Local Government July 2013 by mediaweb

Caroline Bay Trust Aoraki Centre lifts the bar A focus on recreational facilities PAGE 8

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NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

AGENDA JULY 2013

FROM THE EDITOR 02 Stairways and earthquakes NZLG INSIGHT News and current affairs from the local government sector

03 Hamilton hosts LGNZ conference 05 Forest & Bird supports 1080 drops 05 Trains made In Spain 06 The costs of survey planning 08 Thames District amalgamation empowered by localism

PARKS & RECREATION FEATURE 09 Christchurch Gardens reach 150 years 10 Peer review key to facility success 11 Environmentally suitable Permaloos 12 Caroline Bay raises the standard for recreation NZLG FOCUS 14 Elections – what is at stake? ARCHIVES 16 Wanganui moves from roadblock to roadmap 18 Online property records free space in Marlborough

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT 19 Lessons from LA – Xerox manages traffic REGIONAL UPDATE 20 Peter Winder to investigate building consent issues in Christchurch and Eastern Bay Councils look to collaborate ENVIRONMENT 21 Record fine imposed for waste dumping in Canterbury OPINION: FROM THE CONTRACTORS’ PERSPECTIVE 22 Jeremy Sole of the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation examines this year’s NZFC/Hirepool Construction Awards LAST WORD 24 Stairway to health: New York local government to fight obesity by design

On the cover: This month’s cover photograph for Local Government New Zealand is Fran Sumner’s winning entry in the Christchurch City Council’s Botanical Garden’s photography competition. Fran’s photo of pollen won ahead of 743 entries. For the full story turn to PAGE 9.

FROM THE EDITOR

PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Toni Myers editor@localgovernmentmag.co.nz

Stairways and earthquakes Sunday July 21, 5.09 pm, when our capital city, Wellington was struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, was approximately an hour after I had written my first editorial column for this publication. Opting to keep it uncontroversial and welcoming in nature as we go forward I had sent it through to our designer, as one of the last articles to be included in the publication this month, and then having completed the task thought about attending the Local Government Conference in Hamilton in the morning. That all changed as I remembered my 24-year-old son was visiting his friends in Wellington and it dawned on me that they could be in real danger as they were staying in a high-rise apartment in the inner city. Thoughts of Christchurch naturally flooded my brain and in particular the terrible loss of life in the CCTV building, where one of my son’s closest friends had worked. I thought: How many buildings in Wellington are structurally sound? Was the high rise apartment block he was staying in up to scratch? What about the stairwells, were they soundly engineered? Why did I worry about the stairwells? Perhaps because after the first major earthquake in Christchurch I attended a conference at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, the one being dismantled bit by bit, as one side of the building had subsided in the second quake to such a degree that it was unsafe. I could have told the engineers it was unsafe after the first quake, having walked down from floor 21, where my room had hairline cracks in the doorway and bathroom, to floor 14, where the main function rooms were; down the stairs because the lifts were taking so long to arrive. Walking down those floors was an eye opener. There were large cracks still in the outer wall and on many floors the stairs had actually come away from the outer walls and felt poised to collapse. It was harrowing to think that if another earthquake struck, this supposed safety exit could become a tomb, especially as the hotel continued to hold school balls, conferences and events in the middle floors of the building. Structural engineers play a vital role in our safety and while in Christchurch there have been delays and frustrations I personally would like to know that they err on the side of caution before reopening damaged sites. That’s not to say council red tape should reign in terms of issuing permits and I welcome independent investigator Peter Winder’s report into what is going wrong in Christchurch. In this issue we also are running a story about New York, where the mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued new compliance rules for ensuring buildings have stairwells – not for safety but to fight obesity! I hope this issue brings knowledge and useful information to the Local Government sector and look forward to hearing from you, our readers, as to how we can improve the publication. By the next issue we will no doubt have a lot more to cover, including the Valued Nature conference and the LG event. I can be emailed at editor@localgovernmentmag.co.nz and our e-newsletter and website will continue to bring relevant information to you.

‘It was harrowing to think that if another earthquake struck, this supposed safety exit could become a tomb.’

– Kimberley Dixon, Editor

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

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NZLG INSIGHT

Hamilton hosts LG conference and butlers add shine This year’s theme: Transforming communities to build a successful New Zealand, attracted both national and international speakers to the Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre venue. Keynote speakers included the chief executive of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Greg Hallam,and the former Brisbane City chief executive, Jude Munro. Topics discussed included localism, local government’s role in the economy, the issue of governance versus management, demographic challenges faced by the sector and the opportunities and risks associated with shared services. During the conference Hamilton City Council organised a number of public events including a silver service campaign at three city “courtesy” crossings as part of a road safety campaign. Butlers carrying silver trays were stationed at courtesy crossings in Bryce and Hood Streets and Lynden Court during lunchtimes. The butlers handed out flyers to motorists and pedestrians to raise the visibility of the crossings and to highlight the courtesy aspect.

Campaign manager, Ngaire Pattison says these crossings rely on both motorists and pedestrians sharing the road and being courteous to each other. “Courtesy and consideration work far better than rules and signs for these crossings so we wanted to capture and remind people of that during this campaign. “Giving the person behind the steering wheel or the person crossing in front of us a smile and a wave means we’re one step further to creating safer journeys for Hamilton visitors and residents,” she says. New Zealand Local Government magazine plans to provide greater coverage of this conference in the next edition of our e-newsletter and up-coming editions of our publication.

Photo credit: thinkstock

Over 530 delegates from throughout New Zealand descended on Hamilton this month to attend the 2013 Local Government New Zealand three day conference.

