Agenda of Community Services Committee

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
Membership:	9
Meeting Cycle:	Meets on a six weekly basis, as required or at the requisition of the Chair
Quorum:	Half of the members
Reports to:	Council

7 07 March 2019

Community Services Committee

16 January 2019

File: (19/74)

Report no: CSC2019/1/30

Accessibility and Inclusiveness Subcommittee Plan Update

Purpose of Report

1. To update the Committee on:

a. the work of the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee; and

b. recommendations from this Committee concerning Council support for the funding of specific projects related to improving outcomes for people in the city living with disabilities.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) notes the minutes of the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee meeting on 3 October 2018 attached as Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii) agrees to make recommendations to the Community Plan Committee supporting the funding of specific projects related to improving outcomes for people in the city living with disabilities, which are:

(a) improving the quality of the footpaths around the city and developing a standard approach to auditing footpaths in consultation with the disabled community to ensure their suitability for all users ;

(b) investigating the possibility of working with Blind Square and Wellington City Council to install Blind Square in Lower Hutt’s CBD and Jackson Street Petone to assist those with sight impairments to move safely around both these areas; and

(aa) reporting misuse of mobility parking spaces; and

(bb) mapping the location of mobility parks in Lower Hutt; and

(iii) notes that the Central Community Panel has made provision of $100,000 funding for a Changing Places facility for those with highly complex needs;

(iv) notes that the Strategic Advisor, City and Community Services Group has advised that there is sufficient budget in the public toilet operational fund to make up the shortfall over the next two financial years – 2018/19 and 2019/2020;

(v) recommends to the Community Plan Committee that the responsible officers be directed to investigate the costs of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee recommendations and report to the appropriate Committee by 30 June 2019 with:

(a) a breakdown of the cost implications of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee recommendations; and

(b) a timeline and plan for implementation.

For the reasons outlined in the following report.

Background

2. The Accessibility and Inclusiveness Subcommittee met on Wednesday
3 October 2018. The minutes, including actions and recommendations from that meeting, are attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

Discussion

3. Just under 25% of Lower Hutt’s population suffer from a disability of some kind. The Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee was established to ensure that Council understood and could respond to issues facing the disabled community in the city. Council is committed to ensuring that it recognises and addresses issues where this is possible. For example, while Council can directly address issues such as uneven footpaths it cannot do the same with public transport.

4. During the first 12 months the Subcommittee has considered a number of issues. While there are many problems facing the city’s disabled community the Subcommittee is most concerned about:

a. the quality of the footpaths in the city and their suitability for use by those with disabilities/mobility issues (this includes older residents);

b. the lack of a public toilet facility to meet the needs of those with highly complex needs;

c. the ability of those with sight impairments to move safely around both the CBD and Jackson Street, Petone; and

d. the quality and suitability of mobility carparks and the use of these by able-bodied car owners.

5. Government increased its subsidy for footpath renewal in 2018 as part of its policy shift towards improving safety and access for walking and cycling and Council will receive its extra funding in the 2019-2020 year.

6. Council’s Transport Division has advised that previously NZTA did not subsidise footpath maintenance but now they do, at the standard Funding Assistance Rate (FAR) of 51%. Council will receive $902k from this year (2019) onwards. Effectively this means that Council ‘saves’ 51% of the cost of its footpath maintenance costs. The Transport Division further advised that this increased subsidy will be used to slightly extend Council’s footpath maintenance programme and assist with projects such as the cycleway/shared path projects.

7. Footpaths are audited annually when road condition inspections are carried out and these audits are undertaken by Opus.

8. The other main issue is a lack of suitable toilet facilities in the CBD for those with highly complex needs. Recently, the Central Community Panel has agreed to support the installation of this facility through its Local Community Project Fund and have put $100,000 towards it. The total cost of the facility is $200,000.

9. The Strategic Advisor, City and Community Services Group has advised that there is sufficient budget in the public toilet operational fund to make up the shortfall over the next two financial years – 2018/19 and 2019/2020.

10. There are also improvements needed to Huia Pool to accommodate people with complex needs and officers understand these issues are being addressed in consultation with those affected.

Recommendations by the Subcommittee

11. Because these are the Subcommittee’s key concerns it is recommending that the Community Services Committee support their request for action in and funding for these four key areas:

a. Improving the quality of the footpaths around the city and developing a standard approach to auditing footpaths in consultation with the disabled community to ensure their suitability for all users ;

b. The installation of a Changing Places toilet in the CBD/central city;

c. Investigating the possibility of working with Blind Square and Wellington City Council to install Blind Square in Lower Hutt’s CBD and Jackson Street Petone to assist those with sight impairments to move safely around both these areas; and

d. Investigating the involvement in CCS Disability Action’s work involving the Thundermaps application for:

i. reporting misuse of mobility parking spaces; and

ii. mapping the location of mobility parks in Lower Hutt.

