Agenda of Environment and Regulatory Committee

Environment and Regulatory Committee Agenda – 11 March 2025

7.3 Group Manager's Report

Information Only - No Decision Required

Report To:	Environment and Regulatory Committee
Meeting Date:	11 March 2025
Report Author:	Kim Drummond, Group Manager - Environmental Assurance
Report Authorisers:	Rob Smith, Group Manager - Environmental Science
Report Number:	RRC25-03-3

1. Summary / Te Tuhinga Whakarāpoto

1.1 To update the Environment and Regulatory Committee on environmental and regulatory activity since the last Committee meeting on 21 November 2024.

1.2 The intervening period between Committee meetings can be characterised as a mix of delivering on current environmental and regulatory responsibilities, while engaging in Government-driven reform processes in situations where Tasman had an active interest and was well placed to make a meaningful contribution. In other situations, we were able to defer to the sector wide perspectives offered by Taituarā and/or Te Uru Kahika.

1.3 The period also covered the summer holiday break where staff were encouraged to take time out to spend with family and friends off the back of a busy year, and in anticipation of more change in 2025. I acknowledge that some staff remained on call or were actively working through the holiday break to monitor compliance with regulatory requirements.

2. Recommendation/s / Ngā Tūtohunga

That the Environment and Regulatory Committee

1. receives the Group Manager's Report RRC25-03-3.

3. Progress with the Government’s Reform agenda

3.1 At the last meeting of the Environment and Regulatory Committee meeting held on 21 November 2024, progress with the Government’s legislative reform agenda was discussed. An update of key reforms that the Council and/or staff have engaged in is set out below.

Fast-track Approvals Act

3.2 The Act came into force on 23 December 2024. The new Act combines multiple approval processes from previously different legislation which were typically invoked for large and/or complex projects. As such it provides for an alternative to the current processes for obtaining resource consents, permissions and approvals under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) or other Acts.

3.3 A nationwide spread of 149 infrastructure and development projects are included in Schedule 2 of that Act which came into force on 7 February 2025. The projects listed in Schedule 2 of the Act can apply to have expert panels make decisions and set conditions on these projects. Two of these projects are in the Tasman District. New applicants can apply to the Minister for Infrastructure for referral.

3.4 A Fast-track website, administered by the Environment Protection Agency opened on 7 February. The website includes information on the Fast-track regime, an applications portal, and system tools for applicants and government agencies, as well as Councils that are involved in individual application processes.

Resource Management Act (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill

3.5 The Resource Management Act (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill was introduced to the House on 9 December 2024. A key intent of the Bill is to progress Government priorities, including making it easier to consent new infrastructure, encouraging investment in renewable energy, and making medium-density residential standards optional for councils.

3.6 The timeframe for submissions to the Bill was remarkably tight and it was therefore a key focus for staff returning to work early in the year. Retrospective approval of the submission signed by the Mayor is an agenda item at this meeting. The Mayor and key staff orally presented to the Environment Select Committee on 20 February 2025.

Proposed Regulatory Standards Bill

3.7 The Ministry of Regulation released a discussion document on a proposal to introduce a Regulatory Standards Bill at the end of 2024. Submissions we due in late January. The ideas that underpin the proposal for a Regulatory Standards Bill are similar to former Bills that parliament has examined on three previous occasions – twice in depth. The drive behind the latest proposed Bill comes from the coalition agreement between the National and Act parties.

3.8 Both Taituarā and Te Uru Kahika submitted on the proposed Bill. On that basis, our staff did not prioritise resources towards preparing a submission for consideration by elected members. The coalition agreements suggest a Bill will be introduced into parliament at some point during the current term.

Local Government (Water Services) Bill

3.9 The Bill was introduced on 10 December 2024 and referred to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. Submissions closed on 23 February 2025. Retrospective approval of the submission signed by the Mayor is an agenda item at this meeting.

3.10 In addition to the proposed legislation, and in line with recent legislative changes, Taumata Arowai (Water Services Authority) is proposing national environmental performance standards through the release of a discussion document. These standards have largely been proposed in recognition that around 60% of council-owned wastewater treatment plants are due to be re-consented within the next decade, with around 20% of these plants currently operating on expired consents (although none of these are in Tasman).

3.11 Having the proposed standards in place is estimated to save territorial authorities up to 40% in consenting costs. The inherent challenge for the regional sector of local government is to ensure that there is synergy with the roles assigned to Taumata Arowai with the role of the regional sector under the RMA.

3.12 Submissions are due with Taumata Arowai by 24 April 2025. Staff are currently evaluating the merit of the Council providing a submission or whether it would be sufficient to defer to Taituarā and Te Uru Kahika.

Proposed reform of the Building Act 2004

3.13 As advised in the GM Report to the 21 November 2024 meeting of the Committee, the Government is investigating significant reform of the building consent system. Aotearoa New Zealand has 67 Building Consent Authorities implementing and enforcing a single national building code. The Government considers this structure leads to confusion and frustration in the construction sector, as well as inefficiencies and delays.

3.14 The report from the Building Assurance Manager provides an update on where the reform initiative is at, together with an update on proposed changes to the Building Code.

Proposed reform of Local Government

3.15 In December 2024 the Government announced that it had agreed to reforms that will refocus local councils on delivering essential services and core infrastructure, spending responsibly, and operating under greater scrutiny. The proposed reform programme will:

3.15.1 Remove references to the ‘four well beings’ from the Local Government Act 2002, restoring a purpose focused on fixing pipes, filling potholes, and delivering core local services.

3.15.2 Refocus local government on basics, guiding council decision-making and avoid duplication of roles with central Government.

3.15.3 Benchmark council performance: The Department of Internal Affairs will publish a yearly report on key financial and delivery outcomes, helping ratepayers hold councils accountable.

3.15.4 Modernise outdated rules, including removing requirements for newspaper notices, to drive efficiency and cost savings.

3.16 Cabinet will consider additional measures which will be included in legislation introduced mid-2025 and passed by the end of 2025. These will consider investigating rates pegging similar to New South Wales, reform of auditing review requirements, and establishment of a written question system to give councillors more access to information.

Upcoming National Direction

3.17 As noted in my previous Group Manager report, the Government has signalled a package of National Direction changes that will be delivered through the RMA. These changes are nominally a component of Phase two of the RMA reforms but are expected to be enduring in that they will be carried over into the replacement of the RMA (phase three).

3.18 The initial intention was to be consulting on this package prior to the end of the year. However, at the time of writing the proposals had yet to be launched. Indications are that the package of proposals will not be ready until the second half of the year.

Proposals to modernise the Conservation System

3.19 On 15 November 2024, the Government released two discussion documents that included proposals to:

3.19.1 Explore charging for access to some public conservation land

3.19.2 Streamline concessions and planning processes and enable more flexibility around land exchange and disposals.

3.20 The discussion documents are seeking public feedback to inform policy reform. An opportunity for staff to engage was provided by the Department of Conservation (DOC) via two webinars in late January 2025.

3.21 Staff are unclear about the potential for the reforms to impact on the Abel Tasman Foreshore and Scenic Reserve, the Management Plan and the Management Committee. For that reason, a submission has been provided to DOC seeking further clarity on possible impacts. Senior staff within DOC have also been approached with a view to having more information made available. Nevertheless, it became clear that making a submission was the only way to ensure our concerns would be noted. Accordingly, a short submission was lodged by the Group Manager Environmental Assurance on 28 February, the deadline for submissions.

Adapting to Climate Change

3.22 The Finance and Expenditure Committee completed their inquiry into climate adaptation and published a report containing proposed objectives, principles and other adaptation system recommendations. The Government response to the inquiry was published in January 2025, and at the time of writing a Parliamentary debate on the inquiry was scheduled for 15 March 2025.

3.23 The Government is now focussing on developing policy including potential legislative elements to bolster the framework. The objectives agreed to by Cabinet in 2024, subject to change pending policy decisions in 2025 were:

3.23.1 Minimise expected long-term costs to New Zealand

3.23.2 Provide certainty for property owners about what support will be available to help with recovery and clarity about the roles of central government, insurers, local government and other groups

3.23.3 Improve climate risk and response information flows to help everyone make informed decisions

3.23.4 Ensure people have the incentive and the ability to manage risk and reduce impacts where they can

3.23.5 Maintain efficient housing, financial and insurance markets.

3.24 One part of the new national direction being developed is to provide direction to councils on natural hazards such as floods and landslides when planning for new land use activities. As previously advised to the Committee, the Government has decided to progress national direction for natural hazards through a single national instrument, to be in place by mid-2025. This is expected to provide direction to councils on how to identify natural hazards, assess the risks, and respond through their consenting and planning.

3.25 Our Council is gearing up for this emphasis by making natural hazard maps more readily available (see below). We are also taking steps to ensure upcoming requirements for hazard information to be included in LIMs can be delivered on.

4. Hazards

4.1 The first stage of Council’s new Environmental Map Viewer has gone live with the release of natural hazards maps. While a range of maps on natural hazards such as liquefaction and sea-level rise have been available on the Council website for some time, the new map viewer brings this data together into one location making it easier than ever for the public to access. The new map viewer also for the first time makes flood model information publicly available through the use of a ‘flood model filter’ which enables users to easily filter flood model data to view different flood scenarios including the effects of climate change.

