional cost of continuing on site is proving its worth as the project stays on track to be completed close to pre-Covid-19 timeframes.

·   Consent Renewals: Staff have been working towards the deadlines set down by the Environment Court for the Eketahuna Wastewater consent. Prepping of evidence, updating of flows and discharge and stream monitoring results is continuing. Council continues to incur costs largely for legal fees. These costs are necessary so Council have the right information and support to ensure the optimal outcome for consent renewals.

7.             Debtors Report

Council continues to manage the rates debtors by classifying them in to categories based on risk. This allows staff to take a risk-based approach to managing rates debtors.

Council use internal resource and also the MWLASS Debt Management Central services (DMC) to manage/collect rates debtors in arrears.

7.1            Arrears Debtors

We had 1,688 rating units in arrears at 1 July 2019 with 1,537 clearing their arrears at 31 March 2020 leaving 151 with an arrears balance.  At 15 May 2020 there are 136 with a remaining arrears balance.  Total collected and approved write-off from 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2020 was $598,734 with a further $24,335 collected to 15 May 2020.

 

                 Debtor Arrears Collected 1 July 2019 to 31 March 2020

Date Collected	No of Debtors	Arrears Levy Owing	Arrears Interest Owing	Total Arrears Owing	Total Arrears Collected
1/07/2019	1,688	$1,058,602	$448,459	$1,507,061
30/09/2019	379	$  844,893	$407,005	$1,251,898	$255,163
31/12/2019	221	$  687,720	$372,596	$1,060,316	$191,582
31/03/2020	151	$  566,811	$341,516	$   908,327	$151,989
15/05/2020	136	$  545,039	$338,953	$  883,992	$ 24,335
Total Collected & Approved Write Off 1 July 2019 to 15 May 2020					$623,069

Table 1.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.2            How Council Manages the Debtors

Direct Debits

Direct debit is Council’s preferred payment option as once it is set up there is limited receipting required by Council as this is processed in bulk by the different types offered.  Staff are always looking at different ways of reaching out to those who are missing paying their rates.

A direct debit authority form is issued within the rates notice twice a year with a brochure explaining the benefits of spreading over the year and never missing a payment no matter what is happening at the due date etc.  Council have 4,500 of the 9,900 rateable rating units (45%) on direct debit currently. 

Rates Rebates

In 2018/2019 staff processed 806 rates rebates with $451,827 paid by the Department of Internal Affairs.  The rates rebate is for low income earners which they must apply for each rating year.  To date in 2019/2020 we have processed 547 rebates with $309,386 paid to their rates.  We will follow up with a letter to remind those who applied last year to get their application to us and enter a reminder in the Bush Telegraph.

Managing by risk categories

Staff identify the rating units with arrears under the categories set out in the tables above. 

Overdue letters

A friendly reminder is issued after Instalment 1 and notification of the arrears being placed with DMC if still no payment received to clear the rates after Instalment 2.  Staff have changed the overdue letter from a lot of words to a more visual letter using flags of where they are in the options available to Council to recover rates.  This has had a better response.

Debt Management Central

If staff have had no response to these two letters after Instalment 3 staff place the current instalment amounts with DMC.  Although the current rates do not become overdue arrears until 1 July of the following year, DMC issues a letter which does in some cases result in full payment or an agreement plan.  Some of the agreements are managed by Council if they approach us prior to us sending the arrears to DMC to manage. 

Agreements

Ratepayers who are on agreements have had their payments calculated on current rates, arrears and penalty at the time of the agreement to meet the agreed timeframe.  Staff include a percentage to allow for future current rates while the agreement is completed.  Any payment received is allocated to the arrears penalty first, then rate arrears and then to current penalty and rates. 

This does mean that current rates and penalty with payments not allocated in the years of the agreement are then transferred to the arrears balance at the end of each rating year.  Council continue to apply penalty throughout the agreement period.  Those on agreement when completed or if the agreement is going well after 2 years will have their penalty remitted. 

Formal Demand

Any ratepayers who have still not responded to any letter and has a current mortgage interest on their record of title, DMC will issue a notice of intent to make a formal demand on the mortgage on behalf of Council to both the ratepayer and the mortgagee.  Three months after the notification if payment is still not made DMC will make the formal demand to the mortgagee to clear the balance outstanding. 

Rating Sale/Abandoned land

Council’s other options are to take legal action through a rating sale or if the ratepayer is unable to be found or known to be deceased and the land not transferred to an executor may be sold through the abandoned land process.

Comparison to 2018/2019

At this period last year Council had 117 ratepayers with arrears of $255,284 that would have been in the first sub-total of the table above.  There were 2,077 with current arrears not paid of $784,927 including penalty.  Of this 1,062 were ratepayers with no arrears totalling $205,516 – see above table for this year’s figures.  Staff are always looking at different ways of reaching out to those who are missing paying their rates.   

COVID-19

Eighteen ratepayers have contacted staff requesting to stop their direct debit to restart in July 2020 affecting 28 rating units.  A further 7 ratepayers have advised they will not be able to pay due to COVID-19 being out of work now.  Staff will keep in touch with these ratepayers to ensure Council can assist with a repayment plan that best fits them.  As this instalment becomes due at the end of May we expect to hear from a lot more ratepayers.

Council will not be sending out arrears letters to those who have not paid their Instalment 4 balance.  We will be looking at those not paid after Instalment 1 2020-2021 who have not contacted Council and in the past always cleared their rates and contact them to see if staff can help with an agreement plan. 

Debt Management Central have been asked to hold off on following up on the formal demands where they had previously advised their mortgagee of arrears and they have not paid Council.  Staff will advise DMC in September 2020 as to how we want them to manage the ratepayers with arrears.

The abandoned land process has been pushed out until September 2020 as outlined below.

Maori Land

Council have 6 rating units that are Maori Freehold titled land that it cannot find the owners or they have advised they are no longer using the land.  Council is following the process for Maori Freehold land under Sections 91 to 117 of the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002.

Legal Proceedings

Debt Management Central have been progressing 11 rating units where there is no mortgage on the property so a formal demand cannot be made.  These will progress to a rating sale if payment is not made in full.  This can take over a year to complete with the processes required in the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002 Sections 59 to 76.  Of the eleven rating sales two have now been resolved. One was paid up to date in December 2019 and the other sold in January 2020 with rates and penalty paid up to date.

Abandoned Land

Of the 11 abandoned land rating units, 6 have no Record of Title applied to the rating unit – these may have been destroyed in the Napier Earthquake of 1931 and not replaced by Land Information NZ.  Council will be approaching Land Information NZ to see if they can assist in getting a Record of Title for the land to enable Council to sell the rating unit.  

Staff will be working with DMC to get the remaining 5 rating units sold under the abandoned land process prescribed in the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002. 

·        3 rating units in Eketahuna

·        1 rating unit in Pongaroa

·        1 rating unit in Dannevirke

The estimated timeline for the abandoned land is:-

Advertise intention to sell the land                                                11/09/2020

Check if any payment made 1 month after advert date               16/10/2020

File documents in Court                                                                  6/11/2020

Orders made                                                                                  10/01/2020

Advert of Tender                                                                            12/02/2021

Tenders Close                                                                                12/03/2021

Settlement                                                                                       8/04/2021                                                                                                      

Staff will get the advertisement placed in the Bush Telegraph and Wairarapa Times Age for Council’s intention to sell the rating units.

Attached is a table for Debtors Managed by Categories – Arrears and Current Rates along with a tabled breakdown of current rates owing.

8.             Treasury Report

8.1           Compliance with Treasury and Risk Management Policy

Council is currently below the minimum fixing limits contained in the Treasury Risk Management Policy. The policy allows Council to operate outside of the policy limits for up to 90 days, and will need to be addressed by June. However, a revised Treasury and Risk Management Policy is being proposed in the May Council meeting that allows greater participation in lower floating rates.

8.2           Current External Debt Position

Council has core debt as at 31 March of $31 million, and short-term borrowing of $2 million, all with the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA). This is against a budgeted external debt position of $27 million. This includes $2million of pre-funded debt that was used to repay an LGFA loan maturing in April.

It is forecast that Council’s debt will exceed the budgeted $27 million by the end of the financial year. There are three main drivers for this:

·        Tararua District has been impacted by a severe drought, and followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Council led the response to both of these events, and are now leading the recovery. This has resulted in unbudgeted expenditure being incurred. Some of this will be offset by delays to capital projects from the Covid-19 lockdown.

·        The closing balance as at 30 June 2019 was $4 million higher than the budgeted opening balance in the Annual Plan of $21 million.

·        Increases in planned budgets in the Annual Plan for 2 key projects (being Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant and Pahiatua Town Centre upgrade totalling $2 million).

External debt is predicted to be $35 million by year end. Although this is significantly higher than planned, it is still lower than Council’s self-imposed limits on borrowing, with Council’s financial strategy having mechanisms to ensure future headroom for borrowing, being significantly lower than Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) borrowing covenants.

The limit relating to debt to total revenue is proposed to increase from 100% to 150% as part of the Treasury and Risk Management policy review. This increase is necessary to enable Council to deliver on its Long Term Plan and to provide funding options for assisting with the district’s Recovery from drought and Covid-19.

LGFA debt is at varying terms ranging from 3 months to 10 years.

8.3            Cash Flow Management and Liquidity

Cash and cash investments for the third quarter ending March was $3.8 million, being slightly higher than budget by $0.3 million.