12. The Subcommittee further recommends that the Community Plan Committee directs the responsible officers to investigate the cost of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee recommendations and report to the appropriate Committee by 30 June 2019 with:

a. A breakdown of the cost implications of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee recommendations; and

b. A timeline and plan for implementation.

Options

13. The Committee can choose to support the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee’s recommendations or not.

Consultation

14. The Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee was established to provide Council with advice about issues facing the city’s disabled community and solutions for these.

Legal Considerations

15. There are no legal considerations.

Financial Considerations

16. There are financial implications for the 2019-2020 Annual Plan if Council decides to support the Subcommittees requests.

Other Considerations

17. 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

No.	Title	Page
1 ⇩	Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee Minutes 3 October 2018	11

Author: Wendy Moore

Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning

Approved By: Kim Kelly

General Manager, City Transformation

Attachment 1

Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee Minutes 3 October 2018

Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Sub Committee Minutes

Wednesday 3^rd October 2018

Public Comment
Warren Nelson addressed the Subcommittee. Warren has been involved with Kara Hands a service provided for high complex needs young people. His key points were:

i. That the disability community would benefit from having access to the names and short biographical details for the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Sub Committee members

ii. Under what circumstances are members contactable?

iii. Are there sufficient resources, priority, services for the disability sector/community allocated by Council?

iv. What level of importance is being attached publicly to the Subcommittee?

Chairs response:

· That Council wants to change things for the disability community and that is why the Subcommittee has been set up

· Funding comes through the LTP process

· The disability community is important to the Mayor who fully endorses the subcommittee and wants to ensure that it is “not a five minute wonder”

Minutes of 20 June meeting
Moved by Chair, seconded by Jenna Maugren

Blind Square
Thomas Bryan, Blind Foundation and Sophie Parsons, WCC attended the meeting to explain the process WCC went through to introduce Blind Square into parts of Wellington City. The Blind Foundation and WCC worked in a partnership approach with businesses in the city. They looked for well used routes travelled on foot, linked real time public transport travel information so people could find out when buses/trains would be arriving/departing. You can access the presentation here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ha4y5dp5gahpil/Bsq_overview.pptx?dl=0

The main challenge was following up with business owners. The beacons are $30 each and maintenance (which is cloud based) is $8k to $10k per year. For feedback they recruited a small group of people to test and report back with a particular focus on how easy it was to locate the counter in a store and finding the nearest bus stop.

GWRC and public transport
Cr Barry gave an update on the meeting held at Petone Workingman’s Club on 11 September 2018. Ms McLachlan reported that there were still issues with support people being charged by bus drivers even though they were entitled to travel for free.

Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference (attached as Appendix I) were discussed and agreed.

Moved: Chair

Seconded: Paul Gruschow

Homelessness Strategy

Wendy Moore told the subcommittee about the work being done on a Homelessness Strategy and asked for feedback from the group and their networks. The draft Strategy will be sent to subcommittee members for comment.

My Life, My way Transport working group

Have been asked for a list of issues with footpaths in the city. It is difficult to be aware of all the areas where problems are occurring.

Need to put out word for people to report issues with smoothness, bumps, pot holes and so on. The subcommittee had a couple of ideas:

· Story for Hutt News (could be shared with networks so they can publicise0

· Safety is the issue – rough footpaths are an issue for everyone

Stew Sexton – report a problem works well; lots of contractors digging up footpaths for all sorts of reasons; do contractors understand what flat access means

Paul Gruschow – submission to LTP – full review of all paths, would need a lot of resourcing; could get team of volunteers

Contact details for subcommittee members

· The subcommittee agreed that having the names and a short bio would be useful

· The subcommittee asked officers to organise HCC e mail addresses for members so that they could be contacted via this by the community

· There will be a group email as well as individual e mails

· The subcommittee agreed that contact should be restricted to the working week

General business

· Genevieve McLachlan and Stew Sexton have attended two meetings for discussing improved access to UHCC recycling centre. Would be good if HCC could also take this approach.

15 07 March 2019

Community Services Committee

30 January 2019

File: (19/100)

Report no: CSC2019/1/31

Activity 3 Review - Aquatics and Recreation

Purpose of Report

1. The purpose of this report is to outline the results of a review of Aquatics and Recreation which now falls under the Integrated Community Services Activity.

Recommendations

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 for the reasons outlined in the report.

