Weaving the Harakeke - Minutes 31st Mar 2025

Minutes from the 31st March 2025 - Upper Hutt Daytime Hui

Hui Details

Attendees - 9 People.

Items Carried Over

None as this is the first hui for 2025

Items for discussion.

Daytime hui at the library.

Hellen emailed library staff to book the back room. Update since our meeting. Monday is not possible. Looking at alternatives and reviewing frequency.

Wayne Guppy’s message on page 1 & 2 of the Annual Plan consultation document

Does not mention environment. Can it please mention this at least once? (Community)

Rates

What happens to rates next year? It is an election year. Is it a genuine reduction? (Comm)

Year 3 is expected to be 13%.
Council has been going through Operational savings
Every $640,000 equates to 1% rates.
Council asked themselves “Is it fit for purpose?” and “Are we oversubscribed?”
Look up the Rates Finder using your QR Code or Maps on the Council website. It will give you rates for 24/25 at 19.94% and the projected rates for 25/26.
Shows what you would have paid if it was still 19.94%. You can see what it will be at the reduced rate of 15.78%. (Hellen)

Local Water Done Well

On the 1st of July 2026 our assets are given to water.

With only two options. Both require us to give 100% of our assets to Wellington Water. What protections are in place to protect our assets should things go wrong? Propose a debenture. Eg. interest only for 36 months. Principal and interest paid back. This ensures that 100% of those assets come back if they fail to pay. (Community)

We already have issues with trust regarding Wellington Water based on performance todate (Hellen)

There is limited expertise available in the field. Therefore, it is the same pool of people regardless of model chosen. (Hellen)

If we don’t meet the targets, then the Commissioner can be brought in. (Hellen).

Several noted that there is no mention of environmental protections in the water document. Only environmental resilience which is ambiguous and not necessarily protection.

We are currently taking 470 litres per person per day and no one in Council is questioning it. Can a communications person come to these meetings from Council (Community).

Kerbside Recycling

The Capital cost is all paid. Money comes from the Ministry for the Environment 1.75M. The rest we are getting from the waste levy of $555,000. (Hellen)

You need to consider the ongoing costs. Currently at $3 per week on top of for the 1st year. Won’t know the ongoing cost until the Council let the contracts out (Hellen).

Currently it is cheaper to hire Low Cost Bins at $2.56 per week (community)

What really should be upfront is the comparative cost difference (community)

Some of the money could be spent on education, eg. Less waste produced in the first place. (community). Education is in the Waste budget currently. Recommends including in submission where you think the education money in the Waste Levy would be best spent.(Hellen).

Assurance that recycling does in fact get recycled and not go to landfill (community). Example given that currently tetrapaks go into particle boards or bins at Council (Hellen).

Concern is that the cost of kerbside currently costs the Lower Hutt City Council a contamination rate of $42,000 minimum per month. There was less contamination at Recycle Station when they had staff there supporting people at the recycle station. Another reason why education is important (Hellen).

Policies

It was noted that Upper Hutt City Council does not currently have a

Liquor Licensing Policy
Vape Policy
Complaints Policy
The Sustainability Strategy is being reviewed at the end of 2025.

Maidstone Terrace

Currently on the agenda at Wednesday, 3rd of April 2025 Policy meeting at 4.30pm.

Aware of conflict of interest. Wayne Guppy (patron) and Chris Carson (community).

Why are we spending money changing the grass and with a couple of big buildings. Why are we not harvesting water from the roof? (community).

Concern is that when it was put out for consultation last year. It was only put out for consultation for recreational purposes.

Financial Policy

Hellen has asked that the Financial Policy be kept out of the LTP so that it is easier to find for people than buried in a big huge document. This is the information that provides the proportionality of how we have put user pays versus community pays. That’s how you will see the weighting of how we make a decision of how some people in the community pay and how we divided the benefits to the community to the individual. Will follow up.

Asked whether there had been any changes since the Long Term Plan? (Community).

Bigger changes won’t occur until the huge Policy Rates Review (Hellen)

Forestry

“Resetting the rating differentials for forestry from 290% to 75% of the standard rate. (page 12). Queried the huge difference. (community)

“At the very beginning of the LTP they were always charged 75%. Then we said that through the work programme. We would charge them 300%. Then there was a strong lobby. How do you rationalize the 300% which was then dropped to 290% with a promise of a rates review. Which will be next year”. In response to a question about the drop. It never went up to the 290%. (Hellen).

Reflected comment. If you make forestry rates so expensive that the land becomes more valuable to sell off then you risk houses on the land instead of trees which is worse for the river and environment.

Alcohol Fees Bylaw

Reflected Comment. The Hutt Valley (and we are part of the whole) is one of the three worst on record in the country for domestic violence and alcohol has to be a contributing factor. (community)

Police and Family Harm

Police are available to go speak to at the mall on a Wednesday (Hellen)

Reflected comment that perhaps Council should invite Tania Wilkinson to talk to them about Family Harm (community).

Recommendation that we suggest a Liquor Licensing Policy in our submission. Which would look at how many outlets we had and where they were.(Hellen).

Action Points:

AP - Hellen/Heather and Library - Daytime hui time and day tbc.

AP - Everyone - Include the need for missing Policies noted above to be created

AP - Everyone - There are currently three consultations at present. The Annual Plan, Local Water Done Well and concurrently Alcohol Fees Bylaw, Revenue & Financing Policy, Gambling Venues Policy and the Schedule of Fees & Charges. If you submit on these separately and wish to speak in person at the appropriate meeting then you will be entitled to 5 miins on each of the three.

AP - Hellen - Follow up on whether the Financial Policy has been separated from the LTP for ease of finding

What’s Next

Next Hui: Orongomai Marae on the 14th of April at 6-7pm

Please forward any agenda items or questions to weavingtheharakeke@gmail.com at least 5 days before the Hui so we can create the agenda and allow respondents to find info to respond.

Please be aware as the Hui are only one hour in duration, questions may not always be answered on the night but will do our best to follow up.

Items requested to be added to the next agenda

Add Item to agenda – Council Structure and how we best engage.
Add Item to agenda – Transport plan under District Plan Review. Regional Deals ( LGNZ has looked at Manchester and will affect Waka Kotahi)
- https://www.dia.govt.nz/Regional-Deals-Strategic-Framework

This Hui is getting through an amazing amount of information and discussion in one hour. The amazing amount of work and effort going into this by attendees is not un-noticed. Thanks to all who is attending, discussing and finding/sharing information.

Any questions, concerns, feedback or you would like more info, please email them to weavingtheharakeke@gmail.com and we will do our best to have them answered.

We also have a Facebook Page which is for the community to discuss these kind of topics openly and respectfully. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1160276101835948

We apologise if there is anything we have missed or not recorded quite correctly.

Minutes are created best we can as a representation of the discussions had at the Hui.