4.2 The natural hazards pages on the Environmental Map Veiwer is the result of a significant effort by a range of teams across Council including the GIS team, the Environmental Policy team, and the Natural Hazards team, as well as support from a range of project managers. In the future the Environmental Map Viewer platform will be extended to make available other environmental map data held by Council, adding to its utility as a ‘one stop shop’ for the public wishing to access Council’s environmental spatial information.

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Figure 1: Screen shot of the new Hazards Map view option on the Council website

5. Pest Management

5.1 The Red Eared Slider turtle, spotted in 2019 and reported on to this Committee in the Group Manager’s report from 14 March 2024, has finally been trapped. This is good news for the biodiversity of Lake Killarney, and it attracted media coverage. There is ongoing work across the region to catch other turtles as we are notified of their presence.

6. Regional On Scene Commander

Background

6.1 Tasman District Council has a responsibility under the Maritime Land Transport Act 1994 to conduct a Tier 2 or regional response to any marine oil spills that occur within the coastal marine area.

6.2 As part of this we, along with Nelson City Council (NCC), operate a joint oil spill response capability and have a joint Regional Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan, and Regional On-Scene Commander(s) (ROSC) appointed for each region.

6.3 To facilitate the work required to meet this responsibility, Nelson City and Tasman District Councils have redirected resource to create a 0.5FTE regional coordination role. This role is hosted by the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management team and operates within the committee structure and reporting lines shown below. We anticipate that future updates will be provided as part of the Harbourmaster’s report.

Status Update

6.4 The Regional Marine Oil Pollution Readiness and Response Coordinator role has been established. Kay Anderson has been appointed to this role.

6.5 There is a Marine Oil Spill MOU in place between Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council.

6.6 Existing challenges and immediate priorities have been identified:

6.6.1 Running a responder training exercise in March 2025

6.6.2 Establishing the operational reporting structure and budget lines for the role

6.6.3 Updating the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan to make it current and fit for purpose

6.6.4 Determining and implementing a work programme for the auditing process of Tier 1 oil transfer sites

6.6.5 Developing a Regional Marine Oil Pollution Readiness and Response Coordinator work programme

6.6.6 Training, and then appointing, an alternate ROSC for our Council.

7. Harbourmaster’s Office

Navigation Aids

7.1 Navigation aids have presented ongoing challenges due to a fault in the top of the anchoring system, causing several floats to come adrift. All but one of the floats have been recovered, and the remaining floats have been inspected for the same fault. The missing float is suspected to have been stolen from Port Tarakohe, despite rumours that they contain lead ballast; they actually contain gravel and foam.

7.2 Several new navigation aids have been installed under a Section 200 delegation from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), with some requiring full MNZ approval. These aids will be permanently added to the Abel Tasman chart improving Navigation safety and Council’s compliance with national requirements.

Controlled Anchoring

7.3 Controlled anchoring has been initiated with five anchoring sites established. These sites will appear on the coastal chart over the next few months. Vessels over 40 meters or 500 tons are directed to these anchorages, with fees applied to cover the costs managing safety and surveys. A few cruise ships have utilised these anchorages, and we anticipate greater uptake from the yacht industry over time. Additionally, there are three anchorages off Port Nelson, for which fees are not currently charged and so these sites tend to get higher usage. Tasman HMO is working collaboratively with the Nelson Team with a view to achieving greater alignment of fees and charges.

Safer Boating Initiatives

7.4 Over 330 safer boating surveys have been completed in Tasman over the summer, with data captured and collated by MNZ. The information will help tailor future boat safety initiatives. Early figures indicate that 11% of boaters on vessels under 6 meters are not wearing life jackets. Safer Boating also funded several projects in Tasman, including free SUP courses and Iwi ramp educators in Golden Bay, which have received positive feedback. Data from these initiatives is still being collated. The summer student program enabled the HMO to have two crews on the water at times, conducting boat ramp surveys and checks while keeping overtime down. Funding was also received for remote patrols in Tasman, with one three-day patrol completed and more planned, weather permitting. The vessel Pūkāea conducted patrols from Westhaven Bar to Kahurangi Point, the Kahurangi shoals, Farewell Spit, Collingwood, and Tata Beach.

Wrecks and Rescues

7.5 There have been very few incidents this summer, with only two tow jobs and one FENZ call-out. The HMO has been on standby for a small number of rescues, but they were resolved without our involvement. The plane that crashed has been located and due to the risks, the wreckage poses it is to be salvaged in the near future. Costs of that will sit with the insurer.

Navigation Safety Notice

7.6 A Navigation Safety Notice has been issued for the marine farms offshore from the Motueka River Mouth. Unmarked floating ropes have been discovered in this area, with the Harbourmaster Office working to identify the hazards and mitigate any risk to vessels.

7.7 Boaties were reminded via a media release that:

7.7.1 Maritime Rules prevent vessels from exceeding 5 knots within 200m of a marine farm.

7.7.2 Boaties are discouraged from navigating through these farmed areas, as hazards include floating, sub-surface, and sunken lines and structures.

7.7.3 It is recommended that courses are plotted around the outside of the marked area, particularly if it is dark or there is poor visibility or rough weather.

7.7.4 Anchoring is not advised due to multiple hazards on the sea floor which are unmarked.

7.8 The Notice is in effect from 26 February 2025 until further notice.

8. Regulatory Matters

Issues under investigation

8.1 The compliance monitoring team was on call over the holiday period with no significant issues requiring enforcement action. In more recent weeks there have been a few issues that have attracted public interest and are currently under investigation.

8.2 These include an uncontrolled sewage discharge event from the Nelson Regional Business network on the morning of 25 February 2025. A second issue involves unmarked floating ropes within the Aquaculture Management Area within Tasman Bay that has resulted in a Navigation Safety Notice being issued by the Harbourmaster on 26 February 2025.

Before the Court

8.3 An appeal and an application for stay was lodged by the respondents, against the decision of the Environment Court regarding a tiny home in the Upper Moutere. The appeal hearing was held in the Nelson High Court on 17 February 2025.

8.4 The decision has been reserved and while an explicit timeframe for a decision was not given, it is considered unlikely to be within the next three months.

Ministry for Primary Industries Food Business Levy Fee

8.5 The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will introduce an annual food business levy on 1 July 2025, to fund the food safety system.

8.6 It applies to domestic food businesses registered under the Food Act 2014, with charges phased in over three years: $57.50 per site in 2025, $86.25 in 2026-27, and $115 from 2027-28 onward. This amount is charged for each registered location a business operates, so a company with multiple sites will pay the levy for each one.

8.7 For businesses registered with a local council (territorial authority), the council will collect the levy on MPI’s behalf and may add a small administrative fee (up to $11 per site) to cover collection costs. Businesses registered directly with MPI will have the levy collected by MPI itself.

8.8 The levy—expected to raise $5.7 million yearly—will support food safety rules, compliance monitoring, and business guidance.

9. Attachments / Tuhinga tāpiri

Nil

Environment and Regulatory Committee Agenda – 11 March 2025

7.4 Building Assurance Manager's Report

Information Only - No Decision Required

Report To:	Environment and Regulatory Committee
Meeting Date:	11 March 2025
Report Author:	Matt Feely, Building Assurance Manager
Report Authorisers:	Kim Drummond, Group Manager - Environmental Assurance
Report Number:	RRC25-03-4

1. Summary / Te Tuhinga Whakarāpoto

1.1 Tasman District Council is legally required under the Building Act 2004 to perform the functions of a Building Consent Authority (BCA) and must maintain accreditation under the Building Regulations 2006. This is reinforced as a performance measure under a related level of service in our 10-year plan. Assessments are carried out by International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ), and our next one is due in October 2025.

1.2 In addition to the IANZ audit, Territorial Authority (TA) assessments are carried out by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to ensure Councils have the appropriate systems, processes and resources to carry out their core functions under the Building Act 2004. In the latest review, two areas of potential concern were identified and we have provided evidence in response. We are still awaiting a response from MBIE but we consider the areas of concern are currently being appropriately managed. The next TA assessment has not been confirmed but is likely to be in the first half of 2026.

1.3 MBIE’s Building Performance Team are progressing work to identify the best way to advance the Government’s Building Consent Authority (BCA) reform agenda. A discussion document supported by public consultations is likely to be announced over coming months.

1.4 In terms of current work, Building Consent applications are similar to 2023 – 2024 volumes. This is in line with expectations and budgets have been set on that basis. Those budgets were set following adjustments to fees and charges for this financial year and changes to the Building Assurance section to reflect the lower demand.

1.5 As well as meeting budgetary requirements we have maintained 99% compliance with our statutory time frames and Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF) audits and pool barrier inspections are both meeting legislative requirements.

1.6 With the recent drop in the Official Cash Rate, we are expecting this will push volumes of Building Consent applications up slightly, but we are not likely to see the impact of that until the 2025 – 2026 year. At that point we are likely going to call on increased work from our external contractors to meet demand.

1.7 The government is presently undertaking a review of the management of seismic risk in existing buildings. The purpose of the Review is to ensure seismic risk in existing buildings is being managed effectively and in a workable, proportionate way. The Building Assurance Section will likely have some involvement in this.

2. Recommendation/s / Ngā Tūtohunga

That the Environment and Regulatory Committee

1. Receives the Building Assurance Manager's Report RRC25-03-4

3. Staffing and recruitment

3.1 We have had one resignation this year from a Building Technical Officer – Processing. This position will not be replaced; we have sufficient Contractor resource to provide cover.

3.2 The recruitment for the Team Leader – Building Compliance Officer role was successful, Angelique Akaruru commenced on 11 November 2024.