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.

3. A review is required because three years have passed since this Activity was last reviewed.

Discussion

4. Aquatics and Recreation is a City and Community Services Group activity managed in-house with both service delivery and asset management provided by the Leisure Active Division (recently expanded to the Parks & Recreation Division).

5. Aquatics and Recreation incorporates the provision of:

a. 6 x swimming pools – 3 indoor and 3 outdoor seasonal pools

b. Sport and recreation programming services

c. Aquatic programming services branded as ‘Swim City’

d. 3 x fitness gyms branded as ‘Leisure Active Fitness Suite’

e. 10 x community halls

f. Externally funded contracts e.g: Healthy Families

6. Aquatics and Recreation contributes significantly to Hutt City’s vision of “making our city a great place to live, work and play” by providing high quality and affordable recreational facilities, events and programmes. These services help to make Lower Hutt an attractive place for residents, and those looking at relocating to the city. Aquatics and Recreation contributes to the following community outcomes:

a. Healthy people

b. Actively engaged in community activities

7. Participation in sport and recreation plays a key role in improving the physical and psychological well-being of individuals and therefore communities. There is international evidence that participants in sport and recreation are on average more productive in employment and enjoy better health outcomes. Some of these benefits are personal (increased productivity leads to a higher wage and a healthy person should have a higher quality of life) and some are social benefits received by others (increased productivity leads to higher profits and the government makes savings in the health system when the population is more active in sport and recreation). Sport and recreation provides the catalyst for community gatherings, from small functions to major events, where people play, talk and share experiences. Importantly it has a positive effect that reaches many levels of our society—in short—sport and recreation creates social capital.

8. Council provides these services because participation in recreation, sports, fitness and cultural activities positively affects people’s lives. Providing these high quality services at a low user cost makes them available to the whole community. Quality recreation services are critical factors contributing to the quality of life of Lower Hutt.

Strategic Fit

9. The strategic documents which guide the delivery of services for this activity are: ‘The Leisure and Wellbeing Strategy’, ‘The Integrated Facilities Plan’, ‘The SLT Business Plan’, and ‘The Community Services Strategic Plan.’

10. The common threads which run through these documents and form the goals for this activity are:

a. To deliver the best core local government public services in New Zealand.

b. To renew and revitalise Lower Hutt’s network of community facilities.

c. To improve the quality of life and wellbeing of those living in high deprivation communities.

11. These services where possible should be delivered in an integrated manner, working in partnership with other Council services, community organisations, government agencies and/or the commercial sector.

KPIs and Financial Performance

12. The following tables set out performance targets and financial achievement for the activity over the past three years.

13. Performance against targets has been unfavourable for the past two years due to:

a. A change in resident survey methodology,

b. Projected increases in usage due to expansion of the Huia Pool occurring slower than predicted,

c. Effect of adoption of the living wage,

d. Variable income received for funded projects including Kiwisport and North East Pathways Project.

Future Risks

14. The main risks for this activity in the near future are likely to be legislative and financial.

15. Recreational activities have inherent risk with injuries occurring due to the settings involved and activities undertaken. Increasing pressure on reducing accidents may mean expensive costs incurred to ensure facilities meet standard and staff are fully trained in dealing with hazards. Hopefully this will not limit the types of activities which can be offered.

16. Public health, particularly in relation to swimming pools, continues to be a major risk and while we have not had any incidents in the past 15 years it is important that our facilities and equipment continue to meet or exceed national standards.

17. Health and Safety reform is likely to include new regulations around the handling and classification of dangerous substances and the requirement for staff training and certification. This will affect swimming pools where chemicals are used to treat water and clean the facilities.

18. Financial pressures will be experienced in the near future due to completing required upgrades of facilities and increased operational costs particularly in relation to staffing.

Swimming Pools

19. Lower Hutt residents are high users of swimming pools with Lower Hutt having the highest number of swims per person per year in the region. Attendances at swimming pools reached 1.1M in the 2017/18 year.

20. Increases in attendances are due to improved assets (eg refurbishment of McKenzie Baths and Huia Pool), introduction of new services (eg fitness suites), and increased programme activities (eg Water Safety and Hydrotherapy).

21. Pools must comply with NZS 4441 the New Zealand Building Code for Swimming Pools and NZS 5826:2000 the New Zealand Pool Water Treatment Standard. Council has also adopted the ACC Poolsafe regulations which provide national guidelines for the supervision and operation of public pools. All our pools comply with these regulations.

22. The maintenance of swimming pools is covered by the Pools Asset Management Plan, three yearly engineering survey reports and site specific operations and maintenance manuals. Future planning, direction and development of these facilities are informed by the Integrated Facilities Plan.

