Community Services Committee
24
November 2017
Order
Paper for the meeting to be held in the
Council
Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt,
on:
Thursday 30
November 2017 commencing at 6.00pm
Membership
Cr G
Barratt (Chair)
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Cr L Bridson
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Cr J Briggs (Deputy Chair)
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Cr S Edwards
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Cr M Lulich
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Cr G McDonald
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Cr C Milne
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Cr L Sutton
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Mayor W R Wallace (Ex Officio)
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For
the dates and times of Council Meetings please visit www.huttcity.govt.nz
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 COMMUNITY
SERVICES COMMITTEE
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Membership:
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9
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Meeting Cycle:
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Meets on a six weekly basis, as
required or at the requisition of the Chair
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Quorum:
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Half of the members
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Reports to:
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Council
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PURPOSE
To assist the Council
with the development of community services which contribute to the character,
culture, and identity of the city and to pursue an active community development
role in active partnership with local communities.
Determine
and monitor:
·
To approve and/or monitor where required the
allocation of grants to the following areas:
·
Community Development Fund.
·
Community Houses/Centres Fund.
·
Community Engagement Fund (Central, Eastern,
Western and Northern Wards only).
·
Key
Community Projects.
·
Progress
towards achievement of the Council’s Environmental Sustainability
Strategy.
·
Advocacy
in conjunction with Healthy Families Lower Hutt to maintain and to improve
health services, and to comment on issues to do with health that impinges upon
the well-being of communities.
·
Progress
towards strategies, policies and visions that provide for social and cultural
wellbeing of the City including but not limited to, Safe City and Liquor Bans.
·
Official naming of parks, reserves and sports grounds within the
provisions of Council’s Naming Policy1 (Central, Eastern,
Western and Northern Wards only).
·
Parks, reserves and sports ground naming for sites that have a
high profile, city-wide importance due to their size and location and/or cross
ward or community boundaries.
·
The granting of leases and licences in terms of Council policy to
voluntary organisations for Council owned properties in their local area, for
example, halls, including the granting of leases and licences to community
houses and centres (Central, Eastern, Western and Northern Wards only).
·
Removal and/or planting of street trees within the provisions of
Council’s Operational Guide for Urban Forest Plan)2 (Central,
Eastern, Western and Northern Wards only).
·
The granting of rights-of-way and other
easements over local purpose reserves and granting of leases or licences on
local purpose reserves (Central, Eastern, Western and
Northern Wards only.
·
The granting of leases and licences for new
activities in terms of Council policy to community and commercial organisations
over recreation reserves subject to the provisions of the Reserves Act 1977 and
land managed as reserve subject to the provisions of the Local Government 2002,
in their local area. (Central, Eastern, Western and
Northern Wards only).
·
Matters arising from the activities of Community
Houses.
·
Maintain an overview of work programmes carried
out by the Council’s Libraries, Museums, Aquatics and Recreation, Parks
and Reserves, Community Safety and Connections and Emergency Management
activities.
Consider
and make recommendations to Council:
Matters arising from Council for
consideration by the Committee to report back.
General:
•
Any other matters delegated to the Committee by
Council in accordance with approved policies and
bylaws.
•
Approval and forwarding of submissions on
matters related to the Committee’s area of
responsibility.
1.
This excludes
sites that are considered high profile, significant on a city-wide basis due to
their size and location, or where the site crosses ward or community
boundaries.
HUTT CITY COUNCIL
Community Services Committee
Meeting
to be held in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt on
Thursday
30 November 2017 commencing at 6.00pm.
ORDER
PAPER
Public Business
1. APOLOGIES
No
apologies have been received.
At
the close of the agenda no requests for leave of absence had been received.
2. PUBLIC
COMMENT
Generally up to
30 minutes is set aside for public comment (three minutes per speaker on items appearing on the agenda). Speakers may be
asked questions on the matters they raise.
3. CONFLICT
OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS
4. Recommendations to Council
a)
Free
Swimming for under Fives (17/1646)
Report
No. CSC2017/5/301 by the Divisional Manager, Leisure Active 8
Chair’s Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed and a new part (v) to read:
refers the matter to the Community Plan Committee for
consideration of a targeted investment for the Learn to Swim Programme.
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b)
Accessibility
and Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group Meeting Fees (17/1701)
Report No. CSC2017/5/302 by the Divisional Manager, Strategy
and Planning 14
Chair’s Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed.
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5. Community Development Fund Recommended
Allocations 2017/2018 (17/1750)
Report
No. CSC2017/5/312 by the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts 17
Chair’s Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed.
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6. Activity Review - Libraries
(17/1738)
Report No. CSC2017/5/6 by the Divisional Manager, Libraries 22
Chair’s
Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed.
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7. General Manager's Report
(17/1688)
Report No. CSC2017/5/303 by the Divisional Manager,
Libraries 33
Chair’s
Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed.
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8. Information Item
a) Community
Services Committee Work Programme (17/1684)
Report
No. CSC2017/5/149 by the Committee Advisor 46
Chair’s Recommendation:
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That the recommendations contained in the
report be endorsed.
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9. QUESTIONS
With reference to section 32 of
Standing Orders, before putting a question a member shall endeavour to obtain
the information. Questions shall be concise and in writing and handed to the
Chair prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Judy Randall
COMMITTEE ADVISOR
Community
Services Committee
26 October 2017
File: (17/1646)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/301
Free Swimming for
under Fives
Purpose
of Report
1. To
provide information for the Committee to be able to consider the proposal from
Cr Barry to make swimming pool entry free for children under five years of age.
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Recommendations
It is recommended that the
Committee recommends that Council:
(i) notes that Hutt City Council pools are currently well used by
residents;
(ii) notes that there is no evidence that making swimming free for
under-fives produces long term increased usage by this group;
(iii) notes that other barriers such as transport and parental support
and ability are greater limiting factors to usage than price alone; and
(iv) agrees
to remain with the current charging policy.
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Background
2. Council has been asked to consider making swimming free for children under five years of age. The expressed reasons for this request are
to make swimming more affordable for families and to improve the swimming
ability of children.
3. This
report is an initial assessment of the proposal. If the Committee recommends
that the proposal be considered as part of the Long Term Plan then a more
comprehensive report will be provided.
4. This
initial assessment will:
a. give
an overview of charges and usage and compare these with other local
authorities;
b. explore
research information on similar initiatives; and
c. provide
an analysis of impact on attendances and revenue.
Discussion
5. Hutt
City Council swimming pools are well used by local residents with 910,203
visits during 2016/17.
6. This
usage is considered high when compared with other Wellington region councils,
for example, in 2016/17 on average each resident of Lower Hutt visited a local
swimming pool nine times during the year. This compares with an average of six
swims per resident at other Wellington regional authority pools for the same
period.
7. It
should be noted that 2016/17 was a poor year for pool usage (a five-year low)
due to unsettled summer weather patterns and extended closure of Huia Pool.
8. Total
usage of swimming pools in 2016/17 by children (under 16) was 506,605. Of these
142,599 visited the pool on a casual recreational basis. The balance is made up
of school, aquatic club or swim city programme usage.
9. While
we do not specifically keep attendance information on under-fives, it would be
reasonable to estimate between 15-20% of these casual visits are by this sector
ranging from 21,500-28,500 visits in 2016/17.
10. In addition, 2,750
children registered for under-fives swimming lessons as part of our Swim City
Programme. This equates to an additional 27,500 visits in 2016/17.
11. The 2013 census
recorded 7,263 children under five years of age living in Lower Hutt.
12. While assumptions
have been used in gathering this data it would be reasonable to assume that
visits to our pools by this sector are medium/high.
13. It would be
difficult to justify a significant subsidy for this sector group over others,
particularly as the proposed change does not specifically target the most
needy.
Cost of
Swimming
14. Hutt City Council
swimming pool pricing structure is on par with other local Councils.