4. Building Consent Authority functions and delivery

4.1 One Building Technical Officer – Inspector is in his second and final year of the Level 6 Diploma in Building Surveying.

4.2 Service delivery has been maintained at 99% within statutory timeframes for building consents and code compliance certificates.

4.3 Customer engagements have continued with Certified Builders and Master Builders quarterly meetings. Council has continued its quarterly Building Assurance newsletter, which informs our key customers of important updates, legislation changes, and any other relevant matters.

5. Compliance team function and service delivery

5.1 The compliance section of Building Assurance has continued to undertake all the relent Territorial Authority responsibilities under the Building Act that are not otherwise performed by the building consents team. This includes:

5.1.1 Inspections of Pool Fencing

5.1.2 Processing Building Warrants of Fitness (BWoF)

5.1.3 Audits of BWoFs

5.1.4 Processing building consent exemptions

5.1.5 Processing Certificates of Acceptance (COAs)

5.1.6 Investigating and resolving complaints

5.1.7 Compliance Investigation/ Enforcement

5.1.8 Issuing Notices (Notices to Fix, Dangerous and Insanitary, Infringement Notices, Certificates for Public Use etc)

5.2 TA assessments are carried out by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to ensure Council have the appropriate systems, processes and resources to carry out their core functions under the Building Act 2004. MBIE conducted a TA assessment in February 2024 and the final assessment report was released on 20 June 2024. The review focused on dangerous, affected, or insanitary buildings and Certificates for public use.

5.3 Two areas of significant concern were identified: compliance of an issued ‘Dangerous, Affected, and Insanitary’ (DAI) building notice, and Certificate for Public Use (CPU) issuing time. Evidence has been submitted in relation to these concerns, and we await a response from MBIE. Notwithstanding the delay, our understanding is that the areas of concerns are currently being appropriately managed. The next TA assessment date is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be during the first half of 2026.

5.4 Tasman has 1799 pools that must be inspected every three years. We are continuing with these inspections and still finding non-compliance, but the majority of these can be resolved quickly and without issue. Some do come with challenges that can take significant time to resolve. We currently have 45 non-compliant pool barriers.

5.5 We forecast issuing 96 Discretionary Exemptions for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have issued 60 Discretionary Exemptions, which is 62% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to be above (5-10%) the forecasted volume. The most common exemptions continue to be for sheds, garages, insulation, marquees and earthquake strengthening work.

5.6 We forecast issuing 50 Certificates of Acceptance (COAs) for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have issued 48 COAs, which is 96% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to be significantly above (50-60%) the forecasted volume, however the previous year's performance does suggest a reduction in volumes in the second part of the year.

5.7 We have continued to audit 20% of Building Warrants of Fitness and so are meeting MBIE guidelines. Complaints and investigations are ongoing in relation to unauthorised building works.

5.8 Building Compliance results from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 are shown highlighted in the table below with comparisons to the past five years.

Building Compliance	1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020	1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021	1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022	1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023	1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024	1 July 2024 to 31 January 2025
Compliance Schedule Issued	39	42	21	23	27	23
Compliance Schedule Amendment Issued	Statistic not available.	Statistic not available.	264	117	149	96
Building Warrant of Fitness	260	220	471	534	499	280
Building Warrant of Fitness Audits	Statistic not available.	Statistic not available.	Statistic not available.	47	160	131
Schedule 1(2) Exemptions Issued	185	141	127	77	101	60
Certificate of Acceptance Issued	38	35	30	50	43	48
Notices to fix issued	29	14	24	54	45	13

Status	As of May 2022	As of April 2023	As of October 2023	As of February 2024	As of February 2025
Total Pool licenses	1551	1750	1781	1799	1799
Total Pools non-compliant	156	84	20	43	43
Pools removed/decommissioned	191	225	249	269	269
Average monthly Pool inspections	40	48	78	32	32

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6. Determinations / Practitioner Complaints

6.1 Determinations are made by MBIE on matters of doubt or dispute concerning building work. Rulings are legally binding on a case-by-case basis. Previous determinations may provide useful guidance for subsequent issues as they arise, although individual circumstances may vary. Our Building Assurance does not have any determinations with MBIE

6.2 Complaints can be made to the Council by practitioners. There are currently no such complaints.

7. Dam Safety Regulations

7.1 The number of Potential Impact Classification (PICs) received to date are not representative of the number of known classifiable dams in our district; this pattern of under-representation is common across the country.

7.2 We consider any follow up action must be consistent with other councils. Methods to bring about supply of classifications are currently being developed but we are not aware of any Dangerous Dams within the district.

7.3 A measured approach is to be taken as there are significant initial and ongoing costs imposed on owners of classifiable dams. So much so, that some owners are giving serious consideration to decommissioning and removal.

8. Earthquake Prone Buildings

8.1 We continue to meet our Earthquake Prone Building obligations under the Act and are moving toward the identification of non-priority buildings by 1 July 2027.

8.2 The government is presently undertaking a review of the management of seismic risk in existing buildings. The purpose of the Review is to ensure seismic risk in existing buildings is being managed effectively and in a workable, proportionate way.

8.3 At a high level, the Review will include:

8.3.1 considering society’s expectations and willingness to pay to mitigate the risk of injury and death in an earthquake, and for improving the resilience of buildings over time

8.3.2 recommending regulatory responses that balance life safety risks against the costs of regulation and impact on private property owners

8.3.3 identifying barriers to meeting regulatory requirements and the types of support or incentives that would help building owners to better manage seismic risk

8.3.4 considering how outcomes from seismic risk requirements align with broader Government objectives.

8.4 Building Assurance will be engaging with this review.

8.5 Notices for buildings that have an earthquake-prone building (EPB) notice with a deadline on or after 2 April 2024 are being reissued with a 4-year extension to their notice expiry. There is an option for the Government to extend this up to a further 2 years thereby allowing owners of earthquake-prone buildings additional time to remediate their buildings whilst the review takes place.

8.6 Additionally, notices are now being issued for those buildings that have not had engineering assessment supplied to the authority by the building owner.

9. Government initiatives update

9.1 As noted in the GM Report to the 21 November 2024 meeting of the Committee, the Government is investigating significant reform of the building consent system.  MBIE’s Building Performance teams are progressing work to identify the best way to deliver consenting services. This work includes looking at:

· The way BCAs are structured

· The scope of building work exempt from a building consent, and

· Liability settings and the role of private insurance in the consent system. 

9.2 Initial ideas for improving BCA services are:

· Making it easier for BCAs to consolidate their services

· Establishing regional consenting authorities, or

· Establishing a national single point of contact for building consent applications

9.3 MBIE is also looking at what building work could be exempt from building consents and potential changes to liability settings across the whole building system. This may include ways of providing for private insurance to take a greater role, potentially as an alternative to a building consent.

9.4 This work is being done in addition to work already underway to improve the existing building consent process, such as:

· Making it easier to build granny flats

· Increasing the uptake of remote inspections, and

· Mandating the acceptance and use of overseas building products. 

9.5 Over the last few months, MBIE has been meeting with representatives across the sector, gaining important feedback from those on the ground to help understand the benefits and barriers of different options.  

9.6 MBIE have spoken with around 90% of New Zealand’s BCAs plus various industry groups. Insights from these conversations were provided to the Government at the end of last year. MBIE are currently working with the Building and Construction Minister to identify a way forward.

9.7 At a more applied level, MBIE is seeking feedback on changing the Building Code H1 Energy Efficiency requirements for insulation in homes and other buildings to help building designers and also reduce costs and maintain energy efficiency. The consultation closed at 5.00pm on Friday 28 February 2025.

10. Building Consent Activity summary

10.1 We forecast 1220 building consent applications for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have received 666 applications, which is 55% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to meet the forecasted volume (+ or - 5%).

10.2 We forecast 1183 building consent will be issued for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have issued 647 building consents, which is 54% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to meet the forecasted volume (+ or - 5%).

10.3 We forecast 449 building consents for new dwellings would be issued for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have received 225 applications, which is 50% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to meet the forecasted volume (+ or - 5%).

10.4 New Dwelling Consents issued currently sits at 168 with a total of new dwellings at 186 as some Building Consents have multiple dwellings on them.

10.5 We forecast 7152 building inspections to be undertaken for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have conducted 3332 inspections, this is 46% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to be below (15-20%) the forecasted volume.

10.6 We forecast to issue 1005 code compliance certificates (CCC) for the 2024-2025 financial year. To date we have issued 499 CCC’s, which is 49% of the expected forecast. Based on this and assuming the trend continues we expect to be below (7-12%) the forecasted volume.

10.7 We have maintained 99% compliance with our statutory time frames and our average for processing days is at eight.

10.8 Building inspections are maintaining the two working day notice for bookings.

10.9 Building Consent results from 1 July 2024 to 31 January 2025:

Building Consent Results	1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020	1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021	1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022	1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023	1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024	1 July 2024 to 31 January 2025
Building Consent Applications	1430	1651	1601	1386	1138	666
Building Consents Issued	1306	1486	1500	1376	1127	647
New Dwellings Consents Issued (excluding amendments)	447	575	510	484	264	168
Number of New Dwellings	498	619	559	592	280	186
Building Consents processed within statutory time frame (%)	97%	99%	98%	99%	99%	99%
Average processing days	12	11	10	9	7	8
Inspections undertaken	7615	8624	7539	8127	6306	3332
Failed Inspections (%)	44%	61%	68%	72%	67%	66%
CCC Applications	1036	1286	1054	1259	1005	470
CCC Issued	1088	1266	1060	1165	1029	499
CCC Average processing days	2	5	6	6	5	7
CCC processed within statutory time frame (%)	100%	99%	99%	99%	99%	100%

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11. Attachments / Tuhinga tāpiri

Nil

Environment and Regulatory Committee Agenda – 11 March 2025

7.5 Resource Consents Manager's Report

Information Only - No Decision Required

Report To:	Environment and Regulatory Committee
Meeting Date:	11 March 2025
Report Author:	Katrina Lee, Resource Consents Manager
Report Authorisers:	Kim Drummond, Group Manager - Environmental Assurance
Report Number:	RRC25-03-5

1. Summary / Te Tuhinga Whakarāpoto

1.1 This report summarises the performance of the Resource Consents Section, within the Environmental Assurance Group, for the six month period July to December 2024.