The Official Cash Rate (OCR) was sharply reduced from 1.00% to 0.25% in response to Covid-19. The Reserve Bank has indicated that the OCR will not increase for a minimum period of 12 months. Although the low interest rates are not positive for investing surplus cash, Council has planned for a significant increase in external debt in the 2018-28 Long Term Plan, with the low OCR supporting lower financing costs for external borrowings.

8.4           Interest Rate Risk Management Strategy

Council continue to focus on managing its interest rate risk position, maintaining a mixture of floating and fixed (by way of swaps) interest debt. Currently, the strategy is to have interest rate fixing at policy minimums to allow active participation in the low interest rates currently on offer. Therefore no fixed rate swap arrangements have been transacted so far this year.

Council is not currently within the minimum fixing limits of 55% based on the 12 months debt forecast. The policy allows 90 days to correct this position, and has until June to introduce interest rate swaps to meet policy minimums.

However, a revised Treasury and Risk Management Policy has been proposed for adoption by Council. Due to the ongoing low interest rate environment, the draft policy allows for greater flexibility in participating in lower floating rates by reducing policy minimums for fixing from 55% to 40% of the 12 months debt forecast. The new policy manages interest rate risk beyond 12 months, imposing limits on maximum interest rate fixing, and minimum fixing for each year of the Long Term Plan.

If the revised policy is adopted, Council will be inside the minimum limits mentioned above and will not need to transact additional swaps to fix interest rates.

8.5           Debt Financing Cost

Interest expense is slightly higher than budget, being $20,000 higher than budget. This is due to the higher external debt than expected. Council’s effective interest rate was 3.1%, lower than the budgeted rate of 3.4%.

8.6           Debt Limits

Debts to be managed within the following limits subject to the Council continuing to control and maintain its share of the roading network requirements in the event of civil emergencies:

 

Item	Borrowing Limit	Actual
Net external debt as a percentage of total revenue	<100%	77%
Net interest on external debt as a percentage of total revenue	<7%	1.91%
Net interest on external debt as a percentage of annual rates income (debt secured under debenture)	<10%	2.61%
Liquidity (External term debt+ committed loan facilities +cash and cash equivalents to existing external debt )	>110%	121%

 

9.             Self-Funded Activities

9.1           Forestry - Summary for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020

The forestry activity has made a deficit of $514,000 for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020. This is mainly due to a shift in focus in this activity. The costs that have been incurred have been for the removal of dangerous roadside trees to increase the safety of the roading network. Gross expenditure was $737,000 against a planned budget of $73,000. Council has also sent its first load of logs from these removals to the port for sale and estimate $40,000 proceeds from these to be received prior to year-end. The removal of the roadside trees is currently being funded from Council reserves.

Council has been successful in securing $500,000 funding from the Provincial Development Unit to continue with the removal of dangerous roadside trees along Route 52. This funding is to enable job security within the district for those that may have otherwise lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19. The procurement process for this is underway with an indicative start date of 1 July 2020.

9.2           Pensioner Housing - Summary for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020

The pensioner housing activity is currently operating at a net surplus of $58,000 for the 9 months ended 31 March 2020. 

Total revenue was $343,000 against a budget of $309,000. This favourable increase is driven by high occupancy rates, with demand for units significantly higher than the number of units available.  It is expected revenue will continue growing and exceeding budget at year end.

Total operating expenses of $260,000 was higher than the year to date budget of $251,000.  This is due to maintenance works that have been carried out in the units, as they have become available prior to new tenants going in.

The current reserve balance at 31 March 2020 is $1,145,000.

10.           Compliance Exception Report

10.1         Financial Prudence Benchmarks

Council is in breach of the rates (increases) affordability benchmark for the 2019/2020 financial year. Council had very little headroom when preparing the planned rates increase and although the planned rates increase was less than the limit, when the rates were struck the growth within Council’s rating database was more than anticipated. This has had the effect of increasing Council’s overall rates revenue.

10.2         Investment Policy

No non-compliance noted.

10.3         Liability Management Policy

No non-compliance noted.

10.4         Accounting Standards

Management is clarifying with Audit New Zealand whether Tararua Aquatic Community Trust is required to be included in Council’s Annual Report on consolidation. This is not considered material and did not affect Council’s audit opinion in the 2019 Annual Report. No non-compliance is noted.

10.5         Rating Remissions Policy

All remissions provided were compliant with policy.

10.6         Specific Policy on Giving Security

Council has not provided any guarantees to date.

10.7         Local Government Act (LGA)

Council received an unmodified audit opinion for the 2018/19 Annual Report and Summary Annual Report, with no issues noted.

 

11.           Recommendation 11.1          That the report from the Senior Financial Accountant dated 21 May 2020 concerning Third Quarter Performance for the Nine Months Period ending 31 March 2020  (as circulated) be received and noted.

 

Attachments

1⇩.    Debtors - Arearrs and Current Rates - Breakdown of Rates owing

 

Date	:	20 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Dave Watson Group Manager Plant and Property
Subject	:	Rollover Provision for Contract C01-11 for the Operation of the Dannevirke Transfer Station by Smart Environment
Item No	:	10.4

 

Executive Summary

This report reviews the current contract for the operation of the Dannevirke Transfer Station by Smart Environment. The contract expires in May 2020.

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            This report is to recommend that Council approve a variation to extend the contract 13 months which would enable Council to go out to the market in March/ April 2021 and start a new contract from 1 July 2021.

2.             Background

2.1            Contract C01-11 was awarded to Solid Waste Services (Dannevirke) Limited for the operation of the Dannevirke Transfer Station. A single 3 year roll over period was granted from May 2017. The business was purchased in July 2018 by Smart Environment and a Deed of Notation between Solid Waste Services, Tararua District Council and Smart Environment was signed for the continuation of the service agreement for the above contract.

 Smart Environment has requested that the Council consider approving the contract for a further 12 months extension provision to provide more security for them with additional investment that has been made to improve the operational plant and equipment, safety requirements and protocols at the site. This could be achieved by agreeing a variation to the term of the current contract and extending it one year.

 

 

2.2            After procuring the business Smart Environment went through some inconsistent operational performance at times. Changes were taking place within Smart Environment; changes in CEO, Area Managers, Operations Manager and also turnover with ground staff at the Dannevirke site. Some changes to recycling procedures and operations that were put in place by the previous area manager caused a backlog of product on the floor at the transfer station. This has now been resolved and the new Operations Manager has shifted the operational performance back on track. Additional purchase of vehicles, streamlining their operations, improvement on service levels, refocus on site presentation, staff training and thorough health and safety protocols has lifted their company profile.

2.3            Wasteminz having been running Regional Hui’s throughout the country in the last month on thoughts and ideas on the recommendations for materials to be accepted at kerbside recycling and options for kerbside collection systems for rubbish, recycling and organics including standardisation of kerbside collections. There is a lot of development and consultation in the recycling sector at present so it will give Council the opportunity to obtain some good awareness into what is working well at the kerbside collection, and understand changes that may take place in the subsequent 12 months in recycling that may influence its decision making to initiate this function successfully into the district.  There is also a lot of dialogue with large companies like Foodstuffs, Countdown etc. on packaging requirements and modifications that may impact on the recycling market overseas and in New Zealand.

It will also enable Council to work with Smart Environment and take advantage of opportunities and knowledge they have gained as they have contracts around the country at present with other local authorities.

2.4            Contract C01-11 is for about $20,000 to $24,000 per month depending on the number of loads of waste transported to the Central Hawke’s Bay landfill. This gives an annual cost of about $250,000.

3.             Significance Assessment

3.1            The decision recommended in this report is not considered to be significant with regard to the policy on significance and engagement, and the matter is within the Council’s discretion to determine.

4.             Conclusion

4.1            The proposed variation to rollover this contract in the manner outlined is recommended for the reasons outlined above, and is consistent with the relevant provisions of the Council’s Procurement Strategy and Guidelines.

 

5.             Recommendation 5.1            That the report from the Group Manager Plant and Property dated 19 May 2020 concerning the Rollover Provision for Contract C01-11 for the Operation of the Dannevirke Transfer Station by Smart Environment (as circulated) be received, and 5.2            That under the Council’s Procurement Strategy and Guidelines approval is given to agree a variation to clause 1.3 contract term whereby the sentence reads “The Council may, at its discretion, extend this contract for one additional term of one year and one month.”

 

Attachments

Nil.   

Date	:	20 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Craig Lunn Manager Regulatory Services
Subject	:	Proposed Dog Registration Fees and Charges for the 2020/21 financial year
Item No	:	10.5

 

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            The purpose of this report is to seek approval of the proposed dog registration fees and charges for the 2020/21 financial year.

2.             Background

2.1            Section 37 of the Dog Control Act 1996 requires Council to set its dog control fees by resolution and publicly notify them in a district newspaper at least once during the month preceding the start of every registration year.

2.2            To enable compliance with this requirement a recommendation is made for this purpose.

3.             Discussion

3.1            No increase has been applied to any of the registration fees payable by dog owners.

3.2            Some dog owners will face possible job losses or significant reduction in income due to the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

3.3            Consideration of hardship and arrangements for payment by instalment will be made on a case by case basis.

 

 

4.             Significance Assessment

4.1            The recommendation in this report does not involve significant issues where the special consultative procedure is required, and Council can set fees and charges by way of resolution.

