Planning the future together

A big thank you to everyone that provided feedback on our recent questions regarding Climate Change and Community Participation.

We had a great response, with over 700 people in the community providing feedback over a brief consultation period.

Ideas included:

  • Planting trees, reducing carbon emissions where possible.
  • Working with businesses to monitor/ reduce carbon footprint
  • Educating our young tamariki
  • More hui and public interactions with council
  • Climate change is not a big issue for me, it’s going to happen anyway
  • Flood mitigation and sea level rise protection

Your thoughts and suggestions are important in help shaping the direction of our Long Term Plan.

Council will be considering all this information alongside other priorities through the decision-making process, their next workshop is in October.

Once a final direction has been decided on we will undergo full public consultation early next year.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP) 2018-2028 was adopted on 28 June 2018, taking effect from 1 July 2018.

The Long Term Plan sets our direction as a council and establishes the work we will deliver to the community over the next 10 years, as well as setting out how that work will be funded, such as the setting of rates. It also acts as the Council’s Annual Plan 2018/19.

Supporting policies (updated 2019)

Developing the Long Term Plan 2018-2028

The Long Term Plan 2018-2028 sets out our direction as a Council and establishes the work we will deliver to the community over the next 10 years as well as how that work will be funded.

In May 2018, Council made a number of final decisions for the Long Term Plan 2018-2028. This followed public consultation on the Long Term Plan Consultation Document Today, Tomorrow, Together, which included more than 40 engagement events across the region and hearing more than 70 submitters speak to their submission at hearings held across the region on 16-20 April.

Through the development of the LTP, we heard the community’s views on the key questions outlined in our consultation document and a number of other issues.
Outcomes from the LTP submissions, hearings and deliberations have been included in the LTP, which underwent an audit process before being adopted by Council on 28 June 2018.

Submission responses

Council has considered all submissions made in relation to the Long Term Plan. Where submitters have raised particular points through their submission, Council have provided responses to these points where possible. Please email info@boprc.govt.nz your unique submission reference number (included in emails to submitters) for responses.

Key Decisions

Through the Long Term Plan some key decisions have been made by Council in the following areas:

  • Flood protection and recovery – making sure our existing flood protection and control structures are maintained, alongside considering how we manage our rivers in the future.
  • Supporting the growth of the region in a sustainable way by increasing the extent and frequency of bus services (and introducing electric buses).
  • Increasing resourcing in environmental monitoring – with a particular focus on freshwater.
  • Increasing our awareness, surveillance and control work for pests such as catfish, wallabies and alligator weed.
  • Building resilience in our communities – delivering more comprehensive programmes to our communities through our emergency management work.
  • Focusing more on deliberate Climate Change action planning.

What you told us

Through our consultation document, we asked the following questions and offered options for each. Our final decisions are below.

What approach should we take to managing the flood repairs from the April 2017 floods in the eastern Bay of Plenty?

Our preferred option: Carry out all identified repairs as soon as possible, resulting in a higher rates increase in years one and two and then smaller increases from year three. Note: There would be no impact on our level of service.

Council decision: Council received 127 submission responses relating to the Rivers and drainage flood recovery project. Support for the two options presented was relatively even with a slight preference for Option 2. Through its deliberations Council decided to proceed with the Council-preferred Option and to use a number of options to reduce the rates impact on affected ratepayers, including using longer than normal loan terms, flood reserves, insurance and government funding. It was also noted that some of the submissions indicated that what Council has done to reduce rates requirements is not fully understood. Council will endeavour to communicate the steps taken to reduce the rates impact on affected ratepayers more clearly in future. Council also considered and made decisions on a range of other Rivers and Drainage related matters.

How do we fund increased bus services across the region?

Our preferred option: Change funding of the Tauranga and Rotorua bus services to be fully funded through targeted rates, change funding of the western Bay and Whakatāne urban service would change from general funds to a targeted rate. Note: this question does not impact on our proposed level of service.

Council decision: Council received 131 submissions that identified a preferred option for this topic. Three options were provided to the community through consultation and more than half (54%) of submitters supported the Council’s preferred option.

Council decided to proceed with the preferred option. Council also considered and made decisions on a range of other transport related matters.

Are we putting the right level of effort into managing pests across the Bay of Plenty?

Our preferred option: Increase resourcing to allow all programmes with a positive cost-benefit to proceed. This would also include research into improving surveillance, monitoring and control programmes. This option will also provide increased awareness, surveillance and control work for pests such as wallabies and alligator weed. It would also allow new programmes for pests such as rough horsetail and marine pests.

Council decision: Council received 137 submissions on the three options for this topic. Eighty-eight percent of submitters favoured an increase in resourcing for Biosecurity with 47% of submitters supporting Option 2 (Council’s preferred option) and 41% of submitters supporting Option 3 and seeking a larger investment than what Council had proposed.

In response to the strong support through submissions for increased funding for biosecurity and the increased requirement to support pest management of catfish which had not been identified when the consultation document had been released for consultation, Council has decided to proceed with the preferred option in year one of the LTP and increase resourcing in future years in line with Option 3.

How should we fund region-wide Civil Defence Emergency Management services?

Our preferred option: Change funding to a targeted rate for region-wide Civil Defence Emergency Management services. There would be no change to the current delivery of these services.

Council decision: Council received 139 submissions on this topic. Seventy percent of submitters supported the council-preferred option to change funding to a targeted rate for region-wide Civil Defence Emergency Management services. Council has decided to proceed with the preferred option favoured by the majority of submitters.

Should we help fund infrastructure projects delivered by other organisations?

Our preferred option: Use some of our reserves to fund infrastructure projects outside our organisation, even though this will result in some foregone interest income. The impact on levels of service would vary based on which projects are approved.

Council decision: Council received 113 submissions on the topic and of these 65% agreed with the preferred option. Council decided to proceed with the preferred option.

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Plans and policies

Policies