1.2 The timeframe performance across all consent processing for the reporting period was at 69% within 20 days, a slight improvement on 64% for the last period. In cases where the 20 day timeframe has not been met, discount penalties provided for in the legislation have applied.

1.3 At the time of the last six-monthly report presented to the Environment and Regulatory Committee meeting in August 2024, we had 63 unallocated consents. At the time of writing this report we have 16 unallocated consents. We see removing the back log as a key step to achieving the 20 day timeframe. So, we have made progress on that front.

1.4 The volume of consent applications received and decisions issued during this reporting period were both higher than the last reporting period.

1.5 Overall, across the breadth of the work we do in consenting – processing consents, responding to service requests and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act requests (LGOIMAs) – the quantity of all these workstreams has increased.

1.6 In this six-month reporting period the discount penalties have increased on the previous period, however overall they have remained lower than 2022. The key drivers for the discount penalties that are still being incurred can be put down to:

· It continues to be difficult to attract and employ experienced and competent consent planners who can work within statutorily implied timeframes

· Engaging experienced contractors has also been a struggle, and when we do, they are generally not locally based. This places additional challenges on team leaders to manage quality of output in a timely fashion

· More and more complex issues seem to be coming to us.

1.7 As a result of still holding vacancies in the team we have been continuing to contract out consents that we would prefer to process inhouse. Nevertheless, over this reporting period we have seen a reasonable improvement in the recovery of costs associated with using contractors. Our overall financial performance, in terms of both revenue and costs, is within budget.

1.8 In January/February this year, two staff resigned to pursue travelling and alternative career options. One was a Senior Planner in the land use team, and the other a Consent Planner in Subdivision. We are looking to recruit for both roles, as well as for a Development Engineering Officer to cover time freed up by staff working reduced hours. In January a new consent planner in land use started, who replaced someone who left over 6 months ago.

1.9 The team does not only process resource consents. A considerable amount of our time is also spent responding to public enquiries (duty planning/service requests) and LGOIMAs (information requests). Responding to service requests and pre-applications can take consent planners away from consent processing, but it is an investment that is likely to improve the quality of applications that do come through to us.

1.10 We also have multiple staff in the Resource Consents team that are involved in commenting and contributing to building consents, Project Information Memorandums (PIMs) and Land Information Memorandums (LIMs). These additional statutory processes also have tight audited timeframes and staff need to meet those demands – along with LGOIMA responses, responding to complaints and service requests.

1.11 We continue to service the Tākaka office through Council staff and contractors and this is working reasonably well.

1.12 In summary, while we are still facing challenging times, the output of the consents team is growing. We are working within budget constraints but we will not achieve the primary level of service.

2. Recommendation/s / Ngā Tūtohunga

That the Environment and Regulatory Committee

1. receives the Resource Consents Manager's Report RRC25-03-5.

3. Purpose of report

3.1 This report presents the performance results for the Resource Consents section for the first half of the 2024/25 financial year, from July to December 2024. It also provides some comparisons from previous periods. It provides a snapshot of current workload, staff resourcing and shows where the section is sitting alongside our performance targets.

4. Performance reporting July to December 2024

4.1 A total of 555 applications for resource consents and other statutory applications were received in the reporting period July to December 2024, the six-month period before this was 511.

4.2 A total of 378 decisions were made during this six-month period, compared to 352 in the last reporting period, totalling 730 for the financial year. This reporting period and previous years are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Non-notified consents July to December 2024

Type of Application	Number complete	Number complete	Number complete	Number complete	Number complete	Number complete	Percentage Within Time (Incl s37)
Type of Application	Jan- June 2022	July-Dec 2022	Jan-June 2023	Jul-Dec 2023	Jan-Jun 2024	July-Dec 2024	Percentage Within Time (Incl s37)
District Land	246	213	207	233	187	204	73.27%
CN Variations	10	13	6	15	12	7	57.14%
Subdivision	50	53	40	68	47	52	34.69%
Coastal	5	6	24	6	11	1	100.00%
Discharge	57	75	54	67	66	54	57.45%
Regional Land	10	17	12	10	10	17	94.12%
Water Permit	44	45	24	35	19	43	97.62%
Total:	422	422	367	434	352	378	69.21%
SHA Consents	3	1	0	2	0	1	N/A
Boundary Notices	34	27	14	23	13	8	37.50%
Others*	12	19	20	17	10	10	N/A

* Others include Right of Ways, Outline Plans and Certificates of Compliance

4.3 The timeframe compliance for the period has improved again since the last reporting period. Last reporting period we compliance was 64% and this reporting period it is 69%. This reporting period has seen the most applications received in a 6-month period for at least the last 2 years.

4.4 The timeframe compliance for subdivision consents processed through to a decision has remained consistent over the past 18 months. Land use consents (district) timeframes have improved over the last 18 months, from 60% to 72%, to now 73%.

Table 2: Notified Applications July to December 2024

Type of Application	Number	Number	Number complete	Number complete	Number complete	Percentage Within Time (Incl s37)
Type of Application	Complete Jan-June 22	Complete Jan-June 23	Jul - Dec 2023	Jan-Jun 2024	Jul-Dec 2024	Percentage Within Time (Incl s37)
Publicly Notified (no hearing)	0	0	0	0	2	100%
Publicly Notified (with hearing)	0	7	0	0	1	100%
Limited Notified	13	10	7	5	2	100%
(no hearing)	13	10	7	5	2	100%
Limited Notified	0	5	2	2	16	50%
(with hearing)	0	5	2	2	16	50%
Totals	13	22	9	7	21	61.90%

4.5 Table 2 shows the number of limited and publicly notified consents issued in the last 6 months. The last 12 months has been very busy in the hearings and notified space. The 16 limited notified consents (with a hearing) related to three developments as they were bundled consents across subdivision, land use, discharge permits and a consent notice variation.

4.6 The publicly notified consent with no hearing related to a Notice of Requirement for a new designation for Council water reservoir off Hill Street South and associated regional council consent. The other publicly notified consent, which went to a hearing was for a billboard on corner of Gladstone Road and Queen Street.

4.7 Section 6 of this report explains the current workload we have on for the next 6 months around notified consents and hearings.

4.8 In addition to final applications being lodged with Council we have also received 37 pre-applications this reporting period. These are enquiries that require more review than a duty planning enquiry and need wider Council input. Consent planners collate this feedback and respond with this, before a final application is lodged.

4.9 During this period, we have issued 41 section 224 certificates under the RMA. These are certificates that mean subdivision conditions have been complied with, and the consent holder can obtain new Record of Titles for their new lots. The 41 certificates totalled 192 new allotments being created in Tasman over the last 6 months.

Table 3: Discount Penalty Payments

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4.10 Table 3 shows in general a reduction in discount penalties (payments and the number of consents) over the years paid out. However, it is noted that the discount payments have slightly increased during this reporting period. One of the main reasons for this increase was due to the increased pressure of notified processes and hearing processes and overall the delayed time to allocate consents to planners, due to staff resources.

4.11 Of the 65 consents that received a discount penalty this reporting period, 23 of these were bundled consents (i.e. across district and regional council consents). 15 of the 65 were a 30% or above discount, but on average the discount percentage was 18%.

4.12 Even though this reporting period there has been a slight increase, overall the discount penalties being paid out is low compared to previous years. We still have some reasons for the discounts, as follows:

· Allocating and finding experienced planners to process is still one of the most difficult tasks and has been for a number of years.

· Fewer senior planners has led to a shortage and ultimately delays in peer reviewing letters/decisions that are sent out. This peer review work is required for quality purposes to ensure a robust decision-making process.

· Complex applications and issues, including consent conditions and affected parties.

· To ensure we make informed decisions we rely on a number of internal staff to comment on resource consent applications. However, due to staff outside the consenting team having other workload deadlines etc these comments can be delayed. As a result, this impacts the statutory timeframes.

· Multiple/bundled consents being processed at once with many overlays (i.e. hazards, contaminated soils, coastal, wetlands, highly productive land etc).

· Staff turnover and handing over consents to new processing planners.

· Managing contract planners and ensuring overall consistency across decision making.

· Managing and interpreting National Policy Statements (NPS’s) and National Environmental Standards (NES’s), and at times being seen as the knowledge-holders for some of the consultant planners that are lodging resource consent applications on behalf of applicants.

· Finally, the wider Council demands on our team to contribute to outside the core processing time for a resource consent.

4.13 Some of these consents started before this reporting period but were issued during this reporting period. We are also recovering from the unallocated list creeping up as a result of increased subdivisions being lodged end of June 2024 to avoid increase in Development Contributions. At the time of the last 6 monthly report in August last year we had 63 unallocated consents, whereas as at the time of writing this report we have 16 consents unallocated. This is a huge improvement.

