Agenda of Ordinary Council meeting - Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Ordinary Council meeting Minutes

25 October 2023

DRAFT

MINUTES OF Carterton District Council
Ordinary Council meeting
HELD AT THE Carterton Events Centre, 50 Holloway St, Carterton
ON Wednesday, 25 October 2023 AT 1:00 pm

PRESENT: Mayor Ron Mark, Deputy Mayor Dale Williams, Cr Brian Deller, Cr Robyn Cherry-Campbell, Cr Steve Cretney, Cr Lou Newman, Cr Steve Gallon, Cr Steve Laurence, Cr Grace Ayling

IN ATTENDANCE: Mana whenua

Marama Fox (Hurunui-o-Rangi Marae) until 2.58 pm

Joel Ngātuere (Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia) until 2.58 pm

Youth Council

Josephine Kumeroa

Staff

Geoff Hamilton (Chief Executive), Kelly Vatselias (Corporate Services Manager), Geri Brooking (People and Wellbeing Manager), Glenda Seville (Community Services and Facilities Manager), Solitaire Robertson (Planning and Regulatory Services Manager) via videoconference, Johannes Ferreira (Infrastructure Services Manager), Elisa Brown (Communications and Engagement Manager), Marcus Anselm (Communications and Engagement Coordinator), Robyn Blue (Democratic Services Officer)

1 Karakia Timatanga

The meeting opened with a karakia by Mayor Ron Mark.

2 Apologies

There were no apologies received.

3 Conflicts of Interests Declaration

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

4 Public Forum

1. Members from the Carterton Indoor Pool Fund-raiding Project Team addressed Council about their project to renovate the pool. They are holding a fundraiser “The Big Swim” 7 – 10 March and requested exclusive use of the CDC outdoor pool on the weekend of 9 and 10 March 2024, and for suitably qualified council staff to be on the building evaluation panel.

2. Joel Ngātuere (Ngāti Kahukuraawhitia) addressed the Council and outlined the benefits of introducing a Māori Ward.

5 Youth Council views on agenda items

Glenda Seville, Community Services Manager, updated Council on the Youth Council. There are now 10 young people on the Council. They identified their support for the establishment of a Māori Ward in the Carterton district.

6 Confirmation of the Minutes

6.1 Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 13 September 2023

MOVED

1. That the Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 13 September 2023 are true and correct.

Cr S Cretney / Cr L Newman

CARRIED

6.2 Minutes of the Extraordinary Ordinary Council Meeting held on 29 September 2023

MOVED

1. That the Minutes of the Extraordinary Ordinary Council Meeting held on 29 September 2023 are true and correct.

Cr B Deller / Cr L Newman

CARRIED

7 Reports

7.1 Māori Representation Arrangements

1. Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek a Council decision on Māori representation arrangements as part of the Council’s representation review, which will apply to the 2025 and 2028 local body elections.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr R Deller

CARRIED

First motion

2. Resolves to establish a Māori Ward to apply to the 2025 and 2028 local body elections.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr L Newman

For – Deputy Mayor D Williams, Cr L Newman, Cr R Cherry-Campbell, Cr B Deller

Against – Cr G Ayling, Cr S Cretney, Cr S Gallon, Cr S Laurence

Abstain – Mayor R Mark

MOTION FAILED

Council adjourned at 2.43 pm and reconvened at 2.54 pm

Second motion (determined to be procedurally invalid after the meeting)

3. Resolves to establish a Māori Ward to apply to the 2025 and 2028 local body elections.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr L Newman

MOTION INVALID

Hurunui-o-Rangi Marae representative, Marama Fox, addressed the council in te reo Māori voicing her extreme disappointment about the outcome of the vote.

Tēnei a Wairarapa e ngunguru nei!

Ī au au aue hā.

Tangi katoa ngā mātua ngā tīpuna o tēnei whare i runga i a tātou katoa,

I tēnei rangi e.

Tangi katoa tēnei hononga whakapapa ki tēnei o ngā whenua o Wairarapa.

Tēnei au e karanga atu ki a koutou katoa e noho nei i roto i tō kūaretānga.

Kūare kūare kūpapa katoa.

These are the ancestors of Wairarapa lamenting here today.

Yes indeed.

Ancestors are raining down unhappy tears on these dwellings that are named after them with their people present here today.

Tears of pain and betrayal from the so-called partnership we have developed on these lands of Wairarapa.

This is the voice of our ancestors speaking to you all residing in ignorance, arrogance and very much unenlightened.

.7.2 Approval of the CDC Speed Management Plan

1. Purpose

For the Council to approve the Carterton District Council Speed Management Plan.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr S Cretney / Cr S Laurence

CARRIED

2. Endorses priority 1 Reducing speed limits around Schools and Early Childhood Education Centres (ECEs).

Cr B Deller / Cr S Gallon

CARRIED

3. Endorses priority 2 Reducing speed limits around Marae.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

4. Endorses Priority 3 as per the revisions in this report.

Cr G Ayling / Cr S Gallon

CARRIED

5. Endorses Priority 4 Roads identified by the community.

Cr B Deller / Cr S Laurence

CARRIED

6. Endorses Priority 5 Reducing gravel roads to 80km/hr.

Mayor R Mark / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

7. Approves the Carterton District Council Speed Management Plan with the amendments noted above.

Deputy Mayor D Williams / Cr S Gallon

CARRIED

7.3 Revocation of the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019, Part 11:Speed

1. Purpose

This report seeks Council approval to revoke the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019, Part 11: Speed and its corresponding Speed Limit Schedules.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

2. Resolves to revoke the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019, Part 11: Speed and its corresponding Speed Limit Schedules effective from 25 October 2023; and

Cr S Cretney / Cr S Gallon

CARRIED

3. Resolves to make minor amendments to the other parts of the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019 to reflect the revocation of Part 11: Speed effective from 25 October 2023.

Cr R Cherry-Campbell / Cr B Deller

CARRIED

7.4 Water Services Reform Update

1. Purpose

To provide Council with an update on Central Government’s Water Services reform.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr B Deller / Cr G Ayling

CARRIED

7.5 Reporting on non-financial performance - Quarter 1 2024

1. Purpose

For the Council to consider the results of non-financial performance (also called service performance) of Council.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr G Ayling / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

7.6 Chief Executive Report

1. Purpose

For the Council to be informed on planned Council operational activities, major projects, and other matters of importance and interest.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Deputy Mayor D Williams / Cr B Deller

CARRIED

7.7 Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act Requests

1. Purpose

To inform the Council of the number of requests under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) 1987 (the Act) 1 September 2023 to 10 October 2023.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Cr S Cretney / Cr S Laurence

CARRIED

7.8 Minutes of the Working Group Considering a Combined Wairarapa Council

1. Purpose

For the Council to receive the minutes from the working group considering a Combined Wairarapa Council and consider the next steps in the process.

MOVED

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

Deputy Mayor D Williams / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

2. Resolves to investigate the formation of a combined Wairarapa Council, in partnership with Masterton District Council and/or South Wairarapa District Council.

Cr S Gallon / Cr S Cretney

CARRIED

3. Appoints the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, Cr Robyn Cherry-Campbell and the CEO to the joint working group.

Cr S Cretney / Cr B Deller

CARRIED

4. Notes the joint working group will appoint an Independent Chair to lead the investigation.

5. Approves unbudgeted operational expenditure of $50,000 to support the investigation, on the condition equivalent funding commitments are made by Masterton District Council and/or South Wairarapa District Council.

Deputy Mayor D Williams / Cr S Laurence

CARRIED

8 Exclusion of the Public

Nil

9 Karakia Whakamutunga

The meeting closed with a karakia by Deputy Mayor Dale Williams.

The meeting closed at 3.46 pm

Minutes confirmed: …………………………………………………

Date: ...................................................

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

6 December 2023

7.2 Decision - Revenue and Financing Policy Review

1. Purpose

For Council to receive the recommendations from the Hearings Committee and consider/amend the draft Revenue and Financing Policy for adoption.