15. In the area of
under-fives there are a variety of charging methods used for this sector across
the region. In Lower Hutt we charge the same price for all children but allow
free entry for an adult supervising a child regardless of whether they are in
the water or not. This is for safety reasons but also to encourage parents to
interact with and assist children in learning to swim.
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Under Fives Pricing
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Child Under
Five
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Adult
Swimming
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Total
cost
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Lower Hutt
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$3.50
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Free
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$3.50
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Wellington
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Free
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Free
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Free
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Upper Hutt
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$3.10
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Free
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$3.10
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Porirua
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$3.30
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Free
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$3.30
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Kapiti
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$1.50
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$1.50
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$3.00
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16. Wellington City
Council adopted free swimming for under-fives in 2016 and also introduced free
access for spectators and supervisors in 2017.
17. The major barrier
to participation for children under five is the ability of the parent or
caregiver to support children in the water. This barrier is reduced by
providing free swimming for supervising adults.
Impact
of Similar Initiatives
18. There is little to
no specific information or evaluation available on the impact of free swimming
for under-fives, however we have found evaluations for free swimming for the
under 16 age group which has some relevance.
19. In Wales, free
swimming for under 16s was introduced by the Welsh Assembly in 2002 at all
local authority pools with the purpose of increasing physical activity of the
general population. The scheme was fully funded by the Welsh Assembly.
20. Research showed
that while there was an initial large increase in usage, this reduced over
time, and while this usage is still above the original baseline, this increase
could not be solely attributed to the free swimming scheme. The research also
noted that uptake of swimming lessons initially dropped as a result of the
scheme.
21. In 2009 the United
Kingdom introduced a scheme for free swimming for under 16s and over 60s as
part of the London Olympics legacy programme. This was by way of a government
subsidy to local authorities who took part, and was aimed at improving physical
activity and water safety for children.
22. The scheme was
popular with local councils and produced increases in usage, however these had
reduced by the second year. Research again showed no correlation between the
scheme and increased physical activity and concluded that without addressing
other barriers to swim education there was no measurable increase in swimming
ability or uptake of lessons. The scheme was discontinued in 2010.
23. In New Zealand,
Auckland City Council introduced free swimming for under 16s in 2013. A
subsequent evaluation report was commissioned in 2016 and this concluded that
despite an initial increase, usage reverted to baseline after 18 months.
24. It also concluded
that the removal of user charges for children was not sufficient in isolation
to drive long-term increased participation in swimming, or regular on-going
visits to Council-owned pools.
25. Wellington City
Council introduced free swimming for under-fives in July 2016 and subsequently
free spectators in 2017. This was aimed at improving water awareness for
under-fives and making it more affordable for families.
26. While it is too
early to provide a trend analysis of effect on patronage, anecdotal evidence to
date suggests that usage by this sector has remained the same or dropped
slightly.
Equity
and Affordability
27. Lower Hutt is well
served for swimming with six pools spread across Lower Hutt. Pools are located
in most areas except for the Western Hills, with higher deprivation areas
particularly well serviced.
28. Our most heavily
used indoor facility is Naenae Pool and our most heavily used outdoor pool is
Wainuiomata.
29. A number of
research studies suggest that other barriers such as transport, water
confidence, and parental support have a much larger influence on participation
in swimming than price alone.
Improved
Swimming Ability
30. As previously
highlighted, without structured intervention the introduction of free swimming
alone is unlikely to increase the ability of children to swim or to be water
safe.
Targeted
Learn to Swim Initiatives
31. Hutt City Council
administers the regional “Kiwisport Fundamental Movement Skills
Programme”. A cornerstone of this programme is to deliver subsidised swim
lessons run by professional instructors within schools. In 2016/17 Hutt City
Council delivered lessons to over 9,000 local school children through this
programme.
32. Targeted swimming
lessons for high deprivation families are provided at Naenae Pool through a
partnership with Kiwibank. Twenty-one children benefitted from this programme
last financial year. Council is also continuing to run a ‘magic
card’ initiative with schools in Taita that includes free entry to
Council pools.
33. Through a
corporate partnership with Opus, we have also started a targeted initiative for
a small group of local kids with various personal challenges to enable them to
have free one-on-one personal swim lessons for a year.
34. With the recent
completion of the learn to swim pool at Huia, Swim City will launch the
“first term of lessons free” for new enrolments in the water babies
class during 2018.
Financial
Impact
35. The estimated cost
of providing free swimming for under-fives would be between $70,000 - $100,000
per year in lost revenue.
36. This loss of
revenue would need to be offset by:
a. an
increase in ratepayer funding (most likely), or
b. an
increase in other charges (not favoured), or
c. efficiency
gains (already doing this).
37. The revenue and finance policy sets cost recovery percentages for
user charges based on the balance between public and private benefit for an
activity.
38. Currently swimming
pools are expected to return between 40-60% of total costs through user
charges. In 2016/17 only 37% of total cost was returned through user charges.
39. As previously
mentioned this was a particularly poor year for attendance and for comparison
in 2015/16 user charges returned 45% of total costs.
40. Despite these fluctuations user charge returns are still at the
bottom end of the guideline range.
Options
41. The Committee could recommend to Council to:
a. Remain
with the status quo of charging the normal child price for under-fives and
continuing to allow adult supervisors free entry;
b. Make
swimming free for under-fives at a cost of $70,000 - $100,000 per year;
c. Choose
a reduced charge for under-fives;
d. Choose
a reduced charge for under-fives and introduce a reduced charge for adult
supervisors; or
e. Consider
targeting any investment the Council is prepared to consider into much more
targeted progammes/initiatives that support those kids that need it the
most. Such an approach would be consistent with wider Council
strategies.
Consultation
42. No
consultation has been undertaken for this report however if a change to the
status quo is recommended by Council then this could be consulted on as part of
the LTP process.
Legal
Considerations
43. Minimal to
none. Could possibly be argued that providing free swimming is outside of local
government mandate to deliver services in an efficient manner.
Financial
Considerations
44. Possible
loss of revenue dependent on decision recommended as detailed in the report.
Other Considerations
45. In making
this recommendation, officers have given careful consideration to the purpose
of local government in section 10 of the Local Government Act 2002. Officers
believe that this recommendation falls within the purpose of local government
in that it provides for equity in charging while addressing barriers to usage.
It does this in a way that is cost-effective because it charges a low fee for
under-five swimming but allows adult supervisors free access to support this
swimming.
Appendices
There are no
appendices for this report.
Author: Marcus
Sherwood
Divisional Manager, Leisure Active
Approved By: Matt Reid
General Manager City and Community Services
Community Services Committee
06 November 2017
File: (17/1701)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/302
Accessibility and
Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group Meeting Fees
Purpose
of Report
1. The
purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval of a change in
approach to the payment of a meeting fee to members of the Accessibility and
Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group.
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Recommendations
It is recommended that the
Committee recommends that Council:
(i) agrees that the meeting fee for members of the Accessibility and
Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group will be classed as reimbursement of
reasonable costs associated with attending Advisory Group meetings; and
(ii) notes that the meeting fee covers transport costs, meal costs and,
where required, the cost of having a care giver to attend the meetings with
individual Advisory Group members.
For the
reason that honoraria are subject to withholding tax and the activity being
undertaken by the Advisory Group is voluntary in nature.
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Background
2. Following
the payment of meeting fees to the Advisory Group, officers were advised by
Council’s Finance Division that as the payments made were described as
honoraria, the payment must be taxed.
3. Council
originally agreed to the payment of a meeting fee to ensure that Advisory Group
members did not suffer any financial disadvantage from volunteering to be a
member of the Group.
Discussion
4. Council’s Finance Division sought advice from Price Waterhouse
Coopers (PwC) and this advice confirmed that payments to volunteers are subject
to withholding tax (honoraria), except to the extent that the payment is a
reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in undertaking the voluntary
activities. Any taxable amount is treated as honorarium and subject to
withholding tax.