4.14 Over and above our consenting work we also provide internal technical support and liaise with the Environmental Policy and the Strategic Policy team, including evaluating national direction documents. We have committed to providing resource and technical knowledge where we can, to assist with responses to draft national legislation, policies, standards, planning frameworks, plus plan changes/growth plans. Our consent planners are on the front line and have important contributions to make on how rules do or don’t work.

4.15 In relation to where Resource Consents is in relation to budgets, we are currently operating within a balanced budget. However, within this financial year or into the start of 2025/26 there are some unknown costs that will impact the budget. This relates to an appeal and also one large publicly notified consent.

5. Public enquiries (service requests/LGOIMAs)

5.1 The overall number of public enquiries we have completed through the service request system has remained steady over the last 12 months, with an increase in enquiries to respond to in two teams – land use and subdivisions. Over the last three reporting periods the total number of service requests have steadily increased from 1,288 (January to June 2023) to 1,547 (July to December 2023) to 1,639 this reporting period. Refer to table 4 below.

Table 4: Service Requests Completed

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5.2 As of February 2025, the open service request enquiries across the resource consent section are at 99. Given our reduced staff level, especially in the land use consents team it has been a challenge to reduce this overall number.

5.3 We need to be very mindful that consent planners need to prioritise consent processing, as these are bound by legislative statutory timeframes and penalties.

5.4 During this reporting period we responded to 54 LGOIMA requests in resource consents to provide information on. The last reporting period we responded to 45.

6. Notified, Hearings and Appeals

6.1 During this reporting period we are still working on the same appeal and there have been no new appeals. This is outlined in table 5 below. We also have been working on a number of hearings that are being planned/booked or confirmed for the next 6 months. We have booked a number of hearings, but these could be subject to change. These are outlined in tables 6 and 7.

Table 5: Appeal in progress

Application	Status
Application by CJ Industries Limited for gravel extraction at Peach Island, Motueka (RM200488 and others).	The hearing took place over five days between 23 – 27 September 2024. The judge directed the appellant to file a final set of revised conditions and draft management plans by 25 October 2024. The respondent (TDC) and s274 parties were directed to file closing legal submissions by 22 November 2024, with the appellant’s required by 18 December 2024. We are now awaiting an interim decision, and that can be expected around March – April 2025.

Application

Status

Application by CJ Industries Limited for gravel extraction at Peach Island, Motueka

(RM200488 and others).

The hearing took place over five days between 23 – 27 September 2024.

The judge directed the appellant to file a final set of revised conditions and draft management plans by 25 October 2024.

The respondent (TDC) and s274 parties were directed to file closing legal submissions by 22 November 2024, with the appellant’s required by 18 December 2024.

We are now awaiting an interim decision, and that can be expected around March – April 2025.

Table 6: Hearings in Progress or Confirmed

Application	Status
Application by Chandrakirti Trust, for a retreat center at Central Road South, Lower Moutere	A land use consent to establish and operate a retreat centre (as a community activity) with 12 dwellings in the Rural 1 and Rural 2 Zones. The application was limited notified 15 January 2024 and submissions closed on 13 February 2024. Two submissions were received, both opposing the application. The hearing was held and adjourned on 11 October 2024. The commissioner issued minute #1 directing the provision of further information from the Council’s ecologist in relation to wetlands and from the applicant in relation to FENZ matters, and then from the Council’s processing planner in relation to an addendum to the hearing report covering both of those issues. Those matters were addressed, which then led the commissioner to issue minute #2 requiring an updated site plan and directing the applicant to apply for another resource consent under the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater for the damming and use of water within 100m of a wetland. This is still outstanding.

Application

Status

Application by Chandrakirti Trust, for a retreat center at Central Road South, Lower Moutere

A land use consent to establish and operate a retreat centre (as a community activity) with 12 dwellings in the Rural 1 and Rural 2 Zones.

The application was limited notified 15 January 2024 and submissions closed on 13 February 2024. Two submissions were received, both opposing the application.

The hearing was held and adjourned on 11 October 2024. The commissioner issued minute #1 directing the provision of further information from the Council’s ecologist in relation to wetlands and from the applicant in relation to FENZ matters, and then from the Council’s processing planner in relation to an addendum to the hearing report covering both of those issues. Those matters were addressed, which then led the commissioner to issue minute #2 requiring an updated site plan and directing the applicant to apply for another resource consent under the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater for the damming and use of water within 100m of a wetland. This is still outstanding.

Application	Status
Application by Mapua Community Boat Ramp Trust, for a new boat ramp and community building at Tahi Street, Mapua (RM230253 and others)	The construction and operation of a new boat ramp within the coastal marine area and foreshore, with access from the Māpua Waterfront Park and associated consents for access and parking on the western side of Tahi Street, signage, stormwater discharge and earthworks. The application was publicly notified on 24 January 2024 and submissions closed on 26 February 2024. A total of 328 submissions were received, with 30% opposed. Originally 88 submitters wanted to be heard, that subsequently reduced to 50. The application was suspended at the request of the applicant so they could address some of the matters raised in the submissions prior to the hearing, which included the following changes: · Complete removal of the proposed sea scout / community building from the application. · Retaining the existing carparking area within the waterfront park, with minor changes to the layout to allow for the boat ramp access. · Removal of the formed car parking on the western side of Tahi Street. · The proposed grassed trailer parking area is unchanged. · The proposed boat ramp is largely unchanged except that the kerbing on the southern side of the proposed access will have cut drains into the swale instead of sumps and piped outlets (reducing the amount of trenching required). · The removal of the buildings and retention of the existing carparking area significantly reduces the amount and depth of earthworks required on a HAIL site. More details of the amended proposal can be found on Council’s website via the following link: Māpua Community Boat Ramp Trust \| Tasman District Council. A hearing was held by Commissioners on 25-27 November and 9-10 December, during which the applicant and 50 submitters were heard plus technical experts. The hearing was adjourned to give the applicant an opportunity to provide further information relating to contaminants in the foreshore area that would be disturbed by construction of the proposed boat ramp, and how the ramp will be constructed. That further information is due by 14 April 2025.

Application

Status

Application by Mapua Community Boat Ramp Trust, for a new boat ramp and community building at Tahi Street, Mapua

(RM230253 and others)

The construction and operation of a new boat ramp within the coastal marine area and foreshore, with access from the Māpua Waterfront Park and associated consents for access and parking on the western side of Tahi Street, signage, stormwater discharge and earthworks.

The application was publicly notified on 24 January 2024 and submissions closed on 26 February 2024. A total of 328 submissions were received, with 30% opposed. Originally 88 submitters wanted to be heard, that subsequently reduced to 50.

The application was suspended at the request of the applicant so they could address some of the matters raised in the submissions prior to the hearing, which included the following changes:

· Complete removal of the proposed sea scout / community building from the application.

· Retaining the existing carparking area within the waterfront park, with minor changes to the layout to allow for the boat ramp access.

· Removal of the formed car parking on the western side of Tahi Street.

· The proposed grassed trailer parking area is unchanged.

· The proposed boat ramp is largely unchanged except that the kerbing on the southern side of the proposed access will have cut drains into the swale instead of sumps and piped outlets (reducing the amount of trenching required).

· The removal of the buildings and retention of the existing carparking area significantly reduces the amount and depth of earthworks required on a HAIL site.

More details of the amended proposal can be found on Council’s website via the following link: Māpua Community Boat Ramp Trust | Tasman District Council.

A hearing was held by Commissioners on 25-27 November and 9-10 December, during which the applicant and 50 submitters were heard plus technical experts.

The hearing was adjourned to give the applicant an opportunity to provide further information relating to contaminants in the foreshore area that would be disturbed by construction of the proposed boat ramp, and how the ramp will be constructed. That further information is due by 14 April 2025.

Table 7: Hearings to be booked

Application	Status
Application by Ruru Building Ltd, for a tiny home factory at 54 Green Lane, Motueka (RM210785 and others)	The establishment and operation of a tiny home building factory under the northern flight approach to and breaching the obstacle limitation surface the Motueka Aerodrome and on productive land. The application was publicly notified on 19 April 2023 and submissions closed on 19 May 2024. A total of 208 submissions received, and 55 wanted to be heard. These applications are effectively on-hold while waiting for the Applicant to confirm they wish to proceed to a hearing, and in turn, pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made in that regard.
Application by D Tipple & T Tipple & M Tipple, for a private deck and stairs in the road reserve and 38 Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road, Kaiteriteri (RM240000)	Retrospective land use consent for a private deck and stairs that has been constructed partially on the coastline road reserve, breaching boundary setbacks, and located in the Coastal Environment Area (CEA). The application was publicly notified on 27 November 2024 and submissions closed 29 January 2025. A total of 14 submissions were received, all opposing, with six wanting to be heard. This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made. If needed, this will be an independent commissioner hearing due to direct Council interest in the road reserve.
Application by Adcock Properties Ltd, to cancel and change conditions of consent RM100848 in to the establishment and operation of the Motorsport Park (Kohatu Park) in the Rural 2 Zone, at Motueka Valley Highway, Tapawera (RM100848V1)	Resource consent was granted in June 2012 for the Kohatu Motorsport Park. This consent went through a notification process and hearing that resulted in a consent being granted with a number of conditions. This consent was subsequently appealed by some submitters to the Environment Court and a consent order was issued on 20 March 2014 that altered some of the original conditions. The applicant is now proposing to cancel and change conditions 1, 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22, 28, 30, 30, and 44, because the motorsport park development has not progressed at the speed originally expected and the conditions should reflect and provide for that progression. The application was limited notified on 3 December 2024 and submissions closed on 22 January 2025. A total of four submissions were received, all opposing some or all aspects, and all wanting to be heard. This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made. A willing and able independent commissioner has also been found.
Application by Gion Deplazes and Heidrun Berl, to subdivide and develop 31 Greenhill Road, Ngatimoti (RM240006 and RM240007)	A combined subdivision and land use consent to create four new allotments, construct generic dwellings on three of them that breach internal and road boundary setbacks, and to waive an esplanade reserve requirement along an unnamed stream, in the Rural 1 and Rural 2 Zones. The application was limited notified on 14 January 2025 and submissions closed on 12 February 2025. A total of three submissions were received, all opposing and wanting to be heard. This application is effectively on-hold as the applicant attempts to resolve matters with the submitters or confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made. A willing and able independent commissioner has also been found.
Application by Te Koi Holdings Ltd, for a subdivision to create three allotments at 133 Bronte Road East, Upper Moutere (RM220699 and Ors)	A combined subdivision and land use consent to create three new allotments, construct generic dwellings on two of them that breach internal boundary setbacks and are within the Coastal Environment Area, including associated discharge permits for stormwater and treated domestic wastewater, in the Rural 3 Zone. The application was limited notified on 20 December 2024 and submissions closed on 10 February 2025. One submission was received in opposition. This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made. Potential commissioners are being sounded out.

