1. No category

Whangarei District Council
Notice of Meeting
A meeting of the Whangarei District Council will be held in the Council Chamber, Forum North,
Whangarei on:
Wednesday
25 February 2015
10.00 am
Committee
Her Worship the Mayor (Chairperson)
Cr S J Bell
Cr S J Bretherton
Cr C B Christie
Cr P A Cutforth
Cr S J Deeming
Cr S M Glen
Cr P R Halse
Cr C M Hermon
Cr G C Innes
Cr G M Martin
Cr B L McLachlan
Cr S L Morgan
Cr J D T Williamson
OPEN MEETING
APOLOGIES
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Members are reminded to indicate any items in which they might have a conflict of interest.
INDEX
Item No
Page No
1.
Public Forum .............................................................................................................................1
2.
Minutes of the Whangarei District Council Meeting held 17 December 2014 ..........................2
3.
Minutes of the Audit and Risk Committee Meeting held 16 December 2014 ...........................6
4.
Police Report ...........................................................................................................................13
5.
Mill-Nixon Intersection Improvements – Stage 1 approval .....................................................11
6.
Grant to the Great Barn / Saalmor Project in Waipu ...............................................................14
7.
Update on Evaluation of Options for the Old Harbour Board Building
and Referendum .....................................................................................................................16
8.
Progress Update to 15 December 2014: Strategic Collaboration and Shared
Activities Project ......................................................................................................................36
PUBLIC EXCLUDED BUSINESS
Item No
Page No
C.1
Confidential Minutes of the Whangarei District Council Meeting 17 December 2014 ..............1
C.2
Property Matter .........................................................................................................................4
C.3
Property Matter .........................................................................................................................7
C.4
Rating Matter ...........................................................................................................................12
Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2012
Full consideration has been given to the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2012 in relation to
decision making and in particular the current and future needs of communities for good quality local infrastructure, local
public services and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost effective for households and businesses.
Consideration has also been given to social, economic and cultural interests and the need to maintain and enhance the
quality of the environment in taking a sustainable development approach.
Recommendations contained in the Council agenda may not be the final decision of Council
Please refer to Council minutes for final resolution
1
1.
Public Forum
Reporting officer
C Brindle (Senior Meeting Co ordinator)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Vision, mission and values
This item is in accord with Council’s vision, mission and values statement.
Background
Public Forum
Appendix F in Standing Orders allows for a period of up to 15 minutes to be set aside for a public forum at
the commencement of each monthly council meeting.
The time allowed for each speaker is 5 minutes.
Members of the public who wish to participate should send a written application setting out the subject matter
and the names of the speakers to the Chief Executive Officer at least 10 working days before the day of the
meeting.
Speakers
There were no applications to speak at today’s public forum received.
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
2
2.
Minutes: Whangarei District Council
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Minutes of a meeting of the Whangarei District Council held in the Council Chamber Forum North on
Wednesday 17 December 2014 at 10.00am
Present:
Cr S L Morgan (Chairperson)
Crs C B Christie, P A Cutforth, S J Deeming, S M Glen, P R Halse, C M Hermon, G M Martin, B L McLachlan
and J D T Williamson
Apologies:
Her Worship the Mayor S L Mai, Crs S J Bell, S J Bretherton and G C Innes
Moved:
Cr Deeming
Seconded: Cr Hermon
“That the apologies be sustained.”
CARRIED
Also present:
Area Commander Justin Rogers and Inspector Martyn Ruth (New Zealand Police)
In Attendance:
Acting Chief Executive (S Weston), Group Manager Support Services (A Adcock), Group Manager Positive
Growth (J Thompson), Financial Controller (R Kerr), Economic Growth Manager (P Gleeson), Maori
Relationships Manager (S Tipene), Property Manager (M Hibbert), Venues and Events Manager (J Lynch),
Parks Technical Officer (A Gifford), Executive Assistant (J Crocombe) and Senior Meeting Co-ordinator
(C Brindle)
S Tipene opened the meeting with a karakia (prayer).
1.
Public Forum
There were no applications received for Public Forum.
2.
Confirmation of Minutes of a Meeting of the Whangarei District Council
held on 26 November 2014
Moved:
Cr Morgan
Seconded: Cr Williamson
“That the minutes of the meeting of the Whangarei District Council Meeting held on Wednesday
26 November 2014, including the confidential section, having been circulated, be taken as read and
now confirmed and adopted as a true and correct record of proceedings of that meeting.”
CARRIED
Item 4 was taken after Item 2. Item 3 was taken after Item 4.
3.
Police Report
Inspector Justin Rogers and spoke to his report and answered questions from Councillors. Inspector
Ruth provided an overview on „Operation New Years Eve‟.
Moved:
Cr Martin
Seconded: Cr Deeming
“That the information be received.”
CARRIED
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
3
4.
Recommendation for increase in contract value: Contract 12006
Moved:
Cr Martin
Seconded: Cr Deeming
“That the contract for WDC Resurfacing (Contract 12006) be increased by the sum of $3,191,745.57
and the total contract value increased to $10,982,450.56 exclusive of GST.”
