Submission to Draft Long Term Plan Taupo District Council 2015-25

Submission to Draft Long Term Plan Taupo District Council 2015-25 Name: The Enviroschools Foundation Contact person: Kristen Price, Operations Manager Postal Address: PO Box 4445, Hamilton, 3247 Physical Address: Lockwood House, 293 Grey Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 959 7321 Email: [email protected] We do NOT wish to speak to this submission

Recognising your support for the Enviroschools Programme We would like to acknowledge Taupo District Council (TDC) for supporting young people in your region to be part of the Enviroschools network since 2004. The Enviroschools Programme is a nationwide action-based education programme where young people plan, design and implement sustainability projects and become catalysts for change in their communities. Enviroschools was originally developed in the late 1990’s by councils in Waikato as a non-regulatory tool and has now been adopted by 51 councils, including most larger councils and two-thirds of the total sector. The programme is managed nationally by The Enviroschools Foundation (a charitable trust). The Foundation has funding from the Ministry for the Environment and works closely with the Department of Conservation. Regional implementation of Enviroschools is through partnerships with Local Government and other community agencies. Nationally, this multi-sector collaboration enables nearly 1,000 schools and early childhood education (ECE) centres to be involved – representing 30% of the school sector and 5% of the large early childhood sector. Locally, 60% of Taupo schools are part of the Enviroschools network. This submission encourages TDC to maintain its involvement in Enviroschools along with the other regional partner agencies – Waikato Regional Council, Hamilton City Council, all district councils in the region - Waitomo, Thames-Coromandel, Waipa, Waikato, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, South Waikato, as well as Veolia Water and Kindergartens Waikato.

Highlights from recent programme evaluation The Enviroschools Foundation has been working with a team of external evaluators to quantify the beneficial outcomes of the programme. A nationwide survey of all Enviroschools was conducted as part of the evaluation process. The survey had a 73% response rate and highlights include:

• Wide participation - Schools were equally able to participate in the Enviroschools Programme across all deciles, sectors and regions. • All age groups (early childhood, primary and secondary) are taking environmental action – across a wide variety of areas including waste, water, biodiversity, food production, energy and eco- building. • Community collaboration - Enviroschools fosters significant community collaboration, creating leadership pathways for students and real connections to families, outside agencies and communities. • Zero Waste - Nearly all Enviroschools have waste minimisation plans and actions in place (98%). • Food production - Most Enviroschools (97%) are growing and harvesting produce from their gardens/trees for cooking, selling and gifting. • Biodiversity projects are well developed, with clear links to community – over 90% of respondents had biodiversity projects with 86,859 trees planted in 2014 (86% of which were native trees). • Tackling energy usage - Two-thirds of Enviroschools are involved in energy projects, including actions for sustainable transport (47%) and energy conservation actions (34%). • Successful water projects - Two-thirds of Enviroschools are undertaking a range of actions for water quality and conservation, including 19,264 meters of riparian planting in 2014.

Page 1 of 2 629 • Enviroschools is contributing to a range of other outcomes including citizenship, health, cultural understanding, motivated learners and community participation. • Depth of practice is related to the extent of outcomes - Results showed that the depth of practice increases with the length of time a school or ECE centre is involved in Enviroschools. Nearly two thirds of participating schools/centres report ‘quite well developed’ or ‘deep embedded’ practice. Further, the survey results show a clear link between depth of practice and the extent to which the programme is contributing to outcomes. This reinforces the value of the long-term approach of the Enviroschools Programme.

“The strength of Enviroschools lies in the collaborations and multiple relationships that have been established and continue to be nurtured through it’s model of facilitated, networked and distributed leadership, engaging communities, schools and other stakeholders in action aimed at creating sustainable communities.” The evaluators, Kinnect Group

Conclusion The Enviroschools Programme has a proven track record of being an effective approach for engaging schools and communities in environmental and social action. With the backbone support of The Enviroschools Foundation, and a network of councils around the country, the programme catalyses learning and action among thousands of young people, their families and communities from early childhood to secondary school. By connecting and coordinating resources and people, openly building and sharing knowledge across communities, widespread action is enabled on a broad scale. As a funder, the partnership with Enviroschools provides TDC with multiple points of leverage across the Taupo community, extending the possible impact of its funding beyond what might be expected with a more traditional approach.