23. Entry charges for swimming pools are set by Council in the Annual Plan and while Council could take an approach that maximises revenue, it is important to balance this with social objectives, such as not preventing access to low income families. Council’s Revenue and Financing Policy expects between 40-59% of total costs to be recouped through user charges. This is an increase from previous year targets of 35%. Rather than increasing core entry charges, Council continues to focus on increasing revenue by introducing a range of profitable services that individuals can choose to use.

24. The major capital improvement across swimming pools over the last three years has been the expansion of Huia Pool to include a dedicated learn-to-swim pool, a hydrotherapy pool and a fitness suite.

25. Attendances since opening have continued to grow with a 34% increase in total visits, including 82% in senior visits. The increase in senior visits is largely attributable to the hydrotherapy pool.

Swim City

26. Swim City is an in-house aquatic programming service offering a range of educational and recreational programmes. These include;

· Learn to Swim – from baby to adult classes

· Stroke correction and development swimming

· Kiwiswim

· Aquarobics & Nifty 50’s

· Vocational programmes – kayaking, snorkelling, waterpolo etc.

· National Lifeguard Award.

27. In 2016/17 Swim City generated additional income for Council of $1.5M, a 26% increase on the previous year, due mainly to the new pool at Huia.

28. Future focus will be on increasing the range and availability of lessons provided including expanding early childhood, disability, senior and adult offerings.

Fitness Suites

29. Fitness Suites are boutique style fitness rooms attached to our indoor pools. They provide an add-on service for our users with cardio and fixed weight stations provided. Fitness Suites assist with tackling the increasing obesity rates by providing these services in convenient locations where people already visit. While standard memberships are at the medium range for the local gym market, discounts are available for low income users and those with medical conditions referred through a medical GP.

30. Fitness Suites have been operating at Naenae Pool and Stokes Valley Pool for a number of years with a new suite opened at Huia in July 2017. A fitness suite was operational at Walter Nash after re-development which has since been closed.

31. Excluding Walter Nash Fitness, memberships have steadily increased over the past three years, reaching a total of 2,025 members in July 2018 – an 80% increase during this period.

Sport and Recreation Services

32. This service incorporates the delivery of:

a. Recreation programmes in parks and community settings eg Kev the Kiwi Walks, Park play days.

b. Sports club development and strategic planning support.

c. Support for Sportsville organisations.

d. Primary school sports coordination support.

e. Fundamental Movement Skills programme - Kiwisport

f. Sport Education Projects – North East Pathways, Yoga in Schools

33. Funding for these activities is generated through government grants, sponsorships, community grants, user charges and ratepayer subsidies. In 2017/18 over 80% of costs were recovered by way of revenue for these activities.

34. Council’s focus on improving the lives of people in our most deprived communities, has meant taking a more focused approach to the delivery of these services, with many of these programmes based in the North East suburbs, and/or heavily subsidised or free for low income users.

Community Halls

35. Community halls continue to be well used by local communities with 18,000 hours of use recorded at the eight community halls which are managed in-house in 2017/18.

36. Community halls are progressively being either incorporated into new community hubs, such as at Walter Nash Centre and Stokes Valley or upgraded to meet future demand. Naenae Hall will be incorporated into the new hub when this is completed.

Externally Funded Contracts

37. Council currently has two significant contracts delivered under this activity. These are largely funded by third parties with in-kind support provided by Council:

a. Kiwisport Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) – A regional project engaging third party providers to deliver swimming and sports skill projects to primary schools. An ongoing project with funding from Sport Wellington Kiwisport Fund agreed on an annual basis. In 2017 funding of 700k benefited 30,000 children across the region.

b. Heathy Families Lower Hutt – A Ministry of Health funded project looking to establish healthy environments and settings within Lower Hutt. An eight year project with annual funding of $784k.

Benchmarking

38. Swimming Pools subscribe to the ‘Yardstick Pools Report’ which measures performance across a number of criteria compared to other facilities. This survey has become less relevant in recent years with many councils opting out of the scheme. Due to the limitations of the report Council will not be joining in 2018/19.

39. The following information covers the 2017/18 year and is compared against like facilities. Net cost per admission is a measure of efficiency of service provision and calculates the average ratepayer cost for each person who visits a pool.

Cost Per User Indoor Pools

Admissions Per Square Metre Indoor Pools

Options

40. As per section 17A of the Local Government Act, a full review of Activity 3 has not been completed as the potential benefits of undertaking a full review do not justify the costs of undertaking the review.