CARRIED
Item 5 was taken after Item 2.
5.
British and Irish Lions Tour 2017 Proposal
Moved:
Cr Deeming
Seconded: Cr Martin
“1.
That the information be received.
2.
That Council submit a bid responding to the Request for Proposal (RF) from the New Zealand
Rugby Union to host one or more of 13 All Blacks Tests across New Zealand in 2016 and 2017
(including three tests against the British and Irish Lions) and the seven tour matches as part of
the British and Irish Lions Series in June and July 2017.”
On the motion being put Cr Martin called for a division:’
For the motion:
Crs Hermon, Morgan, Halse, Deeming, Martin, Cutforth, Williamson, Christie and Glen (9)
Against the motion:
Cr McLachlan
Absent:
Her Worship the Mayor, Crs Bell, Bretherton and Innes (4)
CARRIED
6.
Whangarei District Airport Expansion
Moved:
Cr Martin
Seconded: Cr Glen
7.
“1.
That the information be received.
2.
That Council adopt Option 4 as their preferred option.
3.
That Council approve to fund the project through existing Whangarei District Airport reserves
and support an application to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) as our Joint Venture partner, to
share the cost of the deficit.”
CARRIED
Whangarei Airport Strategic Review
Moved:
Cr Martin
Seconded: Cr Deeming
“1.
That the information be received; and
2.
That Council proceed with Stage 2 of the project; and
3.
That a Project Control Group be established and that Councillors G M Martin, P R Halse and
C M Hermon be appointed to the Group.
4.
That Council includes the „New Airport‟ project for consideration with the 2015 Long Term Plan.”
CARRIED
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
4
Urgent business
Item C.4 Property Matter was not included on the agenda for the reason that the information has only
recently been received, commercial considerations require this item to be considered at today‟s
meeting rather than deferred to the next scheduled meeting of council which is in February.
Moved:
Cr Deeming
Seconded: Cr Martin
“1.
That in accordance with NZS 3.7.5 council consider Item C.4 – Property Matter at this meeting.
2.
That the reason this late item be considered at this meeting is to enable matters to be
progressed without undue delay.”
CARRIED
Exclusion of the public
Moved:
Cr Williamson
Seconded: Cr Glen
“That the public be excluded from the following parts of proceedings of this meeting.
The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this
resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under Section 48(1) of the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:
General subject of each matter to be
considered
Reason for passing this
resolution in relation to each
matter
Ground(s) under
Section 48(1) for
passing this resolution
C.1
Confidential Minutes
Whangarei District Council
26 November 2014
Good reason to withhold
information exists under Section 7
Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987
Section 48(1)(a)
C.2
Property Matter
C.3
Development Opportunity
C.4
Property Matter
This resolution is made in reliance on Section 48(1)(a) of the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 and the particular interest or interests protected by Section 6 or Section 7 of that Act
which would be prejudiced by the holding of the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the
meeting in public, are as follows:
Item
Grounds
Section
C.1
For the reasons stated in the minutes
C.2
To enable the council to carry on without prejudice or
disadvantage negotiations
Section 7(2)(i)
C.3
To enable the council to carry on without prejudice or
disadvantage negotiations
Section 7(2)(i)
C.4
To enable the council to carry on without prejudice or
disadvantage negotiations
Section 7(2)(i).”
CARRIED
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
5
The meeting closed at 11.35am
th
Confirmed this 25 day of February 2015
S L Mai (Chairperson)
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
6
3.
Minutes: Audit and Risk Committee
Tuesday 16 December 2014
Minutes of a meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee held in the Council Chamber Forum North on Tuesday
16 June 2014 at 9.30am
Present:
Cr S L Morgan (Chairperson)
Crs S J Deeming, J D T Williamson and Philip Jones (Independent Advisor)
Apology:
Her Worship the Mayor S L Mai
Moved:
Cr Morgan
Seconded: Cr Deeming
“That the apology be sustained.”
CARRIED
Also present:
Crs S M Glen, P R Halse and C M Hermon
Leon Pieterse and Sam Ho Audit New Zealand
In Attendance:
Group Manager Support Services (A Adcock), Human Resources Manager (J Antunovich), Governance
Manager (D Kula), Health and Safety Manager (D Williams) and Senior Meeting Co-ordinator (C Brindle)
1.
Health and Safety
Moved
Seconded
Cr Deeming
Cr Williamson
“That the information be received.”
CARRIED
2.
Policies Update and Ownership
Moved
Seconded
Cr Deeming
Cr Williamson
“That the information be received.”
CARRIED
3.
Council Insurances
Moved
Seconded
Cr Morgan
Cr Deeming
“That the information be received.”
CARRIED
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
7
4.
Tax Governance Framework
Moved
Seconded
Cr Morgan
Cr Deeming
“That the Tax Governance Framework, amended as follows, be adopted:
Council will not enter into any artificial arrangements which result in a reduction in tax payable.