Page 2 of 2 630 7th April 2015

Ella Howie Taupo District Council Private Bag 2005 Taupo 221 Subject : Market rents for the Nukuhau Boat Pens.

Dear Councillors,

I request that you reconsider your proposal to charge “market rents” for the Nukuhau Boat Pens.

In support of this I make the following points.

1. I would question whether a “market rent” has yet been fairly established as there are few local alternatives for long-term storage of masted boats near the lake, there are examples from other districts with considerably lower rents and there has already been evidence of responsiveness to higher rents by Lake Taupo Yacht Club (LTYC) members.

2. I would question the equity and consistency of applying higher charges to LTYC members, being a major portion of leases, for the use of the Reserve relative to charges made and support given to other sporting groups in the district. This inequity would be even greater if the revenue gained from use of this Reserve were being applied to management of other Reserves.

3. The inequity caused by high rents for use of this Reserve by LTYC members appears even greater given that LTYC members have long used this Reserve for storage and launching, effectively using the Reserve for many years as an adjunct to the clubhouse and storage buildings off Ferry Road.

4. I would also point out the significance of maintaining use of the Reserve by LTYC members. As the club loses trailer sailer members, due principally to age, migration or cost, the club loses both the persons required to conduct local racing and, importantly, the ability to host regional and national events and teach and coach children. The club these days revolves around a children’s sailing programme and brings hundreds of visitors to the town each year.

I request that the Council rethink's if market rents are appropriate in these circumstances.

I would like to present my submission in person, either along with other LTYC members or individually, as suits Council.

Yours faithfully,

Anthony Byett 34A Charles Crescent, Taupo Leasee of pen Rate payer Vice Commodore of LTYC

631 Subject: Fwd: my submission From: April Smith Date: 7 April 2015 12:37:58 pm NZST 222 submission. from April Smith

Hello Councillors….This is my submission about the issue of the addition of a toxic waste product of the phosphate fertiliser industry, hexafluorosilicic acid, commonly referred to as ‘fluoride’, into our public drinking water. With the 10 year plan now in review I feel strongly that this needs to be considered fully in relation to our water quality.

Those of us giving submissions on this subject have given a significant amount of personal time in gathering information and presenting that information to you ‘Our Councillors’ for your consideration, both sides. This is the beauty of our democratic processes here in NZ…everyone can be heard.

Sometimes IGNORANCE IS BLISS because what you don't know you don't have to worry about. However, once we know something we cannot 'unknow ' it. We then have a choice as to whether we act on that knowledge .....or not. That is our human free will.

After attending both meetings over the last 6 months that have been held here in Taupo, organised by Fluoride Free NZ, to inform the public, you and me, about the detrimental effects of having fluoride in our drinking water, I was no longer ignorant of these things and I have chosen to act on this knowledge, hence my submission , and I consider it of enough importance to speak to it as well. Thank you to the few councillors who attended those meetings as you also are now informed.

Part of my action was to find a way of helping to inform those of you who couldn’t come, about some of the main concerns of the scientists and dentists who talked to us so I emailed you all some points I regarded as very important…..in ‘bite size’ bits. You may remember them. I appreciate that your job as a councillor requires copious amounts of reading and listening to become informed about a large number of issues and it is very understandable that there is a limit to how much you can humanly take in….hence the idea of just giving you ‘bite sizes’ each day or two. I hope you found this valuable and informative. I will now repeat this information just incase there were any of you who could not find the time to read the emails.

Firstly, Fluoride IS NOT a nutrient. It is a TOXIC WASTE product of the phosphate fertiliser industry (hexafluorosilicic acid )

The dictionary meaning of TOXIC is …POISONOUS.

This chemical is 'not allowed' to be released into the air or disposed of in the waterways by the industry,

SO the question begs…..WHY is it allowed to be added to OUR DRINKING WATER?