Application

Status

Application by Ruru Building Ltd, for a tiny home factory at 54 Green Lane, Motueka

(RM210785 and others)

The establishment and operation of a tiny home building factory under the northern flight approach to and breaching the obstacle limitation surface the Motueka Aerodrome and on productive land.

The application was publicly notified on 19 April 2023 and submissions closed on 19 May 2024. A total of 208 submissions received, and 55 wanted to be heard.

These applications are effectively on-hold while waiting for the Applicant to confirm they wish to proceed to a hearing, and in turn, pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made in that regard.

Application by D Tipple & T Tipple & M Tipple, for a private deck and stairs in the road reserve and 38 Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road, Kaiteriteri

(RM240000)

Retrospective land use consent for a private deck and stairs that has been constructed partially on the coastline road reserve, breaching boundary setbacks, and located in the Coastal Environment Area (CEA).

The application was publicly notified on 27 November 2024 and submissions closed 29 January 2025. A total of 14 submissions were received, all opposing, with six wanting to be heard.

This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made.

If needed, this will be an independent commissioner hearing due to direct Council interest in the road reserve.

Application by Adcock Properties Ltd, to cancel and change conditions of consent RM100848 in to the establishment and operation of the Motorsport Park (Kohatu Park) in the Rural 2 Zone, at Motueka Valley Highway, Tapawera

(RM100848V1)

Resource consent was granted in June 2012 for the Kohatu Motorsport Park. This consent went through a notification process and hearing that resulted in a consent being granted with a number of conditions. This consent was subsequently appealed by some submitters to the Environment Court and a consent order was issued on 20 March 2014 that altered some of the original conditions.

The applicant is now proposing to cancel and change conditions 1, 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22, 28, 30, 30, and 44, because the motorsport park development has not progressed at the speed originally expected and the conditions should reflect and provide for that progression.

The application was limited notified on 3 December 2024 and submissions closed on 22 January 2025. A total of four submissions were received, all opposing some or all aspects, and all wanting to be heard.

This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made.

A willing and able independent commissioner has also been found.

Application by Gion Deplazes and Heidrun Berl, to subdivide and develop 31 Greenhill Road, Ngatimoti

(RM240006 and RM240007)

A combined subdivision and land use consent to create four new allotments, construct generic dwellings on three of them that breach internal and road boundary setbacks, and to waive an esplanade reserve requirement along an unnamed stream, in the Rural 1 and Rural 2 Zones.

The application was limited notified on 14 January 2025 and submissions closed on 12 February 2025. A total of three submissions were received, all opposing and wanting to be heard.

This application is effectively on-hold as the applicant attempts to resolve matters with the submitters or confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made.

A willing and able independent commissioner has also been found.

Application by Te Koi Holdings Ltd, for a subdivision to create three allotments at 133 Bronte Road East, Upper Moutere

(RM220699 and Ors)

A combined subdivision and land use consent to create three new allotments, construct generic dwellings on two of them that breach internal boundary setbacks and are within the Coastal Environment Area, including associated discharge permits for stormwater and treated domestic wastewater, in the Rural 3 Zone.

The application was limited notified on 20 December 2024 and submissions closed on 10 February 2025. One submission was received in opposition.

This application is effectively on-hold until the applicant confirms they wish to proceed to a hearing and pay the base deposit fee before the necessary arrangements can be made.

Potential commissioners are being sounded out.

7. Water permit applications / objections

7.1 Tākaka (Water Management) Zone: Regarding the seven applications for new irrigation use, these continue to be on-hold as they are subject to the provisions of the Te Puna Waiora o Te Waikoropupū Springs and Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer Water Conservation Order (WCO) and the NES Freshwater.

7.2 Waimea (water management) Zone: The Waimea East Irrigation Company (WEICo) (s357) objection to decisions RM170207 - RM170208 has been resolved without need for a hearing.

Outstanding Waimea objections (s357) are as follows:

· Consents staff understand Redwood Valley Irrigators (RVI) and Waimea Irrigators Limited (WIL) are continuing to discuss the conditions of the Irrigation (Scheme) Shareholder Water Augmentation Agreement (ISWAA) and positive progress is being made. Council staff are regularly in contact with WIL; and

· Relating to one applicant, there is one outstanding complex (Reservoir Zone) objection relating to an affiliated consent (and three related objections to damming, excavation of gravel seepage holes etc) in this Waimea zone of benefit (S124 applies); and

· one outstanding complex (Waimea West Zone) objection relating to an unaffiliated consent.

Twelve applications relating to a joint allocation sharing framework (involving multiple affiliated permits & holders and one unaffiliated permit holder) are on hold pending the results of a current review of Councils Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP) support for allocation sharing, now the Waimea Community Dam is fully operational.

7.3 Redwood Zone: Five objections relating to the TRMP rezoning of the zone of benefit (for the Waimea Dam) are still outstanding. Their argument about the change to the water zoning is considered by Council staff to be outside the scope of the consenting process. However, while the objections have not been withdrawn, consent staff understand none of the Objectors want to take this issue to a hearing.

7.4 Upper Motueka: Two objections relating to the 2017 bona fide assessments, which reduced the water allocations in the replacement consents, are yet to be resolved. These objections are top priority for action following the current irrigation/harvesting season.

7.5 It is noted that consent holders who have unresolved Objections on their replacement water consents can continue to operate in accordance with the provisions of their old consents as allowed under section 124 of the RMA.

8. Other notable applications and process work

8.1 Coastal Permits for Marine Farms update:

8.2 The Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) came into force on 3 September 2024. This Required Councils to extend the duration of all RMA coastal permits that enable marine farms to operate by 20 years (in addition to their current term), but not beyond 31 December 2050. Council had six months to update all marine farming permits.

8.3 We have completed updating the expiry date for all the marine farming consents and associated discharges.

8.4 For Tasman this pushes all the existing marine farming permits to expire on the 31 December 2050 except for the following:

8.4.1 Eight (8) Wainui Bay consents expiring 31 December 2044

8.4.2 One (1) AMA 1 consent expiring 31 December 2044

9. Partnering with iwi

9.1 We are continuing to send the list of applications received weekly out to iwi, along with them being able to access the live list on our website. We are also exploring options to improve the way we engage with iwi as part of the consent process more generally.

9.2 As consenting matters arise, we discuss these with the Councils Kaihautū team and we meet regularly on a monthly basis to ensure consistency and understanding across all areas.

10. Current staffing, contractors, and workload

10.1 Advertising for staff, working with recruitment agencies, and accessing our networks has been constant, as we seek to find and employ experienced planning staff. Since the last reporting period we had one new start and two resignations.

10.2 We have recruited successfully for a consent planner in the land use team and we are currently interviewing for a Development Engineering Officer.

10.3 The two resignations were a senior planner in the land use team and a consent planner in the subdivisions team. The senior has decided to pursue a career change, and the consent planner who came to Tasman as a graduate and has been here for 3 years has decided to travel the world.

10.4 Once again this reporting period we have seen a reduction in the cost of using external contractors to process consents. We have been working hard to secure contractors that can add value to our processing and are affordable in the context of approved charge out rates.

11. Government Initiatives Update

11.1 The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill, often referred to as RMA Bill 2, introduces several changes. Overall, the effect of the changes is unlikely to be significant to consenting in Tasman. However, the final wording will be key.

11.1.1 Infrastructure and Energy: The bill sets default maximum time frames for consent processing and establishes default consent durations for renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

11.1.2 Farming and Primary Sector: The bill clarifies the interface between the RMA and the Fisheries Act, improves the certification and auditing of farm plans, and aims for timely consent processing for wood processing facilities (1-year total time).

11.1.3 Natural Hazards and Emergencies: It provides additional tools to deal with natural hazards and emergency events. It allows us to examine the hazard risk as part of processing a land use consent.

11.1.4 Compliance: The bill starts to implement the enforcement provisions of the NBEA.

11.1.5 National Planning Standards: These will be further developed to provide consistency across planning documents, with the aim to make it easier to navigate rules and regulations.

