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Kōrero mai Let's talk, Taitokerau! - Help us plan a strong future for Northland - give us your feedback by Friday 16 April 2021 - Northland ...
Kōrero mai
Let's talk, Taitokerau!
Help us plan a strong future for Northland - give us your feedback by Friday 16 April 2021

Long Term Plan 2021-2031 Consultation Document
                                                                                             1
Kōrero mai Let's talk, Taitokerau! - Help us plan a strong future for Northland - give us your feedback by Friday 16 April 2021 - Northland ...
Contents
Our Northland – building resilience and partnerships   04

A few things you need to know                          05

Responding to the bigger picture                       06

Community outcomes                                     07

What’s happened since our 2018 plan?                   08

Natural environment                                    10

Community resilience                                   22

Regional leadership                                    36

Other decisions                                        42

What it means for the money                            50

What do you think?                                     56

Independent auditor’s report                           58
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Tihewa mauri ora
Tukuna te reo mihi ki te atua i
hanga nei te taiao, te aorangi,
te ao nei
Rerea te mihi mōteatea ki te iwi
wairua, i tānikohia e rātou te
kahu tapu
Ā, ka whai ake ngā mihi ki a tātou
te hunga kikokiko o
Te Taitokerau Whānui
E te tī, e te tā, e tā mara mā

Mauri tū
Mauri roa
Mauri ora
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Kia tupu ake te manawaroa                                                                        Your regional councillors

me te kotahitanga                                                                                         Penny Smart – Chair
                                                                                                          Kaipara
Building resilience and partnerships
                                                                                                          Justin Blaikie – Deputy Chair
We live in an unpredictable world. Lately       »M
                                                  anaging pest animals and weeds, and
                                                                                                          Hokianga–Kaikohe
in Northland we’ve faced flood events,           supporting our communities to do the
water shortages, the Covid-19 pandemic,          same, so our native ecosystems flourish.
legislative changes and more.                                                                             Joce Yeoman
                                                »A
                                                  dapting to and preparing for climate
                                                                                                          Coastal North
As well as dealing with these issues, we’re      change and extreme weather events.
continuing to focus on protecting our
                                                Our proposed new work, along with inflation
region’s environmental, social, economic                                                                  Marty Robinson
                                                and previously approved work that kicks
and cultural wellbeing so future generations                                                              Coastal North
                                                in over the next few years, would mean
can thrive.
                                                an extra $70.69 (a 19.8% increase) per
Our plan for the next 10 years is to keep on:   ratepayer on average for the coming year                  Amy Macdonald
                                                – and a total amount of $6,173,365. Our                   Coastal Central
» Addressing complex water issues, from
                                                new work is outlined in this document, and
    droughts and floods to cleaning up our
                                                accounts for 15.9% of the 19.8% increase.
    waterways.                                                                                            Rick Stolwerk
                                                We’ve made some great progress in the                     Coastal South
» Working with mana whenua and the
                                                past few years, and there are still big
    community on important mahi, from
                                                opportunities ahead for Te Taitokerau.
    large projects such as the Kaipara Moana                                                              Colin ‘Toss’ Kitchen
                                                Investing in major infrastructure and large-              Te Hiku
    remediation programme to targeted
                                                scale projects will mean increased rates,
    biodiversity work.
                                                of course. But the result? A thriving natural
» Partnering with tangata whenua by                                                                      Jack Craw
                                                environment, resilient communities and
    formally introducing Māori representation                                                             Whangārei Urban
                                                more chances to fulfil our region’s potential.
    on the council, and building meaningful
                                                That’s the kind of future we want for
    relationships at iwi/hapū level.
                                                Northland. Now it’s time to let us know                   Terry Archer
                                                what you think.                                           Whangārei Urban

4
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Me mōhio ai koe
A few things you should know

Explaining costs and how they                                      Other points
affect rates                                                       » The average impact on rates quoted here is indicative,
                                                                      and will vary a lot depending on where you live. It also
When we talk about costs, we’ll either refer to capital
                                                                      doesn’t include targeted rates, for things such as flood
expenditure (typically one-off costs associated with major
                                                                      infrastructure, unless specified. Check out the rates
purchases or infrastructure assets,which are funded from
                                                                      examples on pages 54 and 55 to see what our proposals
various sources and don’t directly affect your rates), operating
                                                                      will mean for your rates.
expenditure (ongoing costs of a project, usually funded
directly by rates), or a mixture of both.                          » Spending quoted in this document excludes GST.
Projects with high capital cost will have a relatively reduced     » Rates amounts in this document include GST.
direct impact on rates, as the cost is spread over multiple
                                                                   » Financial forecasts in this document have been adjusted for
years. Projects of similar total cost will impact rates
                                                                      future inflation, but the cost of our proposals and the impact
differently based on the mix of operational and capital
                                                                      on rates are based on today’s dollar values.
expenditure. You can see the specifics of each project in
the Supporting Information document.
Visit nrc.govt.nz/futureplan

                                                                                                                                       5
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Tēnā whakawhānui tō whakaaro
Responding to the bigger picture
The upheaval of climate change, a global        markets affect our funding. On the other
pandemic and economic uncertainty have          hand, we have an opportunity to make the
introduced challenges that continue to          most of low interest rates and borrow more
keep us on our toes. As we plan for the next    now, to push forward with some amazing
10 years, we must balance long-standing         projects. Considering how debt will affect   Now we want
issues with preparing for the unknown.
In this Long Term Plan, we’re consulting with
                                                future generations is key in making these
                                                types of decisions.                          to hear what
you on a number of issues and projects.         You can read more about our financial        you think.
A lot of this work responds to community        strategy on pages 52 and 53, and in the
calls for action and our obligations under      Supporting Information document. The
new or upcoming government legislation on       document also contains more detail about
carbon emissions, freshwater standards,         the projects.
biosecurity and biodiversity. Other work
                                                This is our plan to make the most of
we’re seeking to do capitalises on grants
                                                our resources so we can support our
we’ve received for new and existing
                                                communities and environment to thrive in
projects, such as the Awanui River flood
                                                unpredictable times. It focuses strongly
scheme upgrade and the proposed Otiria-
                                                on what Northlanders have told us is
Moerewa flood scheme.
                                                most important to them: healthy waters,
Much of what we’re proposing is work we         protecting our native plants and animals,
need to do now, to respond to pressure and      and helping communities become resilient
opportunities.                                  and adaptable.
The unpredictable global situation has          Visit nrc.govt.nz/futureplan
also affected our financial strategy. Our
investment income significantly subsidises
the work we do, so changes in the financial

6
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Ngā whakataunga ā hapori
Community outcomes
Every project you’ll read about in these pages links into one or more of these community outcomes. They underpin the decisions we
make as we work in partnership with the community to improve Northland’s environmental, social, economic and cultural wellbeing.
These outcomes are what we aim to achieve, now and in the future.