4.2            No significant changes are proposed to the intentions for year 3 of Council’s adopted Long Term Plan.

5.             Conclusion

5.1            The following recommendation is made in respect of the proposed dog registration fees and charges for the 2020/21 financial year.

 

6.             Recommendation 6.1            That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 20 May 2020 concerning Proposed Dog Registration Fees and Charges for the 2020/21 financial year (as circulated) be received, and 6.2            That pursuant to Section 37 of the Dog Control Act 1996, the following dog control fees (including GST) be set for the year 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021: Animal Control Advice Application and compliance advice                                                                  No charge Dog Registration Urban Domestic Dog Fee if paid on or before 1 August                                                                    $95.00 Late fee if paid after 1 August                                                                       $142.50 Preferred Owner Dog Fee if paid on or before 1 August                                                                    $50.00 Late fee if paid after 1 August*                                                                       $75.00 * Preferred owner status may be revoked if paid after 1 August. If revoked, the applicable dog registration fee will apply. Rural Domestic Dog Fee if paid on or before 1 August                                                                    $40.00 Late fee if paid after 1 August                                                                         $60.00 Working Dog* Fee if paid on or before 1 August                                                                    $40.00 Late fee if paid after 1 August                                                                         $60.00 *Providing a false statement when registering a dog is an offence subject to a $3000 fine on conviction. Dangerous Dog – as classified under the Dog Control Act 1996 Fee if paid on or before 1 August                                               Base fee plus 50% Late fee if paid after 1 August                                                    Base fee plus 50% Disability assist dog with organisation certificate                                        No charge Any new dog that is less than three months old after 1 August in any calendar year will be charged a pro rata of the dog registration for that year.                 Other Fees Dog lead                                                                                                                       $10.00 Dog collar – large/extra-large                                                                                 $10.00 Dog collar – small/medium                                                                                         $8.00 Barking dog collar hire                                                                                        No charge Replacement registration tag or disc                                                                       $2.00 Application for preferred owner status                                                          No charge Application for licence to keep three or more dogs (1ha or less)             No charge Application for a licence to register a boarding kennel (bylaw)                No charge Application for licence to register a breeding kennel (bylaw)                    No charge

 

Attachments

Nil.  

Date	:	20 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Hamish Featonby Asset Manager
Subject	:	Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974
Item No	:	10.6

 

1.             Reason for the Report

1.1            Club Targa Inc. made application for road closures on Sunday 5 July 2020.  These closures have been requested under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974.    These closures relate to their motorsport event previously approved to be held on 17 May 2020, but it was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

1.2            Given these circumstances the application is for the same event that has been rescheduled to an alternative date, and a waiver is proposed to the usual twenty-six weeks advance notice requirement for submitting a road closures application presented for Council’s consideration.

1.3            In accordance with the Act, consultation with the Police has been undertaken.  The Police have indicated they have no concerns.  No public objections have been received in response to advertising placed in the Bush Telegraph on Monday 11 May 2020.

 

2.             Recommendation That the report from the Alliance Planning Manager dated 20 May 2020 concerning a road closures application under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974 (as circulated) be received, and That Council waive the usual twenty-six weeks advance notice requirement for submitting a road closures application, noting the proposed road closures relate to a motorsport event previously approved but was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, 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 Club Targa Incorporated to hold the Targa Hawke’s Bay 2020 motorsport event. Road name:  Wimbledon Road Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  9.45am to 2.15pm Road name:  Route 52 Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  9.45am to 2.15pm Road name:  Matamau Ormondville Road Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  12.30pm to 5.00pm Road name:  Station Road Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  12.30pm to 5.00pm Road name:  Ormondville Te Uri Road Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  12.30pm to 5.00pm Road name:  Tourere Road,  Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  12.30pm to 5.00pm Road name:  Ngahape Road Date of closure:  Sunday 5 July 2020 Period of closure:  12.30pm to 5.00pm Conditions Applied to the Granting of these Road Closures 2.1       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. 2.2       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. 2.3       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.

 

Attachments

1⇩.    Temporary Road Closure - Club Targa Inc

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date	:	21 May 2020
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Blair King Chief Executive
Subject	:	Staff Report
Item No	:	10.7

 

Reason for the Report

This report is to update Councillors on key projects and items of interest over the period from 18 March to 18 May 2020.

Key Points

PGF / Crown Infrastructure Funding for Shovel Ready Projects

The table above covers the projects submitted to Crown Infrastructure Partners / PGF as part of “shovel-ready” projects to stimulate the local economy.  We have been successful with $0.5m of PGF funding for displaced forestry crews to work on road side tree removal as part of the enabling works for Route 52.  Procurement for 27 workers across forestry and traffic management suppliers is underway, with the focus being locally based firms.  As at report date, three local firms had submitted their expressions of interest.    Forestry prices have significantly risen (nearly 50% change) since China reopened log imports, which has put some of the potential contracting crews back into commercial forestry. 

Two of the Route 52 projects (Numbers 1 and 11 above), have been combined to meet the Crown Infrastructure requests, for projects over $20m, with announcements nationally expected in June and early July. 

Water Impounded Supplies / Bulk Reservoirs

Dannevirke Impounded supply is now full, Woodville Impounded Supply is over half full, but Eketahuna Kliptank needs further pipework before we can harvest the volumes needed for what could be another dry summer. 

Pahiatua bulk storage is nearly full, with robust progress on the new water treatment plant throughout March and April to ensure it is on-line before summer.

Significant work is required to Councils water bylaw to make it explicit that we are unable to assure adequate volumes during summer for users connected as an extra-ordinary consumer.  This reflects how even Aucklands Watercare with full metering, multiple intake sources and full funding, is unable to ensure their supply can meet ongoing demands through droughts.   We are now receiving 4 weekly forecasts from Horizons who are concerned there is a likelihood the watertables and shallow aquifers will not replenish over winter and we may have low river flows earlier than normal.  This means staged restrictions will be required to match impounded supply levels, so we can supplement intakes with stored water for what could be another 3 month period this summer.  

 

Local Governance Statement

Section 40 of the Local Government Act requires the Council to prepare and make publicly available a local governance statement which includes information concerning its functions, powers, bylaws, electoral matters, members roles, governance structures, meeting processes, consultation policies, policies in relation to Maori, management and employment policies, key approved planning and policy documents, systems for public access to the Council and its elected members, and processes to request official information.

 

A local governance statement must be issued within six months after each triennial election. In accordance with this statutory requirement the local governance statement has been completed, and a copy can be accessed through the Council’s website on the ‘Your Council’ page.

 

Local Government Members (2019/20) Amendment Determination 2020 and Associated Government Legislation Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

At the Council’s December meeting consideration was given to recommending to the Remuneration Authority the proposed basis to allocate councillors remuneration for the 2019/20 financial year following the election.

 

The Remuneration Authority has now issued the Local Government Members (2019/20) Amendment Determination 2020, and this included approval of Council’s recommendations for the payment of councillors remuneration.

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Government has introduced legislation that gives the Remuneration Authority the ability to reduce remuneration on a temporary basis in line with reductions in the remuneration of other public sector leaders. 

 

The Remuneration Authority, over the past few years has restructured local government remuneration to better reflect the relative responsibilities of the different units within the sector.  It has also committed to a slow increase in remuneration to encourage broader representation of groups who might otherwise not be able to afford to consider running for office.

 

Taking all this into account the Remuneration Authority considered how to apply any temporary reduction allowed in the legislation, and it has decided it should apply only to those elected members whose remuneration exceeds $100,000 per annum.  It has also decided it be applied on a sliding basis, with higher percentages deducted from the top earners and progressively smaller proportions deducted from remuneration at the bottom of the scale (i.e. nearer to $100,000).  Any such deductions would be for a period of six months.

 

Because this cannot be an across-the-board cut the Remuneration Authority will issue a temporary amending determination containing specific figures for named positions. 

 

It is aware many elected members in local government have donated to charity during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, and the Remuneration Authority will take this into account if it receives advice from an elected member on the amount of any donation when deciding on an appropriate temporary reduction for each position.

 

All members in the remuneration range as outlined will receive an individual letter from the Remuneration Authority regarding this matter. With regard to the district’s councillors and community board members the remuneration payments received are below the level this temporary reduction applies to.

 

Sealing of Documents

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

·    Deed of licence for Victoria Domain Recreation Reserve with Mayfield Farming (2018) Limited

The Alliance

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic, along with impacts from the District Drought, were both significant disruptors for the Tararua Alliance. However, this was a challenge accepted by the team with good spirits and really showed off the agile and resilient team we are lucky to work with.

When Level 4 lockdown occurred, we kept essential services going – ensuring our road network was safe and as clean as possible and responding to on-going waters leaks and issues. During this time a lot of planning was still happening for the transport water into Woodville from Palmerston North due to the water crisis. Luckily, the weather played its part and the need for the plan was averted, however a lot of logistical planning went into determining how this could be done during very challenging lockdown restrictions. We also had a strong presence at the TDC Emergency Operation Centre as part of the civil defence response to the pandemic. I would like to thank the Alliance team members who worked on essential services and with the Civil Defence team – ensuring ongoing services to help the community. The office team managed to transition to working from home and adapted well to new technology for some with remote teams meetings becoming the new norm.