2. Significance

The matters for decision in this report are considered to be of ‘medium’ significance under the Significance and Engagement Policy and public consultation on the Revenue and Financing Policy was undertaken.

3. Background

Under section 101(3) of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) Councils are required to adopt a Revenue and Financing Policy that provides detail on the funding of operational and capital expenditure. The policy illustrates which parts of the community contribute to paying for Council’s activities.

Carterton District Council adopted its previous Revenue and Financing Policy in 2021 as part of the 2021-31 Long-Term Plan (LTP). Council is required by the LGA to review and update the Revenue and Financing policy every three years, and this is now due for review.

As part of this process Council completed a rating review with the view to having this in place for the 2024-34 LTP.

A rating review is a review of the allocation of rates amongst ratepayer groups – Urban, Rural, Commercial. A rating review is not about how much should be collected in rates, which is determined through the Long-Term Plan budgeting processes early in 2024.

Several workshops were undertaken with councillors explaining how Public / Private Funding Splits are charged for each activity Council undertakes (Waters, Roading, Libraries etc). Further modelling was done considering whether there were new subsets of the rating base that could be treated differently through the use of targeted rates and differentials.

The outcome of these workshops was that Council wished to explore with the public the following proposals:

· Change the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC) to be based on Separately Used or Inhabited Parts - charging properties with multiple dwellings on a single title, higher UAGC

· An Economic Development targeted rate be introduced for the Commercial / Industrial sector

· The General Rate differential be reduced to 1.8 from 2.0 for the Commercial / Industrial sector

· The General Rate differential be increased from 0.8 to 1.0 for the Rural sector

· The public funding for Water and Wastewater be reduced from 10% to 0-5%

· Changing the funding sources of activities to General Rates including UAGC.

4. Discussion

Council received 90 written submissions with 2 of these submissions being anonymous, and on 21 November, the Hearings Committee heard the 15 oral submissions.

Following deliberations by the Hearings Committee, the following Revenue and Financing Policy changes have been recommended to Council:

a) Change the public/private split for Economic Development activity to be 50% public funded by General Rates including the UAGC, with the remainder funded through a new targeted Economic Development rate to the Commercial / Industrial sector.

b) The General Rate differential is reduced to 1.8 from 2.0 for the Commercial / Industrial sector.

c) Change the funding sources of the following activities from UAGC to General Rates including UAGC:

o Community Amenities

o Community Development

o Economic Development

o Emergency Management

o Parks and Reserves

d) The public funding for Water and Wastewater is set to 0 - 10%.

These recommendations have been included in the updated draft for Council to consider.

5. Options

Following deliberations and recommendations from the Hearings Committee, Council need to formally adopt changes to the Revenue and Financing Policy.

Council can:

1. adopt all recommendations as proposed by the Hearings Committee, or

2. amend the recommendations to the extent it is within the changes consulted on, or

3. retain the existing Revenue and Financing Policy.

Should Council wish to consider changes that have not been consulted on, such as the introduction of a Forestry targeted rate, this would require additional work, and further public consultation before being adopted.

6. NEXT STEPS

The changes in the Revenue and Financing Policy will be applicable from 1 July 2024 as part of the 2024-34 Long Term Plan.

7. CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Climate change

The decisions in this paper do not have any climate change considerations.

7.2 Tāngata whenua

As part of the consultation CDC engaged with hapū to obtain views on the proposed changes arising from the rating review and the draft Revenue and Financing Policy. CDC will also be engaging with hapū as we review the Remissions Policies as part of work on the LTP later in the year, and will be considering how these policies may support the principles of the Act.

7.3 Financial impact

The decisions in this paper do not have any direct financial implications.

7.4 Community Engagement requirements

Consultation on the Revenue and Financing Policy was undertaken, which included public hearings, and public deliberations.

Overall, this was a successful campaign with more than 90 submissions. The public meetings however had very low attendance. Recommendations for future consultations would be to explore more community engagement opportunities (going to where the public is, rather than having the public come to us).

Communications included:

· A newsletter about the rates review was posted and/or emailed to 5,224 ratepayers with their October rates accounts.

· Emailed 672 residents subscribed to our monthly council email newsletter.

· Advertised the consultation twice in the Times-Age and once in the Midweek, one of which was in the Thursday Times-Age which gets delivered to 2,657 rural properties for free.

· Advertised the public meetings in both the Midweek, and the Thursday Times-Age which gets delivered to 2,657 rural properties for free.

· Facebook posts about the consultation and public meetings which reached 13,259 people across 16 posts.

· A website post on the CDC home page and Have Your Say consultation page which had 1,054 views during the consultation period. This equates to 1 in 5 people visiting the CDC website in this period viewing the Rates Review page.

· A two-page advertisement in the October Carterton Crier.

· 288 radio ads across 6 stations.

· A 90 second radio interview on More FM Wairarapa Breakfast show.

7.5 Risks

The risks associated with the adoption of the Statement of Proposal and the draft Revenue and Financing Policy are low. Council consulted the community on the draft Policy and the community were considered prior to Council adopting the final policy. As we are also consulting prior to the adoption of the Long-Term Plan there is time for any changes that may be raised requiring additional consultation to be included.

To reduce the risk of legal non-compliance, a legal review of the draft policy was undertaken, and feedback has been incorporated into the draft.

7.6 Wellbeings

The proposed changes (as all changes to the rating system) will have some ratepayers impacted favourably, while other will be impacted unfavourably.

At a district wide level there will be no change in the rates collected, but simply a redistribution of who pays what.

What this proposal does is that it ensures that the rating system is appropriate, and the rates being levied follows the analysis considered as part of the review process.

8. Recommendation

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

2. Adopts the updated draft of the Revenue and Financing policy including the recommendations by the Hearings Committee:

a) Change the public/private split for the Economic Development activity to be 50% public funded by General Rates including the UAGC with the remainder funded through a new targeted Economic Development rate to the Commercial/Industrial sector.

b) The General Rate differential is reduced to 1.8 from 2.0 for the Commercial/Industrial sector.

c) Change the funding sources of the following activities from UAGC to General Rates including UAGC:

i. Community Amenities

ii. Community Development

iii. Economic Development

iv. Emergency Management

v. Parks and Reserves

d) The public funding for Water and Wastewater is set to 0 - 10%.

File Number: 374310

Author: Geoff Hamilton, Chief Executive

Attachments: 1. CDC Revenue and Financing Policy 2023 for adoption ⇩

2. Oral submissions - Rates Review ⇩

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

6 December 2023

7.8 Rangatahi Strategy Implementation Plan

1. Purpose

For the Council to adopt the Implementation Plan for the Wairarapa Youth Strategy: Te Rautaki Rangatahi o Wairarapa.

2. Significance

The matters for decision in this report are not considered to be of significance under the Significance and Engagement Policy.

3. Background

The Carterton, Masterton, and South Wairarapa District Councils (Wairarapa District Councils) have agreed to a combined strategy for rangatahi (youth 12–24-year-olds) across the region. This strategy was adopted by Carterton District Council on 10 May 2023.

The Wairarapa Youth Strategy: Te Rautaki Taiohi o Wairarapa (the Strategy) outlines how the Wairarapa District Councils are proposing to invest in the positive development of its rangatahi aged 12-24 years over the next five years. Through its priorities and actions, councils are striving to enhance the mana of rangatahi so that they have opportunities to grow, develop and reach their full potential.

The Strategy has seven priority areas for the three Councils to support and respond to within their roles and responsibilities, in partnership with rangatahi, agencies, community groups and the wider community.

4. Discussion

Focus of the Wairarapa Youth Strategy: Te Rautaki Rangatahi o Wairarapa

The Strategy sets out seven priorities that rangatahi in the Wairarapa region have identified for the three councils to respond to and support their core needs and aspirations. While this Strategy focuses on all rangatahi, it acknowledges that one size does not fit all.

