Agenda of Council meeting - Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Minutes of a meeting of the Tararua District Council held in the Council Chamber, 26 Gordon Street, Dannevirke on Wednesday 8 September 2021 commencing at 1.00pm (being the rescheduled date for the meeting that was postponed on 25 August 2021).

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 Nicholson - Chief Executive

Mr R Taylor - Manager - Democracy Services

Mr R Suppiah - Group Manager - Corporate

Mr C Chapman - Group Manager - Infrastructure

Ms T Love - Group Manager - Operations (via Zoom)

Mr M Maxwell - Group Manager - Economic and Community Development (via Zoom)

Mr C McKay - Finance Manager (for item 11.9)

Mr M Alben - Project Manager (via Zoom)

2. Council Prayer and Tribute to the Late Robert (Bob) Trotter

2.1	The Mayor opened the meeting with a Karakia/Council Prayer, and observed a minute of silence as a tribute and mark of respect to the late Robert (Bob) Trotter (former Mayor of Dannevirke District Council and Tararua District Council).

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 30 June 2021 (as circulated) be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.* *Crs Hull/Peeti-Webber Carried*

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

9.1	Solid Waste 2021/2022 Kerbside Recycling (Item 11.7)
9.1.1	The decision to move to a fortnightly kerbside recycling collection service has been implemented, and further community education on this matter is intended.

10. Community Boards and Community Committees Reports

10.1	Pahiatua On Track
10.1.1	*That the reports of the Pahiatua On Track meetings held on 7 July 2021 and 4 August 2021 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Isaacson/Wards Carried
10.2	Woodville Districts’ Vision
10.2.1	*That the reports of the Woodville Districts’ Vision meetings held on 6 July 2021 and 3 August 2021 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Isaacson/Wards Carried
10.3	Dannevirke Community Board
10.3.1	*That the reports of the Dannevirke Community Board meetings held on 5 July 2021 and 2 August 2021 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Isaacson/Wards Carried
10.4	Eketāhuna Community Board
10.4.1	*That the reports of the Eketāhuna Community Board meetings held on 12 July 2021 and 9 August 2021 (as circulated) be received.* Crs Isaacson/Wards Carried
10.4.2	Eketāhuna Camping Ground
10.4.2.1	Kerry and Loreen Cunningham have decided to continue undertaking the management of Eketāhuna Camping Ground, and withdrew their intention to terminate their contract with Council.

11. Reports

11.1	Delegations to Staff Performing Regulatory Functions
11.1.1	*That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 28 July 2021 concerning delegations to staff performing regulatory functions (as circulated) be received, and* That Council approve the proposed delegations detailed in this report to enable staff to deliver and fulfil the statutory responsibilities of the legislation relating to the regulatory functions specified. Crs Hull/Sutherland Carried
11.2	Annual Dog Control Act Report to the Secretary of Local Government
11.2.1	That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 30 July 2021 concerning the Annual Dog Control Act Report to the Secretary of Local Government (as circulated) be received and adopted. Crs Johns/Treder Carried
11.2.2	It is noted the need to consider providing further dog park exercise areas in the district, with such a proposal to be investigated in the next Annual Plan for Rotary Park at Pahiatua funded from private sponsorship.
11.3	Annual Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority
11.3.1	That the report from the Secretary of the Tararua District Licensing Committee dated 9 August 2021 concerning the Annual Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act Report to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (as circulated) be received and adopted, and *That the report be posted on the Tararua District Council website, and* *That the report be sent to the Secretary for the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority by 30 September 2021.* *Crs Peeti-Webber/Sutherland Carried*
11.4	Appointment of an Independent Commissioner for the Puketoi Windfarm Application to Extend the Resource Consent Lapse Date
11.4.1	That the report from the Manager Regulatory Services dated 13 August 2021 concerning the appointment of an Independent Commissioner for the Puketoi Windfarm application to extend the resource consent lapse date (as circulated) be received, and That pursuant to Sections 34A and 125 of the Resource Management Act 1991, Council delegate to Certified Independent Commissioner Paul Rogers the necessary functions, powers and duties to consider and determine the application from Mercury Energy to extend the lapse period for the resource consent for the Puketoi Windfarm. Crs Johns/Hull Carried
11.5	Section 17A Review of Solid Waste Services
11.5.1	*That the report from the Project Manager dated 13 August 2021 concerning the Section 17A review of solid waste services (as circulated) be received, and* *That Council adopt the following recommendations arising from the review of its solid waste services activity undertaken in accordance with Section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002:* *Governance for solid waste services continue to be undertaken by the Council.* *Funding for solid waste services continue to be determined by the Council.* *Delivery of all Council solid waste services (new and existing) be done via a Council contract with another person or agency.* Crs Johns/Isaacson Carried
11.6	Road Closure Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974
11.6.1	*That the report from the Alliance Director dated 16 August 2021 concerning a road closure application under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974 (as circulated) be received, and* That pursuant to Section 342 (1) (b) and the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974, Council closes the following road for the purpose of allowing Eketāhuna Our Town Incorporated to hold a Christmas parade community event. *Road name: Main Street (State Highway 2) from Macara Street to Church Street* *Date of closure: Saturday 27 November 2021* *Period of closure: 10.00am to 12.30pm* *Conditions Applied to the Granting of this Road Closure* *That Tararua Alliance in conjunction with the organiser will assess shortly prior to this event the condition of the road involved to determine its suitability for this purpose.* That if Tararua Alliance identify the road as being in an unsuitable condition arising from this assessment then they have the discretion to request the organiser to withdraw the road from the route of this event. *That shortly after the event has been held Tararua Alliance shall carry out a drive over of the road that was closed for this event to assess its condition.* *Advisory Note* *That should Council incur any additional maintenance costs as a consequence of the event then those expenses shall be recovered from the event organiser.* Crs Hull/Johns Carried
11.7	Road Closures Requested Under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974
11.7.1	That the report from the Alliance Director dated 16 August 2021 concerning a road closures application under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974 (as circulated) be received, and That pursuant to Section 342 (1) (b) and the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974, Council closes the following roads for the purpose of allowing Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce to hold a Christmas parade community event. *Road name: Stanley Street from London Street to Miller Street* *Date of closure: Saturday 4 December 2021* *Period of closure: 12noon to 1.00pm* *Road name: High Street (State Highway 2) from Miller Street to Swinburn Street* *Date of closure: Saturday 4 December 2021* *Period of closure: 12noon to 1.00pm* *Conditions Applied to the Granting of these Road Closures* *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.* That if Tararua Alliance identify the road as being in an unsuitable condition arising from this assessment then they have the discretion to request the organiser to withdraw the road from the route of this event. *That shortly after the event has been held Tararua Alliance shall carry out a drive over of the road that was closed for this event to assess its condition.* *Advisory Note* *That should Council incur any additional maintenance costs as a consequence of the event then those expenses shall be recovered from the event organiser.* Crs Peeti-Webber/Franklin Carried
11.8	Loan Agreement Between Council and Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre for the Te Waananga Taiao (Education and Accommodation Centre) Project
11.8.1	That the report from the Group Manager - Corporate dated 18 August 2021 concerning a loan agreement between Council and Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre for the Te Waananga Taiao (Education and Accommodation Centre) Project (as circulated) be received, and *That the loan agreement be approved, and delegation is given to the Chief Executive to finalise the agreement, and* *That the Mayor and Chief Executive are authorised to sign the agreement on behalf of Council.* Crs Hull/Wards Carried
11.9	Council Performance for the Twelve Months Financial Year Ending on 30 June 2021
11.9.1	That the report from the Senior Financial Accountant dated 18 August 2021 concerning Council performance for the twelve months of the financial year ending on 30 June 2021 (as circulated) be received and the contents are noted. Crs Peeti-Webber/Johns Carried
11.10	Staff Report
11.10.1	Growth Management Strategy
11.10.1.1	The need to progress the Growth Management Strategy is emphasised, and development of the District Strategy will provide direction as part of the process to shape the vision for that purpose.
11.10.1.2	While the district is experiencing growth and development the lifestyle is also attracting people to live and work here.
11.10.1.3	Council is having some success in filling job vacancies advertised despite the challenging and competitive market, but the lack of skilled staff in areas such as planning and building has resulted in current resources being put under more pressure.
11.10.1.4	Finding housing is also difficult, and Council is working on determining opportunities to address that issue through preparing a District Housing Strategy.

11.10.2	Civil Defence Emergency Management
11.10.2.1	Ross Brannigan from Emergency Management Services has been contracted to provide an overview of Emergency Management within Council and identify any gaps. Ross is also providing assistance to Peter Sinclair through a personal development plan for his new role of Emergency Management Advisor.
11.10.2.2	A training Emergency Operations Centre foundation course is to be held with the Mayor and Councillors on 20 October 2021 at 1.00pm relating to their governance role.
11.10.2.3	Emergency Management Advisor Peter Sinclair and Events Coordinator and Emergency Management Officer Mercedes Waitere-McCullum were deployed for six days as part of the support from other areas to assist during the severe flooding weather event that devastated Westport, and their time and commitment given is acknowledged.
11.10.3	*That the report from the Chief Executive dated 13 August 2021 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.* Crs Isaacson/Hull Carried

12. Portfolio Reports

12.1

Nil

13. Mayoral Matters

13.1	Maori Language Week
13.1.1	It is noted Maori Language Week is held from 13 to 19 September 2021 to celebrate and promote te reo Māori, and secure its future as a living, dynamic and rich language.
13.2	Covid-19 Lockdown
13.2.1	Thanks are conveyed to Councillors for their efforts and work in staying connected throughout the Covid-19 lockdown. The commitment of the Incident Management Team comprising Bryan Nicholson, Peter Wimsett, Peter Sinclair and Mercedes Waitere-McCullum is acknowledged along with staff maintaining essential community services.
13.2.2	The loss of many community events has occurred, with there being stress and concern and a financial impact on businesses and some residents throughout the district.
13.2.3	The contribution given by volunteers, essential workers and the district’s iwi in supporting the community during this difficult period is appreciated through helping to provide resilience and alleviate uncertainty.
13.2.4	Thoughts of care and support are extended to victims of the horrific and terrible terror attack and traumatic ordeal they experienced in lockdown at an Auckland supermarket.
13.3	Mayor and Councillors Report
13.3.1	A copy of the Mayor and Councillors July/August report is tabled, and the information set out in that document is circulated for reference as an attachment to the agenda relating to these minutes.
13.3.2 13.3.3	Matters included in the Mayor and Councillors report are as follows: Tribute to Robert (Bob) Trotter Pahiatua town centre upgrade opening Tararua 7 a-side tournament Presentation of Fire and Emergency New Zealand Gold Star Awards for 25 years of service to Tony Belcher (Pahiatua Deputy Chief Fire Officer) and John Hills (Pongaroa Fire Chief) Woops a Daisy Leisure Marching Team display day at Bush Multisport complex Local Government New Zealand Conference and Excellence Awards Men’s Health Car Show 2019 fundraiser plaque unveiling of a new specialist bed gifted to Dannevirke Hospital Unveiling of plaque in Fountaine Square commemorating 125 years since the land was gifted to the people of Woodville by Thomas Fountaine Festival of the Future Letters of support, condolences and visits Events attended by the Mayor Councillors portfolio reports Wairarapa Times Age column by the Mayor The Mayor is to raise awareness through local media to alert the community of an email scam that occurred to her. This involved an email from someone supposedly inside Council asking her to buy iTunes gift cards. Councillors also received the same email.
13.4	Annual Residents Surveys Benchmarking Report 2020/2021
13.4.1	The results of the Annual Residents Surveys Benchmarking Report 2020/2021 to measure Council’s performance are very pleasing, and the work of staff in achieving that outcome is acknowledged.

14. Items Not on the Agenda

14.1	Nil
14.2	The meeting adjourned at 2.55pm, and resumed at 3.05pm.

15.

Public Excluded Item of Business

15.1

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

Chief Executive's Performance Agreement

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 Agreement*	*To protect the privacy of natural persons*	*Section (1)(a)(i)*

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

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

Crs Sutherland/Johns Carried

15.3	*That open meeting be resumed.* Crs Hull/Johns Carried

15.4

That the following decision taken with the public excluded be confirmed in open meeting: Item 15.2 - Chief Executive’s Performance Agreement

That the Chief Executive’s Performance Agreement for 2021/2022 be adopted subject to the correction of any grammatical and typographical errors, and

That the Mayor is authorised to sign this document on Council’s behalf and forward it to the Chief Executive for his signature and implementation.

Crs Hull/Johns Carried

There being no further business the Mayor thanked those present for their attendance and contributions, and declared the meeting closed at 4.25pm.

____________________________

Mayor

11.1 Sport Manawatu Annual Report 2020/2021
Attachment 1 Sport Manawatu Annual Report 2020/2021

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sport Manawatū’s role is to support the council achieve its aspiration of having a connected, vibrant, and thriving Tararua district, through the mediums of play, recreation and sport. This update presents Sport Manawatū’s achievements in the Tararua District during the past 12-months.

Outlined below are our agreed service outcomes and highlights:

1. THE TARARUA DISTRICT EXCEEDS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

· The loose parts play park launched in Pahiatua, and new community play trailer asset.

· Partnering to deliver strapping and grassroots coaching course including promoting funding opportunities.

· District Ripper Rugby event attracted 170 children.

· 26 residents referred to the GRx programme.

· $140,255k was distributed to support local tamariki and rangatahi into play, active recreation, and sport through the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund.

2. PEOPLE HAVE THE SKILLS TO SAFELY AND CONFIDENTLY CYCLE AND WALK ON OUR ACTIVE TRANSPORT NETWORK AND SYSTEM

· 109 Pahiatua school students received grade 1 and grade 2 cycle skills instruction through the NZTA BikeReady programme.

3. EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO BE ACTIVE BY PLAYING AND BEING ACTIVE IN SPORT AND RECREATION FACILITIES ACROSS OUR DISTRICT

· A series of Play Pop-ups captivated local residents and showcased the district’s open spaces not often frequented by the public.

· Maintaining a club membership database to support or grow sector capability, enable us to identify trends and assist with future facility planning requirements.

4. SPORTS AND COMMUNITY SPORT EVENTS CREATE SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS

· The Tararua Sports Awards attracted over 165 attendees who helped celebrate district sporting achievements.

1. THE TARARUA DISTRICT EXCEEDS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVTY

Deliver training, seminars, and programmes that impact on Active for Life outcomes

SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE INTO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

School Sport NZ hosted a national conference on 21-22 September which was available online to sport staff in schools across the country. Workshops were focused on Balance is Better, teacher coaches, reviewing School Sport plans, prioritising athlete well-being, and other focuses on rangatahi. The workshops are available online for anyone that could not attend the conference https://www.nzsssc.org.nz/Education/Online-Workshop-Series

Sport Manawatū (SM) in partnership with Manawatū Cricket Association hosted the inaugural Leavers Cup in October. A tournament that aims to provide a transition link for schoolboys with clubs in their final years at school. Manawatū local cricket club representatives officiated the tournament which allowed the clubs to create a relationship with the schools. The event engaged school teams that would not normally have participants in any of the Manawatū Cricket Premier Men’s competition. Tararua College was one of the schools involved in this tournament.

The Secondary School advisor with assistance from Sport Coordinators (representing 17 secondary schools) across the Manawatū to gather data for the 2020 NZ Secondary School Sport Census. The census provided information on how COVID-19 impacted the participation of students and teachers involved in sport. This data was collated from all schools across NZ. District schools provided data for this.

Key insights included:

· Physical activity dropped for rangatahi

· Sporting activities dropped while recreation activities increased

· Participation in golf and tennis increased

· Participant preferences moved between casual vs membership

· Trade me goods increased

· Schools lost more than 10-weeks (curriculum)\Attendance rates dropped

· Academic performance challenges

The Regional Sport Advisor for Secondary Schools (RSA), and Tararua Recreation Advisor (TRA) met with Fontayne Chase, the new Sport Coordinator at Dannevirke High School. Also both attended Tararua College’s athletics day held in February.

Sport Coordinator meetings have been held once a term, with Bridget Bailey from Tararua College accompanied by previous coordinator Miriam Pinfold, along with Fontayne Chase regularly attending these meetings.

Manawatū Inter-Secondary School Athletics (MISSA) was held on 20 March 2021 with 14 out of 20 schools in Manawatū competing. With MISSA being cancelled in 2020, it was great to see over 400 athletes participating in both track and field events with many records being broken. Nineteen students from Tararua College took part in the Championships.

SUPPORT LOCAL GROUPS AND HELP GROW THEIR IDEAS

Recreation Committee (Skate Park)

Sport Manawatū continues to support Dannevirke base stakeholders in the development of a new recreation and play area at the upper domain. To date, a survey to the community around their needs has been completed. A community consult was held with the Tararua Recreation Advisor (TRA) helping to promote the event, including facilitation.

The turn-out was great and went extremely well, considering the bad weather that day. The attendees were very engaged and supportive of the project. Attendees were of all ages, including those children of high school and primary school age. Feedback from them was extremely useful, as the project is being built for them.

The Recreation Committee is working towards having a basketball court built, but are awaiting to see council response to DMC presentation to council and will look to meet in early 2021 to outline next steps. The committee is now linking into the multi-sport committee and working towards the larger goal.

Dannevirke Multi-sport Hub

This project led by Tararua District Council is progressing well with Global Leisure consultants completing the findings of their needs/demand assessment. The findings were discussed with the project steering group earlier in the year with group consensus to proceed to the feasibility stage. The identified venue is the domain with its links to existing infrastructure including the WaiSplash pool, adjacent sporting green space, and the proposed skate park development. Sport Manawatū sit of the steering group providing guidance on matters relating to the key work stages and alignment with our sport facility investment decision making process.

Woodville Recreation

The TRA met with Turia Brackenbury, Chair of Woodville Recreation and Play (WRAP) to inform the new TRA on the background and give an update on the Recreation and Play development for Woodville. In addition, the TRA and Sport Manawatū’s Play Systems Lead met with Woodville District Vision Chairperson Vicky Tomlinson to discuss working together to ensure outcomes are meet and developed for the community.

March 2025 will be the 150th anniversary of Woodville and the intention is to complete the project in time for the anniversary celebrations.

Photo: promoting the district’s community sport and recreation workshops

Pahiatua Community Swimming Pool

Louise Powick along with Raylene Treder continue to progress developments of a replacement swimming pool for the Pahiatua community. A feasibility assessment on the identified option has been completed with work now moving to business case. Pahiatua on Track are in the process of clarifying pool ownership with TDC while also seeking feedback on the operational budget. Louise is waiting on information from CREATE Specialist Designers in relation to the building consent submission for the facility. Jacobs and Colspec have also been approached for price estimates. Sport Manawatū’s role has been to provide guidance on the requirements of each key work stage, and to assist with funding conversations once the business case has been completed.