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NZLG INSIGHT

Building permits Case study: Oregon e-permitting Portland Oregon has developed the first state-wide e-permitting system for construction permits, winning an American Center for Digital Government’s Digital Government Achievement Awards. Portland Oregon’s Oakland County is already providing services to local government. The town of Auburn Hills is an early user of the online payments application which it uses to collect taxes, utility fees and parking fines. Before using Oakland County’s application the town wasn’t able to allow credit card or debit card transactions because it didn’t meet Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards. Contracting the service from Oakland solved that problem. Shared services is more than offering or buying cloud-based managed services – it’s inter-jurisdiction collaboration to improve services and reduce expenses. For example Oregon developed America’s first statewide e-permitting system for construction permits and services. Participation in the system is voluntary for the state’s 134 building departments, which each had unique forms and processes for administering building permits. The “one-stop” website allows builders from 34 jurisdictions (covering 60% of the state’s population), to apply for, pay and receive building permits and complete LG Magazine 85 x 130other mm services such as reviewing

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electronic plans and scheduling inspections online. The cloud-based permitting system, housed by a third party vendor, allows Oregon to pass on low rates to participating jurisdictions – the costs are much lower than if each community developed its own application. If only half of the jurisdictions sign on to the programme their savings are projected to be more than US$60 million over the 11 years of the project lifecycle. As of 2010 more than 90,000 applications had been processed since the launch of the e-permitting pilot programme in 2005 with total revenue for the state nearing US$10 million. E-permitting allows construction projects to move more quickly and efficiently, and it saves contractors time and money because they do not need to travel to and from building department offices. Oregon also set up rules and standardisation for features and functionality, but to provide maximum flexibility the state offers three levels of participation based on community requirements. Jurisdictions with minimal infrastructure that require central hosting can take full advantage of the solution. Options are also available for local governments that already have some infrastructure to host e-permitting solutions but want to connect to the state’s portal, and for those jurisdictions that want to integrate an already existing e-permitting solution with the state’s. At the moment the states of Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah and West Virginia are working together to connect Medicaid systems across their states and several southern states have the same strategy for their unemployment insurance systems. Best practice: Success with shared services – determine governance strategies Planning to share technology and services with other agencies or jurisdictions? Expect governance issues to play a starring role. The “if we build it they will come” attitude won’t work with shared services nor will it be successful to let the largest agency call all the shots. The better strategy is to give all potential participating agencies a seat at the table to discuss their requirements, concerns and priorities. Then begin to hammer out the details of technology, vendor selection, chargeback costs, workflow, training, standards and any other operational rules. Once the rules have been determined, stick to them. Don’t make exceptions or anarchy will reign! It’s a utility so it better work! Shared services are best viewed as a utility service – always available and always secure. In some ways this is true for all public sector IT services but in a shared services environment failed service results in a failed model. To ensure success and continued growth of the shared model, guarantee network access, application function and provisioning by building proactive monitoring of the network, applications, support systems and connectivity layers into the architecture. Courtesy PUBLIC CIO special report USA. To read more go to www.digitalgovt.com

NZLG INSIGHT

Wrapped up to travel to NZ Auckland’s first new train has left its Spanish factory and is being shipped to New Zealand. Expected to arrive early September, the ship carrying the train sails via Baltimore and the Panama Canal. Once here it will be taken fom the port to the new $100 million train maintenance depot officially opened this month by Mayor Len Brown. The purpose-built facility comprises a 7650 sqm maintenance facility, train wash operations and six kilometres of rail track sidings capable of stabling 28 three-car trains and an indoor cleaning platform, on part of the former Winstone Quarry in Wiri, taking up 4.4 hectares. Between September 2013 and April 2014 the new train, and others as they arrive, will be thoroughly tested and used for driver training before going into operation. Auckland Transport’s chief executive officer David Warburton says the first train has met its production time-line and “these trains will revolutionise public transport by rail in Auckland. Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is building 57 three-car train sets for the Auckland suburban rail network, each capable of

carrying 375 passengers. CAF was awarded the $US300 million contract to build the trains in October 2011; due to be in operation by late 2015.

Photo credit: thinkstock

Forest & Bird joins call for more aerial 1080 Forest & Bird is backing the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s latest report released this month advocating greater use of the aerial spray 1080. This follows up Dr Jan Wright’s 2011 report that recommended more 1080 should be used to protect New Zealand’s unique wildlife and forests. Using 1080 as a method to control pests has generated heated opposition, despite research showing it does not build up in the environment and seldom kills non-target species. Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell says the PCE’s latest

report reinforces Forest & Bird’s stance that 1080 remains the most cost-effective way of controlling the three “key pests of possums, rats and stoats” over large areas. “Pests are decimating our native forests and killing an estimated 25 million birds a year, pushing some of them towards extinction. We need to get on top of the pest situation if we want to reverse the decline of our native wildlife. We fully agree with commissioner Wright in that aerial 1080 drops over large areas are the best way to do that,” he says. “Other methods of pest control, like trapping and ground-based poison operations, are expensive, timeconsuming, cover small areas, and often fail to get into the heart of the back country where it’s most needed. Aerial 1080 drops, at this stage, offer the most costeffective way to tackle New Zealand’s pest problem,” Hackwell says.

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NZLG INSIGHT

The additional costs of surveys for public works BY PETER GRAHAM, Special Counsel New rules for Cadastral Surveys introduced in 2010 have changed over a hundred years of previous practise. These rules now require local authorities and other agencies acquiring land under the Public Works Act 1981 (PWA) to survey not only the areas of land acquired for the work, but also fully survey the remainder of any affected land parcels. There are minor exceptions but the vast majority of public works actions are caught. One immediate consequence is significant additional survey and legalisation costs. Another is that plans are now over-complex and incomprehensible. Public works plans, especially those required for roading projects, often involve partial takings of large numbers of parcels. Adding parcels for the remaining areas to already complex plans results in plans that are so complex that even experienced property

professionals find them hard to interpret. A standard two- to four-lot subdivision can usually be recorded on one or two plan sheets. A fairly standard roading plan, including sections for balance parcels now commonly requires between 10 and 15 plan sheets and complex plans can have 30 or more sheets.

‘There is no dispute as to the Surveyor General’s powers. The real issue is cost. The Crown now requires local authorities, at the ratepayers’ cost, to remedy existing historical survey inaccuracies, outside the area being surveyed for the public work.’

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In November 2012 the Local Authority Property Association (LAPA) wrote to ministers expressing concern at the additional costs and complexity resulting from implementation of the 2010 Rules. LAPA suggested that balance parcels be shown simply as diagrams that could be used for showing the areas on new titles without existing boundaries and boundary points having to be resurveyed. These proposed changes would make plans easier to understand and avoid most of the cost increases The Minister for Land Information rejected this proposal. His reply included a separate response from the Surveyor General defending the 2010 rules on the basis that they provide for improvement of the survey accuracy of the cadastre and that public works acquisitions should be treated exactly the same as private subdivisions. The Surveyor General pointed out that he has power under the Cadastral Survey Act (CSA) to introduce rules setting standards for defining land tenure boundaries, and that the rules do exactly that, while allowing for exemptions for large rural parcels. He also pointed out that the system allows for exemptions to be applied for on a case-by-case basis. There is no dispute as to the Surveyor General’s powers. The real issue is cost. The Crown now requires local authorities, at the ratepayer’s cost, to remedy existing historical survey inaccuracies, outside the area being surveyed for the public work. Transferring this burden to the ratepayer appears all the more unfair when the 2010 rules allow for exceptions in other situations where the Surveyor General doesn’t consider the cost warranted. The resultant complexity of the plans further increases costs due to the time and expertise needed to interpret them. Although exemptions can be applied for, in practice, exemptions are hard to obtain and it can cost almost as much to apply as to do the additional survey. In a recent example, a request for exemption was refused when the required land bisected a 96-hectare riverbank reserve. In order to survey the three-hectare area required by Council, it had to resurvey the two

