Te Runanga Papa Atawhai o Tamaki Makaurau AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD

MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING OF THE AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD HELD AT AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY OFFICE ON 15TH MAY 2013

PRESENT: Mr Ross Aitken Chairperson Mr Laurie Beamish Deputy Chair Dr Jacqueline Beggs Board member Mrs Stella Chan Board member Mrs Dianne Glenn Board member Mr Thomas Grace Board member Mr Martin Gummer Board member Mrs Jo Knight Board member Mr Ian Rodger Board member

STAFF IN ATTENDANCE Mr Sean Goddard Conservator Mr John Galilee Conservation Support Manager Mrs Raewyn Bennett Board Support Officer Ms Sarah Smylie Management Planner

PUBLIC FORUM ATTENDEES. Mr Brett O’Riley ATEED – Chief Executive Ms Pauline Dwight ATEED – Product Development Manager Ms Bernie Mabbs ATEED – Operational Strategy Advisor Mr Daniel Harrison ATEED – Partnership Manager

1 MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU BOARD MEMBER PROFILES Ross Aitken, Mahurangi: Previously a senior General Manager of the Westpac Group both in and Australia. Presently owner/operator with my wife of Waipiata Lodge and actively involved with Business Mentors in New Zealand and The Solomon Islands. Member of Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc, Forest and Bird Mid Northern and Hauturu/Little Barrier Island Supporters Trust. Recreational interests include kayaking, tramping and swimming.

Laurie Beamish, Ngai Tai of Umupuia: Deputy Chair. 35 years marine experience commercial fishing and skippering a charter boat; voyaged extensively on both coasts of the North Island and to the Kermadec Islands; CEO of Ngai Tai environmental arm; Co-secretary of Ngai Tai ki Tamaki Tribal Trust; Trustee and member of Tiriti negotiation team on Hauraki and Tamaki Makarau collective; direct ancestral links to both European and Maori first settlers in the Auckland region; recreational interests include traditional food gathering, Waka Taua, boating, surfing and diving.

Dr Jacqueline Beggs, Ngati Awa of Glendowie. Board Chairperson. Doctorate in terrestrial ecology, Director Joint Graduate School in Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, . Involved with a number of restoration projects in the Auckland region, and the Recovery Programme. Fulbright Scholar 2007, recreational interests include sailing and tramping.

Sze Man (Stella) Chan of Remuera. Founding trustee of Chinese Conservation Education Trust and other projects; speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese; Executive Committee member of Hong Kong NZ Business Association; recreational interests include hiking and trekking.

Dianne Glenn, of Pukekohe: Former chair of Environmental Management & Regulatory Committee, ARC with connections to urban and rural communities in the South Auckland region. Recreation interests including bird translocations, camping, fishing, tramping, walking holidays, visits to conservation land in Hauraki Gulf and also , Australia, USA.

Thomas Grace, of Woodhill: beef farmer and member of Rodney Local Board, former Rodney District Councillor who donated Thomas Grace Reserve to RDC. Past chair for many community and sporting organisations, recreational interests include forest running and historic vehicles.

Martin Gummer, of Newmarket: FNZIM company director, qualified barrister & solicitor, conservation volunteer for Motutapu Restoration Trust with strong knowledge of NZ native flora and birdlife. Former CEO of EECA, Transfund , Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd. Recreational interests include cycling, gardening, landscaping, tennis.

Joan (Jo) Knight, of Birkenhead. CEO, senior manager and consultant experienced in not-for- profit, council and educational institutions; project manager with expertise in the areas of environment, orthinology, waste, public health and sustainability; interest in water quality issues and the tension between business and the environment, e.g. aquaculture; past Trustee of Te Araroa Trust; former Curator of Community Programmes at Auckland Zoo, collaborated with DOC on the Kakapo Experience; wrote development plan for award winning Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony; set up education at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World prior to 1990; recreational interests include tramping, walking, kayaking, bird watching, travel.

Ian Rodger, of Howick: Lifetime interest in agriculture and outdoors, Chair of Auckland section NZ Institute of Agricultural Science. Past president NZ Federation Freshwater Anglers, previous CEO Te Araroa Trust . Retired ex Dow AgroSciences 36yrs, also farmer. Recreational interests include sea & freshwater fishing, sailing and tramping.

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU 1. WELCOME & APOLOGIES 1.1 Ross Aitken asked Laurie to say a karakia, and opened the meeting at 9.35am.