Celebrating our Sporting Volunteers

National Volunteer Week was scheduled 21 – 27 June with Sport Manawatū coordinating a cookie drop to help recognise and thank the many volunteers across the district. Great opportunity for the TRA to meet sports groups and build relationships in the district engaging with netball, cricket, rugby, golf and hockey clubs around the Tararua.

TDC ‘Let’s Talk Play’ Workshop

Sport Manawatū in collaboration with Sport NZ presented a ‘Let’s Talk Play’ workshop to the Strategy and Policy committee at Tararua District Council at the beginning of March. This workshop was an opportunity to bring to the forefront the importance of play for our communities and how this currently sits within the Tararua District. We were able to draw on the councillors past play experiences and how these may shape what we can do to provide the same for the Tararua community. From this workshop, many action points were identified with council already applying for a Play Trailer for community use within the district. We are excited to keep supporting the amazing work within play in the Tararua moving forward.

Loose Parts in Schools

Sport Manawatū supported Bush Multisport with a Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund application for a Loose Parts Play pilot based at Bush Multisport. In order to show evidence around tamariki enjoying and wanting this type of play in the community, both the Recreation Advisor and Tamariki Advisor delivered loose parts play activities into a few Tararua primary schools to gather feedback from local children. Sessions were delivered in Pahiatua School, St Anthony’s, and Balance schools. The loose parts play involved placing out random items such as ropes, buckets, noodles, tarpaulins; and allowing the children to use their imagination and play with the items how they saw fit. Feedback from the children was very positive with all children wanting this type of play in the future. This evidence was presented to the Tū Manawa committee and the application granted.

Photos: the kids thought the loose parts activation was a great idea!

District Play Trailer

The TRA will be the administrator for this exciting new council asset. A trailer full of play equipment will be available across the district to hire at no cost. This will increase the play model in Tararua. Schools, events, birthday parties etc. The play trailer can be booked by contacting the Tararua District Council Business Network, or email leahs@sportmanawatu.org,nz.

Bush Multisport (BMS) Loose Parts Play launch

Sport Manawatū supported BMS to get their successful Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund play project underway in Pahiatua after BMS secured the funding to get it up and running, SM assisted on a need’s basis to its inception on 17 June. To highlight the amazing work BMS have done to create this great play opportunity for the Pahiatua community, SM enlisted and covered the costs of a videographer to tell the story of the play park, to gather the thoughts of Raylene Treder (BMS Facility Manager) and Mayor Tracey Collis and take some great action shots of the parks opening. The promotional video is intended to be a key resource in not only encouraging the different play opportunities possible for other communities across the Tararua District, but nationally, with the play park being one of the first of its kind in a community setting across New Zealand. SM wishes to acknowledge BMS for being courageous in leading the way with play opportunities in the District as outlined in the following newspaper article https://bushtelegraph.communitynews.co.nz/bush-telegraph, and we look forward to working with other community champion organisations across the district in the near future. This development was a great collaboration between Sport Manawatū, Bush Trust, and Tararua District Council.

Check out how the Play Park came to together here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEuvULt59_M

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Photos: freely chosen play time just how it should be!

GROWING COMMUNITY CAPABILITY THROUGH WORKSHOPS

Funders Forum Workshop

The TRA assisted the TDC with delivering a community funders forum scheduled in June. SM provided a presentation by the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding administrator partnering with other funding agencies including ECCT and DIA. A total of 100 people attended the event.

Sports Medic Workshop

The TRA organised two entry level workshops for the district in April. Two strapping workshops covering strapping and concussion were delivered by Physio Ditte van Vliet from Flex Physio. The two strapping workshops were a huge success with eight attendees at the Business Centre Dannevirke, and 16 at Bush Multisport, Pahiatua held on the 7 and 14 April respectively. The attendees ranged from coaches, managers, parents, and high school athletes. Some sport codes that attended were hockey, rugby, netball, running. The cost was $10 per person to cover the cost of tape. Attendees learned a variety of strapping techniques and basics around concussion. The feedback was extremely positive.

Photo: workshop attendees practising a variety of taping methods

Grassroots Coaching Workshop

The Pahiatua Coaching workshop was of huge value to our local coaches. Eight netball, rugby, and hockey coaches attended the evening facilitated by Jason Fletcher, SM Regional Coach Advisor. There was a variety of active and non-active learning exercises and the group interacted well. Feedback was very positive with all attendees taking away a new skill and additional tools for their coaching toolbox. The Dannevirke course was postpone to a later date due to the lack of interest.

Photo: Jason runs an attendee through a skills exercise

Meeting with Te Koha Community Group

Te Koha is a new club to Pahiatua who ran a touch competition, and are putting together netball and dart teams. Their vision is that they will be able to supply sport to the committee for zero fees while also allowing local groups to use their facilities (The Club Hotel) for fundraising.

There has been concerns from Bush Netball as they have lost committee members and coaches to the new club. They have expressed these to the TRA which lead the TRA to suggest a meeting of Te Koha and Bush to see how they could work together but Te Koha felt that this was not needed. Bush were also disappointed with the assistance that Te Koha received from Manawatū Netball, and it was suggested Te Koha to Manawatū Netball to address their concerns.

District Ripper Tournament

The Manawatū Rugby Union with the TRA helped run the second Tararua Ripper Tournament for Tararua Primary schools on Wednesday 14 April at Bush Multisport Stadium. The tournament catered for Year 5 & 6 and Year 7 & 8 students. 16 teams registered for the tournament, which was hugely successful with schools from Dannevirke, Kumeroa, Mangatainoka, Pahiatua, Alfredton, including Bulls Primary attending. The 170 kids had a fantastic day with one player saying it was such a cool day as he got his first ever try! The winning and runner up teams in each grade received a certificate for each player. The schools enjoyed the fast pace quick moving game which allows all players to get involved. The Food Fundraiser was a great success with the Tararua College team selling food which was fantastic to see the money going back into sport. SM provided food for the volunteers via the fundraiser to show our appreciation for their support.

Photos: On the day action at the Ripper Rugby tournament

Let’s Move It

The ‘Let’s Move It,’ physical activity for under 5’s, have held four sessions from 25 November. This has been a project under development for some time. Rose (from REAP) and TRA have been working together on funding however applications for equipment purchases have been declined. Dannevirke High school can no longer store gymnastic equipment, and this has provided an opportunity for ‘Let’s Move It’ to procure these items for sessions. The Feilding Gymnastics club kindly donated the equipment and the group are very grateful as the extra equipment has been a huge benefit to them. The numbers this term have been between 12-30 for each session with session. We are still pursuing funding options to help with hall hire cost, to ensure that all Under 5’s can attend, and that cost will hopefully not become a barrier.

Photos: a positive way for mothers to support under 5’s into physical activity

School Sports Calendar

The TRA has been working with local schools to create a school physical activity calendar. There are a variety of external sporting codes wanting to come into the district to promote their sport with our children but are struggling to find dates that work with the schools due to not enough notice being given to the schools. The TRA also wants to ensure that schools are having different groups go into the school throughout the year (Balance is Better) so as not to overload the term, in which the calendar should mitigate this regular occurrence.

DELIVER GREEN PRESCRIPTION (GRX), ACTIVE FAMILIES AND
STRENGTH AND BALANCE

Green Prescription - Getting the Tararua Active!

The Green Prescription is a Ministry of Health and MidCentral District Health Board funded programme that aims to get more people physically active, and to help them to improve their health and wellbeing.

In the latest quarter:

· 26 clients were referred to the GRx programme

· Five Tararua clients attended our Palmerston North Term 1 classes either because they work in the city or preferred to travel to use the Lido complex for activity.

· Fourteen clients registered into the Phone Support service. One decided not to use her Scrip. We are in touch with five clients who are considering registering to join.

· Also within our Phone Support service, we looked after two clients who are in our Term 1 Maternal group for expectant mums.

· Phone Support includes:

o One planning meeting with our Active Team members. In Tararua, at Pahiatua Fitness Centre, or AMP WaiSplash Pool, or Activate gym, for an introduction to activities. Some clients need home exercises and so receive a home visit to get started. Often, further meetings are arranged for activities instruction.

o A course of ten weekly mailouts by email or post with information requested by the client about motivation and getting organised, activities, health issues, and healthy eating.

o Regular contact by phone, texts or email or further meetings to provide information, support, advice, encouragement, over three months – this can be extended for another three months if requested.

o Exercise sheets, videos of exercises and guest speakers and access to recorded Zoom sessions. These were developed during the 2020 Lockdown and have greatly improved our service to clients.

o Ongoing information and assistance via our private Facebook page.

· Our Phone Support Coordinator and another Active Team member visited the Tararua four-weekly, meeting clients by appointment, with the day, times, and meeting venue all flexible, to suit clients.

We communicate the details of the GRx service in quarterly reports delivered to all health professionals. At the same time we offer visits to help health professionals understand the programme – this offer is not usually taken up by Tararua health professionals. Tararua referrals are almost exclusively now received electronically.

A barrier for many participants is the expense of using a gym or pool. Discounts are arranged with the AMP WaiSplash Community Pool, under their Medical Referral scheme, and with Activate gym. We also support clients who apply to WINZ for financial assistance.

Active Families:

Engaging whānau most in need of physical activity, sport, and active recreation

The GRx Active Families is a community-based health programme shaped and delivered to support physical activity uptake in tamariki and rangatahi aged 4 – 17 years and their whānau/families. The programme provides support, guidance, and opportunities to create positive healthy lifestyles through regular physical activity and healthy eating. This is achieved through education, nutritional guidance, goal setting and on-going support in a culturally appropriate setting.

The Active Families has continued to be delivered out of the Bush Multisport stadium in Pahiatua with the great facilities it provided for all types of activity. There are currently 14 participants and their families registered on the programme in the Tararua. This programme promotes weekly activity sessions with our families incorporating fitness games, Basketball, Boxing, a nutritional session, and many other activities. Families were able to take away some great ideas of fun fitness games they could play at home together, as well as both portion plates to eat off and lunchbox flip charts for great ideas for healthy lunches.

A new home-led support option was established in Term 1 to provide additional support for families by way of phone contact and emailed resources. Continued support and encouragement through the use of home-based activities.

A new Active Teens programme within Tararua College was delivered to two different groups of students: A Year 9 whānau class, and a group of students within the Student Support Centre. This was a great opportunity to increase the students’ knowledge around health and wellbeing, and to explore different types of physical activity. The term included a variety of sessions ranging from tips about nutrition, to activities not typically included in a school setting such as frisbee, boxing, fitness games and home workouts. The Active Teens programme provided an opportunity to work with these students in smaller groups compared to a normal class size which has been of great benefit for them. Exercises and activities were adapted to suit individual participant needs, and there was time to work closely with them on certain skills. The small groups allowed us to create an environment that made everyone feel comfortable enough to give every activity a go, which helped to build confidence within the students. What initially was organised for a term programme was extended into Term 4 because the students enjoyed and benefited from the sessions so much.

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 MidCentral Health region.

· A picture containing text, newspaper, screenshot

Description automatically generated There are now 15 Strength and Balance classes (five providers) endorsed on the ‘Live Longer for stronger’ website across the Tararua District.

· We continue to connect and engage with existing exercise providers throughout the Tararua District working with providers for community classes to be approved and available for elders in the area. Please refer to the Bush Telegraph article below.

· We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, the MDHB Safe Mobility Council, and the falls prevention team to promote the programme and to improve alignment of health clinicians within the DHB.

· We have updated the Community Strength and Balance booklet (please see attached)

· The Strength and Balance coordinator is currently working with a stakeholder in Pahiatua to have her programme endorsed.

· We have created a new way to refer patients/clients to the Community Strength & Balance programme. The goal is for this referral process to be as straight forward as possible and provide access to members of our community to the classes on offer.

Photo: Bush Telegraph promotion of the S&B programme

DELIVER ACTIVITIES THAT ARE COMPLEMENTARY INITIATIVES AIMED AT INCREASING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Administer funding to support Play, Active Recreation and Sport Outcomes

COORDINATE THE TŪ MANAWA ACTIVE AOTEAROA FUND

Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa provides funding for programmes or projects delivering play, active recreation, and sport experiences for tamariki and rangatahi. It is particularly focused on groups where barriers cause them to be less active. The purpose of the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa Fund is to provide quality experiences that are accessible, create a lifelong love of being active and meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi.

We have a particular focus on:

· Children and young people in higher deprivation communities.

· Girls and young women (5-24) and disabled children and young people (5-18).

· Demand/Needs led programmes.

· Local Led Delivery based, and

· Significant leveraging opportunities through collaborative partnerships.

The activation fund helps to cover programme or service delivery costs including:

· Programme or project delivery e.g. venue or equipment hire, transport.

· Equipment as part of the programme or service.

· Officials, where these are required for the delivery.

· Programme Delivery supporting staff wages applicable to the project e.g. activity leader, coordinator.

Sport Manawatū have an allocation of $737,500 to distribute regionally.

Projects funded through Tū Manawa during this financial period included:

Organisation	Project	Funding Granted
Projects specific to Tararua
Hosanna Dannevirke Baptist Church	Tararua Primary School Basketball Tournament (program has been delayed and funding is on hold)	$3,025
Wai Splash Community Pool	Water Safety for Schools	$10,000
Manawatū Wanganui Golf Incorporated	Country Club Youth Golf – Eketahuna and Pahiatua Golf Clubs	$7,200
Bush Multisports Trust	Bush Multisports Loose Parts Play Park	$7,000
Tararua District Council	Tararua District Council PLAY Trailer	$14,000
Dannevirke Smallbore Rifle Club (DSRC)	DSRC Junior Shooting Programme	$5,500
Manawatū Cricket Association	Multiple Projects - Community Delivery and Activation	$39,500
Manawatū Badminton Association	Badminton Time	$34,000
Target Shooting NZ Inc	Target Sprint Manawatū	$9,900
Hockey Manawatū	Hockey with no Limits	$10,000
Total		$140,125

Sport New Zealand Tararua Rural Travel Fund (TRTF)

The Tararua Recreation Advisor administers the Tararua Rural Travel Fund on behalf of Council. The fund (totalling $9.5k) via Sport NZ is open to rural sport clubs and schools with young people between the ages of 5 and 19 years of age, who require subsidies to assist with transport expenses to local sporting competitions. The fund has been promoted in Bush Telegraph, on social media and in email Newsletter to database in March 2021 and closes end of April. There were 45 applications totalling $18,110. The funds were divided evenly between the 45 teams with each receiving $210.

International Representative Fund

The TRA administers applications for the International Representatives Fund, which are then reported to Council. Due to there being no international competitions it was put forward to council that the funds be distributed to local schools to assist with their sports travel and two local kapa groups that are attending National competitions.

ACT AS THE ‘SHOP FRONT’ FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BETTER ACCESS SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES

Maintain a website and social media presence (e.g., Facebook) that is up-to-date and informative.

Maintain a website and social media presence that is up to date

Sport Manawatū provide information to our communities through several communication channels: website, Facebook, Instagram, and e-newsletter. The website continues to be a key avenue for providing information to users. A total of 80,147 people visited the site during this reporting period. The homepage alone attracted 17,986 views.

Alongside the website, we post regularly on Facebook, and we are working to increase our profile on Instagram. Our Instagram page currently has 1,092 followers and our Facebook page has over 7,872 followers and grows weekly. The Facebook page for Sport in the Tararua Facebook page has 721 followers. We post a range of information from local clubs/organisations to Sport NZ funding, to promoting local parks and reserves.

It has also been a great way to advertise the Downer Tararua Sports Awards, and SM Workshops.

The post with the highest reach for the Tararua was:

Maintain databases of clubs and facilities to ensure they are current

Sport Manawatū maintains a database of clubs on its website, ensuring our community can connect directly with our regional sport and activity providers. The site provides information relevant to specific groups including sports seeking assistance with governance training, parent and teacher support, and organisations seeking funds for programmes/initiatives.

Top viewed website pages:

Page Name	Total Views
Home	17,986
Multi-Sport Holiday Programme	4,216
Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa	2,575
Our People	2,394
Green Prescription pages (including health referrals)	4,399
Contact	1,484
Humphries Construction Workplace Challenge	1,134
Upcoming Events	1,105
SeeHerBeHer	962
Funding	843

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP ADVICE ON PLANS AND PROJECTS THE ENHANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES TO BE ACTIVE AND ENHANCE
DECISION-MAKING

Work with Council staff and stakeholders including presenting to Councils Play, Sport and Recreation committee on issues /projects impacting the sector or community.

Recreation Strategy

Sport Manawatū staff have been involved as a stakeholder in the development of a District Recreation Strategy led by Jess McKenzie. The TRA co-presented to TDC to discuss the following four focus areas of the proposed strategy:

· Increase participation in sport and recreation,

· Provide quality facilities and environments for sport and recreation,

· Improve collaboration between Council and stakeholders, and

· Support sustainable recreational tourism within the Tararua District.

The initial scope of the work involves gathering insights to help inform the actions to develop.

Sport Manawatū met with the Recreation Strategy working group to discuss the potential of how Play could be integrated into this strategy. They will continue this work in the next quarter through a presentation to council, Pop-up plays to gather insights, and possible community Play Box situated at Bush Multisport.

PROVIDE INSIGHTS/RESEARCH ON LOCAL TRENDS AND ISSUES IMPACTING ON COUNCIL’S PLACES AND SPACES

Sport Facility Planning

Sport Manawatū continues to fulfil its responsibilities by demonstrating its value in delivering on the Regional Sport Facility Plan Implementation Plan that has been agreed by the Regional Steering Group.

Sport Manawatū is in a unique position to oversee a number of regional and sub-regional projects, share valuable learnings that are benefiting the sector long term, and crucially playing our part in making sure every Council dollar is invested wisely for maximum return in benefits to the community.

Sport Manawatū facilitated a meeting involving TDC and PNCC management to progress thinking regarding use of NZTA contribution to recreational facilities tied into the Te Ahu a Turanga shared pathway. A cycling facility is being considered as part of the Lindauer trail that will require funding into a feasibility assessment. Initial conversations relate to groups and projects who might benefit from the investment.

PROVIDE INSIGHTS /RESEARCH ON LOCAL TRENDS AND ISSUES IMPACTING ON COUNCILS SPACES AND PLACES

Maintain databases of clubs and facilities to ensure they are current.

Sport Manawatū have been working on a new system that will improve the way we connect with and maintain relationships through a Customer Relationship Management tool. Sporty offer a Super CRM platform of which a number of sporting groups use. The process has involved an integration of multiple spreadsheets with the intention of eliminating record database duplication. The current database has been a very valuable to connect with our Sport and Recreation.