Photo credit: thinkstock

NZLG INSIGHT

adjoining areas of the reserve measuring respectively 41 and 42 hectares. This involved a costly physical survey of approximately five kilometres of riverbank even though the river boundary will continue to physically move and the reserve will remain public land. If an exemption was refused in this situation, it is difficult to see when one could actually be obtained. Local authorities should still consider applying where at all possible, in order to reduce costs. However, unless the current criteria are considerably relaxed, it appears it will be difficult to get exemptions. Requiring the subdivider to meet the cost of improving all their land boundaries is appropriate where the land is being subdivided by private owners for their own benefit. In that situation, increasing the accuracy of all boundaries directly benefits the private owner. However there is a strong argument that this is not appropriate when the survey is required as part of a work in the public interest. Roading, as an example, routinely results in partial acquisitions from multiple land parcels. The only boundary that is required to be surveyed for the road is the new boundary between the land acquired for road and the balance of the land retained by the owner. The survey of the road does not create any new errors that need to be fixed, or make the historical situation any worse. Survey of the other boundaries simply identifies existing survey data that doesn’t meet current standards for new surveys and which may have been there for many years. The main beneficiaries of such upgrades are the landowner who has his boundaries defined to today’s survey standards and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) whose ability to use their digital cadastral database for commercial purposes is enhanced every time an upgrade of data occurs. Requiring landowners to pay the direct costs of private subdivisions they

directly benefit from on a user-pays basis is one thing: requiring ratepayers to spend monies intended to pay for public works to pay to upgrade historic data that has nothing to do with those public works is something quite different. The purpose of the PWA is to facilitate public works for national or regional benefit. It provides specifically for survey plans of the land required to be completed and lodged with the Surveyor General. Imposing additional survey requirements for these plans by making rules under the CSA creates inconsistencies. Although the Surveyor General considers that all subdivisions should be treated exactly the same under all legislation, this is not in fact what happens. The RMA for example, specifically exempts PWA surveys from normal subdivision requirements because those requirements are simply not appropriate when balanced against the public benefit of efficiently and simply giving effect to public works. The RMA approach is consistent with the intent of the PWA to facilitate public works. The approach under the 2010 rules is not. When councils, and for that matter the Transport Agency, are being squeezed for roading funding and required to justify their expenditure, they may well question the syphoning off of ratepayer and taxpayer funds intended for roading projects to pay for updating historical survey data. TLAs are entitled to ask why, if upgrading of the cadastral record is so important, other exemptions to upgrades are still allowed for in the rules and why the cost is being met out of rates allocated to pay for public works. The answers provided to LAPA by the Surveyor General do not answer these questions. This is likely to be the subject of continued discussions between local authorities and Government. Given the Surveyor General’s position, the only practical way of solving the issue appears to be a simple change in the PWA to include a specific exemption from requiring balance land to be defined on plans prepared for public works surveys. This would be consistent with the subdivision exemption in the RMA and could be easily done without creating any errors in the land registration system and its operation.

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NZLG INSIGHT

Communities in the ThamesCoromandel district are getting more say and stronger ownership over their local services and assets thanks to a major rethink by its council on how to empower its residents and ratepayers by promoting “localism”. This comes at a time when councils across the country are considering amalgamations or a larger unitary authority, which could see identities of towns and smaller centres being lost. In October 2010 the newly elected council led by Mayor Glenn Leach wanted to ensure there was a partnership approach when working with communities (only two councillors from the previous council were re-elected). This new community model looks at greater local decision-making rather than coming from a centralised office, operating in a silo. The long-term vision is for Thames-Coromandel District Council to focus on “big ticket” capital-intensive functions, requiring particular technical expertise with community boards, alongside area managers, having full responsibility for identifying, planning, managing and funding specified local activities. In August 2012 the council officially signed off on its Community Empowerment Project giving its five community boards

(Thames, Coromandel-Colville, Mercury Bay, Tairua-Pauanui and Whangamata) delegated responsibilities over 13 local services. Each board now makes decisions for, and manages, its own community halls, libraries, pools, public conveniences and cemeteries. It also decides how to promote local economic development, community grants and make strategic plans for the area it represents. “Identifying, protecting and enhancing what makes a community or town special is so very important,” says Strat Peters, Thames Community Board chairperson. “We now have a system capable to serve people better with grass-roots involvement. We can rediscover local identity, local synergies and local partnerships and that is something to be gained.” In the past 18 months community boards allocated more than $129,000 to help pay towards refurbishment and repair of three community halls around the Coromandel. Having this small financial base has meant building can start, with locals volunteering time and labour. Donations of additional building supplies have helped move these projects towards completion. Every community board also

Photo credit: thinkstock

Amalgamation empowered by localism

has a $20,000 discretionary fund for small operational and capital projects that may arise during each year. To bolster community empowerment three area managers and three community development officers were introduced to ensure existing projects are well-managed and help boards identify potential areas for social, cultural and economic development. “Our model of ‘localism’ underlines our belief that real growth is driven faster and is longer lasting when it comes from the local areas themselves,” says TCDC chief executive David Hammond. “That’s why area managers sit at second tier, are tasked and delegated with strategically growing their areas economically and socially. Add to this that board chairs are welcomed to every council meeting and workshop, where leadership is streamlined across the district to deliver growth.”