41. While there is potential to share Aquatic and Recreation services regionally resulting in possible increased service levels, it is unlikely that this would result in lower costs for Lower Hutt residents. This is due to Lower Hutt residents currently experiencing a low ratepayer cost of services and also having the lowest swimming pool entry cost in the urban region.

Consultation

42. No consultation has been undertaken in completing this review.

Legal Considerations

43. None.

Financial Considerations

44. None.

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 meets the requirements of section 17A of the Local Government Act.

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

32 07 March 2019

-Community Services Committee

24 January 2019

File: (19/86)

Report no: CSC2019/1/32

General Manager's Report

Purpose of Report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with a general update from the City and Community Services Group.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Committee notes the updates contained in the report.

Background

2. The Chair of the Community Services Committee and General Manager City and Community Services agreed that a report from Community Services should be provided at each meeting.

Discussion

3. An update on Community Services activity, opportunities and challenges is provided below.

Museums

Staffing:

4. The new Director, Karl Chitham, commenced on 7 January 2019. Chitham was formerly the Director of the Tauranga Art Gallery.

Community Art

5. Summer in Dowse Square is back this year, with free concerts in Dowse Square every Sunday afternoon from 10 February – 3 March. The programme is confirmed and underway.

6. Community Arts supported our Council Hubs Holiday art programmes in January.

7. Planning is currently underway on the Hutt Winter Festival with a new marketing and fundraising person in place and the programme is developing well.

Venues

8. We have had a successful season of weddings with bookings steady. Due to the close of the upstairs galleries, including the family lounge, we have been using the James Coe event space as a family space over summer with the imagination playground proving a popular attraction for families.

Facilities

9. The Blumhardt Gallery refurbishment is nearing completion. The walls have been lined (half were previously concrete block), the floors have been changed from carpet to wood, and glass sliding doors have been installed to create a climate controlled environment. This is due for completion over the next two weeks.

10. The Little Theatre renovations are progressing well. There have been ongoing issues with the smell and fumes from the various renovation works affecting Library staff and operations. Steps have been taken to mitigate this and good communication has assisted in ensuring all parties are kept notified and problems dealt with as they arise.

11. We are currently working with the facilities team on a closed tender process for the Dowse Entrance project, hoping to have this underway over the next month.

Engagement

12. We are currently working with Darcy Nicholas to engage whanau and iwi on the Nukutewhatewha revitalisation project. This is progressing well, and we are hoping to allocate research contracts over the next few months.

13. The Petone Settlers Museum programme is currently being reviewed and a new programme of displays, projects and exhibitions is being developed for the next financial year’s programme.

Parks and Recreation

14. With Bruce Hodgins taking up a new role of Strategic Advisor, the former Parks & Gardens Division has now been combined with the Leisure Active team under the new banner of the Parks & Recreation Division. This new division will be based out of the Pelorus Trust Sportshouse.

Pools + Fitness

15. Naenae Learners’ pool remains closed following an engineer’s report that found the learners’ pool building to be rated less than 20% of the New Building Standards (NBS). A peer review completed in December confirmed these findings.

16. Earthquake Prone building notices have been attached to the building complex while the main pool and fitness suite continue to operate as usual.

17. Engineers have been commissioned to provide a work programme to get the Learners’ Pool to a standard where it can reopen. We expect to receive an interim report on this in the next few weeks.

18. We have also commissioned a comprehensive engineering report on the main pool. It is important to note that no issues have previously been identified in relation to the main pool at Naenae.

19. All our swimming pools have had a mixed summer season with a variable weather pattern over December and January. This has resulted in attendances being lower than last year but higher than the five year average at most of our facilities.

20. Memberships at our Fitness Suites continue to show a steady increase with total memberships across all sites up 6% on this time last year. This is despite the closure of the Walter Nash site. Excluding Walter Nash numbers membership numbers are up 19% at our other sites.

21. The annual Foodbank appeal at our Fitness Suites resulted in 800 cans of food being collected.

Recreation

22. Over summer we have been hard at work nudging our communities towards play. During January there were another seven play events attended by 1,280 people held largely in our Northeast suburbs. In 2020 we are likely to advance the ‘playdays’ brand and model.

23. There are a string of deliverables tied to our broader play work including street parties, a small communications campaign (with upcoming videos from UNICEF), a string of small play prompt installations (volleyball courts, trapezes, swings, chalk art, a planned ‘craft trailer’ to move around Hubs and so on.

24. Our small group fitness classes continue to scale up. January attendance was 25% higher than the corresponding time last year.