Clubs we engaged throughout the last 12-months included:

Code/Club	Contact
Dannevirke Sports Club	Craig Boyden, Simon Curran, Nicolette Holdom, Gordon Kuggelijn, Naomi Castles
Aotea Sports Club	Lucresha Mason, Tina Todd
Bush Senior Rugby	Clint Worthington, Rebecca Brown
Bush Junior Netball	Holly Swanson
Tararua College	Bridget Bailey
Dannevirke High School	Miriam Pinfold, Mary Mitchell, Aron Noble
Tararua Squash Club	Chris Dryland
Dannevirke Netball	Philamena Beale
Wai Splash	Philamena Beale
Bush Senior Hockey	Natasha Bailey
Dannevirke Tigers	Naomi Chase
Dannevirke Tennis	Wendy Stratford
Dannevirke Basketball Association	Reiri Hinekura, Eru Ruatahi
Smallbore	Robbie and Ruth McNair
Dannevirke Athletics	Kelly Gillard
Touch	Riki Enosa

2. PEOPLE HAVE THE SKILLS TO SAFELY AND CONFIDENTLY CYCLE ON OUR ROADS, SHARED PATHS, AND CYCLEWAYS

Run and promote cycle skills education programmes

We have continued to promote cycle skills in schools across the region. We are in the process of reviewing our programme to ensure alignment with the New Zealand Transport Agency standard.

In addition, 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).

· A BikeReady programme was completed at Pahiatua School in March 2021.

o This saw Year 5 and Year 6 being involved.

o The TRA found it extremely rewarding teaching six children who could not cycle how to ride a bike.

o A total of 109 students received BikeReady instruction during this annual period.

Cycle Skills Delivery

Sport Manawatū is working with council to investigate funding opportunities to support cycle skills delivery in the district. Funding previously received through an NZTA Road Safety fund managed by Horizons ceased on 30 June 2021. Some of the avenues we are looking at include a direct approach to NZTA from TDC for funding to support the delivery of the BikeReady programme. This will now focus on events-based promotion starting with the Walk and Wheels week scheduled later in November.

3. EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO BE ACTIVE BY PLAYING AND BEING ACTIVE IN SPORT AND RECREATION FACILITIES ACROSS OUR DISTRICT

Increase awareness of opportunities to be active in Council’s sport and recreation facilities, parks, and reserves.

Provide advice to Council and sports facility proponents on the investment decision-making framework.

Support opportunities that contribute to the community accessing our Spaces and Places - developing a Play Framework to assist the Council deliver on its aspiration of a connected, thriving rural community.

In 2019, Sport Manawatū conducted a survey 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 and our Regional Sport Trust network has supported the development of a draft Play Framework. The framework looks at play for children and adults as a continuum, identifies 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 agreed on an annual investment plan with Sport NZ and appointing Whitney Le Comte in September as a Play Systems Lead who will be responsible for framework actions that deliver on regional play-based outcomes.

District Facilities Sports Database

Sport Manawatū is continuing to capture club membership and participation data from clubs and stakeholders to understand how the Tararua community stay active. The information will help to inform us as to areas to support or grow sector capability, enable us to identify trends and assist with future facility planning requirements.

A district profile of sporting membership/participation is presented below:

Code	Teams/individual members	Venue
Senior Netball	19	BMS/DVK Netball Centre
Junior Netball	46	BMS/DVK Netball Centre
Rugby (over 13's)	11	BMS/DVK
Junior Rugby	18	BMS/DVK Sports Ground
Senior rugby	5	BMS/DVK Sports Club/EKE
Hockey - College	7	BMS/Manawatū
Hockey - Junior	25	BMS/Manawatū
Hockey - Adults	6	BMS/Manawatū
Social Hockey	8	BMS
Twilight Hockey	4	BMS
Junior Cricket	6	BMS/DVK Cricket Ground
Senior Cricket (incl social)	18	BMS/DVK Cricket Ground
Junior Cricket	9	BMS/DVK Cricket Ground
Junior Football	29	BMS/DVK Showgrounds
Senior football	10	BMS/DVK Showgrounds
Tararua Twilight Cricket	9	BMS
Primary School Basketball	17	BMS/DVK Sports Centre
College Basketball	6	BMS/DVK Sports Centre
Social Basketball	12	BMS/DVK Sports Centre
Junior Touch	18	BMS/DVK
Touch - Social	25	BMS/DVK
Rugby League Junior	8	Aotea
Rugby League Senior	1	Aotea
Total Sports Teams	317
Recreation Activity	Participants (weekly)
Circuit Classes	42	BMS/DVK/EKE health Centre
Spin	40	BMS
Pilates	40	BMS
Yoga	50	BMS
Junior Athletics	155	BMS/DVK athletics Club
Guides	10	BMS
Tennis	85	BMS/DVK Tennis Club/Eke
Bridge	20	BMS
Squash	103	BMS
Swimming Club	350	Wai Splash/Pahiatua
Grass roots gym - pre school	40	BMS
Gymnastics	140	WDV/DVK/Pahiatua
Golf	430	Eke/DVK/WDV/NWOOD
Bowls	220	DVK/WDV/Ruahine/Mangatainoka
Bush Riders Motorcycle Club	300	Woodville
Sit and be fit classes	35	EKE/BMS/Activate Gym DVK
Rifle Shooting	350	Pongaroa/DVK
Swimming Pools	(annual) 41,313	Pahiatua/WDV/Wai Splash
Total	43,723

4. SPORTS AND COMMUNITY SPORT EVENTS CREATE SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR THE DISTRICT

DELIVER AN ANNUAL PARTICIPATION EVENT

Due to COVID the Mini Dinger was cancelled. An Active Festival is being investigated for late 2021.

DELIVER THE TARARUA SEVEN-A-SIDE TOURNAMENT

The 9th annual Tararua Primary Schools Seven-a-side tournament (including winter sports of Netball, Hockey, Football and Rugby) was held at the Bush Multisport Park in August attracting 70 teams (involving over 630 students). Seventy-five volunteers (including Sport Manawatū staff) contributed to the running of the tournament, and with many volunteers needing nourishment, the TRA sorted sponsorship. Local real estate business Colliers, and Shires in Dannevirke contributed towards the lunches which were prepared by Tararua College students. The feedback received was mainly positive. Highlights were hearing that four football players, who had never previously played sport went on to join a club team.

Tournament results:

· Senior rugby – winner Pahiatua School

· Junior rugby – winner Ruahine School

· Senior football – winner Pahiatua School

· Junior football – winner Pahiatua School

· Senior hockey – winner Kumeroa School

· Junior hockey – winner St Anthony’s School

· Senior netball – winner Huia Range School

· Junior netball – winner Huia Range School

Sport Manawatū wish to acknowledge and thank Tararua College for their support and access to facilities for the event.

DELIVER THE TARARUA SPORTS AWARDS

The Tararua Sports Awards were held on Friday, 07 May at the Dannevirke Town Hall. The annual sporting awards provides the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the success of local athletes, coaches, clubs, administrators, and officials from the Tararua District.

With eight categories including the coveted Supreme Award, the evening recognised finalists across a wide variety of sporting codes. Due to COVID-19 the awards were not held last year, so this year’s awards enabled the community to celebrate 2019 and 2020 sporting achievements.

The night began with a fantastic opening from Te Ringa Kaha Kapa Haka. This was followed by a very special presentation to Dannevirke businessman Suresh Patel who was inducted into the Manawatū Legends of Sport, for his services to sport in the Tararua. This also served as an opportunity to recognise his substantial contributions to sport in the Tararua and honours of his Queen Service Medal dating back to 2020.

Taking out Sports person of the year award and the Supreme award went to female Black Sticks representative Megan Hull. Megan was unable to attend the awards due to being in a Black Sticks training camp in Auckland. Her parents accepted her awards on her behalf. Megan also sent through a video which was played after her Supreme award win where she spoke about how proud she is to be from the Tararua. Kieran McAnulty MP MC’d the event with Kingi Kiriona as guest speaker. The event was well attended with tickets selling out one week prior to the event (over 165 attendees). The 2021 awards are scheduled to be held in Pahiatua.

Photo (top right): Mayor Tracy Collis welcoming everyone to the awards night.

Photo: Te Ringa Kaha opening the awards

Photo: Suresh Patel with wife Nayna having been inducted into the Manawatū Legends

Photo: sports person nominees pictured with eventual award and supreme winner Megan Hull in the background.

WOODVILLE GRAND PRIX MOTOCROSS EVENT

The TRA used her relationships between council and the motocross (Mx) committee to develop additional activities alongside the main event with the aspiration of supporting the largest Australasian Mx event that continues to run in Tararua. The event took place during the weekend of 30/31 January 2021 and saw round one of the New Zealand National series take place. The TRA helped develop two new mini classes (primary school age), Girls and Novice, to ensure more locals had the opportunity to partake in the event. She also assisted in obtaining more local businesses to be involved in the event and recruit world-class riders to the region. The TRA is responsible for co-ordinating the mini event and worked closely with mini sponsors Tararua Alliance and explored sponsorship opportunities relating to recreation projects in the district.

The event was a huge success with the largest numbers in mini the event has ever had. The novice class which mainly consisted of local children was full and the mini girls’ class was extremely popular also. There were more pre-tickets sells, as well as Eftpos sales being well up from previous years.

It was great to have more locals involved, with Kate’s Coffee Cart booking in to come back next year as the weekend was so successful for her business. The TRA organised for the Woodville lions to be re-involved and they are keen to come back again. Woodville library was involved but more promotion needs to be completed around this. More information was shared around what services are in Woodville to competitors and support crew and the feedback from shop owners was extremely positive.

11.2 Bush Multisports Trust Annual Report 2020/2021
Attachment 1 Bush Multisports Trust 2020/2021 Annual Report

BUSH MULTISPORTS TRUST

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TARARUA DISTRICT COUNCIL

12-MONTH REPORT

01 July 2020 to 30 June 2021

INTRODUCTION

The Bush Multisport Trust board was established in 2000 to enable the growth of sport and recreation in the Tararua district as well as to meet the changing needs of the local community of Pahiatua. The Trust operates the Bush Park on behalf of the Tararua District Council, this partnership being key in supporting annual operations. Council’s support allows the Trust to concentrate on facility improvements and encouraging recreational opportunities. All development work and smaller projects have been made possible by various funding grants and the generosity of our local community and businesses.

The Trust through the Bush Multisports Trust Facility Manager are tasked with maintaining and enhancing the facilities of the park and increasing its usage through various initiatives. The Trusts activities are supported through its long-standing partnership with Sport Manawatū and the Tararua Recreation advisor. This report details the progress including highlights made in the past 12-months against Bush Multisports Trust 'Contracted Key Results areas' for the Tararua District Council. They include:

1. Maximise the number of sporting, non-sporting, and community activities at the Bush Multisports Trust Facility

· Loose Parts Play Park opening with funding received through the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund.

· Senior Bush Men’s Hockey team formed.

2. Maintain and enhance the BMST Facility and

· Build of a 14m x 7m storage shed with internal access to the stadium.

· $200,000 approved from Central Energy Trust for the upgrade of lights to LED on the main playing field.

· Funding secured from Trust House and Waireka Community Trust to build two cricket wickets.

3. Ensure Bush Multisports Trust is a financially sustainable organisation

· The Trusts positive financial position.

· Granted COVID 19 funding through the Sport NZ resilience fund.

1. FACILITY UTILISATION

The Trust’s strategic outcome is to maximise the number of sporting, non-sporting, and community activities at Bush Multisports facilities. This outcome is indicated by increases in facility use within the following users' categories.

Major events for the year

Major events - Continued

Facility Hireage

Bush Multisport Trust Annual Utilisation Hours
Facility	2020/21	2019/20
Grounds	1273.50	1251.50
Stadium Lounge	844.50	1151.75
Main Stadium - 2 Courts	2230.50	2455.00
Turf Pavilion	1643.50	1874.00
Turf	322.00	283.00
Total hours	6314.00	7015.25

Overview

The decrease in the utilisation of hours highlighted for the turf pavilion was due to a reduction of Tu Meke Child Care using the facility due to COVID-19 restrictions. The stadium lounge hours were significantly lower than the previous year due to the facility not receiving the same level of corporate bookings compared with previous periods due to the COVID lockdown restrictions. Corporate groups were too nervous to hold an event in case of anticipated COVID level changes and didn’t want to be the source of an outbreak which could have had a perceived to damage their reputation which extended up to eight months.

A positive utilisation outcome for the year has been the 2-court stadium which continues to see an increase in hours each year. Demand remains high for stadium bookings with regular stadium use in the weekends for children’s birthday parties. The turf booking increased this year due to Tararua College having an additional team entered into the Manawatu competition and the establish of a Bush Men’s Hockey team. The grounds hours remain on par with previous years.

Corporate / Hire

Dairy NZ, LIC, Fonterra, Farmlands, Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industries, Food Flo, Property Brokers, Work Smart, THINK Hauora, NZEI, Tararua District Council, and Fulton and Hogan have all been regular users of the upstairs lounge and turf pavilion for meetings and course during the year.

WorkSmart booked the venue in December for a three-week course to help clients from the Tararua prepare their Curriculum Vitaes, practice interview skills, and provide guidance to build their confidence. This booking provided the Trust with another revenue stream, and they have rebooked for the end of 2022.

Food Flo supported their workers through the Dale Carnegie programme, an eight-day course held over eight weeks with facilitators coming for Napier. The facilitators commented on what a fantastic conference facility was and wished they had something similar in Napier.

The Swamp City Roller Derby crew hired the stadium to host an event against the Dead-End Derby from Christchurch. Swamp City uses the Bush Multisports facility for their meets rather than CET arena in Palmerston North as the cost is a huge barrier to this organisation. The Trust encourages the stadium to be used for multi-purpose events, utilising the facility to its full potential.

Photos: Swamp City Roller Derby competing against a Dead-End Derby from Christchurch.

Pauline Leef who originally grew up in Dannevirke, who now has an association with the Waikato Basketball Association held a two-day Basketball training camp in the stadium during the October school holidays. Pauline played basketball in her youth in the Pahiatua Stadium and wanted to give back to the Tararua community by holding this camp. Pauline keeps the price low for the camp participants in order to reduce financial barriers. Pauline holds many training camps in the North Island she commented on how polite, well behaved and of the willingness to learn of the children that attended the camp, a credit to all those children involved. Twenty-five children enrolled in the camp with each child receiving a basketball and top. Pauline has indicated she would like to hold a week-long programme in the future at the stadium.

A Christian Church group from Masterton was a new booking secured this year, with the group meeting once a month on a Sunday afternoon. The congregation comprising of Masterton and Dannevirke members identified Bush Multisports as a highly suitable venue because of its central location.

A Rippa Tournament held 02 December organised by Manawatu Rugby engaged four local primary schools with one school coming from Dannevirke. Several cancellations occurred throughout the year, so it was pleasing to have it proceed. The comments from the kids after the tournament was positive with one participant saying it was an amazing day. Plans have been made for the event to occur next year.

The Midcentral DHB held a COVID-19 testing pop up station locating it in the upstairs lounge. There wasn’t a huge turnout based on it being a last-minute decision to come over. The organisation was originally going to be set up in the carpark, but it was so windy we offered them to use the upstairs lounge they were so grateful of the offer.

The Manawatū Rugby Union hosted a women’s module, with a game being played to finish off the training. It was great to be able to see some Manawatū Cyclones Women's Rugby team and other talented women playing over here at Bush. Some awesome talent coming through!

Photo: After match photo – Plumbing World Women’s model.

School Groups

School groups continue to use the facility for Athletics, Cross Country running, Dance demos, Basketball, Touch, Indoor and summer Hockey, and any other large event not able to be accommodated at their schools.

Pahiatua School hosted a banner tournament held 22 October with five other schools from the Manawatū region attending. The schools played Basketball, Football, Netball and Touch Rugby attracting over 280 participants. Pahiatua School had a fantastic day taking home the trophy with the most points overall accumulated over the four sports.

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Photos: Pahiatua School students at banner tournament.

St Anthony’s and Pahiatua School held their own school athletics day at Bush Multisports Park for their selection to send through to the Bush Schools Athletics Day held in December. This event was also held on the Bush Multisports grounds. It was a very well-run day with a significant effort going into event organisation and planning.

Tararua College Students organised an event for Keep NZ Beautiful; the students used Bush Multisports as a meeting place for the community to gather, then sent out to the attendees to a designated area to collect rubbish in the Pahiatua township an unbelievable amount of rubbish was collected by the students and the community, upon returning they received a free sausage.

Tararua College held their annual sporting exchange with Kuranui College on 08 September with Tararua College’s turn to host the exchange. The day was a stunner weather wise, with activities including Basketball, Football, Netball, Hockey, and rugby being played. The event was well organised by Bridget Bailey Tararua College Sports co-ordinator and the sports leaders of Tararua College. Unfortunately, the Powhiri and afternoon tea couldn’t take place due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Dannevirke High School continues to use the turf facility for trials and their annual exchange against Central Hawkes Bay College.

The Bush Primary School Volleyball tournament was held 16 September in the stadium however sadly some schools chose not to participate due to COVID-19 Level 2. Pahiatua School ensured participants complied with COVID alert level procedures allowing the event to happen for the Bush Schools in the district. The tournament was run very efficiently and the children that participate had as amazing day.

Photos: Bush schools Volleyball tournament

The 2020 Tararua 7’s held on 05 August attracted 630 children with teams taking part in either Rugby, Hockey, Netball and Football. Plenty of supporters turned up to watch the event and take in the action. A huge thanks and congratulations to Dee Parkes Tararua Recreational Adviser for the awesome and well-run event which is a highlight of the primary school's calendar. The event ran like clockwork; the number of games played was huge, hockey had 100 games played during the day. Also, a thanks to Sports Manawatu for supporting the event and the 70 volunteers that help on the day.

Photo: Tararua Primary Schools 7 a-side tournament

Tararua College Community Duathlon had 99 participants complete the course, with a large group of supporters to help encourage them.

Rural Schools held their annual cross country at the park on 01 June with approximately 300 participants taking part on the day

St Anthony’s School held their annual road race 02 June.

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Image: An article in the Bush Telegraph highlighting the event.