2. CONFIRMATIONS 2.1 CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA / ITEMS FOR GENERAL BUSINESS

2.2 REGISTER OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST Laurie Beamish said there is not a conflict of interest at this stage, however he would note that some interesting tensions are developing with Treaty Settlement negotiations for Ngai Tai Ki Tamaki, as their Agreement in Principle provides for return of land on Motutapu.

3 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: 3.1 CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES

RESOLVED That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 20th February 2013 be confirmed as a true and correct record.

MOVED Ian Rodger SECONDED Jo Knight CARRIED

3.2 MATTERS ARISING 3.2.1 Ian Rodger will follow up with John Galilee about concessions processing and a reply to the Southland Board. ACTION – IR/JG

4. CHAIRPERSONS REPORT (ATTACHED AS ITEM 4 ) 4.1 Ross Aitken noted the disparity between $150 million additional funding to Tourism NZ compared to $5 million returned to DOC’s budget.

4.2 Martin Gummer asked what the Department’s budget allocation will be for funding partnership work versus services. FOLLOW UP - JG

4.3 Jacqueline Beggs and Ian Rodger said that it was not true to say there will be no loss of frontline staff “on the ground”.

4.4 Ian Rodger and Jo Knight reported that most CMS submitters emphasised they wanted more assistance from DOC staff, and noted the grave concerns expressed by submitters from Aotea – Great Barrier Island, that DOC staff have progressively been cut from 21 to 7.

RESOLVED That the Chairperson’s report be accepted. MOVED Jo Knight SECONDED Stella Chan CARRIED

The Conservator Sean Goddard joined the meeting at 10am.

5. AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY REPORTS

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

5.1 CONSERVATORS REPORT  Sean Goddard noted he was really pleased the Haeranga concept for the Rangitoto – Motutapu 3 day walk had broad support from Auckland Council, Mayor Len Brown, James Brown of Ngai Tai ki Tamaki and other iwi as well as ATEED, although he said it is just a concept plan at present.  Other items of note included species translocations, the impact of some major fires, initiatives around the Kaipara Harbour and capability working with Te Uri o Hau. Sean said the Kaipara Harbour Integrated Management Group has existed for some years and is now starting to become a real force in the Kaipara catchments.  John Galilee distributed copies of a new free Visitor’s Guide to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, referred to in the Conservator’s Report. Laurie Beamish said that the iwi experience of TRENZ was like lassoing a runaway horse, and their impression is the lead is being taken by ATEED and Auckland Council rather than DOC. He said Iwi are very alarmed at the speed at which proposals are being progressed, and their perception is that DOC is being driven by chasing the money, rather than the purity of conservation. Laurie said he thought the evolution has been very rapid and asked Sean to comment.  Sean said the Department has been very clear about the new model not selling conservation, but looking for partnerships to grow conservation work. He acknowledged that TRENZ was an ATEED event and there was an ATEED drive to make an announcement, however DOC had developed the concept, ran workshops and invited engagement.  Sean noted ATEED’s focus on visitor numbers which may far exceed DOC and other partners expectations: Motutapu Restoration Trust have asked to be involved with initiatives to get visitors planting trees. The next stage will be to develop a working plan in conjunction with the CMS, with which the Board will be heavily involved. Laurie Beamish said that Iwi have noted the substantial funding offered for the development of new tourism ventures, compared to the diminishing funding for conservation. Ross Aitken said a lot of feedback had been given by CMS submitters about visitor numbers. Jacqueline Beggs asked about the Maui’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan as it was now six months since submissions closed. Sean said that was still with the Ministers.

The Board decided to follow up again on a meeting with the Minister and write asking the Minister to ensure the Maui’s TMP is expedited, with Kauri Dieback funding ACTION – Chair /RB Jacqueline Beggs also asked about Brydes Whale ship strike: she said ships are still travelling at 18 knots as soon as they have dropped off the pilot, and cannot believe their schedules wont allow travel at 10 knots until they leave the Hauraki Gulf. Jacqueline reported that Gary Taylor the President of EDS, had indicated he was not prepared to run any more workshops unless shipping companies made a commitment to slow down.  Sean Goddard noted there had been commitments to funding research, developing a communications plan for shipping companies and monitoring Brydes whales.