At the start of Level 3 we were able to get the remainder of our operations team back into physical works with some strict rules around social distancing and personal protective equipment – even travelling to site included new rules. The team took this in their stride and we were able to ensure a smooth transition back to work. Due to the timing of the lockdown we unfortunately lost a good portion of the end of the construction season – this has meant some works having to be deferred to next financial year, for example the Road Resurfacing cannot be done effectively outside of specific temperature bands so it is now too cold to complete that programme.

Although we are now at Alert Level 2 we cannot relax. Now that we have 6 weeks remaining in our financial year we’re working hard to ensure the work we had planned to happen over three months can happen over two – both in the field and in the office. We are all looking forward to a good debrief and lessons learned session once restrictions and end of year pressures ease and are conscious that a good number of our staff missed out on planned holidays due to lockdown so again, a thanks to all staff within the team for your efforts and patience.

 

 

 

 

Planning

The planning team had a challenging time during lockdown trying to ensure support was provided to the operations team who were providing essential services and planning for a restart in uncertain times. The team played an active part in ensuring plans were in place for the different alert levels and worked hard to make sure when the restart was able to happen that operations had everything they needed in place prior.

A big focus for the asset team has been on the Activity Management Plans where a minor restructure of the document and a full refresh of the content is underway. Even though we had 8 weeks of disruption, our 1^st August deadline remains so the team will be focusing heavily on that over the next few months. Along with that end of financial year processes are beginning – keeping the team fully utilised.

The design engineering team were able to get out in the field partially during lockdown to do the data capture required for them to continue with their work and ensure that after the restart of the work crews they had all plans required ready to go. Investigation work continues for next seasons rehabilitation sites with the aim to have these ready to go early into next construction season.

Delivery

Roading

Road Maintenance

The majority of our Road maintenance teams have remained busy during the COVID pandemic. These activities were deemed as “essential” so our teams continued with their programmes with increase PPE and social distancing controls in place. Our sub-contractors also continued to deliver their contracts during these unprecedented times. The biggest challenge our team faced, was undertaking the Sexton duties where our staff had to wear full body suits and act as pall bearers on behalf of the families. This is going well over and above the call of duty and a big thanks goes out to all of the Tararua alliance staff that continued to work through this challenging time.

Emergency Works

The team have been busier than ever in this space. Now that the majority of the planning has been done for our larger sites, the Delivery teams are making the most of the fantastic weather and remain on target to deliver the programme prior to the end of the financial year. Our larger sites are a combination of large retreats and rock walls along Route 52 and other roads which will bring our emergency works programme to an end. We are also working with Horizons to use planting techniques to stabilise some of our emergency works sites and our clean fill sites to help with sediment and erosion control.

 

Road Renewals

Our renewals programmes have all but come to a close for the financial year. The team managed to complete our Area Wide Pavement treatment programme which was a great result. Our reseal programme was also well on target to be completed but due to COVID – 19 and the Autumn weather settling in we have made the decision to end the programme and complete the last 25% within the next financial year.

Pahiatua CBD Upgrade

Unfortunately the Pahiatua Upgrade is one of our projects that was impacted by COVID-19 particularly in level 4. As most of the activities on the Pahiatua project were not deemed “essential” the site was shut down for the majority of April. The site was inspected on a daily basis to ensure it remained safe during this time. Work still continued in the back ground in regards to design and planning of the above ground works while also formulating a plan of how the team can fast track the programme prior to the winter months.

 

 

3Waters

During the Covid level 4 lockdown period, the Alliance 3waters team focused on maintaining the essential services by responding to water leaks and sewerage blockages. Once we moved to level 3 this gave us the opportunity to include some water renewals as well as also responding to the water leaks and sewer blockage’s.

Water Renewals included –

-    Normanby St Woodville - a 32mm rider main approximately 100m long and 3 service connections was replaced.

-    Grant St –Woodville a section of 400m of 32 mm rider main and 4 service laterals have been replaced.

-    Victoria Avenue Dannevirke we have replaced a 600 m long section of old galvanised watermain with  a 63mm MDPE pipe.   

During lockdown we were also busy dealing with the water crisis being experienced across the district. The main focus by this stage had moved from Dannevirke to Woodville.

To facilitate the possible pumping of water from the proposed train into the reticulation network, we installed a connection to the watermain in Station St. This was located directly across the road from the proposed water train location.  A power outlet was also installed to run the generator.  Due to the great response from the community in saving water and the efforts of the water treatment team we were lucky enough not to have to utilise the connection. The injection point and power outlet will remain in place should it ever be needed in the future.

Going forward we will be busy catching up on the private service connections over the next month that we were unable to install during lockdown.

Performance

 

 

 

Plant and Property

Executive Summary

Council’s lawyers Buddle Finlay, Consultants, and staff have been working towards the deadlines set down by the Court for the Eketahuna Wastewater consent. Prepping of evidence, updating of flows and discharge and stream monitoring results is continuing.

·    Any party  responses to matters raised or missed from the memorandum  by Friday 1 May 2020

·    TDC to file evidence responding to the Court’s specific wastewater treatment queries by May 22 2020

·    TDC to file information relating to a modified wetland

·    TDC to file evidence relating to affordability and the Best Practicable Option process (including the investigation of alternative methods of treatment and discharge) by May 22 2020

·    Rangitāne to file its evidence in relation to Policy 5-11 and delaying, or not completing, the installation of the wetland by June 5 2020

·    Water quality and ecology experts to file a joint witness statement (following expert conferencing) and any additional evidence required to respond to the matters raised by the Court June 5 2020

·    Planning experts to file a joint witness statement (following expert conferencing) addressing the matters raised in the Minute and the Minute of 9 March 2020, including providing clarification on conditions – June 19 2020

·    The parties to provide a joint memorandum to the Court updating it on the positions reached and clearly articulating each remaining issue to be determined by the Court or any outstanding matters raised by the Court – June 26 2020

·    Judicial teleconference to be convened to decide whether the matter can be dealt with in the papers or setting the matter down for a hearing at the Court's earliest convenience or the week of 29 June 2020.

 

Ensuring compliance with Objective 5-2 and Policies 5-4 and 5-11 of the One Plan is the key to the outcome of the consent application and also recognise the significant emphasis on Iwi and Hapu involvement in resource management decision making. Included later in the report are the Court appointed deadlines. 

There has been a lot of emphasis around Nitrogen removal (Policy 5-4), reliance on a wetland (to address Policy 5-11), SIN (Soluble inorganic nitrogen) reduction across the catchment to achieve the macroinvertebrate and periphyton targets to maintain the identified water quality values. 

Our Water Treatment plant staff have worked exceptionally hard under very trying conditions and pressure during the drought as the water levels in our streams and rivers were the lowest for a number of years. The demand on the water supply for urban use, business and extra-ordinary use for farming and small rural blocks was increasing all the time and the available water for us to take from the river was lower than normal for a sustained period of time. Under normal spring / summer seasons we do have the luxury of having the occasional rainfall which replenishes our water takes during this period, so we will need to prepare well for the years to come if this is part of Climate change.

Acknowledgement and appreciation is given from the team for all the extra help and endless support from the EOC group, Blair, the Alliance team and our wider staff during the prolonged drought period, your help didn’t go unnoticed. A huge thanks from our team.

The summer drought seems to be a long time ago with the COVID-19 Pandemic being the main emphasis for the last 7 weeks. The Water and Wastewater treatment team members worked in total isolation in the field through COVID-19 Level 4 and Level 3. They divided the plants up between themselves so they could keep all the treatment functions operating without crossing paths and coming in contact with each other or anyone else to keep safe and healthy. The normal treatment plant and urban reticulation water compliance testing continued during this period.

 

District Water

The Dannevirke and Woodville impounded supply storage was supplementing the daily water demand through these adverse conditions as the hot and dry weather increased. 

With the level in the Dannevirke supply dropping to its lowest since it was installed we then needed to seek an Emergency Take from Horizons to help keep the town supplied with potable water as the water level was reaching a critical level and with no rainfall on the long range weather forecast. Also we may have been left with very little water to fall back on if there was a major break in the reticulation or a major fire in the town.  Council worked with businesses, residents and extra ordinary users to bring our daily usage down as low as possible. Some restrictors were installed on properties with very high use to increase the availability to residential homes. Council worked with the Alliance freezing works as drought conditions was adding a lot of pressure on to farmers to relinquish stock and send to the freezing works. They were very cooperative and supportive in a change in washing regime at the plant to do their part to help save water.

 Council was assisting the rural sector of the community by allowing tanker deliveries to rural farm tanks as these were empty due to no rainfall and properties had very little or no water and it started to become a wellbeing concern for families.

From December 1 2019 until the 29 March 2020 there was 101 days that the Tamaki river flow was below 240 l/sec which allowed Council to only take 54 l/sec which equates to 4677m3 per 24 hours. Daily use through Dec / Jan period was between 5500 m3 -6200m3 so the impounded supply was supplementing between 1000m3 to 1500m3 per day to maintain town demand.

The Woodville water take at the Mangapapa stream was under considerable pressure for a prolonged period as consent conditions require Council to cease take when flow is less than 24 litres / sec.  We had a period from 23 November 2019 through to around 20 January 2020 that we were only able to only take 15 l/sec as per our consent.

 From the 23 January to practically the end of March we were continuously taking all the water to supply Woodville from the impounded supply. The flows in the Mangapapa Stream have been very spasmodic all the way up until now 16 May.