Supporting local sporting clubs and community groups financially

Bush Multisports applied for funding from the Sport New Zealand Community Resilience Fund Phase one to offset financial losses during the COVID lockdown. However, Bush Multisports didn’t qualify for assistance based on the criteria. Sport Manawatū were approached and subsequently granted Bush Multisports funding from its own account to help Bush Multisports during what was unprecedented times. The Trust held a special meeting to discuss the best way for Bush Multisports to help the local community and it was agreed unanimously to waive all affiliation fees for the winter codes. Sporting codes and users who received the waiver or reduced rent included:

· Bush junior Hockey

· Bush women’s Hockey

· Bush senior Rugby

· Bush junior Rugby

· Bush junior Netball

· Bush senior Netball

· Eketahuna women’s Hockey,

· Pahiatua junior Football club,

· Bush Principals (Bush junior Basketball),

· Tararua College Hockey,

· Girl Guiding New Zealand,

· Pahiatua Fitness and Training Centre, and

· Tu Meke Kidz childcare.

The clubs and users were very grateful for the affiliation and rent relief.

Bush Rugby celebrated the mounting of two honours boards in the Bush Multisports upstairs lounge. The boards were funded from surplus funds from the Konini Rugby Club jubilee held in 2006 and the Bush Sports Club. The boards were organised by David Galvin (ex-New Zealand rugby union) and Tony Fouhy. The board outlines Bush Rugby until 1971. Bush then amalgamated with Wairarapa for the New Zealand Sub Union, another highlight on the board is the representatives.

The unveiling was held 11 July on Club Day with visitors coming from all over New Zealand including one couple coming all the way from Warkworth (North Auckland). The unveiling was a great success with 60 in attendance.

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Photo: captured in the Bush Telegraph. The unveiling of the Honours Board located at Bush Multisports Function Lounge

Local Sport promotion

Image: taken from the Manawatū Standard

The two articles featured in local papers about the revived Bush Women’s Rugby team (above) and the newly established Bush Women’s Hockey Team (below). Great to see women’s sport on the rise at Bush Multisports. Huge thanks to Sam Tipene and Natasha Bailey for their efforts in reviving both of these Clubs

Image: Article in the Bush Telegraph and Manawatu Standard – Bush Women’s Hockey team and Bush Women’s Rugby Team.

Active Leisure Activities

Bush Multisports staff assisted the gym issue current and new members with replacement keys following the instalment of a new key card system which went live in September. The new system will allow members to pay online, and the office will not have to deal with the money side of the gym. The new system means that the office will only need to issue the initial key card and membership will now be completed online.

This has freed up time for the office staff with membership renewals not needing to be completed in the office. Gym chairperson Jymahl Glassey had access to the office on weeknights and weekend to assist members transition over to the new system. The new system was installed by Couchman’s Alarms, with the process of switching over seamless. Membership for the gym has increased from 150 to 385 in the last 12-months.

Bridge Club (cards) due to the older nature of the participants took a lot longer returning to Bush Multisports for their weekly booking due to COVID-19.

Bush Multisport Club Day

Club day was a huge success with 40 teams playing at the facility over the course of the day. Junior Football and Rugby, senior Netball, Hockey and Rugby teams played fixtures on the day. The facility was packed, and there were many positive comments received from the community on what a fabulous day seeing all the sport at one location. The following article captures the essence of the day!

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Images: Bush Multisport club day in action

Senior Sports Clubs affiliated with Bush Multisports Football, Netball, Hockey, and Rugby organised a fundraiser for their clubs in October they felt their players needed a get together after the COVID-19 restrictions during the season as it was very trying, they also wanted to have some seed money in their accounts before the 2021 season commenced. Dee Parkes Tararua Recreational Adviser and Bush Multisports Facility Manager assisted the Clubs by helping with the organisation and attended on the night to lend a hand. The fundraiser was held on 31 October with 120 people attending, the Clubs organised a band to play with an auction during the night. The clubs raised $1,200 each, from the success of the night this will be an annual fundraiser for the Clubs at the end of each season.

Private functions and Facility hirers

The Trust received an increase in booking numbers (19 parties in total) thanks to our ability to host Children’s birthday parties in the stadium and making the grassroots play equipment accessible. In addition, we also catered to a 21^st, 30^th, 40^th, combined 70^th, farewell party, and two baby showers with groups using the upstairs function lounge.

Jeff Ebbett’s funeral was held in the stadium 30 November with over 700 people in attendance. This involved a huge community effort to transform the stadium. Jeff was an Ex-Bush and Eketahuna rugby Club player and was held in high regard to both Club’s. Jeff will be sorely missed in the community.

The stadium was hired out to Elite Marching from the Waikato who stayed in Pahiatua for the national marching competition held in Palmerston North. We received this email of thanks below:

“Elite would like to thank you so much for allowing us the use of your arena. It was fantastic for our practice and as a coach to walk in there when you showed me was an absolute god send. Our biggest worry when going to a big event like the one we were at was the practice grounds (is it big enough to fit it all in and of course the weather). You took all that worry away from us.

Te Aho o Whatonga Kapa Haka group (Dannevirke) hired the stadium over Queen’s Birthday to train for their upcoming Nationals in Nelson.

Rhys Watkins from Manawatū-Whanganui Golf with a combined effort from the Pahiatua and Eketahuna golf clubs held a golf introduction course using the stadium and upstairs lounge with approximately 25 people attending. Rhys loved the facility and will be back to hold more courses.

Central Football held a two-day holiday programme over the period 29 and 30 April in the stadium with 15 children registered.

Tararua Recreational Advisor held a strapping and concussion course at the turf pavilion with 17 participants attending. The strapping flyer that was handed out at the course has been placed in the changing rooms and stadium.

The Tararua Recreation advisor in conjunction with Sport Manawatū held a coaching course facilitated by Jason Fletcher (Sport Manawatū regional Coach advisor), this course was well received by the participants and gained valuable knowledge on the best practice when coaching, participants would love Jason to come back in the future to hold more coaching courses.

Membership and Participant Statistics

Participation figures for the 2020/21 period increase significantly due to the majority of sports having a limited or non-existent season in the previous reporting period due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Lots of sports were guided by their national bodies during the alert level changes while local groups not supported by National Sporting organisations followed the guidelines Bush Multisports implemented for groups using the facilities at Bush Multisports. The volunteers of the clubs/groups were commended for making sport happen in a very different capacity and the extra work they had to completed to make this work for their sporting code.

An example of how different things were Bush junior rugby prize giving held 19 September. This was separated into two different sessions on the day to accommodate the level 2 restrictions of having only 100 people in the stadium at one time.

Bush Junior rugby held a fixture with Dannevirke at Bush Multisports in September, with the majority of teams with 350 attending.

Tararua College Girls A' basketball team affiliated to During this reporting Period Bush Multisports to use the stadium for training before they were competed at the Secondary Schools National Basketball tournament, unfortunately for the girls Nationals was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Below is an example of the” WHAT’S HAPPENING WEEKLY AT BUSH MULTISPORTS PARK” that is posted on the Bush Multisports Facebook page on Monday’s. From this weekly post the Bush Multisports office have received calls or Facebook messages from members in the community wanting to join activities as they did not realise, they were available.

Image: Example of a summer vs Winter Term, winter term is booked to capacity after 3pm

Manawatu Cricket facilitated a Superstar program in conjunction with Bush junior cricket in September, with twenty-four participants taking part. Local rangatahi who are currently representatives of Manawatū Cricket helped with the coaching of the tamariki. Bush junior cricket had two teams entered in the Manawatū Competition their games start on the 31 October.

A number of tamariki and rangatahi were selected from the Tararua to participate in the Central Football talents squads in their respective ages. A post was posted on the Bush Multisports Facebook with all the Children that were selected.

Junior participation

Bush Multisport Trust – participation statistics

Senior Participation

Senior Men’s football returned for the 2021 Season with 20 players committed to playing, after the 2020 season in which they didn’t field a team as the season was extended into spring and many of the players being farmers it wasn’t possible to commit. Woodville Football Association tried to form their own men’s team but due to not enough interest they will be playing for the Pahiatua Team.

Adult social tennis started 10 February for a six-week period, it experienced low numbers with the most being seven participants turning up to the first night. Thanks to Phil Bollard for volunteering to start this Sports code up again after a break of five years

Phil and Ben Harris are in the process of organised a Bush Senior Cricket team to play in the Manawatu Competition, for the 2020 -21 season the majority of the players who they are recruiting will be leaving Tararua College at the end of the year, giving them a pathway to continue to playing cricket. This is very exciting to have a Men’s senior cricket team affiliated to Bush Multisports, the previous team entered from Bush in the Manawatu competition was 10 years ago

Preseason rugby game played under lights on the 31 March with Bush taking on Puketoi with Bush taking the win, it was fantastic to see a huge crowd turning up to support the local boys. The bar had a very successful night taking $2,100.

Senior Participation

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2. MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE BMST FACILITY

BMST strategy is to maintain and enhance the BMS facility. This is achieved by the quarterly review of an ongoing maintenance plan.

Facility Development

Storage Shed

Building of the proposed storage shed was scheduled to be start in April 2020, however COVID-19 delayed the start until April 2021. The Trust retained Joss Tua-Davison and the shed is now an amazing complimentary facility asset. The shed can be accessed internally from the stadium or externally if users require equipment for outdoor usage. The equipment was previously stored in different parts of the facility and the new shed has mitigated a huge health and safety risk with users having access to the caretakers shed where they stored their mowers and line marking equipment.

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Image: External view of the new storage shed

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Image: There is now a secured space for facility users to store club equipment

Lighting Upgrade to LED on the main Playing field

Central Energy Trust approved funding up to $200,000 in November for the upgrade of lighting on the main playing fields to LED. The total cost of upgrading this one field was $204,841.00 + gst. Bush Multisports was grateful to receive 99% of the funding for this project. The remainder of lighting work on the other fields will be completed in a staged approach as funding is short. The total to complete all the playing field light conversions is $354,000 + gst. MacDougall’s and J A Russell have been contracted to install the LED lighting but unfortunately, the lights were delayed coming into the country with the scheduled completion now shifting from March to a period when the dry out enough to allow a crane to be able to access the field.

Grounds/Artificial Turf

An electronic scoreboard was installed on the deck at the park in March with Bush Senior Rugby granted funding for the score board, which is available for all sports codes to utilise. This is a fantastic asset, and the Park users are most grateful to the Waireka Trust and Trust House for the grant.

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Image: Electronic score board install on the deck at Park.

Other maintenance upgrades to the park in the last 12-months included:

· Stadium car park remarked in June.

· Eight toilet cisterns replaced.

· Exceptionally bad year with moss on the turf, due to dam conditions. Trust has sought advice from tiger turf to remediate.

· The grounds fertilised in January with a kind donation from by Hatuma.

· Trees trimmed on grounds by Kevin Nicholson.

Cricket wicket

Bush Multisports Trust applied to the Monty Fairbrother Trust for funding to replace the existing artificial cricket wicket as it had passed its life span, not having a response back from the Monty Fairbrother Trust the Trust board decided to apply for funding from Waireka Community Trust. The Monty Fairbrother Trust informed the Trust Board the same day they received a cheque from Waireka Community Trust to say we had been successful. The Trust Board returned the money back to the Waireka Community Trust. Tiger Turf installed the new artificial wicket in October with an opening of the asset held with Mayor Tracey and Twilight Co-President Clinton Bennett cutting the ribbon and bowling the first bowl on the new turf.

After the opening, Twilight cricket players played a rural v’s town match which has now become an annual event with Monty Fairbrother Trust sponsoring a trophy for this event.

Photo: Mayor Tracey, cutting the ribbon Photo: New artificial wicket

Kiwi sport

Kiwi sport funding that was provided by Sport Manawatū in 2019 to support an activity module called ‘Pick Up a Racket’ in the Tararua was only partially completed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. The programme was rescheduled in February 2021 by the Bush Multisports Facility Manager and the Tararua Recreation Advisor Dee Parkes who delivered the pickleball sessions and Badminton Manawatū delivered the badminton option. The number of tamariki participating varied from week to week with the lowest number being five and the most being 30 at a session.

Buildings /Car Park /Sale Yards Wheel Park

· Junior netball had two floor sockets installed in the stadium floor for more netball goals increasing the capacity so more games can be played in the stadium.

· Replacement Blinds were installed in the turf pavilion.

· The foyer of the stadium was painted, and lino removed, being a trip hazard. The concrete floor was painted in special concrete paint.

· A 55-inch television purchased and installed in the front entrance to the office, television can be viewed from outside the building, the television was purchased to display a slide show of what's occurring at Bush Multisports Park during the week, promoting up-coming sporting events and activities happening in the community.

· Anthony Mason from Tararua Alliance informed the Trust that the Alliance has a surplus in the car park budget, and this is going to be allocated to the wheel park car park for reconfiguration and tar sealing. Bush Multisports are truly grateful for Tararua District Council and the Tararua Alliance for enabling the car park to be upgraded, as it has been a real struggle to find funding for car parks in the past. Work is proposed to begin at the end of 2021.

Image: proposed design of the wheel park car park from Tararua Alliance.

Loose Parts Play Park

Funding approved through the Tū Manawa fund allowed Bush Multisports to develop a Loose Parts Play Park to encourage more young people to play. The Park comprises tyres, drums, carts, bamboo sticks, pool noodles, bungy cords, tug of war rope, buckets, spades, tarpaulins, stilts, piece of wood, pallets, crates, hoses, and hula hoops. The community are free to add anything to the park they so choose with the smaller items of equipment locked away in a garden shed. A mesh netting fence was erected to contain the equipment from spilling out into other areas of the park while a local fifteen-year-old student is employed to secure and unlock the park daily. The Park was opened 17 June by Mayor Tracey with a sausage sizzle, the children had an amazing time with lots of innovative and imaginative play. Two articles have featured in the Bush Telegraph of the Loose Parts Play Park, it is believed to be one of the first community play parks in New Zealand. Thanks to Whitney from Sport Manawatū for all her insights to get this park into action as some community members were bit sceptical initially but now can see the major benefits it is having on our tamariki and rangatahi. We love seeing the parents/guardians out of their cars and interacting with their whanau to come out with a new creation. The Park is well utilising with lots of construction happening daily. A video has been released by Sport Manawatū promoting the Loose Parts Play Park.

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Image: Opening the Loose Parts Play Park

Future Projects for the Trust

Cricket nets

Funding has been secured to build two cricket nets; the nets will be located by the middle light column on Huxley Street in between the two rugby fields. This project hasn’t started to date due to a contractor having an accident and only recently returning to work, the Trust are confident the nets will be built before the cricket season starts.

Image: Location of two new cricket nets.

Pahiatua Training and Fitness Centre

The gym committee organised a survey to gather insights on what the members would like to see in the gym in the future and a proposal of extending the gym. The insights collated from this survey was presented to the Board with the gym requesting that the floor space be increased by 200 square metres. Jymahl Glassey, President of the Pahiatua Gym has taken copies of the original architectural design of stage 1 the building of the gym, changing rooms and upstairs lounge for Morris and Bailey to review to see if they would require new plans to be drawn up and the approximate costing of an extension the building. Morris and Bailey have given an estimated quote to achieve this it would cost $270,000 + gst including all the fixtures and fittings. The Facility Manager will work with the gym over the next twelve months on this project. The Trust has agreed to help the gym submit funding applications for this development to be achieved.

BMST Stage 4 development - Pahiatua Swimming Pool

Geotechnical testing was completed on the ex-Sale Yard site in January, with results and reports received by Initia who were contracted to complete the testing. Initia stated “it’s a very good site from a geotechnical perspective”. From these results a decision was made to locate the pool at the western end (Tyndall St) of the site due to the water table being higher at the eastern end (Huxley St). Resource consent has recently been submitted to Council for approval. Bush Aquatic Trust – Te Kauhanga O Rongomai has been formed as an incorporated society. An AGM was held in March, six trustees where appointed being Louise Powick, Raylene Treder, Dana Broughton, Karolyn Donald, Erica Gleeson, and Stan Wolland. The constitution was approved and submitted to the Charities Commission. The business case for the Pool is very near completion (end of August hopefully). Next stage will be submitting funding applications.

3. ENSURE BUSH MULTISPORTS TRUST IS A FINACIALLY SUSTAINABLE ORGANSIATION

BMST objective is to ensure that the Trust is a financially sustainable organisation. All funding applications and future facility requirements are planned in a coordinated way to maximise to best result for the Trust.

The Trust received funding support from Sport Manawatū earlier in the year due to COVID-19, as the Trust at the time wasn’t eligible for the Sport New Zealand Community Resilience Fund Phase one based on the funding criteria. The Trust received $8,918.09 inclusive of GST.

Bush Multisports Trust was successful in securing funds from the Community Resilience Fund Phase two. Community resilience fund phase two opened up with a wider scope to include not only fixed costs but was also made available to Sports Hubs. Thanks to Sport Manawatū especially Victor Romero for taking the Trust’s concerns about phase 1 funding to Sport NZ for review. The Trust received $11,402 including GST from the application submitted. Funding received has been placed in a savings account just in case it is required for outbreak of COVID-19.

Additional funding the trust received through grants included:

· $10,000 from Pub charity,

· $20,000 from Trust House,

· $20,000 from ECCT,

· $21,862.65 from Lotteries for the building of a 14m by 7m Storage shed and

· $6,993 from Central Energy Trust for the installation of the fire detection and alarm system.

· $3,000 from Central Energy Trust for the replacement of a refrigeration unit to the walk-in chiller.

· $200,000 from Central Energy Trust for the replacement of the lights on the main playing field to LED.

· $10,779.75 from Waireka Community Trust

· $15,000 from Trust House

· $2000 from Pahiatua Training and Fitness Centre for the building of two Cricket nets.

· $8,050 from Sport Manawatū through the Tū Manawa fund for the development of a Loose Parts Play Park

Supplier Reviews

Throughout the reporting period the following supplier reviews were undertaken as part of the Trust’s strategy initiative of annually reviewing all revenue streams:

Rentokil pest control contract finished 31 August, new bait stations have been purchased and installed by caretakers in September these are to checked monthly, and a record of activity is to be kept. By completing this in house it saves the Trust over twelve hundred dollars a year.

The Trust did not renew the previous security contractors' contract, rather moving over to Allied Security in July. To date the security has been brilliant they are very informative and always let the office if anything is wrong. This new contract saves approximately one thousand dollars a year while the security company carries out additional checks three times a night.

Cleaning contract went to tender in October, the current cleaner at the time “Archers Cleaning Services” didn’t submit a tender, they had been the Trust’s cleaners for fifteen years. Tu Meke Kidz have the new contract and are performing an outstanding job of keeping the facility spick and span.

Rubbish collection contract was not renewed with previous provider, rather the Trust have changed to Enviro waste. This has given the Trust considerable savings each month and a better service is now in place.

BMST Trust and Operational Staff

The Bush AGM was held 21 July with a positive turnout in attendance. Johnny Daysh was presented with a card and voucher for his dedication to BMST and for always keeping the grounds in a pristine condition. Johnny retired after five years as the casual caretaker of the facility. Duncan Elliott Board Chair wished Johnny well in his retirement. Johnny’s wife Colleen was acknowledged at the AGM for allowing Johnny to come out of retirement and devoting some much dedication and energy to the facility.