5. PwC further advised that if the payment was
a genuine reimbursement for costs incurred, Council needed to ensure that the
payment was in fact based on actual expenditure incurred (such as the cost of
travel) or a reasonable estimate of the likely costs incurred and that Council
should document how any estimate has been determined.
6. Council has estimated the total payment through reference to
approaches by other Councils when meeting costs for members of their Disability
Advisory Group members for attending meetings and also asked Advisory Group
members directly about the costs incurred. These costs are predominantly
transport and care giver related but also meet the reasonable cost of meals as
meetings are held in the early evening.
7. If the payment to the volunteer contains both honorarium and
reimbursement elements, Council must deduct withholding tax from the honorarium
portion at the applicable rate. The amount relating to the reimbursement
of expenditure will be treated as exempt income and not subject to withholding
tax. This will not apply to meeting fees for the
Advisory Group.
Option
8. Officers recommend that that the meeting fee for members of the
Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group be classed as reimbursement
of reasonable costs associated with attending Advisory Group meetings.
9. The
meeting fee will cover transport and meal costs and, where required, the cost
of having a care giver to attend the meetings with individual Advisory Group
members
Consultation
10. PwC and
members of the Advisory Group have been consulted.
Legal
Considerations
11. The legal
considerations related to the payment of honoraria have been taken into
account.
Financial
Considerations
12. There are no
financial considerations.
Other
Considerations
13. In making
this recommendation, officers have given careful consideration to the purpose
of local government in section 10 of the Local Government Act 2002. Officers
believe that this recommendation falls within the purpose of local government
in that it ensures that Council is meeting the current and future needs of the
disability community within the city. It does this in a way that is
cost-effective because it helps ensure that all residents are given the
opportunity to make a full contribution to the future of the city.
Appendices
There are no
appendices for this report.
Author: Wendy
Moore
Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning
Approved By: Kim Kelly
General Manager, City Transformation
- 
Community Services Committee
15 November 2017
File: (17/1750)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/312
Community Development
Fund Recommended Allocations 2017/2018
Purpose
of Report
1. The purpose of this report is for the Committee to agree to the
recommended allocations for the Community Development Fund 2017/2018.
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Recommendation
That the Committee agrees to
the recommended allocations for the Community Development Fund 2017/2018,
attached as Appendix 1 to the report.
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Background
2. Council
approved $148,000 budgeted in the Annual Plan for the Community Development
Fund Scheme 2017/2018.
3. There is $148,000 available for allocation and this has been fully
allocated.
4. The
outcomes sought are:
· enhanced quality of life and greater community participation/
connections;
· young people and their families to develop their full potential
through such measures as parental education programmes and youth development
initiatives; and
· effective
partnerships are in place with others to ensure the most efficient use of the
resources and prevent duplication of services.
Discussion
5. Forty-one applications were received requesting
a total of $333,460. The maximum amount an organisation can apply for is
$10,000. Applications were assessed through the Officer Assessment Review
Panel.
6. Twenty-four applications have been recommended for funding which
meet the criteria of the fund and align more closely with Council
priorities. Nine of which will be 100% funded and the remainder of
the applications are being funded between 50%-80% of their request.
7. Seventeen applications were deemed to be of a lower priority and
they will be offered advice on applying to other funding schemes internally and
external to Council’s funding.
8. Applicants
were asked in the application form if their project would still go ahead if
they are only partially funded and officers are confident from information
provided, their projects will still go ahead.
Consultation
9. The
scheme was advertised on Council’s website, Hutt News, and through a
newsletter via the Council’s online grants management system.
10. Officers met with a number of different community groups offering
assistance with Council’s online grants management system.
Legal Considerations
11. Funds must
be used only for the purpose for which they were sought and/or approved.
12. Funds must
be used within 10 months of the recipient being notified of their successful
application.
13. The
recipients are required to inform Council immediately if any difficulties arise
which may compromise the service or project.
14. A complaint
must be laid with the Police if any funds received under this scheme are stolen
or misappropriated. Council must be notified of all such complaints to
the Police.
15. The
recipient must allow an audit on the use of Council’s funds should
Council wish to undertake such an audit.
16. The
recipient must recognise the support of Council in appropriate publicity
material, annual reports and similar publications.
17. The
recipients must provide an accountability report outlining the benefits to the
community and copies of receipts of expenditure no later than 10 months after
the funds have been uplifted.
18. The
recipients will be required to attend a community meeting where they will
present to the community on their outcomes.
Financial
Considerations
19. Allocations
from the Community Development Fund can only be made for amounts between $1,000
and $10,000.
Other
Considerations
20. In making this recommendation, officers have given careful
consideration to the purpose of local government in section 10 of the Local
Government Act 2002. The objective of the fund is for
non-profit groups providing social services to the community which is meeting the needs of the community. It does this in
a way that is cost-effective because it already has the funds available through
the Annual Plan process.
Appendices
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No.
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Title
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Page
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1⇩
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Appendix One - Community Development
Fund 2017-2018 Recommendations
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20
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Author: Debbie
Hunter
Community Advisor - Funding and Community
Contracts
Reviewed By: Melanie Laban
Divisional Manager, Community Projects and
Relationships
Approved By: Matt Reid
General Manager City and Community Services
APPENDIX 1 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FUND 2017-2018 RECOMMENDED ALLOCATIONS
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No.
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Organisation
|
Purpose
|
Request
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Recommended
|
|
1
|
Age Concern
|
Seniors Library Visits
|
7,500
|
7,500
|
|
2
|
Trade School Industries Trust
|
Trade School Coffee House
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
3
|
Earthlink Incorporated
|
Koha Hospitality Taita
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
4
|
Hutt Rape Counselling Network Incorporated
|
Crisis Support Worker
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
5
|
Supergrans Charitable Trust
|
Family Empowerment Project
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
6
|
Porirua Living Without Violence
|
Lower Hutt services
|
10,000
|
8,000
|
|
7
|
Wellstop Incorporated
|
Hutt Whanau Education Worker
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
8
|
Taiohi Morehu
|
Tikanga Ririki Strengths Based Free Maori Parenting Programme
|
6,000
|
3,000
|
|
9
|
Alzheimers Wellington Incorporated
|
Dementia Friends Hutt Valley
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
10
|
SeniorNet Hutt City Inc
|
Computer Training Over 50s
|
2,913
|
1,000
|
|
11
|
Hutt Union & Community Health Service Incorporated
|
Hutt Valley Meth Drop In Clinic
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
12
|
Ignite Sport Trust
|
Ignite Sport Funding Coordinator
|
10,000
|
6,000
|
|
13
|
Kidz Need Dadz Wellington
|
Hutt Education Meetings
|
1,400
|
1,400
|
|
14
|
Birthright Hutt Valley Trust
|
Family Support/Youth Worker
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
15
|
Hutt Valley Youth Health Trust
|
Vibe Youth Hub Naenae – salaries
|
10,000
|
8,000
|
|
16
|
Greenstone Doors Charitable Trust
|
Lower Hutt services
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
17
|
Te Huinga O Te Whanau (People's Project) Inc
|
Community Empowerment Project
|
10,000
|
8,000
|
|
18
|
Presbyterian Support Central
|
Enliven Buddy Socialism Programme
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
19
|
Anglican Social Services (HV) Trust Board (The Family Centre)
|
Pacific Family Therapists
|
6,000
|
3,000
|
|
20
|
Naenae Youth Charitable Trust
|
Naenae services
|
10,000
|
5,000
|
|
21
|
New Zealand Myanmar Ethnics Council
|
Support for Myanmar Ethnics Council services
|
2,000
|
2,000
|
|
22
|
TaPaNui Trust
|
Empowering Young Women
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
23
|
Challenge 2000
|
Youth Programme in North/East
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
24
|
Te Awakairangi Access Trust
|
Education Village Pilot
|
10,000
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
$148,000
|
COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT FUND 2017-2018 RECOMMENDED DECLINES – Low Priority
|
No.