Council will not subscribe to any tax minimisation schemes without first obtaining approval from the
Audit and Risk Committee, having been fully informed of the associated risks and overall tax effect of
the arrangement.”
CARRIED
The meeting closed at 10.37am
th
Confirmed this 25 day of February 2015
S L Morgan (Chairperson)
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
8
4.
Police Report
Reporting officer
C Brindle (Senior Meeting Co ordinator)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Vision, mission and values
This item is in accord with Council’s vision, mission and values statement.
Background
The attached report has been received from Inspector Justin Rogers Area Commander for
Whangarei/Kaipara.
Recommendation
That the information be received.
Attachment
Police Report
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
9
Whangarei / Kaipara Area
COUNCIL REPORT
Submitted 13 February 2015
Operation Easter
Northland Police conducted a joint operation with OFCANZ in relation to the distribution and
manufacture of Methamphetamine. On the 16th of December, 15 Head-hunter members
and associates were arrested in Whangarei. Police seized drugs, guns and cash in multiple
raids on gang addresses.
Police intelligence indicates that the main Whangarei lab had the capacity to produce $3
million worth of methamphetamine per week.
During these operations search warrants were executed in 7 of the 12 Police districts which
illustrate the scope of this organised criminal network.
Christmas / New Years
The Christmas/New Year holiday period saw the presence of Police in and around
Northland’s public areas, beaches and hotels. Locals and visitors alike were in the main
well behaved with their New Year celebrations. Police staff worked hard across the district
during the Christmas/New Year holiday to keep any potential disorder incidents at bay
through scheduled tasks and prevention work. Road Policing provided high visibility out on
the roads to ensure drivers were driving safely and to the conditions. Unfortunately we did
have 3 separate road fatality incidents. The crash on the Waipu straights where 4 family
members were killed, a motorcyclist died after losing control on a bend at Tangowahine and
a nine year old boy died when the go cart he was driving rolled at Ahipara.
Operational Tidal
A 60 year old man has been charged with murder on 9th February. He fatally assaulted a 25
year old male at an incident in Tikipunga on Monday 26th January. The two men were
known to each other. This investigation saw some very good work done during the initial
attendance by frontline police staff followed up by the enquiry team and other staff that
were involved resulting in a quick resolution to this matter.
Operation Waitangi
A large amount of Whangarei / Kaipara Police staff were deployed to Waitangi to assist in
the Policing of the Waitangi celebrations. This was a very successful event for Police with
no major incidents recorded. This is a national event which placing the whole of Northland
in the national spotlight.
We exist to prevent crime and road trauma by working together to ensure our communities 'Are Safe' and 'Feel Safe’
10
Search and Rescue
Northland has had an "unprecedented" number of search and rescue callouts over the
summer with about 80 per cent preventable. The Northland police and volunteer search
and rescue teams were called to 70 jobs over 42 days from December 18, including 60
water-related jobs, six drownings, five land rescues and three reported plane crashes.
The 809 Foundation
Constable Anton KURAIA has started his fundraising trek to Wellington. Anton has formed
the foundation to help cancer patients fight cancer naturally.
He departed from the
st
Whangarei Station at 8.30am Sunday 1 February. He is due to arrive in Wellington within
the next 6 weeks. If you want to support Anton and follow his progress then you can do so
by going to: www.the809foundation.org.nz
Awards
Volunteer Charlie Moates – Certificate of Appreciation for his work as a volunteer for the
last 12 years which includes monitoring the CCTV cameras, which is an initiative between
Police and the Council.
Inspector Justin Rogers
Area Commander
Whangarei / Kaipara
We exist to prevent crime and road trauma by working together to ensure our communities 'Are Safe' and 'Feel Safe’
11
5.
Mill-Nixon-Kensington Intersection Improvements Stage 1 approval
Reporting officer
Jeff Devine (Roading Manager)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Vision, mission and values
This item is in accord with the Council’s Mission, Vision, and Values statement as it supports sustainable
land use management and transportation, providing a quality environment and protecting those assets that
contribute to community health and well being.
Background
The “Nixon Street” upgrade project has been identified through the Whangarei Transportation Network
Strategy. The complete project includes the four laning of Nixon Street between Mill Road and Kamo Road
and the upgrade of the signals at Nixon Street / Mill Road and Kensington Avenue / Nixon Street / Kamo
Road intersections.
The project has been split into two construction stages, Stage 1 being the upgrade of the Mill Road / Nixon
Street intersection and Stage 2 being the four laning of Nixon Street and the upgrade of the Kensington
Avenue/ Nixon Street / Kamo Road intersection.
A previous phase of the project covers design works and land purchase requirements for the project. All land
purchase requirements for stage 1 construction have been completed, including relocation of pensioner flat
units at the Mill Rd complex. Approximately 25% of the land purchase agreements for Stage 2 are completed
and negotiations with the remaining landowners are continuing.
This agenda is specifically requesting the approval of the Stage 1 contract for construction works, but does
reference the future costs of Stage 2 in considering and reporting on the over all costs for the whole project.
