NZ Local Government 1808 by Contrafed Publishing

LGNZ EXCELLENCE

AWARDS

Top projects

NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE VOL 55 • AUGUST 2018 • $8.95

Sam Johnson

Looking for community guardians

www.citycare.co.nz

Page 18

IN THIS ISSUE NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE REGULARS

32 WHAT’S WAT? Northland Regional Council’s water allocation tool means council can see at a glance how much surface and groundwater is in the region. 36 R OOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Workshops reveal gaps in understanding best ways to manage waste stabilisation ponds. 38 IPWEA NZ’S EXCELLENCE AWARDS Public works projects at their best. The winning entries. 44 T ECHNICAL BRIEFINGS Integrated catchment management planning for the next generation. By Zeb Worth (Stormwater Solutions Consulting) and Bronwyn Rhynd (CKL).

4 Editor’s Letter 5 In Brief 14 Products & Services 16 Events: IPWEA NZ 2018 Conference 51 LGNZ

COLUMNISTS 46 LG 101: Elizabeth Hughes 48 Linda O’Reilly: On Legal Issues 49 Peter Silcock: From Civil Contractors New Zealand 50 Dave Cull: From LGNZ

REPORTS

32 28

SPECIAL FEATURES

18 F OURTEEN TOP PROJECTS The 2018 LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards celebrate the best local government projects in the land. 28 T HE TIME OF THE DRONE IS NOW Tararua District Council is using drones as solid working tools: and reaping the benefits.

40 S mart solutions: Remediating contaminated land 42 Smart solutions: Planning

LGNZ

EXCELLENCE

AWARDS

14 Top

projects Page 18

ON THE COVER. FOURTEEN TOP PROJECTS: 2018 LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS This month’s cover shows Sam Johnson who gave a keynote address at the LGNZ 2018 Conference in Christchurch. Back in familiar environs – as a former Christ’s College boy and founder of the University of Canterbury-based Student Volunteer Army

– Sam has an exciting new chapter in his community impact entrepreneurial journey to socialise. The new Community Guardians scheme – a collaboration with Citycare – is a national volunteering and community engagement platform that builds on Prime

NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE VOL 55 • AUGUST 2018 • $8.95

Minister Jacinda Ardern’s vision of ‘a country where everyone is earning, learning, caring or volunteering, because that’s the basis of strong communities’. NZ Local Government Magazine will be running an exclusive interview with Sam in its next issue.

Sam Johnson

Looking for community guardians

www.citycare.co.nz

LG August 1808.indd 1 5/07/18 11:54 AM

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

EDITOR’S LETTER NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

PUBLISHER Contrafed Publishing Co. Ltd, Suite 2.1, 93 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024 PO Box 112 357, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: 09 636 5715, www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

Touchpoints & traction She’ll hate me for highlighting her work in such an open forum, but I always look forward to reading local government consultant Elizabeth Hughes’ feisty comments and nuggets of wisdom. That they’re usually coated in slightly off-the-wall examples, makes them all the easier to digest. In her column on page 46 of this issue Elizabeth asks two simple questions. Who cares about local government? And how relevant is local government to your average citizen? If we’re honest, the short answers to those questions are ‘not many people’ and ‘not very relevant’. Some people ‘engage’ (that terrible word) with the sector some of the time when it suits them. As Elizabeth says, it’s time we all stop putting the blame on citizen apathy. We need to stare the problem squarely in the face. Could it possibly be that councils themselves could change their ways? Elizabeth writes that if the sector believes more people need to participate in democratic processes, a good place to start might be by focusing on every customer touchpoint, every time. Treat these touchpoints as opportunities. Incidentally, this same idea of touchpoints underpinned an article in our last issue on Tararua District Council’s project to preserve photos of Pahiatua’s past. As council manager Joy Kopa said, these very small projects may not have the big wow factor. But they can have a massive impact on communities by

showing the public there’s a human side to council. Here’s my personal take on this. Our beloved family dog Monty died suddenly last week. He had been a constant companion for almost 10 years. I keep seeing him out of the corner of my eye. I’m still calling him in the park. Then I remember he’s not with us anymore. I need to let Auckland Council know Monty has died and, therefore, I won’t be registering him this time around. If, in a year’s time, council sends me a notice to register him for another 12 months I’ll know it hasn’t listened and, to my mind at least, doesn’t care. Friends tell me council often stuffs up its dog registration records. I’ll wait and see. This isn’t about some large-scale, award-winning project that will save the community from a wastewater crisis or rising sea levels. There’s nothing grand about getting documents right. Apart from some great work by ALGIM, basic record-keeping rarely gets a mention in local government circles. So, I know that, in the big scheme of things, this is a tiny detail. But, right now, that’s what matters to me. That’s my touchpoint with council. Now, amplify that out to about 4.8 million people – each with their own touchpoints. If local government could crack this one, maybe, just maybe, it could get more traction.

Ruth Le Pla, editor, ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

EDITOR Ruth Le Pla Mobile: 021.266.3978 ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz SALES CONSULTANT Charles Fairbairn DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 411 890 charles@contrafed.co.nz ADMINISTRATION/SUBSCRIPTIONS admin@contrafed.co.nz DDI: 09 636 5715 PRODUCTION Design: Jonathan Whittaker studio@contrafed.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS Dave Cull, Elizabeth Hughes, Patricia Moore, Linda O’Reilly, Bronwyn Rhynd, Peter Silcock, Nick Walmsley, Peter Wimsett, Zeb Worth GENERAL MANAGER David Penny DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021.190.4078 david@contrafed.co.nz EDITORIAL MANAGER Alan Titchall DDI: 09 636 5712 Mobile: 027.405.0338 alan@contrafed.co.nz CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME Please contact the editor before sending them in. Articles in Local Government Magazine are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher. DISCLAIMER Local Government Magazine is an independent publication owned and produced by Contrafed Publishing. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of any of its shareholding organisations.

CONTRAFED

A LS O P U B L I S H ES

Contractor, Quarry & Mining and Water New Zealand magazines

www.linkedin.com/nzlocalgovernmentmag www.facebook.com/nzlgmagazine/ @nzlgmagazine

4 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

ISSN 0028-8403

IN BRIEF

Forty years and counting Opotiki District Council CEO Aileen Lawrie has dropped us a note saying finance and corporate services advisor Sue Watson has just celebrated 40 years working fulltime for the council. “I’m not sure how common that milestone is in local government, but it is a big one here. We have had some fascinating conversations about the changes in local government in that time. “Not only has Sue worked for council for all that time, but she has also raised a beautiful family, has travelled extensively, is a JP who works tirelessly for the community, has a deep involvement in her church, finds times for crafts and hobbies, has created a beautiful home, provides support and guidance to staff in times of need, and is the most loyal friend.” Aileensays she doesn’t know when Sue finds time to sleep.

Sue Watson (front row, far right) badminton circa1978.

Outstanding Contribution to Local Government Award

Trevor Maxwell.

LGNZ’s National Council resolved that Rotorua Lakes Council councillor Trevor Maxwell would receive the Outstanding Contribution to Local Government Award. This was presented by the Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta at the LGNZ conference in Christchurch. LGNZ says this is a significant award and it is delighted to present it to Trevor Maxwell in recognition of his contribution to local government over many years.

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

IN BRIEF

National infrastructure review looks at a cross-Tasman market model The National Infrastructure Unit within Treasury is conducting a wide-ranging review into the country’s infrastructure institutional settings. Jon Grayson outlined ideas at the recent IPWEA NZ 2018 Conference in Rotorua. He said the review will consider whether there are better fits in aggregating central government infrastructure procurement and transactional capabilities. He also said the review will investigate whether that approach should also be offered to the local government sector and other agencies. NZ Local Government Magazine understands a paper may be presented to Cabinet in August. A number of industry bodies have been talking with the National Infrastructure Unit behind the scenes about some of the ideas. Jon is responsible for financial operations, commercial operations, and the infrastructure and housing group at Treasury. He said this review is at the highest level. “How do we organise the system so that the incentives produce the right outcomes? Are those incentives right throughout the system from planning right through to delivery?

ISOVIST Setting the benchmark for smarter planning.

Isovist are New Zealand’s leading e-planning specialists. We provide simple and intuitive web based systems to improve accessibility and interpretation of planning information. If you would like to receive a complimentary demonstration please contact info@isovist.co.nz.

www.isovist.co.nz 6 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

He told delegates the review will consider whether the way the government currently plans its own infrastructure investment is conducive to good longterm outcomes. It will also look into whether incentives are right for other infrastructure providers, “like local government and the private sector,” to produce the right outcomes. The review will also examine how our country can “get the settings right to build capability and innovation across the value chain, and whether we can get a good handle on the pipeline of projects coming up and understand its impact on the market”. Jon Grayson. Jon said “the seeds” of this idea are already manifest in the Australian / New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline. “We want to build on that, strengthen that, give it greater credibility to excite the market about the opportunities in this country. “In terms of encouraging a competitive market to ensure value for money, can we develop a single cross-Tasman infrastructure market? “A potential outcome of this review – and something that government will consider – is whether we should have an independent infrastructure entity.” This could be similar to the various infrastructure bodies at the Australian state and federal level, he added. “Those Australian infrastructure bodies are showing promising signs of taking a more long-term approach to infrastructure planning and investment, a focus on the highest-priority projects that have the greatest value, improving the standard of analysis to get those priority projects further up the list, and ensuring that planning is joined up.” During question time, Jon was asked how New Zealand contractors could compete for work in an Australasian market. “That is something I do hear quite a bit… that the action is in Australia. It’s a much bigger market. “I don’t buy the premise that investors, contractors, all participants in the infrastructure sector won’t be attracted to New Zealand. If you took that concern to its logical extent, we would only see activity in Sydney and Melbourne. “These players are rational. They will go where the business is, where the demand is, and where there is a conducive business environment. They [will] have confidence to invest in capabilities here if they have the confidence that projects will be delivered.” “A credible pipeline is an important part of that… that allows them to plan and invest in capability here with some certainty. “But that pipeline itself, to be credible, needs to have a robust strategy behind it so people have some confidence that those projects will be delivered. “Simple things like a consistency of approach in the way we look at risk allocation between the government and private sector; documentation; seeing the same people across the negotiation table. “There are other things that we could look at like harmonising standards between Australia and New Zealand; mutual prequalification; ensuring the bidding rules are transparent and encourage innovation. “I’m quite optimistic that if we get those things right, investors and contractors will come.”

I N GT

NE W

NOW OPEN

ELL

IN GT

ASBESTOS TESTING

YOUR INTERESTS COME FIRST

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re completely focused on whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to you. So in order to give your test due care and attention, we limit the number of samples our analysts look at each day. This ensures we can provide results that are not only independent and delivered quickly, but are also accurate and reliable. With laboratories in Hamilton, Christchurch, Auckland and Blenheim and now with our new dedicated Asbestos laboratory open in central Wellington, we've got New Zealand well and truly covered! '

FREEPHONE 0508 HILL LAB (44 555 22) www.hill-laboratories.com

IN BRIEF

PHOTO COURTESY OF 3R GROUP.

New service with twice the chemical kick

3R staff Grant Wilson, Jason Richards and Mark Rose at work during the MyHazWaste collection of hazardous household waste in Palmerston North recently.

A new chemical collection service has not only seen Palmerston North residents safely dispose of over 800 kilograms of unwanted chemicals for free, but also helped educate them around hazardous waste. The MyHazWaste service, run by chemical collection experts 3R Group, held its first event in Palmerston North on June 16. The council-funded event gave residents the chance to safely dispose of household, garden, garage and pool chemicals for free. 3R Group ChemCollect general manager Jason Richards said the event was designed to improve upon traditional hazmobile events. “We used an evolved collection model which allows for a controlled collection methodology, accurate data collection and increased public education.”

also talked to residents who came along about appropriate disposal options,” Jason said. PNCC city networks general manager Ray Swadel said the collection of 800 kilograms of hazardous chemicals which might otherwise have found their way into the area’s waterways was a great result for the city. Jason said they received a wide range of substances: from poisons like formaldehyde to pesticides, acids and solvents. The collection saw some 80 bookings made, with amounts of chemicals handed in ranging from one or two small bottles to one booking of some 64 litres.

This ensured only substances which have no disposal pathways were collected, he said. “As a result, council can utilise its budget more effectively so that it doesn’t pay for the collection and disposal of things that there are already solutions for.” Residents wanting to dispose of their unwanted chemicals used the MyHazWaste website to register what they were going to bring. They were then allocated time slots, ensuring traffic flow and risk could be well managed. The website doubled as an educational tool promoting where to take substances which would not be accepted on the day. “Our team and the Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) staff and volunteers, who helped on the day,

Filtec update Following on from our June issue cover story on Wellington Water’s above-ground emergency water network, Filtec sent us this pic. It shows members of the Filtec Wellington team carrying out final checks. The water treatment plant container will purify river water so it’s safe to drink following a major earthquake.

SERVICES

EXPERT CONSTRUCTABILITY ADVICE Our contracting experience enables us to provide infrastructure asset owners with unparalleled analysis and advice.

Alta-AD-06.indd 1

8 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

Constructability

Procurement

Project Delivery

Design Management & Planning

Cost Estimation

SECTORS Roads and Transport

Underground Construction

Three Waters

Marine

Streetscape & Urban Development

15/06/18 10:06 AM

Know your Community, Serve your Community Mā te māramatanga te iwi ka whakapuāwai

Register now for the 2018 SOLGM Annual Summit The Millennium Hotel, Queenstown 10–11 September 2018 This exciting two-day event is an opportunity to hear from a line-up of high-profile local and international speakers – from big data experts, to those at the front-line of community engagement.

Explore new ideas and approaches to better understand and serve your communities, including engagement strategies and successful technology and data-driven initiatives.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Principal Sponsor

Network with your peers and participate in discussions facilitated by local government leaders and sector experts. Enjoy the majestic scenery of Queenstown, the world’s adventure capital.

Sponsored by

S im pson S h eff i e ld

Gri er so n |

| |

BERL Squiz

| |

PwC LG

Hub

C iv ic |

F ina nc ia l

St r u c t u re d

Se r v ice s

C onve r s at ions

Reve ra |

JLT

Heaney & Partners | Strategic Pay | Massey Business School | Magiq | Pivotal Print

IN BRIEF

ON THE MOVE Auckland Council’s governing body has approved the reappointment of chief executive Stephen Town for a further two years. Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) has appointed Kevin Buley as the new director of Auckland Zoo. Kevin has been deputy director and head of life sciences at the zoo since 2010 and acting director since January. John Bridgman has been appointed as the new chief executive of Otakaro. A senior construction industry executive, John has been working in Australia as industry director – civil infrastructure with AECOM Australia. John will move to Christchurch around midAugust. Among his current responsibilities, John is leading AECOM’s largest design alliance project globally as part of the A$12 billion Melbourne Metro Project.

Kevin Buley.

Mott MacDonald has appointed Maria Mingallon as technical director for its advanced computational design practice (ACD) in Australia and New Zealand. She will be responsible for growing and leading the ACD practice in Australasia. Maria is a specialist in parametric design, advanced computation and digital fabrication of complex geometry structures. Recent elections to the IPWEA NZ board have resulted in the following changes. Gary Porteous has joined the board. Gary is the sector leader – transport asset management at WSP Opus, where he has worked for 24 years. Gary has been

John Bridgman.

