ACROSS THE REGION

March 2024

Chair's Message

Tēnā koutou and welcome to the first edition of Across the Region for 2024. This is a significant one as we are currently in the middle of our consultation period for the Horizons Regional Council’s 2024-34 Long-term Plan (LTP). This is an important opportunity for you, our community, to have your say on the issues that are significant to you. Our LTP consultation document, along with supporting materials can be found on our website haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz, along with ways you can share your thoughts with us.

The focus of this LTP has been about balancing increased demand on Council by central government, holding the line on progress we have made, meeting community expectations and high priority needs, alongside increased climate related events and ageing populations. At this point in time, all councils are looking at large cost increases simply to provide our current levels of service as we experience inflationary impacts alongside our community.

In times of challenge and uncertainty, we are reminded of the importance of working together and having a clear idea of what we’re here to do. Our strategic priorities and community outcomes provide this focus, allowing us to make decisions to get where we are now. We are staying true to core business and aiming to deliver what we believe our communities expect of us.

The work we do across all our districts has a direct impact on making our place a healthy environment, where people are thriving. This is why we’d like to hear your views on the options we’ve provided along with any other areas of our business you are passionate about. Let us know if we have got it right before 5pm 22 April 2024.

Submission forms can be found online at haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz, where you will also find our supporting information and other ways you can submit. These are also available at your nearest Horizons’ office.

Nga mihi nui,

Rachel Keedwell, Chair.

Our strategic framework

The purpose of local government is to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Our Council describes how it seeks to do this across the region through its six community outcomes. Council keeps these outcomes front and centre when it is making decisions that impact the current and future wellbeing of communities in the rohe.

The priorities and community outcomes included in this framework has helped inform a lot of the decisions that have been made on the journey to where we have landed for this Long-term Plan. Find out more about our Strategic Framework, and have your say at haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz. 

Highly productive land

Within our Policy, Strategy and Climate Resilience Activity, we are required to make changes to the One Plan in order to implement national policy statements. For the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 (NPS-HPL), we are able to present some options around what level of service we could offer.

The NPS-HPL requires all regional councils to map highly productive land to help inform decision making around managing subdivision and development of this non-renewable resource. While regional councils are responsible for completing the mapping, the process must be done in collaboration with relevant territorial authorities and in consultation with tangata whenua.

Horizons have identified a series of options to carry out this targeted mapping. To find out more, please visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz.

Integrated catchment management

One of Council’s strategic priorities for this Long-term Plan is to take a more holistic approach to delivering outcomes such as improved water quality, pest control, and river management through our operational programmes across the region.

Council can do this by looking at how we currently manage our river management and drainage schemes and their wider ecosystems; water, land, plant and animal life, and affected communities. We can think about how we work within an interconnected system from the mountains to the sea. This would require a more joined-up approach than our current model, and would include transitioning to an ‘integrated catchment management’ way of working. This way of working would also align with what we believe our communities expect of us.

To achieve integrated catchment management, a lot of work would need to be done behind the scenes to look at how we can improve our systems and processes. To find out more, please visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz.

Increase to river management insurances

Horizons owns and manages a variety of flood protection assets, ranging from approximately 500 kilometres of stopbanks, to over 1,100 kilometres of drains and 509 floodgates. We have insurance cover for these assets and we are proposing to increase our insurance cover to account for various pressures, including inflation and increased risk of damage to these assets from natural hazards.

Please visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz for details.

Freshwater and partnerships

Over the last decade, Horizons has been successful in obtaining a range of government co-funding to improve aquatic habitats. These have been achieved through fish passage and riparian management, and water quality through stream fencing, riparian planting, advice on constructed wetlands and other interventions.

From 2025-26, the end of the Jobs For Nature funding for a range of projects is set to reduce the overall funding for the Freshwater and Partnerships activity by $2.8 million to the pre-Jobs For Nature budget. Council are considering the level of funding support for these freshwater and partnership activities. To find out more and provide your feedback, please visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz. 

Increased levels of service for public transport

Horizons is proposing to increase the levels of service, or introduce a new service if there isn’t currently one, for public transport in the Horowhenua, Whanganui, Rangitīkei, Tararua, and broader regional connections. For all of these service improvements we will be seeking a similar amount of funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Whanganui improvements

Council is proposing to deliver improvements to the bus network through two additional high-frequency bus routes like Te Ngaru – The Tide from 2025-26. Horizons’ contribution for these improved services is to deliver a whole new network in Whanganui that is fast, frequent and direct.

New services for Horowhenua

Council is also currently working with Horowhenua District Council and stakeholders on the future vision for public transport within the Horowhenua District. We are proposing to;

• introduce new public transport services for the wider Horowhenua including within Levin,
• improve connections to the beach and rural towns, and
• enable a greater frequency bus service to connect south to Waikanae and the passenger rail network south to Wellington in 2025-26.

New and improved regional services

Council is proposing to support improved regional transport connections through the provision of a regional public transport network. This network will feature new connecting service for the Tararua district, plus improved connections across the region including Whanganui, Marton, and Levin, with many linking through Palmerston North and south into the Wellington region.

Would you like to see improved transport connections in your district? Tell us what you think at haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz.

Changing fee structure for water meters

Managing our region’s water use is one way to ensure we achieve our community outcomes of healthy ecosystems and a thriving economy. It is a fine balance, managing our community’s desire to use water resources for primary production which supports the regional economy, with a responsibility to ensure we can sustain them for healthy habitats and maintain them for recreational use.