Significance and Engagement
Having considered the Significance and Engagement Policy this proposal or decision is not considered
significant as the Nixon Street Upgrade project has been identified through the Council’s “Whangarei
Transportation Network Strategy” and is a listed project within both the previous and current Long Term Plan
(LTP).
The public have been informed through previously held open days that have been undertaken to engage
with the community on the proposal, and will be informed further as a result of the consultation of the current
draft LTP process, and the publication of this agenda item. In addition to this, all directly affected landowners
have been consulted with personally.
Tender Evaluation
Tenders were called during November 2014 for the construction of Stage 1 works being the upgrade of the
Mill Rd / Nixon St intersection.
The Tender evaluation was undertaken in accordance with the New Zealand Transport Agency’s
Procurement Manual, using the Price Quality Method (PQM).
Three tenders were received. The conforming tenders have been ranked in ascending order based on price.
Whangarei District Council
1
25 February 2015
12
Amount of Tender
($) (excl GST)
Supplier Quality
Premium ($)
(excl GST)
Adjusted tender sum
($) (excl GST)
United Civil Construction
$4,800,326.65
$111,279.76
$4,689,046.89
Transfield Service Ltd
$4,887,472.12
$0.00
$4,887,472.12
Fulton Hogan
$5,373,252.98
$212,883.03
$5,160,369.95
Engineers Estimate
$4,576,775.42
Name of Tenderer
Financial Discussion
The LTP / Annual Plan budget for this project is $3.475m in 2014/15 and $3.55m in 2015/16, resulting in a
current total project budget of $7.025m.
The revised estimate for the total project, land purchase and Stages 1 and 2 is now $10.7M. This is based
on actual costs for Stage 1 and amended costs for Stage 2 based on the tender prices received for Stage 1.
The lowest Tender price received from United Civil is significantly higher than Council had budgeted for in its
Long Term Plan and Annual Plan. There are a number of reasons for this, including some additional scope
changes from the original project estimates, totalling over $1.35 M.
These scope changes include the rehabilitation of the existing road pavement where previously the road
widening was only allowed to be tacked onto the existing road. We are taking the opportunity to complete
these works together and gain cost efficiencies.
We have also taken the opportunity to replace the existing Street Lights with new LED technology in line with
Council’s proposed LED upgrade programme to obtain the potential power savings.
The Council’s Waste and Water Departments are also taking the opportunity to upgrade their existing
services in the road while the contract is being constructed. This achieves both overall tender savings from
the larger project and they are not incurring the normal road reinstatement costs in their projects.
The extent of the proposed works has also increased in footprint to suit revised approach and taper lane
lengths following revised traffic modelling. Requirements for services tie-ins have also increased following
detailed design of the project works.
The original budgets are also now 5 years old as the project has been deferred a number of times in recent
years, and significantly increased services costs provided by service providers have affected the overall total
price.
The cost to relocate non-Council services for the project has increased from an original estimate of
$547,775.00 to $1,361,000.00. While it is expected some savings can be achieved on the services
relocations estimates, we do need to make allowance for the total estimate provided especially in the NZTA
project funding request.
The Council water mains and sewer mains that are going to be re-laid on the sections of road within the
project while the road works are being undertaken are to be funded separately by the Water and Waste
Departments. These are programmed renewals works by Council and are not subsidised by NZTA as not
required as part of the Roading project.
An application has been made to NZTA to increase the scope and funding of this project which would see
61% subsidy available for the full project total. The additional Council share of the project costs can be
achieved by utilising other roading budgets to undertake certain aspects of the works. The table below sets
out how the proposed funding of the project costs and allowances has been determined.
Council
25 February 2015
13
Project Funding Summary
COSTS
2014-15
2015-16
Stage 1 cost
break down
Stage 2 cost
break down
Tender price
Property
MSQA
Total Costs
$4,800,000
$1,150,000
$200,000
$6,150,000
$4,350,000
$0
$200,000
$4,550,000
FUNDING
2014-15
2015-16
Annual Plan Budget
$3,475,000
$3,550,000
Mill / Nixon St
Upgrade
Project Total
Comment
based on Stage 1 tender prices
property purchase schedule
supervision fees
$10,700,000
$7,025,000
Current budgets
Funding from other budgets
Rehabilitation
Waste water
improvements (Waste)
$485,000
$250,000
$400,000
$100,000
pavement renewals
replacement of existing sewer mains
by Waste Department
Water improvements
(Water)
$70,000
$50,000
replacement of existing water mains
by Water Department
$130,000
$182,000
$200,000
$160,000
$100,000
$1,217,000
$250,000
$1,160,000
Street lighting
K&C , f/p &
Rdmarking
Signals
Subtotal
change old St lights to LED's
relocate and replace old footpaths
traffic signal upgrades
$2,377,000
Property Recovery Costs
Resale of 51 Mill Rd
Resale of 23 Nixon St
Resale of 17 Nixon St
Subtotal
$150,000
$150,000
$340,000
$640,000
resale of property severance
resale of property severance
resale of property severance
$0
$640,000
Value Engineering (potential savings)
Services
General
Subtotal
Total Funding
$280,000
$50,000
$330,000
$280,000
$50,000
$330,000
to be negotiate with service providers
identified by contractor
$660,000
$5,662,000
$5,040,000
$10,702,000
The table above shows that the total project cost can be met from existing Council budgets and budgets
proposed in the current Draft Long Term Plan.