                       Healthy waters for                 Safe and effective
                       the environment and                transport networks
                       our people                         connecting our region
                       The fresh and coastal waters       Transport networks are safe,
                       of Te Taitokerau are clean and     well organised and increasingly
                       abundant, supporting a healthy     low emission, connecting
                       environment and the needs of       communities and supporting
                       our people.                        our regional economy.
                                                                                            Protected and
                                                                                            flourishing native life
                                                                                            The incredible array of
                                                                                            native taonga in Te Taitokerau
                   Resilient, adaptable                                                     is treasured and protected,
                   communities in a                      Meaningful partnerships            on land and in the water.

                   changing climate                      with tangata whenua
                   Communities are well prepared         Strong outcomes for Māori
                   for the growing effects of climate    through enduring relationships
                   change and the hazards our region     between iwi/hapū and council.
                   faces, such as droughts and floods.
                                                                                            A strong and sustainable
                                                                                            regional economy
                                                                                            A sustainable economy,
                                                                                            supporting a healthy
                                                                                            standard of living and
                                                                                            wellbeing in Te Taitokerau.

                                                                                                                                    7
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I aha Te Mahere Roa o mua?
What’s happened since our 2018 plan?

2018                                                                      2019
KICKED OFF                                                                COMPLETED
freshwater improvement projects in the Northern Wairoa catchment          a four-year Kaipara hill country erosion project, to stabilise land and
and dune lakes, partnering with tangata whenua and local communities.     reduce sediment run-off into the Kaipara Harbour.

STARTED WORK                                                              LAUNCHED
on the Awanui River flood scheme upgrade, to better protect Kaitaia and   our annual Environmental Awards, to recognise the people and
Awanui from flooding.                                                     organisations protecting and enhancing our unique environment.

CELEBRATED                                                                ESTABLISHED
100 schools and kindergartens joining the Enviroschools programme.        a collaborative staff working group with other Northland councils to
                                                                          work on a regional climate change adaptation strategy.
BUILT
more biosecurity partnerships with communities, and funded 55 pest-       SPENT
control projects.                                                         more than $1M on flood mitigation projects.

COMPLETED                                                                 CREATED
a four-year project to map coastal hazard zones, providing vital          more community response plans, bringing the total to 46, to prepare
information for community resilience.                                     for emergencies such as storms, flooding and tsunami.

WORKED                                                                    PROVIDED
to improve water quality at Otuihau-Whangārei Falls through fencing       17,500 plants to protect dunes and coastal areas through the
and planting.                                                             Coastcare programme.

LAUNCHED
the first Northland Walking and Cycling Strategy, to encourage more       HELPED
sustainable ways of getting around the region.                            implement the Taitokerau Northland Economic Action Plan, focusing
                                                                          on projects to boost the region’s prosperity.
BECAME
a key player in leading the development of an inter-regional marine
pathway plan to manage marine pests.
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2020
SIGNED                                                                LED
a partnership agreement for the landmark Kaipara Moana remediation    a successful funding application to establish Predator Free
programme with Kaipara Uri and Auckland Council, aiming to            Whangārei, a project that aims to eradicate possums from the
significantly reduce sediment going into the Kaipara Harbour.         Whangārei Heads peninsula.

PROTECTED                                                             PREVENTED
                                                                      400,000 cubic metres of floodwater from swamping Whangārei’s
fragile dune-lake ecosystems by employing contractors to remove
                                                                      CBD in the July 2020 storm, thanks to the Hopua te Nihotetea
destructive wilding pines.
                                                                      detention dam.

SUPPLIED                                                              RELEASED
more than 9000 predator traps and contributed funds to support        updated river flood maps to identify areas of high risk and plan
locals looking after Northland’s 76 community pest control areas      solutions for communities.
(which cover 130,393 hectares).
                                                                      SUPPORTED
SIGNED                                                                projects that contribute to the region’s economic development, such
Mana Whakahono ā Rohe agreements with Patuharakeke and Ngāti          as Opononi’s Manea – Footprints of Kupe centre.
Rēhia hapū, to provide more opportunities for tangata whenua to be
involved in the Resource Management Act process.                      COMPLETED
                                                                      the three-year Otuihau-Hātea water quality improvement project,
LAUNCHED                                                              helping to fund 20km of stock exclusion fencing and nearly 23,000
new bus trials to help communities at Whangārei Heads and Hikurangi   native plants in riparian margins.
access Whangārei more easily.

COMPLETED
the Panguru flood scheme, significantly reducing the number of days
that flooding prevents kids getting to school.

GRANTED
$1.15M to landowners across the region to support water-quality
improvement initiatives.
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01.
Te taiao
Natural environment
Ask any Northlander why they love living      protect our freshwater ecosystems – this      scale ecological restoration projects,
here, and chances are they’ll talk about      means more support and monitoring work        such as the landmark Kaipara Moana
nature: the beaches, marine environment,      for us. We’re also supporting biodiversity    remediation programme, demonstrate
forests, rivers, lakes, and the birds and     by helping to plan and fund planting on an    how building enduring partnerships and
animals that live alongside us. Helping       ever-growing scale, and ramping up pest       managing land sustainably can restore the
native ecosystems flourish is a big part of   management on land and in the marine          mauri (spiritual lifeforce) of our precious
our job, and the work we need to do in this   environment.                                  natural environment.
area is growing quickly.
                                              Local communities and tangata whenua          There are several areas in which we need
Water quality is a big focus for us. The      are often at the forefront of environmental   to make decisions.
community tells us it’s extremely important   protection, putting in hours of work with
to them, and the government continues to      support from our staff and creating strong
introduce regulations to restore and          social connections along the way. Large-

Overall, we’re planning to spend around $45M a year on our natural environment activities (on average over
the first three years), including the work we’re proposing here.

10   Pest control at Puketi Forest
Addressing
water health
Being able to safely swim in our rivers       We need to increase monitoring to better     We’ll also put into practice Te Mana o te
and lakes is something we once took for       understand the state of our water, from      Wai – a Māori concept underpinning the
granted, but after decades of degradation,    groundwater and lakes to rivers and          government’s new freshwater reforms –
it’s not always possible. The state of our    coasts. There will be a greater emphasis     which prioritises the health and wellbeing
waterways is a huge issue for Northlanders,   on data processing and quality, so we        of the water over all other uses. This
and there’s a raft of new policy direction    can make the best decisions possible for     shift also means we must more actively
and requirements coming out of central        our freshwater resources. Setting goals      involve tangata whenua in freshwater
government for freshwater. This means we      and rules through our plans, and ensuring    management.
need to grow the knowledge and science to     activities are consistent with these plans
                                                                                           This work also supports our catchment
develop new approaches that support the       through the resource consent process,
                                                                                           management work (more about that on the
work everyone’s doing in this area.           will ensure these natural resources are
                                                                                           next page).
                                              well governed.