|
Organisation
|
No.
|
Organisation
|
|
1
|
Agape Budgeting Services
|
2
|
Hutt Multicultural Inc
|
|
3
|
Hearth Trust
|
4
|
Petone Youth and Families Trust
|
|
5
|
Wainuiomata Community Garden Group Projects
|
6
|
Sailability Wellington Trust
|
|
7
|
The Arthritis Foundation of New Zealand Inc (Seniors)
|
8
|
Parkinsonism Society Wellington Incorporated
|
|
9
|
Youth Development Trust Wellington
|
10
|
Lower Hutt Women's Centre
|
|
11
|
Wesley Wellington Mission
|
12
|
Nextstage Theatre Charitable Trust
|
|
13
|
Pre Pair to Bond NZ
|
14
|
Oasis Network Inc
|
|
15
|
Royal New Zealand Plunket Society Wellington Wairarapa
|
16
|
Fast Forward Trust
|
|
17
|
New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education Limited
|
|
|
Community
Services Committee
13 November 2017
File: (17/1738)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/6
Activity Review -
Libraries
Purpose of Report
1. The purpose of this report is to outline the results of a review of
the Libraries activity.
|
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Committee:
(i) notes
the information contained in this report;
(ii) notes
that this review also meets the intent of section 17A of the Local Government
Act 2002; and
(iii) agrees
that a full section 17A review should not be undertaken at present.
|
Background
2. Activity
Reports provide regular information about Council activities, so that
activities can be analysed and their future direction considered. They also address the requirements of section 17A of the Local
Government Act 2002 (LGA) that regular reviews be undertaken of the
cost-effectiveness of current arrangements for meeting the needs of communities
for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance
of regulatory functions.
High-level
description of Activity
3. Council
provides eight libraries across the city. While these are run as a single
city-wide library service, libraries sited within hubs (Wainuiomata, Stokes
Valley and Taita) are managed by the respective hub managers.
4. As
hubs open, opening hours have been increased and are 7 day a week enterprises.
Opening hours across all 8 libraries total 425 hours per week.
5. There
are over 1.4 million physical visits to our libraries per annum.
6. Libraries
also manage two Clubhouses open a minimum of 20 hours each per week. Naenae has
been running since Term 3, 2010 and currently has 212 active members.
Taita opened on 20 May 2015 and has 197 active members. They also open in
school holiday afternoons.
7. Libraries:
· Provide and
facilitate access to information and resources that promote reading and
lifelong learning in the community.
· Provide access to
devices, the internet and other digital resources (e.g. online databases) and
support in their use.
· Collect and
preserve local heritage resources and provide programmes and support in the
fields of local and family history.
· Develop and run
core library programmes. Programmes are offered that target literacies, active
citizenship and stimulate lifelong learning.
· Provide a
community space that is comfortable, safe and non-commercial.
8. The
Libraries Activity contributes to the following Community Outcomes:
· A safe community
· A strong and
diverse economy
· An accessible and
connected city
· Healthy people
· Actively engaged
in community activities
· Strong and
inclusive communities
Reason
for the review
9. This review is
required because two years have passed since this Activity was last reviewed.
Rationale
for service provision
10. Libraries
strategic direction and plans are informed by Council’s Long Term Plan
(LTP), Community Services Group Strategic Plan and a range of Council documents
including the Long Term Integrated Facilities Plan, and the Leisure and
Wellbeing Strategy 2012-2032.
11. The
most significant recent change is transitioning to a different model of
libraries service as more libraries become incorporated into hubs without
direct line management. While there are currently still 5 standalone
libraries within Activity 1, the majority of the 8 will become incorporated
into hubs.
12. In
the new model, Libraries continue to provide “centralised”
professional library services to libraries regardless of whether they are stand
alone or sitting within hubs. These services are:
· Programming,
including Clubhouses
· Content Management
(collections and access to databases)
· Libraries specific
training
· Technology
· Heritage –
local & family history services
Present
arrangements for governance, funding and service delivery
13. Programming:
In keeping with libraries worldwide, Hutt City Libraries programme offering has
extended significantly. Libraries have had to increasingly differentiate what
programme areas are within “libraries” ambit as hubs increasingly
foster a broader wide range of community programming than ever before.
Libraries core programming covers:
· Reading, language
and literacy
· Information
literacy
· Digital literacy
· Local heritage and
family history
· STEMM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing
· Active citizenship
· Knowledge creation
14. Programme
Numbers:
· The number of
people attending Hutt City Libraries’ programmes continues to rise.
· Last financial
year (2016-2017), over 58,000 people attended a library programme.
· There has been
ongoing and significant growth in the range and amount of programming being
offered across all libraries.
15. With
the increase in the number of programmes, the variety of programmes and the
breadth of our target audiences have also widened. For example:
16. STEMM:
· Hutt City
Libraries offers programmes in the areas of coding, robotics, stop-motion
animation and 3D printing. All of these programmes are consistently
fully-booked.
· In September 2016,
over 52,000 people visited the “Dinosaur Footprints: A Story of
Discovery” at Hutt City Libraries. (Dinosaur Footprints was a
nationally-touring exhibition created by GNS Science and sponsored by NZ Oil
& Gas. It attracted 278,867 visitors over 11 NZ venues.)
· The Libraries have
continued to play an important role in the Hutt City Council’s STEMM
Festival. In May 2017, the Libraries ran 61 events (i.e., 87% of the
total festival events). These events attracted over 1700 people (i.e.,
74% of all festival attendees) despite some of our events being limited to a
small number of participants. Highlights from the festival included: 250+
children and adults attending a Q&A event with an astronaut and an
astrobiologist from NASA.
17. New
Directions:
· Hutt City
Libraries is making significant inroads into partnerships and more meaningful
relationships with schools that foster not only the use of the library; but,
also enhances links to curriculum, and supports the students’ development
of information literacy, transferable skills such as critical thinking and
enquiry, and lifelong learning. For example:
· The Libraries are
working with Te Rōpū Āwhina from Victoria University, and the
Department of Conservation to offer an exciting, experiential-based programme
where Years 9 and 10 students from Taita College, Naenae College and
Wainuiomata High School can touch, feel, experiment, find and explore science
in situ during a day-trip to Matiu Somes Island.
18. Older
Residents:
· Understanding the
importance of reducing old age social exclusion and social isolation, Hutt City
Libraries have expanded its programme offerings aimed at older residents.
These include Book Groups, senior social mornings in partnership with Age
Concern, technology talks and social mornings with SeniorNet, digital literacy
drop-in sessions with SeniorNet, Stepping UP computer classes with 2020 Trust,
and various information workshops run by groups such as Alzheimers Wellington.
19. Clubhouses
· Libraries run
licensed Clubhouses in Naenae and Taita as part of a global community of 100
Clubhouses in 20 countries that provide a creative and safe out-of-school
learning environment where young people from underserved communities work with
adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop new skills, and build
confidence in themselves through the use of technology.
· Naenae and Taita
Clubhouses currently have a total of 409 active members.
· The high level
results of the Youth Impact Survey (2016) for Hutt City Clubhouses:
o 95% of Hutt City Clubhouse
members come to Clubhouse at least once a week, because they think their
Clubhouse is a fun, friendly place to be, where they feel accepted and like
they belong.
o 98% care more about doing well
in school because of Clubhouse
o 75% think Clubhouse has helped
them make better choices with friends, family, and at school
o 73% want to study STEMM
subjects in future because of their experiences at Clubhouse. (STEMM
subjects = science, technology, engineering, maths or
manufacturing)
· Clubhouse member
at Naenae and Taita have received scholarships this year, one to Massey
University, one to Victoria University. Another member has got through to round
three auditions for Toi Whakaari. This is especially significant for Clubhouses
as these are long-term members, who have heard about these opportunities
through us, from bringing in tertiary brochures, C2C presenters, and graduates,
to showing them the FundMe database and other scholarship sites to demonstrate
how easy it is to apply for scholarships when you know how to find the
information.