The priorities set the direction of the Strategy and convey the voice of rangatahi who participated in the process. A high-level summary is included below:

Priority	Description summary
We want to celebrate who we are	Rangatahi want to see their cultures and backgrounds in their region. They want to feel represented, acknowledged and celebrated in their communities.
We want to be active	Rangatahi want to have access to a range of activities in the region. They want to have facilities and spaces that are fit-for-purpose.
We need to feel safe	Rangatahi want a community that feels safe and inclusive. They want to be physically safe and be safe from harmful substances in their community.
We need to connect	Rangatahi want to easily connect with one another, their whānau (family) and wider community. They want to reduce the barriers to being able to connect (such as cost, access to information or distance).
We need to protect our environment	Rangatahi want to take an active role in supporting their environment. They value living in clean and beautiful neighbourhoods.
We have a voice and can use it	Rangatahi want to participate in community and council affairs. They want to be counted and have their views respected and considered regardless of their age.
We need to be supported and support one another	Rangatahi want to access a range of support across the region but often face barriers to this. They want to be treated fairly and equitably.

In delivering these priorities it will be essential for Council to work with rangatahi, community groups and agencies.

The Strategy is underpinned by Mana Taiohi, a principle-based framework recognised nationally that can inform the way people who work with young people work in Aotearoa^{^[1]}. It aligns with the priorities outlined in the Strategy. This Strategy seeks to recognise and enhance the four elements of young people’s mana as identified in Mana Taiohi.

Implementation plans to support delivery of the Strategy

The Strategy is supported by implementation plans for each council and identifies a range of projects within them. The Strategy outlines how the Wairarapa District Councils will work collaboratively to deliver on the vision and priorities. Aligning with this commitment, the three councils will work together to develop agreed regional actions that have been merged into each district implementation plans.

The projects or initiatives for each year will be funded within current budgets. Where further resourcing or funding is required, funding will be sourced externally through funding applications or business cases will be developed to be considered as part of Annual Planning or Long-Term Planning cycles.

Workshops have been held with the community and elected members where the implementation plan was reviewed. These workshops were a great opportunity to discuss the strategy and how the implementation plan will support the priorities of the strategy.

5. NEXT STEPS

Adoption of the Implementation plan by Council will enable the Youth Development Co-ordinator to deliver on the actions.

6. CONSIDERATIONS

6.1 Climate change

Rangatahi have expressed views on climate and environmental issues through the engagement process, and this has been reflected in the Strategy and Implementation plan documentation.

6.2 Tāngata whenua

The Strategy and Implementation plan includes all rangatahi. As a part of the engagement approach, we reached out to mana whenua to help us identify the best ways for rangatahi Māori to be involved. On their advice, as part of the engagement we worked with several targeted groups such as Ohi Ora and Ngā Pūmanawa Tūpuna to seek their input. We also delivered an engagement workshop at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Wairarapa where the workshop was delivered in te reo Māori. Rangatahi Māori were also included in our focus group.

6.3 Financial impact

The implementation plan project was undertaken using internal staff resourcing and existing budgets.

The majority of actions within the Implementation Plan will be considered and actioned through existing budgets. Where further resourcing or funding is required, funding applications will be submitted externally or business cases will be developed to be considered as part of Annual Planning or Long-Term Planning cycles.

6.4 Community Engagement requirements

A workshop was held with community organisations to explain the strategy and explore gaps and opportunities within the youth sector. This provided valuable insight and was of great benefit when writing the implementation plan.

As part of the project communications and engagement plan we will continue to engage with the wider community with a particular focus on groups that work directly with rangatahi in order to inform them of the Strategy’s direction implementation priorities for Council.

Wider engagement will be undertaken with the 18–24-year-old age group as this group was identified throughout the Strategy and Implementation plan process, as being hard to engage with.

6.5 Risks

The Strategy and Implementation Plan aligns with Council’s role under the Local Government Act 2002 to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities.

Wellbeings

The implementation plan promotes the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of their communities (the four wellbeings), in the present and for the future. Having a rangatahi-focused strategy in place assists councils to promote the wellbeing of rangatahi within our communities.

7. Recommendation

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

2. Adopts the Implementation Plan for the Wairarapa Youth Strategy: Te Rautaki Rangatahi o Wairarapa

File Number: 373322

Author: Glenda Seville, Community Services Manager

Attachments: 1. CDC Rangatahi implementation plan ⇩

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

6 December 2023

7.11 Chief Executive Report

1. Purpose

For the Council to be informed on planned Council operational activities, major projects, and other matters of importance and interest.

2. Significance

Unless otherwise stated the matters for decision in this report are not considered to be of significance under the Significance and Engagement Policy.

3. Community services

Community Development

Grants

Waste Minimisation Grant

The Waste Minimisation fund is now open to community organisations. The fund is available to provide practical support for innovative solutions that reduce waste and is provided by the Government’s national waste levy, raised through the Waste Minimisation Act (WMA) activities.

The Act states the levy’s key purposes is to “raise revenue for promoting and achieving waste minimisation”.

It is designed to enable the community to deliver on local actions from the Wider Wellington Waste Management & Minimisation Plan and supports Te Rautaki Para – National Waste Strategy.

It will support local projects, initiatives and events that have a focus on delivering waste minimisation activities in the Carterton district.

Other purposes include:

· Recognition that disposal imposes costs on the environment, society and the economy.

The levy encourages organisation and individuals to:

· Take responsibility for the waste they produce

· Find more effective and efficient ways to reduce, reuse, recycle or reprocess waste.

Community members and organisations can apply to two streams of the fund, the rapid and annual contestable funds.

Neighbourhood Support

Neighbourhood Support National

The Neighbourhood Support six monthly report monthly reporting ‘Snapshot’ has been completed and sent to National office.

A funding application has been submitted to Neighbourhood Support and accountability from the last round of funding has been submitted and signed off.

There is a regular meeting held online called Neighbourhood Support Korero where NS Coordinators from around NZ meet. This provides valuable information to support the work.

Neighbourhood Support Group updates

There has been some significant progress in the Neighbourhood Support Groups in the Carterton District -refer to the section below for group updates.

· Kaiwhata – group meet up and coffee at Homewood Storeroom – new group confirmed

· Hornsby road – seeking new group leader

· Waihakeke and Borlase road – confirmed group list with current group leader.

· Riversdale road – emailed Parks team re updates to road signage for group.

· Flat Point – messaged a contact re the beach community joining NS.

· Villa Estate – Group list confirmed

· Armstrong Ave ‘on the curve’ group list is being updated currently

· Hilton road – seeking new group leader

· Moleworth and Pukeko Lane – resident in Pukeko lane have a Whats App group, led by a resident of Molesworth St. Follow up is being made to establish a group contact.

Community

DORA (Digital On Road Access) Bus

The Community Development Team supported this initiative with promotion and support to ensure the training came to Carterton.

DORA is a 33-year old school bus from Central Otago that was converted into a high tech digital learning centre for the Stepping UP training programme in 2012. From 1 August 2018, responsibility for managing DORA transferred to DIAA (Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa).

Up to 15 people can go on board at any one time for computer and internet training. DORA comes equipped with 10 laptops as well as satellite, 4G and 3G internet connections. The roof is packed with solar panels to supply power for the bus and when the sun isn’t shining, there is a petrol-driven generator to keep everything working. DORA also becomes a mobile wifi hotspot when her 12-metre mast is extended.

DORA is a completely self-contained digital classroom that can travel anywhere in New Zealand to provide computer and internet training for local communities.

Where it is difficult for people to get to training centres DORA is the perfect solution. If people can’t get to training sessions, we are now able to take the training to them and park up in their street.

Rural Residents

In order to support our rural residents, we provided the delivery manager for The Crier with Carterton rural maps to ensure rural residents get the Crier in their letterboxes.

Haumanu House – new Signage

New signage has now been printed for Haumanu House / Nga Here O Te Ora. This acts as a directional sign but also promotes the community organisations that use the house. NZ Police granted permission to use the garage wall to hang the sign. The Council Parks team has water-blasted and painted the wall, ready for Visual Industrie to install the sign.