The Trust was very fortunate to receive an amazing donation of a 2020 Massey Fergusson tractor from a donor who wished to remain anonymous. The Trust has signed an MOU with the donor, with the Trust covering insurance, maintenance, and storage costs while the donor is free to use it as and when required.

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Image: 2020 Massey Fergusson tractor donated to Bush Multisports.

Sarah Polglase Wills was employed as a casual employee taking on a casual contract to work the bar when the Bar manager is unavailable.

Peter Wimsett TDC suggested TDC take over the ownership of the BMST CCTV, with the Facility Manager to continue conversations.

The Trust currently has CCTV camera at the wheel park, basketball half court, stadium car park, entrance to the office, entrance to the stadium and the entrance to the gym.

Woodville in Focus and Woodville Districts Vision meet with Bush Multisports Facility Manager and Dee Parkes Tararua Recreational Advisor at Bush Multisports to discuss how they can progress and seek guidance with their plan for a recreational space in Woodville. Bush Multisports Facility Manager explained how the project for the Wheel Park at Bush Multisports eventuated and progressed to what it is today. From this meeting Dee and Bush Multisports Facility have been attended the newly formed Woodville Recreation and Play committee meetings to help progress this project.

Sport Manawatū undertook Wellbeing Survey following the 2020 COVID lockdown period which was aimed at being more efficient and effective as a group. From the internal review a restructure of the Leadership team was a made, with the Bush Multisports Facility Manager now reporting to Tania Garrett – General Manager Operations instead of Brad Cassidy – General Manager Partnerships.

The Senior Leadership Team structure positions:

· General Manager Partnerships – Brad Cassidy

· General Manager Operations – Tania Garrett

· General Manager Business – Stuart Robinson.

Regretfully, Dee Parkes the Tararua Recreation Advisor resigned in April to further their farming career in the Mangakino area. Dee’s enthusiasm and engagement with the local sports clubs and Board will be sorely missed. We wish Dee all the best.

Leah Sole was employed to replace Dee Parkes having previously worked with Sport Waikato in an Energizer role. Leah has hit the ground running with her first week in the job having the Tararua Sports Awards, we welcome Leah and will provide any assistance we can to transition her into this role. Awesome to see Leah spread across the district having two days in Pahiatua and Dannevirke and one in Woodville.

The annual Tararua Sports Awards held in Dannevirke on 07 May was a great success with over 165 attendees turning out on the night. The awards were opened for nominations covering both the 2019 and 2020 annual periods. With the resignation of Dee from Sport Manawatū, the Bush Multisports Facility Manager provided a significant role with organising this event. The awards were a sell out!! Congratulations to all the nominee and award winners, we have some truly amazing sport people in our community.

Caretakers continue to be contracted out to Pahiatua and St Anthony’s school to spray their grounds for weeds.

Bush Multisports has created an Instagram page to engage to the under thirty age brackets, office staff felt that we weren't engaged with this age group.

Bush Multisports has implemented a new accounting system with the Trust having previously used MYOB. The change to Xero was based on the Trusts accountant's advice. This system allows more detailed financial reporting for the monthly Board meetings.

The Board reviewed all staff wages, giving all staff employed an increase, a review hadn’t been completed for numerous years. The board have agreed to review wages yearly, so they are not left in a position to increase wages by such a significant amount in the future.

Facility Manager is currently working on a document that informs the Board when contracts are due for renewal, MOUs are due to expire, and policies need to be reviewed, this document will be added in the operational report the Board receive monthly.

The Trust previously gets their financials reviewed every year however the Trust opted to engage an auditor for 2020/21. Adrienne Dempsey from AuditPlus was contracted to undertake the audit. Adrienne began the audit in July 2020 and provided the Board with recommendations.

One of the recommendations was to have MOUs with our permanent hirers. MOU's have been developed and signed by Girlguiding New Zealand, Pahiatua Training and Fitness Centre and Tu Meke Kidz after school care.

The Board adopted new policies this year for CCTV, social media, Fraud, Governance and completed a more through risk register

Congratulations given to Bex Brown President of the Bush Senior Rugby Club who was elected to the Manawatū Executive Rugby committee – First women and first representative from this region since Dave Wolland.

Bush Multisports Office was closed for a four-week period over Christmas and New Year to allow the Facility Manager and Administrator to use their accrued leave, this is the quietist time at the facility so works well for both the Board and staff.

Roses removed from the Main Street, due to the upgrade have all survived, these were planted in October, they are now located at the front entrance of the office and a garden at the wheel park, they are all thriving and had a flourishing bloom over the summer months.

The Trust would like to acknowledge the staff employed by the board, Ange, Tim, and Alan for all their hard work and dedication in making Bush Multisports the facility it is today, they often go above the call of duty and sometimes do this voluntarily.

The Trust is in a very healthy financial position with reserves put aside as a contingency fund.

Lastly a huge thank you to the Tararua District Council for your continued support and investment provided to the Bush Multisports Facility, it is truly appreciated.

Report

Date	:	22 September 2021
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Bryan Nicholson Chief Executive
Subject	:	Three Waters Reform
Item No	:	11.3

1. Recommendation

1.1 That the report from the Chief Executive dated 22 September 2021 concerning the Three Waters Reform(as circulated) be received, and

1.2 That Council endorses the questions and concerns as per Attachment E of this report, and requests the Chief Executive to submit these to the Department of Internal Affairs and Local Government New Zealand on behalf of the Council, and

1.3 That Council requests the Chief Executive to report back to it when further information and guidance from Government, Local Government New Zealand and Taituarā is received on the next steps to be taken regarding this matter.

2. Reason for the Report

2.1 The reason for this report is to update Council on:

· the Government’s 30 June 2021 and 15 July 2021 Three Waters Reform announcements, which change the reform process previously outlined in 2020,

· the specific Three Waters data and modelling received to date,

· the implications of the revised Three Waters Reform proposal for Council and alternative service delivery options,

· key outstanding questions and concerns regarding Government’s proposed reform model, and

· next steps (including uncertainties).

3. Background

3.1 Following the serious campylobacter outbreak in 2016 and the Government’s Inquiry into Havelock North Drinking Water, central and local government have been considering the issues and opportunities facing the system for regulating and managing the three waters (drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater).

3.2 The focus has been on how to ensure safe drinking water, improve the environmental performance and transparency of wastewater and stormwater network and deal with funding and affordability challenges, particularly for communities with small rating bases or high-growth areas that have reached their prudential borrowing limits.

3.3 The Government’s stated direction of travel has been for publicly owned multi-regional models for (with a preference for local authority ownership). The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), in partnership with the Three Waters Steering Committee (which includes elected members and staff from local government) commissioned specialist economic, financial, regulatory and technical expertise to support the Three Waters Reform Programme and inform policy advice to ministers.

3.4 The initial stage (Tranche 1 - MOU, Funding Agreement, Delivery Plan and RFI process) was an opt in, non-binding approach. It did not require councils to commit to future phases of the reform programme, to transfer their assets and/or liabilities, or establish new water entities. The 2020 indicative reform programme and then anticipated next steps can be found in Attachment 1.

3.5 Council completed the RFI process over Christmas and New Year 2020/21 and the Government has used this information, evidence, and modelling to make preliminary decisions on the next stages of reform and has concluded that the case for change has been made.

3.6 On 30 June 2021, the Government announced that Cabinet had agreed to details of, and changes to, the Local Government Three Waters Reform Programme from what was signalled last year ahead of the Crown signing a Memorandum of Understanding with all territorial authorities in August 2020.

3.7 Some key aspects of Three Waters that have now been announced are:

· four new independent regional water services entities (with indicative boundaries), to be owned by local authorities.

· some local authority and iwi/Māori influence over the objectives and priorities of these entities.

· a $2.5 billion package to support local government transition through the reforms, to ensure no local authority is "worse off" from the reform; and

to ensure the reform leaves all communities "better off".

3.8 While the Government and Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) consider that national case for change has been made, each council will ultimately need to make a decision based on its local context if the process to join one of the proposed entities remains voluntary.

3.9 The Government has announced that local authorities have until the end of September 2021 to:

· consider the impact of the reforms (including the financial support package) on them and their communities.

· seek clarification, and

· provide feedback.

3.10 The Government will then consider next steps, including the process and revised timing for any consultation and decision-making.

4. Legal Obligations

4.1 The Local Government Act 2002 establishes the role, powers and duties of local authorities. Sections 10 and 11 provide as follows:

4.2 As per Section 10, the purpose of local government is:

· to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities; and

· to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

4.3 As per Section 11, the role of a local authority is to:

· give effect, in relation to its district or region, to the purpose of local government stated in section 10; and

· perform the duties, and exercise the rights, conferred on it by or under this Act and any other enactment.

4.4 Local authorities must act in ways that are prudent and in the current and future interests of their communities. In performing its role, a local authority must act in accordance with the various principles in section 14, which include:

4.4.1 A local authority should make itself aware of, and should have regard to, the views of all of its communities; and

4.4.2 when making a decision, a local authority should take account of:

· the diversity of the community, and the community’s interests, within its district or region; and

· the interests of future as well as current communities; and

· the likely impact of any decision on each aspect of well-being referred to in section 10.

4.5 In terms of consultation at this point it is widely accepted that formal engagement about whether to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ is not required and in fact too early as there is insufficient information to make an informed decision.

For further information refer to Attachment A, regarding Council decision-making and consultation per the Local Government Act 2002.

5. Government’s Proposal

5.1 In June 2021 a suite of information was released by Government that covered estimated potential investment requirements for New Zealand, scope for efficiency gains from transformation of the three waters service and the potential economic (efficiency) impacts of various aggregation scenarios.

5.2 In summary their modelling indicated a likely range for future investment requirements at a national level in the order of $120 billion to $185 billion, an average household cost for most councils on a standalone basis to be between $1910 and $8690+ by 2051. It also estimated these average household costs could be reduced to between $800 and $1640 per household and efficiencies in the range of 45% over 15-30 years if the reform process went ahead.

5.3 As a result of this modelling, the Government has concluded that the case for change to the three waters service delivery system has been made. (see Attachment B regarding this case) and has proposed to:

· establish four statutory, publicly owned water services entities that own and operate three waters infrastructure on behalf of local authorities

· establish independent, competency-based boards to govern

· set a clear national policy direction for the three waters sector, including integration with any new spatial / resource management planning processes

· establish an economic regulation regime

· develop an industry transformation strategy.

5.4 During June and July 2021 Government released information and made announcements on:

5.4.1 the direction and form of Three Waters Reform, including four proposed new Water Service Entities, their governance arrangements and public ownership. See Attachment C.

5.4.2 individual council dashboards, developed by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS), based on the information supplied under the Request for Information (RFI) process and significant assumptions. See Attachment D.

5.4.3 a package of investment ($2.5b) for councils to invest in the future for local government, urban development, and the wellbeing of communities, ensuring no council is worse off as a result of the reforms, and funding support for transition.

5.5 In addition to the announcements, the Government has committed to further discussions with local government and iwi/Māori on:

· the boundaries of the Water Service Entities

· how local authorities can continue to have influence on service outcomes and other issues of importance to their communities (e.g. chlorine-free water)

· ensuring there is appropriate integration between the needs, planning and priorities of local authorities and those of the Water Service Entities

· how to strengthen the accountability of the Water Service Entities to the communities that they serve, for example through a water ombudsman.

5.6 Next steps are expected to be announced after 31 September 2021, which would include the timeframes and responsibilities for any community or public consultation.

5.7 It is also important to note that the Government has not ruled out legislating for an “all-in” approach to reform to realise the national interest benefits of the reform.

5.8 In the interim the DIA continues to engage with council staff on transition matters on a no regrets should the reform proceed. These discussions do not pre-empt any decisions about whether to progress the reforms or whether any individual council will transition.

5.9 On the assumption that the reform goes ahead, it is anticipated that councils will continue to deliver water services until at least early 2024 and council involvement in transition will be required throughout.

6. Tararua District Council Considerations

6.1 This report provides Council with the information provided and assesses the Government’s proposal. In preparing it, officers have used the Local Government New Zealand, Taituarā, and Department of Internal Affairs guidance to assist Council to understand the information that has been provided to date and enable Council to prepare for future decisions, consultation and engagement with communities.

6.2 The Tararua district has been placed in Water Services Entity C, which currently also includes Gisborne, the Hawke’s Bay Region, Manawatu District, Palmerston North City, Horowhenua District, the Greater Wellington Region, the Chatham Islands, and the top of the South Island, although the precise boundaries are still up for discussion.

6.3 Tararua’s “better off” funding allocation is $15,185,454.

6.4 It is acknowledged that costs associated with water, wastewater and stormwater will continue to rise as a result of increasing regulatory requirement and compliance standards.

6.5 Given the peer reviews of the modelling and underlying assumptions (which always carry a degree of uncertainty) no further analysis of this work has been done or is proposed and staff have focussed on the reasonably practicable options and their implications for Council and the community.

6.6 The greater financial capability, efficiency, affordability and community/water benefits (as published by Government) of delivering three waters to the community by the proposed new Water Services Entities are likely to be of significant value if they can be realised.

6.7 Our analysis suggests there should be reduced risk to Council (non-compliance with standards and processes, lower costs for delivery, procurement). Council also would not be responsible if a non-Council supplier (e.g. private or community water supply scheme) couldn’t meet standards.

6.8 There are risks that need to be mitigated including integration with spatial, growth and local planning and transparent prioritisation, households’ ability to pay, and Council’s financial sustainability. There are several risks associated with transition to this model, many of which are outside of Council’s control and are noted in the transition section of the report.

6.9 Potential benefits of the service continuing in Council’s management include greater control and more certainty over local infrastructure integration (planning and delivery) with land use plans and Council objectives. Council however faces significant risks over the short, medium and longer term, including potentially high costs, in meeting the new water standards, environmental requirements and achieving compliance. The ability of non-Council water supplies to meet standards and requirements also poses an additional risk to Council and the community.

6.10 The causes of most of these risks are not within Council’s control. This makes mitigation difficult, and many potential mitigation options (such as greater investment, larger costs than currently planned, lower levels of service, compliance risk) may not be palatable to Council or the community.

6.11 The outcomes of other Government reforms (Resource Management Act, Future of Local Government) present currently unknown opportunities and challenges.

6.12 Managing transition risks could pose a greater challenge for Council (and others in its grouping) than the risks associated with the Government proposal. If the Government’s proposal were to proceed, effective management of the transition by Council, Government and partners will be critical.

6.13 There are a number of issues, concerns and uncertainties for the Government and councils to work through before a robust Council decision (and decision-making process) can be produced, including whether legislative change will enable or require the Water Services Entity approach to be adopted. Therefore, there is no expectation that councils will make a decision to opt-in (or out) or commence community engagement or consultation before October.

6.14 Government decisions on entity boundaries, governance and transition and implementation arrangements will occur after the eight week-process ends (30 September 2021).

6.15 If Government’s proposed reform goes ahead, it is anticipated that councils will continue to deliver water services until at least early 2024 and council involvement in transition will be required throughout.

6.16 While the Government and LGNZ consider that national case for change has been made, each council will ultimately need to make a decision based on its local context.

6.17 Councils do not have a national interest test for their decision making. Councils are required to act in the interests of their communities and the community’s wellbeing (now and into the future), provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to their decision-making processes, ensure prudent stewardship and the efficient and effective use of its resources in the interests of the district or region (including planning effectively for the future management of its assets) and take a sustainable development approach.

6.18 Council currently delivers three waters through a mixture of inhouse resources (i.e. for management of treatment plants) and through the Tararua Alliance (i.e. for management of reticulation infrastructure), Council’s collaborative working agreement with Downer NZ Ltd.

7. Council Specific Information and Analysis

7.1 The key aspects Council should note are detailed below.

7.1.1 Average annual cost per household -

· the DIA (based on several assumptions) states it is $1,070; our Council based on the 2021/22 Plan is $1,242.

· the DIA predict this will increase to more than $8,690 by 2051 without reform, or $1,260 in reform proceeds (for all Entity C areas).

7.1.2 Debt –

· If reform proceeds, Council’s debt in July 2024 will have reduced by $37m to $33m with the transfer of 3 waters debt to the new Water Service Entity. Council’s debt headroom will increase from $8m to $32m.

7.1.3 Capital Expenditure Forecast –

· The DIA are forecasting $283M for 10 years (2031) where else Council’s LTP projection is $64M.

· Our own information demonstrates that there is significant investment required over the next 10 years of Council’s Long Term Plan and out across 30 years in the infrastructure strategy, underpinned by assumptions that regulatory standards will tighten and that there will be more monitoring and enforcement in the future.

· DIA are forecasting $851M for 30 years out to 2051 compared to Council’s forecast in its infrastructure strategy of $159M.

· This significant difference in capital investment is one of the key drivers for the forecast rates increase projected by DIA.

7.2 Council has not budgeted to not comply with the law (and any applicable standards, rules or regulations or enforcement undertakings).

7.3 Information provided in the Dashboard and the associated underlying information for the next 30 years appears significantly higher in terms of future investment requirements.

7.4 Morrison Lowe have completed an assessment of the DIA Dashboard developed by WICS for Tararua and the underlying assumptions. They commented that:

· our view is that the likely future household costs for three waters will increase significantly for all Councils as a result of meeting increased standards, regulations and satisfying a more rigorous compliance regime. Our view of future costs may not be as high as modelled by WICS but the direction is the same.

Also noted:

· At an individual council level, the investment numbers produced by WICS are based on population, land area, and density alone and have no relationship to each council’s:

· Type, quality, or number of water sources

· Receiving environment for wastewater discharges

· Current treatment approach

· Current levels of service

· Asset age

· Asset performance

· Asset condition

However:

· In the event that the future investment requirements are understated or overstated, there is likely to be a consistent impact on both the council and entity household charge projections. While this assumption may change the scale of the difference in projections it is unlikely to change the overall outcome of their analysis.

8. Key Outstanding Questions and Concerns

8.1 There are still several issues that need to be resolved, including:

· the final boundaries

· protections from privatisation

· consultation with mana whenua and communities

· how will community voice be heard and what influence will local authorities have (and what can the community realistically expect the Council to influence particularly if it is not on the regional Representation Group)

· representation from and on behalf of mana whenua

· integration with other local government reform processes

· integration with spatial and local planning processes and growth

· prioritisation of investment

· workforce and capability – Council don’t have enough of the right people now to deliver three waters and it needs to retain our people through the transition

· what will a Government Bill cover and whether the reform will be mandatory

· conditions associated with the Government’s package of funding for local government

· transition arrangements, including Council’s own workforce challenges (without transition challenges on top) and due diligence for asset transfers etc.

