Community Services Committee
Minutes of a meeting held in the Waiwhetu Marae, 21 Puketapu Grove, Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt on
Thursday 18 July 2019 commencing at 6.00pm
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PRESENT: |
Cr G Barratt (Chair) |
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Cr L Bridson |
Cr J Briggs |
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Cr S Edwards (from 6.08pm) |
Cr M Lulich |
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Cr G McDonald |
Cr L Sutton |
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Mayor WR Wallace |
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APOLOGIES: An apology was received from Cr Milne. An apology was received from Cr Edwards for lateness.
IN ATTENDANCE: Mr K Chitham, Director, Museums
Ms K Cuttriss, Divisional Manager, Libraries
Ms M Laban, Divisional Manager, Community Projects and Relationships
Ms H Stewart, Youth Council Facilitator
Ms D Hunter, Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts
Ms J Randall, Committee Advisor
PUBLIC BUSINESS
Cr Briggs blessed the meeting with a karakia.
1. APOLOGIES
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Resolved: (Cr Sutton/Cr McDonald) Minute No. CSC 19301 “That the apology received from Cr Milne be accepted and leave of absence be granted and the apology for lateness received from Cr Edwards be accepted.” |
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
Comments are recorded under the item to which they relate.
Cr Edwards joined the meeting at 6.08pm.
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3. |
Ms S Lewis and Ms B Jensen of the Hutt City Youth Council (Youth Council) provided a verbal update. Ms Lewis advised that Youth Council had undertaken a youth survey in Stokes Valley and Wainuiomata on smoking and vaping. She explained the survey was used as a gateway to involve young people in local issues. She noted the survey had worked well in the classroom environment and young people had found it professional and easy to use. She added the survey would feed into the review of the Smoke-Free Workplaces Policy being undertaken by Council. She advised a copy of the survey would be sent to members. Ms Jensen said she had attended a public meeting on the Naenae Pool but noted not many young people had attended. She stressed the importance of Council consulting with a diverse range of community groups on the issue and believed the voice of youth and children was particularly important. She advised Youth Council had also been looking for a tutor to teach te reo Māori to its members and was planning ways to raise youth awareness on voting in the October local body election. In response to questions from members, Ms Jensen said Youth Council would use some of its budget to pay a te reo Māori tutor. She agreed that combining classes with Councillors was a good idea. In response to questions from a member, Ms Lewis and Ms Jensen advised that spaces where youth could be consulted on the Naenae Pool included social media, schools, church groups and youth groups. They agreed to provide Council with more direction on consulting with young people regarding the Naenae Pool. |
4. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS
There were no conflict of interest declarations.
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5. |
Mahia Atu Partnership Fund Recommended Allocations 2019/2020 (19/852) Report No. CSC2019/3/149 by the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts |
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In terms of Standing Order 21.16, Mr L Evison, a representative of Hutt City Youth Council, was invited to participate in discussion on this item. Speaking under public comment, Mr M Shierlaw expressed concern regarding the recommended funding allocations contained in the report. He believed the Naenae Pool (the pool) issue would cause Council’s debt levels to be breached and considered the officer’s recommendations would further breach debt levels. He agreed the pool was a key asset and should be top priority but that other funding should be deferred until an option for the pool was decided and costs were known. In response to questions from a member, Mr Shierlaw said he had expected the Chief Executive would have undertaken an expenditure review in light of the pool issue. He noted that even the cheapest option to refurbish the pool would breach Council’s debt limit. He requested that Council kept expenditure in line with its Financial Strategy. Speaking under public comment, Ms A Black, a representative of Youth Inspire (the Trust), said the Trust’s goal was to eliminate youth unemployment in high deprivation areas. She advised the Trust collaborated with a range of businesses and organisations to place young people into education, training and jobs. She added the Trust had placed over 750 young people into education, training and jobs over the past five years. She expressed thanks to Council for its financial support but advised recruitment was a challenge with annual funding that allowed only one year employment contracts. She added the Mahia Atu Partnership Fund was an opportunity to provide more job security for staff. She explained the funding would also help provide better services and create a database to assist with reporting and funding applications.
In response to a question from a member, Ms Black explained if funding was deferred for a year the Trust would turn to other fundraising strategies. She added without Council funding the Trust would not be able to provide the level of assistance needed by the 1,400 young people depending on them.
Speaking under public comment Mr D Hanna, a representative of Wesley Village (the village) in Naenae, advised the village was situated on 60 ha and provided social housing and a place to build community and social infrastructure. He said the village focused on older people but also facilitated activities for youth and pre-school children. He added the village organised transport for older people to attend courses that addressed loneliness and helped improve their lives.
In response to questions from members, Mr Hanna said access to Council funding for three years would enable future planning and allow the village to provide greater benefits by connecting groups of older and younger people. He said without the funding, work would be severely limited. He explained isolated older people were referred to the service by doctors, neighbours and concerned people in the community including the marae.