Free Potting Mix

Mitre 10 Masterton kindly donated a pallet of free potting mix and compost for Ngahere O Te Ora. This was greatly appreciated and the many volunteers who are dedicated to tending to the Community Garden can now grow through Summer.

What’s coming up?

· Rural Travel Fund and Returned Services Memorial Trust Grant
- Grant advertising and committee meeting coordination planning underway for the opening dates in January.

· Neighbourhood Support
- Transitioning old-logo signs to new-logo signs (with the help of the Parks team)

· Walking and Cycling

- Summer promotion – where can I walk /cycle / scooter…

- Updating of CDC website ‘Events’ PDF’s and HuriHuri website events pages.

· Community Development

- National Volunteer Week 2024 – starting to plan a ‘thank you to volunteers’ tea event.

Walking and Cycling

National Crime Week

We hosted an event in Carrington Park with WRSC (Wairarapa Road Safety Council). The purpose was to promote how to keep your bike safe from theft. A competition was run and we gave away 4 helmets, 4 bike locks and multiple bike tamper-proof stickers.

Pedal Ready Training

Seven staff from MDC and CDC attended Pedal Ready training level 1 enabling them to feel more confident cycling, how to ensure their bike is ready for summer, and some basic road rules.

Wairarapa Walking Festival

The Walking & Cycling Coordinator contributed and collaborated with community members by participating in the steering group for the Wairarapa Walking Festival 2023. In addition, the Coordinator also led and participated in 4 walks.

The festival was promoted the via FB and updated the Carterton Events Centre website with details including new sponsors and links to Eventfinda registration. Assistance was given to design posters and promotional material.

26 walks and one ‘writing about walking’ event occurred in 2024. One walk was cancelled due to the weather. There was great sponsorship and support from all three District Councils, Metlink and Greater Wellington Regional Council plus local businesses.

Trails Delivery

Transport Choices – Bike Sheds

The construction of the bike sheds is underway, with foundations down at St Mary’s and South End schools. Dalefield School are deciding whether to upgrade their shed and provide funding for a larger shed. This decision is expected to be made 23 November. Carterton School has received their grant for their bike shed and designs and consent has been signed off. Construction is planned over the summer school holidays. Carterton School ais managing the build themselves, alongside Ministry of Education project managers, and so the full Transport Choices funding that was allocated for them was processed in the form of a grant.

We have received the final detailed designs on what was the proposed Schools’ Link (excluding the State Highway section). As our pre-implementation funding received from Waka Kotahi included all design work, we continued on with the detailed design, despite withdrawing from the programme. These plans will be available to use in the future, should we wish to do so. Safety audits on the plans have also been completed.

Nationally, the Transport Choices programme is currently on hold awaiting direction from the new government.

Cycle/Pedestrian Bridge over Waiohine River

We have an MoU in place with Carterton District Trails Trust who will take on responsibility for the feasibility and design aspect of the bridge over Waiohine. We are meeting (CDTT & CDC) with Greater Wellington Regional Council late November to discuss the project further. GWRC is a key landowner on the proposed route. We are awaiting further discussions with Ngāti Kahukuraāwhitia regarding stream crossing points near their urupā.

Clareville Connection

The Corridor Access Permit has been applied for through KiwiRail, so scoping of the trail in the rail corridor can be undertaken.

Active Transport Strategy

A project plan for the delivery of an Active Transport Strategy has been completed and will be presented at the next Walking & Cycling Advisory Group. The intention is for the strategy to encompass more than “walking and cycling”.

This means, along with walkers and cyclists we will be including other types of active transport in the scope, and ensure we consider all sections of our community, including:

· Scooters

· Skaters

· Wheelchairs and modified bikes

· Users of mobility carts/devices

· Prams and pushchairs

· Family friendly bikes – (bikes towing carriages)

The strategy covers the entire district including our urban area, rural and coastal towns.

The strategy will identify opportunities to improve infrastructure, link existing infrastructure, educate our community (both safety and climate change mitigations). Infrastructure improvements may not be limited to footpaths and cycleway, but also identify opportunities to make the user experience better, for example, more seats, bike parking, charging stations, maintenance stations.

Focus groups or workshops will be held with interested community members.

Community Events

Community Events in November

The second Citizenship Ceremony for 2023 was held on 8 November at the Carterton Events Centre where the venue showed its versatility as we needed to change things up because of the weather and the attendance of 70 rangatahi from St Mary’s Primary School. We held the Ceremony in the auditorium rather than the foyer and the school performed their waiata and haka on the stage, creating an inspiring atmosphere.

We celebrated 9 new citizens from South Africa, France, England and Australia. A special note of thanks to Carrie and Anika from St Mary’s School who lead the karanga and reply and to our Councillors – Crs Robyn Cherry-Campbell, Steve Cretney and Lou Newman - who stepped in to fill some key roles at late notice due to sickness.

Events Coming Up

Carterton Christmas Parade – 10 December

Carterton Rotary has decided to hold this year's Christmas Parade on the afternoon of 10 December. This will precede the Very Carterton Christmas at Carrington Park. The decision was partly made because Wings Over Wairarapa is being held on our traditional last Saturday in November but also because they hope running one event before the other will assist both and represent a very big day in Carterton. Rotary has asked for support from Council to assist with the SH2 closure.

Charles Rooking Carter Awards – June 2024

The Charles Rooking Carter Awards are planned for June 2024. Preparations are beginning for this important awards event with the first planning meeting to be held in late November.

Older persons

WHO Global Newtork for Age-friendly Cities

The Wairarapa Region’s application to be a member of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities has been approved. As a member, Wairarapa Region will be part of a growing global movement of communities, cities and other sub-national levels of government that are striving to better meet the needs of their older residents. This membership will support the work of the Wairarapa Councils (through Te Hōkai Nuku Wairarapa Region Positive Ageing Strategy) to help our kaumātua/older adults lead connected and fulfilling lives. This is awaiting a press release to be sent out.

The Kei tua o taiapa/Over the Fence

This project is almost complete and scheduled for release in the summer. This project highlights the skills and experience of older neighbours and how they can be a great resource in your neighbourhood. It is designed to strengthen neighbourhoods and reduce ageism. There will be poster, postcard and foyer displays combined with social media, web page and press release.

Greater Regional Council Public Transport Advisory Group

The Positive Aging Strategy Co-ordinator attended the quarterly meeting for the Greater Regional Council’s Public Transport Advisory Group in November of which she is a member. The group gave feedback on the design of the new trains due for arrival on the tracks by 2028. The focus was on accessibility, flexibility of space allowing for standing, cycles, wheelchairs etc and wifi.

Other meetings

Other meetings attended have included attendance at the National Age Friendly Network, CCS Disability Action AGM and Carterton Rotary.

Final meetings scheduled for the year:

· The Positive Ageing Implementation Group provides guidance to the work of the Positive Ageing Strategy. It has both internal members (from the three Councils) and external member (Digital Seniors and Age Concern).

· The kuia/kaumātua/older persons network – a network of organisations that work with older persons. This is a quarterly meeting focussing on issues in the sector. This meeting will have a focus on emergency management.

Youth

Te Rautaki Rangatahi o Wairarapa: Wairarapa Youth Strategy Implementation Plan

The implementation plan is the subject of a separate paper being presented to this Ordinary Council meeting on 6 December. The plan is an exciting and thoughtful piece of work that will pave the way for the next few years for Youth Development in the Carterton District. The implementation plan has been written with input from rangatahi, from our local community and staff.

Carterton District Youth Council

The youth council has a strong base of members who have a passion and strong interest in the future of the district. We are underway with a logo rebrand to portray the new Youth Council. Members of the Youth Council also appointed co-chairs, a wellbeing facilitator and two communications facilitators.

Events

Planning is underway for summer events for rangatahi including Play Days and a Colour Run.

The Carterton Youth Village

The Youth Village hosted elected members and staff and presented about the work of the Village. This was both informative and inspiring and provided a valuable insight into the mahi that is delivered for the rangatahi of our District.