Through the promotion of fluoride since 1950( before any trials had been completed or health studies completed ) by those whom we have trusted to ‘know’ ( Government Health Ministries mainly ) we have come to ‘believe' that fluoride added to our drinking water really does help our teeth to grow stronger AND we trusted those ‘authorities’ promoting it also to know that it was not going to harm us in any way.

We all know the exponential expansion of science over the last 50 years, even just the last 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, and NOW there is strong evidence from the science community showing there are indeed HARMFUL EFFECTS on our bodies…ESPECIALLY CHILDREN as they grow.

According to the NZ MINISTRY OF HEALTH website OVER 30% of the children living in fluoridated areas have some form of DENTAL FLUOROSIS ( this is mottling or discolouring of the teeth ), which is the first

632 outward sign of FLUORIDE POISONING !!

Yes these are NZ statistics from our own Ministry of Health!

Fluoride is NOT something our body needs yet we are being ‘mass medicated’ and lead to believe that it is……please think about this!

The most alarming fact I heard was that

"The American Dental Association and the US Public Health Services’ Centres for Disease Control advise

fluoridated tap water is NOT SAFE FOR BABIES " !!!!

Bottle feed babies take into their bodies 250x MORE fluoride ( at 1 ppm in our water) than breast feed babies. Mother’s milk has only .004 ppm of NATURAL FLUORIDE, not the TOXIC variety used in our drinking water.

Just to reiterate...."The American Dental Association and the US Public Health Services’ Centres for Disease Control advise

fluoridated tap water is NOT SAFE FOR BABIES " !!!

Now they don't seem to specify when a baby ceases to be a baby, but science now shows that we human beings develop more in the first 3 years of our lives than at any other stage. That means that the brain, bones and vital organs are growing rapidly and are prone to being affected negatively if there are toxic substances being ingested by the child particularly at this stage. Through common sense it is not hard to work out that the ratio of .7ppm of fluoride (as it is in Taupo) being ingested by an adult is going to be far higher when ingested by a baby or infant up to 3 years old, and so on until adulthood is reached. And as studies now link fluoride to:….LOWERED IQ…..CANCER…….THYROID DISEASE….ADHD……LOWERED IMMUNITY……SEVERE ALLEGIC REACTIONS...just to mention some, it should be ringing alarm bells for us all. Why should we risk any of these kinds of side affects for the sake of saving a few teeth from having a filling. Better to alert parents to the harmful effects of sucking juice from bottles, sucking on hard lollies, chewing on fruit bars and not cleaning your teeth....I would have thought.

If you find your mind unwilling to take on this information at the moment, it isn’t that surprising. There is a phenomena called ‘popular belief’. This occurs in any society where a particular action has been in place for a long period of time and has become engrained in our thinking as 'the right thing to be doing'. Putting a 'synthetic fluoride chemical' into our water is based on such a belief. It often takes years to change a popular belief. Look at poor Galileo who had to live out the rest of his life under house arrest after he first proved scientifically that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around ! The people of the time just didn’t want to change their belief. It took many many years before it was accepted as truth.

I believe that the Councillors who made the decision to add hexafluorosilicic acid to our public drinking water made it with the very best of intentions. They were given information that this chemical would help harden the enamel in children’s growing teeth thus preventing caries from forming. Of course they would want this for children…anything to prevent those dreaded visits to the school ‘murder house’ where the mere thought of the buzzer with no pain killers filled us with fear! And then at the end of the filling procedure , for being such a good child to sit and have this painful procedure done, we would be given a little ball of mercury to take home…it looked so shiny and special didn’t it! Again all this was done with the very best of intentions. But time has moved on…..new scientifically proven information about the effects of this action have come to light. The book The Case against Fluoride’ mentioned below, is jam packed with the scientific reviews and information we are concerned about. It is now our duty as carers of our children and grandchildren, to be willing to change this ‘popular belief’ by becoming informed and sharing this new knowledge with others in our community.

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According to the Fluoride Free NZ website, there are 67 local body councils in NZ. Only 23 have fluoridated water. So does that make the other 44 councils wrong in their choice NOT to fluoridate or does it mean that the other 23 councils ( of which Taupo is one ) are still catching up on the new scientific findings?