Rex Nicholls.

a key member of the Roading Information Management Support (RIMS) committee for several years. Myles Lind and Al Monro have been re-elected to the board. Myles continues as vice-president for the next 12 months. Hugh Blake-Manson, contract manager of Citycare Water in Christchurch, takes up a new role as Northern South Island Branch chair, replacing John Mackie. Former Wellington City councillor Rex Nicholls has joined the Taxpayers’ Union’s board of directors. Rex has a background in engineering, project management and property investment.

LET’S PUT LITTER IN ITS PLACE IT’S JUST HOW WE DO THINGS AROUND HERE

New standardised bin designs are being introduced by councils as part of an on-going commitment to encourage people to dispose of their waste easily and correctly and to increase recycling. The new bins include wireless technology that increases the effectiveness of collection logistics. Early results show much reduced contamination of the recycling bins.

10 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

We’re now looking for organisations to be part of the next phase piloting smaller sized bins in tourist regions and high foot traffic areas. Contact: The Packaging Forum donna@packagingforum.org.nz Recycling.kiwi.nz

THE POWER TO POWER ON THROUGH.

For decades, Kiwis have trusted CatÂŽ to generate their power when all else fails. Designed and manufactured to the most exacting standards, Cat generators from Gough Power Systems are made to work first time, every time. That means, when the unforeseen occurs, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the backup you need to keep working, and keep safe. Cat generators are backed by a nationwide network of Gough branches and dealer experts located from one end of the country to the other, ready to back-up your back-up. If you ever need it. For more information, visit www.catpower.co.nz or contact the sales team.

CONTACT GOUGHS FOR MORE DETAILS | Branches nationwide from Whangarei to Invercargill | 0800 CAT POWER

IN BRIEF

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

JULY 23 – 24 2018 Social Media Forum. Generator, Auckland www.conferenz.co.nz/events/2018-nzsomo AUGUST 1 – 2 2018 EDS Conference. Grand Millennium Hotel, Auckland www.eds.org.nz/our-work/eds-conferences 1 – 4

CCNZ / ACENZ Conference 2018: Smarter Together. Claudelands Events Centre, Hamilton smartertogether2018.co.nz/

24 – 25 Maori Legal, Business & Governance Forum. Te Wharewaka Tapere, Wellington bit.ly/Conferenz_Maori_Legal_Governance_Forum 25

Risk 2018. Grand Millennium, Auckland www.conferenz.co.nz/events/risk-2018

OCTOBER 15 – 16 Electoral Officers Pre-Election Training. Mac's Function Centre, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_ElectoralOfficersTraining

9 – 11 EVworld NZ. ASB Showgrounds, Auckland www.conferenz.co.nz/events/evworld-nz-2018/conference

Community Board Executive Committee Meeting. LGNZ, Wellington www.lgnz.co.nz/events/cbec-4/

13 – 14 Community Plan Forum. Novotel Rotorua Lakeside, Rotorua bit.ly/SOLGM_CommunityPlanForumRotorua

NZ Cyber Security Summit. Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington www.conferenz.co.nz/events/nz-cyber-security-summit

16 – 17 Building Nations Symposium. ANZ Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland infrastructure.org.nz/BNS-2018

24 – 26 NZRA Recreation Conference. TBA, Auckland bit.ly/NZRA_RecreationConference

19 – 23 Waves. Distinction Rotorua Hotel & Conference Centre, Rotorua bit.ly/NZRA_Waves

29 – 30 Funding and Rating Forum. TBA, Auckland bit.ly/SOLGM_FundingRatingForum2018

20 – 22 New Zealand Esri User Conference. SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland www.eagle.co.nz/nzeuc

31 – 2 Nov

28 – 31 IECA More Blue Less Brown and Lots of Green Conference. Chateau on the Park, Christchurch bit.ly/IECA_Blue_Brown_Green 29 – 30 Regulating for our Climate, Environment & Urban Environment. Te Wharewaka, Wellington bit.ly/Conferenz_Regulating SEPTEMBER 9 – 11 ALGIM Spring Conference. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Auckland www.algim.org.nz/algim-events/Spring-Conference

Local Authority Property Association – Annual Conference 2018. Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill www.lapa.co.nz/events-2

NOVEMBER 5 – 7 NZ Transport Agency & NZIHT 19th Annual Conference. Marlborough Convention Centre, Blenheim bit.ly/NZTA_NZIHT_2018 12 – 13 Communication and Engagement Forum. TBA, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_CommunicationEngagement2018 15 – 16 Contract Management – Wellington. TBA, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_ContractMgmtWgtn

10 – 11 2018 SOLGM Annual Summit. The Millennium Hotel, Queenstown bit.ly/SOLGM_2018AnnualSummit

19 – 21 ALGIM Annual Conference. Rotorua Energy Events Centre, Rotorua bit.ly/ALGIM_AnnualConference

19 – 21 Water New Zealand Conference & Expo. Claudelands, Hamilton www.waternzconference.org.nz

Integrated Strategic Planning Forum. TBA, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_ISPF

24 LG Executive Leaders 2018 Programme – Application Deadline. bit.ly/LG_ExecLeaders2018

Collaboration Forum. TBA, Wellington bit.ly/SOLGM_Collaboration

Would you like us to include your event in this calendar? Please email details to ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

12 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

Constructing and upgrading potable water supply, wastewater and stormwater facilities, and providing a maintenance service to ensure a long and efficient life.

Design Construct Maintain Operate

Manufacturing biodiesel made from 100% recycled rapeseed (canola) oil, and supplied throughout New Zealand to fleet operators, including Fulton Hogan, fishing boats and tourism ventures whose owners appreciate its operational and maintenance advantages over mineral diesel.

Proud partners of

Committed to a Sustainable Future

Proudly owned by Fulton Hogan

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Skills pathway for sport and recreation leaders Industry training organisation Skills Active Aotearoa has launched a new pathway for leaders on the front lines in sport, exercise, community recreation, snowsport, outdoor recreation and the performing arts. The first new programme – for the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Introduction to Team Leadership) (Level 3) – is a natural stepping stone to the second new programme, for the New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4). Both programmes are delivered and assessed entirely online. The Level 3 programme is suitable for aspiring or junior team leaders who want to build the foundations of a management

career. It covers fundamental skills including principles of team performance, problemsolving, decision-making, professionalism and ethics. The Level 4 programme is designed for trainees who are already managing staff and wish to step up their leadership abilities. Its content includes managing and motivating teams, promoting an inclusive environment, and complying with policies and legislation. Skills Active is piloting a new cohort-based learning approach for both programmes. Enrolled trainees will be placed with a group of their peers so they can progress through the qualification together. A facilitator will support the online groups.

Thelma and Louise hit Hamilton

Hamilton’s Claudelands Arena has become the first venue in the country to adopt IntraQ Portable Pedestal Scanners. The self-serve scanners are battery-powered and wi-fi-connected, and can read both 1D and 2D printed and digital tickets. Claudelands, which is owned and managed by Hamilton City Council unit H3, set up the scanners with partner Ticketek. Affectionately dubbed Thelma and Louise, the scanners were first used at the recent WBOP (Waikato Bay of Plenty) Magic v Mystics ANZ Premiership netball quarter page horizontal 64x180mm game. Ticketek launched the IntraQ Portable Pedestal scanners at the Sydney International Convention Centre last year.

Partners: Sarah Macky, Frana Divich, Paul Robertson, Shyrelle Mitchell, Kelly Parker. Consultant: Susan Thodey. Phone: (09) 3030100. Fax: (09) 3677009. Level 13, PwC Tower, 188 Quay Street, Auckland, 1010. www.heaneypartners.com

14 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

New videoscope for work in challenging environments Olympus has launched a new industrial videoscope that, among other applications, can be used to capture images inside pipes without the need for disassembly. Olympus is a specialist manufacturer and distributor of analytical, optical and precision engineering products for geochemical, scientific and industrial applications. The IPLEX G Lite videoscope has a small rugged body, features powerful imaging capabilities, and is designed to help users working in challenging environments undertake remote visual inspections. The IPLEX G Lite can be operated with one hand. The tip is fitted with a very small camera and can be freely manipulated. Olympus says

the instrument is well suited for tasks such as periodic maintenance or inspecting a component’s quality. Ease of use has been improved in the IPLEX G with the adoption of a touch panel monitor and electrically-operated scope tip bending, enabling users to complete inspections more quickly. New recording and playback functions have also been added; including constant video recording and the ability to add bookmarks to save time during video reviews and find critical moments quickly. The IPLEX G Lite also has an option that allows users to switch the light source from LED to infrared or ultraviolet illumination.

Tell us about your products & services

How the public sector uses data The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) has published a series of articles looking at how the public sector uses data. The series of four articles covers: functional leadership; building capability and capacity; collaboration; and security. The OAG says it hopes insights

in the articles “will help people charged with leadership – either in a system-wide leadership role or in an organisation that is trying to use data well”. To read the articles go to: www.oag.govt.nz/2018/public-sector-data

If you have recently launched a new product or service please email editor Ruth Le Pla for next steps on sharing your story with the people who make the buying decisions in local government. All articles published at the discretion of the editor. ruth@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

VERTICAL TURBINE PUMPS • • • • •

Flows to 2,300 L/Sec Heads to 350 m Power to 1000+ kW Temperatures to 150°C Bowls Diameter up to 45 inch

Design Advantages • Exceptional engineering quality • Highly efﬁcient hydraulic design • Heavy duty component castings • Cast discharge heads • In-built thrust bearing with anti-rotation arrangement • Standard IEC electric motors • Superior quality column assemblies • Materials of construction options • Shaft sealing options • Engine drive options

PMS 293 C100/M63/Y0/K0

Applications • Irrigation • Water Supply • Process water • Geothermal • Cooling towers

• • • •

TASTE THE ENGINEERING

Fire protection Marine Water treatment De-watering

Exclusive New Zealand Distributor

Layne Bowler vertical turbine pumps have a proven record under the most demanding and toughest of conditions.

Christchurch (03) 365 0279 Auckland (09) 525 8282

www.brownbros.co.nz

05/17

DELIVERING PUMPING SOLUTIONS® since 1908 Layne Bowler in LG 2018.indd 1

7/03/2018 1:21:35 p.m.

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

EVENTS

AT THE IPWEA NZ 2018 CONFERENCE IN ROTORUA

2 1. Tim Macintosh & Joe Brennan (both from Hynds Pipe Systems). 2. Charles de Vilder & Paul Southen (both from PipeWorks). 3. Adam Humphries & Steve Garbett (both from Fulton Hogan). 4. Jamie McPherson (Road Efficiency Group and Tasman District Council), Gene Ollerenshaw (Road Efficiency Group and Rationale) & Ewen Skinner (Morrison Low). 5. David Oliver & Kane Maxwell (both from Pipe & Infrastructure). 6. Paula Meredith (Rotorua Lakes Council), James Logan (Hygrade) & Pulith Kapugama (WSP Opus). 7. Leigh John (Aquapipe). 8. Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ) & Geoff Marshall (Porirua City Council).

9. Vaughan McEwen (New Zealand Defence Force), Liam Foster (WSP Opus), Piers Lehmann (Christchurch City Council) & Priyani de Silva-Currie (Calibre). 10. Len Whittaker (EZE Civil Engineering Consultants) & Craig van Asch (Exeloo). 11. Irmana Garcia-Sampedro (Christchurch City Council) with Bill Noel (Pattle Delamore Partners). 12. At the Wagners stand.

16 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS

18 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

14 TOP PROJECTS Every year, the LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards showcase and celebrate the best local government work in the land. This year’s crop spans everything from governance, leadership and strategy, to creative places, service delivery and asset management. There are stunning examples of community engagement and contributions to local economic development. These are the winning and highly-commended entries. We’ll cover the finalists in subsequent issues. For now, read on and celebrate some of the best achievements in local government.

MARTINJENKINS JUDGES’ CHOICE AWARD FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE & COMMUNITY OUTCOMES

JOINT WINNERS Palmerston North City Council and Rotorua Lakes Council Palmerston North City Council and Rotorua Lakes Council led the way at the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) EXCELLENCE Awards. For the first time in the history of the LGNZ EXCELLENCE Awards the Judges’ Choice accolade was awarded to two councils. Judges commended the number of outstanding finalists in the awards across delivery of best practice value and services to their community and they are recognising this in awarding the first joint award in the Judges’ Choice category. Palmerston North City Council’s Framing the Big Picture programme won the EXCELLENCE Award Best Practice in Governance, Leadership and Strategy; and its Public Art Programme won the Creative New Zealand EXCELLENCE Award for Best Creative Place. Its Junior Road Safety Park was a finalist in the EXCELLENCE Award for Community Engagement. Rotorua Lakes Council won the Best Practice Contribution to Local Economic Development Award for breathing new life into the inner city; and the Service Delivery and Asset Management category for its Te Aka Mauri Library and Children’s Health Hub. Its long-term planning strategy, The Rotorua Way, was a finalist in the EXCELLENCE Award Best Practice in Governance, Leadership and Strategy category. The leadership shown by Rotorua Lakes Council and Palmerston North City Council is an example to others in the country of strong strategic thinking, excellent community engagement and well-designed execution. This is the third consecutive year that Rotorua Lakes Council has received this award. AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST PRACTICE IN GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY

WINNER Palmerston North City Council – Framing the Big Picture Framing the Big Picture outlines the councillorled development of a comprehensive strategic framework to inform the development of the council’s 10-year plan – providing the city with the strongest possible opportunity to build a prosperous future. In late 2017, the newly-elected Palmerston North City Council developed a fresh vision for the city: Small city benefits, big city ambition. More than 60 staff then worked with councillors to develop an entirely new strategic framework to underpin this change of direction. With 10-year plan consultation on the horizon, development had to be rapid and robust. The timeframe also created a unique opportunity to holistically integrate all council activity. It was the chance to start with a clean slate and position all programmes within a unified plan, in service of the new vision. Everyone involved understood that any programmes and activities in the 10-year plan needed to find a strategic home: “if it doesn’t contribute, then it isn’t going to happen”.

The team developed six strategies and 28 activity-focused plans, articulated in detail and costed with up-to-date information, plus an illustrative spatial plan. This enabled councillors to develop the 10-year plan with clear line of sight across council, from vision to execution. It also gave the people of Palmerston North a simple, coherent overview of council’s proposed direction, helping them understand and provide

informed feedback during the 10-year plan consultation process, now underway. Judges said the project “showed a clear vision and strategy operationalised by measurable success indicators and was able to be endorsed by external organisations. It also demonstrates strong links between the council’s strategy, financial decisions and public engagement.”

Led by a new mayor and council, the project saw more than 3500 pieces of feedback collated into a concise set of values and priorities for Central Hawke’s Bay. In April 2017 a comprehensive engagement process – with input on the vision, values and specific initiatives – drew together a range of groups. These included community leaders and iwi, and the different urban and rural communities from across the large district. The outputs of these consultation sessions were the driving force behind the organisational transformation of the Central Hawke’s Bay

District Council, and are now underpinning its strategic priorities and investment decisions. Mayor Alex Walker said it was great to be recognised. “I’m really proud of the work the community, councillors and staff did to pull together this vision. That work is now informing everything we are doing.” This has enabled a renewed focus to be a proud and prosperous district, recognising the strong communities and connected people within it, and the council’s role as kaitiaki over this beautiful part of New Zealand.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Central Hawke’s Bay District Council – Project Thrive Central Hawke’s Bay District Council’s Project Thrive was a comprehensive engagement process launched in 2016, following the election of a new mayor and six new councillors, to cement the governance of a new council and develop a strategic vision and direction for the community. Judges praised the project for its collaborative decision-making approach. They cited it as an example of how a small council, with new political and managerial leadership, can, through engaging with its communities, plan and act strategically for the future. Judges said, “Project Thrive resulted in effective and genuine engagement by the community to cement the governance of a new council and develop a strategic vision and direction for the community of Central Hawke’s Bay”. Project Thrive saw elected members lead a fresh, overarching, community-driven vision with a new strategy and priorities for Central Hawke’s Bay.