Zero Waste

Community Education Workshops

We are seeing an increase in interest from Community Groups for Council support to run educational sessions. Work is being done ongoing with Waste-ed Kate (Kate Meads) to organise a community workshop in the first quarter of next year.

Climate change

Climate Change and Strategy review workshop with Elected Members

A climate change and strategy review workshop was held with councillors. This provided high level information around climate change at the international, national, Greater Wellington regional and Carterton District level. It also provided an overview of the current Ruamāhanga climate change strategy which is due for review in 2024.

Aotearoa Climate Adaptation Network annual hui

The Climate Change Advisor attended the Aotearoa Climate Adaptation Network annual hui, which is a network of local government climate change officers working in the climate adaption space. This hui involved workshops run by the Climate Change Commission and the Ministry for the Environment on shaping national guidance to better support local government. Likewise, there was a series of presentations from council officers around community led adaptation, response to climate events experienced in 2023, linkages between climate change and mental health, and the 10-step adaptation decision cycle outlined in the Coastal Hazards and Climate Change Guidance, among other topics. This hui was an excellent opportunity to learn from other councils.

Wellington Regional Leadership Committee (WRLC) - Food System Strategy (FSS) project

The Wellington Regional Leadership Committee (WRLC) held a half day webinar and full day workshop were held in early November discussing the progress of the Food System Strategy (FSS) project. This outlined the food shed analysis that has been completed under the project and developing recommendation to take back to the WRLC.

Careers Fair – Carterton Fair

The climate change advisor attended the Careers Fair held by Carterton School, advocating on the role of climate change and what are small actions people can take, as well as outlining the role of council in that process.

Manuka Trials

A small report was written and presented to the Policy and Projects Committee on 22 Nov outlining the mānuka trials currently being undertaken between CDC, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). This involved connecting with key researchers at ESR to get the most up to date status of the project. The project will continue to be reported via Policy & Projects Committee.

What’s coming up?

Climate change projects under the WRLC are continuing to gain momentum. The final draft report for the Climate Change Impacts Assessment (CCIA) is currently under review by the council project team, with final feedback to be passed to Beca within the next week. The CCIA progress will be updated to all Wairarapa councils at the Joint Council Forum to be held on 6 Dec, presented by CDC and MDC Climate Change and Biodiversity Policy Advisors. An update on the Emissions Reduction Strategy project will also be provided at the Joint Council Forum, provided by the GWRC project sponsor. For the FSS project, the climate change advisor has been invited to join the final writing and reviewing team for the strategy, which is due to be completed by 15 Dec.

Carterton Events Centre

Events Centre Activities

October and November have been busy at the Events Centre – events have been dominated by community groups, including the dance recitals from Jacqui Murray School of Dance and Geraldine Inder School of Dance. We received great feedback from Jacqui and her team on the increased marketing efforts this year – which resulted in an extra of $4,000 of box office for the school this year – a testament to the design skills and marketing strategy of our staff. The dance shows bring in large audiences across multiple performances so our audience numbers for October and November will reflect this. A great result for both audience development and encouraging younger arts enthusiasts.

Other events included another round of Operatunity, a professional theatre production of kiwi classic comedy Ladies Night, The Elton John Vs. Billy Tribute, Limelight Theatre’s production of Candycane by local Playwright Nathan Roseman, and Reckless a tribute to Bryan Adams.

Before the end of the year, we have another Te Mahau gig from Wellington-based Americana sextet Harvest Moon, Sweet Caroline a tribute to Neil Diamond in our auditorium and Mixed Nuts, a comedy Christmas cabaret. In the final weeks of the year and early January while the theatre is mostly dark we’ll be undertaking some essential maintenance tasks and cleaning and sorting for the year ahead.

Planning is underway for the Performing Arts Residency outlined in the new Events Centre Strategy. Creative New Zealand have just had a major overhaul of all their contestable funds, including a new fund for residencies and fellowships. The fund opens in mid-2024, so we will apply to provide more resource and a possible stipend for participants along with the residency workshop time.

In staff news – four staff now have their First Aid Training essentials certificate, and all staff completed the Te Tiriti training over the past few months. Erin Banks and Vic Bates will be attending the EVANZ conference and awards in Dunedin from 28-30 November.

Events Centre - 1-31 October 2023:

Total Audience of ticketed events	1872
Public/ticketed events held	6
Commercial Meetings/Events held	36
Community Meetings/Events held	82
Internal/local govt Meetings/Events held	66

Sales and Marketing

Facebook & Instagram – Reporting period 12^th October 2023 – 23^rd November 2023

· Reach: The number of people who saw content from our Carterton Events Centre pages was up 1.0% on Facebook (reach of 34,910) and up 23.7% on Instagram (reach of 1218) when compared to our previous report period (October 11^th 2023).

· Page and profile visits: The number of times our page was visited (i.e. searched) has decreased 6.6% on Facebook and decreased 28.6% on Instagram.

· New likes and follows: We’ve increased our page likes by 108 (up 170% on last period) Followers on Instagram are down by 40% on last period with a total of 15 new followers this period.

In summary:

As the year nears to a close, we have fewer events and with the distraction of Christmas and holidays this could be a good justification for the downturn in page and profile visits. Our reach is steady and with the addition of paid advertising to accrue newsletter sign ups and ‘Likes’ to our page we have increased our audience.

Mailchimp

Our email newsletter is always a great way to connect directly with our audience. Our audience has grown by 106 subscribers since 12 October. Across the newsletters and feedback forms sent in the past 51 days we achieved an average open rate of 41.6%.

COMMUNITY WELLBEING - Feedback collected from post event survey:

Nee Naw & Friends Live with Deano Yipadee:

Thank you for this amazing event. It made me feel like a good mum…

Thank you so much for bringing Deano Yipadee to the Wairarapa!! We had a fabulous time. The venue was perfect and there was so much space. We loved every minute of it.

The Pantoloons Present Peter Pan

Great to have so many great shows in Carterton!

Cori Gonzalez-Macuer Live

First time attending an event at the Carterton Events Centre and I was really impressed. The price was insanely reasonable, staff at the event were friendly and kind. The venue was clean and welcoming. Thank you!

Every event I've been to at the venue had been excellent. Staff are brilliant!

Queen: It’s A Kinda Magic

Absolutely just love going to the concerts you have, have been to 3 now all on a Sunday that awesome as not everyone can come during week or Saturday due to work so thank you for thinking of other people schedules!

Facilities and maintenance

· Clock tower lights are now operational.

· Christmas lights will be installed on 4 December.

· Community Courthouse – few recent issues with plumbing and borer due to the buildings age – awaiting quotes for treatment and repairs.

Parks and Reserves

Street Reserves

The unpredictable weather continues to impact the Parks and Reserves team. Windy and wet conditions over October means we are slightly behind where we would normally expect to be. Spraying and weed control continue as conditions allow. The Spring flush has increased the pressure on our mowing team with the 2 front mounted mowers operating full time around the district during October.

The annual bedding display at Memorial Square and Holloway civic precinct has been renewed with summer plants. The team have installed new filters in all the towns drinking fountains.

Irrigation repairs to broken pressure pipes have been undertaken in preparation of the replacement of hanging basket, in the CBD. Hanging baskets will be changed over in the coming weeks.

Parks

The playing fields at Howard Booth Park and Carrington have been fertilised with an organic seaweed foliar application of Agrisea turf nutrients.

Howard Booth Park has experienced a number of anti-social issues of late, with two abandoned cars being set alight and reports of cars doing burnouts during the early hours of the mornings. A fence was destroyed as a result of the first fire, this has now been repaired and Police have been notified of the activities. The team have met with the affected adjacent property owners and are working on strategies for ongoing security of this carpark.

Swimming Pool

Pool cleaning operations were a major focus in October and November as we prepared the pool for the upcoming summer swim season. Molly’s slide has been upgraded with a water spray that helps lubricate the slide for users.