Recommendation
That the Tender for the Mill / Nixon intersection upgrade Stage 1 (Contract 14024) be awarded to United
Civil Construction Ltd for the sum of four million, eight hundred thousand, three hundred and twenty six
dollars and sixty five cents excluding GST ($4,800,326.65).
Council
25 February 2015
14
6.
Grant to the Great Barn / Saalmor Project in Waipu
Reporting officer
Owen Thomas (Community Services Manager)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Vision, mission and values
This item is in accord with Council‟s vision, mission and values statement as it supports the provision of
community facilities throughout the district.
Introduction
The purpose of this item is to raise a funding issue for Waipu Joint Venture, who are coordinating the
construction of the Great Barn / Saalmor in Waipu.
Background
In March 2011, a public meeting was held in Waipu to discuss Hall capacity for large regional and national
events, and future population growth. Following this meeting further work occurred to investigate the
feasibility of increasing hall capacity, by either extending and upgrading the Hall, or rebuilding.
At a subsequent community meeting it was resolved:
1. To refurbish the existing Hall to extend its useful life
2. To build an adjacent multi-purpose facility, „Saalmor‟, to house large events, and to provide for future
growth.
A Joint Venture between the Waipu Hall Committee, the Waipu Caledonian Society, and the general Waipu
Community was formed to complete the project, and the Waipu Joint Venture Agreement was signed on
30.08.11.
The Waipu JV submitted to Council‟s 2012-2022 Long Term Plan, indicating the cost of the build to be
approximately $1.6 million. Through its deliberations Council resolved to contribute $600,000 in Year 2 of the
Long Term Plan.
Construction of the Great Barn / Saalmor began approximately halfway through 2014.
To date the Waipu JV have drawn down $450k of the $600k and have made steady progress in the build.
Building Act requirements have caused some variances with building costs.
Through a submission on the 2014-2015 Draft Annual Plan, The Waipu Joint Venture requested an
additional grant of $100k to help them cover cost escalations for the development of the Great Barn at
Waipu.
Through deliberations, Council agreed on the following:
“to grant an additional $100k in the 2014-15 financial year, although until funds become
available the item will be listed as „unfunded‟, meaning that the grant may not be
available next year”.
Earlier this year, the Waipu Joint Venture enquired through the Chief Executive Officer‟s office about
accessing these funds.
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
15
Significance and Engagement
Having considered the Significance and Engagement Policy this proposal or decision is not considered
significant and the public will be informed via agenda publication on the website and possibly Council News.
Discussion and options
The term „unfunded‟ is used in the 2014-2015 Annual Plan to describe projects whereby “we do not have the
resources to complete them unless we increase revenue or debt”. The Annual Plan goes on to say that if
funding does became available (for example through property sales), funding would be released by way of
resolution at a Council meeting.
As the Great Barn / Saalmor is not a WDC asset this item is not part of the unfunded capital projects listed
on pages 59 & 60 of the 2014-15 Annual Plan. As this item cannot be capitalised by WDC it should be
funded through its operational budget.
It is understood that Council has not increased its income through the existing financial year and that
currently the organisation is running a slight operational deficit. This situation may change by the end of the
existing financial year.
Recommendation
1. That the report is received
2. That if the end of year forecast is for an operational surplus at the end of the current financial year, in
excess of $100,000, the Chief Executive Officer be authorised to release this grant to Waipu Joint
Venture.
3. However, if the end of year forecast is unfavourable then provision be made within existing operational
budgets.
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
16
7.
Update on Evaluation of Options for the Old Harbour
Board Building and Referendum
Reporting officer
Paul Dell (Group Manager District Living)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Introduction
At its meeting of 12 November 2014 Council resolved the following motions for the evaluation of Options for
the old Harbour Board building and Referendum
“1.
That council receives the report.
2.
That in view of the high community interest in these projects, and the complexity of comparing
their relative merits, it is recommended that the following options be considered further:
a)
b)
c)
Harbourside, and
Hundertwasser Wairau Maori Art Centre and
Demolish the Harbour Board building.
3.
That to allow a fair comparison of the proposals staff be authorised to engage independent
qualified professionals to assess the construction costs, operational costs and expected visitor
numbers for the Harbourside project up to a maximum of $100,000 and that the assessment be
completed by February 2015.
4.
That council thanks all those people that had submitted proposals.
5.
That council undertakes a binding referendum in March 2015 to determine which project to
pursue.
6.
That a communication strategy on the three options be developed for approval by council.
On the motion being put Cr Glen called for a division:
For the motion:
Crs Morgan, Bell, Deeming, Williamson, Bretherton, McLachlan, Martin, Glen, Hermon, Halse, Cutforth
and Innes (12)
Against the motion:
Her Worship the Mayor
Abstained:
Cr Christie.”