20 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

CREATIVE NEW ZEALAND EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST CREATIVE PLACE

WINNER Palmerston North City Council – Public Art Programme Palmerston North City Council’s (PNCC) approach to public art aims to foster leadership, enhance the look and feel of the city, increase creative participation, and improve the accessibility of art. Since the launch of the Palmerston North Arts Strategy 2010, an integrated programme of public art initiatives has been developed. Rather than take a purely ‘commissioning and procurement’ approach, PNCC has worked to cultivate a development pathway for local talent, an enhanced appreciation for their work among the wider community, and a system of public ‘canvas’ opportunities geared for artists at different stages of their development. This approach has fostered a supportive environment for street artists that is the envy of their colleagues in other centres. As a result, Palmerston North can draw on a diverse and flourishing community of local artists to add

vibrancy and personality to the urban landscape. Support for public art has been integrated across a number of PNCC work areas, from parks and property, to events, as well as within its core art-focused programmes. Public art in Palmerston North has become a source of community pride and a distinctive component of the city’s identity. The Public Art Programme reflects the council’s integrated approach since 2006, to enable public art to contribute to the quality

of life in Palmerston North. It has resulted in widespread accolades, with the city now promoting its status for contemporary and public art as one of its key distinctions. The Public Art Programme was praised for its “comprehensive integration of art in city planning and its public spaces, resulting in changing the perception of the city to one that supports the creative sector and improves the accessibility of art.”

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR SERVICE DELIVERY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

WINNER Rotorua Lakes Council – Te Aka Mauri Library and Children’s Health Hub The Te Aka Mauri Library and Children’s Health Hub represents a national, if not global, first in successfully co-locating Rotorua’s library service with the District Health Board’s local health hub. The project was initiated following an announcement in 2014 that government was to fund the development of an integrated child health facility in Rotorua. This would replace the children’s health services being delivered from multiple locations around the district. Of particular importance to the DHB was a desire to use the funds to create a centrallyaccessible non-hospital environment for whanau and children. The hope was that this might mitigate some of the worst nonattendance rates being reported for children in the country. Co-informing the project was a similarlytimed decision reached by Rotorua Lakes Council to upgrade the City Library, with particular attention to be paid to watertight issues and earthquake strengthening. With council aware of the DHB’s objectives, discussions ensued regarding the possible

co-location of both services under one roof. After deliberating on the concept, the DHB agreed to become an anchor tenant of the refurbished city library building. On this basis, council approved the required capital expenditure as part of its 2015-2025 Long Term Plan process. Thereafter consultation and construction got underway, with Te Aka Mauri opening to much acclaim in February this year. Judges commended the initiative to co-

locate the services for the purpose of improving service delivery, noting “this is a good example of strong use of community infrastructure to improve well-being within the district”. As well as the library and health hub, the building provides community meeting spaces, with after-hours access, a parents’ room and multi-sensory digitised spaces – to “naturally draw family and whanau into the collaborative space, and de-stress the perceived officious nature of hospital care”.

a project to initiate a centre of excellence in strategic road asset management planning. The project was initiated as a two-year trial across nine councils. It commenced with collaborative procurement of asset condition data collection services, the creation of a regional benchmarking framework to determine areas of good practice based on customer outcomes, a review of forward works programmes in the field to ensure good practice was being applied in developing these programmes, and to begin regional pavement

deterioration modelling work. The project was reviewed in 2015 and found to be very effective, so much so that a business unit was formally established to continue this work. Feedback from the councils showed that the collaborative sharing of experience and knowledge was beneficial in improving activity management planning, leading to more optimised renewals programme development. The councils are now applying good practice, using data more effectively and gaining confidence in the programmes they are submitting for funding approval.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Waipa District Council – RATA (Road Asset Technical Accord) The RATA project, initiated by the Waikato Mayoral Forum, is a collaboration between nine councils in the Waikato region to improve strategic road asset management planning. Judges praised it as an “excellent example of nine councils collaborating on roading, joining together to improve strategic road asset management planning with sharing of experience and knowledge that led to increased efficiency and effective regional service delivery”. Waipa District Council is the host council for the business unit (providing all support services to the unit), with an agreement with Waikato Local Authority Shared Services (LASS) in place for the recovery of these costs. Waikato LASS has a multi-party funding agreement with each of the participating councils. In 2014 the Waikato Mayoral Forum approved

22 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

HIGHLY COMMENDED Wellington City Council (for Wellington Water) – Water in an Emergency The Water in an Emergency programme is a collaborative response to the ‘curve ball’ thrown by the Kaikoura earthquake, to provide access to drinking water in an emergency. In a severe earthquake, Wellington’s infrastructure is vulnerable. Essential services, like supplying fresh, clean water are at risk of being significantly affected, with some parts of the city predicted to be more than 100 days without access to tap water after a severe earthquake. This programme’s approach has three elements to it – building household water resilience to cope for the first seven days after an earthquake; building community water resilience; and strengthening the city’s water infrastructure. The goal is to ensure 20 litres of clean water, per person, per day are available to Wellington residents in an emergency.

The programme was jointly funded by central government, and Wellington City, Greater Wellington Regional, Porirua City, Hutt City and Upper Hutt City councils. This $12 million collaborative project was completed by mid-2018, a mere 12 months after it began. A key achievement is the creation of an above-ground emergency water supply network that will guarantee sufficient water to all residential customers within eight days of a major earthquake. At the same time, in collaboration with

other critical infrastructure providers, work has been carried out to identify and prioritise major infrastructure upgrades, such as drilling for fresh water under Wellington Harbour, and exploring options for creating new reservoirs. Judges praised the programme as a “superb example of five councils collaborating on water management, joining together to strengthen asset management and put in place a strategic approach to water supply resilience in the Wellington Region”.

Leading experts in arboricultural, ecological and open space consultancy. We’ll get you a better outcome.

Arborlab are New Zealand’s leading experts in arboricultural, ecological and open spaces. We offer you depth and experience, and leading-edge technology. Our services include: • Arboricultural assessment • Heritage and notable tree evaluations • Ecological assessment • Project management • Risk assessment • Asset capture • Auditing • Parks planning and strategy With more than 20 years’ experience and services available throughout New Zealand, we’ll get you the quality outcome you want. Find out how:

Call us on (09) 379 3302 • Email us at office@arborlab.co.nz WWW.ARBORLAB.CO.NZ

Arborlab LG Magazine Ad 180x128 v2.indd 1

“THEY KNOW THEIR GAME. THEY ARE EXPERIENCED AND THAT MAKES IT ADVANTAGEOUS. OUR PROJECTS CAN BE HUGE AND COMPLICATED.” – Auckland Transport, Remi

21/05/18 5:57 PM

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS FULTON HOGAN EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

WINNER Waipa District Council – Out of the Shadows The Waipa district is rich in heritage. It is blessed with striking natural landscapes like its prominent maunga Pirongia, Kakepuku and Maungatautari. But much of Waipa’s most culturally-important heritage – until now – has been largely hidden. The area is home to some of the most significant battle sites from the New Zealand Land Wars. These sites are deeply significant to local iwi and to New Zealand but are not a comfortable story to tell. In Waipa there are conflicting narratives about historical events. Previous attempts to invest in the district’s heritage were hindered by a desire to focus on core infrastructure. Out of the Shadows aimed to increase the district’s knowledge of its rich history and the powerful and nationally-significant story it has to tell. It worked to inspire discussion and create an environment where all people felt comfortable talking about their heritage and what it meant for them. The approach was in preparation for a proposed significant increase in heritage investment, including plans for a Waipa Discovery Centre in Te Awamutu.

The project aimed to include raising national awareness of Waipa’s heritage, and, in particular, its role in the New Zealand Land Wars. As a result, council staff had face-to-face conversations on the issue with 1800 people, videos developed around the heritage project were viewed nearly 62,000 times, social media posts reached nearly 60,000 people over six

weeks and 814 submissions were received. Judges praised the project as “a novel approach that used an effective and welldesigned campaign to address a complex issue of conflicting narratives about historical events. The project demonstrated broad community engagement that linked its history and fed through into its future planning.”

In Kaikohe, 95 dogs were microchipped and 73 dogs were referred for desexing. In Kaitaia, 252 dogs were microchipped and 187 dogs were referred for desexing. The project included a successful social media campaign with animal management

officers engaging with dog owners in known problem areas to promote ‘Dog Day’ events held in both Kaikohe and Kaitaia. Its key messaging focused on caring over compliance and built on the loyalty between dog and owner. The events were also attended by vets, NZ Police Dogs and DOC Conservation Dogs. As part of the campaign, the council offered free neutering, microchipping and registration during 2017 for dogs engaged with the programme. There was a 42 percent drop both in the number of reported dog attacks on people and animals in the quarter following the Kaikohe Dog Day event, as well as a marked increase in peer-to-peer leadership demonstrated on social channels. Dog Day’s education opportunities and targeted programmes have now been built into the animal management team’s work plan. Judges said, “the project demonstrated the council’s willingness to engage on a difficult local issue of dog compliance and responsible dog ownership and to find a more effective way of addressing the issue with community support through a well-designed campaign”.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Far North District Council – Nga Kuri Auau o Kaikohe Nga Kuri Auau o Kaikohe was a targeted, community-based social marketing project cofunded by the Far North District Council (FNDC) and the Department of Internal Affairs. It aimed to assist hard-to-reach communities with dog compliance and to promote responsible dog ownership – including registering and de-sexing dogs. The approach was piloted in Kaikohe in June 2017 and launched in response to the high number of dog attacks dealt with by the council’s animal management staff. Due to the success of this event, a second event, fully funded by the FNDC, Dog Day Nga Kuri Auau o Kaitaia, was held in July 2017 in Kaitaia. Both events offered free microchipping and eligible dogs received a voucher for free desexing that, if redeemed, would result in one year’s free dog registration.

24 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

HIGHLY COMMENDED Wairoa District Council – Wairoa Wastewater Stakeholder Group Wairoa District Council established the Wairoa Wastewater Stakeholder Group as it undertook community consultation about the future management of wastewater ahead of resource consent for the town’s community wastewater scheme expiring in 2019. It aimed to promote wider discussion about future planning, using focused discussions and workshops that were genuine and meaningful. The stakeholder group was made up of a cross-section of the community, including representation from the council, tangata whenua, and individuals from different sections of the community including the business sector, older citizens and youth. The group contributed to stronger relationships and wider council understanding of the depth of concern held by iwi and the wider community about discharges into the Wairoa River. Judges praised the project as “an inclusive, solutions-focused and pragmatic response to a

presenting issue on wastewater management that included strong iwi participation and twoway community engagement”. The stakeholder group assisted the council’s project team by having focused discussions on particular aspects of the project throughout the consultation process. The council was better informed as it sought a best practicable option for the future management of wastewater in Wairoa that is culturally, environmentally, socially and financially sustainable. The stakeholder group ensured that a wide variety of views and perspectives were taken

Organise it AND THEY WILL COME!

into consideration during the project planning phase. Focused workshops and discussions were held with members of the stakeholder group to ensure that the council was well informed about key issues going forward before wider community consultation and presentation to council. Wairoa mayor Craig Little said the stakeholder group comprised a wide range of community members who started off with a number of possibilities to consider. “The biggest consideration was what was the best decision for the environment, keeping in mind the practicalities and cost.”

Motorhome Friendly Towns Special Events with Organised Parking for CSC vehicles The work that goes into organising motorhome parking for an event is the work of many. Who else but NZMCA members have perfected the fine art of motorhome parking? Over six decades of practice is evident when you look at the photo on the left of the Whangamata Beach Hop (parking organised by the Hauraki/Coromandel NZMCA Area). But more than the order and precision, the opportunity of parking near an event is also a privilege our members cherish; a recognition of not only the NZMCA, but also of the motor caravanning lifestyle.

As Motorhome Friendly, these towns offer a warm welcome to Motorhome Tourists with an appropriate freedom camping bylaw and a suitable level of facilities. In return the NZMCA encourages its 80,000-plus members to stop, stay and spend in the Motorhome Friendly towns by promoting local attractions and events - all at no cost to the towns involved.

Untitled-15 1

Domestic motorhome tourism is a social and economic phenomenon, as the NZMCA’s Motorhome Friendly Towns program shows with its offering of special events with CSC motorhome parking.

Join us soon for the new season! To find out how becoming Motorhome Friendly can benefit your community, send an email to gillian@nzmca.org.nz

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

nzmca.org.nz

14/06/18 1:35 PM

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LGNZ EXCELLENCE AWARDS AIR NEW ZEALAND EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

WINNER Wellington City Council – Our Natural Capital Our Natural Capital is Wellington City Council's overarching programme to protect and restore Wellington's indigenous biodiversity. The council is taking a leading role in biodiversity management, including predator control, threatened species protection, community engagement, and cutting edge research into the challenges facing native wildlife in an urban setting. It is a collaborative approach to biodiversity, with strong support from Wellingtonians. The programme has resulted in a significant increase in native bird life in Wellington, including

HIGHLY COMMENDED Northland Regional Council – Marine Biosecurity Programme Unwanted marine pests have the potential to harm Northland’s marine ecosystems, its tourism and marine industries and can be nuisance foulers of structures and vessels. Northland Regional Council (NRC) has been working to protect its region’s precious marine environment, now and for future generations. Council has also been the lead advocate for raising national awareness around marine biosecurity and working with other agencies and organisations to lift New Zealand’s efforts in this space. This work programme commenced around 2010 and has continued to grow in strength year on year. This is a comprehensive marine pest programme, including biosecurity and RMA rules, and partly funded by vessel owners; the first in the country of this kind.