20. Collections/Content
Management
· Content management
includes policy, profiles, supplier relationships, quality assurance,
selection, weeding, financial management, systems & processes, customer
relationships, collection promotion, e-resource selection & management
– facilitating relevant collections for each community while keeping
oversight of all of libraries’ collections & content.
· Underpinning the
programming strategy are the collections which form the foundation of the Libraries’
service. The collection’s strategy is to:
o Provide a collective resource
that is greater than any individual or family could afford to accommodate.
o Provide equity of access to
information, knowledge, technology, and learning opportunities.
o Reflect format shifts and
expansion of formats (e.g. hard copy and online/electronic); large print,
audiobooks, e books, e audio books. E-books represent only 2.5% of
libraries’ total print issues.
o Partner with community groups
to host intellectual access to their collections via our Library Management
System and sometimes physically housing their physical resources. The 2
most recent examples are Te Omanga Hospice and the Stokes Valley Toy Library.
21. Regional
Collaboration
· Since 2010, our
Sharing and Managing a Region Together (SMART) collaboration provides access to
600,000 items across the regional population of 230,000 through 23 libraries
covering Porirua, Kapiti Coast, Weltec, Whitireia, Lower Hutt and Masterton. As
at 1 July 2017 nearly 114,000 (83%) of all participating libraries borrowers
had opted into SMART.
· Hutt City
Libraries collaborated with Wellington City and Upper Hutt City Libraries to
plan and deliver the Beyond the Page Children and Youth Literary Festival (8
– 23 July 2017). 1613 participants attended Hutt City Libraries’ 56
events. A variety of programming targeting literacy and lifelong learning
included creative writing, zines, storytelling, stop motion animation, robotics
and animal safety, etc. At Taita Library, library staff ran Kupu Tupu,
Māori word games which was developed by the staff at Taita Library and
Taita Clubhouse. We will run it again next year with Kapiti Libraries joining
the collaboration.
Current
and future risks likely to have a significant impact on this activity
22. Buildings:
The development of hubs is mitigating the constraints and lack of suitability
of Council’s library buildings. Those libraries that are likely to
remain – Eastbourne, Moera and War Memorial Library will continue to
constrain our collections, services and programming.
23.
War Memorial is particularly challenging and was last refurbished in
2004. There is no provision in Council’s LTP for substantial
refurbishment on a regular basis. We are currently developing a
conceptual refurbishment plan and costings for War Memorial Library which we
intend to put forward in the next Council planning round
24. To
fully realise Council’s investment in integrated facilities, the experience
and knowledge of its professional practising library staff is essential and
needs to be incorporated into both the building design and service delivery of hubs.
Space, size of collections and the proportion of library professionals need a higher
priority going forward as we refine the new service model.
25. Broadly,
appropriate funding needs to be allocated to the development and on-going
operation of community hubs as they are developed. The community-led
demand to work with us and be supported with digital access and venues suggest
that the development of community hubs needs to be brought forward if anything.
Current
performance against KPIs compared to historical and peer benchmarks
|
MEASURE
|
ACHIEVED 2013-2014
|
ACHIEVED 2014-2015
|
ACHIEVED 2015-2016
|
ACHIEVED
2016-2017
|
TARGET 2017-2018
|
|
Percentage of residents who have used library
services during the year (measured by independent survey)
|
78%
|
79%
|
81%
|
72%*
|
>
80% of those expressing an opinion
|
|
Residents’ satisfaction
with library services (measured by independent survey)
|
97%
|
98%
|
98%
|
96%*
|
> 97% of those expressing an opinion
|
|
Number of physical visits per year (measured by management reports)
|
1,087,947
|
1,072,140
*Taita
Community Library physical visits were not recorded from August
2014.
|
1,204,830
|
1,415,759
|
Over
1,000,000
|
|
Number of visits
via the internet per year (measured by management reports)
|
301,037
Libraries Online
visits
71,994 sessions
on Connect
|
526,689
Libraries Online
visits
107,285 sessions on Connect
|
579,543
Libraries Online
visits
162,182 sessions on Connect
|
507,974
Libraries Online
visits
176,620 sessions
on Connect
|
500,000
Libraries Online
visits
95,000 sessions
on Connect
|
|
Library stock turnover (measured by New Zealand
Public Library Statistics)
|
5.44
(national mean
3.37)
|
5.18
(national mean
3.17)
|
5.17
(national mean
3.51)
|
4.18
(national
mean 3.36)
|
> national
mean
|
26. Hutt City Council KPIs for Libraries:
· A new methodology
and new company has resulted in variances from past years across Council areas
generally.
27. Physical visits per annum
compared to peers:
28. Hutt
City Libraries outperforms all benchmarked libraries. The upturn in our visits
is largely attributable to the growth in programming. Palmerston North have not
reported consistently.
Total
operating and capital cost of the service over the last 3 years and next 10
years
29.
|
2014-2015 Actuals ($000)
|
|
Revenue = $ 520
|
|
Total operating expenditure = $ 9,434
|
Net
cost $ 8,914 plus Total Capital $ 1,280
30.
|
2015-2016 Actuals ($000)
|
|
Revenue = $ 521
|
|
|
Total operating expenditure = $ 10,121
|
|
Net
cost $ 9,600 plus Total Capital $ 1,708
31.
|
2016-2017 Actuals ($000)
|
|
Revenue = $ 387
|
|
Total operating expenditure = $ 10,163
|
Net
cost $ 9,776 plus Total Capital $ 1,147
32.
|
YEAR
|
OPERATING COSTS
|
OVERHEAD COSTS
|
REVENUE
|
NET OPERATING COST
|
CAPEX
|
|
2018-2019
|
5,137,118
|
3,074,145
|
422,950
|
7,788,313
|
1,402,496
|
|
2019-2020
|
5,184,885
|
2,982,304
|
422,950
|
7,744,240
|
1,050,500
|
|
2020-2021
|
5,184,885
|
2,887,586
|
422,950
|
7,649,521
|
998,000
|
|
2021-2022
|
5,184,885
|
2,817,763
|
422,950
|
7,579,698
|
1,150,500
|
|
2022-2023
|
5,184,885
|
2,856,506
|
422,950
|
7,618,441
|
2,530,500
|
|
2023-2024
|
5,184,885
|
3,311,038
|
422,950
|
8,072,973
|
1,096,500
|
|
2024-2025
|
5,184,885
|
3,193,461
|
422,950
|
7,955,396
|
1,069,500
|
|
2025-2026
|
5,184,885
|
3,141,364
|
422,950
|
7,903,299
|
1,012,500
|
|
2026-2027
|
5,184,885
|
3,077,486
|
422,950
|
7,839,421
|
1,616,500
|
|
2027-2028
|
5,184,885
|
3,077,222
|
422,950
|
7,839,157
|
1,072,500
|
33. Operating
Costs include:
· Employee Costs
· Operating Costs
Overheard Costs include:
· Support Costs
· Finance Costs
· Depreciation
Revenue includes:
· User Charges
(hire/rental fees, internet access, photocopying/printing, interloans &
overdues)
· Other Revenue
(sales, merchandise)
Capex includes:
· Stock Replacement
· Furniture
· Shelving
· Building
Maintenance
· Building
Improvements
· Furniture
Replacement
· Security
Maintenance
34.
35. Libraries are now
incorporated into the Community Services activity.
Adjustments
that could be made to user charges and service levels to increase or decrease
these by 5%
36. A
5% reduction in operational funding could see a cut in the number of facilities
we can open as well as programmes we could offer, limited staff upskilling and
purchasing of resources such as newspapers, magazines and eBooks.
37. An
example of what a 5% reduction could be could include the closure of Library x,
the closure of 1 Clubhouse, a significant reduction in resources including
books, newspapers, magazines etc., and a reduction in opening hours hence staff
salary savings.