Evaluation of Proposals
On 19 December 2014 Council received an updated Harbourside proposal (attached). The updated proposal
clearly identifies the activities that will be included in the proposal. The Whangarei Art Museum and CHART
are no longer included in the updated proposal.
The CEO has now engaged Deloitte to undertake a comparison of the proposals focusing on the
construction cost, operational cost and expected visitor numbers. Recognising the sensitivity around this
comparative evaluation the CEO has agreed to a peer review being undertaken of the Deloitte work by
Nexus Planning and Research. The peer reviewer is employed by Council and will be involved from the start
of the process to consider and challenge the techniques used in the evaluation and any assumptions made.
This is seen as being a more efficient and robust approach.
At this time Deloitte are planning to have a draft report available in early March 2015. They have been
directed to deal directly with the representatives of the two major proposals and also confirm the costing for
demolition and putting into grass: Deloitte will engage appropriate expertise to assist in reviewing the
estimated construction costs, which is critical to determining depreciation and therefore full operating costs.
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
17
Deloitte have noted that their indicative timeline will be dependent on cooperation from the proposers of the
different options. If Deloitte are unable to gain the information they require from either of the two major
proposals they will develop their view based on their own knowledge. For a referendum it is critical that the
public have an independent assessment that they can rely on.
At this time the costs including peer review are within the allocated budget.
Referendum
Due to the timing of the evaluation it will not be possible to have the binding referendum in March, however
the process can commence in March. Staff have met with Council‟s Electoral Officer Dale Ofsoske of
Election Services to clarify the detail around holding a Referendum. The Referendum is held under the Local
Electoral Act 2001.
It takes 89 Calendar days from commencement to completion; made up of three key elements:
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28 days – roll inspection
40 days – preparation of material and mail out
21 days – voting period.
Once the process has commenced it cannot be paused. Important aspects of the Referendum, confirmed by
the Electoral Officer, include:
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3 Options as proposed by Council are fine
Postal Ballot is the default voting mechanism
Those entitled to vote will be Residential Electors and Non-resident ratepayers (estimate 56,667)
Unless otherwise determined, it will be first past the post
It is assumed that the whole District will be involved in the vote
Electoral Officer (Regulation 46) must be satisfied that the information included in the voting pack is
correct and neutral
If during the process incorrect information is made available Council will be expected to correct it
Council should not express a view
Individual councillors can have a view but must come to the table with an „open mind‟.
In terms of timing, the Electoral Officer has indicated that the review of information can have some overlap
with the Referendum Process. It is realistic that the Electoral Roll can be opened before the review is
complete. However as indicated once started it cannot be “paused”. Based on the attached timeline it is
recommended that Council resolve to commence the process on 10 March 2015 with Public notice. This will
give until around Mid-April to finalise the information to be included in the voting pack. The timeline also
aligns to the LTP process.
In terms of a communication strategy Council should clearly indicate to the Community the process being
followed and confirm that the information that will be made available will be based on the independent
review.
As a starting point staff would recommend that the information to be included in the voting pack and made
available on the website and display boards should include:
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Some graphics of the proposed buildings
An outline of the activities that will be offered
Floor Plans
Estimated Construction Costs and Capital request from Council
Estimated Net Operational Cost
Estimated visitor numbers
Sensitivity analysis
Review and document proposed ownership and governance model
Comment on any consenting issues.
Based on an estimated 50% return the cost of the Referendum will be $85,000 plus GST.
In the public notice that starts off the process (at this stage 10 March) council must have decided on the
issue and the question to be asked. This will need to be agreed as part of commencing the process. Dale
Ofsoske has supplied a draft outline of a voting form (attached) and staff have used this to develop a
proposed issue and question ballot paper.
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
18
Description of issue and options



WDC has resolved to undertake a binding poll to determine the option that the community supports for
the Old Harbour Board building at the Town Basin.
This is a binding poll.
Tick  the circle next to the option you want to vote for.
Option A
Option B
Option C.
Communication
A draft communication Plan is attached. The focus of Council‟s communication is on informing the public
about the referendum process, including where they can find information and encouraging voter
participation.
The information on the options will include a summary sheet in the voting pack (approved by the Electoral
Officer), the summary material and any detailed reports from Deloitte and the peer reviewer on Council‟s
website and the summary document displayed in Forum North.
Staff will also need to seek guidance from our Electoral Officer on how to handle questions to Council by the
Public in this process.
Discussion
Based on the consultant‟s timeline and allowing some additional time to confirm the final evaluation, staff
consider the documentation should be completed for overview by the Electoral Officer by early April 2015.
This will most likely require a meeting of Council to sign off.
Having regard to the LTP process and the 89 days for the referendum, staff would suggest that Council
agree Friday 5 June 2015 for the completion of voting. This would set 10 March 2015 as the date for Public
notice with the roll open for inspection on 12 March 2015.
One matter staff are working through with our Electoral Officer is how to best reflect a two year sunset period
on the binding outcome where either the Harbourside or Hundertwasser Wairau Maori Art Centre, if chosen
are unable to raise the necessary additional funding.