There was a time when many people smoked blissfully unaware that it could lead to lung cancer, emphysema and other painful health conditions. There was a time when DDT was sprayed liberally upon our vegetables, or around the house to kill flies. There was a time when asbestos was used in many industrial and domestic building materials. There was a time when there was lead in petrol. There was a time when mercury droplets were given to children who visited the dental nurse, to play with. There was a time when pregnant women had no idea of the dangerous effects drinking alcohol could have on her developing baby.

My hope is that very soon we will be able to say 'there was a time when fluoride was added to our drinking water.'

PS The studies mentioned are available to read up on in the book ‘The Case Against Fluoride’ by Paul Connett, PhD, James Beck, MD,PhD, H.S. Micelle, DPhil which the Mayor has a copy of and has been donated to the Council for your resources. There is also a copy in the local library.

Kind regards, April Smith

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On 6/04/2015, at 9:50 am, Caro Douglas wrote:

Hi April

Good work :) I have it on my list to practise mine out loud this long weekend, but haven’t quite got there yet! Under this link is the background info to Taupo so far: http://fluoridefree.org.nz/taupo-turangi/ "Fluoride Free NZ held a very successful opening to the Taupo and Turangi ‘End fluoridation Campaign’ on Saturday 15 November at 4pm. Rotary House, 12 Storey Place, Taupo." Cheers Carolyn

-----Original Message----- From: April Smith [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, 4 April 2015 3:05 p.m. To: Caro Douglas Subject: meeting dates

Hi Carolyn….can you please remind me of the date of the first meeting that was held at the Rotary meeting house and who the speakers were? Thanks. I need this info for my submission……nearly done, then I’ll send it to you to have a read :)….April

635 From: Kathy White [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 8 April 2015 3:05 a.m. To: 10year plan 223 Subject: Draft Long Term Plan submission

Thank you for the opportunity to submit on Taupo District Council’s Draft Long Term Plan 2015-2025. I don’t wish to be heard in support of my submission Community organisations I would like to thank you for continuing to support a good range of community organisations through your existing service agreements, especially Enviroschools and the Lakes and Waterways Action Group. The LWAG organises monthly meetings that update the community on significant catchment topics, and encourage the sharing of ideas on possible solutions to problems. The people that take part form an invaluable independent network from a variety of backgrounds. Library services I support the Council maintaining the current level of library service in deciding not to charge for books and computer use. I’m additionally in favour of waiving request charges. This is not currently proposed in your 10 year plan. However it’s something I would like you to consider because it would further increase the level of satisfaction among library users and maximise use and circulation of books and other media between the district’s libraries. Tongariro I have heard through the grapevine about the possibility of a new venture – a possum trapping and manufacturing business in Turangi, which would provide job opportunities for those who want to work in or near the bush. A possum processing factory would allow sustainable pest management without risk to Turangi’s outdoor tourism, wai, rongoa, waahi tapu and mahinga kai. A venture like this would support Ngati Tuwharetoa’s efforts to “protect and enhance” land and water. It would also support the Turangi Tongariro Community Board’s request for targeted pest control back in 2009, and Taupo District Council’s resolution to advocate for alternatives to 1080 to be used within the Taupo district. I would like to see councils and agencies talking about how they could assist this to happen. Turangi/Tongariro needs as much support as possible in terms of your Long Term Plan, and encouragement of sustainable business ventures. Sealing rural roads Farmers pay a large proportion of the overall rate-take and often feel that they don’t get the same amount of value out of urban-based community services. The sealing of rural roads is a significant issue in the rural community. If possible, I would like to see this funding increased to allow more than 2.5km of road sealed per year. Water Taupo District Council has done great work in the past to reduce nitrogen discharges from wastewater treatment plants into the catchment. This has been costly, but I appreciate your commitment to undertake the work for the sake of the long-term health of Lake Taupo. It’s also great to see you investing in enviropods to remove litter and debris, and generally improve the quality of stormwater discharges. You’re going to a lot of effort to talk with people about the implications of the council taking over management of smaller water schemes, the infrastructure involved, compliance standards and affordability for small communities. This affordability is perhaps the biggest