12
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                                        ANOTHER OPTION

  Do the essentials                                                                      Do the essentials
  We need to build our capacity to deal with                                             + some extra
  the increase in programmes and legislative                                             If the community is willing to pay more, we could
  changes. This money will go towards projects                                           do the work outlined in our proposed option,
  such as: implementing Te Mana o te Wai; more                                           while investing even more ($500,000 a year) in
  resourcing for lake monitoring and water                                               implementing Te Mana o te Wai. This means we
  analysis; modelling and mapping groundwater,                                           could provide even more support to the community
  land use and swimming sites; creating systems                                          and tangata whenua for freshwater management.
  to manage the increasing quantities of data we
  must gather; and contributing to the Far North
  Te Hiku water project.

               Rates impact in the first year:
               an average of $9.20 per rates bill,
               which equates to a 2.5% increase
                                                     $5.4M
                                                     over the next 3 years
                                                                                                       All extra spend would be
                                                                                                       operational (no capital spend).

               in rates.                                                                               Rates impact in the first year:
                                                                                                       an average of $15.10 per rates bill,
               $730K of this would be capital                                                          which equates to a 4% increase
               spend, and the rest would be                                                            in rates.
               operational.

                                                                        $6.9M
                                                                        over the next 3 years

                                                                                                                                              13
Managing
our water catchments
The areas of land (catchments) around           planning and support on an individual farm     This work creates a need to ramp up other
Northland’s rivers and harbours have a huge     basis to working with groups of people         services. We plan to continue expanding
impact on the health of our waterways.          so we can better protect the most at-risk      our Flyger Road poplar nursery so it can
We’re working to maintain and improve           catchment areas.                               supply more trees for erosion control.
these ecosystems, to improve freshwater                                                        More soil monitoring, wetland and land-
                                                A significant portion of our planned work
quality. Through partnerships with                                                             use mapping, and providing support
                                                is part of the Kaipara Moana remediation
landowners, iwi/hapū and other agencies,                                                       for landowners around the upcoming
                                                programme, a $300M, decade-long project
we’re running planting programmes,                                                             compulsory freshwater farm plans are
                                                to restore the health and mauri of the
managing wetlands and lakes, and tackling                                                      also on the cards.
                                                harbour. The ambitious programme is an
soil erosion on hills by providing advice and
                                                equal partnership between Kaipara Uri          While this major work is going on, we
trees from our poplar nursery.
                                                and councils. As part of securing central      want to increase our Environment Fund to
There’s lots of change happening at a           government money ($100M) for the project,      provide greater assistance for restoration
national level, so we’re responding to the      we need to increase our contribution, as       projects in other Northland harbour
likes of new standards for freshwater and       does Auckland Council. That's in addition to   catchments.
regulations around stock exclusion. We’re       the work we already do around the Kaipara
moving from providing water-quality             catchment.

14
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                                      ANOTHER OPTION
      Do all this work                                                                   Do the work and make
      Fund our share of the Kaipara Moana                                                extra funding available
      Remediation Programme, continue                                                    In addition to all the work proposed,
      expanding our Flyger Road poplar                                                   we could also increase funding via our
      nursery, do more soil monitoring and                                               Environment Fund and our contribution
      mapping, support landowners around                                                 to the Kaipara Moana remediation
      upcoming compulsory freshwater farm                                                programme to support landowners
      plans, and increase our Environment                                                carrying out sediment control and water
      Fund to support landowner efforts to                                               protection work across the region.
      protect our waterways. Our funding
      of the Kaipara Moana remediation
      programme includes borrowing, which
      will be paid back via rates.

                                                    $5.28M
                                                                                                     This cost depends on the level of
             Rates impact in the first year:                                                         extra support provided. $500,000
             an average of $10.90 per rates bill,                                                    of extra operational spend added to
             which equates to a 2.9% increase                                                        the proposed option would have an
             in rates.                              over the next 3 years
                                                                                                     overall rates impact in the first year
             $1.8M of this would be capital                                                          of $16.90, or a 4.5% rates increase.
             spend, and the rest would be                                                            All extra spend would be
             operational.                                                                            operational (no capital spend).

                                                                      $6.8M
                                                                      over the next 3 years
Biodiversity

Northland is home to a particularly rich      advice and assistance to partners, as well   We also plan to channel extra resources
array of plants and animals, with many        as monitor and report results to support     into our CoastCare programme, to help
unique ecosystems found nowhere else.         future activities.                           local communities restore sand dunes,
But these wonders are coming under                                                         install fencing and signage, manage weeds,
                                              The government is developing new
increasing pressure from human use, land                                                   educate the public, run beach clean-ups
                                              directions for indigenous biodiversity.
intensification, pests, new diseases and                                                   and much more. All of this means more
                                              We need to respond to that with a regional
climate change.                                                                            people working on the ground to protect
                                              biodiversity strategy, then develop and
                                                                                           coastal biodiversity, and healthier beaches
In partnership with iwi/hapū, landowners      implement a biodiversity action plan.
                                                                                           for us all to enjoy.
and organisations, we’re working to restore
and improve coastal, freshwater and land
habitats. We provide expert biodiversity

16
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                                         ANOTHER OPTION

                                                                                          Do the essentials
  Do the essentials                                                                       + some extra
  Develop a regional biodiversity strategy (as                                            Do the proposed work, plus start funding
  required by government) and action plan;                                                iwi-based kaitiaki rangers to work in their
  employ new staff to implement this, as well                                             own rohe. They could patrol coastal areas
  as monitor biodiversity and do work in the                                              and educate visitors and locals, undertake
  community.                                                                              monitoring, and encourage respect for the
                                                                                          environment and cultural heritage.

                                                       $567K
                 Rates impact in the first year:                                                         Rates impact in the first year:
                 an average of $2.00 per rates bill,                                                     an average of $6.20 per rates bill,
                 which equates to a 0.5% increase                                                        which equates to a 1.7% increase
                 in rates.                             over the next 3 years                             in rates.
                 $2K of this would be capital spend,                                                     $2K of this would be capital spend,
                 and the rest would be operational.                                                      and the rest would be operational.

