ORC meets in Queenstown on Wednesday and there's a large and impactful agenda.
Front and centre are the consequences of not notifying the Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) last October. We'll get on with the long-awaited discussion about the Air Plan review and Air Strategy which is getting underway. There’s the Regional Public Transport Plan which is to be signed off for public consultation, consideration of a shortfall in the Total Mobility budget, South Dunedin Futures update and several other items.
Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) conundrum - ignored consequences
Item 10.3, on page 137 of the agenda.
You’ll remember, the raruraru last year when government prevented ORC notifying the plan through an 11th-hour RMA amendment last October. Story here if not.
And now we have to deal with the impacts of the ‘unintended consequences’ of government’s decision including management of water quantity and rural diffuse discharges because of the lack of a planning framework. I’d rather call these the ‘ignored consequences’ because they were highlighted and debated at the time.
Our plan had been meticulously timed and plan changes put in place to cover the time gaps inherent in the instructions we had received from the previous government. Idealists and lobbyists convinced the current government that preventing notification of this plan was a good idea. It was not. We now have to choose between three unpalatable and expensive choices to cover a new set of government created gaps. The first expensive for people who farm. The second expensive for all ratepayers, the third for taxpayers.
Our choices are:
1. Do nothing and let landowners pick up the tab for extra consenting
2. Bring in a plan change to the operative plan to cover the difference at expense to all ratepayers and a long, uncertain process – at least 6 months but likely much longer
3. Ask the Minister to make three legislative amendments to cover.
Page 143 and 144 of the agenda have a table outlining the options and pros and cons of each.
What a poor solution it is to request national legislation to fix a regional plan, but it may be the least worst.
What really concerns me is that water quality, and consequently our ecosytems, will suffer as protections are allowed to lapse.
A cluster, and not of our making. Grrrr.
Draft Regional Public Transport Plan for consultation
Given the constraints of a Government Policy Statement: Transport (GPS) that’s all about building roads and reducing spend on public and active transport, this PT plan is almost a rollicking read. It's scheduled for adoption for public consultation. Do take part in the consultation – it’ll be open from 24 March to 2 May with hearings later that month. The eagle-eyed from Upper Clutha will note in the Annual Plan, now out for consultation, that the business case for Upper Clutha Public Transport has gone. This is disappointing and frustrating and is a result of regressive Government policy under the GPS which explicitly excludes funding of new PT services. I expect Wānaka people will have something to say about that given the many years they’ve worked to put a network in place and the increasing pressure on the network, particularly the Albert town Bridge.
The plan itself walks the line between our desire for efficient and effective public transport in a district that (like most of NZ) prefers low-density development and doesn’t love to spend on public or active transport. However, pages 14 and 15 (of the plan itself) give an overview of the gains we've made since 2018, summarising patronage and other changes over the years -there have been some worthwhile achievements. And there’s gold in the Appendices.
I often get questions such as, 'why we don't have the sort of PT available in overseas cities - even in towns the same sort of size as Queenstown or Dunedin.' Pg 110 and 111 of the plan explains a lot about how urban form influences public transport and how the costs relate. Some of the reasons we don't provide PT where you think we should, or where you think it would work, can be seen in the design principles - Appendix F page 112. You can also find on Pg 51 detail on how we plan our routes (coverage vs patronage). These are well worth the few minutes it takes to explore if you're interested in public transport.
For the many people asking about Queenstown's new Route 2 (linking Arrowtown and Queenstown via Malaghans road) you'll see on page 119 the route and its frequency. This route is set to start end July and will now carry on to Jacks point with increased frequency there. Arrowtown to Frankton becomes Route 4 with a bus change needed for those carrying on to Queenstown. Why did we manage to fund this but not the Upper Clutha business case? Because this is an extension to an existing service.
Also interesting:
Pg 36 - explains how the subsidies work
Pg 125 and 126 shows planning for future routes, including inter-regional.
Pg 128 on shows how we are thinking about government's directive to increase 'private share', that is, what money we get from fares or other forms of private contribution. And yes, I expect fares will rise as we face pressure to increase that private share.
Total Mobility Financial Paper
For those that don't know, Total Mobility is how we provide transport for people who have an impairment that prevents them from using public transport. It provides a 75% subsidy for taxis up to a maximum amount. Worryingly, demand for this service has outstripped our budget and the government funding agency for transport, NZTA has indicated that there is no guarantee of additional funding to support the increasing demand. This leaves us with an unbudgeted shortfall of $535,000. Fellow councillor, Elliot Weir, wonders if government is quietly quitting its commitment to this scheme. We'll be asking.
Air Quality Management
The report seeks Council’s ‘level of ambition' for the Air Quality Strategy and the Air Regional Plan.
Among the subjects:
home heating
What comes out of chimneys is a major contributor to poor air quality and associated health and amenity issues and some areas of the district are way worse affected than others (Air Shed 1)
urban outdoor burning
agricultural burnoffs
These are a source of many gripes in late winter early spring. Smoke plumes can carry particulates more than 15kms from the source and can contain toxic stuff. For example current rules still allow plastic wrap to be burned. Adding to this issue is that burning is safest in winter when fire risk is low, but this is the worst time for air quality impacts because the air is cold and still and inversion layers can trap smoke. But burning is an important tool for agriculture. So it’s a gnarly issue.
The report also discusses vehicle emissions and agrichemical and fertiliser discharges.
Community engagement on the issues of air quality was undertaken last winter (July to Sept 2024 and the agenda includes that feedback. You can read more in Agenda Item 10.1 starting on page 36. The Community and Stakeholder Feedback Summary Report starts on page 60. Consultation on a proposed Air Plan will happen in August so not a bad idea to be thinking about this now if you have a view.
South Dunedin Futures
We’ll consider two South Dunedin Futures reports; the Detailed Risk Assessment and the Potential Adaptation Futures (longlist). This process began in 2022 and is part of an ongoing programme. This helpful diagram gives a good overview of the process and where we are in it.
Te Awa Otakou (Otago Harbour)
Human activities such as land development, roading, stormwater management, wastewater overflow, harbour dredging, land reclamation and fishing have led to habitat degradation, pollution, and the loss of ecological, recreational, and cultural values in this harbour. Climate change - rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns, and increasing temperatures - compounds these challenges. Up for consideration is an issues and opportunities report and proposed next steps including establishing and Integrated Catchment Management Group to support and plan
actions.
In other news...
Annual Plan
The draft annual plan is out for consultation from today. There’s an average rates rise proposed of 7.8% (the Long Term Plan approved forecast was for a rise of 13.8%) Part of the drop ($1.2m of $3.87m) is from transport budgets where approved projects (by ORC and district/city councils) did not receive government funding so won’t go ahead at this point. Another $1m comes from freshwater implementation and integrated catchment management resourcing and another $500k from general efficiency savings. I expect Queenstown Lakes ratepayers to again be concerned as the values of their properties rise again pushing up the percentage of the rates take from this region. Offer feedback here: https://www.orc.govt.nz/your-council/plans-and-strategies/annual-plans/
As always, I welcome your feedback and views.
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