This will be reported at the meeting.
Significance and Engagement
Having considered the Significance and Engagement Policy this proposal or decision is not considered
significant and the public will be informed in line with the Communications Plan.
Recommendation
That Council:
1.
Resolves that the referendum will:
a.
commence on 10 March 2015;
b.
be conducted using the First Post the Post electoral system;
c.
be conducted using postal voting; and
d.
affect all of Council‟s District.
2.
Direct the Electoral Officer to conduct the referendum as resolved in 1 above.
3.
Confirm the issue and question as outlined in this report.
4.
Note that staff will update options to address a two year sunset period on the binding referendum.
Attachments
1.
19 December 2014 updated Harbourside proposal Trim 14/118514
2.
Proposed Harbour Board Building options Referendum Timetable
3.
General Format example for voting paper
4.
Proposed Communications Plan Trim 15/10332
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
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21
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23
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27
28
29
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31
Former Harbour Board / NRC Building
Referendum Communications Plan
February 2015
TRIM 15/10332
32
Table of contents
Document reviews & approvals ........................................................................................................................................... 3
1
Background/Context ................................................................................................................................................. 3
2
Research/Current perceptions .................................................................................................................................. 4
3
Communications Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 4
4
Target Audiences ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
5
Key messages .......................................................................................................................................................... 4
6
Tactical implementation plan .................................................................................................................................... 4
10
Communication issues/risks ..................................................................................................................................... 5
11
Review process......................................................................................................................................................... 5
TRIM 15/10332
Version 1.0
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Document reviews & approvals
Role
Name
Project Manager
Paul Dell
Governance Manager
Dominic Kula
1
Signature
Date
Background/Context
In July 2014, Council made a decision to seek proposals on the possible future options for the former
Harbour Board building at the Town Basin.
By the deadline for proposals on Friday 10 October 2014 Council had received 21 submissions. These
were assessed by Council's 20/20 Inner City Development Committee at a workshop on 16 October.
Four proposals met the criteria set in the call for proposals and were selected to be considered at Council
workshops that were held on 22 and 29 October.
The submitters of the top four proposals made presentations to Councillors at the workshops. They also
provided summaries and illustrations of their proposals. Their full proposals were published on Council’s
website on 24 October 2014.
Summaries and illustrations of the proposals provided by the submitters were also published in the Council
News pages of the Whangarei Leader on 4 November 2014.
Council met on 12 November 2014 to discuss the four proposals and decide on the next steps. Two of the
21 proposals put forward by the public were to be given further consideration.
Council resolved the following:
That Council receives the report.
In view of the high community interest in these projects, and the complexity of comparing their relative
merits, it is recommended that the following options be considered further:
1. Harbourside, and
2. Hundertwasser Wairau Maori Art Centre and
3. Demolish the Harbour Board Building.
That to allow a fair comparison of the proposals staff be authorised to engage independent qualified
professionals to assess the construction costs, operational costs and expected visitor numbers for the
Harbourside project up to a maximum of $100,000 and that the assessment be completed by February
2015.
That Council thanks all those people that had submitted proposals.
That Council undertakes a binding referendum in March 2015 to determine which project to pursue.
That a communication strategy on the three options be developed for approval by Council.
Since that time staff have engaged our Electoral Officer, Dale Ofsoske, to manage the Referendum on
behalf of Council.
The referendum should be undertaken under section 9 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 and undertaken
according to this legislation.
Section 9 sets out various decisions the Council will need to make eg that the referendum is/is not binding, a
specific date selected etc.
The Local Electoral Regulations require any information on the referendum to be neutral, so Council will
need to be clear that when undertaking a referendum/poll, it must remain neutral.
The period to conduct a referendum is 89 days, and involves the same timeframe/process as an election ie
electoral roll open for public inspection for 28 days etc.
The process is expected to commence on 12 March, with the referendum to be held on 5 June.
All information produced will be reviewed by Dale Ofsoske to ensure that the content is
neutral.
TRIM 15/10332
Version 1.0
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2
Research/Current perceptions
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3
Communications Objectives
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4
To inform the public that a referendum is being held on the future options for the building
To inform the public of the date of the referendum and how they can participate
To encourage participation in the referendum
To provide neutral information on the three options – Harbourside, Hundertwasser Wairau Maori Art
Centre and demolish the Harbour Board Building.
Target Audiences

5
All rate payers and residents
Key messages
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
6
The public are aware that Council has resolved to hold a referendum
Information regarding the original proposals has been made available to the public
The public are largely unaware of the process Council needs to follow to hold a referendum
Council is holding a referendum on the future options for the Former Harbour Board / NRC Building.
This is the community’s opportunity to decide
Tactical implementation plan
Output
Council
News story
in
the
Whangarei
Leader
Description
Double page spread outlining:
 The Referendum process and key
dates
 Neutral information on the three
options
Further information
Council
News
Adverts providing the date of the
Referendum and how to find out more
information and where we are at in the
process.