Laurie Beamish supported the suggestion to convey the Board concerns re ship speed directly to the CEOs of the shipping companies, many of whom commit to conservation ideals and principals that they should be held to. ACTION (Copy the Hauraki Gulf Forum letter to Board members) FOLLOW UP – JG / RB

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU 5.2 UPDATE ON ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES  Sean Goddard recapped on decisions announced on 24? April and 7 May regarding the new Partnerships and Services structure. About half of the positions that were to be lost were reinstated with the additional funding, there are media releases and information on the DOC website for which the link was circulated to the Board.  A Director and two Partnership teams will be based in Auckland, with one team based in Warkworth. There will be two service teams, based in Auckland and Warkworth.  Sean Goddard stressed this had been an internal process without any external consultation, the Director General has said there isn’t any change to what is being delivered, the restructure is intended to maintain delivery and resource the development of new partnerships. Laurie Beamish said the restructuring had raised huge concern about how Conservation Boards would be supported in the future, and noted the potential to diminish the mana of Conservation Boards and Iwi representation given in Treaty Settlement. He asked about the Board’s budget, as he couldn’t see any allocation.  Sean Goddard reported that current budgets are being rolled through Ross Aitken noted the emails received from the Statutory Bodies advisors, to be discussed later in the meeting.

RESOLVED That the Conservator’s Reports be received. MOVED Laurie Beamish SECONDED Ross Aitken CARRIED

10.45AM BREAK FOR MORNING TEA 11.10AM MEETING RECOMMENCED

5.3 John Galilee gave a brief outline of legal work in progress on the Rangitoto baches, and noted that the Board can expect to receive copies of the report, and be asked for their advice.

6. STATUTORY FUNCTIONS 6.1 CMS REVIEW John Galilee noted that the hearings had been completed over the previous week, and said he had personally found the hearings process really valuable, because submitters put so much work into their submissions, and gave a clear idea of what they wanted to see. Sarah Smylie circulated a submissions report to the Board.

6.1.1 BOARD INVOLVEMENT IN SUBMISSIONS PROCESS Ross Aitken recorded his thanks to John Galilee, Sarah Smylie and Matt Ward for the work they had done to make the hearings very professional, he found the hearings very valuable, they helped to understand the issues and how passionate people are about things that matter to them.

Jo Knight said she had really enjoyed the four days as the hearings had clarified issues and inconsistencies around partnerships, accessibility of islands, use of aircraft and bikes.

Ian Rodger echoed Jo’s comments and said the hearings gave the opportunity for people to express their concerns, he considered the CMS process is an excellent system.

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU John Galilee outlined the procedure with the CMS from here: it is the Department’s process until the deadline on 5th August to decide how to address and respond to submissions, then the Board will receive the updated CMS with tracked changes and a spreadsheet containing all the submission points recording how they have been addressed.

Sarah Smylie said the Department will be acting on a “no surprises” basis so it would be good to have the ongoing involvement of Board members who were on the hearings panel.

Ross Aitken said he would call a teleconference to discuss a work plan for the CMS and recommended having three teams led by Ian, Jo and himself to divide up the submissions. Jo Knight, Ian Rodger and Ross Aitken are available to be the key contacts in the interim. ACTION - RA Ross Aitken noted that the Motuihe Restoration Trust reported that ferries have stopped running a regular service to Motuihe which had impacted on the work of the Trust and they need more visitors, versus the situation with Tiritiri Matangi Supporters saying they don’t want any more visitors. Kawau and Mansion House has a similar problem with less ferries running, more expensive and no Gold Card subsidy.

John Galilee acknowledged the work of the board members on the hearings panel and will schedule a meeting with Sarah. FOLLOW UP -JG

Martin Gummer recommended writing to Auckland Transport to identify the issues with ferry services, as programme funding was put in place by November for the following year. Sean Goddard suggested raising the issue with ATEED. RESOLVED That the CMS Report be received. MOVED Dianne Glenn SECONDED Ross Aitken CARRIED

6.2 PLANNER’S REPORT John Galilee will enquire with DOC planning staff to see if the Department’s submission on the Unitary Plan can be reviewed by the Board to decide if they support it. FOLLOW UP -JG

6.3 CONCESSIONS SCHEDULE Jacqueline Beggs noted the conflict of stocking restoration islands such as Rangitoto with exotic bees which compete with native bees and invertebrates for nectar, and has had a summer student doing some research on Rangitoto, however she noted the other side of the argument. The Board recorded it’s ongoing interest in bee – keeping concessions.