From a national perspective, NRC has taken a bold, proactive approach to managing marine pests, acknowledging that Northland has over 3000 kilometres of coastline and some of the world’s most precious marine environments. NRC was one of the first councils to include marine pests in its pest management plans / strategies. The programme aims to educate the

community on the threats of marine pests, pursue new research into innovative technologies, and carry out active surveillance of over 2000 vessels per annum that could be at risk of transferring marine pests. To date, more than 5000 hulls have been inspected. Judges praised the initiative for taking a lead in addressing a significant problem and trying

HIGHLY COMMENDED Hawke’s Bay Regional Council – Heretaunga Plains Groundwater Model The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) project built trust with the community around the future of the Heretaunga Plains aquifer. At the commencement of the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management-driven TANK Plan Change process, there was a static and incomplete picture of the highly-complex Heretaunga Plains aquifer system. It was based only on historic bore and resource consent allocation records,

26 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

and contemporary state of the environment monitoring. The regional council had convened a 30+ member stakeholder group (the TANK Group), representing community, tangata whenua and local and central government interests to develop the plan change. But there was a lack of interactive science tools to inform the group. A robust tool was needed to interrogate and visually illustrate the cause and effect of

abstraction on Heretaunga Plains surface and groundwater. The multi-agency Heretaunga Plains Groundwater Model team developed a threedimensional groundwater flow model. There was also an integrated surface water model to simulate the hydrological processes under management scenarios and inform the TANK Group limit-setting process. The team built a decision support tool, calibrated

a 600 percent increase in the kakariki population. Over 5000 households in Wellington are now predator trapping in their backyards, with over 120 community groups involved in ecological restoration in the city. The council, together with the community, has planted around 1.6 million native trees, well on its way to having planted two million trees by 2022. The programme is continuously evolving, with new environmental challenges for Wellington to face – most recently with the discovery of myrtle rust in the city. As a result, the impact of Our Natural Capital will be seen for generations to come. Judges praised the programme’s strong community engagement and “well-defined, measurable targets with a scientific basis resulting in excellent outcomes towards a predator-free New Zealand."

to deal with a really tough challenge. Judges said “we commend the initiative in being the first council to bring marine pests into their pest management plan and propose a region-wide marine pathway plan, embarking on trying to deal with a really tough challenge. The region’s marine environment covers an enormous area and harmful marine invaders are a significant issue that the council has chosen to address.” Since a vessel was found with Mediterranean fanworm in 2012, the programme has ramped up to prevent the spread of marine pests to and within Northland. Not only has council actively engaged regional stakeholders; but nationally it has also encouraged agencies and other regional councils to take action. Most recently, council developed a regionwide marine pathway management plan, made possible by a new key piece of legislation in the Biosecurity Act.

on the NeSI supercomputer network, of unprecedented scale and complexity in New Zealand’s water management history. Driven by this science, HBRC stopped issuing consents for groundwater abstraction with the unanimous support of the TANK Group. The model was used to demonstrate the feasibility of innovative management strategies and solutions to meet the community’s value-driven objectives.

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST PRACTICE CONTRIBUTION TO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

WINNER Rotorua Lakes Council – The Revitalisation of Rotorua’s inner city Judges praised this project as “the culmination of a clearly thought out long-term strategy for central business district redevelopment which has given confidence to, and drawn support from, the private sector. It has well-measured outcomes and shows the council’s consistency of forward thinking.” The Rotorua Lakes Council CBD economic development strategy was initiated in 2006. Inner city revitalisation remained a priority following adoption in 2013 of a long-term vision, Rotorua 2030, and key priorities to address by 2016 in response to calls for change. The CBD strategy’s primary objective was to reverse a growing perception that the Rotorua CBD was tired and in economic decline. A secondary and longer-term objective was to sustainably revitalise the ‘heart of the city’ so council investment could legitimately expand into the next geographical band surrounding the city. To measure success, five key targets were

set: increased visitor numbers, increased spend levels, growing tenancies, better employment opportunities and increased co-investment from the private sector. All five targets were met and exceeded. As a further indicator of the project’s success, the council’s proposed 2018-28 Long-term Plan featured three ‘Big Moves’ focusing on the adjacent lakefront, Kuirau Park and a link to Whakarewarewa Forest. Each of these projects has become viable only because of the vibrant CBD which now anchors the city and provides Rotorua with both an economic and social heart. Judges noted the excellent communication, collaboration and community outreach and the creation of an ‘ideas bank’ that led to “quick wins, creating the necessary momentum for the revitalisation project to get underway”. They also highlighted outcomes, including increased construction and foot traffic and significant impact on economic growth for Rotorua.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Waikato District Council – Te Awa River Ride – Ngaruawahia to Horotiu Judges praised the project as “an ambitious tourism infrastructure investment which provides the opportunity for positive long-term socio-economic growth and health wellbeing in the district”. The collaborative project, which delivered the Ngaruawahia-to-Horotiu cycleway and iconic new Perry Bridge Structure, has already resulted in visitor numbers using the new facilities increasing from 40 per day to over 700. The natural and cultural resources in Ngaruawahia present a substantial opportunity for a town with an improving socio-economic demographic. Ngaruawahia is a town of 6000 people that sits 15 kilometres north of Hamilton in the Waikato. The area has a rich local history. It is bordered by both the Waikato and Waipa rivers

and is overlooked by the Hakaramata ranges. The Te Awa cycleway links several key recreational, residential and industrial locations and provides opportunities for business development and leisure activities. Council partnered with the Te Awa Trust to deliver a phenomenal attraction in the area in the form of the cycleway and an iconic bridge across the Waikato River. Collaboration between multiple stakeholders and innovation in procurement, design and construction were key to the success of the project. LG

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY

The time of the

DRONE is now Are drones just fun distractions or solid working tools for local authorities? Tararua District Council’s Peter Wimsett told delegates at the recent ALGIM Autumn Conference that drones are not toys: they are now essential business tools that councils must invest in, and he has the experience and data to prove it

he Tararua District spans an area of 4360 square kilometres, has a road network of 2000 kilometres, including two alternate east-west routes to the SH3 Manawatu Gorge, and over 400 bridges. Peter Wimsett is council’s manager – strategy and district development. At the ALGIM Conference he outlined a wide variety of ways in which local authorities can use drones and the “amazing imagery” they can generate. These uses include for 3-D modelling, flood plain modelling, engineering designs and surveying. Councils can also employ drones for volumetric analysis, site planning, asset inspections, monitoring coastal erosion, search and rescue work, civil defence and emergency management. Other uses span regulatory inspections (building), spatial planning, and land use and ecological condition analysis, while also creating material for marketing and promotion. After 10 months’ work on a drones project, Tararua District Council has over 130 gigabytes – or approximately 20 hours – of video data in its library to prove that, yes drones, while perceived as “fun”, are very functional and are being used for multiple purposes. Peter contends that drones have a place in any council’s day-to-day service to the public. “They can really make our people safe while saving money. It simply makes sense that we think in pictures and better understand things when we are shown images.” He adds that members of the public, staff, contractors and elected members all ‘get it’ when they see the scale and

28 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

complexity of something. “But the technology to display and calculate what it means is now amazing, and attainable even for the smallest of councils,” he says. “The business case is now easy. The efficiency and time saving; planning and decision-making; health and safety; and quality of data is clear. The technology has now arrived.” What’s more, it enables good governance and operational teams to make decisions based on a real-world understanding of what’s happening. “If I put my governance hat on, I would require footage of important geographic or structural situations,” says Peter. “I would expect the analysis from the tools available to ensure the best decisions are made at all levels of the organisation. “A picture is worth a thousand words. But it is also just makes sense – to really see what is going on and understand beyond the reports and words.” Through all this, Tararua District Council is making substantial cost savings, largely by not needing two-person teams to conduct day-long site visits. Only a few minutes are usually necessary to take the footage with under an hour to do the rendering and analysis of models. A direct time saving of 1/8th is not unusual over previous resources required to achieve the same field work results. It is expensive for staff or contractors to travel out to site to assess a situation but now everyone who needs to know can see the same view. This also better prepares work crews for when they do get out to site.

Opposite page and above: Route 52: Road wash-out reconstruction. Aerial shots taken by one of Tararua District Council's drones provide a sense of the scale and complexity of the project.

However, the hidden and largest savings are in communication and planning; the images can be shared and allow everyone to see the scale and extent of problems or situations. Peter adds, “We can now do things easily that we could never do before. We should not underestimate the value of being able to readily take photos that provide information that was previously not practicably possible to obtain. Even checking the volume of metal stocks is now possible on a monthly basis.”

Bridge inspections nailed it. The savings, benefits and ease of use for this purpose alone would make drones an essential tool for council. In 2016, council sent five people to an introductory training day at Raglan-based drone manufacturer and specialists, Aeronavics, and undertook market and industry research including attending the national Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Conference. Council also considered whether government was likely to restrict, or promote, use of drones in New Zealand. The safety of planes and control of airspace is paramount. The then Government in 2016 was very advanced in promoting the drone industry and drone use in a safe manner and respectful of privacy. “Having satisfied ourselves of these things, we trialled some locally-sourced drones and consultants’ drones, and developed engineering capacity for AutoCAD design and GPS systems,” says Peter. We then took the project assessment to our chief executive Blair King and got approval to kick start the project.

Project management

Tararua District Council previously had access to one drone, and one trained operator, on loan subject to availability. Alternatively, council could outsource to consultants or specialists any work requiring drones – at cost. This gave council minimal functionality and limited results. As Peter explains, “We preferred to have multiple drones for different conditions, and several staff trained in drone use – setting up contingencies in the event of one person not being available. We also needed people who could analyse the data. We took a position that drones would one day become an essential tool that would be too costly to outsource if we were to saturate deployment across the teams. “To not have internal capability would inhibit adoption across those teams and reduce innovation. By not building capability, the benefits may not be realised for years. But in 2015, we had to first prove this position to ourselves.”

While the business case was built around finding a “killer app” that would justify the cost, other matters considered were: • The security and legal requirements; • The benefits of employing a permanent drone operator and how to scale this up; and • Identifying the level of service, drone capacity and peripheral equipment – such as cameras – required. The next steps were: • Management and IT undertook a strategy workshop on the drone project. Eleven council staff and six Downer NZ staff worked on the project planning; • Funding mechanisms were confirmed, and procurement planning determined; • Policy and procedure papers, and a job description were developed; • Four people were trained at Massey University School of Aviation; and • Council employed one “project specialist” – dubbed “James Bond” by the mayor.

The planning

Not just the ‘drone guy’

In 2016, council employed information systems specialist Tony Krzyzewski (widely known in the sector as “Tony K”) to review the validity of the concept and whether, or not, the project would deliver for council. Council staff sat down and listed all the things that a drone could be used for across council activities. Council was looking for the “killer app”: the one or two things that would justify a $50,000-plus investment in drones.

Tararua District Council created a dedicated role with multilevel responsibilities. Other people would play back-up roles. The ‘drone role’ was not to be the sole purpose of the project specialist’s role. However, as the function and nature of drone work expands, the other functions will be reduced and council plans to scale it as required. The main purpose of the project specialist’s role is: to manage council’s drone / national Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) activities, both public-facing and internally. This includes developing a public drone policy and working with the public to promote appropriate use of private drones. It also involves providing services to third parties including emergency services and other councils, if asked.

Background

Tararua District Council’s drone project was a finalist for GIS Project of the Year at the recent ALGIM Autumn Conference.

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY Costs The initial capital development cost was $52,000, with capital budget set aside for this purpose. The direct operational cost was approximately $55,000 to $60,000 per annum. This enabled three different-sized drones and four cameras to be purchased.

Bridges are the "killer app"for drones. Cracks have been identified. Maintenance can now be programmed.

The Kit The project initially determined that having an upwardlooking camera would be essential for bridge inspections. A DJI Matrice drone was purchased for this purpose, having a top platform to attach the gimbal and camera. A DJI Inspire was bought to allow the flexibility of two camera devices being attached from below – including an infrared camera for heat signature detection. A standard DJI Phantom drone was purchased for its portability, quick deployment and low cost.

Drone Target Use While a target workload of three hours’ flying time a week for the use of drones does not sound like much, a lot of images can be captured in this time. The real gain comes from the use that the information is put to. As Peter notes, “the very first flight took 15 minutes and saved a professional engineer over eight hours work in the field and office analysis”. The functions of the role are being put into practice step-by-step as expertise and procedures are developed, tested and applied.

Success The value of the role has now been proven: • It takes about one to two hours to capture the information that two people would achieve in eight hours;

Technology is advancing exponentially every day. • 1 896: First use of an unmanned aerial vehicle using cameras for surveillance. • 1969: The first demonstration of a digital camera. • 1 974: Aerospace manufacturing company Karem Aircraft Inc creates “Amber”. • 1 988: Sony introduces the MVC-C1 - the first consumer model of its MAVICA line of electronic still video cameras. • 1 994: SanDisk and Kodak releases the first CompactFlash Memory Card. • 2 000: The development of “microlens array” technology, allowing the production of higher megapixel image sensors. • 2 002: CIA first uses unmanned predator drone in a targeted killing. • 2 012: Light field camera on sale that measures distance and angle, allowing photos to be refocused, after they are taken. • 2 014: Drones / quadcopters become widely available for “public” use. • 2 015/16: Camera achieves five trillion+ frames per second. Another achieves 3200 megapixels. • 2 018: US president Donald Trump initiates production of micro-drones self-autonomous swarm capable with AI facial recognition for personal assassination. What could possibly go wrong?

30 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

• Half of the capital cost for a small drone was paid for in 15 minutes of fly time; • Health and safety has been hugely enhanced on planning difficult jobs; • Great software renders amazing images onto large OLED 4K TVs, and these images can be shared by email or on websites; • Engineering tools are employed for planning and design; and • Governance decisions have been made easier by identifying the scale and extent of geological issues.

Drone Uses So far the drones have been put to the following uses: • Bridge inspections – Tararua District Council found new cracks in a bridge. That bridge had previously been inspected and assessed as in good condition. One potential reason for the change may be a number of earthquakes since that last inspection; • Mapping of road washouts; • Construction site planning and progress updates; • Assessing land mass movement: especially after heavy rainfall events; • Researching alternate road routes for climatic events; • Mapping cemeteries; • Checking the status of forest blocks; • Helping iwi identify sites of cultural significance; and • Conservation planning for river and wetland development – for wastewater consent applications. During a recent fire event in the Pahiatua area the infra-red camera on a drone was used to help identify hot spots and proved a valuable tool for firefighters. Similarly, another video showed the Akitio seawall from a perspective that could not be achieved from the road. It clearly demonstrated that the foreshore is very close to being washed away. But it also showed potential areas for long-term managed housing retreat to manage sea level rise and potential alternate routes for a new connector road, should a storm surge destroy the Akitio Esplanade that joins the coastal road network. A review of the geography for a new access road to a water supply found an infestation of goats in a forest area behind the intake. This highlighted an unexpected need to take steps to better fence off the area and evict the animals. Council has also recently assisted the local lines company, Scanpower, to test the value of drones for their purpose, by running a light rope across a difficult gully, as a draw line to recable an area affected by a storm. A tricky, dangerous repair job was done quickly and with ease.

Future Developments In the future, drones with robotics attachments will be used to deploy sensors to otherwise-inaccessible areas. Land movements

on slip-prone areas could be monitored by internet-of-things sensors, in real time. Peter believes that, in time, ‘in-the-boot’ drones will be far more common, particularly in the roading and regulatory teams. “These are small readily-deployed drones that literally sit in the boot of our cars ready to deploy,” he said. “It is now exciting to see the development of drones that can self-manage themselves safely through obstacles and without wireless connection,” he says. “These would be perfect for tight spaces and inside structures or areas that have poor reception. Centimetre-level accuracy is also now available, making road surveys and flood plain modelling possible, on demand.

What’s next? With the new Long Term Plan adopted, Tararua District Council now has additional funding from July 1, 2018, to invest more capital in drones development and their renewal. Peter notes, “with the experience already attained with our drones, we are now ready to contemplate a ‘big’ drone”. This is one that allows “semi-all-weather” use in higher wind conditions and better ingress protection (IP) rating for use during or after weather events. Peter says, “there is no point waiting for the next calm day if we need information in, or shortly after, an emergency event. We may need to close a road or keep one open: a drone may provide timely information to make the right decision.”