Horizons records and processes a range of information about water in our region, and this data feeds into research which helps to understand trends, and track progress and risk over time. One way we do this is via Horizons’ water metering project, which has been monitoring water metering activity at sites across the region since 2003.

Council are considering changing the fee structure for water meters in our region.  To find out more, visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz.

Revenue and financing Policy

Horizons’ Revenue and Financing Policy sets out the various funding sources that Council uses to support operational and capital expenditure, for example, different types of rates, user pays, debt, etc. It shows how each activity of Council is funded. Following an analysis of this policy, Council is proposing some changes to how it uses revenue from its investments and to the way it funds some of its activities. To find out more on what this means for your, and to provide feedback, visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz.

Automated river warning system updated

Our automated river alert warning system has recently received an update, including increasing the capacity for users signed up to the service, sending out alerts in a more timely manner to give users more time to act, and reflecting the changes in monitoring equipment locations. These updates have been made to ensure the system is more useful and effective for all users.

This service provides automated phone calls to help manage flood risk to you, your whānau, stock and your property. When you sign up, you can indicate which locations and river heights you would like to be notified of, and when levels reach your indicated height, the system automatically notifies you via phone call. 

The service is popular with those who have property at risk of river flooding, and with winter on its way, now is a great time to sign yourself up for peace of mind.

Please note that because this is an automated alert service, it will automatically call you when river levels reach a certain height. This can happen at any time, meaning you could receive a phone call alert in the middle of the night. If you don’t need immediate automatic alerts but you’re still interested in river level information, we also have this available any time via the Environmental Data tool on our website homepage, or by calling Waterline on 0508 4 FLOOD (0508 435 663).

If you are already signed up to the service, you will soon receive a mail out from us asking if your contact details are still current, and to check you are still receiving notifications for the river locations and levels that you need. We accept new sign-ups to the service at any time via our website on the River Heights and Rainfall page under the Flood & Emergency Management section.

Have your say on Horizons policy on dangerous, earthquake-prone and flood-prone dams

Horizons is reviewing and updating our policy for dangerous, earthquake-prone and flood-prone dams in the region. We are required to undertake this review of our policy under Section 161 of the Building Act 2004 to align with the new Building (Dam Safety) Regulations 2022 (the Dam Safety Regulations) which come into effect 13 May 2024. 

The purpose of the draft policy on Dangerous, Earthquake-prone and Flood-prone Dams is to help prevent the catastrophic failure of a potentially dangerous dam, and to ensure deficiencies in earthquake-prone or flood-prone dams are addressed.

The draft policy does not apply to all dams or farm ponds. It only applies to classifiable dams that are either a high potential impact dam or a medium potential impact dam that are likely to fail in the ordinary course of events, or a “moderate earthquake” or “moderate flood” as defined in the Building Act 2004.

For more information about classifiable dams and dam safety, please visit MBIE’s Building Performance website. 

The consultation period of this draft Policy will be 22 March to 22 April 2024 which is alongside Horizons’ draft LTP, however, any submissions on this draft Policy need to be separate from any LTP submissions. 

Submissions should relate to the contents of the draft Policy. Horizons is not able to change anything in the Building Act 2004 or the Dam Safety Regulations.

Anyone can make a submission on the draft Policy and we encourage you to visit haveyoursay.horizons.govt.nz to find out more and make a submission. Hearing dates will be determined following close of the submissions period.

Help plan Palmy's future growth

We’re working with Palmerston North City Council to prepare a future development strategy which will guide how Palmerston North and the wider district will grow over the next 30 years and we want to hear what you think.

With more people choosing to live and work in Palmy our population is growing fast. This means we need to carefully plan how we can provide more space for new homes and businesses, while protecting our environment and other things that make this a great place to live.

Palmerston North City Council will be gathering feedback as part of their next Long-Term Plan for 2024-2034, so make sure you have your say by visiting  www.pncc.govt.nz/FDS.

Your Councillors

Council Meetings

April 2024

• Regional Transport Committee, Regional Land Transport Plan Hearings, 4 & 5 April, 9:00am 
• Strategy & Policy Committee, 9 April, 10:00am
• Regional Transport Committee, 12 April, 9:00am
• Strategy & Policy Committee , Long-term Plan Hearings, Whanganui, 29 April, 10:00am
• Regional Council meeting, 30 April, 9:30am

May 2024

• Strategy & Policy Committee, Long-term Plan Hearings, 1 & 2 May, 10:00am
• Regional Transport Committee, 7 May, 11:00am
• Strategy & Policy Committee, Long-term Plan Deliberations, 14 May, 9:30am
• Integrated Catchment Committee, 15 May, 9:30am
• Regional Council meeting, 28 May, 9:30am

June 2024 

• Regional Transport Committee, 4 June, 11:00am
• Manawatū River Users' Advisory Group, 4 June, 7:00pm
• Climate Action Joint Committee, 10 June, 1:30pm
• Strategy & Policy Committee, 11 June, 10:00am
• Passenger Transport Committee, 18 June, 10:00am
• Regional Council meeting, 25 June, 9:30am
• Audit, Risk & Investment Committee, 26 June, 9:30am

Unless otherwise stated meetings are open to the public and will be held at Regional House, 11-15 Victoria Avenue, Palmerston North. Please note all details were correct at the time of print. However, for the most up-to-date dates and times for council meetings please check our website at www.horizons.govt.nz.

On the day of full Regional Council and committee meetings, we livestream the meeting directly to our Facebook page. These recordings are then available later to watch on Vimeo.