17 March
24 March
31 March
7 April
14 April
21 April
28 April
5 May
12 May
19 May
26 May
Media
releases
Media
release
to
outline
the
referendum process.
 Advise on the process
 Council’s role in the process
 Where information can be obtained.
Website
All information produced for Council
TRIM 15/10332
Version 1.0
10 March – ahead of the referendum
process starting
Information could be repeated 14
April and 12 May (monthly through
process).
Recommend advertising as the roll is
opened, closed and ahead of the
referendum date itself.
Agenda production and distribution of
Media Releases should be aligned to
ensure that the media release is
issued in conjunction with the agenda
item(s)
Website will be updated to coincide
4
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news and media release will be placed
on our website.
with the article in the Leader.
Home Page banner will direct people
to the Former Harbour Board / NRC
Building page on the website.
http://www.wdc.govt.nz/Facilitiesand
Recreation/TownBasin/Pages/Former-NRC-HarbourBoard-Building.aspx
Information presented will outline the
process of the Referendum.
Including:
 How to ensure you are eligible
 How to ensure you are on the
electoral roll.
 How to enrol if you are outside
the District etc.
Neutral information on the three
options will be provided.
Print
material

Social
Media
Twitter and Facebook used to:
 Advise Process and dates
 Link to content on the website
Throughout process and as the roll is
opened, closed and ahead of the
referendum date itself.
Radio
Advertising
Radio advertising would provide access
to a wide cross section of the
community.
If Council chooses to use radio
advertising it can be used to promote
that a referendum is happening, and
when and direct people to the website
for further information.
$1800 per week, per network.
Recommend advertising as the roll is
opened, closed and ahead of the
referendum date itself.

Flyer / brochure containing neutral
information on the three options.
Artwork panels in Forum North
foyer that show highlights of each
option.
A flyer can be produced that will be
included in the information pack that
is sent out with the referendum voting
papers. This can also be provided via
our website and at Customer
Services.
10 Communication issues/risks
The Local Electoral Regulations require any information on the referendum to be neutral, so Council will
need to be clear that when undertaking a referendum/poll, it must remain neutral.
11 Review process
Role
Name
Senior Communication Adviser
Rachel Pascoe
Project Manager
Paul Dell
Governance Manager
Dominic Kula
TRIM 15/10332
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8.
Progress Update to 15 December 2014: Strategic
Collaboration and Shared Activities Project
Reporting officer
M P Simpson (Chief Executive Officer)
Date of meeting
25 February 2015
Vision, mission and values
This item is in accord with Council’s vision, mission and values statement as it supports the provision of
community facilities throughout the district.
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide a progress update on the Northland Strategic
Collaboration and Shared Activities Project; being progressed by the Chief Executives
Forum (a subsidiary of the Northland Mayoral Forum). The report concludes with the
recommendation that council endorses the progress report.
Significance and Engagement
While some of the aspects within the report are potentially significant, such as the
quantum/source of funding required, at this time council is only being asked to
endorse the information as a progress report. Hence it does not trigger the council’s
significance policy. The public will be informed via agenda publication on the website.
Recommendation
That the report ‘Progress Update to 15 December 2014: Strategic Collaboration and Shared Activities
Project’ by the Chief Executives Forum, and dated 3 February 2015, be endorsed by the Whangarei District
Council as a progress report.
Attachment:
Update Shared Activities Project
Whangarei District Council
25 February 2015
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RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC
Move/Second
That the public be excluded from the following parts of proceedings of this meeting.
The general subject of each matter to be considered while the public is excluded, the reason for passing this
resolution in relation to each matter, and the specific grounds under Section 48(1) of the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 for the passing of this resolution are as follows:
General subject of each matter to be
considered
Reason for passing this
resolution in relation to each
matter
Ground(s) under
Section 48(1) for
passing this resolution
C.1
Confidential Minutes of the
Whangarei District Council
Meeting held 17 December 2014
Section 48(1)(a)
C.2
Property Matter
Good reason to withhold
information exists under Section
7 Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act
1987
C.3
Property Matter
C.4
Rating Matter
This resolution is made in reliance on Section 48(1)(a) of the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 and the particular interest or interests protected by Section 6 or Section 7 of that Act
which would be prejudiced by the holding of the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting
in public, are as follows:
Item
Grounds
Section
C.1
For the reasons as stated in the minutes.
C.2
To enable the council to carry on without prejudice or disadvantage
negotiations
Section 7(2)(i)
C.3
To enable the council to carry on without prejudice or disadvantage
negotiations
Section 7(2)(i)
C.4
To protect the privacy of natural persons
Section 7(2)(a)
Resolution to allow members of the public to remain
If the council/committee wishes members of the public to remain during discussion of confidential items the
following additional recommendation will need to be passed:
Move/Second
“That
be permitted to remain at this meeting, after the public has
been excluded, because of his/her/their knowledge of Item
.
This knowledge, which will be of assistance in relation to the matter to be discussed, is relevant to that
matter because
.
Note:
Every resolution to exclude the public shall be put at a time when the meeting is open to the public.