38. Hutt
City Libraries has been providing eBook access for several years and has never
been given additional funding to cover this. We have not replaced some senior
roles. As Hubs develop an appropriate proportion of budgets is transferred.
39. Capex
stock replacement remains much the same year to year regardless of the effect
of overseas exchange rates and other associated cost increases.
40. Since
our review in 2011, the outsourced cost of processing resources is paid from
Capex stock replacement.
41. A
5% increase could contribute to any of the areas above. Such an increase would
provide a significant boost to programme and services able to be offered in
priority communities, including opening at least one further Clubhouse.
Comparison
of any significant fees or charges against peers
|
2015—2016
figures
|
Population
|
Total no. Libraries
|
Hours open per week
|
Staff FTE
|
Revenue
($ 000)
|
Holdings PA
|
Total Loans
|
|
Hamilton
|
150,680
|
6
|
225
|
75
|
302
|
396,334
|
1,259,018
|
|
Dunedin Public
Libraries
|
123,500
|
7
|
260
|
79
|
572
|
655,908
|
1,247,792
|
|
Tauranga
|
128,737
|
5
|
182
|
60
|
767
|
308,128
|
686,164
|
|
Hutt City
Libraries
|
98,241*
|
8
|
378
|
86
|
360
|
255,248
|
1,167,551
|
|
Palmerston
North
|
80,079
|
7
|
172
|
unknown
|
unknown
|
222,448
|
853,473
|
42. Desk
research suggests that Hamilton, Dunedin and Tauranga revenue figures are
significantly higher than Hutt Libraries because they all charge for
reservations, contract research and meeting rooms hire. Tauranga charges double
what Hutt charges for PC internet use and Dunedin offers bindery services and digital
imaging.
43. It
is likely that Hutt City Libraries has been using technology to alert users to
prospective charges more proactively than other libraries. We have a long
established and ongoing decrease in receiving revenue. Due to the decreasing demand
for DVD and CD rental, the hire/rental fees income is steadily declining.
44. Free
internet and higher Wi Fi usage: As Hubs open internet access is free. At
the same time there is an obvious increase in the number of visitors using
their own devices and taking advantage of free Wi Fi access.
Current
highlights or issues of significance to Council
45. Current
highlights of the Libraries’ Activity include:
· High community and
organisation engagement with Hutt City Libraries as evident by the numbers of
people attending.
· programmes, using
the Library buildings or online services.
· The number and
calibre of new partners seeking to work specifically with Hutt City Libraries.
· Continued delivery
of the only Public Library and Polytechnic shared service in New Zealand.
· Delivery of
programmes in partnership with VUW, NASA, GNS, 2020 Trust, Callaghan Innovation
and others.
46. Current
issues of significance to Council are:
· Low pay rates
afforded library staff, the impact of which is high turnover and/or inability
to attract key candidates to work in Hutt City.
· Revenue
expectations which contradict worldwide practice and the movement to free
provision of information (i.e. access to internet and collections) and
experiences (i.e. access to programmes).
· Price sensitivity
& equity:
As well as the ubiquitous access to free Wi-Fi mentioned above, the general
trend for all public libraries is to no longer charge for internet access via
other means because internet usage itself has become so ubiquitous.
Neither the Walter Nash Centre nor the Stokes Valley Hub are charging for
internet access. Thus within our own local authority there is a disparity
already. A large part of the decision to not charge is a result of
Council’s own direction to concentrate our efforts in the north east
which makes up a high proportion of the high deprivation statistics for the
valley.
· Comparison with
other local authorities:
The literature indicates that overdue charges and other charges are seen,
especially by lower-socioeconomic communities to be a significant barrier to
use. This is felt particularly around children’s access. One
of our partner libraries in the SMART network is currently trialling not
charging for children’s material. Upper Hutt Libraries no longer
charges for children’s loans.
· All libraries are
seeing a downturn in usage of chargeable items such as DVD’s, as other
technologies become available. Similarly, technology has enabled us to
send text and email reminders to many more users than in the past who can then
ensure items are returned before charges apply.
· The development of
integrated community hubs, (Integrated Facilities Plan).
· The Department of
Internal Affairs, the lead agency for achieving Central Government’s
“Better Public Services” Result 10: “New Zealanders can
complete their transactions with government easily in a digital
environment”, is having a significant impact on public libraries
nationwide.
Reasonably
practical options for the governance, funding and delivery of this activity
47. The transition to hubs is
ensuring that cost effectiveness is being monitored even more closely than
usual.
48. A full section 17A analysis
is not required.
Appendices
There are no appendices
for this report.
Author: Sandra
Mann
Divisional Manager, Libraries
Approved By: Matt Reid
General Manager City and Community Services
- 
Community
Services Committee
31 October 2017
File: (17/1688)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/303
General Manager's
Report
Purpose
of Report
1. The
purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with a general update from
the Community Services Group.
|
Recommendations
It is recommended that the
Committee:
(i) notes
the updates contained in the report; and
(ii) provides
officers with feedback and guidance regarding a proposal for the Nuku
Tewhatewha pātaka at The Dowse Art Museum.
|
Background
2. The
Chair of the Community Services Committee and General Manager Community
Services agreed that a report from Community Services should be provided at
each meeting.
Discussion
3. An
update is provided below. Officers request Committee members provide feedback
on the sort of information they would most like included in these
updates.
Overall Comments from General Manager
4. The
Community Services team now form part of the new group City and Community
Services. This is a really exciting opportunity for me personally, team
members, and more importantly our communities and rate payers.
5. The
focus and priorities of the new group
are:
Ø providing the very best core
services
Ø developing world-class public
spaces, places and community facilities
Ø improving the lives and futures for
those living in our highest deprivation communities – especially the
young as well as supporting the economic development of Hutt
City
6. Especially in
relation to second and third areas of focus, I see real potential in a more
integrated (one team) approach – including working closely alongside the
rest of Council.
Museums
Events
7. Two
new exhibitions have opened at The Dowse since the last report:
· Scribble + Sculpt is a collections-based
exhibition sharing the story of pioneering teachers from the 1940s to 1980s who
led the way for educational reform and promoted creativity at the heart of
learning. Accompanying the exhibition is an installation of work made by students
at Waterloo School and the Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School following
intensive whole-school workshops with our education team.
· Gavin Hipkins: The Domain is a survey of
the career of New Zealand photographer Gavin Hipkins, which fills the entire ground
floor of the museum (excepting the Pātaka Gallery). Our flagship summer
show, the exhibition is accompanied by a new book co-published with Victoria
University Press and funded through three donations and a Creative New Zealand
grant.
8. A
new exhibition module is being prepared for display at Petone Settlers Museum,
focused on the history of the ‘Grand Nash’ hotel.
9. A
highly successful day-long hui that provided professional development
opportunities for front of house staff was held at The Dowse on
30 September, organised by Front of House Team
Leader Sasha Greig. Over 50 people attended from museums around the country
– including Otago, New Plymouth and Whanganui.
10. Two
new exhibition modules will open at Petone Settlers Museum before Christmas;
one will explore the history of Chinese market gardens in the Hutt Valley
through the life of William Yang Foon and one will explore the Mazengarb report
and ‘bodgies and widgies’.
11. The
Dowse will celebrate International Museum Shop Day on 26 November with the
launch of two new merchandise lines, ‘The Dowse Pattern Project’
and a line of in-house merchandise produced to accompany Gavin Hipkins: The
Domain. As well as hoping to entice Christmas shoppers, the underlying
message is that shopping at The Dowse makes you a patron of the museum and
supporter of activities.
Museum
Updates
12. Summer
opening hours at Petone Settlers begin on 1 December and run through to Easter
2018, meaning the museum is open seven days a week.