11.1.6 Urban Development Authorities: These are introduced to facilitate large-scale urban development projects, providing a streamlined consenting process for certain projects deemed nationally significant.

11.1.7 Environmental Outcomes: The focus is shifted towards achieving better environmental outcomes while balancing economic and social considerations.

These changes are designed to make the resource consent process more efficient and transparent, while ensuring robust environmental management practices are maintained.

12. Process improvement work

12.1 The team has had support from other sections in the Council to assess where our team needs assistance in implementing process improvements. This is an ongoing project that the section will keep working on but will ensure that all parts of the Council that have inter-dependencies with the Consents Section are aware of the impact their prioritisation decisions on the consenting process.

12.2 During this reporting period and into the next 6-12months we have been working on particular process improvements. Examples are outlined in Table 8 below.

Table 8: Types of improvements and progress

Type/Purpose

Progress

Circulation Workflow Tool/Platform

Circulating resource consents in a more efficient and effective way around departments for comments.

Over this period we have made progress with the circulation tool, called ReCon. The Information Services team has committed to developing and supporting this project. During the past month we have been testing the tool and plan to complete wider testing with the contributors soon. The plan is to go live end of March.

Ultimately this tool is about improving the timeframes and information transparency when contributors across Council comment on a resource consent. There are 13 areas that can be asked to comment on resource consents.

Contractors

Reviewing our contracts and scope of services details to be consistent across all contracts.

We currently have several contractors across our three teams assisting with processing resource consents. The scope of services of these contracts is being reviewed and we will be progressing through a procurement process.

Process Mapping

Commencing an overview of our current processes and mapping how and why we do things the way we do.

Resource consents have a number of processes with processes within processes on how we ensure a consistent way of processing a resource consent and a fair and reasonable decision outcome for all.

We have finalised the mapping of these processes over this reporting period. We have identified the top priorities and the identified improvements where we need additional support to make it happen.

Management of costing disputes

The purpose here is to improve how we manage any costing disputes.

As a resource consents section we receive around, on average a year, one costing dispute per week. These can take up a lot of staff time and energy. We manage these through a spreadsheet, but we are working on improving the efficiencies and transparencies in this area for both Council staff and the consent holder/applicant.

13. Attachments / Tuhinga tāpiri

Nil

Environment and Regulatory Committee Agenda – 11 March 2025

7.6 Rivers and Coastal Structures

Information Only - No Decision Required

Report To:	Environment and Regulatory Committee
Meeting Date:	11 March 2025
Report Author:	David Arseneau, Team Leader Rivers & Coastal Structures
Report Authorisers:	Rob Smith, Group Manager - Environmental Science
Report Number:	RRC25-03-6

1. Summary / Te Tuhinga Whakarāpoto

1.1 The relatively calm and settled weather has continued since July 2024, barring some localised minor freshes in the spring, allowing important maintenance work to continue in many of our rivers.

1.2 The next phase of refurbishment on the Motueka Stopbanks has commenced, with Taylors breaking ground in February 2025. This significant programme of capital works, part of the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund, will be carried out over the next three years.

1.3 This report covers a range of river and coastal operations over the past several months to keep Council up to date on this dynamic area and provide clarity on the work being undertaken to provide a more responsive and resilient service.

2. Recommendation/s / Ngā Tūtohunga

That the Environment and Regulatory Committee

1. receives the Rivers and Coastal Structures report RRC25-03-6.

3. Purpose of the Report

3.1 This recurring Rivers and Coastal Structures update report has a three-fold purpose:

3.1.1 To update the Environment and Regulatory Committee on the activity in the Rivers and Coastal Structures team,

3.1.2 To receive feedback as to the committee’s considered view of what good river and coastal management operations looks like, and

3.1.3 To provide a level of confidence as we change and adapt to the new operating and legislative environment around us, that we have a plan and are focused in the right direction.

4. Operational Work Programme Achievements and Forecast

4.1 For this report period, Taylors Contracting has been undertaking river works primarily in the Upper Motueka River, with rock protection placed in areas that were damaged in the October 2024 minor flood, with some channel clearance and vegetation maintenance in the Riuwaka River and Hamilton’s and Scott’s Drains.

4.2 Other river related maintenance activity during this period included native planting maintenance, stopbank mowing, rubbish collection and both monthly and six-monthly outfall inspections.

4.3 A short summary of the month-to-month work completed since the previous Rivers update report is included below.

4.3.1 November 2024 works (36 jobs):

· Rock Protection – Upper Motueka River

· Willow Planting – Upper Motueka River

· Native Plant Maintenance – Lower Motueka, Moutere and Waimea Rivers

· Monthly Outfall Inspections

· Illegal Dumping Removal – Lower Motueka and Waimea Rivers

4.3.2 December 2024 works (23 jobs):

· Flood Management and preparation for channel fairway widening – Upper Motueka River

· Native Plant Maintenance – Lower Motueka River

· Vegetation Clearance – Hamilton’s and Scott’s Drains

· Monthly Outfall Inspections

· Illegal Dumping Removal – Wairoa River

· Stopbank Mowing

4.3.3 January 2025 works (53 jobs):

· Native Plant Maintenance – Lower Motueka River

· Native Planting Site Preparation – Lower Motueka River

· Fairway Spraying – Motupiko and Wai-iti Rivers

· Mechanical Mulching – Riuwaka River

· Six-Monthly Outfall Inspections

· Illegal Dumping Removal – Lee, Wai-iti and Wairoa Rivers

· Waimea Stopbank top mowing

A field of plants and trees

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Figure 1: Maintenance of native planting site near Blue Gum Corner

Figure 2: Preparation of future native planting site at Pokororo; the contractor begins preparation of each site by spraying off invasive weeds, starting up to a year in advance of planting.

A field with plants and a house

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Figure 3: Clearing along Hamiton’s Drain, removing an extensive growth of invasive bamboo; we will need to keep up a programme of regular spraying and clearance to ensure the bamboo does not reestablish and re-block the drain.

5. Gravel Management Update

5.1 The pace of gravel extraction has begun to pick up over the past several months, with approximately 12,000 m³ extracted since November 2024. Extractions in several key rivers have been limited over the summer months due to breeding bird restrictions, but the Rivers Team have identified a range of future extraction sites that have been permitted or are in planning.

5.2 Total gravel extraction volumes from 1st July 2024 to 31st January 2025 (i.e., a running total for the current financial year) are summarised in the table below, along with the team’s estimate of future extractions that are either permitted or in active planning. It is expected that the planned/permitted extractions will occur before the end of the financial year.

River / Stream	Gravel Extracted (m³)	Additional Gravel Planned/Permitted for Extraction (m³)
Anatoki River	697
Buller River	172
Matakitaki River	0	~6,000
Motueka River – Lower (MBLE)	7,536
Motueka River – Middle	0
Motueka River – Upper (MBLE)	6,039	22,000
Motupiko River Total (MBLE)	0
Tākaka River	1,943	~8,000
Wai-iti River	0	~2,500
Waimea River (MBLE)	0
Riuwaka River	0
Smaller Rivers and Tributaries	184
Grand Total	16,571	38,500

5.3 The reduced gravel extraction fee remains in effect for the Upper Motueka River, as reported to Council in the 10 October 2024 meeting Environment and Regulatory Committee, RRC24-10-2. We expect to review the need for this reduced rate at the start of the next financial year.

5.4 Photos of extractions that are either permitted or recently completed are shown below.

Figure 4: Permitted gravel extraction at Pigeon Valley Bridge Road (accumulated area outlined in red) – extraction will be undertaken by Tasman Alliance to support Council’s roading programme.

Figure 5: Gravel extraction underway at the Tadmor Valley Road bridge.

Figure 6: Gravel extraction at Paynes Ford on the Tākaka River started in December 2024 (commencement shown above) but was paused before the holidays to avoid the busy tourist season at the adjacent DOC reserve.

Figure 7: An extraction of up to 5,000 m3 has been permitted for “McKenzie’s Beach”, opposite McKenzie’s Bank on the Tākaka River.

6. Tasman District Council Nursery Update

6.1 The Rivers Team retained CW Drilling and Water Force Ltd to complete the installation of a new water bore at the Council Nursery, finished in November 2024, which is now providing a consistent supply of water. Assessment of the existing bore pump indicates the pump still has life in it, yet it is something we will keep an eye on.

6.2 This summer period has seen several water leaks on the nursery irrigation lines, which are becoming more frequent. However, despite the number of leaks this summer, this did not create great issues because of the relatively wet summer weather, leading to excellent growth in the nursery.

6.3 November and December 2024 saw Council and Taylors staff undertake a stocktake of total trees in the nursery, and an estimate of how many poles we expect to harvest in 2025. As of Summer 2024-2025, there are a total of 7,557 trees in the nursery, with 4,352 poplar and 3,205 willow trees. Many of these trees are not mature enough yet to produce poles but are expected to reach that stage in 2026. We expect to harvest approximately 1,750 poplar poles this winter, which is in line with previous harvest years, and approximately 3,400 willow poles and stakes (smaller than poles), which is an increase on previous years.

6.4 In planning for this year’s harvest, we have allocated the entire poplar yield to our neighbours Marlborough District Council and Nelson City Council. Tasman District Council has an existing agreement with Marlborough District Council to endeavour to provide 1,500 poplar poles each year, in exchange for a substantial investment in the nursery made several years ago. We are currently in discussions with Nelson City Council staff for a similar arrangement. Some willow material will be made available to the public; however, the majority of willow material will support our river management programme. This will be the first time for several years that poplar material is not available to the public. We expect distribution to the public to resume in 2026 with the expectation that trees planted in recent years will begin to produce poles by that time.

