Drainage districts take back management from council

A long-running saga of who is responsible for funding, fixing and maintaining stormwater drains in two rural areas appears to be reaching resolution, with the formal transfer of responsibility from Auckland Council to the community.

Farmers and landowners in Tapora and Te Arai are setting up two incorporated societies, or drainage boards, that will set their own management plans and be funded by a combination of a targeted rate, general rates and grants from council.

Healthy Waters’ commercial and property team manager Shaun McAuley, who has been working on the issue for more than four years, said the development was exciting and unprecedented.

“This will empower them to make decisions based on asset management plans, allowing them to self-manage the council’s drainage district assets,” he said. “We see this collaborative model as a ground-breaking approach, where local decisions are funded primarily through targeted rates.

“We believe that this model could serve as a blueprint to resolve similar stormwater or flooding issues in other regions.”

Rodney Local Board member Colin Smith, who has been battling to find a satisfactory solution to the problem of years of underinvestment in keeping the drains fixed and maintained, said it was great that local landowners were now in control.

“We need to move forward and this has to work,” he said. “People are happy to have a rate, but not happy to pay a rate and not get things done.

“The thing now is to get this up and operating, get some meetings happening and minutes on the table.”

McAuley said over the past two years, council had invested around $146,000 in maintenance and renewals, including around $57,000 in grants to landowners, and staff would continue to provide guidance and support to the communities.

“Additionally, we have funded the development of draft asset management plans for each district and will continue to engage with the community about these draft plans in the lead-up to the next longterm plan,” he said.

“The first funding grants will be in place before spring, enabling local landowners to request necessary funding.”

The formation of the societies is the latest stage in a long and complex history of management of the drainage districts at

Te Arai and Tapora, which were originally established by Rodney County Council in the 1950s. After Rodney became part of Auckland Council in 2010, responsibility for the districts was delegated to the Rodney Local Board, with an annual maintenance budget of $26,500, but this sum was never increased. This resulted in drains falling into serious disrepair, excessive weed growth and a good deal of frustration from landowners.

Rodney Local Board and Healthy Waters agreed on a $260,000 repair and remediation package for drainage districts in 2018, funded by Healthy Waters, then in 2021, responsibility switched back to council and a targeted rate was introduced. A third drainage district, Glorit, is not part of the new framework. Landowners there have chosen to manage the assets on their own properties.

These are the only drainage districts in Auckland – in all other rural areas, private landowners are responsible for maintaining drains on their land.

Getting neighbourly

Police, fire and emergency and local board representatives are among guest speakers planned for Rodney Neighbourhood Support’s annual general meeting on August 17.

Members of the public and Rodney Neighbourhood Support members and friends are invited to hear from police Sgt Brett Hanly and two community constables, FENZ community advisor Leah Hide, Sandra Sweetman from NZ Community Patrols Ōrewa, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board chair Gary Brown

09 423 8871 and Rodney Local Board member Ivan Wagstaff.

Attendees at the “informative evening, a great social connection time and supper” will also have the opportunity to talk to police from the neighbourhood support area, which stretches from Albany to Mangawhai, and Bethells Beach to Kaiwaka. The meeting will be held at the St Chad’s Anglican Church in Centreway Rd, Ōrewa, starting at 7pm. RSVP to Rodney coordinator Margaret Faed on 021 258 3737 or at rns.coordinator@gmail.com

Te R Nanga O Ng Ti Wh Tua Trust Board Notice Of Election Of Board Members Calling For Nominations

Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Sec 46 of the Māori Trust Boards Act 1955, an election will be held on Tuesday 7 November 2023 for eleven (11) Board Members for the Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua Trust Board, for a three (3) year term. Where the number of valid nominations received for a Takiwā exceeds the number of positions to be filled, an election will be held under the First Past the Post electoral system, by postal and online voting.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations are called for, from the five (5) Takiwā, being Northern Wairoa, Otamatea, Whangārei, South Kaipara and Ōrākei to fill the eleven (11) positions on the Trust Board. The number of positions available for each Takiwā to fill include:

• Northern Wairoa Takiwā - four (4) positions; Otamatea Takiwā - three (3) positions;

• Whangārei Takiwā - one (1) position; South Kaipara Takiwā - two (2) positions;

• Ōrākei Takiwā - one (1) position.

Nominations for the eleven (11) positions open on Tuesday 25 July 2023 and closes at 5pm on Friday 25 August 2023. Nominations must be made on an official nomination paper available from Tuesday 25 July 2023: by accessing www.ngatiwhatua.iwi.nz by accessing www.electionservices.co.nz/tronw23 by emailing info@electionservices.co.nz or by phoning the Returning Office on 0800 922 822

Subject to Sec 14(3) of the Māori Trust Boards Act 1955, an Adult Registered Beneficiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua shall not be eligible for nomination as a candidate for election as a Board Member if he or she is;

(a) a person who is subject to a personal order or a property order made under the Protection of Personal Property Rights Act 1988 or for whom a trustee corporation is acting as manager under section 32 or 33 of that Act; or

(b) a bankrupt who has not obtained his order of discharge, or whose order of discharge is suspended for a term not yet expired, or is subject to conditions not yet fulfilled; or

(c) a person convicted of any offence punishable by imprisonment for a term of 6 months or longer, unless he has received a free pardon or has served his sentence or otherwise suffered the penalty imposed upon him.

All candidates must be Adult Registered Beneficiaries (18 years of age or over) of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, and must also be nominated by five (5) Adult Registered

Beneficiaries recorded on the Register of beneficiaries for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua and affiliated to the Takiwā the candidate is standing for.

Nomination materials must be in writing and received by the Secretary of the Board no later than 5pm, Friday 25 August 2023.

All signatures (candidate and nominators) must be witnessed by 1 or more other adult persons.

A candidate may at any time withdraw their nomination by written notice to the Board. Retiring board members are eligible for re-election.

REGISTER TO VOTE

To vote you must be recorded as an Adult Registered Beneficiary on the Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua Beneficiaries Register by 5pm, Friday 25 August 2023, when the roll will close for electoral purposes.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua invites qualified persons aged 18 years or over, who have not already registered, to apply for inclusion in the Register. Those persons who are unsure if they are currently registered, or who wish to check their own details are encouraged to contact Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua office on (09) 470 0720 or uri.registrations@ngatiwhatua.iwi.nz

Registration forms can be accessed online from www.ngatiwhatua.iwi.nz/registration.

Dated at Whangārei, 25 July 2023

Dale Ofsoske, Returning Officer Independent Election Services Ltd for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua

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