13. Co-planning
is underway at Petone Settlers Museum to support the New Zealand
Festival’s major waka event in February 2018. In 2018 the museum will
also have a strong focus on the history of women in Petone and the Hutt Valley,
marking the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
14. Funding has
been requested in the 2018/2019 Annual Plan to commission conservation and
remedial work on four public artworks: Anne-Marie Splunter’s ‘Play
Modules’ in Dowse Square; Louise Purvis’ water fountain sculpture
in Petone; Russell Clark’s ‘Free Forms’ sculpture outside the
War Memorial Library; John Reynolds’ ‘Titoki Tree Room’ in
Dowse Square.
15. Funding has also been requested in the 2018/19 Annual Plan (see
Appendix 1) to support research, conservation and interpretation work on Nuku
Tewhatewha, the historic pātaka held at The Dowse. This follows an
unsuccessful application to the over-subscribed Wellington Regional Amenities
Fund.
Community
Arts Updates
16. The Creative
Communities Funding Scheme Round 1 for 2017/18 closed on 25 September. Requests
totaled $79,749. There was $35,000 to distribute. The Creative
Communities panel met on Tuesday 7 November 2017 to allocate funds. 17 projects
were funded and five were declined.
17. The Stokes Valley Hub mural project for the exterior south wall of
the Hub was successfully completed in partnership with Risk Church. Lead artist
Chev Hassett worked with several Stokes Valley teens, supported by
Council’s Kaimahi Taiohi /Youth Development Facilitator, Josh Peauafi. As
a result of working on three consecutive
Council mural projects, one of the teens was nominated for a Hutt City Youth
award and won his category, ‘Embracing Diversity.’
18. In addition to the community mural mentioned
above, Community Arts Advisor Pippa Sanderson led a number of art projects to
help build community ownership of the new hub. This included commissioning
the stunning entranceway carving by Sam Hauwaho and Sonny Davis in
collaboration with Koraunui Marae, native bird paintings by Joe McMenamin and a
huge coloured tile project led by The Dowse educator Jolie de Gaia working with
the three local Stokes Valley schools.
Leisure Active
19. Spring continues to prove busy for the team at Leisure Active with
the highlight being the delivery of a vast range of recreation events this period.
Swimming
Pools + Fitness
20. Maintenance planning work has commenced at our outdoor pools in
preparation for openings in November.
21. Aquatic events that have been hosted at our indoor pools during this
period have included:
· Surf Life Saving NZ
Regional Meet at Naenae Pool.
· Wellington Canoe
Polo Solstice Tournament at Naenae Pool.
· Hutt Water Polo
Nippers Cup at Huia Pool.
22. Swimming Pools were busy during September hosting Winter sport break‑
up events. This follows on from our very successful sponsorship of
‘player of the day’ certificates for many codes.
23. A very successful partnership was formed between Sport Wellington
and Huia Pool + Fitness to deliver a healthy lifestyles course.
24. The Fitness Suites ran a rowing challenge to run in line with the
World Rowing Champs that were held in Florida USA which proved popular with
members.
25. Huia Pool + Fitness continues to be popular with over 2,300 clients
registered for swim lessons in term four (600 increase on previous year) and
over 500 people signed on as gym members.
Recreation
and Sport Programmes
26. Sport Wellington has confirmed provisional approval of funding to
continue the regional Fundamental Movement Skills project delivered by Leisure
Active for 2018. This includes an increase of funding to $545k (60k increase on
previous years) to enable free participation for decile 1-3 schools in the
programme. The funding also allows for the new delivery of a basketball stream
at Walter Nash Centre.
27. Both an Active Recreation for Over 50’s Expo and Recreation
for Under 5’s Expo were run during this period with good participation
and an increase in activity recorded by providers.
28. Highlighting the Hutt, a series of recreational events with lights
as a common theme, was run by the team during October. The aim of this series
of events was to:
● Promote
the Labour Weekend HighLight festival run by City Events.
● Promote
Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 October) the theme of which was
‘Nature is Key’.
● Promote
services and programmes which currently exist in Lower Hutt and help to promote
Lower Hutt as a great place to live, work and play.
29. Highlighting the Hutt occurred from 7-15
October and included:
· Te Whiti Riser Night
Walk
· Dive in Movie
· Mindful Colouring In
· Youth Glow Up
· Shut Up and Dance
· Starlight Picnic at
Percy’s
· Highlight on Huia
· Glowga
· G-Low down
· Men’s night at
Hangdog
· Broga at Petone
Rugby
· Hikoi for HUHA
· Light Up Les Mills
30. Ongoing community recreation programmes delivered or supported by
the team during this period include:
· Kori
kori kids
· Playball
· Minimovers
· Seated
volleyball
· Table
tennis for seniors
· Community
yoga classes
· Animal
yoga for kids
· Broga
· Yoga
in schools
Healthy
Families Lower Hutt
31. Outcomes achieved by the Healthy Families team this period include:
· Two successful FruitTrees4Marae
workshops with 24 new fruit trees planted.
· Turning the Tide our community
portal for healthy change going live (www.turningthetide.org.nz) with 17 settings taking action and a number of success
stories shared.
· Scott Court being the first suburban shopping area in Lower Hutt (and
possibly New Zealand outside of CBDs) to become a smokefree area.
· Exhibited at the Wellness in
Wainui Expo which attracted over 400 people. This provided an opportunity
to engage with the Wainuiomata community around smokefree spaces.
· Publishing a successful national
newsletter on Wai which has resulted in this being published on the
Ministry of Health’s website.
· Commitment and ongoing investment by
our Parks and Gardens colleagues in water
fountains.
· Council’s Event Support
Funding Application Form now references
Hutt City’s Smokefree Outdoor Public Places Policy and encourages all
events to be smokefree as well as encouraging event organisers to provide
healthy food and beverage options.
· Nine schools in the north east of
Lower Hutt actively engaged and on their journey to becoming a water-only school.
· Gaining commitment from Wellington
City Council, Porirua City Council and Upper Hutt City Council to
adopt our player of the day certificates and providing free pool passes as an
alternative to unhealthy fast food vouchers over the 2017-18 summer season.
· Commitment between Healthy Families
Lower Hutt, Hutt City Council and Sport NZ to work together on understanding
play at a neighbourhood level
to better inform local and national collective efforts.
· Wainuiomata High School’s Quick
Kai initiative has had their first successful fundraising round for their
school girls’ football team.
· Hosted a soft launch of Good4Work which
also included an overview of other workplace wellbeing support.
Libraries
· Naenae and Taita
Clubhouses currently have a total of 409 active members.
· High
level results of 2016 Youth Impact Survey for Hutt City Clubhouses:
o 95% of Hutt City Clubhouse
members come to Clubhouse at least once a week, because they think their
Clubhouse is a fun, friendly place to be, where they feel accepted and like
they belong.
o 98% care more about doing well
in school because of Clubhouse
o 75% think Clubhouse has helped
them make better choices with friends, family, and at school
o 73% want to study STEMM subjects
in future because of their experiences at Clubhouse. (STEMM subjects
= science, technology, engineering, maths or manufacturing)
· These
responses from Hutt City youth were obtained during the 2016 global Clubhouse
Youth Impact Survey, carried out at 100 Clubhouses around the world, conducted
by Inverness Research. See Youth Impact Survey for more information about the international survey.
· Recent
positive Clubhouse outcomes include:
o More scholarships – a
Taita Clubhouse member has received a Pasifika scholarship to Victoria
University next year, and another member has got through to round three
auditions for Toi Whakaari. This is especially significant for Taita Clubhouse
as these members have been members since 2015, and heard about these opportunities
through us, from bringing in Toi Whakaari and Victoria brochures, C2C
presenters, and graduates, to showing them the FundMe database and other
scholarship sites to demonstrate how easy it is to apply for scholarships when
you know how to find the information.
o Hutt City Youth Awards –
three Naenae Clubhouse members – Saviour, Clench and Anatto were category
finalists. Although none of them won their category we were all thrilled that
they were acknowledged for all their hard work and leadership at Clubhouse. It
was also wonderful to have their families at the youth awards, so families
could see their children’s time at Clubhouse is well spent.