Overall the Districts residents and businesses have been exceptionally supportive and  cooperative, with patience and caring to help us get through the very hot and dry summer.  The water saving and conservation practices by each and every person helped us get through. We all need to thank them collectively.

When the river flows started to maintain a consistent level staff  over the last few weeks have been able to recover the water level in the Dannevirke impounded supply back to the full mark of 15m.  Woodville has not been as easy as the Mangapapa stream has been in and out of low flows. Water level is now back over 5m mark.

Norsewood residents on the water supply system have a dual water system -  roof water and Council bore supply. The bore has been exceeding its daily non consented take under 50m3. With no added roof water from rain fall to top up tanks residents needed to rely on the bore supply only. Council is going to proceed with an application for a consent to take more than 50m3  to meet the township demand. We will undertake a stocktake on property tanks, check all current water connections and any connections to land lots and investigate for any other connections council are not aware of,  in the near future.

Council has applied for funding through the Government ‘Shovel Projects’ initiative for two water treatment projects to be considered. The Norsewood water supply and new treatment plant and the Dannevirke water treatment plant upgrade. These plants will both then be able to meet compliance with the DWSNZ criteria.

Water Leak Detection

Detection services completed the Dannevirke residential network investigation, finding 54 issues relating to Council valves, hydrants, service connections, tobies and residential leaks. Conservatively the total accounted water loss equates to 460m3/day, or about 9% of daily demand. Water leaks in the reticulation system do not always come to the surface so having a company that detects water loss electronically, diagnoses all leaks not visible or reported, and repairs and savings can be valuable for Council especially during the summer period.

 

Scada Telemetry Upgrade

We are upgrading the Scada system and at the same time we will move it from a PC in IT to a server which will give us a lots more redundancy.

Also we are going to install a SQL Modula to the software. This will mean we can feed into our IB software and be able to do reporting automatically without having to input the data, it will feed the data straight from the Scada back end.

Reporting on water usage will be a lot easier and faster.  This will help with compliance and we will also be able to see when the data is missing.  This is something we can’t do at the moment.

Projects

The Woodville backwashing project has been continuing during lockdown.  Concrete support platform, installation of tank connections and stainless pipework is well underway.

   

 

 

 

Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

The building work by contractors Morris and Bailey continued at the new plant site during COVID-19 lock down period. The internal lining work is underway and 5 containers of components are now on site from Filtec. Trenching for cabling ducting is underway ready for the start of the electrical installation this week.

 

         

 

Eketahuna Landfill

The landfill capping project has been completed, the Clegg testing (soil compaction) is programmed for Tues 19 May and then the compliance report can be completed and forwarded to Horizons to sign off the closure of the landfill. The topsoil can then be spread and grassing of the area and fencing can then be completed.

                    

     

 

Solid Waste

Smart Environment’s commitment and focus to improve service levels continued through April /May 2020, in summary this has resulted in:

 

·    DOC (Drop off centre) presentation and servicing – continuation and refocus within Smart Environment’s Team to improve the level of presentation along with ensuring capacity for weekend customers.

·    Improve site presentation and designated areas for contained recycling materials, i.e. Whiteware, E-Waste, Paint, LPG Bottles.

·    Collection vehicle resource bolstered to support operations, along with more Hook Bins

·    Several loads of Glass loaded out and transported by Contractor

·    LPG bottles awaiting uplift by Contractor

·    E waste awaiting uplift by Contractor

·    Scrap Metal removed by Contractor

·    Whiteware awaiting uplift by Contractor

·    Safety audits and maintenance inspections completed

·    Health and Safety meetings with staff ongoing.

·    Safe Behaviour observations

 

Through the Covid -19 Pandemic Level 4 & Level 3 restrictions Smart Environment had a very good system in place for the residents to be able use the transfer station safely, the number of vehicles onsite monitored at all times, providing  a very safe environment for staff and the public. Social distancing was kept at all times. The contractor advised Council that all customers have been compliant with signage provided and also have been patient with the traffic management that has been in place.

 

                      

 

                    

Wasteminz having been running Regional Hui’s throughout the country in the last month collecting thoughts and ideas on the recommendations for materials to be accepted at kerbside recycling and options for kerbside collection systems for rubbish, recycling and organics including standardisation of kerbside collections. There is a lot of development and consultation in the recycling sector at present. There is also a lot of dialogue with the large companies like Foodstuffs, Countdown etc. on packaging requirements and modifications that may impact on the recycling market overseas and in NZ.

Coronavirus exposed the cracks in New Zealand's recycling system, but it also provided a taste of what would happen if New Zealand had to deal with its own waste inside a national bubble.

Tararua District Council collected household recycling throughout the lockdown but the material went to landfill. Processing methods put staff at too great a risk of contracting COVID-19 as most of the sorting of items is done by hand.

With the cut off of international markets, onshore recycling facilities were floated as one much-needed solution to New Zealand's recycling woes. To help fund new equipment and facilities, the Ministry for the Environment is proposing to increase the waste disposal levy – currently $10 per tonne of rubbish – to a maximum of $60 per tonne of waste sent to dumps, plus expand the number of landfills it applies to. That will make it more expensive to throw material away, boosting the financial viability of recycling, and put more money into central and local government funds to spend on projects like large sorting plants.

Even before the Covid crisis recycling certain types of plastic was not financially viable. The plastics known as 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE) and 5 (polypropylene) are more easily recycled. Some soft plastics (typically LDPE or number 4) can be re-purposed into new items.

But outside the soft plastic recycling scheme,  there is no demand for "low-value" plastics – including 4, but also 3 (PVC), 6 (polystyrene) and 7 (all others) – from national or international recyclers.

The Government "has flagged" that it is looking to phase out hard-to-recycle plastics such as PVC (number 3) and expanded polystyrene (number 6).  There has  been some movement in this.  Companies from Earthwise to Coca-Cola NZ and Unilever are starting to make bottles (fully or partially) of recycled plastic, which in turn supports recyclers.

The Government hopes to boost this momentum by introducing mandatory product stewardship schemes for items like batteries and tyres, as well as beverage containers and plastic packaging. This will mean anyone creating these products will need to ensure used items can be disposed of with minimal harm to the environment and to fund the recycling or disposal if needed. The hope is manufacturers will increasingly design all products to be as repairable and re-cyclable as possible.

 

Community Property and Assets

During COVID-19 Level 4 and 3 lockdown over the last seven weeks things have been reasonably quiet as all Parks and Community Buildings were closed and parks contractors were also locked down. Council had only 1 toilet facility in each of the four main towns open and these were being cleaned and sanitised three times per day.

Since going into Level 2 we have opened all these facilities up again with the public toilets continuing to be cleaned three times per day. Community halls are open again but with restriction of only 10 people for a gathering. This will be reviewed again after the government reviews numbers etc. on 25 May.

Park contractors started working again at Level 3 lockdown and have now caught up on most areas.  Playgrounds opened up at the start of level 2 with playground equipment being disinfected before opening.

Burials were steady over the lockdown period with 9 burials since the start of Level 4 lockdown. With the restriction on public gathering, unfortunately these services for these were only able to be held through online streaming with only the undertaker and sexton staff present during the actual burial.

 

Pensioner Housing

We currently have a total of four vacant units, which we expect will be tenanted again in the next few weeks. 

Two units in Woodville are being painted and tidied up ready for new tenants but the work had to come to a halt due to COVID-19.  Now that we are in lockdown phase 2 we will be able to continue the work and expect to have a tenants in the property in the next few weeks.

One unit in Pahiatua is having extensive refurbishment which also had to stop due to lockdown restrictions.  We are now just waiting on the flooring to be done and this unit will also be rented out.

The fourth unit is in Dannevirke.   The tenant left right on lockdown which means it hasn’t as yet been inspected to see what, if any, work is required. This will be done in the coming week.

During lockdown all tenants were contacted by Denise by telephone to confirm they had either family or friends that could assist them during this time.  Those that didn’t were referred to the civil defence 0800 number for shopping etc.

There were a few tenants that indicated they would be happy to receive regular calls for a chat.  This was an opportunity to not only make sure they were doing ok but to develop what we hope is a good relationship with our tenants.

We had some very positive and encouraging feedback from residents on all the great work and support Denise provided keeping in touch and making sure they were safe and happy during the COVID-19 lock down period. Thank you Denise for the great work on behalf of TDC.

 

 

Strategy and District Development

Ministerial Visit Tararua District

The Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor visited the Tararua District in March as we entered Level-2 for the first time.  A fly-over was arranged with note of infrastructure needs (Route 52), work completed on town water supply storage, coastal issues, the affected drought areas and the extent of forestry and carbon forest land use changes.  Land use changes with conversion of lower quality hill country farms to forestry have been accelerating over the past two years, and this was the catalyst for the visit.  Council has since been particularly appreciative to see the Minister’s appointment of two national feed co-ordinators to help manage the ongoing effect of the drought for affected farms.

Electric Vehicles

An announcement by battery market leader, Tesla, is imminent on a new long distance, long life, and lower cost battery for electric vehicles.  This is likely to continue to make hydrogen cells a distant option due to its competitive inefficiency with battery technology, despite the fuel industry’s interest in it and some valid applications for its use.  Combined with New Zealand’s high renewable power generation over fossil fuels (~85%), this also continues to validate Council’s support for EV options for our own operations and in the District.   With Tararua’s amazing natural capacity for wind power, we may have a further part to play if the completion of previously consented windfarms proceed and assist New Zealand to getting closer to 100% renewable energy and managing growth.