6.5 We are currently developing a nursery management and expansion plan that includes assessment of the existing infrastructure at the site, and the potential to expand into adjacent Council-owned river berm to increase our ability supply our neighbour councils, our river management programme, and the general public.

A muddy road with trees and a fence

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Figure 8: Ponding water at the nursery from broken irrigation pipes.

A pipe in the grass

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A person standing next to a machine

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Figure 9: Failed bore pipe at nursery (left) and installation of new irrigation bore (right).

7. River Management Issues and Initiatives

OAG Performance Audit – Flood Protection

7.1 Tasman District Council, alongside Waikato Regional Council, has been selected by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) to participate in a performance audit on flood protection infrastructure. The OAG’s focus for the performance audit is on how well Tasman District Council as a local authority ensures that flood protection infrastructure effectively mitigates the risk of flooding from rivers and inland bodies of water.

7.2 The OAG team were on site in Tasman from 20-22 November to conduct in-person interviews and site visits of our stopbank systems. Council staff have also provided the auditors with a range of documents and reports on our flood protection infrastructure and other general Council policies.

7.3 The draft audit report is currently in development, and we expect to see a preliminary/summary version in early March 2025 for our review.

Rivercare Meetings 2024

7.4 The 2024 Rivercare Meetings were carried out in November and December 2024, with great turn out from the community and Councillors.

7.5 Feedback received during and following the meetings has been positive and optimistic, and the Rivers Team is committed to returning to the 2025 Rivercare Meetings with plenty of progress to discuss with local ratepayers.

7.6 Minutes from each meeting were prepared and distributed to all attendees who provided contact information before the holidays. We are in the process of getting the meeting information pamphlets and minutes posted to the Council website.

Retendering of the River Works and Maintenance Contract

7.7 The new river maintenance contract, C1552, which will take over from the existing contract, C1064 as of 1 July 2025, was issued for tender on 29 January 2025 with a closing date of 12 March 2025. Further information on the tender award will be brought to a future tenders panel and Environment and Regulatory Committee (ERC) meeting when the process has concluded.

Motueka and Peach Island Stopbank Project

7.8 The construction tender for the next stage of stopbank refurbishment work closed on 6 November 2024, and Taylors Contracting was determined to be the preferred contractor. The contract covers the full three-year period of stopbank refurbishment work, running until June 2027.

7.9 Taylors has broken ground on stopbank work in February 2025 on the first section of refurbishment under the current funding package. Work will continue until the end of the construction season, expected to be April or May 2025, and will then restart as soon as possible in the spring.

Murchison River Management Area – Assessment of Need

7.10 In response to concerns from the Murchison and Districts Community Council and others in the community, the RiversTeam commissioned an assessment of erosion and geomorphology of the Buller and Matakitaki Rivers to inform the potential creation of a new River Y management area around the town. Pattle Delamore Partners Ltd (PDP) was retained to carry out this work, with the final report received by Council in December 2024.

7.11 The assessment noted that bank repairs at some of the identified erosion sites was likely warranted. Under current policies/practices, that would require landowner contribution under the River Z programme. The Rivers Team will evaluate the feasibility of alternative approaches, such as the creation of a new River Y area or a one-off Council intervention, and will bring a recommendation to a future ERC meeting.

7.12 A copy of the PDP assessment report is attached to this report (Attachment 1), for reference/interest.

Fly-Tipping

7.13 Illegal dumping along our rivers continues to be a chronic issue month to month, with $13,698 spent since July 2024 to clean up and dispose of rubbish by the river maintenance contractor. Aside from the cost of cleanup, which is covered by Council’s waste management activity, the work occupies contractor time and resources that should be focused on our rivers.

A wooden structure in the woods

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Figure 10: Pallet hut, rubbish and burn pit that was removed from the Waimea River Berm in January

A rusty metal trailer on rocky shore

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Figure 11: Trailer and engine dumped on Waimea River berm by the Challies fishing ponds.

8. Coastal Structure Issues and Initiatives

Best Island Jetty

8.1 Following a structural inspection of the jetty completed in November 2024, which found the structure to be severely degraded, plans for removal of the structure were initiated.

8.2 Local Best Island residents were posted a letter on 22 January 2025 with a follow-up email on 31 January 2025, detailing the situation, Council’s obligations to ensure our coastal structures are safe, and the planned removal of the jetty. Feedback received included: general understanding from most that the structure is unsafe and needs to be removed; desire from some to lead community funding and planning efforts for a replacement jetty (which we encourage and will support); insistence from some that Council commit to a replacement structure prior to removing the existing jetty; and one resident’s wish to salvage the jetty sign as a keepsake (which was facilitated).

8.3 Contract Worx were retained to complete the demolition work, which was carried out on the morning of 24 February 2025.

8.4 There is currently no budget allocated in the Long Term Plan for a replacement structure, which would also require a resource consent to occupy the Coastal Marine Area, but we will explore options with local residents and the Council once the existing legacy structure is removed.

A wooden dock with a table and a round table on a body of water

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A construction vehicle in a body of water

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Figure 12: The Best Island Jetty was removed on the morning of 24 February 2025.

Māpua Wharf

8.5 We continue to see recurring minor maintenance issues at the Māpua Wharf related to the existing deck boards, with nails coming loose, boards becoming twisted and presenting a tripping hazard, and the surface becoming slippery in some conditions. We will investigate costs and feasibility to renew the Wharf decking and will present a case to Council as needed for budget.

Tasman District Council Coastal Assets.

8.6 Work is ongoing to determine the ownership of the many coastal assets and what structures the council is responsible for maintaining along our coastline. A cross-Council working group meets regularly to collaborate on asset data collation and verification, as well as on populating an interim asset database solution while the longer-term permanent solution will be realised with future horizons of Harakeke.

8.7 While this project is underway, the Coastal Structures team will continue to carry out regular asset condition inspections of key structures around the District.

9. Forward Work Programme

9.1 Construction work on the Motueka Stopbank Refurbishment commenced in February 2025 and will carry on until the end of the construction season.

9.2 We have scheduled a range of river maintenance works over the next 4 to 6 months, including the following:

· Aerial fairway spraying for weeds occurring in March and April 2025 in the Upper Motueka and Waimea Rivers

· Summer mowing of Waimea, Motueka, and Riuwaka stopbanks in February 2024

· Stabilisation of Eastern Hills Creek in Richmond in collaboration with the Stormwater activity

· Channel clearing and vegetation management of Brooklyn River and Little Sydney Stream

· Channel clearing and vegetation management of Powley Creek and the Company Ditch in the Moutere River catchment

· Vegetation management and bank stabilisation in Redwood Valley Stream and Eves Valley Stream

· Tree removal and stopbank repair along portions of the Waimea River stopbanks, to remove the potential risk associated with piping along roots and bank damage from tree toppling; this will be a multi-year programme due to the number of trees along the stopbanks and the cost associated with removal and rebuilding of the bank structure.

10. Risks

10.1 The risk profile of Tasman’s flood protection stopbanks is important to continually keep front of mind, shown in the table below. Standard best practice would be a 1% AEP level of protection.

Stopbank Scheme	Level of Service standard
Waimea	2% AEP (1:50 year), with estimated 600mm freeboard
Motueka	2% AEP (1:50 year), with 50-600mm freeboard
Peach Island (not currently a formal LOS separate from the Motueka LOS)	Generally, 2% AEP with variable freeboard, lowest at the upstream/southern end of the island where there is little to no freeboard
Riuwaka	Less than 10% AEP (1:10 year)
Brooklyn (not a formal LOS)	Less than 10% AEP (1:10 year)

10.2 A range of persistent risks exist in the Rivers and Coastal Structures activities, and management of these risks is one of the primary tasks for our team. We are starting work with the Assurance and Improvement Team to develop a comprehensive risk register for the Environmental Science group and will document the range of risks being managed in the Rivers and Coastal Structures activities in that space.

11. Financial or Budgetary Implications

11.1 Our focus for the 24/25 financial year has been important baseline maintenance that has been delayed in previous years, including significant willow layering and coppicing, management of excess willow material, willow and native plantings, and localised rock repairs. Some smaller rain events in October and November 2024 have caused localised damage in the Upper Motueka and Tākaka catchments that is being addressed by the Rivers Team.

11.2 Overall, River activity expenditures are in line with budgets, with some minor non-budgeted spend in the Coastal activity to address unsafe structures and consent renewals.

11.3 Confirmation of funding from Central Government for stopbank refurbishment has reduced available river management capital budget on order to provide Council’s co-pay for the funding, as planned for in the late stages of the Long Term Plan. While this is a welcome injection of capital into our stopbank system, it reduces our ability to address erosion damage in the river network if a larger flood event occurs. So far this has not occurred, and the Rivers Team will keep Council informed of any developments in this area.

12. Attachments / Tuhinga tāpiri

1.⇩

Murchison River Management Assessment - December 2024

Chairperson	Cr C Hill
Deputy Chairperson	Cr B Maru
Members	Mayor T King	Cr M Greening
	Deputy Mayor S Bryant	Cr C Mackenzie
	Cr C Butler	Cr M Kininmonth
	Cr G Daikee	Cr K Maling
	Cr B Dowler	Cr D Shallcrass
	Cr J Ellis	Cr T Walker