8.2 Key outstanding questions and concerns regarding Government’s proposed model were captured during workshops with elected members. These will be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs and Local Government New Zealand. Please refer to Attachment E for the full list of questions.

9. Community Engagement

9.1 Tararua District Council (TDC) has decided to engage with the community by providing information about the Three Waters Reform and how it relates to TDC. The purpose of engaging is to provide key statistical data and an increased awareness of the Three Waters Reform programme. At this point TDC is not asking for feedback on whether to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ but is asking for questions from the community. See Attachment F for a copy of the Three Waters Public Engagement information.

10. Conclusion

10.1 While there is uncertainty about the future steps in the Government’s reform proposal, and current legislative impediments to it, the current eight-week period gives Council the opportunity to understand the information it has received (and will continue to receive) from the RFI and modelling processes.

10.2 It also provides an opportunity for Council to understand its potential options, including the financial, workforce and sustainability impacts for Council and the wider economic, social and cultural implications of each option, using the guidance that has been issued. It also provides an opportunity to engage in discussions with other councils in its entity grouping, share information and ask questions and propose solutions to issues it sees to Government and LGNZ.

10.3 All of this information will be useful to inform future decision-making by both Council and Government and consultation and engagement with mana whenua and communities.

Attachments

Attachment A - Council Decision-Making and Consultation

Attachment B - Government’s Case for Change

Attachment C – Proposed Water Service Entities

Attachment D – DIA Dashboard for Tararua

Attachment E - Key Outstanding Questions and Concerns

Attachment F - Draft Three Waters Public Engagement Information

Attachment G – Local Government Two Page Summary on Three Waters Reform

Attachment H – NZ Local Government Funding Agency Assessment of the Proposed Water Entities

Attachment A - Council Decision-Making and Consultation

1 Part 6 of the LGA, sections 76 to 90, provide the requirements for decision making and consultation, including the principles of consultation and information that needs to be provided including the reasons for the proposal and the reasonably practicable options.

2 In particular, section 76 requires that in making a significant decision, which a decision on the future management and or ownership of three waters assets will be, councils must comply with the decision-making provisions. This is a ‘higher bar’ than the “promote compliance with” that applies for ordinary decisions.

3 Section 77 states that councils must seek to identify all reasonably practicable options and then assess the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

4 Section 78 requires that in the course of making a decision a Council must consider community views but section 78(3) explicitly says that consideration of community views does not require consultation, which is reinforced by case law.

5 Section 79 gives Council discretion to decide how the above Part 6 requirements are met including the extent of analysis done etc. Therefore, while a decision could be challenged, a judicial review is unlikely to be successful unless the decision made by council was manifestly unreasonable, the process was flawed or the decision was beyond its powers (as given in law, ie the council did not act within the law).

6 However, despite section 79 of the LGA, a decision to transfer the ownership or control of a strategic asset from the council (or to it) must explicitly be provided for in the council’s Long Term Plan (and have been consulted on specifically in its consultation document).

7 Council’s existing LTP and the consultation information and process used to develop it will not suffice to meet this test, as Council did not itself have adequate information on the options and the implications earlier this year when it consulted on the LTP. An LTP amendment and commensurate consultation process on the ownership and governance arrangements and asset transfers proposed would be necessary.

8 There are also provisions in the LGA that relate to unlawful decisions to sell or dispose of assets, which can be investigated by the Auditor-General.

9 A decision to opt-out would also be affected by the consultation and decision-making requirements set out in this report, including the need to follow a robust process that could survive a judicial review, as well as make a final decision that was not manifestly unreasonable in the circumstances.

10 Given the Government’s

· 8 week period of engagement with mana whenua and councils

· commitment to explore issues such as council and community influence of service outcomes, integration with other reform proposals, spatial and local planning

· request for councils to give feedback on the proposal, identify issues and solutions

· and uncertainty around next steps, including whether the reform may become mandatory or legislative change will remove legal barriers to opting in

it would be premature to make a decision to opt out of the reform process and may expose the Council to litigation risk.

11 A Government Bill to progress the reforms could address the issues raised above, for example removing the section 130 requirements has explicitly been raised.

12 At this stage no decision is required on future delivery arrangements. Based on the analysis in this report, Council should wait until it has further information before consulting on and/or making a decision on the Government’s proposal.

13 It is recommended that the Council therefore notes the options canvassed in this report, the high-level analysis of them and the information and decisions that are yet to be made.

14 If reform is not made mandatory, to ensure sufficient information is available to meet the moral and legal requirements of Council decision-making staff will further develop the analysis of options (based on further information from the Government, advice on next steps, and regional discussions) prior to Council decision making and consultation on future water services delivery. Whether this is ultimately required will be dependent on where the Government gets to with the reform process and the decisions it makes after 30 September 2021.

Attachment B – Government’s Case for Change

1. The modelling has indicated a likely range for future investment requirements at a national level in the order of $120 billion to $185 billion, an average household cost for most councils on a standalone basis to be between $1910 and $8690 by 2051.

2. It also estimated these average household costs could be reduced to between $800 and $1640 per household and efficiencies in the range of 45% over 15-30 years if the reform process went ahead.

3. The efficiencies noted are underpinned by evidence across a range of countries based on joined up networks (the conclusion is that 600,000 to 800,000 connections achieve scale and efficiency), greater borrowing capability and improved access to markets, procurement efficiencies, smarter asst management and strategic planning for investment, a more predictable pipeline and strengthened benchmarked performance, governance and workforce capabilities.

4. The briefing to the Minister notes that this “investment is what WICS has estimated is necessary for New Zealand to meet current United Kingdom levels of compliance with EU standards over the next 30 years, which in its assessment (and confirmed by Beca) are broadly comparable with equivalent New Zealand standards.”.

5. However, this is caveated as a conservative estimate that does not take into account iwi goals and aspirations, higher environmental standards or performance standards that are anticipated in future legislation, uncertainties in asset lives, seismic and resilience risk, supply chain issues, and the current workload to manage and deliver improvements as well as address renewal backlogs.

6. For councils with non-council drinking water suppliers in their areas there is additional risk if they are unable to consistently provide safe drinking water to their consumers, including the potential for council to have to take on the water supply. Council operating on expired consents or with consent renewals in the next 15 years also face uncertainty over the standards they will need to meet in the future and therefore the level of investment that needs to occur.

7. Councils could also add to the above list of uncertainties and challenges their business-as-usual workload, the workload associated with delivering on stimulus packages and associated with responding to other government reform initiatives such as reform of the Resource Management Act, and general workforce retention and attraction issues, which are exacerbated by public sector competition for talent and skills.

8. The modelling indicated that between one and four water services entities would provide the most efficiencies and reduce costs to individual households.

9. When this is added to

a. known variations across the nation in water suppliers’ compliance with drinking standards, including permanent and temporary boil water notices

b. evidence of poor health and environmental outcomes, including expired resource consents for wastewater treatment plants (and the need for 110 of these plants to go through the resource consenting process in the next 10 years)

c. stormwater overflows and other challenges

d. climate change

e. Te Tiriti obligations and the need to uphold Te Mana o te Wai

f. the size and scale of current service delivery units and workforce issues

g. the obligations and responsibilities that councils (and other water suppliers) will face when the Water Services Bill and associated regulations are enacted

the Government has concluded that the status quo is not sustainable and that the case for change has been made.

Attachment C - Proposed Water Service Entities

Attachment D – DIA Dashboard for Tararua

Attachment E – Key Outstanding Questions and Concerns

Governance and representation

1. How will effective local representation be ensured given the scale of the entities?

2. Beyond the representative group, how can communities ensure that their voice is heard?

Prioritisation of investment

3. How can we ensure that local development / growth will be supported, rather than stymied, through investment in 3waters infrastructure?

4. What will the financial impacts be on commercial/industrial customers, and will they be encouraged to move to centralized areas where actual cost of treatment/supply will be lower?

Levels of Service

5. What customer levels of service will be delivered under the new entity, and how will these differ across communities (especially urban vs rural)?

6. How will those on their own water supply be impacted?

7. What will this mean for stormwater? Will systems of a similar design standard be developed?

8. Under an opt-out scenario, what further clarity of regulation obligations can be provided for councils to help inform positions e.g. for both water quality / Taumata Arowai and the proposed economic regulator?

Cost of Service

10. Future household costs have been estimated, but what about commercial and rural customers?

11. How will development contributions be managed? Will a consistent approach (or policy) be adopted across the new entity?

Impacts of asset transfer

12. What will this mean for existing bylaws, consents, easements and agreements?

Functions of Local Government and wider sector reforms

13. What are the cumulative impacts of three waters reform, resource management reform and future of local government?

14. What powers and functions will be transferred from Local Government as part of the three waters reforms, when and how?

Assurance of service delivery / local voice

15. How can communities have assurance that the new entity will be responsive to the needs and service requirements of local communities (especially small remote ones)?

Workforce and capability

16. How will the reforms process support staff and enable a smooth transition process that helps to grow local capability and capacity?

17. How will the new entity be resourced? Will they have locally based staff?

18. Will there be opportunities for Council and/or local suppliers to provide the services to the new entity?

Attachment F – Draft Three Waters Public Engagement Information

Attachment G – Local Government Two Page Summary on Three Waters Reform

Attachment H – NZ Local Government Funding Agency Assessment of the Proposed Water

Entities

Attachments

Nil.

Report

Date	:	21 September 2021
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Bryan Nicholson Chief Executive
Subject	:	Staff Report
Item No	:	11.10

1. Recommendation

1.1 That the report from the Chief Executive dated 21 September 2021 concerning an update on key projects and items of interest to the Council (as circulated) be received.

Reason for the Report

This report is to update the Mayor and Councillors on key projects and items of interest over the period 17 August 2021 to 21 September 2021.

Infrastructure Group

General

Spring has arrived in the Tararua District and combined with another COVID-19 related lockdown, is creating challenges for the Infrastructure Group. Extremely strong winds followed by heavy rain resulted in damage to infrastructure and disruption to services across the district.

Sadly, sections A and B of the columbarium wall at the Mangatainoka Pahiatua cemetery collapsed on Friday September 10^th, caused by strong wind. Staff were on-site shortly after being notified and, once the site was blessed by a local kaumatua, began relocating the niche blocks (the concrete blocks with ashes and plaque) to the Pahiatua Town Hall. The support received from local volunteers, Downer staff, and local marae representatives who arrived on site to assist was amazing and huge thanks goes to those people. Work began over the weekend confirming next-of-kin contact details and the vast majority of family members were contacted, or contacted Council following the press release and subsequent media articles, over the Monday and Tuesday. Elected members have been a huge help in this process. Planning for the replacement wall is now underway, as well as a structural assessment of the remaining, intact sections of the wall.

Wind also brought down a large number of trees around the district, closing several roads while Downer staff worked hard to remove them.

Heavy rain then caused surface flooding and further road closures until the water subsided. Further slips and dropouts have also occurred and the clean-up and planning for repairs is underway. The rain also resulted in water sources for the district’s water supply schemes becoming turbid (dirty). As treated water did not meet NZ Drinking Water standards for turbidity, we were required to issue a precautionary boil water notice for Dannevirke and Eketahuna. At the time of preparing this report, daily sampling of water in the reticulation network is being undertaken and staff are working with Drinking Water Assessors at MidCentral District Health Board. No E. coli has been detected, indicating that UV and chlorine disinfection processes of water treatment is working well. Upgrades currently being completed at both water treatment plants will improve filtration and reduce the risk of this happening in the future. Dannevirke’s impounded supply (raw water storage dam) would typically prevent this also, providing a buffer from having to treat turbid source water. Repairs have been delayed due to the bad weather and are being treated as urgent, to enable this to be filled before summer.

Staff continued to work, mostly from home, during the recent COVID-19 alert level change. Whilst the lockdown caused disruption to many services, water and wastewater treatment plants continued to be managed, urgent road maintenance activities were completed, and refuse transfer stations were reopened when possible.

The 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme and Council’s budgets for road and footpath operation, maintenance, renewal and improvement, which is subsidised through the National Land Transport Fund, have now been reconfirmed. This has increased from the previous allocation confirmed by Waka Kotahi, NZ Transport Agency, reducing predicted negative impacts on levels of service.

Transportation

Operations and Maintenance

During August inspectors and patrolmen covered 3,710 km of roads capturing and repairing faults. 2,040km of this was done during COVID-19 alert levels 4 then 3. Other works were also completed to ensure the road remained safe and accessible, with enhanced PPE and other controls in place. Examples included repairing give way and stop signage at intersections, repairing high priority pavement defects, responding to safety related customer requests and clearing slips and road detritus. Works completed during August is summarised in the below image.

The lockdown has impacted planning works for the 2021/22 construction season. A testing laboratory had been booked to complete materials testing of pavements planned to be renewed this season, however it was delayed due to lockdown. Staff are busy trying to catch up on the lost time, reducing impacts to delivering projects.

Through the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), a programme has been run to provide work to people otherwise struggling to find it and assist with getting them back into the workforce.

They are employed by Council on a part-time, fixed term basis, fully funded by MSD, and work with the Tararua Alliance team. Staff have completed some fantastic work, including clearing debris from open stormwater drains, clearing vegetation on alleyways and walkways, addressing self-sown trees in rural areas, and painting the pedestrian tunnel under the rail yard in Dannevirke. Excellent feedback received has been received by members of the public. The programme has been extended and two of those involved have now secured full time employment.

Dannevirke’s pedestrian tunnel before (left) and after (right) work was completed through the MSD programme

The Adelaide Road pathway before (left) and after (right) vegetation was completed through the MSD programme

Emergency works

A large dropout recently formed on Mangaone Valley Road on 30^th August, resulting in a full closure. The site was made safe and is regularly monitored, as surrounding land continues to move. The road will remain closed until the site has stabilised and the risk to motorists reduces. Staff are undertaking testing and investigation work to determine the root cause and identify possible repair options. They are also in discussion with Waka Kotahi and Horizons Regional Council.

Mangaone Valley Road slip/dropout.

3Waters

Reticulation Operation and Maintenance

Maintenance was limited to urgent and critical responses during lockdown. Two of the urgent water requests responded to were for a burst watermain on the bridge at the bottom of Easton Street, near the Dannevirke refuse transfer station. Damage was caused by a truck hitting the bridge rail which supports the watermain brackets and is the second time this bridge has been damaged in the last twelve months. Concrete blocks and chevron’s have been positioned to minimise the risk of this happening again.

Easton Street bridge and watermain damage (left) and new mitigation measures (right) preventing further truck hits

The other urgent request was a watermain break in Rawhiti Street, Dannevirke, where a 100mm asbestos cement pipe had fractured. The failure of this pipe occurred the day following the 4.9 magnitude earthquake in Waipukurau, which may have contributed to the facture. Pictured right is works being completed.

In August a 300mm trunk watermain feeding the Gregg Street booster pump was also repaired. This line had spilt due to tree roots lifting the pipe.

The team also responded to blockages in the wastewater networks. This included one at the Ranfurly Street pump station caused by wet wipes being disposed of down the toilet.

Reticulation Renewals

Work is continuing on watermain renewals in Swinburn Street and Waterloo Street in Dannevirke.

Disinfection test results had been received from the central laboratory, which would have seen the planned cut in and changeover of the new water mains occur, however lockdown delayed this and means the line will have to be disinfected again and retested to ensure the new pipeline remains sterile prior to change over, ensuring there is no risk to public health.

Woodville Wastewater Resource Consent

A notice of appeal to the Environment Court has been received from a member of the public. The applicant sought a reduced term for the consent, which is expected to be challenged.

Facilities

Solid Waste

As part of the new Pahiatua and Eketahuna Transfer Station operations contract with Smart Environmental, Council purchased four hook bins for the transporting of refuse from Eketahuna and Pahiatua to Waipukurau Landfill.

Hook Bins

Smart Environmental have been busy tidying up both transfer stations since taking over on 1 July 2021. Both sites now look great and there have been lots of positive comments from customers to what a positive difference has been made to the transfer stations.

During Covid-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown transfer stations and recycling centres remained open to the public. There were no major issues during this time and most customers were compliant in wearing masks, scanning the QR codes and adhering to the social distancing protocols put in place.

Parks & Reserves

Scheduled tidy up for the top section corner of High and Cemetery Road, Dannevirke has created safer visibility for traffic.

Christian Street, Dannevirke roundabout garden had a vehicle drive through dislodging its centre rock. The rock has been repositioned and hard-wearing plant varieties have been reinstated.

Christian Street Roundabout Garden After Repair

A Redwood limb was torn in the strong winds on the afternoon of 17 August and fell on Lower Domain Road, closing access to the camping ground for several hours. An arborist assessed the tree and confirmed the tree did not pose a safety risk. Work was completed to clear much of the limb, enabling access and the road to the camping ground to be reopened. Now in Alert Level 2, contractors have been engaged to clear the remaining limb and debris as well as repair damaged deer fencing.

Campgrounds

Douglas Fir trees in the first section of the Dannevirke Camping Ground driveway have been pruned by a contracted arborist to accommodate the large motor homes. Additionally, numerous dead limbs were removed for safety. General cut back around the hardstand area was also undertaken which has created further parking space for larger vehicles.

Pensioner Housing

The Gordon Street flats sustained damaged to one of the property fences due to a digger working on the neighboring property. This has since been repaired.

Gordon Street pensioner flat fence before (left) and after (right)

Tararua Alliance

Customer Management

Performance Dashboard - August

KRA	Name	Frequency	Comments
PEOPLE RESULTS	Alliance Team Safety	Monthly	17 Safe Behaviour Conversations (SBC) were reported, which is low due to lockdown
PEOPLE RESULTS	Workplace Health	6 Monthly	Loss time injuries (LTI) 0 Medical treated injuries (MTI) 0 Environmental incidents 0 Near Miss Reported 4
CUSTOMER RESULTS	Timely Communications	Monthly	87% and 94% of customer requests were responded to for transportation and 3Waters respectively within three days
	Effective Communication	Monthly	Not completed
	Minimise Operational Impacts	3 Monthly	One compliment received, regarding the Pahiatua Sedcole flagpole
SOCIETY RESULTS	Compliance with TMP	Monthly	· 3 traffic management sites were audited · 69 Before-U-Digs were received and processed · 24 corridor access requests were received, processed and approved
SOCIETY RESULTS	Zero Harm – Environment	Monthly	No environmental issues to report.

Operations Group

Regulatory

Building Services

Quality Management System

The building team held their monthly Building Consent Authority (BCA) Operational Meeting with Quality Manager, Steve Mazey. No significant changes have been made to the quality management system.

