Minutes of Eastbourne Community Board

2 20 August 2019

Eastbourne Community Board

Minutes of a meeting held in the East Harbour Women's Clubrooms, 145 Muritai Road, Eastbourne on

Tuesday 20 August 2019 commencing at 7.15pm

PRESENT:	Mr R Ashe	Mr M Gibbons
	Ms V Horrocks (Chair)	Ms L Knight
	Ms A Sutherland (Deputy Chair)
	Cr T Lewis	Cr M Lulich

APOLOGIES: There were no apologies.

IN ATTENDANCE: Mr B Kibblewhite, General Manager, Corporate Services

Ms J Randall, Committee Advisor

PUBLIC BUSINESS

1. APOLOGIES

There were no apologies.

Welcomes and Valedictories (19/1050)

The Chair thanked and farewelled retiring members Mr Ashe, Ms Sutherland and Ms Knight. She reflected that the Board had worked well together and had been unanimous in its support for many projects undertaken over the term of the triennium. She thanked Crs Lewis and Lulich for their strong advocacy on behalf of the Eastbourne community. She welcomed Mayoral candidate Cr Barry, Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) candidate Mr J van Lier and current GWRC candidate Ms P Lamason. The Chair thanked all Board members for their dedication and work over the three year term.

3. PUBLIC COMMENT

Comments are recorded under the item to which they relate.

4. Presentation

Presentation by Local Councillor from Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC)(19/983)

Cr Lamason thanked members for their contributions over the term of the triennium and for welcoming her to Board meetings during that time. She said she had enjoyed working with the Board.

Cr Lamason advised that double decker buses would be running on the Eastbourne route soon. She offered to keep the Chair updated on progress.

In response to a question, Cr Lamason said she was unsure if the double decker buses would be electric.

The Chair suggested a charging station for electric buses could be installed at the Bus Barns in Eastbourne.

Cr Lamason expressed opposition to commercial water extraction from the Waiwhetu Aquifer (the aquifer) but noted current legislation did not allow public notification of water extraction applications. She considered that water belonged to everyone and she did not believe water should be commoditised or bottled in plastic. She acknowledged that consents to extract water should not be able to be on-sold or transferred to new landowners and leaseholders. She recognised aquifer water was essential for local consumption and believed a review of the Resource Management Act (RMA) was needed as soon as possible. She suggested community advocacy on the issue was needed to enact change. She added that GWRC was keen to advocate for a review of the RMA. She urged residents to submit on both the Whaitua process and the RMA process to highlight the importance of water to local communities.

Cr Lewis advised that Whaitua te Whanganui a Tara, the Wellington and Hutt Valley Whaitua Committee, would be providing an opportunity for the community to have their say on water and how it was used. She added there would be a website and a Facebook page with information on how to make a submission. She urged residents to make a submission so that good decisions could be made for the next generation.

The Chair thanked Cr Lamason for attending Board meetings throughout the triennium.

5. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS

There were no conflict of interest declarations.

6. Minutes

Resolved: (Ms Horrocks/Mr Gibbons) Minute No. ECB 19401

“That the minutes of the meeting of the Eastbourne Community Board held on Tuesday, 25 June 2019, be confirmed as a true and correct record.”