25. Lower Hutt has been selected as the first overseas pilot territory for NBA Maths hoops. This is a maths board game for 7+ kids who use the context of the NBA to teach basic numeracy skills. If basketball is not the favourite sport of a specific Hutt Valley child, it will be their second favourite, so we expect this tool to support our teachers in driving improved numeracy in our deprived areas. We have the resource to get three schools active on the programme. We have committed Tui Glen and Randwick and are in conversation with Rata Street and Taita Central.

26. Our Yoga in Schools programme won the community impact award at the NZ Exercise Industry Awards in November.

Healthy Families Lower Hutt

27. Play in the Hutt - In partnership with Sport NZ and Council, Healthy Families has published Tākaro to Play, our Play in the Hutt research findings and have continued to build on the momentum of play through ongoing conversations and call to action within Council and partners who have a role in enabling play in our communities. Council’s Active in the Hutt team continues to support this momentum through providing a number of initiatives to encourage play and reduce barriers including pop up play days for whanau across Lower Hutt and ‘Build & Play’ and ‘Sport + Play’ trailers available to local schools and community groups to utilise. We’ve also developed a ‘Play in the Hutt’ webpage which provides a one-stop shop on play.

28. Healthy, Active Streets - We are leading discussions within Council around a healthy, active streets and spaces approach to our decision-making and investment. To date a working group has been established with representatives from across key Council teams and we continue to meet regularly. A draft framework has been developed and is currently out for feedback before finalising. Once finalised this will then be presented to Council’s Strategic Leadership Group for endorsement and a workshop will be had with Councillors and Divisional Managers on the approach.

29. In partnership with Toi Te Ora Public Health Service, we have agreed to host a two-day workplace wellbeing ‘hackathon’ in Lower Hutt in March 2019 which will include the Mental Health Foundation’s Train the Trainer module. We are part of a small working group that is co-designing the hui with Health Promotion Agency, Healthy Families MMP, Healthy Families Waitakere and Toi te Ora. We pushed for a re-think of the purpose and content of the hui to be a platform for a national Community of Practice with more of a focus on systems change and capability building, especially around co-design.

30. We have worked with Rangatahi Tu Rangatira to develop a Te Reo version of the Player of the Day certificates. Rangatahi Tu Rangatira have ordered 200 certificates for their upcoming summer events which means 200 more physical activity opportunities for our rangatahi

31. We’ve also engaged with Softball NZ who are driving smokefree and alcohol free kaupapa nationally through ‘Healthy Ball Parks’. Several national tournaments will be taking place at the new Ricoh Sports Centre in the coming year where we will provide support around being health promoting tournaments and messaging.

32. As part of making our events across Lower Hutt more health promoting, we have developed a Smokefree Events Toolkit that is being promoted through our Events Team and distributed to community members when they apply for funding.

33. Four further water fountains have been approved for funding through Council’s local Community Panels and will be installed over the next six months.

Parks

34. November/December was a busy time for the Parks team with completion of the Avalon Park and Riddiford Garden projects. While there are some defects still to be resolved these spaces are being well used by the public with many positive comments received.

35. Work has commenced on an outdoor basketball park in Stokes Valley, partially funded by the Community Panel.

36. Final design and tendering is currently underway for Avalon Park toilets upgrade, Eastbourne community playground, Naenae Park turf drainage, and Naenae Pavilion seismic strengthening.

37. Installation of four water fountains and a skate surface have been approved by the Community Panels and will be installed over the next six months.

38. Community and stakeholder consultation is currently being undertaken on Naenae Park playground redevelopment, Petone Recreation Ground grandstand, Wellesley College, Maungaraki School and the Western Hills track network.

39. Work on the Eastbourne skate ramp has been ceased due to issues with the contractor. Officers are currently looking at alternatives to complete this work.

40. A review of reserve land has been commissioned and has commenced in Wainuiomata.

41. The sports ground maintenance contract is due for renewal in June. This is likely to result in an increase in contract costs due to growth in scope and quality of provision over recent years. Council Officers are currently considering a procurement strategy for this contract.

Libraries

42. Kat Cuttriss has commenced as Divisional Manager, Libraries. Cuttriss comes to Hutt City Libraries from Kāpiti Coast District Council, where she was Libraries and Arts Manager. Cuttriss is the current Chair of PLNZ (Public Libraries of New Zealand). The Libraries team managed well during the period between Sandra Mann’s departure and Kat Cuttriss’ arrival.

43. In response to historic and recent customer feedback, the Libraries Division is trialling 9.30am (rather than 10.00am) opening Monday-Thursday at all community libraries over summer, utilising existing staffing resource levels. Evaluation will be undertaken in March, to determine if the new opening hours will remain. Early indications are that this initiative has been very positively received by the community.