Submerged Aerated Fixed Film (SAFF)

Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)

Passive Treatment Filter (Zero Power Treatment Process)

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES AND SMALL COMMUNITIES

Other things being considered will be micro-drones for internal building inspections and technology for centimetre-level accuracy for imagery. A camera for RGB [red, green and blue light] readings for water and plant detection would give another useful sensor and data. In 2019/20, robotic deployment systems might be available to investigate along with Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensors – if the price is right.

Some challenges Finally, two questions are still being considered: The first is, in what situations will the imagery be considered critical information? Council managers and information management staff may want 3D imagery to form part of council-retained records in the future, in which case a library and back-up systems will be important, along with security and accessibility controls and systems. Secondly, what will happen when councils start using drones to record internal building structures and how much data will that create? Will 3-D imagery of internal structures eventually be deliverable in a LIM? Customers may expect it one day. LG • Peter Wimsett is the manager – strategy and district development at Tararua District Council. He says he is happy to talk directly with people from other local authorities about Tararua’s learnings. 06 374 4118. 027 280 7297. peter.wimsett@tararuadc.govt.nz

Scan QR code for more info

0800 93 7473

hynds.co.nz

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY

What's WAT? Northland Regional Council has a detailed and accurate big-picture view of how much surface and groundwater is available in its region. Its water allocation tool (WAT) is an integral part of decision-making, helping council balance the needs of ecology and people, make decisions faster and streamline consents processes.

irst developed in 2014, Northland Regional Council’s water allocation tool (WAT) meant council could, for the first time ever, see at a glance how water was allocated in its region. It showed which catchments were overallocated and enabled council to focus its resources into those areas. “This level of insight was really valuable to our teams,” says Northland Regional Council’s geospatial analyst Janelle Palmer. “I can’t emphasise that enough.” Janelle was speaking at the recent ALGIM Autumn Conference 2018 in Wellington. She went on to say that, although she was about to critique the limitations of the first version of WAT – and outline subsequent adaptations and their benefits – it was a “big deal” at the time to be able to get such a big-picture view. “However,” she said, “it quickly became apparent that this level of detail, which is sources and catchments, was not fine enough for us to use for decision-making.” Janelle emphasised that water is a primary focus at Northland Regional Council. “It’s our job to ensure there is enough water for everyone and that we maintain the quality of water for future generations. With over 127,000 reaches in the Northland region, it’s a large and significant resource for us to manage.” Water allocation is an essential part of water management, she said. “It’s the process of determining how much water we can take from our various rivers and aquifers, and how much more is available once we’ve taken from them. The science behind water allocation is quite complex with many factors in play.” Janelle said that while her presentation focused on surface-, rather than ground-water, both are included in its water allocation tool. “The big question in water allocation is how much water can be taken from a reach without a negative impact,” she said. “There’s two parts to that. The first is environmental protection. That looks at how much water can be taken without affecting the flora and fauna within our streams. “What we’re talking about there is minimum flow. This ‘magic number’ looks at the sensitivity of flow within a stream. Different streams have different sensitivities based

32 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

on the ecology within them. Some native fish species, for example, need to have a certain level of flow for them to survive. “On the other side of the equation is the security of supply. When someone applies for consent to take water we need to know how reliable that supply is. That’s important because, particularly in Northland, the levels of our rivers change quite significantly from summer to winter, and from drought to flooding. “The ‘magic number’ in that case is called Janelle Palmer. the allocation limit and that value is set by the regional council in our regional plan. “Those two magic numbers have a relationship and that is, pretty much, the essence of water allocation.” Janelle described WAT as “a collection of ArcGIS models and scripts” that enables NRC to see which rivers and aquifers are under pressure and where any restrictions are needed.

CHALLENGES & ENHANCEMENTS While the first version of WAT added considerably to NRC’s understanding, council’s hydrologist Susie Osbaldiston could see opportunities for improvement. Susie and Janelle became the water allocation tool team. Initially, council was only looking at catchments, for example. “They are quite large catchments when you’re doing source-to-sea as well,” said Janelle. “So, we wanted to get right down to the reach level: to individual branches of a river.” That meant consent data had to be improved. “In the beginning, our staff didn’t really understand the importance of entering that data accurately so that it could be pulled into the tool at the reach level,” said Janelle. “Susie spent quite some time educating staff about the importance of that. But it didn’t really hit home until our staff were able to see the value in the outputs from the tool. Then they were more motivated to give quality data in order to produce quality outputs.”

Northland Regional Council’s water allocation tool (WAT) won the ALGIM GIS Project of the Year Award at the ALGIM Autumn Conference 2018 in Wellington recently.

It’s all about flow… Restrictions on takes

Water available allocation

for

Minimum flow and allocation limits are the integral parts of Northland Regional Council’s water allocation tool (WAT).

Resourcing the project was another issue. “We had quite a large body of work that needed to be done,” said Janelle, “so we decided to cut it into discrete little sections of work.” “The first advantage was we only had to focus on one part of the tool at one particular moment. The other advantage was we were able to get the work done as business as usual because they were two- or three-week blocks of work rather than a massive project that needed to go through a formal resourcing process. So, we staggered projects across the year until we got what we were after.”

REFINEMENTS The benefits were many. Janelle explained that, in addition to calculating at the reach level, the revised tool now also applied the allocation up the river network. That gave a more accurate picture of water allocation in the region. The ability to apply more real-world data to WAT also

Performance

Rewards

improved accuracy. Other improvements to the quality of the data came from refining the recharge algorithms for groundwater. “We also spent a lot of time improving the reclassification of the ecological sensitivity of the streams,” said Janelle. “That was a result of our Regional Plan work, where we were having to set these allocation limits. We really wanted to understand the ecology of our rivers a lot better and feed that back into the model.” Further refinements came from improving the boundaries for groundwater aquifers and lifting the usability of the tool. “I did quite a bit on improving the structure of the model; naming things well; documenting the tool well; all that kind of work to reduce the learning curve for the next person coming through.” NRC also automated the model “so that each time the tool was re-run it was not a big laborious process and it wasn’t as time-consuming”.

Success

Create Success by Rewarding Performance At Strategic Pay we understand Local Government and your unique issues. Talk to us about: Organisational Structure and Design Remuneration and Reward Performance Management

• • • www.strategicpay.co.nz | info@strategicpay.co.nz Auckland 09 303 4045 Hamilton 07 834 6580 Wellington 04 473 2313 Christchurch 03 353 0909 Dunedin 03 479 0637

StrategicPay AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

TECHNOLOGY 1

How much water can we allocate?

Environmental protection Minimum flow

Northlands Water Allocation v1.0

Security of Supply

Allocation Limit

BENEFITS The outputs from the tool are now an integral part of decisionmaking at Northland Regional Council. The enhancements made improve both the quality of the data and council’s confidence in the tool and its data sets. The benefits were many and spread across multiple parties.

ACCURACY / POLICY REQUIREMENTS Council’s hydrology team, the biggest users of the tool, all of a sudden had the accurate and detailed picture they were after, said Janelle. They could identify, and get research on, reaches that were under pressure. They were also able to meet central government reporting requirements under the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) – one of the initial triggers for needing the tool. The hydrology team also no longer had to generate individual water allocation documentation. “In the past, each time a new resource consent came in, we would have to go to that particular reach and do essentially what the tool is doing now, but manually and individually, and a different person might do it slightly differently each time. Now, hydrology no longer had to take on that role.”

1. Water allocation balances environmental protection and security of supply. 2. Over-allocated catchments are shown in orange.

it a lot easier for them to explain to people why they couldn’t get a consent. It’s really easy to show a picture with a big red line through it and say, ‘that’s why’.” The team now also had a standardised and consistent approach to water allocation documentation.

PLANNING For the planning team, the results were “interesting”, said Janelle. “They could suddenly see the impact of the decisions they were making, because these are the guys that are setting the allocation limits in the first place. I remember the first time they saw the maps and realised the impact that their policy was having on our region.” Fast forward to the most recent round of policy-setting for the regional plan, and planners could see a variety of scenarios through the tool. They could visualise what would happen if they set the allocation limits at different levels. “That helps them make better decisions now,” said Janelle, “and we do future scenario planning as well.

CONSENTS

THE PUBLIC

For council’s consents team, there were similar benefits. The “big picture” view made it easy for the team to see, at a glance often, whether or not a consent would be likely to be passed. “That significantly reduced the amount of time they took processing consents for our water takes and bores. It also made

One unexpected, and unplanned for, advantage was for the public. WAT had initially been conceived as an inhouse tool. But, as Janelle explained, council realised that the quality and robustness of the data set was such that it could be delivered to the public.

34 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

So, when NRC released its proposed regional plan in September last year, it decided to include the outputs from the water allocation tool. “This was the actual data that we are using for decisionmaking [being put] out there in the public domain. That was a pretty big deal at the time. It meant the public could understand allocation limits as set out in the regional plan.” Importantly, members of the public could also see by glancing at the maps whether any idea they had about water takes – such as the possibility of setting up a waterthirsty commercial enterprise in a particular place – would be likely or not. “That created a sort of self-service scenario which reduced the number of inquiries we were getting for consents as well,” said Janelle. “It also reduced the complexity of the planning and presenting the regional planning data because it was visual, easy to understand, and it just looked simple: even if the science behind it was not.” Janelle added that sharing such information improves the transparency of council’s processes and helps increase public confidence that NRC is taking into account the ecological impacts that water takes are having on the region’s rivers. “It shows that we are taking the health of our rivers seriously.”

WHAT’S WAT’S FUTURE? So, what’s next for WAT? “Better data for some of our data sets,” said Janelle. “For example, Northland is getting a Northlandwide LIDAR data set in the near future. So, we will be able to derive a more accurate river network from that.” She noted that NRC already has a “pretty good” understanding of its river network. “But because we have some quite flat areas, the model is showing those as straight lines when they’re not.” NRC also wants to include more outputs in its accumulation. “We’d like to investigate whether it would be possible to get stock water use data at the reach level,” said Janelle. “And there will also be further refinement of the tool as our staff go out and collect data about river levels and the ecological sensitivity of rivers. That will all get fed back in. “Also, as other organisations such as NIWA do better modelling we’ll include that into the tool as well.” For Janelle, the biggie would be modelling and presenting groundwater data in 3D. If council could get the data – and it is not yet sure whether that will be possible – 3D imagery would have the same kind of impact as changing the surface water from catchment to reach level. “I mean, aquifers don’t exist in blocks, they exist in substratas,” said Janelle. “So, to be able to more accurately model the difference between drilling a bore here or over there will give us an even clearer picture and we’ll be able to manage that resource better too.” LG

Procurement Challenges? Practical help now available for NZ Council Staff When it comes to procurement these days, everyone’s an expert. But practical, cost-effective help to put together RFT documents is hard to find. If you’re finding that too, we have good news to share!! There’s no end of sound procurement advice available from consultants today. Finding someone to tell you what to do in your procurements is easy. But your over-loaded procurement staff need more than that. They need help to write procurement plans, develop compliant, effective RFT documents and Response Forms, create Evaluation Plans and Evaluation Reports.

tools to work efficiently; and deliver value – both now and for the long term. That’s Clever Buying’s sweet spot. We’ll work fast, efficiently and alongside your team to give them the tools they need to get best value within your tight budgets. Our qualified, experienced team knows how to tailor RFT documents, develop Response Templates, and deliver the tools your people need for fast, effective procurement.

Too many hastily-prepared RFT documents are complex, confusing and generic – recycled from old procurements with no relevance to the drivers for value of the current project. No wonder suppliers don’t respond or ramp up their prices!

No hot air, no consultant-speak, we won’t borrow your watch to tell you the time, and it won’t cost the earth. Just roll-your-sleeves-up, practical help.

To attract the best suppliers, RFTs must be simple, user-friendly, compliant, and cost-effective. Your evaluators need the right

Better still, in the process, we’ll give your people tools and templates to do an even better job on your future tenders. With or without our help.

Sound interesting? Find out more or drop us a line to info@cleverbuying.com Phone 0800 225 005 AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

3 WATERS

Better management of

waste stabilisation ponds needed Water New Zealand's Nick Walmsley calls for improvements.

recently spent two weeks holding workshops This is not enough to understand or control the around the country to bring folk up to date plants and can pose a significant risk since there with the latest thinking around managing waste is insufficient warning of any problems. They stabilisation ponds (WSPs). I had suspicions that will only know there is a problem after the event WASTE STABILISATION this common means of wastewater treatment when things have already gone bad e.g. they have PONDS: DESIGN AND OPERATION was not well understood and this was indeed discharged a sub-standard effluent into a local confirmed. waterway. The sessions were based on Water New Pond sludge remains a massive and hidden Zealand's new Good Practice Guide for Waste liability. The fundamental truth is that whenever Stabilisation Ponds: Design and Operation. and however you treat wastewater you produce Locations were picked close to where large sludge which must be dealt with as part of the numbers of these ponds are established. The total wastewater management process. Focusing sessions were widely advertised and open to all. on effluent alone is not enough. Most of the attendees at the six workshops were operators, Councils need to understand the increase in their sludge along with some consultants and asset managers. production as this relates to an annual increase in financial Disappointingly, there were few attendees from other liability and business risk. The sludge needs removing every folk who have responsibilities over these assets such as 5 or 10 years, often needing resource consents and causing from regional councils and district health boards. Only one temporary effluent quality deterioration. Ideally the sludge will councillor attended. be beneficially used on agricultural land. In New Zealand there are nearly 200 WSPs treating municipal Councils commonly account for sludge accumulation within wastewater. It is the most common process used; both efficient their total plant depreciation. Unfortunately, this does not and cost-effective when well managed. The guide was written provide any clear signal of when desludging needs to occur or because there was little modern reference or training covering the logistical or community issues of importance for managing all aspects of ponds currently available. the risk. Also, the Water New Zealand National Performance The sessions included some lively discussions and it became Review surveys demonstrate that few councils fully fund clear that most of the information was new to those attending. depreciation. Alarmingly, it emerged during the workshops that almost none My view is that councils need to ensure that desludging of the 200 or so ponds in our country are being operated well is specifically highlighted in their 10 and 30 year plans with enough – and this is by the operators’ and asset managers’ own annual plan updates. It can be a significant business risk to admission. Lack of funding and lack of training were common them. The issue here is that without adequate highlighting, themes throughout many parts of the country. senior staff, politicians and ratepayers do not know desludging Most staff were qualified in other disciplines but had no is required at significant cost and often community frustration. specific training related to this asset and community service they I also strongly advise operators to be more proactive in were providing. It became clear that this was also the case for alerting their organisations about the risks and gaps in their the senior managers, councillors and others who command the organisation’s management of WSPs and to be putting forward purse strings and are responsible for professional development the case for better training and funding. The need is real and strategic direction of services. and those holding the purse strings don’t know what they Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a national system don’t know. for providing and monitoring professional development within Hopefully the guide, and discussions through the workshops, local government and therefore no formal way to identify areas will prompt operators, asset managers and other folk with where skills and training are lacking. responsibility for waste stabilisation pond performance to Very few operations monitor enough parameters to know create their own training sessions and share their knowledge how their ponds are performing. Many operations are only and experience. LG being funded to monitor the resource consent conditions; a legal necessity but more focused on the receiving environment • To download a free copy of the waste stabilisation pond than pond performance. guide go to www.waternz.org.nz/WSP WATER NEW ZEALAND

Good Practice Guide for

Sunlight

Reaeration by wind action

Free board High water level Low water level

1.5m

November 2017

36 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

CO2H2O Organic acids

Algae

Aerobic Cycle

CO2

Anaerobic decomposition

Bacteria

Waste water

Settled solids

ISBN NUMBER: 978-0-473-41940-0

Bacteria

09 274 4223 info@filtec.co.nz www.filtec.co.nz www.facebook.com/filtecnz/

Making water safer where it matters most, even in times of crisis. We are proud to have played our part in the design and installation of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first above ground emergency water network. More than 400,000 Wellingtonians will now have access to safe drinking water, after a significant earthquake. FILTEC. At the front and centre of water innovation. www.filtec.co.nz

years in the water treatment industry.