Council’s purchase of two Hyundai Kona full electric vehicles in February are proving to be practical to use.  Their 449km range allowed prior to lockdown two return trips to Wellington without need for re-charge and they are straight forward to drive, with extra safety features.

The two EV Chargers for Pahiatua have been built and landed in New Zealand over the lockdown.  These chargers will be able to charge up to four vehicles simultaneously (with two different Direct Current sockets).  Their placements need to be close to existing transformers to meet budgetary constraints as cabling and transformer upgrades can massively affect the cost of some “preferred” sites, destroying any business case in their investment.  As part of the Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade, we are working with PowerCo in the planned work to future proof Pahiatua for underground cabling, with about 2km of high voltage capable duct being installed (along with other ducts for fibre and low voltage power/street lights).  This is the first step in ensuring the Town will be “Induction-EV ready”, and in that respect, we have been working closely with Auckland University to be consistent with new international standards for this technology when it arrives.

Chorus Fibre Installation in Dannevirke

Within the next two years, Dannevirke, Woodville, Pahiatua and Eketahuna will have fibre installed within the town boundaries.  The Dannevirke project commenced shortly after Level-3 lockdown and is expected to be completed over the coming months, subject to any further COVID-19 impacts.

Cellular Network in Tararua

We note with disappointment the attack of cellphone towers.  These are essential communication systems for the safety of all people in and travelling through the Tararua District.  It is also noted that there are no 5G sites in the Tararua District, for which conspiracy theories arise continuously.

The Rural Connectivity Group (RCG) has advised Council the following update on the Rural Broadband Initiative Phase 2 programme.  “As New Zealand continues to ‘stay home’ in our fight against COVID-19, the RCG continues work on the Government’s programme.   When New Zealand went into Alert Level 4 lockdown RCG and their build partners had no option but to secure build sites and walk away from near completed sites.  RCG were awarded Essential Service status and have been able to return and complete build work on those near completed sites in a controlled and safe way in the COVID-19 environment.   Since the lockdown started RCG have managed to switch on 27 new RBI2 sites to provide connectivity to rural families across New Zealand.”

The RCG is committed to providing additional connectivity to serve Tararua rural residents and planning work continues on the RBI2 sites identified prior to lockdown. The RCG has completed site visits, lease negotiations, power design and site design work prior to the lockdown and are now working on programme scheduling to ensure efficiencies in the Tararua build programme.  With Alert Level 3, RCG’s focus remains on completing started sites as quickly as possible to deliver connectivity to isolated communities. The complex nature of building in rugged rural terrain cannot be underestimated and is made all the more complex in a COVID-19 environment.  The RCG is planning to start work in the Tararua region later in 2020.  

Tararua Aquatic Community Trust

The Trust was fortunate to receive the 12 week Government wages subsidy.  This essentially financially saved the Trust.   Lock-down Level-4 occurred at a time when peak demand and income is received during the annual season, and resulting in the cancellation of booked school swimming sports.

During the lockdown, staff have been busy with implementation of a new point-of-sale and swim school software system underway, and from Level-3, plant maintenance was completed.  Projects valued at up to $100,000 are in progress, including a replacement compressor/ heat exchange system, fire alarm and new emergency lighting system. 

The coming months will continue to prove challenging with distancing rules expected to reduce patronage/income and the difficulty to attract swimmers back as we head into winter. 

The pool re-opened under Level-2 on Monday 18th May with contact tracing and initially limited hours:

Paymark EFTPOS Transactions

The weekly spend for Tararua as measured by EFTPOS data gives an indication of Tararua’s overall resilience to COVID-19.  Although there are wide variations amongst sectors, overall Tararua is significantly stronger than the rest of New Zealand.  The ongoing effects of the drought are likely to subdue and cause ongoing negative effects in the District as we come off a period of high growth.

 

Library

Executive Summary

Library doors were closed to all under Alert Levels 4 and 3 for the entire month. APNK Public Wifi was turned off after instruction from the National Librarian. Library staff continued to work from home taking the opportunity to plan and catch up on tasks. One staff member was unable to do so and took Special Leave. A number of staff were seconded to the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC).

Fiona Cammock has tendered her resignation and leaves us midway through May. This will be a blow as Fiona has contributed so much to the team during her time here. We wish her all the best in Owhango. 

At Alert Level 3, the Library Team made calls to those members who were over 65. These calls were a combined check on their welfare for EOC and an offer to deliver a limited number of items as a refresh. A total of 532 were reached. One call to welfare resulted. Deliveries were made to 222 members.

Planning

Dreams for the Decade

Barnardos NZ is teaming up with Children’s Librarians across the country to deliver an art and poetry competition. Planning has begun to host an event in July 2020 if we are at the appropriate Alert Level. Tararua Libraries is also planning a promotional campaign.

Poetry Day

Planning has begun for the Library events being run at Dannevirke, Woodville, Pahiatua, and Eketahuna.  Poetry day is August 21^st this year. 

Annual Adults Quiz

Originally the Quiz had been planned for May this year as it was felt that time of the year had fewer events running. A suitable alternative date will be chosen soon. A theme has been selected.

Winter Reading Programme

Funding has been secured from Eastern and Central Community Trust to plan and run a Children’s Winter Reading Challenge. Work can now begin on putting the Challenge together.

Delivery

Library Events & Programmes

Due to COVID-19, all Libraries have been closed. Most of our regular programmes have been unable to run, with one exception.

 

Dannevirke Monthly Poetry Meeting

During April, this programme has been running weekly via Zoom. It has taken some adjustment by a regular group of 5 attendees to work in a virtual environment. It appears to have added an edge to the work being putting out by these poets.

Home Delivery Service

It was felt that our Over 70s group of members would be struggling during lockdown. About 25% of this group have access to the internet allowing them to use our e-Lending service. The other 75% would have to make do with any items they had borrowed before lockdown. Anecdotally, some of our members were heard to be ‘stocking up’ Friday 20 March.  Four weeks is a long time without new material. When New Zealand moved to Alert Level 3, some libraries chose to resume their Homelink service. Tararua District Library put forward a proposal to contact the Over 70s members asking them if they would like to receive a one-off delivery of up to 3 items.  The Shopping Protocol developed by the EOC to deliver groceries and pharmacy items to this age group in a contactless manner was adapted. The Shopping Form was also adapted to allow librarians to use their Reader Advisory Skills for item selection. Deliveries were made three times over a two week period. Almost 42% of Over 70s members chose to use the service.

A review of the sustainability and desirability of the service will be completed with a view to inclusion in Tararua District Library regular programmes.

 

Economic Development, Communications and District Marketing

Economic Development

Digital Hub

TDC have received funding from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) to establish a Digital Hub.

Right Tree Right Place

TDC have received funding from the Provincial Growth Fund to carry out a project investigating which tree species are ideal for our local physical environment and economically.

Te Ara Mahi

TDC provided support to write an application to Te Ara Mahi for Tararua REAP to fund two Employment Liaison staff across the district.

Drought and COVID-19 Responses and Recovery

The economic development team has been involved in various aspects of Council’s response and recovery planning during these events.

Communications

COVID-19 / Drought Response and Recovery

The Communications Team have been occupied with response and recovery tasks over the last few months for both COVID-19 and the regionally declared drought.

Key roles and responsibilities:

·    Performing the Public Information Management function within the Emergency Operations Centre during response and recovery for both events; ensuring that we are delivering controlled communications – i.e. clear, relevant, accurate and timely.

·    Two-way communication with our communities; receiving feedback and answering questions received through the Council’s social media (Facebook).

·    Maintaining essential council communications, such as the council’s full-page in the Bush Telegraph, as well as the Council’s Facebook page and website.

Business As Usual

As with many Council departments, this event has severely impacted “business as usual” – however, as we transition to Alert Level 2, we are beginning to balance the demands of emergency management and business as usual. The following will give an update of what we’ve done, what we’re doing and what’s in the pipeline.

 

Done

·    Supported EOC operations, as per above

·    Launched a social campaign to support local business #LoveLocalTararua

·    Developed one page strategies and frameworks to communicate with both elected members and public the approach to, and activities planned for, recovery

·    Released public updates on PGF projects such as Digital Hub and Right Tree, Right Place

Doing

·    Developing a Recovery Communications Plan that will support COVID-19/Drought recovery planning

·    Developing a communications strategy for the 2020/21 Annual Plan

·    Continuing to develop the #LoveLocalTararua campaign and maximising opportunities for growth

·    Preparing a project update for Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant for public release – to include the recent upgrade to Woodville impounded water supply’s backwash system

·    Preparing a project update for Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade for public release

In the Pipeline

·    Developing a digital platform for council communications, including the ability to subscribe for alerts when new content is uploaded (initially to support Love Local campaign)

·    Reviewing the Tararua.com website (council’s tourism website) to identify immediate improvements that will support or enable economic recovery (including Love Local campaign)

 

TARARUA I-SITE REPORT – April 2020

Welcome Packs

March/April 2020

There were 56 packs sent out, 17 of these were sent to purchasers outside the Tararua District

New Zealand Motorhome Association

NZMCA are promoting Motorhome Friendly towns in a Spring feature of their Motor Caravanner magazine.  The feature will include a 2 page editorial on each of our 3 Motorhome Friendly towns of Dannevirke, Woodville and Pahiatua.  An opportunity to include a discount coupon has been sent to our tourism operators, Golf Clubs, Restaurants and Cafes.