Mr L Evison, a representative of Youth Council, expressed appreciation for the community work carried out by the organisations. He acknowledged that they made significant contributions and he recognised that Council would receive more benefit from their work than it provided to them in funding. The Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts elaborated on the report. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Community Projects and Relationships advised that delaying funding by 12 months would significantly reduce what could be achieved by both Wesley Village and Youth Inspire. She confirmed there was a requirement for funded organisations to collaborate in genuine partnership with Council. She advised applicants that were referred to the Mahia Atu Community Fund would receive a response to their application in September which should not cause delays to their work. She acknowledged the support of Crs Briggs and Cousins who had accompanied her team to meetings when difficult conversations with groups had been required. In response to questions from members, the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts said the applications that had been referred to the Mahia Atu Community Fund had demonstrated strong eligibility for funding. She noted they were beginning to show good results and could later be transitioned to the Mahia Atu Partnership Fund. She explained all groups needed to establish alignment to the priority of the funding streams and also demonstrate they provided direct benefits to the community. She confirmed that groups applying for funding were required to have alternative funding sources. She explained ‘outstanding results’ referred to strong governance and partnerships, meeting the needs of the community and a strong history of work. Cr Barratt expressed support for the recommended allocations. She noted re-building Naenae Pool was critical but that caring for the city’s vulnerable needed to continue too. Cr Briggs expressed concern that funding streams could change after the local body election due to the Naenae Pool issue. He suggested a caveat be placed on community funding to alert applicants that multi-year funding contracts would be subject to approval from the incoming Council. Mayor Wallace expressed opposition to a caveat on community funding. He believed residents would want to continue investing in Lower Hutt’s social capital, particularly its young and elderly. He considered capital projects were more likely to be deferred than social projects. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr McDonald) (By Division) Minute No. CSC 19302 “That the Committee: (i) notes the recommendations made by the Mahia Atu Partnership Fund Panel under the Mahia Atu Partnership Fund; (ii) agrees to the recommended allocations for the Mahia Atu Partnership Fund 2019/2020, attached as Appendix 1 to the report; and (iii) agrees to transferring $119,000 from the unallocated funds under the Mahia Atu Partnership fund to the Mahia Atu Community fund 2019/2020 for allocation.” |
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The motion was declared carried by division with the voting as follows:
Cr Edwards abstained from voting on this matter. |
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6. |
General Manager's Report (19/882) Report No. CSC2019/3/150 by the General Manager, City and Community Services |
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The Divisional Manager, Libraries elaborated on the report. She explained that since she began in her role eight months ago she had engaged with the community to create a strategic vision. She advised the community had requested more accessibility, inclusiveness, belonging and community wellbeing. As a result, overdue charges had been stopped for children’s and teens’ items and opening hours had been extended. She said a wifi upgrade was planned to provide free internet and the layout of the War Memorial Library was changing to improve safety and allow for more activities. She concluded she would continue to engage with the community to improve services. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Libraries said there had been good use by the public of the extended hours. She advised discussions on providing space for the Citizens Advice Bureau were progressing. She explained that if items from the children’s and teens’ areas were not returned, libraries would send notices and engage with residents but after that debt collection would ensue. She confirmed data was collected on activities at libraries and it revealed over 60,000 people had attended events during the past year. She said she was exploring ways to sustain activities equitably across the city, improve outreach and extend regional collaboration to provide collective impact. She agreed to investigate the possibility of reactivating a poetry group in the libraries. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Sutton) Minute No. CSC 19303 “That the Committee notes the updates contained in the report.” |
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7. |
Accessibility and Inclusiveness Subcommittee Report (19/840) Report No. CSC2019/3/148 by the Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning |
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Speaking under public comment, Mr H Gatherer, a Grey Power Wainuiomata member, expressed concern regarding footpath safety in Lower Hutt. He recognised that older people felt less isolated if they could use footpaths safely. He noted some footpaths in Lower Hutt sloped and that wheelie bins were a hazard. He requested that replacement footpaths be constructed flat and even and an existing bylaw that stated footpaths were not to be obstructed be enforced. Cr Briggs acknowledged Mr Gatherer had raised concerns at a previous Wainuiomata Community Board meeting. He advised that Board member Ms K Brown had been investigating the issue. Cr Bridson expressed disappointment that footpaths were still an issue. Mayor Wallace advised additional funding had been provided for footpaths and he noted Council’s Transport Division conducted regular audits of footpaths in the CBD. He requested information from officers on when the last assessment of footpaths in the CBD was completed. He noted issues with footpaths were often highlighted and funded through Council’s Annual Plan. In response to a question from a member, Mayor Wallace confirmed the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee would need to be re-established by the incoming Council in the new triennium. |
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Resolved: (Mayor Wallace/Cr Barratt) Minute No. CSC 19304 “That the Committee: (i) notes the contents of the report; (ii) invites a member of the Grey Power Association to become a member of the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee on behalf of the elderly; and (iii) requests a report back from the Transport Division on the condition of the footpaths.” For the reasons outlined in the report below. |
8. QUESTIONS
There were no questions.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 7.12 pm.
Cr G Barratt
CHAIR
CONFIRMED as a true and correct record
Dated this 30th day of July 2019