PUBLIC WORKS

2018 IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards

The 13th IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards were presented at the Fulton Hogan IPWEA NZ Conference dinner in Rotorua, on Wednesday June 22.

EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC PLANNING

WINNER The Queenstown Town Centre Master Plan Queenstown Lakes District Council and Rationale The Queenstown Lakes District Council led a multi-disciplinary team in the development of a masterplan that achieves the vision: “Supporting a thriving heart to Queenstown, now and into the future”. Queenstown has reached a stage where proactive planning and infrastructure investment is required to meet today’s demands and support tomorrow’s aspirations. The project delivered a 35-year, $327 million Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Road works impact and risk strategy New Zealand Transport Agency, WSP Opus and Fulton Hogan

Ben Smith (Rationale), Mark Baker and Erin Moogan (both from Queenstown Lakes District Council), Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ) and Edward Guy (Rationale).

EXCELLENCE IN MAXIMISING ASSET PERFORMANCE

WINNER Wellington Water Supply Resilience Study Wellington Water and Stantec A major earthquake in Wellington would result in widespread damage to the water network, which would take weeks to repair. Stantec’s resilience study developed a strategy for a postearthquake basic water supply and identified networks requiring seismic resilience upgrades, then developed a network upgrade programme. The judges described the study as an excellent example of analytics to meet client expectations.

HIGHLY COMMENDED Integrated Maintenance Management System New Zealand Transport Agency and Downer

38 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

David Hogg and Cedric Papion (both from Stantec) with Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ).

BEST PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT UNDER $5 MILLION

WINNER The Half Moon Bay Ferry Pier Auckland Transport, Downer, BDG Architects, Lautrec Consulting Engineers and Bellingham Marine The Half Moon Bay ferry pier is an important public transport hub. A new ferry pontoon and pier provides better levels of passenger service and comfort, protection against the elements, and improves safety for people getting on and off ferries. Downer’s close collaboration with key stakeholders including SeaLink, combined with innovative engineering processes, ensured the team not only achieved all success factors required, but exceeded Auckland Transport’s expectations.

Harish Singh and Scott Keene (both from Auckland Transport), Paul Somerford (BDG Architects), Tanuj Juneja and Jim Galloway (both from Downer) and Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ).

HIGHLY COMMENDED

The Te Awa River Ride

The Brylee Reserve Integrated Wetland

Waikato District Council, The Te Awa River Ride Charitable Trust, AECOM, Holmes Consulting, Emmetts Civil Construction and Fulton Hogan

Auckland Council, Morphum Environmental and HEB Construction

BEST PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT OVER $5 MILLION

WINNER The Mangere BNR Plant Upgrade Watercare, CH2M Beca, the McConnell Dowell – HEB Construction Joint Venture, AECOM and Holmes Consulting Watercare’s $140 million expansion of the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant is the largest single-site wastewater capital works delivery in New Zealand since 2000. The upgrade will add capacity for 250,000 people, helping to meet Auckland’s projected growth, adding resilience and maintaining high standards of water quality in the Manukau Harbour. The joint venture team, comprising McConnell Dowell and HEB Construction, worked collaboratively with Watercare and its designers to enhance the programme, manage the risks and provide alternative solutions in a culture driven by a key concept of ‘Together Doing it Better’.

Peter Hodgson (McConnell Dowell-HEB Construction Joint Venture [MDHCJV]), Garry MacDonald (Beca), Shane Morgan and Sven Harlos (both from Watercare), and Samantha Gain (IPWEA NZ), with Colin Newbold and Greg Wichman (both from MDHCJV).

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

SPECIAL FEATURE

Smart solutions

Contaminated land Urban growth is putting pressure on councils to clean up contaminated land. Current regulations are not quite tailored for the job and can be open to interpretation. So, is it time for a nationally-led more consistent approach? Patricia Moore has been digging the dirt.

ur country has an estimated 20,000 contaminated land sites. They’re a legacy of decades of usage, storage and disposal of hazardous substances by industry, agriculture and horticulture. However, we don’t have the long history of heavy industrial and manufacturing activities that tends to result in gross contamination. That’s according to Andrew Hart, associate and senior environmental scientist at Golder Associates (NZ). “As such,” he says, “the majority of contamination is present in shallow soils that result in a conflict with pressure for urban development.” Regional councils and territorial authorities have inherited the problem. There used to be marked differences between how different councils handled the remediation of contaminated land. In January 2012, the National Environmental Standard (NES) for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health Regulations 2011 came into effect. This led councils to take a more standardised approach. But, inconsistencies still exist, says Andrew. “In part, that’s because the NES is a planning document, rather than a clear, robust framework for the management of contaminated land risks.” Sarah Schiess, senior consultant, Tonkin + Taylor, also notes

40 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

variables in the interpretation. “Additionally, the NES is dealt with by territorial authorities and only considers human health,” she says. “It does not deal with discharges from contaminated land that could affect other environmental receptors. “Discharges are dealt with by regional councils and governed by rules in regional plans which may differ considerably across the country.” Affordability comes in to it too, says Andrew, with larger urban councils better able to employ dedicated technical staff than small, rural councils. Sarah makes a similar point. “It seems counterproductive,” she says, “that each territorial authority is responsible for technically understanding and applying the NES while discharges from contaminated land are considered separately by others. It would seem that a case should be made for a nationally-led, consistent approach.”

NOT SO BAD? Some 20,000 sites sounds like a lot for a country of our size, but how significant is it? Natalie Webster is technical director, contaminated land at Pattle Delamore Partners. She says that while there are a large number of land-use types with the

potential to cause ground contamination – as defined by the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (HAIL) – there is only a sub-set of sites where actual contamination impacts are present. There is a smaller number again where existing contamination is of sufficient magnitude that risks to human health and / or the environment exist. Andrew Walker, GHD team leader, environment – contaminated land, says he has worked on overseas sites where problems dwarf what we might consider significant. “That’s not to say we don’t have our proportional share of contaminated land including legacy mines, fertiliser production, gas works, and oil and gas sites,” he says. “But these typically haven’t gained widespread public attention and are generally only on a local scale.” He adds that where contamination is present at a site, this is usually a result of poor practices and / or established process management. He adds it's important to keep in mind that we previously “didn’t know any better and it was commonplace to simply dispose of chemicals in the ground”.

REMEDIES So, what’s the solution? Sarah says there have been huge advances in the application of in-situ remedial solutions for groundwater contamination. “For example, enhanced in-situ biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents is a standard approach that is extremely cost-effective and regularly used in locations such as Australia and the US. “New Zealand seems to be lagging in the uptake of this and other in-situ remedial technologies.” Andrew Walker also sees the promotion of in-situ remediation technologies – sustainable remediation – as a solution. “At a local and regional government level, this is a massive challenge as, almost 99 percent of the time, the economics point towards physical excavation and landfill. “The conservative approach, currently adopted to contaminated land risk assessment, is resulting in large volumes

Andrew Hart, Golder Associates.

Sarah Schiess, Tonkin + Taylor.

Natalie Webster, Pattle Delamore.

Andrew Walker, GHD.

of soil, which may not have presented an immediate risk, being unnecessarily disposed to landfill. “Using secure locations – landfills – for disposal is simply stockpiling known and unknown issues for future generations to deal with. Our landfills play a necessary function but are a precious resource which should be utilised wisely.”

GLOBAL CONSENTS As the demand for more housing increases, Natalie says the pressure is on councils to consent sites to allow for development. However, they need to ensure a robust amount of information on the risks from contamination is gathered, and that those risks are appropriately managed. “Another challenge is that the NES requires consenting of HAIL sites where a ‘significant’ volume of soil will be disturbed or removed, even when contamination is not present at a concentration which poses a risk to human health,” she says. “This is increasing the consenting burden for councils as well as landowners and developers.” Natalie says ‘global’ consents, whereby multiple sites over a wide area are included under the same consent umbrella, are a solution. “Such consents are helpful because they allow work on largescale developments to begin and then progress without consentapplication related delays.” But, she adds, this process requires a high degree of trust between the council and the developer. “A robust contamination assessment and reporting process is required to be written into the consent and undertaken in good faith by all parties.” A key challenge, says Andrew Hart, is the limited scope of the NES; it is applicable only where one of the five activities it covers are proposed. “However, there are a number of sites with high-risk contamination that fall outside the NES and leave territorial local authorities with little ability to regulate and manage the risks.” He says there’s also a limited framework to assess and manage new and emerging contaminants. “The recent focus on PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) is an example. The primary risk is to human health, mainly through the consumption of contaminated media such as groundwater, but where the land continues to be used for the same activity, the NES is unlikely to be triggered.” In Sarah’s opinion, the Resource Management Act led the world in legislating risk-based remediation of contaminated sites when it was introduced. However, she says, “sadly, New Zealand now seems to lag behind other countries, such as Australia and the US, in the active remediation of contaminated sites.” Andrew Walker believes we’ve been dealing with contaminated land in the same way, for far too long. “The book needs to be thrown out and we need to start lobbying for real, sustainable change from central government. Arguably the last election was won and lost on this issue so now’s the time to turn up the heat. After all, aren’t we in the contaminated land industry to make New Zealand a better place?” LG • Patricia Moore is a freelance writer. mch@xtra.co.nz

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

SPECIAL FEATURE

Smart solutions

Planning

Smart cities and human-centred design are part of the emerging civic technology movement. It’s all about the ‘e’. So, how good are councils at empowering the public? Patricia Moore investigates.

f you thought smart cities were those using technology to manage functions like parking, street lighting and traffic flows, think again. According to global research firm Gartner, the smartest smart cities are those putting an ‘e’ into planning. They’re using open data to enable a communitydriven, bottom-up approach, or co-creation, that allows communities to be directly involved in the formation of plans, programmes and initiatives. Matthew Ensor is Beca’s business director – advisory services, transport. He says this approach opens up opportunities for local government to “reduce costs, increase public engagement and get better outcomes for communities”. Let’s not confuse co-creation with consultation. All local authorities engage in consultation in one form or another, says Koordinates customer experience manager Anne Harper. “But only a few are truly engaging in co-creation.” Co-creation is about councils releasing the underlying geospatial data relating to the planning process, she says. “After all, it’s only when citizens have a chance to access and use data that they have the chance to truly engage in the decision-making process.” When it comes to co-creating planning solutions, Align director Nick Williamson suggests councils could learn a lot from the tech and entrepreneurial communities. When these groups hold events they attract people with great ideas who are prepared to work for days on solving problems – frequently many more people than are drawn to council events. “Smart cities and human-centered design are part of the

42 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

emerging civic technology movement,” says Nick. “They’re using technology to help empower the public in its dealings with government through better information generation and sharing, and better decision-making and accountability. “Simply applying smart cities technology to existing local government structures is the equivalent of steampunking,” he says. “It just digitises industrial-age business models.” Nick urges councils to stop trying to help communities and start working alongside community-led initiatives. “Councils need to enable and facilitate bottom-up initiatives. That’s the only way things get any traction.”

JUST CLICK HERE Environmental planning and design consultancy Boffa Miskell helped develop New Plymouth District Council’s Draft Digital District Plan. It’s the country’s first district plan drafted directly into a property-based e-plan (developed by Isovist) and a winner of multiple awards. (For more details read Going Digital in the June 2018 issue of NZ Local Government Magazine.) Planner Jaimee Semmens says the digital plan allows community members to easily identify their property, the relevant zone and any features or rules “at the click of a few buttons”. Boffa Miskell GIS specialist Hayley Hume-Merry adds that as councils adopt open-data strategies, creating online engagement solutions becomes a lot easier. “Open data, along with effective online tools, empowers ratepayers to make decisions without the need for council officer guidance.”

1. Participants building innovative solutions at the Whangarei venue of GovHack 2015. 2. T he lean canvass being used by NZ Treasury at a policy prototyping masterclass facilitated by Nick Williamson. 3. Participants building innovative solutions at the Wellington venue of GovHack 2017.

WAIKATO DISTRICT COUNCIL Meanwhile, Anne Harper from Koordinates cites Waikato District Council as another example of a council moving in the right direction. The council has recently released 100 datasets relating to its district plan. (See link below.) “By making this available they’ve been able to work more effectively with stakeholders across the region,” says Anne. “Anyone interested in the planning process can find and access it, then provide feedback without needing intervention by council staff.” Today, there is a huge range of cutting-edge tools and technologies local authorities can use to facilitate e-planning. Jaimee from Boffa Miskell says that as well as open-data portals, these may include improved use of GIS information, e-plans, e-consultation methods, virtual / augmented reality technology and 3D modelling.

BACK TO FRONT But, says Nick, before councils spend up large on technology products or services there needs to be a clear understanding of how they will improve the lot of the stakeholders. Anne believes that, too often, discussions around smart cities are ‘back-to-front’. “People get excited about a cutting-edge technology then go searching for an application or solution.” Unfortunately, she says, the open data and smart cities spaces are full of projects that have under-delivered: usually because of poorly-conceived or badly-implemented technology. “We’ve been working on better data distribution for over a decade, so we’ve got a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t.”

ON THE BACK FOOT But is opening up data – essentially releasing it free of all technical, price and legal restrictions on reuse – enough to set councils on the path to greater engagement with citizens? Local authorities are starting on the back foot, says

Matthew. “Co-creation requires high levels of public engagement across the full cross-section of the community, as well as high levels of transparency. The annual Edelman Trust Barometer suggests that, typically, the majority of people will not trust messages from local authorities. “Compounding that, messages from councils tend to need to be uniform. But as technology has changed, people are now engaged with issues that are very local, affecting them or their values. Co-creation can’t occur without the engagement of the majority. Any solution for public engagement at scale now needs to be hyperlocal.” Brett Naylor, Beca group manager – digital delivery, says getting smart presents huge opportunities for councils. But they cannot expect to maximise these opportunities by continuing to act in the same old way. “If we expect to manage and operate smart infrastructure the way we currently manage existing stock, we will limit the full opportunity from being realised. “Digital technologies need to be leveraged not only to bring efficiencies in operations and maintenance, but to allow for a more integrated operation across networks and service providers. It’s only with a holistic view that the full potential of the smart city of the future will be achieved.” Jaimee notes that reinventing and reinvigorating the relationship between local authorities and ratepayers will require further investment and research into ePlanning and the benefits of community engagement. “A start has been made with the recently-released first set of National Planning Standards which sets a clear vision for where it expects councils to move in the ePlanning space in the coming seven years.” Meanwhile, Nick adds that while planning for smarter cities is about looking into the future, councils need to start by being aware of what’s going on today. “Millennials, the youngest generation of ratepayers, are doing things differently. They’re solving problems in dozens of ways through their mobile devices. The local government sector really needs to be thinking about how disruptive technology is going to impact its business model.” LG •T o access the datasets relating to Waikato District Council’s district plan go to: bit.ly/WDC_DistrictPlanData • Patricia Moore is a freelance writer. mch@xtra.co.nz

COMING UP

In the SEPTEMBER issue

SMART SOLUTIONS • Cityscapes • Wastewater management

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

TECHNICAL BRIEFINGS

This paper was presented at the recent Stormwater 2018 conference in Queenstown.