                                                                         $1.6M
                                                                         over the next 3 years

                                                                                                                                               17
Biosecurity
land
Introduced pest plants and animals              After stepping up the pace on pest             The reality is, pest management in
threaten our native forests and waterways       control in the 2018 Long Term Plan, we         Taitokerau is a massive ongoing job and
– but managing them well means there’s          want to keep up the momentum on this           there’s always more work that could
room for our native plants and animals to       critical activity. Meanwhile, there are also   be done. We must balance what our
flourish. It also enriches people’s lives, by   emerging challenges and opportunities          community wants – and can afford – to
creating stunning habitats to explore and       for pest management that we want to be         invest in managing pests, alongside all
connecting people as they come together         able to respond to, from growing support       the other work we need to deliver as a
to protect what they treasure. To control       for community pest management to better        regional council.
and remove introduced pests, we work            approaches to tackling kauri dieback.
closely with tangata whenua, communities,
landowners and other agencies.

18
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                                       ANOTHER OPTION
   Do the essentials                                                                     Do the essentials
   Fund the top priorities to tackle growing                                             + some extra
   and long-standing biosecurity issues by:                                              There’s potential to do even more in this area. If
   establishing a low-incidence pest plant                                               enough people support the idea, we could do all
   programme; supporting our community                                                   the proposed work, plus boost funding to develop
   pest-control groups with more resources;                                              and maintain more high-value areas (such as Mid
                                                                                         North/Bay of Islands, where high biodiversity
   investing more in possum control through
                                                                                         and recreational values meet strong community
   the Predator Free Taitokerau programme                                                interest in pest control), put more resource
   and our other pest work; tackling the issue                                           into growing our community-led pest-control
   of feral deer; and contributing new funding                                           programmes, and begin to establish a pest-free
   to tackle kauri dieback in Northland.                                                 corridor between Mangawhai and the Kaipara
                                                                                         Harbour by expanding on our existing work.

                 Rates impact in the first year:
                 an average of $3.10 per rates bill,
                 which equates to a 0.8% increase
                                                       $2.5M                                          Rates impact in the first year:
                                                                                                      an average of $6.00 per rates bill,
                                                                                                      which equates to an 1.6% increase
                 in rates.                             over the next 3 years                          in rates.

                 $9K of this would be capital spend,                                                  $9K of this would be capital spend,
                 and the rest would be operational.                                                   and the rest would be operational.

                                                                        $3.7M
                                                                        over the next 3 years

                                                                                                                                              19
Biosecurity
marine
Marine pests are far less visible than        that we already face. Our proposal is to      For the past few years, some of our marine
their land-based counterparts, yet are an     further develop inter-regional partnerships   biosecurity funding has come from a
increasing risk with each passing year.       (as part of the Clean Hull Plan, formerly     charge paid by the owners of moorings,
Though we’ve made progress on our marine      known as the Inter-regional Marine            marina berths, boatsheds and ports. We’re
biosecurity programme, and we’re a key        Pathway Plan), and invest in developing       now proposing to fund new incursion work
leader in developing an inter-regional        a marine-vessel database so council           – where a new pest pops up – through rates
marine pathway plan, we want to do more.      and boaties can easily share information      for the first year of this plan. (Boaties will
                                              to help us track and assess risk. We          still contribute to the cost of inspections
We plan to respond to growing marine
                                              also want to boost funding to eradicate       and monitoring).
threats – everything from introduced crabs
                                              Mediterranean fanworm.
to seaweeds – while dealing with incursions

20
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                           OTHER OPTIONS

                                                                                Do this work, partly
  Do this work,
                                                                                funded by user charges
  funded by rates
                                                                                Boost our marine biosecurity work as
  Boost our marine biosecurity work as
                                                                                described, but fund new marine incursion
  described, and fund the full cost
                                                                                work through an increased charge paid
  of new incursions through rates.
                                                                                by the owners of moorings, marina berths
                                                                                and ports. This would equate to a 0.3%
                                                                                increase in rates, or about $1.20 on the
                                                                                average rates bill, and would equate
                                                                                to a charge of around $70 per
                                                                                mooring, marina berth or
                                                                                boatshed.

                                                                                Don’t fund this work

                                                      $712K
                                                                                Not doing this work would mean
                Rates impact in the first year:
                an average of $4.90 per rates bill,                             risking years of work on inter-regional
                which equates to a 1.33% increase                               marine pest management, and would
                                                      over the next 3 years
                in rates.                                                       reduce our ability to respond to marine
                                                                                incursions and, in some cases, the
                All extra spend would be
                operational (no capital spend).                                 opportunity to nip them in the bud.
                                                                                This wouldn’t have any additional
                                                                                impact on rates or user charges.

                                                                                                                           21
02.
Manawaroa te hapori
Community resilience
Although no-one can predict the next          sensible, sustainable way, while navigating   coordinating planning for climate change
challenge Northland will face, being          the uncertainties that are present in         and adaptation. We also want to create
proactive is vital. The more we prepare       today’s world.                                a more resilient, low-carbon transport
now, the better placed our communities                                                      network, and safely manage maritime
                                              The emergency services rate is another
are to understand, plan for and manage                                                      activities and navigational safety.
                                              way we keep the community safe. A small
risks – whether that’s a sudden event or
                                              portion of your rates (approximately $12 a    This section sets out the new flood
the growing effects of climate change.
                                              year) goes towards supporting life-saving     protection work we’re planning to fund
We want to continue working together with     services in Northland: Northland Rescue       in this Long Term Plan. There’s other work
communities and other councils to build       Helicopters, Surf Life Saving, St Johns       that’s ongoing or planned for further in
a resilient region. When plans are in place   and Coastguard. That’s something we’ll        the future. Our 30-year infrastructure
and infrastructure is strong, this brings     continue to do.                               strategy sets out our big decisions and
greater certainty to communities and                                                        funding options for flood protection work
                                              The projects we’d like your input on cover
improved confidence for local economies.                                                    across the region.
                                              working with communities to protect life
This will allow Northland to grow in a
                                              and property through flood schemes, and       Read the strategy in our supporting
                                                                                            information. Visit nrc.govt.nz/futureplan

Overall, we’re planning to spend around $24M a year on our community resilience activities (on average
over the first three years), including the work we’re proposing here.

22   Flooding at Otiria Marae
Flood
protection
Predictions of sea-level rise and                   An extra consideration we have this time         How we pay for our flood
increased rainfall intensity are putting            is how to make the best use of government
extra pressure on our communities. We               funding that has been approved for two
                                                                                                     schemes
need to build, monitor and maintain flood           of our schemes, via the shovel-ready             When we consulted on our previous Long
protection systems that preserve human              infrastructure fund (the Awanui scheme           Term Plan in 2018, we had lots of support
life and minimise damage to property and            received $8.5M, and the proposed Otiria-         for a new region-wide flood infrastructure
infrastructure.                                     Moerewa project received $2.89M).                rate, to share the cost of new flood work
                                                                                                     in Northland. This rate funds 70% of the
We’re striving to get the work done as              We borrow to fund these projects, so we
                                                                                                     capital cost of new flood projects, and the
quickly as we can, as that means vulnerable         plan to use this funding to pay off the work
                                                                                                     local targeted rates, which only apply to
communities can adapt to changing                   more quickly, significantly reducing the
                                                                                                     the affected areas, cover the remaining
conditions sooner. But we need to                   overall cost.
                                                                                                     30% plus all ongoing operational and
balance the pace of work with the cost
                                                                                                     maintenance costs. When you see costs
to our communities.
                                                                                                     relating to the flood infrastructure rate
                                                                                                     and a targeted rate, this is how it’s divided.