44. Hutt City Libraries has been awarded a grant from the contestable “Unlocking Curious Minds” fund for our Whakatōmene: Matiu Somes Island project. In this project, rangatahi will learn about ecology, conservation and marine biology, by comparing their own backyard to Matiu Somes Island. Only 22 local community projects are awarded funding across the country, and only three are local to the Wellington region.

Community Hubs, Projects and Relationships

45. Generally, summer is a quiet time for our facilities, and this has again been true for visitation levels. All hubs have run a range of successful programmes during the summer break for those who are using our facilities.

46. At six months through the financial year the hubs collectively have had 747,000 visits. Our internal customer satisfaction survey indicates an average “Overall Satisfaction” of 95% across all three current hubs.

47. Several team members received awards at the Hutt City Council Kairangi function. The Koraunui team won team of the year, Joni Araiti and Ross Barber/Terry Stallworth won Community Hero awards. We are exceptionally proud of these results.

48. Koraunui Stokes Valley (KSV) and Wainuiomata Hub: Both hubs participated in the respective community Christmas events.

49. Walter Nash Centre: Clubhouse space is working exceptionally well and provides opportunities to extend the digital offering in 2019. The old stadium has had a lighting upgrade to LED lights. This is a significant contribution to reducing our environmental impact.

50. A Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation on the Walter Nash Centre will be undertaken over the next 12 months. After this, we will replicate at KSV.

51. Naenae hub contract negotiations have been completed and the contract has been signed. A public media release has been distributed in relation to this. Next stage is completing a concept design which will then be taken out to the community for further feedback.

52. Koraunui Hub celebrated its one year anniversary during this period. A piece of feedback was received from a customer that we would like to share with the committee:

“At the one year birthday celebration a few weeks ago I was reflecting over the past year, since the hub has opened, and I have been meaning to send this email just so say how much I appreciate the SV community hub, and the impact it has had on my whanau.

I did not have an active part in the planning of the new hub, (although I did fill in the community survey forms), but I was pleasantly surprised with the amazing facility and resource that is now available!

Over the past years I ‘popped in’ fortnightly or so to change books at the library; the staff were always friendly and helpful and I appreciated the library resources.

With the new hub, we come here an average of 3 days a week! My daughter plays the cello with Arohanui strings and I feel relaxed and welcome to sit in the bean bags and read books to my younger boys or let them play with blocks etc for the 2 hours, or safe to leave her and pick her up at the end. (She really enjoyed performing for the community at the birthday a few weeks ago!)

We are really enjoying the range of the new children’s books over the past year! And also think it is great that the toy library is in a much safer environment, especially for the volunteers.

We also appreciate using the hub facility for ‘homeschool science’ classes (run through HCC – House of Science). It is great to be able to meet at a community facility and connect with other home educating families, and to have the option for younger children to read etc while the older ones take the class...

We hire the large room for our local church event about once a month. With this, we have been able to connect with a number in the community, and form ongoing relationships.

We have lived in Stokes Valley more than 8 years, and I can honestly say that as a direct result of the SV community hub opening a year ago, I really feel ‘part’ of our local community.

I appreciate the friendly staff and look forward to the year ahead,

Arohanui, and thank you so much once again.”

53. City Safety

Safe Hutt Valley, Family Harm:

· A strategic planning session in late 2018 agreed that Family Harm is one of the main issues facing the Hutt Valley, and the group has agreed this will set the foundation and direction for the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.

· Council White Ribbon Accreditation – in progress

· Wainuiomata ‘It’s OK to Ask for Help’ Champions – a community event was held at Wainuiomata Pool to promote and raise the profile of the Champions and project, whilst looking to recruit more champions.

CCTV

· Two new cameras have been installed in Riddiford Gardens and one further camera is expected within the next month (weather dependent).

· Percy’s Reserve. Theft ex-car and unlawful interference of motor vehicles in the reserve carpark has continued to increase. The security camera installed by the Parks Division has been operating since 8 February, and captures the entire car park area. This system will not be fed to the CCTV suite, but retained/stored in the Percy’s Reserve office facility. Parks have been advised to also consider a static guard or volunteers to monitor the cameras during high risk times.

Community Patrols and Neighbourhood Support (NS)

· Stokes Valley and Wainuiomata Patrols have introduced day patrols, subject to volunteers’ availability.

· One new NS Group has been formed in Taita.

54. Te Awakairangi Access (TAKA) Trust - Bridging the digital divide – Rata Street School

· Controlled WIFI network has been rolled out to Year 5/6s (new intake of Year 5 students).