IANZ will be conducting an accreditation assessment between the 9^thand 12^th November, this is a bi-annual requirement to ensure that the BCA are following the correct procedures in the quality manual.

Building Consents

This month, Council received 24 building consent applications. Of those applications, 4 were for new dwellings and the new Indoor Aquatic Facility in Pahiatua. The total value of building work for consents issued was $6.73m.

Table – Applications for Dwellings by Location

Location (Valuation Area)	Total 2017/18	Total 2018/19	Total 2019/20	Total 2020/21	From 1 July 2021
Dannevirke	18	24	27	43	9
Rural	12	16	15	25	6
Urban	6	8	12	18	3
Woodville	12	7	13	12	1
Rural	4	4	4	6	0
Urban	8	3	9	6	1
Pahiatua	13	8	23	31	4
Rural	11	3	10	16	0
Urban	2	5	13	15	4
Eketahuna	3	5	1	13	0
Rural	3	2	0	7	0
Urban	0	3	1	6	0
TOTAL	46	44	64	99	14

Table – Building Consent and Inspection Statistics

Category	Total 2018/19	Total 2019/20	Total 2020/21	From 1 July 2021
No. of Applications Received	393	401	479	61
No. of Applications Processed	381	377	465	49
% Processed within Time	86.6%	92.3%	73.5%	72.13%
Total Value	$15.8M	$27.8M	$38.7M	$11.74M
No. of Inspections Requested	978	1,137	1,608	205
No. of Inspections Performed	1,375	1,715	2,104	298

Staffing

Council have been advertising for Building Control Officers at all levels to fill a recent resignation, an anticipated retirement vacancy and increased workload in the team. We are also in the interview process for a senior administrator to fill a recent vacancy due to an internal job change.

Animal Control

Public Education and Information

In the last month, three articles were published in the Bush Telegraph covering dog registrations, pets in emergencies, and a lambing season article.

Annual Dog Re-registration

Out of a total of 6,620 (known) dogs in the Tararua District, 5,809 are currently registered. This means 811 dogs are not registered (12%).

Dog Attacks

Table – Reported Dog Attacks by Type and Location

Location	Dogs	Poultry	Stock	Cat	People	Total
Ind/Com Nth Ward						0
Ind/Com Sth Ward						0
Non Rateable						0
Rural North Ward				1		1
Rural South Ward						0
Road or No Property Address						0
Urban North Ward	1	1	1		2	5
Urban South Ward	2				1	3
TOTAL	3	1	1	1	3	9

Environmental Health and Licensing

Alcohol Licenses

Only one Manager’s Certificate was issued during level 4/3 lockdown.

On 17 August 2021 a ‘Modification Order on NZ Gazette Epidemic Preparedness (COVID 19) Renewal Notice No 2 2021’ was issued which effectively means the Ministry of Health has ceased all BAU for an undetermined timeframe. Therefore, MidCentral Health will not be reporting on any applications which in turn means no applications can be approved for an ‘undetermined time’.

Manager’s Certificate applications are not required to be reported on by MidCentral Health because of our close working relationship with local Police, Manager’s Certificate applications can still be processed and approved.

During level 4/3 lockdown upcoming renewal reminders and upcoming annual fee notices/invoices have been processed and delivered. It is critical to get these out as early as possible to give our customers optimal time to keep their licences up to date. If theses licences were to expire prior to receiving renewal applications, a completely ‘new’ application would need to be sought. With the halt on reporting from the other agencies a new licence would not likely be granted in the timeframes sought can severely impact businesses not being able to trade.

Confusion regarding MBIE trading rules during Covid-19 lockdown generated a greater than usual volume of enquires (phone/email) from licensees seeking clarification.

Environmental Health

No actions of note for the Environmental Health team.

Illicit Dumping

Table – Reported Illicit Dumping by Location

Location	Total 2018/19	Total 2019/20	Total 2020/21	From 1 July 2021
Ind/Com Nth Ward	10	16	11	1
Ind/Com Sth Ward	6	9	2	2
Non Rateable	6	6	20	1
Rural North Ward	3	5	3	3
Rural South Ward	6	2	1	1
Road or No Property Address	91	105	74	5
Urban North Ward	4	6	7	3
Urban South Ward	8	3	5	1
TOTAL	134	152	123	17

District Planning

Resource Consents

9 applications were received in August - 6 were for subdivisions, 2 Outline Plans and 1 for Land Use.

Decisions issued over lockdown: 18 decisions were granted under delegated authority – 13 Subdivisions, 2 Land Use and 3 Outline Plans.

The team worked exceptionally well remotely under lockdown conditions.

Planning administration guidance documents were developed for all resource consent administration processes.

Online planning administration training sessions were also initiated for our new staff members.

Table – Applications for Subdivision by Location

Location (Valuation Area)	Total 2017/18	Total 2018/19	Total 2019/20	Total 2020/21	From 1 July 2021
Dannevirke	22	18	44	48	25
Rural	19	16	34	37	18
Urban	3	2	10	11	7
Woodville	7	9	13	25	14
Rural	4	2	6	15	10
Urban	3	7	7	10	4
Pahiatua	13	15	22	35	4
Rural	10	10	13	26	4
Urban	3	5	9	9	1
Eketahuna	5	6	8	13	5
Rural	4	6	7	11	3
Urban	1	0	1	2	2
TOTAL	47	48	87	121	48

Table – Resource Consent Statistics

Category	Total 2018/19	Total 2019/20	Total 2020/21	From 1 July 2021
No. of Applications Received	72	101	135	48
Subdivision	49	85	121	20
Land Use	23	16	14	12
No. of Applications Processed	73	91	112	25
Subdivision	52	73	104	9
Land Use	21	18	8	0
% Processed within Time	98.6%	93.4%	91.1%	100%

Programmes and Projects Office

Aften Court Pensioner Units

Purpose: To increase the supply of pensioner units in Dannevirke by six. Improve Aften Court operating efficiencies. Decrease the housing shortage for pensioner units and boost employment as part of the local Covid-19 Recovery Plan.

Overall Status: Building work in progress. Roofing completed before August lockdown.

Time Status: Construction on hold due to COVID alert levels. Current and future material shortages mean construction completion will be pushed back. Windows cannot be procured in time to follow regular construction workflow.

Risk Status: Material shortages.

Next Steps:
Complete construction
Conduct formal handover of asset to Council

Dannevirke Dog Pound

Purpose: To improve the quality of flooring at the Dannevirke Dog Pound. To ensure the floor meets standards for user safety and disease prevention laid out by MPI and the SPCA. To ensure a safe and healthy environment for staff and public.

Overall Status: All Requests for Quotes (RFQs) cost breakdowns returned. Selection committee to be chosen to decide on contractor.

Time Status: Timeline will be finalised once availability of selected contractor is known.

Risk Status: COVID-19 lockdown—no physical work may take place until Level 2 at earliest. Project may suffer delays due to this.

Next Steps:
Notify successful contractor and provider.
Consult with Animal Control team to organise relocation.

Contact other local pounds to discuss options for interim relocation of impounded animals.
Release community communications.

Dannevirke Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

Purpose: To upgrade the water treatment plant in order to meet the National Drinking Water Standard of New Zealand. To ensure a high standard of service for the public.

Overall Status: The overall programme consists of upgrades to 3 water treatment plants. Civil works have now been completed and the upgrade and installation of the new equipment commenced on 5th August 2021.

Time Status: The timeframe is dependent on contractor availability and has been communicated to Department of Internal Affairs for completion in March 2022. The project remains ahead of schedule and is expected to be completed by the end of October 2021.

Risk Status: The current resurgence of Covid-19 and lockdown has added a delay of 3 weeks to the project.

Next Steps:
Continue installing tanks, Filters, and pipe racks.
FAT (Functional testing has been pushed out to mid– September).
Await the final commissioning of the plant from the Filtec team (October 2021).

Woodville Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

Purpose: To upgrade the water treatment plant in order to meet the National Drinking Water Standard of New Zealand. To ensure a high standard of service for the public.

Overall Status: The overall programme consists of upgrades to 3 water treatment plants. The civil design has been completed and the Woodville water treatment site has been prepped for civil works to begin. Civil works officially began at Woodville on 9th August 2021.

Time Status: The timeframe is dependent on contractor availability and has been earmarked for completion in March 2022. Sometime efficiencies have been realised due to filters and tanks being built by Filtec, rather than being ordered from abroad.

Risk Status: Contractor availability, the current resurgence of COVID-19 and lockdown is the biggest threat to delivery.

Next Steps:
Begin civil construction of concrete pad and Gabion retention wall to store new tank and flocculator (delayed due to lockdown).
Expected commissioning date is end– November 2021.
Equipment upgrade is scheduled for mid-October 2021.

Eketahuna Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

Purpose: To upgrade the water treatment plant in order to meet the National Drinking Water Standard of New Zealand. To ensure a high standard of service for the public.

Overall Status: The overall programme consists of upgrades to 3 water treatment plants. A design for Eketahuna water treatment plant has been submitted to Council. Council has assessed the design and we acknowledge that the design requires additional equipment to meet drinking water compliance if a long-term rain event does occur or flooding. A design option has been selected and is being finalised for peer review.

Time Status: A design option has been selected to ensure that the Eketahuna plant is upgraded to meet compliance. The design process has not been affected by the lockdown and the design will be sent for peer review in the 2nd week of September 2021.

Risk Status: Contractor availability, the current resurgence of COVID-19 and lockdown remains the biggest threat to delivery.

Next Steps:
Finalise plant upgrade design documentation–– will be sent for peer review in the second week of September 2021.
Finalise the budget for Eketahuna wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
Scope and complete the civil design.

Growth Management Strategy – Phase 1 - Assessment

Purpose: To develop Phase 1 of the Tararua District Growth Management Strategy. The project will focus on the discovery and analysis of information, statistical modelling data in consideration of community aspirations and residential growth.

Overall Status: Products delivered included: preparation of plan on a page for presentation at the Works Liaison Committee workshop, support development of the data modelling Request for Proposal, planning, and engineering resource contracts underway. Urban housing and population growth forecasts for Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Eketahuna and Woodville are complete. Collaboration opportunities with Horizons Regional Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council are being considered.

Time Status: Phase 1 is anticipated to be complete by June 2022 noting there are resource and key stakeholder dependencies.

Risk Status: Key risks concern the availability of expert support resources, governance, and sequencing of other Council strategies with the Growth Strategy.

Next Steps:
The detailed project plan will be finalised, and product descriptions defined: Land capacity and suitability assessment, growth forecasts, data modelling.
Population forecast reports will be updated and spatial mapping requirements considered. District Strategy and the Housing development strategy is underway.
Collaboration with Horizons and Central Hawke’s Bay will be established.
Project plan, Gannt chart, work breakdown structure, product descriptions, critical path, key task management is ongoing.
Information gathering relative to land suitability assessments will commence once the planning resource is available.

Huarahi Tūhono – Weber to Wimbledon (Route 52 Upgrade)

Purpose: The Provincial Growth Fund funded upgrade of 26km of Route 52 between Weber and the Central Hawke’s Bay boundary. To engage targeted workers in to support the economy’s recovery from Covid-19.

Overall Status: August saw the Earthworks Consent submitted and granted for the project. The project commencement with Road Maintenance & Upgrades which are an Exempt Activity as defined in the Horizons Regional One Plan, there are a number of larger works that do not fall under the classification.

The non-exempt are considered those where large-scale works are occurring, works that are in close proximity to the streams, and the Angora Road Burrow Pit. However, in order to provide consistency over the approach to controls and clarity over what activities are occurring, we chose to cover all works within the consent. The approach we have developed is likely to be able to be used for the wider roading programme to cover the larger scale works that occur around the district.

Time Status: At time of writing the work crews have re-established onsite under Alert Level 3 protocols. The 2-week delay has not impacted the work programme greatly as works were ahead of schedule.

Risk Status: Bridges— At time of writing GHD are in the final stages of formalising the revised bridge reports which was required after a Downer Structural Engineer identified significant errors in the original reports. From information we have received, no bridge upgrades are now required, which in turn allows $1.5M to be reinvested into other works. We will investigate minor bridge maintenance works to prolong the life of the structures before committing the funds to other areas of the project.

Next Steps
Confirm suitability of local aggregate.
Design & undertake detailed costings for pavement works on Sections 3, 4, 5, 6.
Start preparation of open sites for surfacing (Franklin Road Area Wide Pavement Treatment, Seal Widening in the Wimbledon area).

Dannevirke Service Centre Earthquake Strengthening

Purpose: To improve the seismic strength rating of the Dannevirke Service Centre building to meet the national building standard of 34%. To ensure a safe environment for staff and the public.

Overall Status: The building consent is being finalised and staff relocation planning has commenced. There will be disruption to the public via customer services potentially being moved, this will be communicated. Procurement is being finalised to bring a contractor onboard for physical works.

Time Status: The project engineer has supplied the Request for Tender (RFT) documents for review by Council. Once the RFT process has been concluded we will have a better understanding of timeframes due to contractor availability and building material availability. Supply chain disruption to construction materials is currently being investigated.

Risk Status: Contractor availability, the current resurgence of COVID-19 are the largest concerns. The budget will need to be reassessed once the monitoring and control respondent has had an opportunity to scope project requirements – this is in process.

Next Steps: Await outcome of building consent– all responses to the building consent request for information have been concluded.
The project plan will need to be updated to reflect construction dates and adjusted budgets, this will be done once a contractor is onboard.
Go to market via RFT for a construction contractor– this has been pushed out due to the resurgence of Covid-19 and lockdown.

Pahiatua Town Hall Library Earthquake Strengthening

Purpose: To improve the seismic strength rating of the Pahiatua Town Hall library to meet national building standards. To ensure a safe environment for staff and the public.

Overall Status: The Pahiatua Town Hall Library was identified in early 2021 as a building that required a seismic assessment to ensure continuous compliance with the national building standard around seismic strengthening. Council went out on procurement for the assessment and Strata Group Engineering submitted the successful quote. The testing has been completed.

Time Status: We have provided the go ahead to the engineer to create the preliminary upgrade design for both a 34% and 67% National Building Standard (NBS) to determine which design package we will aim to build towards—upon which we would have 7 years to complete the actual strengthening work. The budget for this work has been set in Year 2 of the Long Term Plan.

Risk Status: Contractor availability, the current resurgence of COVID-19 and lockdown is the biggest threat to delivery, while the budget will need to be reassessed once the upgrade design engineer has had an opportunity to scope project requirements. Construction materials are in short supply in New Zealand and will be managed according to stock availability.

Next Steps: Await upgrade design package.
Report to Council to get a decision on % NBS to build towards.
Pre– procurement planning.
Create a Project Management Plan.

Customer Services

Two new staff onboarded in August. Both have started training working under a formal training plan. There is a lot to learn on the front counter as we receive enquiries for all Council departments and we need to know where to direct them, but also answer basic enquiries.

On 18 August New Zealand went into Covid Level 4 lockdown. While Council’s doors remain closed, the customer services team continue to answer phones from the different offices around the district. Members of the team that were unable to go into the office under the restrictions; were given administration work they could do at home. Our two new members were also given training to complete.

Customer Services received a lot of calls regarding the first rates instalment being due on 31 August; and people calling regarding Covid Level 4 restrictions and enquiring what essential services were operating during this time. The date for interest and penalties on the rates was extended; and there was positive feedback from customers regarding this.

Library

Programmes and Events

During August, the Chill Out & Read Children’s Reading Programme kept the Senior Librarian, Community Librarians, and our New Zealand Libraries Partnership Programme (NZLPP) team member busy with visits to and from the participating schools.

The Senior Librarian visited Dannevirke South and St Joseph’s Schools to read stories and talk about the benefits of the library. These two schools then visited the library to fulfil the “Visit a Tararua Library” challenge.

A senior class from St. Anthony’s visited Pahiatua Library to learn about the activities offered during term time and how to join the library.

Woodville Library had a visit from Woodville School. They had a fun time creating poetry from book spines and reading out poetry. The Woodville Community Librarian visited both Kumeroa and Papatawa Schools as part of the Reading Programme.

The Eketāhuna Community Librarian visited Alfredton School to start them on their Reading Programme journey. Alfredton School will be ‘visiting’ the Library via ZOOM meetings to complete the challenges. Eketāhuna School was to have visited during the week of 16^th August. Since the Lockdown, Eketāhuna School have advised they would not be completing the programme.

Pahiatua Library also hosted a “Books Alive” event where the topic was being an illustrator of Children’s books.

This year’s National Poetry Competition was sponsored by the Phantom Billstickers. We received 30 entries from all over the country. These were judged by Laurice Gilbert. The winner was Steven Clarkson with a haiku. Steven has placed before in our poetry competitions – 2014 and 2016 – and won in 2015 as well. Laurice commented on the high standard of entries. The move to Alert Level 4 meant that the planned events at Dannevirke, Woodville and Eketāhuna were unable to go ahead. Our winner wasn’t able to have his prize presented to him in person, so he’s received it in the post. This is the second year our planned events have had to be cancelled. We are hoping 2022 proves to be the year we get to run a full programme once more.

Entries to the Year7/8 Book Awards quiz total six at this time. The quiz will be run virtually again this year as it proved a popular format. The current champions are Pahiatua School.

Pahiatua Library has launched two new programmes in August – French Conversation and Ukulele Jam. Participants are thrilled. French conversation has 4 and Ukulele has 6 joining in.

The Virtual Reality sessions have been run this month. A couple of new experiences have been added to the Oculus headsets at Woodville and Eketāhuna. It’s possible to go for a walk in space and to stand among dinosaurs.

Both Woodville and Eketāhuna have been receiving a steady stream of rates payments.

The Adult Fiction section at Eketāhuna has been moved around to follow a more logical alphabetical sequence. As this was completed the day before Lockdown the impact of the change has yet to be realised.

Planning

We had planned to hold our annual quiz towards the end of September. This has been postponed until 4 November 2021.

Planning for Adult Learning Week, in conjunction with Tararua and Wairarapa REAP, was well underway.

Planning for the Home Delivery Service to homebound members of the community is underway and on target for a soft launch in October. Eligible library members are currently being identified, a letter/email has been drafted, a new category of library user has been established, and the requirements form is ready.

Planning for the Year 7/8 Book Awards Quiz continues with questions being developed and promotion occurring.

Planning for the October School Holiday Programme has also begun. Now that “Maths is Fun” has ended, Tararua District Library is developing a programme of its own that is maths based. In this way, we are combining both numerical and written literacies.

Lockdown August 2021

Three team members have school-aged children that they were responsible for during Alert Level 4.

All returns drop boxes were closed, Kotui extended all item loans and suspended the clock on holds, APNK public wifi was turned off.

The team were able to complete the planning of the Adult Trivia Quiz for November. All questions, promotional material, decorations, and running sheets are ready.