     Awanui River flood scheme upgrade
     The Awanui River flood scheme upgrade will reduce damage to             Thanks to the central government funding, we can complete
     the Kaitaia community by providing flood protection for 1:100-year      the project in three years instead of eight. We will also be able
     flood events, up from 1:30-year events. The project is already well     to pay off our contribution in 12 years instead of 30, which will
     underway, with $15M of funding approved through our previous            save ratepayers a substantial amount in interest. The cost of this
     Long Term Plan. However we recently secured $8.5M from central          project is split across the region-wide flood infrastructure rate
     government for this project, greatly reducing the project cost for      and the Awanui River management rate. These rates won’t
     ratepayers. The overall project will cost $15.7M, and ratepayers will   increase as a result of accelerating this work.
     now only need to contribute $7.2M to the project.

24
New flood work and a new rate for Otiria-Moerewa and Kawakawa
We’re planning new flood mitigation work in two areas where floods       Kawakawa flood mitigation stopbank
are known to occur, and have been successful in securing central         There has been a call to reduce the flood risk along Old Whangae
government funding for some of this. While these are two separate        Road in Kawakawa. This would involve building a stopbank to deflect
pieces of work, they’re both located within the same catchment and       the floodwater away from loca businesses. The stopbank work
we’re proposing to set one new targeted rate (the Taumārere rivers       could begin in 2024 and cost around $1.5M. For rates, this means
management rate) to help fund the work.                                  about $1 on the region-wide flood infrastructure rate, and $29.40
                                                                         (including GST) on the targeted rate, from 2024. For the proposed
Otiria-Moerewa flood mitigation spillway
                                                                         works to be effective, Far North District Council would also need to
Moerewa and Otiria are frequently flooded when heavy rain occurs.
                                                                         install a stormwater pump to remove stormwater trapped behind the
Our goal is to reduce that risk to Otiria and Moerewa by constructing
                                                                         stopbank during a flood.
a spillway that diverts floodwater away from the town, with work
                                                                         Doing the work in Otiria-Moerewa and Kawakawa
starting in 2021. The total cost of the project is approximately $5M,
but with $2.89M coming from central government, less than half of        This work will add about $1.45 extra a year on the region-wide flood
the cost will need to be covered by ratepayers. This portion will be     infrastructure rate, increasing to $2.45 a year from 2024.
split, with $1.5M coming from the region-wide flood infrastructure       The new Taumārere rivers management rate would add an average
rate and $630,000 from the new targeted Taumārere rivers                 of $57.50 (including GST) to each rates bill in the targeted catchment,
management rate. Our usual method of funding this work is to fund        increasing to $86.90 in 2024. Our proposed option is to repay the
30% from targeted rates, however, with the central government            Otiria-Moerewa work in 12 years, meaning that the $57.50 rates
funding ($2.8M) taken into account, this means only about 13% of         contribution would stop in 2033. You can see if you fall into the
the total cost of works will need to be funded by the targeted (local    Taumārere rivers management rating area in the rates section of
community) rate.                                                         our supporting information.
For the average rates bill, this adds about $1.45 on the region-wide     Visit nrc.govt.nz/futureplan
flood infrastructure rate, and will be an extra $57.50 (including GST)
for those in the targeted rate area, for a 12-year period.

Whangārei flood mitigation project – Tarewa Road flood wall
We plan to build a flood wall into the footpath, and an earth bund into the existing landscape area, along Tarewa Road to reduce flooding of the
road and shops. The cost over the next three years will be $251,000. The overall project has been underspent, so even with this proposed new
work, the average cost to the ratepayer will decrease.

                                                                          What if we don’t do this work?
                    Our proposed option                                   Not doing these projects means our communities will
                     is to do this work.                                  continue to be hit hard every time there’s a flood – and
                                                                          Northland experiences heavy rain on a fairly regular basis.

                                                                                                                                             25
Upgrading our tsunami warning system
The Northland tsunami siren network is     This new tsunami siren network will serve
reaching the end of its lifespan, and we   Northland’s coastal communities for the
want to replace and upgrade the network    next 20-30 years. We’re budgeting on
to make sirens more easily heard and       a district council contribution of $1M
reduce confusion with other alarms.        a year for the first two years.
The new sirens can also communicate
specific verbal messages, and cover a
wider area so we won’t need as many.

                                             Do this work
                OUR                          Start replacing the

                PROPOSED                     current sirens now with
                                             verbal communication
                                                                                                   ANOTHER
                OPTION
                                             electronic sirens, to
                                             futureproof the network                               OPTION
                                             for the next few decades.

        Rates impact in the first year:
        an average of $1.20 per rates
        bill, which equates to a 0.3%
                                           $2.02M
                                           over the next 3 years
                                                                                       Don’t upgrade the sirens
                                                                                       We could just continue expanding
        increase in rates.                                                             and maintaining the current system.
                                                                                       This creates a risk of ongoing confusion
        $2M of this would be capital                                                   with new fire-alert systems, meaning
        spend, and the rest would                                                      the sirens will be less effective and our
        be operational.
                                                                                       resilience to tsunamis will be reduced.
                                                                                       This wouldn’t have any additional
                                                                                       impact on your rates.

26
New emergency coordination centre
Recent emergency events in New Zealand          While most regions now have a dedicated    This would be the central point for
have highlighted the need for purpose-built,    multi-agency emergency coordination        emergency responses and would also
multi-agency coordination centres that          centre, there’s no facility like this in   provide office space for the daily
are set up with technology and software         Northland. Fire and Emergency New          operations of our civil defence emergency
to enable quicker responses to support          Zealand (FENZ) own land in central         management staff, as well as some Fire
affected communities.                           Whangārei that would be an ideal site,     and Emergency New Zealand and NZ Police
                                                and we’re proposing to build a modern      staff. The building would need to meet
                                                emergency coordination centre.             Building Code Importance Level 4, and
                                                                                           construction is planned to kick off in 2022.

                                                  Do this work
              OUR                                 Build a multi-agency

              PROPOSED
                                                  emergency coordination
                                                  centre for the region in                              ANOTHER
              OPTION
                                                  2022. We’ll borrow to fund
                                                  the building of the centre,                           OPTION
                                                  and repay the borrowing
                                                  via rates.