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PARKS & RECREATION

COVER STORY:

Christchurch Botanic Gardens celebrate 150 years

Canoeing on the Avon River, Botanic Gardens.

some of the flora of New Zealand and other parts of the world. Towering majestic trees – many over 120 years old – dominate the gardens, forming a striking backdrop to the extensive themed plant collections and sweeping lawns. A loop of the gently-flowing Avon River, crisscrossed by bridges, encloses a large part of the gardens while the adjacent 164 hectare Hagley Park enhances its natural splendour. The gardens are an oasis in the city of Christchurch – 21 hectares of horticultural displays, several conservatories, memorials, garden art and walking tracks. A ceremonial tree planting on Armstrong Lawn (near the Peacock fountain) was held to acknowledge the importance of the Gardens to Christchurch. A Ngai Tuahuriri kaumatua, young Gardens apprentices and a year five Enviroschool pupil, Nfagie Yansaneh from Wharenui School, were involved in the planting. This reflects the role of Ngai Tuahuriri as the Maori tribal authority (mana whenua) with guardianship (kaitiakitanga) over this part of the city and the importance of the next generation for the Gardens’ future. Hundreds of budding and seasoned photographers waited for the results of the Botanic Gardens 150th photo competition which culminated with Fran Sumner winning – her close-up shot of pollen taking the first prize. Prize judges Mayoress Jo NichollsParker and Press illustrations editor Richard Cosgrove chose from a shortlist of the 743 photos entered and were delighted with the scope and quality of the photographs. The competition was launched in July last year so photographers have had all four seasons to capture the splendour of this beautiful public 150th Botanic Gardens photo competition entries: Snow on the Rotunda by Mark Waddington space. Flourishing in the heart of the broken Garden City are the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and on July 9 this year reached 150 years. Events to mark the anniversary included a ceremonial tree planting, an announcement of photo competition winners and the creation of a time capsule, buried for a further 150 years. Mayor Bob Parker says the gardens have grown from a solitary oak planted on July 9, 1863 to feature one of the finest collections of exotic and native plants in New Zealand and attract more than 1 million visitors each year. “Through the ups and downs of the last 150 years, the Gardens have remained a jewel in the centre of Christchurch, a permanent monument to the beauty of the natural world and a symbol of growth and renewal.” The gardens are at the heart of Christchurch’s reputation as the Garden City. A temperate climate supports thousands of plants, gathered from around the world and across New Zealand since 1863. Some of the largest, tallest and oldest trees in New Zealand can be found here. The gardens host spectacular colour and form, intriguing artworks, and memorial plantings that celebrate events from local and international history. Introduced species remind visitors of faraway places, and native plants take them to the bush, the mountains and the wetlands of Aotearoa. The Christchurch Botanic Gardens showcase

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NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

Peer review key

to successful recreational facilities Designing a multi-million dollar recreational facility is a large undertaking for any organisation. It requires unnerving project management and an almost clairvoyant understanding of the needs of the facility’s potential users, both in the short and long term. Getting it right can result in an enjoyable and popular resource that becomes the pride of a city or community, while getting it wrong can result in a white elephant and a political liability. In a typical year, New Zealand councils spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing, operating and maintaining recreational facilities in their regions. One of the most often overlooked elements of an effective design management process is expert, independent peer review. A properly conducted peer review can serve as quality control and result in new ideas that others within an industry or sector have found useful. In New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland Council adopted this best practice approach by enlisting the help of Sport NZ (formerly SPARC) and the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) to facilitate a peer review of the design concept for the $18 million Otahuhu Aquatic Centre. Sport NZ and NZRA have been in partnership since 2008 to offer facilitated independent peer reviews for sport and recreation facility projects, making them an ideal choice to facilitate a review of the facility’s design. The aquatic centre will be part of a new recreation precinct that will also include a library and outdoor space, as well as the existing Otahuhu Recreation and Youth Centre NZRA chief executive Andrew Leslie says providing advice on recreational facilities and the latest industry standards are core competencies for NZRA and it was well placed to help facilitate the review. “The council already had a strong and well considered design for the centre but wanted to widen the pool of knowledge and make sure nothing had been missed. We have a good selection of contacts from across the recreation sector and were well placed to source an informed panel with experience managing aquatic facilities.” Five aquatic facility experts from across the country were enlisted by NZRA to undertake the review, and a report was presented to the council evaluating the facility’s design and suggesting ideas to help ensure the best possible experience for pool users.

The council considered the report in May and adopted a wide range of recommendations, including the addition of a second family changing room through alternative use of floor space, and a change to the depth of the teaching pool. A support wire will also be added above the leisure pool to allow a variety of recreational equipment to be interchanged, such as climbable cargo nets or swings. “That’s the value of a peer review,” says Leslie. “There’s no obligation to adopt any of the recommendations, but if it brings to life some fresh ideas, there’s a lot to gain.” Auckland Council principal policy analyst Anita Coy-Macken says the peer review process helped the council to confirm that the aquatic facility design was largely sound and provided some invaluable ideas about how it could be improved for the benefit of users.

‘For facilities such as aquatic centres, the majority of costs are generally incurred during the life of the facility, rather than during the build, and that can often be overlooked.’

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

“The recommendations made by the peer review panel will contribute to a great experience for swimmers and a facility that the Otahuhu community can be proud of. I would wholeheartedly recommend the incorporation of a peer review process into the recreational facility design phase for other councils around New Zealand.” By making the changes during the design phase, rather than after the facility was built, the council could reduce future costs by as much as $500,000, she says. Sport NZ’s principal facilities advisor Richard Lindsay says similar peer reviews offered through the Sport NZ/NZRA partnership have proven tremendously useful for councils of all sizes. “Bringing together experts from throughout New Zealand, and sometimes Australia, has resulted in efficiencies in both the capital cost of building recreational facilities, as well as the ongoing operating costs of running them”. For facilities such as aquatic centres, the majority of costs are generally incurred during the life of the facility, rather than during the build, and that can often be overlooked, Lindsay says.

Photo credit: thinkstock

PARKS & RECREATION

Compact concrete facilities suit multiple sites

Dedication to research and development by Permaloo has led to new designs, including a new durable, lightweight, compact unit which can be helicoptered into remote areas. This is a breakthrough in design and technology and is the perfect choice for harsh bush and coastal environments, says the manufacturer. Permaloo is a division of Permacrete Concrete Products and is a trusted name in delivering public toilet facilities for councils, local authorities, camp grounds and the Department of Conservation, with over 50 years of supplying the North Island’s East Coast region with quality concrete products. It produces robust, environmentally friendly, low maintenance, cost effective and functional public toilet facilities. Permaloo units are constructed from high strength, reinforced concrete, making them the ideal choice for combating vandalism. High grade stainless steel hardware, polycarbonate windows, heavy duty doors and concealed services are just some of the standard features that Permaloo offers its customers. Its range of options includes the Dry-Vault waterless design which it says has proved very popular, through to the new double and triple design. Each Permaloo is custom made for specific situations and can be personalised to incorporate a local theme, or made to blend into and complement the surrounding environment. It has a range of roof design options and also offers complete design and build packages. All units arrive on site completed to client requirements, pre plumbed/wired and ready to be connected to services. They come with engineered drawings and producer statements required for building consents. Wheelchair accessible Permaloos comply with the New Zealand disabled toilet specifications NZS4121:2001 Permaloo removes the hassle of managing a project by looking after the situation from design to installation. NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

PARKS & RECREATION

CBay – raising the bar in local government facilities for the community BY GRAEME STILWELL, Timaru District Council

The $23.5 million Caroline Bay Trust Aoraki Centre in Timaru, South Canterbury, is a local government success story. Its sculpted outline stands in seaside parkland as testimony to a community’s will, a district council’s resolve and leadership, professional design skills and community-embracing fundraising to deliver excellence in recreation facility planning, civil engineering and construction technologies. The project has provided the Timaru district, with a population of 42,000, with a modern, stylish aquatic and fitness venue, replacing two ageing facilities, Century Pool and Maori Park pool. Features include a 25-metre 10-lane lap pool; programme and learn-to-swim pools; heated therapeutic water for the elderly and those recovering from illness and injury; a full fitness studio; twin hydroslides; a café; a wellness suite and a sauna, spa and steam room. The adjacent 50-metre outdoor pool also receives wide use during the summer, now giving way to indoor swimming during the winter months. New Plymouth-based aquatic and leisure centre specialist architects Boon Goldsmith Bhaskar Brebner Team Architecture Ltd were appointed by the Timaru District Council in September 2010 to design the centre. The firm was chosen in a robust selection process from the cream of the country’s most accomplished design teams with 13 companies putting their hands up for the job. The build was completed by Timaru contractor Ranger Construction Ltd. A sustainable design approach along with a totally accessible facility means that the Timaru District now has a community-embracing aquatic complex that provides swim and gym facilities for 100 hours per week and caters for a 1000-person swim school. Timaru District Council group manager district services, Ashley Harper said consultation with the

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

community in the leisure planning phase was a high priority. “We needed to better understand what design features and engineering advances could be included to better accommodate those individuals who by virtue of their incapacity to carry out normal activities and processes within the building tend to fall outside the scope of accessibility as defined by the New Zealand Building Code.” Innovative engineering principles were identified and incorporated into the centre’s design as a result of this planning process. An example is the easily-achieved variation in water depth in the programme pool to suit all ages participating in water aerobics, aqua jogging, water therapy, learn-to-swim for toddlers and school holidaytype programmes. The depth of the tepid water is able to be varied within approximately 20 minutes. Being 25 metres long and wide, the lane ropes in the lap pool can be run in either direction providing fixeddepth swimming lanes for teaching and use of the bombing area simultaneously or common lane depth, throughout their full length in all lanes, for competition use when run in the transverse direction. The leisure pool is provided with lane anchor points to allow areas to be divided off and separated for learn-toswim lessons. The opening of the complex by Prime Minister John Key on July 27, 2012, after a build programme of around 20 months, was greeted with enormous public delight. And as the plaudits continue to flow a year later, the turnstiles spin to usage expectations and an excited community enjoys one of the most fabulous aquatic facilities country-wide, the Timaru District Council reflects with pride on a courageous project. And well it might. Apart from universal praise from the community, the aquatic centre known as CBay last month received honours and mentions in two New Zealand engineering and design awards. CBay received the merit award in the group tourism and leisure category in the Property Council of New

PARKS & RECREATION

Zealand’s property awards, and a few weeks later was commended as a finalist in the Ingenium Excellence in Engineering Awards. Property Council judges said CBay had that “extra special factor in the final product”. And judges of the Ingenium award said “CBay was a very worthy candidate for its top award”. The Timaru District Council measured excellence more simply – the degree to which the complex met and exceeded the expectations of the community. A goal was to provide through council leadership “a place where people of all abilities and interests could enjoy healthy lifestyle programmes and activities”. However, group manager district services Ashley Harper noted: “We see reaching the finals of both awards as recognition of CBay’s excellence across several levels

including environmental, sustainability, energy and operational efficiency and provision of excellence in service to the community.” Sustainability and energy savings are hidden, but real. The main pool hall is absent of exposed ductwork and grilles, instead the delivery of ventilation and heating air is via the ceiling space. This ensures the concealed steel structure is continuously bathed in dry outdoor air and that that dry fresh air is brought directly to the external wall, washing the glazing and poolside seating areas. This eliminates the risk of the corrosive pool air environment coming in contact with the hidden building structure, prevents condensation forming on the glass façade, and provides fresh air to the occupants sitting poolside. This also allows the ceiling to act as a large heat exchanger bringing heat trapped at high level by natural stratification back down to the occupied zone.

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NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

NZLG FOCUS

Elections – What is at stake? BY LINDA O’REILLY, Partner, Brookfields Lawyers Nominations for candidates in the 2013 triennial local government elections close on 16 August, 2013. The Kaipara District Council and Canterbury Regional Council are excluded as both are under the temporary management of Commissioners. The many aspiring candidates, particularly those throwing their hats in the ring for the first time, would do well to note those exceptions. They signal a government that is losing patience with local government and has demonstrated that it will not hesitate to intervene when it considers there are grounds to do so. This time around one cannot help but feel there is more at stake than at any time in the recent past. As was predicted, the establishment of Auckland Council has unsettled the sector and led to consideration of reorganisation proposals in other parts of the country, some of which are with the Local Government Commission at present. It has also prompted legislative changes such as the amendment to the Local Government Act 2002 that will enhance the role of mayors to be elected in October. But more significantly the approach of the government seems to have changed – hardened might even be a more appropriate term to use. In Auckland the apparent break-through in the conflict between the Council and the Government in relation to transport projects was no sooner celebrated than there was an outright rejection of the proposed funding methods. At the end of June the Government announced its backing for the City Rail Loop and a second harbour crossing. But the recommendations of the Council-appointed think tank to address funding the Council share of these and other transport projects, the Consensus Building Group, were shot down as soon as they were announced a fortnight later. Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee made it very clear the government would not make provision for a

regional fuels tax or tolls on existing roads, which were key options in the Group’s recommendations to the Council. It was also Gerry Brownlee, in his other role of Earthquake Recovery Minister, who stepped in with Local Government Minister Chris Tremain to appoint a Crown manager to take over the role of the Christchurch City Council in issuing building consents after its accreditation as a consent authority was withdrawn. And of course the outcome of the ongoing conflict between the Minister and the Council, and the quite possibly justifiable pressure for the Council to get its act together, has been the downfall of the Chief Executive and the decision of Mayor Bob Parker not to stand again for the mayoralty. The irony of the fact that this decision effectively hands the mayoralty to sitting Labour member and former government minister Lianne Dalziel cannot have been lost on many. There is also the vigorous approach that has been taken to the legislative framework within which the local government sector operates. Not least of this is the ongoing ‘assault on/reform of’ the Resource Management Act 1991, and more recently and urgently, when Auckland did not come to heel on provision for growth, the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill. Although the Bill followed discussions between the Government and Auckland Council on addressing the cost of housing in Auckland, it is less of an accord than the Council expected, and will have national application rather than just addressing Auckland issues. So what does all of this mean for aspiring local government politicians? Well possibly not much for first timers with expectations of either putting local government on a proper business-like basis, or alternatively returning it to the community from the ground up. The truth is there are very good reasons councils can neither be run entirely like businesses, nor become totally driven by local communities. I won’t go into those reasons here, but am happy to debate with the purists at any time. But what it might mean to those would-be politicians, that is different from the past, is that it is not only their personal political tenure that is insecure, but the tenure of the units of local government to which they are elected.

Contacts:

Auckland

Manukau

Wellington

Ph: 09 379 9350

Ph: 09 262 2145

Ph: 04 499 9824

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

Auckland

Wellington

Melinda Dickey Andrew Green Linda O’Reilly John Young

Andrew Cameron

ARCHIVES

Property records available online & vital space freed Marlborough District Council (MDC) has become the first local authority in New Zealand to provide the public with free online access to property records. The scheme is the result of a new partnership with Desktop Imaging, one of the country’s leading scanning bureaus, and has led to a surge in file searches. The two-year project will see the Council’s entire 52,000-file property and resource consent collection digitised by this September, and has included the entire collection being relocated to Desktop Imaging’s Wellington premises. Throughout the process, the company has also managed public requests to access particular files, using a combination of daily and ondemand scanning. Priority requests are processed on a daily – or half-daily – basis within prescribed timeframes, ensuring a swift response to anyone requesting information. Stacey Young, chief information officer for Marlborough District Council, says that demand had built swiftly with views currently standing at about 18,500 a month. Young says that, although some local authorities charge an administration fee for providing access to digital or paper records, MDC has always provided the service free of charge and at this point opted to continue to do so – despite launching the project in ‘tough economic times’. “You can’t afford not to digitise the records,” she says. “There’s a tremendous amount of demand for access to them, but if something like a fire or flood happens then they could all be destroyed. This way they are stored electronically and can be retrieved on demand. “There are a lot of other advantages too, particularly the convenience for the public. Previously, a journey to Picton could be a half hour drive for some people and had to be done during office

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

hours. Now people can access them from anywhere 24/7. “There are also efficiencies, in terms of reduced administration, to be gained from putting the records online and enabling people to access them themselves. “The paper files had previously taken up a significant amount of space at our Council offices in Picton and Blenheim but now the physical files can go straight into storage after being scanned,” she said. Young says that key focuses in selecting a partner for the project were scan quality and ensuring that the public still had swift access to any record throughout the scanning process. “Because these are property records the quality had to be perfect,” she says. “Partnering with Desktop Imaging was more economical than doing the work inhouse. We would have had to bring new staff on board and train them and buy new equipment. “Desktop Imaging had already digitised property collections for several other councils, they have state-of-the-art equipment and they have the expertise. These guys really know their stuff and the quality of the digitised documents is much higher than we could have achieved in-house.” Desktop Imaging was selected through a full RFP process in February 2011 with the brief of standardising the process for all file retrievals and to improve customer service with a robust servicelevel agreement covering quality management, delivery schedules and access policies. The company managed relocation of the collection, consisting of about five million A3 and A4 pages,

Photo credit: thinkstock

Marlborough District Council becomes the first council in New Zealand to provide free online access to property records.

to Wellington. They have recently opened new purpose-built premises in the capital and also have sites in Auckland and Christchurch. Sales manager and director Stephen Beighton says that following an initial pilot phase, the project moved into full production from September 2011 and has progressed so well that the estimated completion date for delivery of all the digital files has been brought forward from December this year to September. “The digitised files are delivered to the council via File Transfer Protocol (FTP),” says Beighton. “The council can then “pull” the files from our FTP site and integrate them into their electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) in a controlled but automated process that provides the property file live to customers as soon as it has been scanned. Young says that a strong partnering relationship had been key to the success of the project. “There has been very little to do on our side. Desktop Imaging came and packed all the files on to a lorry and have kept us briefed regularly on how the project is developing. We continue to manage the scanned files daily and audit the quality regularly.”

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

How to Drive in LA:

Xerox eases traffic, parking with innovative data management system BY CATHERINE ARNST, US Freelance Writer While city drivers endlessly circle the block searching for a parking space, they might want to consider that there is a solution to this time and gas-wasting quest from a seemingly left-field source – Xerox. Though parking may seem far removed from the document processing technologies that Xerox is popularly known for, the parking problem also requires gathering, interpreting and disseminating massive amounts of information; Xerox’s central mission. Xerox’s four global research centres are pushing the envelope in all these technologies and transforming a myriad of human endeavours in the process: making call centres more efficient, creating safer hospital environments, making banking accessible in underdeveloped locations, preventing overcrowding on public transit systems. Now, add traffic management. Xerox already has a large presence in global transit. The company operates the E-ZPass toll network and the cameras that record red-light runners in a number of American states, and manages over 300 public transit systems. In 2012 Xerox started an ambitious pilot project to ease parking and traffic congestion in Los Angeles, one of the most traffic-plagued cities in the world. At a recent innovation showcase for analysts and journalists at Xerox Research Centre Europe (XRCE) in Grenoble, developers explained how they worked with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to develop two companion traffic management systems that went live in May. ExpressPark alerts drivers to where public parking spaces are most likely to be available within an hour and how much they will cost while ExpressLanes monitors traffic on Los Angeles’ notoriously clogged highways and changes the toll rate for express lanes based on the volume of vehicles; when traffic starts backing up, the toll goes up, discouraging drivers from entering those lanes. Both systems combine thousands of sensors, dynamic pricing and sophisticated algorithms that learn on the job – the more data they gather, the smarter they get. ExpressLanes and ExpressPark are working off big, big data sets with a huge degree of complexity. Xerox has embedded some 7,000 sensors in parking meters that detect when a space becomes empty, and more on major highways. The data flows continuously into processors where each image must be analysed to determine the type and size of a vehicle, how fast it is travelling, how fast adjacent traffic is travelling and how long it parked. Real-time information on traffic, road closings, weather and all the thousands of things that can go wrong on any road at any time must also be incorporated into the model. Crunching all this data, the system can predict when a lane is likely to clog up, and when pricing should change to encourage drivers to park differently. “This is a very dynamic system – it has to be able to

manage both random events and intentional actions by tens of thousands of drivers,” says Dr Florent Perronnin, principal scientist and area manager at XRCE. “By combining thousands of sensors, dynamic pricing and sophisticated algorithms get smarter the more data they gather. The technologies needed to manage all this are equally complex – computer vision, predictive modelling and machine learning are all involved,” says Perronnin. Xerox plans to eventually have a mobile app that LA drivers can download that will allow them to query ExpressLanes and ExpressPark to learn the best route to get them where they are going, and where to park when they get there. The company has already developed the SmartTraveler Plus app, giving public transit commuters mobile access to real-time schedule and route information via phone and personal computing devices. And they have developed a “city dashboard” for urban transportation managers that allows them to quickly visualize different levels of activity in different modes of transit across the city. Just another day of data management for the scientists at Xerox. Reproduced courtesy of Xerox USA.

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REGIONAL UPDATE

Independent investigator appointed Christchurch City Council has appointed Peter Winder to undertake the independent investigation into the actions and knowledge of the Council’s chief executive officer, Tony Marryatt, and management in relation to matters leading to the revocation of the council’s accreditation as a Building Consent Authority. Peter Winder was a former Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) chief executive from 2001-2003. Winder is expected to produce a report to be delivered mid-August this year and once the review has been completed, the Council plans to release the report publicly to the fullest extent possible consistent with its privacy and other legal obligations. Costs associated with the investigation are expected to be between $40,000 and $50,000. Last August, Winder was one of four commissioners appointed to replace the elected councillors of Kaipara District Council after an investigation found “serious

governance and financial challenges”. As a director of McGredy Winder & Co, his work with local authorities has included co-ordinating the national regional councils’ programme to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.He’s also served as director of transport at Auckland Regional Council. IANZ identified 17 consents issued in September last year where full compliance with the requirements of the Building Code or Act had not been demonstrated. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment officials have reviewed the consents and while they found processing failures, the consents are “all technically sound and would not result in any safety issues,” Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says. “Many of the failures relate to incomplete or incorrect administrative processes. “Officials are auditing a further

sample of consents issued by the Council in the past six months to be sure consents haven’t been issued for unsound buildings. I expect the results in the coming days.” Environment Minister Amy Adams meanwhile has instructed her officials to carry out an independent “diagnostic assessment” of the Council’s resource management planning and resource consenting functions. The terms of reference are for an independent investigation into the alleged failures of the chief executive officer to keep the Mayor and councillors appropriately informed, and to manage the consenting department and processes of the Council, leading to the loss of its building consent accreditation, which was followed by a loss of insurance cover, a credit downgrade and the appointment of a Crown Manager. Winder is directed to undertake the investigation fairly and impartially and to liaise with the Crown Manager.

Inaugural meeting for Eastern Bay committee The Eastern Bay of Plenty joint committee held its first meeting on July 8, signing a memorandum of understanding to outline the purpose and principles of the group, and electing the committee’s first chair, Whakatane Mayor, Tony Bonne. Initial discussions focussed on the scope of the collaboration between the Councils of Opotiki, Kawerau and Whakatane and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Agreement around the table from areas representatives included saving costs for ratepayers through efficient and effective use of resources and improving the level of service for all Councils. The group intends to have a positive impact across

Eastern Bay by considering how each council can assist the other. Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair , John Cronin also reminded the group that number of initiatives were already underway with Bay of Connections, BOPLASS and Toi EDA also active in the area and that it was important to stocktake a list of possible areas for collaboration.

Members of the new Eastern Bay Commitee behind chair Tony Bonne at their first meeting.

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Doug Matheso

9/05/12 4:12 PM

ENVIRONMENT

COMING UP IN Record penalty imposed for demolition waste dumping Environment Canterbury has welcomed penalties of more than $150,000 in a Christchurch demolition waste dumping case following the February 2011 earthquake. Brett Aldridge, regional manager Resource Management Act Monitoring and Compliance, says the temptation for those in the demolition and waste industry to save costs and increase profits by inappropriate waste disposal is of great concern in the current Canterbury environment. “The penalties against Canterbury Greenwaste Processors, Coutts Island Holdings and Kingsley Robert Kepple for dumping and receipt of 5000 cubic metres of contaminated waste to form a track at a Coutts Island site are important as a deterrent and to prevent a legacy of post-quake contaminated sites,” says Aldridge. “The Court has sent a very clear message that this type of behaviour won’t be tolerated. District Court Judge Kellar made the important points that appropriate disposal of demolition waste is critical to restoring the city and its surrounds; that the receiving environment for such waste must be lawful and appropriate, and that short cuts can’t be taken to avoid cost and conceal sites.” Inspection by Environment Canterbury compliance staff in March 2012 revealed a farm track some 1000 metres long by 10 metres wide, and half-a-metre deep comprised of mixed demolition waste. The waste was delivered by Canterbury Greenwaste Processors to the farm property owned by Coutts Island Holdings, which used it to build a farm track. “The waste had not been screened for contaminants and contained asbestos, electrical and computer parts, plastics, carpet, and assorted unprocessed material from the unsorted demolition of several CBD buildings,” Aldridge said. The farm property is on land adjacent to the Otukaikino Stream which runs into the Waimakiriri River, an area within the Christchurch groundwater protection zone and with amenity and significant cultural values. Judge Kellar imposed total fines of $153,625 and court costs of $13,569, a Canterbury record for this type of offending. “We are increasingly being contacted by people in the industry who feel they have a moral duty to tell us what’s going on,” Aldridge says. “This level of penalty will send a strong message to demolition contractors that the risk is not worth it.”

AUGUST • Stormwater • Community Safety • Renewable Energy • Environmental Issues

SEPTEMBER • GIS Mapping • Conferences & Conventions • Environmental Consulting

OCTOBER • ICT • Health & Safety • Water & Wastewater

TO FEATURE IN THESE… Please contact: Kim McIntosh email:kimm@mediaweb.co.nz ph: ddi 09 300 2679

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

OPINION: FROM THE CONTRACTORS’ PERSPECTIVE

CWTP – Pond Two & Three Pipe Replacement (CWTP = Christchurch Water Treatment Plant) $2,100,000. Hawkins Infrastructure Ltd, Christchurch City Council.