INTEGRATED CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION Zeb Worth (Stormwater Solutions Consulting) & Bronwyn Rhynd (CKL).

ABSTRACT

improve the interconnectivity between baseline data, catchment activities, values and outcomes, and the available management tools based on best practice. The paper concludes with high-level recommendations for how the next generation of ICMPs can build on the current framework to continually improve how we plan for, and manage, our water resources.

Integrated Catchment Management Planning (ICMP) is a process for developing a framework to guide development and land use activities with CONCLUSIONS respect to water resources within a catchment. In general, it is a tool for ICM is a complex and wide-reaching process requiring diverse inputs and establishing the demands and effects of existing and proposed land uses built-in feedback loops. It needs to account for competing pressures and at a catchment scale, and developing high-level management strategies to objectives in both a spatial and temporal context. To achieve integrated, manage these demands and effects. sustainable land use and resource management it needs a collaborative As the name suggests, ICMPs are intended to integrate the various approach that considers: strategies that can be used to achieve positive environmental, social and • Scale: national, regional and project level objectives both now and in economic outcomes through effective management of water resources the future; within a catchment. • System capacities: environmental, socioeconomic and infrastructural That is, by looking at the water cycle and associated functions constraints; within catchment as a whole (including cultural context, biodiversity, • System interactions: both inter- and intra-catchment; and hydrogeological conditions, and the catchment’s relationship to other • Stakeholders: cultural relationships with water and other natural catchments) and weaving these together to develop overlapping strategies resources, human needs and economic development requirements. that will improve the catchment for existing and future generations. The current implementation structure presents several barriers to However, valuable opportunities are often missed during the ICMP developing a holistic, integrated approach. It tends to be ‘top down’ and process when various components are developed in silos or in a linear hierarchical rather than collaborative and adaptive. ICM needs to be able to process rather than collaboratively and holistically. incorporate and respond to known and anticipated needs to ensure it is not Frequently the interrelationships betweenMETHODOLOGY different elements are just reactive, but proactive and forward looking. 2.2 PROCESS not fully taken into account as the plan evolves, resulting in conceptual Stakeholder input mechanisms need to be put in place that allow ‘bottom The ICMP process should ideally be initiated prior to the Structure Plan process (or frameworks which are equivalent not always practical implement. up’ considerationsecological, to be taken into account. and Theseother need to be complimented spatial to planning) toFurthermore, enable the hydrogeological, hydraulic the potential cross benefits availablerelated management techniques of area catchment with effective objective setting, monitoring feed mechanisms which are water of resource characteristics to be identified and fed intoand strategic growth and land-use planning (ARC, 2005). non-adversarial Figure 1 below, somewhat outdated, often missed. in theirwhile approach. shows the general alignment and linkages between ICM and other aspects of the planning The full paper explores the existing ICMP framework and how or why its Mechanisms need to be developed and put in place to facilitate the process in Auckland with some of the missing links/feedback loops required to improve current implementationoutcomes. may be inadvertently resulting in outcomes that collection, curation and sharing of data and knowledge attained through are counter to the overarching philosophy. It then looks at opportunities to the development and monitoring phases of ICM. The lack of consistent and

Relationship between integrated catchment management and other planning documents (adapted from Reed & Utting, 2011) to show proposed linkages and feedback mechanisms (dashed lines).

Figure 1: Relationship between ICM and other planning documents adapted from (Reed &

Utting, 2011) to show proposed linkages and feedback mechanisms (dashed). 44 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

considerations (e.g. transportation links, population growth and land use needs) to determine where compromises may be required and inform the ultimate outcomes.

accepted guidance, and limited institutional capacity for change, results in confusion and disillusionment with the process. ICM should be viewed as an integral part of growth planning and sustainable resource management, rather than as an “add on” which is required to meet statutory obligations. Central government needs to guide and support the development of ICMPs to allow local and regional government to access the required resources. The development of partnerships and co-funding models may help, by removing the artificial barriers between different stakeholders. By changing the way in which we view and use ICM, to a multi-discipline and multi-scaled approach, we can respond to growth in a way that allows for shortterm needs while allowing the long-term and wider considerations to be taken into account. A framework for integrated land use and environmental management is required that is flexible and adaptive to allow it to reflect the changing needs and requirements of future generations. We need to re-ignite this conversation to continue to improve the way we plan and manage growth to protect and enhance the natural and anthropogenic resource responses for our catchments. LG • To read the full paper go to: bit.ly/Integrated_Catchment_Management

The general approach to integrated land use and catchment management needs to be collaborative, adaptive and iterative. There needs to be constant monitoring of outcomes and feedback loops that allow improvements to be made over time. (Feeney, et al., 2010) provides an excellent summary of the bigger picture processes underlying ICM using the ISO Plan-Do-Check-Review cyclical model. However, in order to implement ICM we need to examine the subroutines within this framework – in particular the ‘doing’. Figure 2 gives suggested considerations when developing an ICMP along with a suggested simplified framework based on the same ISO model; Strategy Development [Plan] • Spatial planning identifies the need for and type of development required (residential, commercial, industrial trades etc.) • Desired outcomes and potential effects identified

Information Acquisition [Review] • Updated constraints and opportunities fed back into planning process until issues resolved • Missing data collected where necessary

Management strategies modified/ New management strategies developed

 Stakeholders and partnership opportunities identified  Constraints, needs and opportunities identified. o Environmental (e.g. ecology, hydrological, geotechnical) o Cultural resource use traditions o Economic (e.g. land value, developer capacity

Decision Making [Do] • Conflicts and compromises established • Management strategies identified • Preliminary decisions made on type, scale and location of land use and mitigation measures

Evaluation [Check] • Comparisons made between anticipated and observed outcomes (through simulation or comparative analysis) • Information gaps identified

Conceptual integrated catchment management development

Figure 2: Conceptual ICM framework development framework adapted (adapted from Hooper, 2005). from (Hooper, 2005)

Water New Zealand’s 2018 Stormwater Conference

Discover real solutions with lean business and agile approaches.

Have you considered taking an entrepreneurial approach to solving your civic, local government or smart city challenges? We offer councils, network utilities, district health boards and other local authorities a way to apply the lean business and agile approaches to policy making, economic development and service delivery.

Contact: Nick Williamson

nwilliamson@align.net.nz

027 555 1772

Visit align.net.nz

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

ELIZABETH HUGHES / LOCAL GOVERNMENT 101 E LIZAB ETH H UG H ES COM M U N ICATION. www.elizabethhughes.co.nz

Who cares about local government? Check out the relevance index and the participation gap.

STAND BACK AND SCIENTIFICALLY REVIEW THE COMPLEX REASONS FOR MASS DESERTION OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

et’s face it. People just do not care about local government. While this is not a news flash, there is evidence of situational blindness affecting many who work and serve in the sector when presented with this fact. As the 2018-28 LTP process draws to a close and the build-up begins to the 2019 elections, councils and local government organisations will turn their minds to ‘engaging’ communities, raising awareness around new projects and looking for ways to increase voter turnout. One can safely predict that many innovative, stylish, multi-channelled and well-intentioned efforts will be made to achieve these worthy outcomes. And, as usual, there will be no significant change. Many commentators blame this on “citizen apathy” (piling judgement upon the sluggish masses). How about considering, instead, that desertion of participation in democratic processes is due to local government lacking relevance to your average citizen. And local government, viewing citizens through its own self-important lens, is itself failing to make the connection. The Hughes “relevance of local government” index (2018) describes four people groups that can be used to predict levels of participation.

Group 1 – Everything is relevant These people work for councils, are elected to councils, or are: • consultants; • people who stood for council but didn’t get elected; or • local government journalists / commentators. Many in this group believe the rest of the community cares (or should care) about local government. This is largely due to the kinds of people they hang about with – who are either people like them or come from group two. Group 2 – Sometimes relevant This group consists of: • citizens who genuinely care about anything to do with local “issues”; • letter to the editor writers / keyboard warriors (often drawn from a sub-grouping of retired accountants, engineers, retailers and academics); • serial submitters; and • special interest fanatics. Relevance to them will be around the big issues, for example: • amalgamation; • changing the council’s logo; or • parking.

SUBSCRIBE NOW for only $82 (including GST and postage within New Zealand) and get your own copy each month for 12 issues.

That’s a saving of 20% off the cover price. NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE LG MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION AUGUST 2018

CALL US NOW. 09 636 5715 or email admin@contrafed.co.nz www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

46 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

According to the Hughes relevance index, groups one and two make up no more than four to five percent of the adult population of any community and will almost always consist of participators. Important point to note: this is not many actual people. Group 3 – Transactional relevance A council’s relevance to group three citizens comes mainly from delivery of services (another name for this group is “customers”). For example: • taking out a library book; • going to the pools; • getting a parking ticket; • registering a dog; • needing a consent; or • buying a house. Customers also experience relevance (a connection to) the council when their street is dug up, construction starts next door, a playground is built or there is pollution in a neighbourhood stream – because these things matter to them right here, right now. Numbers in this group might occasionally peak at, say, 4050 percent of the population (eg elections). However, more often than not they will hover around the 20 percent. And this

20 percent will be different people at any one time. Importantly, the opportunity to engage with customers can go from high to low in a local government nanosecond (using the local government three to 10-year clock). Their time is precious. Group 4 – Irrelevant This is by far the largest and most consistent group of citizens – often over 60 percent of the population. This group of people is not lazy, apathetic or even ‘disengaged’ (as often described by people in groups 1 and 2). They are generally happy with what the council provides, even appreciative of the fact that local government stuff happens without them ever having to really think about it. Even paying rates or fees, does not engage them. The ‘irrelevants’ accept that their council is what it is. They do not, and will not, participate. Local government’s adherence to its delusion of relevance contributes to significant resources repeatedly being invested in targeting people who do not care, and who have no need to care. 19–21believes September If the sector more 2018, people Hamilton need to participate in democratic processes, then focusing on every customer touchpoint at every time, and the opportunities these provide, might be a good place to start. LG

–20 958 18

60 years

19–21 September 2018, Hamilton

REGISTER NOW! 19 – 21 SEPTEMBER. JOIN US IN HAMILTON. This year Water New Zealand will be celebrating 60 years as an association so –20 this conference will be a particularly 958 18 special occasion. The Water New Zealand Conference & Expo is one of the must-attend events on the 3-waters calendar.

Registrations are nowyears open. Visit our website for more information.

www.waternzconference.org.nz

Brought to you by

Premier sponsors

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

LINDA O’REILLY / ON LEGAL ISSUES PARTN E R, B ROOKFI E LDS LAWYE R S. oreilly@brookfields.co.nz

Climate risk & materiality Salvation may demand disclosure but disclosure can be risky.

O THERE IS NOT A CLEAR RUBRIC ON WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER TO BE A MATERIAL CLIMATE RISK.

ver the past five or six years, there has been increased focus on disclosure by corporations of their risk of exposure to climate change. It is now a commonly-held view that, where there is an obligation to report on strategies and prospects of future financial years, private corporations are likely to be required to make disclosure about their climate risk, at least in certain circumstances. The difficulty has been in deciding how to make that disclosure and what is material. To provide some guidance as to how this disclosure should be made, in June 2017, American billionaire and the 108th mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, presented a series of recommendations to the Governor of the Bank of England and chairman of the G20’s Financial Stability Board. The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure, which Bloomberg leads, came up with four key recommendations on climaterelated financial disclosures. The task force produced the recommendations on the basis that accurate and timely disclosure of current and past operating and financial results is fundamental to the essential functions of financial markets. Within days of the release of the recommendations, major banks, insurers and investors representing over USD3 trillion in market capitalisation publicly committed to support the recommendations. Since the task force’s recommendations, attention to climate risk disclosure has greatly increased. In May, the UN Environment Finance Initiative released its report following a collaboration between it and 16 of the world’s leading banks. The group piloted scenariobased assessments of transition-related risks and opportunities envisioned by the task force’s recommendations. But while the private sector has enjoyed a year working through and piloting the recommendations, the question has been looming as to what disclosure governments at international, national and subnational levels

should be making of their climate-related risk. While corporations, seeking wealth maximisation for their shareholders, may be concentrating on disclosure of financial risk, the purpose of local government is much broader. It requires consideration to be given to a range of financial and nonfinancial issues including social, economic, environmental and cultural ones. As societal expectations about government disclosure of climate risk change, we will see an increasing onus on councils to make disclosure of these matters. For lawyers this is a red flag. That’s not only because of the broad range of risks it presents but also because it potentially creates what could become a legitimate new basis for legal challenges and intervention. In the past, greater transparency has demonstrated a range of benefits, not the least being improved governance practices. But liability risks will also arise as councils are pressured to expand and enhance their climate-related disclosures. This then means decisions must be made as to the materiality of information. Currently, there is little legal guidance on the materiality of climate change risks. Identifying material climate risk information is extremely difficult given the boundless nature of climate change impacts. The legal requirements related to materiality continue to evolve in response to ongoing investigations and litigation. Consequently, councils may face the increasing threat of legal action for not adequately responding to the material risks they have identified. There is not a clear rubric on what local government should consider to be a material climate risk, and yet the requirement to make disclosure is inevitable. Failing action by councils, the question of what is material will likely be one that litigators will seek to answer. Fortunately, groups of climate specialists are on the case and we should begin to see recommendations to local government appearing in the not-too-distant future. LG

• This column was co-authored by Mark Baker-Jones, a newly-appointed special counsel at Brookfields and a specialist in climate change legal and policy issues. bakerjones@brookfields.co.nz

48 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

PETER SILCOCK / FROM CIVIL CONTRACTORS NZ CH I E F EXECUTIVE, CIVI L CONTRACTOR S N EW Z EALAN D. peter@civilcontractors.co.nz

Civil Construction Skills Accord Qualified people, quality infrastructure.