Jacqueline Beggs asked if she could see the best practise report for Te Paki Station, and any SOP for bee keeping concessions, also the Tongariro research publication. FOLLOW UP- RB

The Board asked to be kept informed about the outcomes for triggered concessions, and regarding the Motu Manawa - Pollen Island Marine Reserve variation on Condition 2 FOLLOW UP -JG Laurie Beamish noted a number of errors of omission in the free Visitors Guide with respect to Iwi, and also that it says there is a ferry service running to Motuihe. Ian Rodger noted that one of the primary purposes of the CMS is to determine a visitor numbers strategy for particular places.

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

The meeting adjourned for lunch at 12.15 and reconvened at 1.00pm

7. PRESENTATION & PUBLIC FORUM 7.1 ATEED Ross Aitkin welcomed Brett O’Riley the CEO of ATEED (Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development) and Board members gave their mihi to introduce themselves. Brett introduced staff members who accompanied him: Pauline Dwight who has been working with DOC staff, Daniel Harrison a new partnership manager, Bernie Mabbs who coordinated the presentation ( available as ITEM 7 on request).

Brett O’Riley thought there is now much more awareness of the importance of conservation, and said opportunities include the Aotea track and Coromandel with a fast ferry service. He suggested limiting the numbers of visitors to Rangitoto and Motutapu by putting a premium on the cost with an emphasis on glamping rather than hotels on islands. ATEED is working to position the Hauraki Gulf islands at the high end rather than package tours.

Ross Aitken said Motuihe needs a regular ferry service, and the more opportunities for people to visit gulf islands, the better.

Jacqueline Beggs asked about the mechanism for funding conservation: Brett said it needs to be transparent. Sean Goddard said the return from concession fees is the main source of income.

Laurie Beamish said the present income to DOC from concessions is very low, aimed at the low end/ low cost visitors e.g trampers and the department needs to ensure that revenue is substantially increased to maintain biodiversity and biosecurity.

Jo Knight supported Laurie’s view and said that internationally, high end tourists expect to pay fees to visit the Great Barrier reef or Galapagoes Islands as examples, where the use of the funds is transparent and reported in detail. Jo said she has talked to visiting interns who are amazed that so many things are free in New Zealand.

Brett O’Riley agreed there is a need to monetarise visitor experiences in Auckland and ATEED has been talking to other enterprises such as Kaikoura, to see how they operate. He confirmed the majority of ATEED’s funding comes from Council, although they do receive central government tourism funding as well as from the private sector. Brett said it needs a co- ordinated approach to take advantage of the opportunities such as Chinese banks and investors.

Jacqueline Beggs asked what proportion of the projected 2.7 billion growth in visitor spending will directly benefit conservation? Brett O’Riley said there had been a big increase in cruise ship visits (107 in the past year) and Conventions held in Auckland which is significant because convention visitors typically spend twice as much as others. Pauline Dwight said marketing is now targeting high end visitors such as golf club members in China.

Ross Aitken thanked Brett O’Riley and his team for the presentation.

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

8. CORRESPONDENCE SCHEDULE 8.1 CONFIRMATION OF CORRESPONDENCE RESOLVED That the inwards correspondence be received and outwards approved . MOVED Jo Knight SECONDED Jacqueline Beggs CARRIED

8.2 MATTERS ARISING 8.2.1 TE URI O HAU SETTLEMENT TRUST REPLY Thomas Grace reported on the presentation given by representatives of Te Uri O Hau to the Rodney Local Board. Ross Aitken clarified that the Environment Court decision only gave the right to apply for subdivision of 46 lots, and he noted that submissions had now closed on applications for earthworks and water rights for the golf course.

Sean Goddard noted the Department had discussed a range of measures including a buffer zone around the bird sanctuary.

The Board decided to send a follow up letter to Council noting the Board had previously asked to be kept informed but didn’t find out in time to submit, however asks the Council to note the practise used at Omaha for waste water dispersal. ACTION – RA / RB

8.2.2 NZCA LETTER ASKING BOARDS TO ADVISE ON THEIR FUTURE IN THE NEW STRUCTURE Ross Aitken read out the points he had circulated for discussion. Jacqueline Beggs recommended including a statement outlining why Conservation Boards have been successful, with the reasons for retaining Boards, noting the significance of treaty settlements. Ross will draft and circulate the letter for further comment. ACTION –RA √

Sean thought there is an argument for retaining the Auckland Board to align with Auckland partnership regions.

9 STRATEGIC ISSUES

9.1 KEY ISSUES, LIAISON, REPRESENTATION 9.1.1 MARINE ISSUES John Galilee reported that the key agencies (Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council, DOC and MPI are currently doing a lot of work with on how the Marine Spatial Planning project will be organised and how stakeholder engagement will be managed.