· Programme
highlight for the period has been Hutt City Libraries sharing its expertise in the area of information literacy, research and
event management on the Matiu Somes Island Project. We are collaborating
with Te Rōpū Āwhina from Victoria University and the Department
of Conservation and on 7 November 60 students from
Naenae, Taita and Wainuiomata Colleges, 11 Awhina mentors, 6 teachers, 5
librarians and 5 DOC rangers visited the Island together.
· We
continue to develop the case for revamping War Memorial Library in the next
financial year. We are hoping to increase public space.
Community Hubs
32. Koraunui Stokes Valley: The building
part of the project is now officially completed. This has been done on schedule
with the project team promoting a Spring 2017 opening since the beginning of
the project. A successful opening ceremony was held on Friday 27 October, and
public open day on Saturday 28 October with approximately 3,000 visitors attending.
The project team would like to thank all partners, officers, councillors and the community for their support, guidance and encouragement
throughout the last two years. The fit-out budget and post contract works are
still being completed. It is expected that final costs for the project will be
known before Christmas with a final project budget available in January.
It is forecast to be under budget. Operationally we face some challenges
with staffing levels. These will be worked through with staff over coming
months.
33. Walter
Nash Centre continues to perform well. During the school holidays a
fantastic programme was offered to local young people, we hosted the Judo
national championships which included a visit from the Japanese Ambassador, and
hosted a World of Wearable Arts intermediate art display.
34. A focus for
hubs over the coming 12 months is to clarify and strengthen the offering across
literacy, recreation, arts, and technology access, whilst maintaining
commercial viability.
35. Overall,
Walter Nash Centre and Wainuiomata Hub (note Stokes Valley is not included as
it is only just operational) have had 350,000 visitors July – September
2017.
36. Naenae
hub consultation has commenced with 1 November – 1 December 2017 the
designated dates. A range of locations and methods of gathering feedback have
been employed over this month. Officers will analyse
results early in 2018 with results expected in February 2018.
Community Partnerships &
Relationships
37. Te Awakairangi Access Trust are currently completing preparatory work to
build infrastructure to enable Rata Street School Wi-Fi pilot to
begin in Term one 2018. The pilot will target two streets near the school
with the most students on them.
38. Community
Patrol, Neighbourhood Support and CCTV administrative support has now been
formally transferred to the City Safety team – this is at no
additional cost to Council. Budget formally held with Hutt Safe City Trust
has now been reallocated to City Safety to cover additional staff hours and
provide funding to each Community Patrol.
39. Stakeholders
working on the PSO (Personal Safety Order) house for perpetrators of
domestic violence are looking at a slightly revised model that would see a
focus also on coordinated social service delivery for a wider group of men who
have not been served a PSO but are still at risk of offending.
40. Youth
Health - Vibe are now operating their first community based drop-in clinic
in Lower Hutt, from an existing Council space in Naenae. A Meth
Drop-in Clinic pilot programme, developed in collaboration with HUCHS,
Regional Public Health, E Tu Whanau, and Pomare Taita Community Trust will
begin by the end of the year.
Community Services Significant
Projects (information repeated in CDC papers)
City & Community Services Group and Community Facilities Trust
(CFT) Significant Projects
41. The status of these projects is as follows:
Riddiford Gardens
42. Concept design options for Phase 3 work were prepared and considered
by Council in confirming the 2016/17 budget. A meeting with key stakeholders
was held on 12 July 2016 to consider the concept design before the detailed
design commenced. Phase 3 design has been the subject of value engineering,
which pushed the work into the 2017/18 financial year.
43. SLT agreed
that the Phase 3 works be negotiated with Naylor Love, the incumbent
contractor, to ensure continuity and coordination with the Events Centre work.
Negotiations, following further value engineering, were completed at the end of
August with work commencing in September, with the works expected to be
completed within the current financial year.
Avalon
Park
44. Tenders closed for the third stage of upgrade works for Avalon Park
at the end of October.
45. A contractor is expected to be appointed mid-November and commence
works in late January with works completed by 30 June 2018.
Fraser
Park Sportsville Stage 2
– Multipurpose Sports Building
46. The Fraser
Park Sports and Community Hub is well under construction with approximately 40%
of the foundation and floor slabs down. The first of the external tilt slabs
are in place as is the steel work to support the roof and second story. By
mid-December it is anticipated that the main structure of the building will be
in place.
47. Fundraising
for the project is also going well with a total of $1.2 m raised. A total of
$1.813 m remains to be raised to meet the funding target of $13.1m. A pleasing
outcome from the last two months was a significant grant from the Hutt Mana
Trust and very useful support from the Hutt Valley business community. Funds
raised from small businesses who have agreed to sponsor parts of the project
have now reached $287,000.
Walter
Mildenhall Park Redevelopment
48. The club is
now fully operational with members enjoying the new facility. Total membership
of the club is climbing rapidly and has now passed the 550 mark, making the club
the largest bowls club in New Zealand. The club is actively working to attract
local regional and international tournaments.
49. Hawkins
Construction is completing final landscaping works around the site. Repairs to
the Ferrari roof which was damaged during the final stage of construction will
be undertaken in the first two weeks of December. The post installation fine
tuning of the artificial turf will be completed after the roof repair work is
completed. This will likely occur in January 2018.
Stokes
Valley Community Hub
50. The building part of the project is now officially completed. This
has been on schedule with the project team promoting a Spring 2017 opening
since the beginning of the project. A successful opening ceremony was held on
Friday 27 October, and public open day on Saturday 28 October with
approximately 3000 visitors attending. The project team would like to thank all
partners, officers, Councillors and the community for their support, guidance
and encouragement throughout the last two years.
51. The fit-out budget and post-contract works are still being
completed. It is expected that final costs for the project will be known before
Christmas with a final project budget available in January. It is forecast
to be significantly under budget.
52. Operationally we face some challenges with staffing levels. These
will be worked through with staff over coming months.
Wainuiomata
and Petone Sportsvilles
53. A preliminary business case has been completed by Visitor Solutions
for both Wainuiomata and Petone Sportsvilles. Both organisations are now
refining these plans to meet their operational needs and desired outcomes.
Wainuiomata Sportsville will present this to founding clubs for sign off prior
to further design development taking place.
54. In the case of Petone an alternative development option is being
explored. This essentially follows the withdrawal of two clubs from
Sportsville. If an alternative development option is the preferred scenario
then Council will need to consider and endorse this alternative before any
further work is undertaken.
55. In regard to both sportsville developments it has become clear
during business case development, that lease costs (which include rates and
insurance) will be challenging for clubs if they are based on capital values as
is currently the case. A report on rates chargeable to sportsvilles is due to
be considered by Council early next year.
Other
Considerations
56. In making
this recommendation, officers have given careful consideration to the purpose
of local government in section 10 of the Local Government Act 2002. Officers
believe that this recommendation falls within the purpose of local government.
Appendices
|
No.
|
Title
|
Page
|
|
1⇩
|
Nuku Tewhatewha Appendix 1
|
44
|
Author: Sandra
Mann
Divisional Manager, Libraries
Author: Melanie
Laban
Divisional Manager, Community Projects and
Relationships
Author: Mike
Mercer
Divisional Manager Community Hubs
Author: Marcus
Sherwood
Divisional Manager, Leisure Active
Author: Courtney
Johnston
Director, Museums
Approved By: Matt Reid
General Manager City and Community Services
- Community Services Committee
30 October 2017
File: (17/1684)
Report
no: CSC2017/5/149
Community Services
Committee Work Programme
|
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Committee
receives the work programme attached as Appendix 1.
|
Appendices
|
No.
|
Title
|
Page
|
|
1⇩
|
Community Services Committee Work Programme
November 2017 - Appendix 1
|
47
|
Author: Judy
Randall
Committee Advisor
Approved By: Kathryn Stannard
Divisional Manager, Democratic Services