E COUNCILS CAN SHIFT TOWARDS USING ATTRIBUTE-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING.

xciting new infrastructure projects are underway and planned in our country’s cities and provinces, driven by the needs of both central and local government. Many councils are working hard to make our cities and towns more liveable and sustainable, as well as build resilience to guard against the severe weather events that impact our water systems and roading networks. In addition to flagship projects such as light rail, we’re seeing more of our regional roads and coastal settlements affected by flooding. Nobody wants to see a repeat of the Edgecumbe floods but investment in quality infrastructure needs to be made if we’re to stand up to the elements. I recently met with Minister of Infrastructure, Shane Jones, to discuss ways contractors can work with central and local government to support these projects and ensure we have the right people on the ground when they’re needed. The reality is that at a time when these skills are of prime importance, we are staring down the barrel of a critical shortage of qualified people in the civil construction industry. New Zealand’s civil contractors are highly skilled and experienced, but many are also nearing the age of retirement or considering an early exit to alternative, less physically-demanding roles. With that in mind, the demand for skilled and qualified staff is already very high. A 2017 survey of Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) members showed 84 percent would recruit today if people with the right skills were available, while 64 percent anticipated recruiting more staff over the next 12 months. The issue here is that the right skills aren’t readily available when contractors and clients need them – and they take time to develop. Importing skilled contractors is one solution, but it’s not sustainable long term. Investment in quality people and quality infrastructure is clearly in the interest of councils. So how can we work together to make sure we have quality people on the ground to do the job at hand? From a council perspective, this discussion starts at procurement level. Price-driven decisionmaking is destructive as it doesn’t give contractors scope to invest in their people, through things like

involving trainees to get work experience, having people attend external training, or establishing mentoring programmes. Low-cost procurement does not support the development of people who will build and maintain regional infrastructure either today or in the future. It’s all about delivering a minimal quality result at the lowest cost. Councils have a significant lever. They can shift towards using attribute-driven decision-making that recognises training and development as important non-price attributes which contribute to the sustainable development of cities and regions. This approach is more likely to deliver quality infrastructure. It will lead to long-term value and ensure capability is there when it’s needed. Rewarding companies that commit to training and developing people in this way is a key part of the solution. This approach will encourage contractors to set up better skills development programmes for staff, better training systems, and to support the future workforce through apprenticeship qualifications that help people develop skills and demonstrate capabilities. Infrastructure apprenticeships and Civil Trades qualifications, launched by CCNZ and Connexis in 2015 have the tagline “Qualified people, quality infrastructure”. This apprenticeship scheme is designed specifically for people working on our civil infrastructure. If we invest in building local skills at this level, we will have the capability and capacity to not just complete future projects and ongoing maintenance but to innovate, apply new technologies, build resilience and create more value for the public. The industry, councils and central government need to collaborate closely to ensure the required skills are available to get the job done. There is a significant opportunity for local and central government to work with contractors to create a Civil Construction Skills Accord that sets a shared skills development strategy. I look forward to working together with you to ensure we have quality people with the skills needed to construct and maintain our essential services and infrastructure, today and in the future. LG

AUGUST 2018 LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE

DAVE CULL / FROM LGNZ PR ESI DE NT, LOCAL G OVE R N M E NT N EW Z EALAN D (LG NZ). mayor@dcc.govt.nz

At the Housing Symposium LGNZ holds its first symposium on tackling the housing hurdle.

L THE DISCUSSIONS HELD AT THE SYMPOSIUM WILL FEED INTO LGNZ’S HOUSING 2030 PROJECT.

GNZ recently hosted its first Housing Symposium in Wellington. This explored the key issues of land supply and infrastructure, funding and financing, urban development authorities, KiwiBuild, The National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity, and public, community and affordable housing. The symposium was an important step in establishing a collaborative discussion across central and local government and about local government’s role in supporting the delivery of housing. More than 150 delegates from across local government, national industry experts and government officials attended. Local and central government, and the housing sector organisations, got together in one room to discuss issues and potential solutions to improve the quality, supply and affordability of New Zealand’s housing. Housing is a significant issue for all New Zealanders. We need to get housing right for the sake of our communities’ social and economic futures. Unaffordable housing is having a negative impact on local economies, discretionary household expenditure and social wellbeing. Poor-quality rental housing, in particular, is impacting our health. This means we need to address supply, social and community housing needs, and the importance of healthy homes. Underpinning the issue is the need for appropriate funding and financing for infrastructure – roads, water and community facilities for housing. These issues were all discussed at the symposium, the first major issues seminar on housing LGNZ has run. Speakers included: Phil Twyford, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, who talked about the government’s housing policy and the role of local government; Jenny Salesa, Associate

50 l www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz

Minister of Housing and Urban Development; Jon Grayson, deputy secretary financial and commercial, Treasury; and Scott Gallacher, deputy chief executive housing, Ministry of Social Development. The discussions held at the symposium will feed into LGNZ’s Housing 2030 project. This works with central government, iwi and stakeholders to create a regulatory and investment framework for the housing market that is competitive, provides affordable ownership and renting options, and meets high quality standards. A number of areas around New Zealand have particular problems, whether they be supply, quality or affordability. Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington are all facing affordability and supply issues and there is already work underway to help fix this. Wellington City Council, for example, is one of the largest landlords in the country and is committed to building over 750 social homes over the next 10 years. The council is also partnering with the private sector to develop more affordable homes. This includes conversion of earthquake-prone buildings and outdated commercial buildings within the CBD. The council recognises that people want to live in the city, however homes in the area are too expensive for many potential residents. Under the KiwiBuild programme, central government will build 100,000 homes across New Zealand over the next 10 years. There’s a massive opportunity for territorial authorities to partner with central government to help realise that ambition. It won’t be easy. We will all, as councils, government, businesses and individuals, need to work together to provide quality, affordable housing fit for the next 50 years. LG

Working together for better climate change adaptation Climate change is real and it’s happening now. Each year, we are seeing more and more extreme weather events. Seas are rising and coastal inundation is becoming more frequent. Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a significant challenge and a key priority focus for councils. The importance of effective climate change adaptation to the creation of safe, resilient and prosperous communities cannot be over-estimated. However, decisions on how best to adapt to the changing climate are complex and it is critical that central and local government work together on an agreed plan of action on climate change. Notwithstanding the importance of climate change adaptation to councils and their communities, local government is increasingly recognising that mitigation and adaptation cannot be viewed in isolation from one another. The emissions trajectory that we get locked into will determine the scale of our adaptation challenge, while equally we cannot invest significant amounts of money into preparing for climate change without doing anything to reduce the problem. Linked strategy for climate change adaptation and mitigation is therefore critical. The Government’s Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group report Adapting to climate change in New Zealand: Recommendations from the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group (CCATWG) released in May 2018 confirmed the need for much of what

Local Government New Zealand has been calling for in recent years, particularly around strategies and tools for adaptation – strong central and local government leadership, a clear plan, and public education about the anticipated impacts of climate change on the environment and communities. The local government sector is committed to working with the Government to address the risks, challenges and opportunities of climate change and these are the key points LGNZ has identified from the CCATWG report that central and local government should work jointly on: > Defining a common set of goals, priorities and outcomes for adaptation; > Development of the methodology for a national risk assessment and a national adaptation plan; > Implementation of a centralised service to build local government capacity and capability in risk-based decision-making, such as LGNZ’s proposed Local Government Risk Agency; > Involvement of local government in discussions about options for adaptation funding; > Review of existing legislative and policy frameworks to achieve alignment with climate change adaptation and mitigation goals; > Development of a climate change information portal for communities; and > Development of provisions to address adaptation in the Zero Carbon Act. By working together with central government, businesses, iwi and our communities we can make significant steps towards building resilience to the effects of climate change while growing the economy sustainably.

< It is critical that central and local government work together on an agreed plan of action on climate change that develops a clear understanding of national and local risks, and focuses on common goals, priorities and outcomes. >

EDITOR

Building Governance Maturity Congratulations to our future-focused awards winners and finalists! We want to celebrate with you by recognising your award-winning work to build resilient, future-ready communities Your example of governance excellence is warmly acknowledged by the sector and powerfully illustrates how the sector is growing in maturity and preparedness to meet the challenges ahead.

An evaluation tool can raise self-awareness of the requirements expected – and may assist performance and further professional development. It may alert a council of a skill gap around the council table.

Governance Strategy Sets the Council Culture

The council self-evaluation process offers an ongoing process of reviewing performance annually or biennially. The review comprises two elements: > Council as a whole; and > Mayor, committee chairs and individual councillors.

Understand and grasp the challenges that are on the horizon for local and regional communities, and plan, prepare and invest to begin to mitigate those risks. As councils work to build a picture of future success, creating and agreeing a strategy gives councils and their communities real clarity on investment priorities, and also which areas do not align with these strategic priorities.

Plan the Work, and Work the Plan! A strategic plan takes this strategic big picture of future success and breaks it down to plan, to measure and monitor progress against agreed outcomes. Again, this process gives accountability and transparency across the organisation to ensure council-owned strategic outcomes are owned and delivered against by the organisation as a whole. To effectively lead Council as a whole team, councils can be empowered to understand how their own governance as a group works, and can be supported to also build excellence.

Governance Diagnostic Programme We have designed the ‘Governance Diagnostic’ offering to give Council a tailored programme to set the framework for high-functioning leadership and give Council governance a framework to establish expectations, set priorities and monitor progress. Our new ‘Governance and Management Diagnostic Programme’ evaluation tool will assist your council to understand its own performance, team strengths, skills, group dynamics, and opportunities to improve according to key governance functions.

Executive Leadership Team Building resilient, future-ready communities takes courageous executive leadership who are also willing to learn and improve. EquiP has partnered with AskYourTeam to provide a continuous involvement framework which enables councils to gain powerful insights into areas for improvement from staff feedback. AskYourTeam does exactly this. By engaging with staff, councils build a stronger culture of involvement, which increases motivation and supports delivery of strategic priorities set by the governance team. Additionally, the AskYourTeam offering provides the ability to dive into specific areas or teams to focus on high-value opportunities, which can be tested and re-tested to monitor progress, all the while ensuring staff feel their voices are heard and suggestions for improvement are acted on.

Future Ready Taken together, these offerings can ensure councils are deploying the best of sector frameworks to be truly future ready, with resilient governance, clear strategies and engaged staff to meet the challenges ahead. Our communities deserve nothing less. For more information or for further insights to enable action, email equip@lgnz.co.nz.

Governance Strategy

< EquiP can support the pieces of the jigsaw that build governance maturity to become future-ready and enable community resilience. >

Executive Leadership Team

Governance Diagnostics

Future achievement starts with a plan Future achievement starts with a plan to get there, as well as reflection on yours and your council’s capability and professional development requirements. Your communities look to you to make big decisions on their behalf. These decisions affect $130 billion of NZ assets, all of which need to be future proofed for our changing environment and to support generations to come. This responsibility means that there’s a lot to learn as an elected member, and it is absolutely crucial that you keep up with a rapidly changing landscape. We know that climate change is the biggest environmental challenge of our time, while new ways of dealing with water and our infrastructure requires focused future planning. There are big issues facing the sector and all councils must prepare for their communities’ futures. A large part of this preparation must be a commitment to keeping informed on key topics and emerging issues so you can make the right decisions to best represent your community’s outcomes. How do elected members learn what they need to know? While learning takes time, reflection, revision and practice, it must start with knowing your own, and your council’s competency start point. EquiP suggests the following action steps:

1. Self-knowledge > Start with finding out if you know what you need to know. You can do this by the individual completion of the ‘Elected Member Skills and Knowledge Check’, and ‘Skills Matrix Workshop’.

2. Personal Development Plan > Match your strengths with projects and committees, and needs with training solutions. > Have conversations with your Mayor about your strengths and how these can be used for best effect. Talk to the person in your council who is tasked with supporting council competency about your development needs and put these into a useful sequence to match council priorities.

3. Find solutions to stay on top of the issues and build technical competency > Attend all aspects of induction training. > Review the EquiP training framework to identify and sequence effective professional development for training to acquire the technical knowledge aspects of the role. When all councillors have achieved technical competency they are then ready and able to input to the development of council strategy and can now equally contribute to effective decisions for their community.

4.Participate in the ‘EquiP Excellence Series’ to support strategic and financial planning, and community aspirations 5. Ongoing assessment to support continuous improvement.

The future starts now. Are you prepared?

Email equip.pd@lgnz.co.nz to find out what options are available to you, and how you can get started in your development journey through EquiP Professional Development.

< There are big issues facing the sector and all councils must prepare for their community’s futures. How do elected members learn what they need to know? >

The Final Word LGNZ’s localism project is re-designing government from a localist perspective. New Zealand is one of the most fiscally centralised countries in the developed world and as a result central government makes decisions that in other countries would be made regionally or locally. In a world in which national borders are breaking down and communities are becoming more diverse this ‘one size fits all’ approach to policy-making is no longer effective. It does not provide the innovation and responsiveness that communities need and can lead to bottlenecks in decision-making and implementation when empowered local government could just get on and ‘get things done’ in partnership with their communities. Instead, New Zealand needs local innovation and local solutions to the problems and challenges of economic growth, housing, roading and all other issues that affect people’s lives. Local Government New Zealand has begun a fundamental rethink of the place of local government in New Zealand; a strategic project designed to achieve radical, long-term change on how local government is considered through a localist approach to the future. A localist future is one in which communities, working with and through their local and regional councils, will be empowered to make decisions on a much wider range of public policy concerns than they are currently are able to. It means devolving power and resources away from central government control and towards local democratic structures, local consumers and local communities; within an agreed framework of national minimum standards and policy priorities. It means reversing the historical trend that has seen central government take on more and more public decision-making roles and responsibilities and putting the power back in the hands of the people. Localism is important to strengthening our democracy, in a time when disengagement is increasing in many countries, by providing meaningful

avenues for greater participation. It is important as a way of encouraging civic renewal as a result of the social capital, trust and community empathy that come from participation and engagement. By giving people more power and control over the services that are delivered in their areas, we can inspire a new spirit of civic pride in our communities. It is simple psychology – when people know their actions can make a real difference they are far more motivated to get involved. What we have seen in overseas cities, towns, districts and regions show that the most successful have a localist approach. Countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the United States have a high level of devolved political and administrative power built into their systems of government and much of the rest of Europe has been devolving more rights and responsibilities to local governments. By decentralising power and control to local communities, countries like France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark have successfully revived civic life. The argument for localism is an argument for a shift in the balance of governance, one that allows more scope for local decision making and local communities. It is premised on the idea that involving people in the hard, rationing choices of politics in the context of a shared sense of citizenship is a way of delivering a more mature and sustainable democracy. Through this flagship project LGNZ will be facilitating and partnering with a broad base of sectors within New Zealand, and will include opportunities for public engagement and input through various opportunities to discuss, develop and consult on a localist approach to the future.

< When people know their actions can make a real difference they are far more motivated to get involved. >

Do Do you you use use street street flags flags to to promote promote and and beautify beautify your your streets? streets?

When changing your street Whenare changing your street flags you frequently faced flags are you frequently with budget, timing, andfaced safety with budget,issues? timing, andanswer safety is compliance If the compliance If the answer yes, then we issues? have the solution foris yes, then we have the solution for you. you. Introducing FlagTrax™, the low Introducing the cost, safe andFlagTrax™, secure way tolow raise cost, safe and secure way raise and lower street flags fromtothe and lower street flags from convenience of ground level.the convenience of ground level. Our patented track system eliminates Ourneed patented track system eliminates the for bucket trucks, qualified the need forand bucket trucks, qualified technicians, the inconvenience technicians, and the inconvenience of traffic disruption, whilst of traffic disruption, significantly reducingwhilst overall flag significantly change risks. reducing overall flag change risks.

This proven This provenwill change innovation innovation change the way youwill utilise your the way utilise your street flagyou network, enabling you street flag network, enabling you and your stakeholders to achieve andbest yourvalue stakeholders toeffective achieve the out of this the best value out of this effective communication tool. communication tool. Low cost flag installation and easy Low cost flag installation and easy access to your network creates access to your network creates the opportunity for more frequent the opportunity for more promotions and delivers afrequent rapid promotions and delivers a return on your investment. rapid return on your investment.

Phone: +64 21 494952 | Email: info@nexusaustralasia.com Phone: +64 21 494952 | Email: info@nexusaustralasia.com

www.nexusaustralasia.com www.nexusaustralasia.com

FlagTrax™ also provides an ideal tool FlagTrax™ also revenue. provides an ideal tool for generating for generating revenue. For more information about For more information aboutZealand FlagTrax™ contact the New FlagTrax™ contact the New Zealand experts, Nexus Australasia. experts, Nexus Australasia.