· The focus for 2019 is on increasing students’ engagement with the devices. A range of co-curricular activities with partners will be delivered. These include whanau-centric opportunities to encourage parental involvement.

· Rata Street School teaching group has been approved professional development from the Ministry of Education. This will be rolled out in 2019 and will change the pedagogy of teaching to maximise the effective use of the technology in class.

55. Empowering Tamariki

· The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) funded the Naenae Akoranga Programme.

o Another successful programme delivered over Christmas holidays.

o Highly structured programme with rangatahi employed as Leaders/Supervisors.

o Approximately 45-50 local tamariki attended each day.

56. Youth Inspire (YI)

· 54 rangatahi have been placed into training, education, or employment between July–December 2018 and the group are on track to meet the Council contract. A significant amount of time continues to be spent working with rangatahi to get them work/study ready.

· YI Licence to Work programme currently underway. This has been supported by 38 businesses who have provided 60 work experience opportunities for rangatahi on the programme.

· YI Community Driving Programme has an 80% success rate for Learner Licences, and 23 volunteer community mentors have been recruited and will now be trained to provide in-car training to rangatahi.

57. Community Funding

· This is the final year of contract/non contestable funding for Lower Hutt Citizens Advice Bureau, Petone Citizens Advice Bureau, Youth Inspire, Moera Community House, Petone Community House, Taita Pomare Community House, Kelson Community Centre, Alicetown Community Centre and Team Naenae. These organisations are well aware of this change, and of Council’s new funding strategy. They will have the opportunity to apply under the new funding streams, and will need to demonstrate their alignment.

· The community funding strategy aligns directly to Council’s vision and will see our investment directed to ‘improving equity across our city’ where it is needed most with the focus on:

o All tamariki (children) in persistent poverty or who are vulnerable, especially very young children, Maori and Pasifika children and/or children in sole-parent families.

o All rangatahi (youth) not in education, training or employment.

o All kaumatua (seniors) who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation.

· The Community Funding Strategy has the following funding streams:

o Kakano Fund: Kākano means seed, and this fund provides seed funding for new ideas that meet our vision in a give-it-a-go, safe-to-try environment.

§ Opens 6 May, closes 27 May

o Mahia Atu Partnership Funding – provides a small number of organisations with funding and provides longer term funding and a partnership approach (three to five years). If an initiative is a strong fit to our vision, can demonstrate outstanding results and strong collaboration, they would apply here.

§ Opens 6 May, closes 27 May

o Mahia Atu Community fund- provides one or two year funding for good community initiatives.

§ Opens 24 June, closes 15 July

City & Community Services Group and Community Facilities Trust (CFT) Significant Projects

58. The status of these projects is as follows:

Fraser Park Sports and Community Hub

59. Armstrong Downes has lodged papers with Council to secure a Certificate of Public Use (CPU) to enable the public to access and use the Ricoh Sports Centre. Documents have also been lodged with Council for a Certificate of Code Compliance (CCC). Both applications are being processed by Council but could take up to 20 working days to complete. Armstrong Downes has granted Fraser Park Sportsville (FPS) and their contractors access to the building and fit-out work by FPS is now in full swing. Armstrong Downes is also working through a list of remedial work and defects and it is expected that this work will be completed by the end of this month. Most remedial work is minor (painting touch ups) however significant work still needs to be done to reinstate the grass and turfs around the building site. Finishing and further structural fixing is also required on the ceiling of the west end changing rooms. With respect to CFT subcontracts (not part of the main contract with Armstrong Downes) all work has now been completed on the six squash courts and the fitting of the internal cricket nets is all but completed. It is expected that Fraser Park Sportsville will complete their fit-out work in time for the proposed opening of the complex in March. The project capital budget is under significant pressure due to:

o Capital over-runs

o Additional fit-out requirements, and

o A fundraising shortfall.

60. The CFT and officers are still proactively fundraising.

Other Considerations

61. 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

There are no appendices for this report.

Author: Melanie Laban

Divisional Manager, Community Projects and Relationships

Author: Marcus Sherwood

Divisional Manager, Leisure Active

Author: Mike Mercer

Divisional Manager Community Hubs

Author: Karl Chitham

Museums Director

Author: Kat Cuttriss

Divisional Manager Libraries

Approved By: Matt Reid

General Manager City and Community Services

[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.

[2] The Operational Guide for Urban Forest Plan is available from Council’s Parks and Gardens Division.

Cr L Bridson	Cr J Briggs
Cr S Edwards	Cr M Lulich
Cr G McDonald (Deputy Chair)	Cr C Milne
Cr L Sutton

Mayor W R Wallace (Ex Officio)