       This project has no impact on                                                            Don’t build the centre
       your rates for the first year
       because the cost won’t kick in
       until year two. Then it will be
                                               $5.68M
                                               over the next 3 years
                                                                                                If we don’t build the new emergency
                                                                                                coordination centre as proposed,
                                                                                                our capacity to coordinate during
       $501,890 a year, adding $6.00                                                            emergency responses will be limited.
       to the average rates bill,
                                                                                                We may also lose the opportunity
       which equates to a 1.6%
                                                                                                to partner with FENZ, and may
       increase in rates.
                                                                                                not find another suitable site
       $5.5M of this would be capital                                                           for several years. This wouldn’t
       spend, and the rest would                                                                have any additional impact on
       be operational.                                                                          rates.

                                                                                                                                       27
Climate change
resilience
Climate change is heightening the impact        for large-scale tree planting, and invest    The Climate Change Response Act 2002
that natural hazards, such as flooding,         in research so we can plan for different     (and 2019 amendment) is prompting us
drought and coastal erosion, have on            climate scenarios.                           to create a zero-carbon transition plan,
Northland. But we don’t know when the next                                                   outlining how we intend to achieve net-zero
                                                Working with district councils, tangata
big weather event will strike, or how quickly                                                carbon emissions by at least 2050. We’re
                                                whenua and affected communities is
factors such as sea-level rise will affect                                                   also investigating replacing our ageing
                                                crucial to making us better prepared for
communities – and there’s currently no                                                       harbour boat with an electric or hybrid
                                                climate change. We want to create three
coordinated strategy to address this.                                                        vessel (see Harbour safety and navigation,
                                                adaptive pathways plans to cover how to
                                                                                             page 32), and moving to electric buses
We’re already doing a lot of work to help       manage larger population centres when
                                                                                             (see box page 34).
our communities prepare for the effects         they’re threatened. For smaller coastal
of a changing climate. Our scientists are       communities, we want to create a toolkit
mapping vulnerable areas of Northland, and      that communities and hapū can use to
developing rules and projects to protect at-    develop their own adaptive pathways plans.
risk land. We provide funding and support

28
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                              ANOTHER OPTION

    Do this work                                                               Don’t do this work
    Undertake adaptive pathways planning,                                      Only assist district councils with technical
    with a dedicated programme for hapū and                                    advice on climate change, and don’t put
    community-led adaptive planning. Write                                     extra resources towards reducing our
    and begin implementing a zero-carbon                                       carbon footprint. This wouldn’t have any
    transition plan.                                                           additional impact on rates.

                Rates impact in the first year:
                an average of $6.90 per rates bill,
                which equates to a 1.8% increase
                                                       $2M
                in rates.                              over the next 3 years
                $11K of this would be capital spend,
                and the rest would be operational.

                                                                                                                              29
Improving
water resilience
Water is a crucial resource, and access to    The drought also exposed significant water   Due to climate change, droughts are
safe drinking water is also a fundamental     poverty issues, particularly in remote       expected to become more frequent and
right of all New Zealanders. Recent drought   communities that couldn’t access public      severe. We’re proposing to provide funding
conditions led to severe water shortages      water-supply schemes and lacked water        and grants to those most in need so
and prolonged restrictions in Northland,      storage infrastructure.                      they can buy water tanks, guttering and
exposing our lack of water resilience.                                                     spouting, in partnership with other funders.

30
Do you support the scheme or not, and why?

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                              ANOTHER OPTION

   Set up and fund                                                             Don't support the
   the scheme                                                                  scheme
   Put $500,000 a year into this scheme.                                       Only respond to this issue on an
   We could also fund the scheme to a                                          emergency basis. This wouldn’t have
   greater or lesser extent. Tell us what                                      any additional impact on rates.
   you hink.

                Rates impact in the first year:
                an average of $6 per rates bill,
                which equates to a 1.6% increase
                                                       $1.5M
                                                       over the next 3 years
                in rates.

                This would all be operational spend.

                                                                                                                     31
Harbour safety
and navigation
We use our existing maritime vessel as a             of additional capital to get a new boat           Abandoned vessels are a growing issue
pilot boat, to maintain buoys and beacons,           designed and built, offsetting the project        in our coastal waters, which cost money
and to respond to oil spills. It’s critical to the   cost by selling our current boat. We’re           to deal with, despite our best efforts to
safe running of our maritime operations.             looking into the option of an electric/hybrid     charge the owners. We’re proposing to
But it’s 20 years old and now we need a              vessel too, and will consult with you again       add an extra charge to our mooring fees
replacement vessel. This is something                if the feasibility study shows this is a viable   to cover much of this cost, but want to split
we must do.                                          option involving more cost.                       the cost so 35% is covered by general rates
                                                                                                       (a total cost of $14,175 per year).
A new maritime vessel will mean gains                We also need to replace 11 fixed steel
in efficiency, design and technology.                beacons, which are old and time consuming
Having a purpose-built boat will increase            to maintain, with 14 relocatable, more
our capacity for an oil-spill response               durable plastic buoys.
in Northland, so we’ve budgeted $1.6M

32
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                                        ANOTHER OPTION

   Do all this work                                                                    Do the work but don’t share
   Replace our harbour boat and ageing                                                 the cost of abandoned boats
   beacons – something that we must do to                                              Go ahead with the essential boat and beacons
   ensure the safe running of our maritime                                             work, but don’t share the cost of dealing with
   operations – and share the cost of                                                  abandoned boats, and leave this to be covered
   dealing with abandoned boats, with rates                                            100% by users via a charge on moorings.
   covering 35% and 65% covered by users
   via a charge on moorings.

                                                                                                         Rates impact in the first year:

                                                      $1.75M
                Rates impact in the first year:                                                          this would have no impact on rates,
                an average of $0.17 per rates bill,                                                      as the cost of abandoned boats
                which equates to a 0.04% increase                                                        would be covered by users via
                in rates.                             over the next 3 years                              charges on moorings.
                                                                                                         $1.67M of this would be capital
                $1.67M of this would be capital                                                          spend, and the rest would be
                spend, and the rest would be                                                             operational.
                operational.                                                                             See page 5 for further
                                                                                                         explanation on how costs
                                                                                                         affect rates.