7.	Notice of Motion - Ms V Horrocks - Moratorium on Water Bottling (19/1039) Report No. ECB2019/4/160 by the Committee Advisor
	Speaking under public comment, Ms V Mitchell cautioned that the Hutt River was a natural resource that should not belong to a select group to ship overseas in plastic bottles. She noted that Lower Hutt often suffered water shortages in summer and the aquifer could not keep up with demand. She considered that Resource Management Act (RMA) legislation needed to change and supported a moratorium on water bottling until change could be implemented. She requested that Council and the Board advocate to prevent water extraction for bottling from the aquifer. She noted the consent to extract water had been given before a climate crisis had been declared and before the Kaikoura earthquake had damaged the aquifer. Speaking under public comment, Cr Briggs agreed with Ms Mitchell that water extraction for bottling needed to be stopped. He considered that if the application had been publicly notified some years ago, a remit to decline the consent might have been possible. He noted water security was linked to climate emergency and hoped changes to the RMA could help water security. Speaking under public comment, Cr Barry expressed support for the Chair’s motion. He acknowledged that GWRC had its hands tied on the issue due to legislation. He advised Council needed to lobby Central Government and work alongside Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) on the issue. Speaking under public comment, Ms T Ultra noted that consent to draw water from Petone had not yet been approved. She suggested this might provide an opportunity to stop the consent approval before it began. She expressed concern that the landowner Unilever Ltd, could sell its bottling consent to the leaseholder. She believed that the ability to sell-on a consent with a lease was a slippery slope and she suggested consents with shorter timeframes were needed with an expiry date. She added that NIWA Science had advised that all Lower Hutt’s water was connected and should be treated as one body of water in need of protection. Speaking under public comment, Mr J van Lier advised that under the RMA it was possible to challenge a consent if it was the cause of environmental issues. He said drawing large amounts of water from the aquifer was causing reduced flows in the Hutt River resulting in bacteria and blue algae. He acknowledged the environmental impact in Lower Hutt was less than in Christchurch but considered a challenge was an avenue worth exploring. Speaking under public comment, Ms G Anderson MP offered to enlist the support of other Members of Parliament on the water bottling issue. She noted the effects of water extraction on the Hutt River were more than minor and believed the application should be publicly notified. She agreed to keep the Board updated and forward them other information that might be helpful. The Chair expressed concern that changes to the RMA would not be fast enough to prevent the consent to extract water from the aquifer. She intended raising the matter with Green Party MPs and finding out more about the Christchurch water bottling consent moratorium. She expressed appreciation for any information that Ms Anderson could forward to the Board on the matter.
	Resolved: (Ms Horrocks/Mr Gibbons) Minute No. ECB 19402 “That the Board: (i) requests central government and/or Greater Wellington Regional Council, with due respect to all of the four community well-beings (social, environmental, economic and cultural) in the Local Government Act, to place an immediate moratorium on any current consents for the extraction of Waiwhetu aquifer water for water bottling purposes; (ii) requests that any current and future such applications are put out for public consultation; (iii) asks that Hutt City Council assists in achieving these two outcomes; and (iv) recommends that the incoming board submits to the Whaitua process.”
8.	Chair's Report (19/1002) Report No. ECB2019/4/76 by the Chair
	Resolved: (Ms Horrocks/Ms Knight) Minute No. ECB 19403 “That the Board notes the report.”
9.	Committee Advisor's Report (19/1001) Report No. ECB2019/4/9 by the Committee Advisor
	The Chair noted it was pleasing that Community Boards in Lower Hutt had been working collaboratively over the term of the triennium.
	Resolved: (Ms Horrocks/Cr Lulich) Minute No. ECB 19404 “That the Board notes and receives the report.”

10. Reports from representatives on local organisations

a)	Keep Hutt City Beautiful (19/940) Report No. ECB2019/4/77 by the Chair
	Members received and noted the report. The Chair expressed appreciation for the work of members of the Keep Hutt City Beautiful group. She noted the group had been making a positive difference in the community.
b)	Educating Residents Around Trapping (ERAT) Steering Group (19/978)
	Ms Sutherland advised ERAT had obtained good coverage of traps in Eastbourne and the Eastern Bays. She considered there were more mice than usual and expressed concern about local bird life with the increase in rat numbers.
c)	Days Bay Wharf Steering Group (19/979)
	The Chair advised the Days Bay Wharf Steering Group was currently in abeyance. She said the group would reactivate once engagement began on options for the surface of the Days Bay Wharf.
d)	Eastbourne Youth Workers' Trust (19/980)
	Ms Knight advised the Eastbourne Youth Workers’ Trust (the Trust) had not yet found new Trustees. She explained the Trust had publicised that the Youth Club would close at the end of September if new Trustees were not found. She said some interest had resulted and the Trust was hopeful it would remain open.
e)	Okiwi Trust (19/982) Report No. ECB2019/4/78 by the Chair
	Members received and noted the report.

11. QUESTIONS

There were no questions.

The Chair was thanked for her work over the three year term, bringing the Board together and managing to lead them to consensus on many problematic issues.

Members expressed their appreciation for the Chair’s leadership in what was often a difficult role.

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 8.25 pm.

Ms J Miller Ms V Horrocks

CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHAIR