Council Meetings – August / September 2022

Cover image – Peter Kurdulijia on Flickr – Lake Mahinapua

Vote 2022 – Nominations to Council

Following the close of nominations at 12pm on Friday 12 August, the following candidates have been confirmed for elections within the Westland District Council area:

Nominations can be viewed here: https://www.electionz.com/LGENominations/ELT57WL22_candidates.htm

Elections will be required for the electoral issues where the number of candidates exceeds the number of positions available. Voting papers and information about the candidates will be mailed out to Westland District Council electors on Friday 16 September. Voting will close at midday on Saturday 8 October 2022.

Wadeson Island – digging and planting

At the beginning of August the walking track on Wadeson Island was closed to begin maintenance and to clear and level other parts of the track and surrounding areas in preparation for planting.

Track maintenance, funded by the Council, has been undertaken by Destination Westland with much of the weeding being undertaken by MBC Environmental Solutions. Conservation Volunteers are using their expertise to develop channels to support whitebait and establish areas suitable for planting.

To ensure the whitebait habitat is environmentally friendly and resilient to natural forces, channels will be excavated, shaped and planted so that the whitebait can have cool deep water in which to hide and a greater surface area of the bank for planting and whitebait egg laying.

Local schools are getting involved, with 32 students, parents and caregivers joining the team during the first week of August. They planted over 200 native plants and learnt about the wildlife on the island. The team are also in discussions with Westland High School science department to assist with units of work for years 9 – 11 focussing on Wadeson Island.

Developing and looking after Wadeson Island is a collaborative project being led by the Council. It includes support from two Jobs for Nature projects – Weed control led by Development West Coast and MBC Environmental and development of whitebait habitat led by West Coast Regional Council and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand. You can find the Concept Plan on the Westland District Council website.

Images supplied by Allan Porter.

Big Plans for Westland Industrial Heritage Park

In July, the Westland Industrial Heritage Park committee was invited to the Council meeting to present our Strategic Plan 2021 – 2025. Jackie Gurden did an excellent job of outlining the content of the plan and what we hope to achieve. The Plan sets out our vision for the next five years to develop the Park and the attractions within.

Our members aspire to become a leading attraction in Hokitika and be nationally and internationally recognised for providing a high quality experience for visitors. To achieve this, a masterplan has been developed encompassing current projects and proposed projects. Each project has a dedicated project manager or managers, and has been carefully budgeted so that the management committee understands the funding that will be required to complete each project. Using the Strategic Plan, the committee can create an annual plan each year to identify priority work.

Proposed and current projects include:

• An entry building potentially comprising an entry experience, arrival, meeting, office and amenities building.
• Enhancement of displays with interactive interpretation including sound, light and video displays, beginning with the Big Engine Shed and also incorporating the Steam Shed, the Heritage and Learning Centre, the Boat Shed, the Livery and the Fire Engine Museum.
• Completion of the Mudfish Bush (miniature) railway attraction.
• Developing an expanded and much more purpose-built engineering and wood working restoration workshop
• Utilising the natural area surrounding the miniature railway for the creation of a park area containing environmental restoration projects.

Our Strategic Plan is a living document and will be reviewed and updated annually. The current version can be viewed on the Council website here.

Image supplied by Westland Industrial Heritage Park

Events and feedback at the library

An Evening of Spoken Word

Friday 26 August from 5.30pm – 7.00pm.

Celebrate National Poetry Day at the Library. Bring a poem to read, one of your own or one of your favourite authors, one that rhymes or one that doesn’t, one you can sing, whisper or hum, all words are welcome, for the pleasure of our ears. Registration is essential, book your free tickets now by clicking the RSVP button on the Library’s online calendar.

Feedback wanted

Westland District Library is committed to improving library services and to delivering the best possible service to everyone across the district. To enable us to evolve to meet community needs, we are collecting feedback from local communities.

We would really appreciate it if you could take a moment to complete this survey.

Council’s online forms

Online forms are proving to be a popular choice for our customers with a great uptake over the last six months. Using the online form is a quick and easy way to submit an application or get in contact with us. Our new online dog re-registration proved very popular and over 200 people re-registering and making their payment online.

Over time we will be adding more forms to replace many processes that are paper or pdf based. This will make processing more efficient and quicker and simpler for customers who do not live near the Council’s Customer Service Centre.

You can find all our forms under ‘Do it online’ on the website.

Feedback on Speed Limits

Due to ongoing legislative changes in speed management, it is important that Council has a greater understanding of what our customers want for the district’s roading network and a future plan for speed management.

A fully revised system for Speed Management is being implemented between now and 2024. This involves the creation of Regional Speed Management Plans that will replace the current bylaw system.

Share your thoughts on the current speed limits and what changes you would like to see in the future by completing our survey before 4 pm on Friday 2 September 2022.

You can complete the survey online here.

Alternatively, a downloadable survey is available here (PDF 831.43KB) or in hardcopy from Council’s Customer Service Centre. You can return the survey to the Customer Service Centre at 36 Weld Street or email to speedlimits@westlanddc.govt.nz.

Any enquires about the feedback process can be directed to Karl Jackson, Transportation Manger at 03 756 9032 or email karl.jackson@westlanddc.govt.nz.

Our Council – Planning, Regulatory and Community Services

The Planning, Regulatory and Community Services group is overseen by the Group Manager: Planning, Regulatory and Community Services. Under that umbrella, each department is responsible for different services for the community.

The Planning team is responsible for meeting the District’s Resource Management obligations. These include reviewing and utilising the District plan, processing land use resource consent applications and subdivisions, undertaking compliance and monitoring, creating planning policy, submitting on government policy on behalf of Westland and engaging with Central Government through representation in Stakeholder and Working Groups.

Regulatory Services is responsible for overseeing the management and delivery of the regulatory functions of the Council. This includes Building Control, Animal Control, Environmental Health (food licencing, and other specific controlled activities), Liquor Licencing, Compliance, and associated Bylaws.

Community Services encompass activities that promote community connectedness and well-being and support culture and recreation. The library, museum and community development fall within this department.

Te Tai o Poutini Plan – Make a submission

Submissions on the Te Tai o Poutini Plan are open until Friday 30 September.

Te Tai o Poutini Plan (TTPP) combines the district planning processes for the Buller, Grey and Westland District Councils, replacing the current individual district plans. TTPP sets out the objectives, policies, rules and methods to manage land use activities and subdivision across the districts. TTPP also includes online maps to show zoning, and where various rules apply.

TTPP will affect every person on the Coast as it covers important things like power and communications infrastructure networks, ensuring there is sufficient land for business and housing development, avoiding or mitigating natural hazards, maintaining indigenous biological diversity, and controlling noise and subdivision.

Find out about making a submission on the TTPP website. Staff at the Westland District Library can help you if you need assistance.

MTFJ – supporting youth into apprenticeships

Rangatahi, Kane Parker (18) of Ngati Waewae, began working at Will Pilcher Electrical Ltd in Hokitika this year. Kane is undertaking the first year of his electrical apprenticeship and so far has learned about the delivery of electrical services within commercial business. Now within his role at the newly established Will Pilcher Electrical Ltd Kane is learning about domestic electrical installations including renovations, new builds, home automation and heat pumps. He will also have the opportunity to work towards becoming a certified solar electricity installer which will ensure he thrives as this small business grows.

To date the Westland Mayors Taskforce for Jobs has supported Kane with a tool allowance and is supporting Kane with upskilling and travel to Block Courses as part of his Skills studies. The support offered by Mayors Taskforce for Jobs allows Kane’s boss’, Will and Taylor, to grow their business and support Kane without having to worry about the additional overheads associated with employing new staff.

Will says, “Kane is a pleasure to work with and a keen apprentice willing to tackle all tasks offered to him by senior staff. The Westland Mayors Taskforce has provided our new small business with funding support alleviating some of the costs associated with taking on a new apprentice. The added bonus of this program is the wrap-around support offered by the Co-ordinator Charlotte if we need it. We are looking forward to being a part of Kane’s journey, watching him grow with the company and becoming a talented tradesman within the world of electrical work“.

Image and text – supplied by MTFJ

Review of the Building Consent system

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is asking for feedback on issues with the current building consent system.

The building consent system provides assurance that new building work complies with minimum performance requirements under the Building Code.

The review is an end-to-end review of the building consent system – from the building design phase through to the issuing of a code compliance certificate.

MBIE is consulting on an issues discussion document as the first step in the review of the building consent system.

The Review of the Building Consent System issues discussion document aims to build a shared understanding of issues with the current consenting system as a basis for considering future system change.

The discussion document is broken into 3 key sections:

• the role of government and third parties, such as builders, designers and architects, in providing assurance that buildings are safe, healthy and durable;
• desirable outcomes that good building consent regulation should seek to achieve; and
• issues with the current building consenting system.

View the documentation and make your submission here. Submissions are due by 5pm, 4 September 2022.

Image and text – MBIE