                                                                        $1.7M
                                                                        over the next 3 years

                                                                                                                                           33
Increasing
CityLink services
Prioritising public transport instead of      move from cars to buses. During peak            Increasing these services will cost
personal car use reduces traffic congestion   hours, buses would run every 15 minutes         approximately $4.2M over three years,
and pollution, and carbon emissions – which   instead of every 30 minutes, and off-peak       but with a 54% subsidy from Waka Kotahi
makes for a cleaner, greener Northland.       buses would run every 30 minutes instead        NZ Transport Agency. The cost to the
We’re proposing more frequent buses on        of once an hour.                                ratepayer is significantly reduced, totalling
main arterial routes once bus lanes have                                                      $437,000 in 2022/23 and $644,000 and
been added and upgraded (by Whangarei                                                         $851,000 in the two subsequent years.
District Council) to encourage people to

                                       Electric buses on CityLink service
                     UP

                                       As part of working toward a cleaner                This project would take several years to
                  DS

                                       environment, one of our long-term goals is         implement and is likely to cost around $15M.
                A
             HE

                                       to have a carbon-neutral bus fleet operating       We’ll come back to you in the next Long Term
           A

                                       the CityLink services. We’re beginning to          Plan (in 2024) to let you know how we’re
       ST

                                       investigate the possibility of replacing the       getting on with this.
     JU

                                       existing diesel-motor bus fleet with electric
                                       buses when the contract with the current
                                       bus operator comes up in 2027.

34
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                       ANOTHER OPTION

   Increase the frequency                                                 Maintain bus services
   of bus services                                                        at current level
   from 2022/23                                                           This wouldn’t have any additional
                                                                          impact on rates.

       Rates impact in the first year: this
       project has no impact on rates in
                                                  $1.1M
                                                  over the next 3 years
       the first year because the project
       won’t kick off until year two. The
       cost will be targeted to apply to the
       Whangārei district only. In year two,
       it will add $11.40 to rates bills in the
       Whangārei district.
03.
Hautūtanga ā rohe
Regional leadership
As a regional council, we continually                     future. That covers everything from           sporting facilities that have a regional
advocate for region-wide projects that                    honouring Treaty of Waitangi obligations to   benefit. We want to make council services
have a significant impact on Northland’s                  working in partnership on environmental       more accessible, manage our money
wellbeing.                                                projects such as dune-lake protection and     well, and promote sustainable economic
                                                          freshwater management.                        development. Expanding our team, having
Making decisions in partnership with Māori
                                                                                                        efficient systems and updated IT will make
is a central part of that goal. Building                  The more Northland grows, and the more
                                                                                                        that possible. Let’s see how it breaks down.
enduring relationships between iwi/                       work we need to do, the greater our need
hapū and council means we can help                        for resources. We’re continuing with
nurture strong Māori communities, and                     the targeted regional sporting facilities
incorporate their values into Northland’s                 rate, which goes towards developing new

Overall, we’re planning to spend around $35M a year on our regional leadership activities (on average over
the first three years), including the work we’re proposing here.

36   Signing of Mana Whakahono a Rohe agreement with Patuharakeke hapū
Mirimiria
                                                                                        Romiromia

Māori
                                                                                      Ngā ringa e rua
                                                                               Both hands are significant
                                                                                When working together

partnerships                                                                    Likened to Iwi Māori and council

Approximately one-third of Northlanders       Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe Board, and Kaipara              Rohe agreements with two hapū, to give
identify as Māori, compared with one-sixth    Moana Remediation Joint Committee. In            tangata whenua more opportunities to
of the national population. We see creating   October 2020, council voted to introduce         be involved in Resource Management
and sustaining meaningful partnerships        dedicated Māori seats from the next local-       Act decisions, and plan to roll these out
with Māori as key to a thriving Northland.    body election in 2022. That process is still     more widely. As part of this, a fund will
                                              underway. Issues such as land use, water         enable hapū members to train in resource
We’ve been actively working to identify and
                                              quality and allocation and poverty mean          consents, planning and decision making.
implement meaningful opportunities for
                                              it’s vital we work in true partnership with
Māori to have a voice of influence within                                                      Other planned initiatives include improving
                                              iwi/hapū.
council. The Te Taitokerau Māori and                                                           council’s cultural competency and meeting
Council Working Party (TTMAC), established    The projects we propose are seeking to           our Treaty of Waitangi obligations,
in 2014, advises council on governance,       support greater Māori representation and         putting more resources into relationship
environmental and strategic matters that      leadership, and enable tangata whenua to         management, employing Māori technical
are relevant to tangata whenua. We’re also    participate more fully in decision making.       advisors, and professional development
part of two co-governance partnerships:       We recently signed Mana Whakahono ā              for TTMAC members.

38
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                           ANOTHER OPTION

     Do this work                                                             Don’t do this work.
     In addition to the work described, create                                Not doing this work goes against our
     meaningful partnerships with Māori by                                    values as an organisation representing
     implementing programmes across council                                   the people of Northland. This wouldn’t
     to increase our cultural competency,                                     have any additional impact on rates.
     and provide support to iwi/hapū to build
     their capacity and capability so they can
     address opportunities and challenges
     themselves and engage meaningfully with
     council activities.

                Rates impact in the first year:
                an average of $4.25 per rates bill,
                which equates to a 1.1% increase
                                                      $1.24M
                                                      over the next 3 years
                in rates.

                $4K of this would be capital spend,
                and the rest would be operational.

                                                                                                                       39
Supporting the work
across council
A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to     effective as possible. We’re embarking on      applies to the way we run our finances,
make council’s activities happen. As our       a major IT project, which will upgrade and     respond to law changes, and deal with
region grows and we deliver more large-        streamline our IT systems into one cloud-      major disruptive events such as Covid-19.
scale projects, we need more resources         based system – this will improve efficiency,   We need extra resources to increase the
to keep council running smoothly. We’re        security and data management.                  capacity of our team, put more money into
planning to spend more money on a variety                                                     training and development, and buy more
                                               To stay connected with our communities,
of behind-the-scenes and public-facing                                                        vehicles to support our work in the field.
                                               we’re planning to expand our network of
projects, from information technology
                                               regional service centres, increase our
(IT) and customer services to community
                                               online services, and work with district
engagement and corporate excellence.
                                               councils to develop a regional accessibility
Over the past few years in our annual plans,   strategy. There’s also growing demand for
we’ve talked about the challenge we face       the Enviroschools programme.
with striking the right balance between
                                               As council expands, we want to ensure
maintaining efficient, fit-for-purpose IT
                                               we keep striving for excellence. This
systems and keeping everything as cost-

40
We have a plan to do more, and we’d like your opinion.

OUR PROPOSED OPTION                                                          ANOTHER OPTION
                                                                             Continue with the current level of
     Do this work                                                            resourcing. This will have serious
     Support our ongoing activities and                                      consequences, including potentially losing
     growth by investing in better IT systems,                               access to government funding for major
     employing more staff, developing a                                      projects, being unable to properly serve our
     regional disability strategy, meeting the                               communities, and inability to operate due to
     growing demand for the Enviroschools                                    outdated IT systems. It would not have any
     programme, and much more. The capital                                   additional impact on rates in the short term.
     cost of the IT project will be funded by
     borrowings, and repaid via the council                                  Keen to get into the detail?
     services rate.
                                                                             The specific proposals and their costs are
                                                                             outlined in our Supporting Information
                                                                             document. Visit nrc.govt.nz/futureplan

               Rates impact in the first year:
               an average of $9.20 per rates bill,
               which equates to a 2.45% increase
                                                     $7.29M
                                                     over the next 3 years
               in rates.