Awards recognise project management and delivery Jeremy Sole, chief executive of New Zealand Contractors’ Federation, talks about the upcoming NZCF/Hirepool Construction Awards. I’ve had an interesting insight recently in speaking with one of our contractor members about the NZCF/Hirepool Construction Awards which culminate in a formal awards function in Queenstown on August 2. This member told me that they hadn’t done anything spectacular enough over the past 12 months to enter into the awards. It was interesting to me because a lot of these contractors are very humble about the work they do and tend to just go about it in a quiet and effective way below the radar. Clearly that can’t be generalised across all of them though. The interesting thing about these awards is that they recognise in large part the way in which the project has been managed and delivered given the complexities

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

and constraints that surround it – so a straightforward project built in a complex context can actually trump a technically complex civil engineering project in its awards category. I mention this because sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the expertise that exists in your local contracting community. While this isn’t generally an issue for most parties most of the time, it does concern me at the moment given the new NZTA outcomes maintenance contract implementation is influenced by the strength of the local supplier market. If the local market is strong then more work will be required to be subcontracted to that market – if it is weak then less will be required. Naturally the decision-making around this is going to strongly influence the health of the local supply industry, so we encourage all stakeholders to be in the loop and contribute to NZTA’s decision making process around this. This is especially important given these decisions are

OPINION: FROM THE CONTRACTORS’ PERSPECTIVE

going to be made locally and will have their greatest effect locally. While the current round of activity is primarily focused on the State Highway business, the discussions are already moving beyond that, and are revolving around NZTA’s desire to roll the same large network contract model into the operations and maintenance of your local roads as well. We see some tremendous benefits in many aspects of the new state highway model and we fully support its focus on developing and maintaining a healthy supply industry throughout and after the contract periods. We also see some potential perverse outcomes, unintended consequences, hiding in the shadows as well. Hence our focus on also supporting local industry and ensuring the actual mechanisms are in place that will ensure the desired outcomes actually come to pass. I mention these things in this forum purely because there are still lots of things we need to be discussing collectively as the new models start to be negotiated and rolled out. Also on the subject of competency, the federation is rolling out its annual round of training courses at the moment as part of our commitment to providing the industry with opportunities to upskill its people for continuous improvements in outputs. It is also encouraging to see many consultants and local authority staff attending courses around the country such as reinstatement/compaction and utilities location. Not only is it good for everyone to have a degree of technical understanding of these tasks, it is also an excellent opportunity for each party to better understand the challenges the others have to deal with. This all presents strong opportunities for developing mutual understanding and more effective and efficient project planning, oversight and delivery. Information on these Worksite Essentials (WSE) courses can be obtained from tricia@nzcontractors.co.nz or on 0800 692 376.

Tick

Manawatu Gorge Slip – Remediation $21,400,000. Higgins Contractors Limited, NZTA.

Te Puke Heritage Walkway $847,732. Higgins Contractors Limited, Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

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LAST WORD: STAIRWAY TO HEALTH

New York local government to fight obesity by design

Senior City executives announced a series of first-inthe-nation anti-obesity initiatives that will promote physical activity through the design of buildings and public spaces. These include the creation of the Centre for Active Design, a non-profit organisation that promotes changes to the built environment to fight obesity and related chronic diseases and an Executive Order requiring all City agencies to use active design strategies when performing all new construction and major renovation projects. The Mayor also announced two pieces of legislation to promote stairway access in all buildings. The package of initiatives will promote active design through measures such as making stairways more visible to encourage use, creating more inviting streetscapes for pedestrians and bicyclists and designing spaces suitable for physical activity for people of different ages, interests and abilities. The Mayor made the announcement at The New School, which is using active design principles in the construction of its new University Centre on Fifth Avenue. “New York City has been a leader when it comes to promoting healthier eating and now we’re leading when it comes to encouraging physical activity as well,” says Mayor Bloomberg. “Physical activity and healthy eating are the two most important factors in reducing obesity and these steps are part of our ongoing commitment to fighting this epidemic.” “Even small changes to the way we design our city can greatly increase physical activity and in turn, combat obesity,” says City Council Speaker Christine C Quinn. “We must seize every opportunity possible to end New York City’s obesity epidemic. To that end, the City Council is pleased to help fund active design initiatives, and proud to have worked on the development of legislation to promote stairway usage through the Green Codes Task Force. “We know that regular stair use increases physical activity and active stairways are one of many ways we are creating a healthy environment,” says Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs. “As a result of these initiatives, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers may now take the stairs, saving the equivalent of 500,000 pounds of weight among adult New Yorkers annually.” “For years, architects and planners have been making it easier for people to be sedentary, compounding the nation’s obesity problem,” says Commissioner David Burney. “The active design movement asks design professionals to be part of the solution and find new ways to encourage movement, both in buildings and

Photo credit: thinkstock

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this month (July 18) the city’s first Centre of Active Design to promote physical activity and health in buildings and public spaces through Building Code and Design Standard changes.

‘Initiatives will promote, not require, stair use and help architects, planners and urban designers combat obesity, which is killing more than 5000 New Yorkers each year.’

NEW ZEALAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JULY 2013

on the streets. The benefits of active design can be profound: just two minutes of stair climbing a day – rather than using an elevator – can help prevent annual weight gain.” “Incorporating physical activity into daily routines is the best way to get the many health benefits of exercise,” says Health Commissioner Dr Thomas Farley. “By integrating Active Design strategies into renovations and future buildings, New Yorkers will have new opportunities to be physically active throughout their days.” The Centre for Active Design promotes four key concepts of active design to reduce obesity through the design of buildings, streets, and neighbourhoods: Active buildings: encouraging greater physical movement within buildings for users and visitors. Active transportation: supporting a safe and vibrant environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Active recreation: shaping play and activity spaces for people of different ages, interests, and abilities. Improving access to nutritious foods in communities that need them most. To further promote active design, on June 27, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed an Executive Order requiring City agencies to review the design of construction and major renovation projects to assess opportunities to implement active design elements. This requirement applies to the construction or renovation of City buildings and streets. Agencies assess opportunities to promote the use of stairways, and that agencies train design and construction personnel in the use of the City’s Active Design Guidelines. Additionally, the Bloomberg Administration plans to submit for City Council approval two items of legislation to promote access to stairways in all new construction and buildings undergoing major renovations in New York City.

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