Staffing

A resignation has been received from Loni Peretini who was covering Maternity Leave for Shanise Rankin

There are no stats as the i-SITE and district Info Centres were closed due to Covid 19 regulations.

 

Regulatory

Building Services

Quality Management System

Council is a Building Consent Authority (BCA). Regulations require that BCAs are accredited and have a system that supports quality and continuous improvement in their management and operation. This includes consenting and inspecting building work and issuing code compliance certificates.

The building team and BCA Quality Manager submitted all required evidence to Council’s auditors (International Accreditation NZ). Council is now waiting for confirmation from IANZ that the last non-compliance has been cleared. IANZ will then renew Council’s accreditation. 

Building Consents

The table below is a comparative summary of building consent statistics, since 1 July:

Building Consents	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
No. of Applications Received	312	304	316
No. of Inspections Requested	825	784	873
No. of Applications Processed	259	316	311
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	97.3%	80.7%	91.3%
No. of Inspections Performed	1,230	1,121	1,362
Total Value of Applications Processed	$13,400,556.00	$14,712,706.00	$22,116,849.00

 

Animal Control

Public Education and Information

In February, a nuisance barking article was published in the Bush Telegraph. The article provided advice for dog owners to prevent and address undesirable barking behaviours.

In March, a preferred owner article was published in the Bush Telegraph. The article explained that applications would need to be received by April, to qualify for a reduced annual re-registration fee in June.

Annual Dog Re-registration

Annual dog re-registration was due on 1 August. Follow up activities by the animal control team have resulted in an additional 14 dogs being registered since the last report to Council.

85 known dogs remain unregistered (1.2%), out of 6,675 dogs. Owners of these dogs can expect to receive a $300 infringement notice for failing to register their dogs. 

Compared to the number of unregistered dogs in May 2019 (133), the current results represent a 36% increase in compliance. This is a credit to the animal control team.

Dog Attacks

The following table is a comparative summary of reported dog attacks (people and animals), since 1 July:

Location	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
Ind/Com Nth Ward	0	0	1
Ind/Com Sth Ward	1	0	0
Non Rateable	0	0	0
Rural North Ward	1	4	5
Rural South Ward	1	3	12
Road or No Property Address	7	10	7
Urban North Ward	11	17	9
Urban South Ward	10	10	14
Total Reports	31	44	48

 

Environmental Health and Licensing

Alcohol Licenses

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

Environmental Health

Environmental Health staff attended webinars from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) regarding remote inspections (verifications) of food businesses during Alert Levels 2-4.

Staff have also been providing general advice to food businesses around reopening procedures and food safety checks.

No annual inspections have been undertaken for registered premises (hairdressers, funeral directors, camping grounds, offensive trades) under the health regulations.

Illicit Dumping

The following table is a comparative summary of reported illicit dumping, since 1 July:

Illicit Dumping	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
Ind/Com Nth Ward	1	9	16
Ind/Com Sth Ward	5	4	7
Non Rateable	10	3	6
Rural North Ward	8	3	5
Rural South Ward	9	4	2
Road or No Property Address	108	76	91
Urban North Ward	7	4	4
Urban South Ward	12	6	3
Total Reports	160	109	134

 

Since 1 July, 6 infringement notices have been issued with a total value of $2,200.00.

Council has requested illicit dumping statistics be provided by locality, rather than ward. This request has been discussed with Council’s IT Alliance. It has been agreed to review implementing this request, following the review and revision of regulatory CRM categories (planned to complete by 30 June 2020).

District Planning

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway

In April, the Environment Court approved a mediated outcome (consent order) between the NZ Transport Agency and appellants to the notice of requirement for the new state highway designation. This brings the appeals to an end and confirms the proposed designation.

Resource Consents

The planning team is continuing to receive a significant number of general and site specific enquiries for developing and subdividing properties around the district. This demand is being managed by increased use of consultants.

The following table is a comparative summary of resource consent statistics, since 1 July:

Resource Consents	2017/18	2018/19	2019/20
No. of Applications Received	47	67	84
No. of Applications Processed	45	60	72
% Processed within Statutory Timeframes	97.8%	98.3%	91.7%

 

 

          TARARUA DISTRICT COUNCIL

          QUARTERLY SPORT REPORT
           January to March 2020

 

Provision of services to support Tararua District Sport and Recreation groups

 

Tararua Recreation Advisor (TRA)

·    Since starting the role late January, I have had meetings and attended committee meetings as an introductory visit to the individuals/groups to explain the role of Tararua Recreation Advisor, and programmes that Sport Manawatu offers within the District. I have met with the following; Jamie & Troy (Rangitāne), Lynne Huddleston (Pahiatua School), Jono Vanklink (Think Hauora), Miriam Pinfold (DHS Sports coordinators), Rae Powell (St Anthony’s HOS), Children’s Day Committee (Pahiatua), Tim Soreson (TC CATUS), Road Meeting, Whanau Day (Gloria, Rangitane) Bush Rugby Committee, Eketahuna Primary School, Dannevirke Principal meeting, Dannevirke Sports Club, Bridget Bailey (TC Sports Co-ordinator), Margaret (School Principal), and the Bush Multisport Trust Board.

·    Moved the Pahiatua office location to BMS Office in February, increasing Sport Manawatu’s exposure and connectivity to our sport and active recreation community.

·    Helped with the distribution and data entry of the community survey for the new Pahiatua Swimming Pool. This has now closed with a total of 565 surveys being completed.

·    Started to organise K-Strapping courses with local Physio Aimee Feck.  There was to be a session held in Dannevirke followed by a session in Pahiatua.  This had to be put on hold due to COVID-19 however we will look to reschedule later in the year along with other programmes.

·    Met with Bridget Bailey (TC Sports coordinator) and Miriam Pinfold (DHS Sports Coordinator) to further grow their relationship, discuss working teams together where one school is too short to have a team and the other school needs players to complete a team.  Discussed concerns around decreasing numbers and barriers for players.  Talked about having the Sport and Cultural prefects assisting at Tararua Sports Awards.  Both coordinators valued the meeting and we are going to make meeting a regular event each term.

·    Chris Arbuthnott (Disabled Sportsman of the Year) and Katie Harris (Administrator) were finalist for the Manawatu Sport Awards.

 

 

 

·    The dates for the 2020 Tararua Primary Schools Seven-a-side Tournament hosted at BMS Park has been confirmed with the district primary schools as being 05 August (pp date 7 August).  This will be reviewed once the recovery package for Sport has been announced as to what Sport will look like going forward.

 

Bush Multisport Park (BMS Facility Manager)

·    Minor Sports organised by St Anthony’s School was held 25 February. 300 + children participated in this fun filled day, there were over twenty-five activities that the children participated in during the day; the senior students from St Anthony’s School delivered all the activities. There were some very tired and exhausted children when the event concluded.

·    Children’s Day organised by Jason Griggs and The Trust was a huge success, the venue change was well received by parents and the 500 children that attended, they loved having more space to run around. (Usually held at Carnival Park). They had a bouncy castle, inflatable slides, fire brigade with a combat challenge, Police, Wairarapa REAP, Tu Meke kids face painting, and the Lions who provided free sausages. The Trust ran a photo booth while Tararua College offered popcorn in addition to many more activities.

·    Bush Women’s Hockey trials took place with the team entering into the 2^nd Division of the Manawatu Hockey Competition.  Bush Hockey was successful with their funding application to Waireka Community Trust allowing them to purchase equipment and uniforms. 

·    Bush Multisports applied for funding thru Kiwisport for a ‘Pick Up a Racket’ module in the Tararua this was approved for $5000. The module has been organised by BMS and the Tararua Recreation Advisor. The module is open for children from 5-18, to try tennis, pickle ball and badminton. The tennis module has been completed with an average of 28 children attending the three sessions. We were also fortunate to have a practicum with a tennis coach background from Sport Manawatu deliver the tennis component. Active Families (Sport Manawatu programme) joined in the sessions with their families while the Tararua Recreation Advisor helped facilitate.  The next two modules have been postponed due to COVID -19.

·    Security cameras have been installed at the front entrance points, and stadium carpark. We are grateful to Central Energy Trust who kindly approved the grant for the cameras to be purchased and installed.

·    Two picnic tables with covered roofing have been erected on the northern end of the Park, with the Twilight Cricket Club paying for the materials and Fonterra providing the labour for these to be built. Two more bench seats under the trees on Huxley Street have been built by the caretakers. From our annual survey distributed to users and community it was mentioned numerous times the Park had lack of seating.

 

·    Bush Multisports have been applying for funding for a storage shed that has internal access to the stadium, fund of $50,000 has been approved from Trust House, Eastern and Central Trust and Pub Charity. JTD Ltd will be building the shed, at this stage the shed will not be lined until we can secure more funding. JTD Building will submit plans to TDC for approval; the aim is to have this finished by the end of August.

·    The Bush Multisports annual quiz night was held 28 February with 17 teams taking part and over $2K being raised.

·    Bush Multisports staff helped with the distribution and data entry of the community survey for the new Pahiatua Swimming Pool. The Facility Manager will be assisting the project team to develop the Business Case.