               $507K of this would be capital
               spend, and the rest would be
               operational.

                                                                                                                             41
04.
Ērā atu whakataunga
Other decisions

42
Oruku Landing conference and events centre
The proposed Oruku Landing development,         The hotel, apartments, hospitality venues         Construction is scheduled to begin in
on Riverside Drive in central Whangārei, is a   and retail shops will be built by the privately   September 2022, and once fully operational,
significant opportunity for local economic      owned Northland Development Corporation.          the conference and events centre is
development. The proposed development           Whangarei District Council (WDC) will be          expected to employ about 35 people full
comprises both public and private elements,     responsible for developing and running            time.
coming together as a four-star hotel,           the conference and events centre, which           Central government is prepared to put $60M
apartments, restaurants and shops, as well      it will own. The conference and events            towards the conference and events centre,
as a conference and events centre that we       centre will tap into the lucrative domestic       provided that there is also a local share
are considering contributing funding to.        market for hosting meetings, functions and        contributed. WDC has asked us to contribute
                                                trade shows, and can host community and           up to $14M towards a high-quality internal
                                                performing arts events.                           fit-out of the conference and events centre
                                                                                                  as part of this.
           OUR                                                                                    We need to hear what you think before

           PROPOSED
                                                                                                  deciding whether to contribute the funding.
                                                                                                  This financial arrangement also depends on

           OPTION                          Contribute to the project
                                                                                                  the project being successfully supported
                                                                                                  through WDC’s Long Term Plan.
                                           Contribute to Northland’s economic                     If we decide to fund the project, we will
                                           development by helping fund the internal
                                                                                                  establish a specific rate in the 2023/24
                                           fit-out of the Oruku Landing conference
                                                                                                  year to cover our contribution: 80% from
                                           and events centre. We would fund the
This project won’t affect rates
                                                                                                  ratepayers in Whangārei district, and 20%
                                           lump-sum contribution via borrowings,
in the first and second years,                                                                    from ratepayers in the rest of Northland.
                                           which would be repaid via a new
as a separate targeted rate for            targeted rate.
this project will be established
in 2023/24. Once set up, the
new rate would mean an extra
$25.75 on the average rates
bill in Whangārei district, and
                                                                                         ANOTHER
                                           $1.2M
$5.45 in the Kaipara and Far
North districts, for 12 years                                                                                        Don’t contribute
until the borrowing is repaid.
                                           a year from 2023                              OPTION                      to the project

                                                                                                                                              43
Funding economic development
The way we pay for economic development              infrastructure in Northland, which is a        This will mean the IGR's dependence is
isn’t exactly simple, so we’re looking to            better use for the rate now the joint          funded by revenue from the repurposed
clarify it. This means we’re planning to             venture with KiwiRail has concluded.           rate, investment income, and gains made
make some changes to rates and reserves.                                                            from our community investment fund. To
                                                     We’re also planning to close our
                                                                                                    make it even clearer, we’re re-naming the
First, we’re proposing to change our                 infrastructure facilities reserve, which has
                                                                                                    community investment fund the economic
regional infrastructure rate, originally             fulfilled its purpose of smoothing costs,
                                                                                                    development reserve.
set up to fund infrastructure projects               and is now at zero balance. If this reserve
beginning with the Marsden Point rail                is closed, revenue collected through the       The aim of these changes is to phase
link project. The rates money collected              new regional economic development rate         out the dependence of the IGR on
(around $700K a year) currently goes into            will be directed into council’s investment     investment income and fund our economic
the infrastructure facilities reserve. We’re         and growth reserve (IGR), which funds          development activity from just two
proposing to change the name of this rate            most of our economic development activity      sources: our economic development rate
to the regional economic development                 (through funding for Northland Inc and         and the income generated by the economic
rate and apply it to activities that support         other projects).                               development reserve.
economic wellbeing and community

     Here are a few of the projects we’ve supported
     through the Investment and Growth Reserve:
     » Manea – Footprints of Kupe visitor and education centre, Opononi ($500,000)
     » Hundertwasser Art Centre, Whangārei ($1.5M)
     » Te Hononga Hundertwasser Memorial Park, Kawakawa ($500,000)
     » Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail, Ōpua to Hōreke ($900,000)

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Changes to rates
We’re making a few changes to the names          in an additional cost, but many proposals       As set out on the previous page, we’re also
and purposes of our rates. These changes         outlined in this document would be applied      going to re-name the regional infrastructure
won’t in themselves affect how much you          to this new rate. The new rate will be called   rate as the regional economic development
pay, but in some cases will result in a slight   the land and freshwater management rate.        rate, and there will be a new targeted river
change to what the rate funds.                                                                   management rate for Taumārere (see Flood
                                                 We also plan to re-name the current civil
                                                                                                 protection page 24).
Firstly, we’re looking to combine our land       defence and hazard management rate as
management and freshwater management             the emergency and hazard management
rates. These rates are both calculated in the    rate, to align with changes at central
same way and fund very similar activities,       government level. The activities that the
particularly now that the link between land      rate is applied to will be expanded slightly
management and freshwater management             to include targeted climate change work
is stronger than ever. We’ve found that          we’re carrying out.
in many cases we were splitting the cost
of projects across these two rates. The
move to combine the rates won’t result

                                                                                                                                           45
Reviewing financial reserves
Reserves help us to have money ready to go      infrastructure opportunities. We’re planning   If we don’t make these changes, a lack
when it’s needed, and we plan to increase       to set it up so income from the reserve can    of clarity will remain about the use of the
our ability to do this by making some           contribute to operational spend, reducing      reserve, and we may not be able to take
changes to what’s currently known as our        the impact on future rates, and capital        advantage of opportunities or secure
infrastructure investment fund reserve.         can be used for joint projects with central    shared funding for projects.
                                                government, other agencies and the private
This reserve, with a current balance of $21M,                                                  We’re also making some minor changes to
                                                sector. Council would decide which projects
was set up to help smooth the financial                                                        our equalisation fund reserve, which sets
                                                to fund through a formal decision.
impact of big, irregular infrastructure                                                        aside surplus income from our forestry
projects. The current balance is the result     As part of these changes, we propose           investments.
of commercial and investment income.            to re-name the reserve to the regional
                                                project reserve.
We’re proposing to broaden the purpose of
the reserve to allow us to be more agile and
provide support to projects in the timeliest
manner, e.g. co-investment in urgent

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