Tauranga local government meeting

Thursday 2 November

Waste policy

The big issue is accurate reporting of waste data. Looking towards having regional approaches rather than individual territorial authorities.
The definitions around what is considered as diversion of waste are inconsistent.
It is important to have data on the amount of waste diverted at all stages of the waste life cycle, not just on the amount going to landfill.

Larger waste streams, for example construction and demolition waste and organics, need to be dealt with.
The benefits of WasteTRACK were discussed.

Time was wasted justifying spending national money on flooding in Whakatane.
There are also localised flooding issues exacerbated by impermeable surfaces such as roads.
Flood risk management is a judgment call. Sea level rise needs to be factored in to flood risk.
Insurance research following events takes too much time and should be streamlined. Certainty is wanted when applying for funding.

Lakes other than Lake Taupo are important.
There are problems in estuaries and harbours where the same issues exist as in lakes.

Landcorp land was traditionally used for forestry but is now being converted to high intensity pasture. This results in a credibility issue for government because of inconsistency.
Industries need to be lifted beyond a focus purely on commodities to focusing on value added.
Highly processed fertiliser is causing run-off.
There is a lack of confidence in science if it comes from (say) fertiliser companies. Science needs to be independent.
The farming community must trust sources of science.
Now is a good time to get guidance as territorial authorities are in the process of developing second generation plans.
Is anyone researching the relative benefits of dairying and forestry? The impact of forestry can be catastrophic when the trees are harvested.
The high consultative requirements of the RMA can be cumbersome but fast change is too strong an influence on market
There are equity issues around the introduction of new land use regulation.

Updated rainfall data led to spending on infrastructure but this was subsequent to significant rainfall events.
The Regional Council is doing a lot of work on climate change adaptation. Finding champions has been a strategy councils have adopted.

There is a need for a link between the RMA and the Building Act and public education on the alignment.
The “everyday guide to the RMA” resources are good.

Environment Bay of Plenty has automated data management.
Targets/KPIs are needed for all policies so policy effectiveness can be measured.
WBPDC has 150 indicators. These need to be streamlined. National indicators are needed. The reason for choosing indicators needs to be clear.
Monitoring methods need to be standardised to the greatest extent possible.
There should be alignment of monitoring and data storage between councils.
How does local government provide data on the core indicator categories?
Environmental effects can be cumulative to a regional level. District councils are interested in the regional and national picture too.
EBOP have data on marine health out to 12 miles.
TCC and EBOP do not have data on contaminated land.
What is best way to manage land to protect the environment and permit land use?
The district council wants to know what information they should provide to regional industry.
What is a suitable measure of pressure on coastal land? There should be more than one measure but not too many.
Regional councils face huge costs to develop indicators. MfE could save them costs by standardising and reporting for them. Data needs to be collected at a district level. People want to know if they are doing well or poorly in comparison to others so they know if there is a need to improve.

Keep policy out of the ENZ07 report. It was a mistake to include policy in the 1997 document.
Central government has a national role but regional govt has the actual plans and does the work.
Who is the audience? The audience is not the general public, though there will be something from ENZ07 for the public.
ENZ07 will be useful for regional councils so they can see how they compare to the rest of the country.

Last updated: 24 January 2007