Sean Goddard said there has been a lot of discussion about governance, and the project structure has now been approved. The Board will have an opportunity to be involved later this year and more information will be available at the August meeting. BRING UP

9.1.2 HAURAKI GULF FORUM Dianne Glenn spoke to her agenda report and asked if the Board could host the Hauraki Gulf Forum at Mansion House for its next meeting in September? Sean Goddard said that KIRRA (Kawau Island Residents and Ratepayers) invited the Forum to go to Kawau, and they were now working through the logistics and finding a suitable meeting venue (Mansion House is not suitable)

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

9.1.3 FISH & GAME LIAISON, FRESH WATER ISSUES Ian Rodger updated on Access and Freshwater issues

9.1.4 AUCKLAND COUNCIL UNITARY PLAN ( COVERED UNDER 6.2)

9.1.5 4 RELATED BILLS Jo Knight said the second reading of these bills had drawn her attention, John Galilee undertook to get an update from National Office (Jay Eden) FOLLOW UP – JG/RB

10 BOARD BUSINESS 10.1 FINANCIAL REPORT: The financial report was accepted.

10.2 DATES & VENUES FOR NEXT BOARD MEETING The Board agreed that it should visit Great Barrier Island if possible for the next meeting, from Monday 12 August with the meeting on Wednesday 14 August 2013. FOLLOW UP - RB

11 GENERAL BUSINESS 11.1 Ian Rodger asked if Laurie Beamish could provide an update on Treaty Settlements. Laurie said the Office of Treaty Settlements was suffering from a lack of capacity, so Iwi are being asked to make commercial decisions about purchasing land and properties with little time for due diligence and comparisons of current commercial valuations. The situation is very challenging with the potential for all parties to end up dissatisfied, as the Crown has said it will move resources to other settlement areas if deadlines are not met.

11.2 Ross Aitken said Jacqueline has left a great example, over the past 3 years her knowledge and experience has been invaluable and imparted in a very considered and scientific way. Laurie Beamish said that in his mihi this morning, he acknowledged the role Jacqueline has played in upholding kaitiakitanga, in a measured and very considered way, and he acknowledged Jacqueline as a Tuahine.

Sean tautokoed comments from Ross and Laurie, and said that Jacqueline was joining the wider network of people who have served on the Conservation Board and retain strong links with conservation work. He thanked Jacqueline for all her time, effort and guiding work with the CMS to produce the draft which had been well received.

Jacqueline noted that she has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the EPA, in addition to Director of the Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity at Auckland University. She said the Board faces a challenging time in the year ahead and encouraged them to press on.

12 MEETING CLOSURE Ross Aitken closed the meeting at 4.15pm. laurie Beamish acknowledged Ross Aitken’s chairmanship and said a karakia

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

Approved as a true and correct record at the meeting to be held on 14th August 2013.

Ross Aitken Chairperson

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MINUTES OF THE 117TH MEETING HELD ON 15TH MAY 2013 AUCKLAND CONSERVATION BOARD - TE RUNANGA PAPA ATAWHAI O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

ITEM 4

Auckland Conservation Board Chair’s Report May 2013 Tena Koutou, Firstly my thanks to Jacqueline for the great example that she has set for me to follow in Chairing the board. We will all miss her knowledge and wisdom and thank her for the major contribution that she has made to the Board and conservation in general over many years.

We are in for a very challenging time over the next 6 months with the major changes within DOC, the future of the Conservation Boards as a result of the changes in Conservancy boundaries, proposed changes to the RMA, the Unitary plan, completion of the CMS, and new Board appointments to name but a few.

My thanks to Jo and Ian who worked on the submissions for The Resources Management Reform Bill on Tree Protection and again the Resource Management Bill- Reforming our Resource Management structure.

Jo and Ian have again given up a considerable amount of time to attend the CMS hearings on behalf of the Board, again our thanks. I have also attended two days of the hearings.

It is interesting to note that since our letter to the Prime Minister in late 2012 with regard to a targeted arrival tax to fund conservation work several other Groups have made similar calls. Whether the powers that be are listening remains to be seem.

I am meeting with Brett OʼRiley of ATEED on the 3rd May in preparation for his presentation to the Board on the 15th.

I will leave you to ponder the following: NZ Government Budget $65b DOC Budget $350m 0.53% of the total government spend DOC savings restructure $9m 2.5% of the DOC budget and nothing more than a rounding figure in the total government spend.

Draw your own conclusions but this is not really about money.

Nga mihi

Ross Aitken

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