The October school holiday programme is a series of Escape Rooms. The team have created maths puzzles for various age groups that need to be solved over the course of an hour to unlock a prize. The puzzles have been tested with team members children to ensure they are solvable for that particular age group. This has proven to be a challenge for us!

Four team members – the newest - were able to undertake the Q Risk Training on Dealing with Difficult People. This is an online course combining videos, animation, and quizzes to teach situational awareness and appropriate responses to tense situations.

Two team members completed their Privacy 101 training.

Team members undertook Niche Academy training. Niche Academy has been provided through the NZLPP. A library has been created for the Team covering topics such as Professional Development, Library Programming, Library Marketing and Advocacy, and Children’s Librarianship.

The District Librarian completed the Collection Development Policy. This document is due for review. Updates were required for the de-selection and eformat sections. The policy has been out for consultation with both the Senior Librarian and Technical Librarian who also buy items for the collection.

Skinny Jump registrations were still possible by phoning the main Council number.

Statistics at 31^st August 2021

NB: All Library sites were closed for the final two weeks of August due to the nation’s move to Alert Level 4 on 18^th August 2021.

NB: There was a 15% increase in the number of e-items borrowed in August compared to July.

People & Capability Group

Human Resource Management

Staff Movements from 23 August 2021

Recent Appointments

Name	Role	Contract Type	Effective Date
Nicole McPeak	Planning Officer	Casual	23 August 2021
Tyler-Ray Jensen	Assistant Accountant	Permanent	31 August 2021
Justin Morgans	Wastewater Treatment Operator	Permanent	27 September 2021
Anya Stewart	Accounts Payable Officer	Permanent	4 October 2021
James Single	Regulatory Services Manager	Permanent	1 November 2021
Leanna Ransom	Manager – Utilities	Permanent	1 November 2021

Internal Appointments

Name	Role	Contract Type	Effective Date
Kimberley Stevens	Economic & Community Development Advisor	Permanent	Transitioning from current role

Resignations

We have experienced an annual turnover rate from 1 July 2021 of 9.4% inclusive of the roles listed in the table below.

Name	Role	Effective Date
Chris Wood	Building Officer	17 September 2021
Cameron McKay	Finance Manager	13 October 2021

Current Vacancies

Role	Recruitment Stage
Risk & Assurance Advisor	Unsuccessful / Readvertised
Wastewater Treatment Team Leader	Unsuccessful / Readvertised
Senior Administrator	Interview Stage
Building Records Administrator	Interview Stage
Building Officer – All Expert Levels	Advertised
Policy and Planning Advisor	Advertised
Information Services Manager	Advertised
Geographic Information Services Manager	Advertised

Economic and Community Development

Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa Applications

This year Mark is participating in the assessment of funding applications.

Business Support

Angela saw one new business that had happened almost by accident. The person made something that lots of people wanted and it’s grown to keep up with demand. We discussed various retail and on-line selling options.

Abbeyfield

Mayor Collis and Deputy Mayor Peeti-Webber visited Abbeyfield Palmerston North with Craig Boyden to view the premises and hear from their committee members about how the entity began and is now run. It is likely that Craig Boyden and Allan Benbow will begin a steering group to investigate investment, locations, etc.

Manawatu/Whanganui Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG)

Mark ceased his involvement in the iRSLG as at the end of August and Jaron Vince has now been confirmed on the newly established RSLG.

Communications

Key Projects

Please refer to the Project Management Office report for updates on key projects.

Items of Interest

Marketing and promotion support for community events and organisations

Event Name	Event Organiser
Spring Festival Events Programme	Dannevirke Community Board
Dannevirke Market Day	Dannevirke Community Board
Community Ideas Meeting	Woodville Districts’ Vision

Website

Work continues on the upgrade of the Council website. A more detailed report will be provided next month to update on progress.

Publications

Recently completed

§ Long Term Plan District Mail-Out

In progress

§ Annual Report 2020/2021

TARARUA I-SITE REPORT

TARARUA I-SITE REPORT – August 2021

Welcome Packs

There were 15 packs sent out during August 2021, 5 of these were sent to purchasers outside the Tararua District.

Railcar trip through the Manawatu Gorge

Unfortunately, the railcar trip was cancelled due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Creative Communities Grants funding round

The next funding round is September 2021, these have been advertised and close at the end of September, this may be extended.

Tararua i-SITE and Information Centre Statistics August 2021

As expected, low numbers across the district owing to lockdown restrictions

Civil Defence Emergency Management

Covid- 19 Outbreak August 2021

A positive case of COVID-19, Delta variant, was identified in the community on Tuesday 17 August 2021. Genome sequencing confirmed that it is the Delta variant originating from New South Wales, Australia. Following this New Zealand moved to Alert Level 4 at 11.59pm on Tuesday 17 August 2021 for initially a minimum of 3 days, and the Auckland region for a minimum of 7 days. As at 1300 hours on Wednesday 18 August cases had already jumped to 7.

The National Coordination Centre (NCC) was activated and the lead agency for the response was the Ministry of Health and Emergency Management were one of the partner agencies. The Regional Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) was also activated. Council Emergency Management response to this Level 4 alert was to setup a small incident management team consisting of a controller, response manager, welfare manager and later, a logistics manager. This was in a monitoring role, liaising with the ECC and connecting with partner agencies and understanding what needs were required within the community. Ministry of Development (MSD) were tasked by the Government to take on any initial welfare needs of the country’s communities. Emergency Management were instructed to refer any welfare needs on to MSD in the first instance and fill in any gaps.

To keep the communication lines open, the incident management team would have an end of day hui with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, representatives from Kahungunu and Rangitane iwis, MSD and the police. This proved very useful in connecting what was needed and happening within the district’s communities. This response remained in place until the end of Level 3. At 11.59, Tuesday 7 September, we went into Alert Level 2. Council response wound down to a business-as-usual model where the controller and emergency management officer will continue to monitor events and cases happening around the country. A debrief on this response will be held later.

Weather Events

The district has been hit by two recent weather events with heavy rain and severe wind. The heavy rain was worse in the southern part of the district with intense down pours. This caused river levels to rise and trigger some warning levels. There was no damage reported to Emergency Management. Rain was welcomed in the northern and eastern parts of the district that are particularly dry.

The severe wind on Friday 10 September caused many power outages district-wide, and once again more in the southern part of the district. Many properties in the Pongaroa, Pahiatua, Eketahuna and also Norsewood/Ormondville were affected with power outages which varied from one to three days. The concern in particular was to dairy farmers that were unable to milk cows which can cause animal welfare issues. Council was in regular contact with the Tararua Rural Support Trust representative, Dairy NZ, and Federated farmers. Dairy NZ were very proactive in calling dairy farmers and checking on welfare needs. The district fire brigades were also very busy attending wind related events.

Corporate Group – Democracy Services

Review of Representation Arrangements for the 2022 and 2025 Local Authority Elections

At the Council’s meeting held on 30 June 2021 the representation arrangements for the 2022 and 2025 local authority elections were reviewed, and it resolved that the following proposal apply regarding the Council and the district’s two Community Boards:

Council Representation

· Two General Wards (North and South) with four members each and a Mayor elected at large

· One Maori Ward (Tamaki nui-a-Rua) covering both the North and South General Wards with one member elected from those areas

Community Board Representation

· Two Community Boards (Dannevirke and Eketahuna) each with four elected members and one Council appointed member

That proposal was publicly notified in the Council’s Bush Telegraph page on 12 July 2021, and submissions were invited closing on 31 August 2021 at 12noon. The Community Boards and Community Committees were also informed of the proposed representation arrangements along with both of Council’s iwi partners. The Mayor also included reference to the representation review in the Mayoral column of the Bush Telegraph.

As required by the Local Electoral Act 2001 a copy of the public notice setting out details of Council’s resolution concerning the initial representation arrangements proposal was sent to the Local Government Commission Chief Executive, Statistics New Zealand Government Statistician, Land Information New Zealand Surveyor-General, Remuneration Authority Chair and Department of Internal Affairs Secretary of Local Government. A copy of the public notice was also sent to regional councils in which the district is located, being Horizons, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington.

Through the consultation process no submissions were received raising any issues regarding the proposed representation arrangements. This outcome results in the proposal becoming the final basis of the arrangements that will apply for the 2022 and 2025 elections. Public notice will accordingly be given in the Bush Telegraph, with a copy to be forwarded as outlined above.

It is noted that Woodville Districts’ Vision has indicated it is intending to consider their structure and has formed an organising committee to have a conversation with the Woodville community on that matter. Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act 2002 provides for Community Boards to be established at any time outside of the representation review process as the result of a proposal from the community concerned.

Any such proposal to establish a Community Board must be supported by not less than 10% of the electors of a continuous area having a population of 1,500 persons or more, and not fewer than 100 electors if the population from that area is less than 1,500 persons.

The proposal to constitute a Community Board must be accompanied with a plan or description to identify the area involved, with each signatory to the proposal providing their full name and address and the qualification they possess as an elector.

When completed it is required to be forwarded to the Chief Executive to verify the proposal is eligible to be considered by the Council, and then it may either be accepted to notify for inviting public submissions or rejected subject to public notice being given with a right of appeal to the Local Government Commission.

Woodville Districts’ Vision is currently in the process of reviewing their constitution as an incorporated society. They have an agreement with Council regarding the arrangement to recognise and fund them as the Community Committee for Woodville, and that remains in place while that structure continues to apply.

Attachments

Nil.

6.1	Eketāhuna Camping Ground (Item 10)
6.1.1	It is pleasing to note Kerry and Loreen Cunningham have decided to continue undertaking the management of Eketāhuna Camping Ground, and withdrew the intention to terminate their contract with Council.
6.2	Covid-19 Vaccination (Item 11.1)
6.2.1	A further Covid-19 vaccination clinic was held in Eketāhuna on 21 August 2021 as planned, and this provided the opportunity for those booked to receive either the first or second dose of the vaccine.
6.3	Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade (Item 11.2)
6.3.1	A well-attended event was held in Pahiatua to celebrate the transformation and opening of their town centre upgrade.

7.1	*That the report of the Tararua District Council meeting held on 8 September 2021 (as tabled) be received.* Treder/Carew Carried
7.2	Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme
7.2.1	Council is intending to prepare information to share with the community regarding Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme data for this district, and engage through hearing its questions and views prior to making a decision on the direction to take in respect of that matter.
7.3	Mangatainoka Cemetery
7.3.1	During the extreme high winds experienced in the district sections of the columbarium wall collapsed at the Mangatainoka Cemetery, with urns and ashes blown over the cemetery.
7.3.2	Council staff, local kaumatua and a funeral director were on-site shortly after the incident, and in very windy conditions the site was blessed and all of the 104 niches retrieved.
7.3.3	The niches have all been photographed and recorded and are stored at Pahiatua Town Hall, with staff contacting next of kin once contact details are confirmed.

8.1	Tararua Emergency Management Committee
8.1.1	Board Member Terry Carew reported on the Tararua Emergency Management Committee meeting held in Dannevirke on 12 August 2021.
8.1.2	At this meeting it was announced it is to be trialled splitting the Emergency Management Committee into two group committees, being response and welfare.
8.1.3	Going forward this will enable constructive planning for any future events is achieved easier with small groups, and annually the two committees shall come together for a combined hui.

9.	Correspondence
9.1	*That the correspondence as listed be received.* *a) Eketāhuna Our Town Incorporated* *Re: 8 July 2021 committee meeting minutes and reports* *b) Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre 24 August 2021* *Re: Acknowledgement of Board’s support to undertake fundraising initiatives for the Te Waananga Taio Education and Accommodation Centre project* *c) Kerry and Loreen Cunningham* *Re: Eketāhuna Camping Ground August report* Carew/Treder Carried
9.2	Eketāhuna Our Town Incorporated
9.2.1	A certificate of appreciation has been presented to Tanmay and Priti Patel to acknowledge and thank them for the contribution and service they provide to Eketāhuna through their businesses (Four Square community supermarket and Gas Eketāhuna petrol station and convenience store).
9.2.2	Central Energy Trust has granted $28,000 toward upgrading the town centre security cameras monitoring system, with further funding to be raised to undertake that project.
9.2.3	There has been no meeting of Eketāhuna Our Town committee held since July due to Government Covid-19 alert level restrictions changing, and it is intended they will resume again next month with them now being eased.

6.1	Council Performance for the 2020/2021 Financial Year Ending 30 June 2021
6.1.1	Senior Financial Accountant Sarah Walshe indicated Audit New Zealand are facing resourcing issues which has had an impact on the proposed date of Council’s final audit.
6.1.2	Given that situation there is a possibility that Council will not be able to meet the statutory deadline of 31 December for the adoption of the 2020/2021 Annual Report.
6.1.3	The consequences of not adopting the Annual Report by the statutory deadline are that Council will be required to include a disclosure stating the deadline will not be met.
6.1.4	Council will be named in the Office of the Auditor-General report to cabinet that it failed to meet the statutory deadline.
6.1.5	There is no impact on the opinion that the auditors will provide to Council for the Annual Report.
6.1.6	These circumstances are beyond Council’s control, and wording included in the Annual Report should acknowledge what has happened is through no fault of the Council.
6.1.7	The Audit and Risk Committee at its next meeting on 19 October 2021 will discuss the preferred approach to take regarding that matter, and in the meantime staff shall continue to engage with Audit New Zealand regarding possible available options for consideration.
6.1.8	Senior Financial Accountant Sarah Walshe spoke on operating variances to budgets for revenue and expenditure relating to favourable or unfavourable results regarding the overall outcome for that activity.
6.1.9	Finance Manager Cameron McKay outlined Council’s external debt position that comprises $42 million of core borrowing and $2 million of pre-funding, resulting in the total amount being $44 million as at 30 June 2021.
6.1.10	The annual swap valuation showed a significant improvement to -$970,000, a favourable gain of $1,304,000. This has been achieved as the higher fixed rate swaps approach maturity and have been replaced with swaps at significantly lower rates.
6.1.11	Finance Manager Cameron McKay elaborated on the outcome of service performance measures results that Council achieved 74% compared to 70% last year.
6.1.12	Project Management Office Lead Adam Gosney explained the approach taken to manage the delivery of the capital expenditure programme, and elaborated on the end of financial year results for specific projects.
6.1.13	As at the end of June 2021, and from a total budget of $34.1 million for the 2020/2021 financial year the sum of $24.03 million was spent on the capital programme.
6.1.14	Of the 153 individual projects identified within the Annual Plan there have been 62 projects completed. A total of 66 projects remain to be completed (30 of these are spend only if required projects predominantly relating to roading and footpaths which are in the process of being finalised as part of the Annual Report process).
6.1.15	That the report from the Senior Financial Accountant dated 10 August 2021 concerning Council performance for the 2020/2021 financial year ending 30 June 2021 (as circulated) be received and noted. Ross/Hull Carried
6.2	Risk Management
6.2.1	*That the report from the Group Manager - People and Capability dated 10 August 2021 concerning risk management (as circulated) be received, and* That the proposed changes to the risk framework and updates to the risk register items regarding climate change, significant natural disaster, and failure to attract and retain suitable skilled staff are noted. Johns/Hull Carried
6.3	Health and Safety
6.3.1	*That the report from the Health and Safety Coordinator dated 10 August 2021 concerning health and safety (as circulated) be received, and* *That the Audit and Risk Committee note the following regarding the focus on health and safety matters and this update:* · Council’s performance in the resourcing criteria under the leadership category in the Health and Safety Regional Group SafePlus Assessment Review and Project Summary Report was acknowledged and commended. · *The water and wastewater areas were audited in July by an external third-party auditor from IMPAC, with an action plan and recommendations to follow from that process.* · The Health and Safety Committee continue to work through the annual hazard identification audit, policy and procedure reviews, any health and safety issues that arise and current hazards, near misses and incidents. · *Council will move to the SiteWise contractor pre-qualification management system.* · *No high-risk hazard investigations have taken place for this reporting period.* Collis/Sutherland Carried

11.1	Craig Carter (Chairperson) and Mark Thornton (Secretary) from the Eketāhuna Community Radio Society updated the Board since its last meeting regarding progress made to strengthen their financial position.
11.2	A new management committee has been established, and several others in the community have expressed interest. The team are currently recruiting new active members, and attracting interest in the community through support to ensure Radio Eketāhuna has a sustainable future.
11.3	Currently $2,000 has been committed by local businesses through fundraising undertaken, with Government advertising of $1,400 also secured in relation to Covid-19 messages to promote community awareness and the vaccination programme.
11.4	Radio Eketāhuna is reinventing itself, and is collectively looking to navigate a way forward as a not-for-profit charitable community organisation operated by determined volunteers seeking to attract more content, diversity and variety.
11.5	It is hoped a new lease can be negotiated with Council to retain the existing premises, otherwise alternative sites will be considered.
11.6	A Strategic Plan has been developed, with a copy provided to the Board for its information and reference that will be circulated to board members.
11.7	Eric Bodell (who founded Radio Woodville and Ashhurst Village Radio) is providing assistance and experience to help Radio Eketāhuna shape the way forward to a successful future.
11.8	Craig Carter and Mark Thornton asked the Board to consider the request to make its funding grant available to help Radio Eketāhuna implement their plan to ensure a viable community radio station service is able to be maintained.
11.9	That subject to receiving a bank statement from the Eketāhuna Community Radio Society to verify the funds committed by local businesses have been deposited the Board agree to release its grant of $767.17 to be provided as operational assistance for rent to support Radio Eketāhuna. Carew/Treder Carried
11.10	Board Member Denise Clifton abstained from discussion and voting on the motion regarding this item of business, having previously declared a conflict of interest concerning that matter.

Date	:	17 August 2021
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Peter Wimsett Manager Strategy & Climate Change
Subject	:	Woodville Art and History Incorporated Society Building Lease at 42 Vogel Street in Woodville
Item No	:	11.5

Date	:	16 September 2021
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Tina Love Group Manager - Operations
Subject	:	Appointment of an Independent Commissioner for the Puketoi Windfarm Application to Extend the Resource Consent Lapse Date
Item No	:	11.6

Date	:	13 August 2021
To	:	Mayor and Councillors Tararua District Council
From	:	Raj Suppiah Group Manager - Corporate
Subject	:	Council Controlled Organisation Exemption for Manawatu-Whanganui Local Authority Shared Services
Item No	:	11.7

Eketāhuna Camping Ground (Item 10)

Covid-19 Vaccination (Item 11.1)

Pahiatua Town Centre Upgrade (Item 11.2)

Government’s Three Waters Reform Programme

Mangatainoka Cemetery

Tararua Emergency Management Committee

Eketāhuna Our Town Incorporated

Covid- 19 Outbreak August 2021

Weather Events