A new stainless steel and fibreglass access ramp has been bespoke made by a local engineering workshop. This replaces the obsolete aluminium ramp that had corroded to the point of becoming unsafe for use.

A new contract and management team are in place and Belgravia will be running the facility for the summer season. They will manage all aspects of the pool operations with some technical assistance and advice from the CDC staff.

Cemetery

We are undertaking some investigations from a monumental mason to develop a conservation plan for preserving and conserving Charles Rooking’s grave.

New bark mulch has been placed around the shrubs and trees throughout the cemetery.

As mentioned above, the weather conditions are prime for grass growth. Mowing at the cemetery as weather permits has been the number one focus.

Wairarapa Library Service

The Wairarapa Library Service has received a resignation from the Library Manager. Annette Beattie has been with council for three years, working in a shared role overseeing and managing the 3 SWDC and CDC libraries. Annette will be finishing up with council on the 8 December 2023.

SWDC requested a review to be undertaken on their Library services, management, and shared services, with a report back to the SWDC Infrastructure and Community Services committee by 15 November 2023. This report will now be presented to SWDC in early 2024.

While we await SWDC consideration of the review, the two councils have agreed to appoint an interim replacement into the Wairarapa Library Service Managers role. This interim role will be in place till March 2024.

Issues and returns in October stood at 10,190 for WLS (Carterton 4,605) and Returns at 9986 (Carterton 4,202). Carterton has seen a rise in usage in September and October, while South Wairarapa has seen a decline.

In Carterton, new members have held steady at 29 each for the months of September and October.

105 children attended the September school holiday programme activities in Carterton library, which included craft, building with bricks (Lego) and reading activities.

Carterton has continued to host regular workshops for the public with Divine River, JPs, and Digital Seniors. Literary offerings include a regular evening Book Club and WaiWord writer workshops and events such as a new initiative by local author Pia Buck called Write Now!

4. Infrastructure services

Water Operations

The team continues to deliver high quality on our Water Treatment and Reticulation. We have responded to a number of water leaks in recent weeks that were mainly a result of aging laterals and valves. Many of these faults were on State Highway 2, which makes it more challenging and costly than other roads. The new rider main project will go a long way in reducing future operational costs.

Roading

We are pleased to announce that Azam Khan joined the Raumahanga Roads team on 4 December as our new Roading Operations Manager . This will the first time since July 2023 that Raumahanga Roads will be fully staffed.

The team is still chipping away at the emergency works while completing the BAU work. In November we filled 62 potholes, graded 20 kilometres of gravel roads and replaced 39 signs to name a few activities.

The team is also in the early stages of a procurement process which could result in the establishment of an “Emergency works recovery consortium” of local contractors to address the significant forward works programme of emergency works.

Waste Minimisation and Management

The Waste minimisation and management plan (WMMP) - Joint Committee has completed the WMMP development and consultation process and will make final recommendations to councils on 4 December. We anticipate that the recommendation to adopt WMMP will be tabled at the February 2024 Ordinary Council meeting.

5. Corporate Services

Annual Report 2022/23

The 2022/23 Annual Report was adopted at the Council meeting on 31 October 2023.

Audit New Zealand has yet to issue their Management Report and Recommendations for 2022/23. This is expected before the end of the year.

2024-34 Long Term Plan (LTP)

Work continues for the 2024-34 LTP, with several workshops held over the last few months. An update was presented to the Risk and Assurance Committee on the 15November 2023.

The table below provides a summary of key milestones and timelines.

Description	Start	Finish
Workshops with Elected Representatives	April 2023	January 2024
Document development	Aug 2023	January 2024
Quality checks	Aug 2023	June 2024
Communications strategy implementation	Feb 2024	July 2024
External audit process (at Consultation Document stage, and final LTP document stage)	Feb 2024	June 2024
Special consultative procedure	March 2024	May 2024
Adoption of the final LTP		June 2024

Rating Review

We have now completed our rates review consultation, deliberations and hearings.

Overall the consultation campaign was a significant amount of time and effort and is considered successful with more than 90 submissions received. The campaign coincided with a General Election which distracted from our messaging. The public meetings had very low attendance, and Elected Representatives engagements may need to be reviewed for the LTP consultation.

The Revenue and Financing Policy as part of the rating review will be presented in a separate report to Council for final recommendations in the Council meeting on 6 December 2023.

A review of the Remissions Policies is due for completion January 2024.

Communications and engagement

Media requests

Date received	Media outlet	Topic	Date responded
24/10/2023	WTA	Events Centre award nomination	26/10/2023
25/10/2023	LDR/WTA	Ordinary Meeting	25/10/2023
26/10/2023	LDR/WTA	Ordinary Meeting	26/10/2023
1/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Merger resolution	1/11/2023
1/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Bird of the year	2/11/2023
1/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Blocked emails	Processed as LGOIMA
2/11/2023	LDR/WTA	White ribbon accreditation	7/11/2023
6/11/2023	LDR/WTA	MTFJ	6/11/2023
6/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Sinkhole, Brooklyn Road	6/11/2023
7/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Howard Booth carpark	7/11/2023
7/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Agenda	7/11/2023
10/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Water conservation	10/11/2023
13/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Rubbish dumping	unable to meet deadline
13/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Carterton number 1 Airbnb rating	13/11/2023
13/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Workshops	Processed as LGOIMA
15/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Confirm recommendations from meeting	15/11/2023
15/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Investment Committee	15/11/2023
16/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Swimming pool	16/11/2023
16/11/2023	WTA	Parking tickets	16/11/2023
16/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Cyclone Gabrielle	16/11/2023
16/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Aratoi funding	16/11/2023
19/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Parkers Road	20/11/2023
21/11/2023	LDR/WTA	Hearings Committee	21/11/2023
27/11/2023	WTA	Plimsoll St	27/11/2023

Campaigns

We now have our Water Restrictions campaign well underway. The current restriction level is “Save Water”. This means conserving water however possible. In December, we will be moving to hoses on alternate days, to prepare for the hot, dry weather and to ensure restrictions are in place for the Christmas/New Year period when water usage typically spikes.

We are reiterating the following messages:

· We provide our community with clean fresh water all day, every day.

· We are making our network more resilient. We are preparing for peak demand, to get hit by heavy weather, or other unexpected events that put our supply under pressure.

· Expect some restrictions. Our water supply is finite; and our resource consent requires limits.

· Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. There is a drought predicted this summer which could drain the aquifer which supplies our water.

· Start filling your pools now – don’t wait for the hottest day of the year.

· We need to allow for firefighting capabilities.

· We have a responsibility to take conservation measures as part of our consent with GWRC (Greater Wellington Regional Council).

This is being communicated via the following means:

· Website home page and water page

· Facebook posts and cover image

· Radio ads across Mediaworks radio stations

· Ads in the Wairarapa Midweek and Carterton Crier

We are in the process of ordering a new sign for the town centre, as well as putting posters at our parks.

To complement our water restrictions campaign, we’re advertising 30 free 200L water tanks to gold card and community services cardholders who live in Carterton, thanks to our Council waters team.

There will be weekly draws between 1 December 2023 and 26 January 2024. Tanks can be collected from our office on Holloway Street or delivered people. Our waters team have kindly made themselves available to help install tanks for people who need help.

To go in the draw, people need to fill out the online form and winners need to show us their card and proof of address to confirm eligibility.

6. People and Wellbeing

Our People

Since the last report our focus has been on recruitment and supporting staff training and wellbeing.

Recruitment

We have been very pleased to see highly qualified applicants for recent vacancies, particularly in the often ‘hard to fill’ roles of roading and senior management. With the appointment of two new staff to our Corporate Services Team, we no longer have any vacant positions.

We are also pleased to announce the internal appointment of a Parks and Reserves co-team leader following Council’s Annual Plan decision to increase the number of staff in the team. A second team leader ensures capability and capacity in strategic planning, monitoring and reporting, health and safety compliance, and overall team supervision and professional development.