·    COVID -19 – Sports will be a huge part of the community’s lives, once the alert levels have been lifted, Bush Multisport to engage with all volunteers to organise social sport as lots of regional sports may not be held this year. Facebook messaging at present is being used as the main communication tool with physical activities that can be completed at home.

 

 

Assist with development of community events

 

2020 Downer Tararua Sports Awards

Planning was going extremely well for the Awards scheduled 15 May at the Dannevirke Town Hall. Local category sponsors included the Council, Visique Optometrists, Scanpower, MCI & Associates, NZ Natural Clothing, NZME/Bush Telegraph, Dannevirke New World, Dannevirke Carriers, Property Brokers and Downer. Nominations were being received but the event has been indefinitely postponed and will be held for a Dual year in 2021. The Tararua Recreation Advisor would like to acknowledge the Economic Development and Communications team for their support in organising the event to date.

2020 International Woodville Motocross Grand Prix

Assisted with build-up and day to day running of the event which draws thousands of visitors to our region.  New ideas to bring the visitors into Woodville town and surrounding areas were tried with some working extremely well and others not so well. The Tararua Recreation Advisor ran prizegiving at the Mini track, which council sponsored, great feedback was received as to how well this was managed.

 

Further development of participation and capability initiatives

 

Tararua Green Prescription (GRx)

The Sport Manawatu Health programmes in the Tararua are achieving some great successes with participants engaged with our Green Prescription, Whānau Fit and Active Families/ Active Teens programmes.

 

 

 

 

The Green Prescription adult programme over the last quarter has seen 12 referrals.  Due to the lack of numbers engaging, no groups planned – constantly under review depending on what suits clients needs. The programme Phone Support coordinator made four visits to meet up with clients. Trips are planned fortnightly however this is largely dependent on who wants to meet. Facilities used include Activate gym, Wai Splash pool, and the Pahiatua gym.

 

Active Families Advisor

The programme numbers in the Tararua have decreased in Term 1 with two families registered and two teens currently. The Active Families programme continues to run out of the Bush Multisport Park and is held weekly at Stadium Pahiatua (Bush Multisport Park) on Monday’s from 3.45pm.  The group has participated in active games and joining in Pick Up a Racket programme. The Active Families advisor met with Rosie from Tararua Youth Services around supporting the Youth in Pahiatua. Active Families, Active Communities and the Tararua Recreation Advisor will be looking to deliver an Active Teens programme in collaboration with Tararua Youth Service and Tararua College starting in Term 3 now.

 

Active Communities Advisor

WFP1920TAR continued this term with the third module – Triathlon. We regularly had attendances between 10 and 22 participants, the majority teenage Māori. This consistency in numbers is due to strong relationships with frontline staff at Te Kete Hauora and Tararua Youth Services, both based in Dannevirke. In the programme we provided instruction in the triathlon disciplines from experienced and qualified instructors, complemented by the excellent staff at WaiSplash, also well qualified and experienced. Together with WaiSplash management, we had planned to hold a triathlon event on the 30^th March, using the neighbouring Dannevirke Domain (authorised by the Council) for the run and cycle leg, and finishing at WaiSplash. This was only made possible by Phil Stevens (Active Transport Advisor) providing bicycles for participants who don’t have access to one. However, due to the current COVID-19 situation, this event and the entire remainder of the programme has had to be cancelled.

In mid-March, the Tararua Recreation Advisor and Active Families Advisor met with Rosie Whaitiri and Mihikotukutuku Lawson from TYS due to a request to deliver something similar to the Whanau Fit Programme (in Dannevirke) for the youth in Pahiatua. Plans were made to deliver something more in line with Active Families based at Tararua College however is certainly on ice due to COVID-19.

 

Play Framework

Sport Manawatu carried out a survey earlier in the year to identify the behaviours of children and beliefs of teachers involved with a Play based learning model. In addition, further Insights were gathered to help identify the importance of Play as a cornerstone to be physically active for life. Discussions with Council staff and our Regional Sport Trust network has supported the adoption of a Play framework.

 

 

 

 

 

The framework looks at Play for children and adults as continuum, determines focus areas including safe places, promotion and advocacy. Most importantly, it encourages outcomes that require parents to give time, place and permission for children to explore. We are wanting to work with TDC on developing Play Guidelines and we see our partnership and framework approach contributing to regional outcomes. We will be looking to assist the Council gather insights in later in the year.

Community Group Strength and Balance

One of the ways Sport Manawatū is helping New Zealanders to live stronger for longer is by supporting the development of community group strength and balance exercise classes targeting those over the age of 65 years throughout the Mid Central District Health region.

·    There are 10 Strength and Balance classes (4 providers) endorsed on the ‘Live Longer for stronger’ website located in District.

·    We have created a Use it or lose it booklet which lists all of the approved classes across the region. The booklets have been circulated at the Council library.

·    Sport Manawatu continue to report to the DHB Safe Mobility Council and work with the ‘Falls Prevention Team’ as a way to promote programmes through GP’s and Health Care workers.

Cycle Skills Advisor

Sport Manawatū and Council have continued to progress actions within this outcome area relating to becoming an NZTA BikeReady National Cycle Skills region. The NZTA BikeReady programme centres on quality standards and measures which includes spending more instructional time with individual participants. The programme includes an increase in funding that will greatly assist with building local capacity (developing more quality Cycle Skills Instructors and getting more children riding a bike). The Cycle Skills Advisor and Tararua Recreation Advisor delivered our Cycle Skills programme to 127 Year 5-7 students at Huia Range, during February.

 

·    Two students couldn’t ride a bike at the start with one of them remaining at learn to Ride level.

·    126 students mastered all the Grade 1 skills to allow them to ride on the road.

·    65 students completed all the Grade 2 (on the road) outcomes, 41 students completed the core Grade 2 outcomes, 20 students did not ride on the road due to illness or no permission.

·    Five teachers took part in the program.

·    12 Whanau Fit participants (adults and teenagers) took part in our cycle skills program and all did the road ride and achieved the core Grade 2 outcomes.

·    Delivered cycle skills to 50 students at Weber School for their bike and scooter week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondary School Sport Advisor

The secondary school’s advisor visited Dannevirke High School and Tararua College (along with Tararua Advisor) on 5 February. This was mainly a meet and greet with the sports coordinators of the two schools as the secondary school advisor was new to the role. The discussions we had were good to understand how the school runs and the priority of sport within the school. The main concerns for both schools were the cost of travel into Palmerston North and elsewhere for competitions, also parent support for the students to participate in sport and student umpires/referees. Sport Manawatu also held a Sport Coordinator meeting once a term, with the first one being 13 February, unfortunately neither of these schools could make it but they were still kept up to date and in discussion with what was covered during this meeting.

 

KiwiSport Fund

Sport NZ have taken a new approach to address the drop-off in kids participating in organised sport in New Zealand. They have identified five priority areas which includes:

·    Identifying and focusing on initiatives /programmes that support low participating groups/communities.

·    Bringing an increased focus on investing into initiatives which meet the needs of young people (12-18 years).

·    Focusing on innovative approaches to getting girls and young women (10-18 years) participating in activities and sport that meet their needs.

·    Continuing to decrease support for in-curriculum initiatives.

·    Focusing on the importance of quality experiences.

 

Three very successful tennis sessions were held as part of the ‘Pick up a Racket’ module involving 23-28 students.  Some feedback from the attendees was that it was fun, wanted Dad to buy them a tennis racket, and asking for more tennis sessions.

The Bush Tennis Champs entry numbers increased greatly as a result of the initiative with schools having to hold trials due to the interest.  We are disappointed but appreciate the decision to cancel this tournament due to COVID-19.

The Tararua Recreation Advisor met with Rose Bertram, Early Childhood Coordinator REAP, to discuss the development of a pre-school aged gym in Dannevirke.  Research has shown there is a community need.  The meeting was to discuss possible venue options, how it would run and access to funding options.  KiwiSport funding has closed for the year but once this re-opens we will put an application for funding in.  We have also investigated other avenues for funding but do not meet a lot of the criteria. 

 

 

 

Administer the International Representative’s Fund

 

No application received during this quarter.

 

 

Administer the Sport New Zealand Tararua Rural Travel Fund

 

The media advertising for the promotion of the Tararua Rural Travel Fund was run in the Bush Telegraph issues 25 February, and through social media.  Due to COVID-19 the Fund has been postponed until Clubs and Teams have a clearer picture on what cost their will be for them in 2020 season.

 

 

Liaison with Council Officers

 

·    The Tararua Recreation Advisor attended meeting with Councillor Raylene Treder and Deputy Mayor Erana Peeti-Weber to build relationships and discuss Tararua Sports Awards.

·    Quarterly contract meeting with Mark Maxwell (TDC Economic Development & Communications Manager) to discuss our 2019/20 annual workplan outcomes.

·    Sport Manwatu CEO and Active Communities Manager presented a deputation to the Council requesting financial support for the Regional Sport Facilities Plan coordinator role.

·      The Economic Development & Communications Manager, Active Communities Manager, and Tararua Recreation Advisor met in March to review the five-year contract agreement which is due for renewal in July. The aim was to align our agreed Play, Sport and Recreation outcomes to the Districts Community Strategy.

 

 

1.             Recommendation 1.1            That the report from the Chief Executive dated 21 May 2020 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.

 

Attachments

Nil.