Staff Training

We are currently working with Red Cross to deliver certification and renewal of first aid training for staff to ensure they are equipped to respond in a health emergency for other staff and the public. This is particularly important for physically demanding roles that are more likely to suffer minor injury, and those that are front line, public facing such as Customer Services, Library, Events Centre and Parks & Reserves.

Relevant staff will undertake Customer Service training in January, which also includes dealing with difficult people, difficult situations, and communication skills. These are critical skills for our frontline teams who may experience angry and intimidating people.

We are also updating our staff Kolbe profiles. Kolbe is a tool that helps staff identify their instinctive strengths or natural talents, understand how they most effectively work with others, which in turn enables our teams to perform at their best.

Staff Wellbeing

The Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HS&W) Committee has also completed staff engagement on the review of the Staff Wellbeing Strategy and Action Plan. Four workshops were held with staff who showed great participation and input. The HS&W Committee are now collating the information and will draft the new Staff Wellbeing Strategy and Action Plan for approval by management.

Health & Safety (H&S)

For the reporting period 17 October – 24 November 2023, we received the following incident reports:

• 1 near miss report

• 2 incidents resulting in minor injury, with one being a Lost time injury (LTI)

• 2 incidents resulting in damage

As we work towards the end of the year, we notice an increase in mental and physical fatigue. The H,S & W Committee support their teams to remain vigilant and on task while continuing to focus on encouraging staff to report all incidents, accidents and near misses.

A random drug and alcohol test was recently undertaken for all safety sensitive roles in Council. The testing covered seven different drug groups (e.g. methamphetamine, THC, opiates etc) and an alcohol breath test. It was very reassuring to have 39 roles tested and no failed results.

7. MAJOR PROJECT UPDATES

Dalefield pumps station and water storage tanks

As reported at the Policy and Projects committee, the Dalefield pump station has reached practical completion. We are now in the process of commissioning the 2 new tanks, a process that could not be completed prior to completing the pump station.

The combination of the new tanks and pump station will further improve the resilience of Carterton’s water supply.

Climate Change mitigation – Solar Project

The Tender Evaluation Team has completed the evaluation moderation and identified their preferred supplier for the design and installation of a solar solution for Carterton District Council. The purpose of the product is to reduce the operation budget demand by investing a portion of DIA’s Better Off Funding. We aim to engage the new supplier before the end of the year, with construction starting early 2024.

Land Purchase – Potential Wastewater Land Based Discharge Expansion

We have reached an unconditional agreement to purchase 85ha of land adjoining the Dalefield Wastewater treatment plant and reservoirs. The purchase provides the potential for further expansion of land-based discharge of wastewater reducing the requirement to discharge treated wastewater into the Mangatarere Stream.

The purchase will either be funded through debt, or a mixture of debt and reserves. The exact mix will be determined by Council closer to settlement. The funding decision is likely to be influenced on the Government’s decisions around Affordable Waters Reforms, previously known as Three Waters Reforms.

As the purchase of land is considered significant, consultation on options for the land will be included in our Long-Term Plan due for release on 22 March. Settlement will also occur in late March 2024, and in agreement with the vendors, the purchase price will remain confidential until then.

8. CONSIDERATIONS

8.1 Climate change

Considerations have been noted in the report, as appropriate.

8.2 Tāngata whenua

Considerations have been noted in the report, as appropriate.

8.3 Financial impact

Considerations have been noted in the report, as appropriate.

8.4 Community Engagement requirements

Considerations have been noted in the report, as appropriate.

8.5 Risks

Considerations have been noted in the report, as appropriate.

9. Recommendation

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

File Number: 348088

Author: Geoff Hamilton, Chief Executive

Attachments: Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

6 December 2023

7.12 Report on the administration of Carterton District Council's practices in relation to the control of dogs for the year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

1. Purpose

For the Council to receive the report outlining the dog control activities and practices related to the Carterton District Council Dog Control for the year ending 30 June 2023.

2. Significance

The matters for decision in this report are not considered to be of significance under the Significance and Engagement Policy.

3. Background

As a territorial authority, the Carterton District Council is required to manage and enforce the Dog Control Act 1996 (the Act). Under Section 10A of the Act Council must, in respect of each financial year, provide an Annual Report that sets out activities that have been undertaken in relation to our dog control and practices.

Section 10A(2) sets out the information required to be included in the annual report, including:

(a) the number of registered dogs in the territorial authority district:

(b) the number of probationary owners and disqualified owners in the territorial authority district:

(c) the number of dogs in the territorial authority district classified as dangerous under section 31 and the relevant provision under which the classification is made:

(d) the number of dogs in the territorial authority district classified as menacing under section 33A or section 33C and the relevant provision under which the classification is made:

(e) the number of infringement notices issued by the territorial authority:

(f) the number of dog related complaints received by the territorial authority in the previous year and the nature of those complaints:

(g) the number of prosecutions taken by the territorial authority under this Act.

4. Discussion

One of the key areas of work that Animal Control officers provide relates to the control of dogs in public places, which is enforceable under Part 4: Carterton District Council Control of Dogs Bylaw Amendment 2007.

There are no specific dog exercise areas defined as there are enough open spaces and parks around the district for appropriate exercise. However, a rural public park at Sparks Park where dogs can be exercised off the leash has become popular with dog owners, and poo disposal bags and a dog poo bin have been placed there.

An urban public park at Bird Park had been established with the same facilities as the rural public park. This has dog-prohibited areas which are well signposted. Dogs in specified public places and the CBD must be on a leash at all times. Carterton District Council provides Doggy Doo Dumpster bins near dog exercise areas and in urban streets. Council officers monitor these areas to ensure compliance.

Fees and charges are reviewed annually and set by Council resolution. Council’s funding policy for animal control is that 80% of the total costs are met by dog registration fees and 20% from rates.

Council provides dog owners with information regarding education programmes and obedience courses and offers dog owners a discount on registration fees for neutered/spayed dogs.

Council promotes the local Dog Obedience and Kennel Club and a local Dog Obedience Trainer.

5. 2022-2023 REPORt

Offences and Penalties

With regard to offences and penalties, Council’s policy is to approach each incident on a case-by-case basis and to use infringement notices for minor offences. Where an attack has occurred, Council’s policy is to adhere to the provisions of the Dog Control Act 1996 as closely as possible.

At the end of 2017 Carterton District Council Dog Control initiated a programme of seizing dogs that had been unregistered for more than 2 years. Letters were first sent to the dog owners advising them of Council’s intention. Carterton District Council has continued to take this approach for the 2021/2022 financial year.

Council has adopted the ‘Assessment Matrix’ for potential prosecution decisions.

Under the Carterton District Council Control of Dogs Bylaw Amendment 2007, owners with more than two dogs within an urban area must obtain a permit through an application to Council. The Council Dog Control Officer inspects the property for suitability for housing and controlling dogs, interviews the dog owner, and considers any previous history. Submissions in writing are sought by affected neighbours.

The statistics to be reported on as per the Animal Control Act 1996 are outlined below.

Measure	Result
Number of registered dogs	2682
Number of probationary owners	0
Number of disqualified owners	0
Number of dogs classified as dangerous under Section 31	3
§ s.31 1(a) due to owner conviction	0
§ s.31 1(b) due to sworn evidence	0
§ s.31 1(c) due to owner admittance	3
Number of dogs classified as menacing under Section 33A	3
§ s.33A 1(b)(i) observed or reported behaviour	3
§ s.33A 1(b)(ii) characteristics associated with breed	0
Number of dogs classified as menacing under Section 33C	0
Number of infringement notices issued for – failing to register a dog.	12
Number of infringement notices issued for – failure to implant microchip transponder	0
Number of infringement notices issued for – failure to keep dog under control	0
Number of infringement notices issued for – failure to keep dog controlled or confined	7
Number of infringement notices issued for – failure to comply with bylaw	0
Number of infringement notices issued for – failure to comply with effects of classification	1
Number of Dog Related Complaints	240
Dog Bites On People	3
Dog Bites On Animals/Stock	8
Dog Rushing	10
Dogs Barking	44
Dogs Wandering	57
Dog Welfare	0
Dogs Lost	30
Dogs Found	24
Dogs Impounded	42
Dogs Rehomed/Adopted	2
Dogs Surrendered to other organisation’s for re-homing	3
Dogs Illegally Removed from Pound	0
Dogs Destroyed	3
Dogs Returned To Owner	30
Number of prosecutions	0

6. NEXT STEPS

The Act requires that the Council gives public notice of the report and makes the report publicly available. This will be done once the Council had adopted the report.

7. CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Climate change

Producing this report is a legislative requirement and the Dog Control Act does not include any climate change provisions.

7.2 Tāngata whenua

Not applicable.

7.3 Financial impact

There is no financial impact as a result of this report, as Animal Control as a whole is funded 80% fees and charges with 20% being funded by rates as the public good portion. This public good component covers matters often in relation to animal welfare, or the euthanising of dogs where no owners can be identified, and the dog is not suitable for rehoming, or on the recommendation of a vet.

7.4 Community Engagement requirements

Not applicable for the purpose of this report.

7.5 Risks

No risks have been identified.

8. Recommendation

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

2. Adopts the report on Council’s administration of Dog Control practices as set out in section 5 for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 under section 10A Dog Control Act 1996.

File Number: 374439

Author: Solitaire Robertson, Planning and Regulatory Services Manager

Attachments: Nil

Ordinary Council meeting Agenda

6 December 2023

7.14 Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act Requests

1. Purpose

To inform the Council of the number of requests under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) 1987 (the Act) 10 October 2023 to 9 November 2023.

2. Significance

The matters for decision in this report are not considered to be of significance under the Significance and Engagement Policy.

3. Background

The Act allows people to request official information held by local government agencies. It contains rules of how such requests should be handled and provides a right to complain to the Ombudsman in certain situations.

The purpose of the Act is to increase the availability of official information held by agencies and promote the open and public transaction of business at meetings.

The purposes of LGOIMA are specified in Section 4:

4 Purposes

The purposes of this Act are, consistently with the principle of the Executive Government’s responsibility to Parliament:

(a) to increase progressively the availability of official information to the people of New Zealand in order -

(i) to enable their more effective participation in the making and administration of law and policies; and

(ii) to promote the accountability of Ministers of the Crown and officials, -

And thereby to enhance respect for the law and to promote the good government of New Zealand:

(b) to provide for proper access by each person to official information relating to that person:

(c) to protect official information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the preservation of personal privacy.

The information is not limited to documentary material, and includes material held in any format such as:

· written documents, reports, memoranda, letter, notes, emails and draft documents

· non-written documentary information, such as material stored on or generated by computers, including databases, video or tape recordings

· information, which is known to an agency, but which has not yet been recorded in writing or otherwise (including knowledge of a particular matter held by an officer, employee or member of an agency in their official capacity)

· documents and manuals which set out the policies, principles, rules or guidelines for decision making by an agency

· the reasons for any decisions that have been made about a person.

It doesn’t matter where the information originated or is currently located, if it is held by the council, it must be provided if requested, unless there is reason to withhold the information, as specified in Section 7:

7 Other reasons for withholding official information

(1) Where this section applies, good reason for withholding official information exists, for the purpose of section 5, unless, in the circumstances of the particular case, the withholding of that information is outweighed by other considerations which render it desirable, in the public interest, to make that information available.

(2) Subject to sections 6, 8, and 17, this section applies if, and only if, the withholding of the information is necessary to—

(a) protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons; or

(b) protect information where the making available of the information-

(i) would disclose a trade secret; or

(ii) would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information; or

(ba) in the case only of an application for a resource consent, or water conservation order, or a requirement for a designation or heritage order, under the Resource Management Act 1991, to avoid serious offence to tikanga Māori, or to avoid the disclosure of the location of waahi tapu; or

(c) protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment, where the making available of the information-

(i) would be likely to prejudice the supply of similar information, or information from the same source, and it is in the public interest that such information should continue to be supplied; or

(ii) would be likely otherwise to damage the public interest; or

(d) avoid prejudice to measures protecting the health or safety of members of the public; or

(e) avoid prejudice to measures that prevent or mitigate material loss to members of the public; or

(f) maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through—

(i) the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to members or officers or employees of any local authority, or any persons to whom section 2(5) applies, in the course of their duty; or

(ii) the protection of such members, officers, employees, and persons from improper pressure or harassment; or

(g) maintain legal professional privilege; or

(h) enable any local authority holding the information to carry out, without prejudice or disadvantage, commercial activities; or

(i) enable any local authority holding the information to carry on, without prejudice or disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations); or

(j) prevent the disclosure or use of official information for improper gain or improper advantage.

Councils must respond to a requester ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’ and no later than 20 working days after the day on which the request was received. Our practice is to acknowledge receipt of the request within the first working day. We respond promptly to requests and generally well ahead of the 20 working days.

Where a person requesting the information indicates urgency, we can prioritise our response ahead of other work. This mainly relates to requests from the media. Not all media requests for information are treated as LGOIMA requests.

All requests are recorded in a register and saved in our document management system.

The Council proactively publishes official information responses on our website. As such, the Council may publish the response on the CDC website after five working days. The requestor’s name and contact details will be removed. Proactive release of information to the public promotes openness and transparency and fosters public trust and confidence in Council. There are administrative benefits for the Council, such as reducing requests for information which is publicly available and allowing for greater ease of handling of the requests that are received.

4. reporting lgoima requests to council

Attachment 1 contains the requests received from 10 October 2023 to 9 November 2023 as well as any requests received in September, which were still open at the time of the December 2023 report to Council.

As of 9 November 2023, there are 6 open requests.

For those requests where a response was longer than 20 working days, all had extensions applied under the legislation, and therefore met the time limit requirements.

The table below shows total numbers of requests received from the year 2021 to 9 November 2023.

Number of requests received 2021-2023
	2021	2022	2023
January	6	4	10
February	6	4	5
March	20	14	5
April	12	5	7
May	11	6	11
June	22	8	6
July	7	1	7
August	9	7	16
September	9	7	10
October	10	6	4
November	5	8	6
December	7	3
Total	124	73	87

5. OMBUDSMAN

There have been no new complaints to the Ombudsman.

6. Service complaints

As per Council’s obligations under the Local Government Act 2002, Council must respond to Service Complaints within 10 working days of receiving a complaint.

What constitutes a complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, from our customers, with a CDC decision, process followed, outcome, employee or contractor action, or quality of service.

Attachment 2 contains the complaints received from October 2023 to 9 November 2023. The table below shows total numbers of complaints received for 2023.

As of 9 November 2023, there are 2 complaints open.

Number of service complaints received 2023
	2023
October	3
November	3
December
Total	6

7. CONSIDERATIONS

7.1 Climate change

There are no climate change considerations.

7.2 Tāngata whenua

There are no tāngata whenua considerations.

7.3 Financial impact

There is no financial impact.

7.4 Community Engagement requirements

There are no community engagement requirements.

7.5 Risks

No specific risks are identified.

8. Recommendation

That the Council:

1. Receives the report.

File Number: 371452

Author: Serah Pettigrew, Democratic Services Officer

Attachments: 1. LGOIMA requests from 10 October 2023 to 9 November 2023 ⇩

2. Service Complaints from October 2023 to 9 November 2023 ⇩

3. Service ID 23001464 Complaint and response to Rob Stockley ⇩

[1] Mana Taiohi https://arataiohi.org.nz/mana-taiohi/


AGENDA Ordinary Council meeting
Date:	Wednesday, 6 December 2023
Time:	1:30 pm
Location:	Carterton Events Centre 50 Holloway St Carterton
Mayor R Mark Deputy Mayor D Williams Cr B Deller Cr R Cherry-Campbell Cr S Cretney	Cr L Newman Cr S Gallon Cr S Laurence Cr G Ayling M Fox - Hurunui-o-Rangi Marae representative