636 issue for communities where a large number of people are on fixed incomes. I'm pleased to see councillors being so mindful of this. Fluoridation Taupo currently has a mixture of fluoridated and non-fluoridated drinking water supplies across the district, and there has been a lot of discussion about this recently in the local newspapers. Fluoridated water is a much-debated topic around the world and local communities are regularly divided on a variety of health-related questions, from fluorosis to hypothyroidism and IQ. Scientists and dental specialists disagree about the significance of these things, and I have no intention of debating them here. However most people agree that there are health risks connected with excessive consumption of fluoride. The biggest issues for me around water fluoridation relate to people’s right to choose what they consume, the inability to regulate the dose that an individual receives when water is fluoridated, and the potentially higher risks for infants and those that consume large quantities of water (athletes). I would prefer that TDC not fluoridate any of Taupo’s water, and that you instead get involved in a collaborative education campaign with schools around dental health and sugar consumption. However if you choose to pass this decision on to central government (which was the LGNZ recommendation), I would make one suggestion for the interim. If a small community’s drinking water is currently not fluoridated, and the community doesn’t want fluoridation, I don’t believe you should force this change on them. Fluoridation is currently not mandatory, and while that is the case, I think it’s important to read widely on the topic, and listen to all viewpoints, especially to your local community, before making a decision. Lake Taupo foreshore erosion protection works It would be helpful if Taupo District Council would provide a foreshore erosion programme of works for the first three years of their Long Term Plan, so that Waikato Regional Council can work in alignment and allocate match funding for specific prioritised projects. Some work has been done by councils and power companies as part of a joint venture to prevent or at least slow down erosion of the Kuratau foreshore – an area which was prioritised in the Lake Taupo Foreshore Erosion and Flood Strategy, 2009. However, those measures were temporary, and there is still regional council money available to fund a longer term solution. I’m looking forward to talking to you about your programme when it's available. Many thanks for the opportunity to make a submission.

Regards

Katharine White

637 From: John Cribb [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 8 April 2015 5:43 a.m. To: 10year plan 224 Subject: Taupo Golf Club Submission

Tena Koutou I wish to make a submission on behalf of the Taupo Golf Club towards your 10 year plan.

28/11/14

The Taupo community needs The Taupo Golf Club Why? The Taupo Golf Club provides to the community:  Large economic benefits to the greater Taupo Community ($11 million since January 2013)  The golf industry is unique in its ability to attract golfers/visitors to the Taupo region throughout the year thus promoting additional financial spend in the shoulder periods  Directly assists the hospitality, service and tourism sectors, quietly all year, no one day major impact on the public and resources  Actively collaborates with the other 10 golf courses in the greater Taupo region allowing Taupo to be considered the top golfing destination in NZ  Provides a healthy sport for over 1000 Taupo residents  Maintains a large green area for all to enjoy  Provides a meeting place for up to 385 people  Hosts numerous charity tournaments and events  Hosting of NZ Maori Golf National Tournament for 10 years

The Taupo Golf Club will provide:  free club membership to all Taupo residents under the age of 13  Supporting NZ Maori Golf First Tee programme into schools just as local primary schools with THE FIRST TEE TAUPO – an educational and values program (784 primary school kids have gone through the program to date)  “free community introduction to golf days”

How will Taupo Golf Club provide this?

 By actively promoting both golfing and non-golfing revenue streams  By being creative in our approach  By working with key stakeholders  By being the only reasonable charged golf club of choice for all greater Taupo residents

What can Council do to assist:

 The supply of 100,000 cubic meters of water per annum for ten years  This will enable the club to reduce debt by an additional $50,000 per year essentially leaving the club debt free club in 10 ten years’ time and ensuring our financial future

638 We believe that with council support a mutually beneficial proposal can be agreed upon that will see the greater Taupo community utilising the TGC more effectively. Thank you for your time in considering the TGC’s proposal.

Ngā mihi, John

639 640 641 642 643 226

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645

Submission to Taupo District Council

on behalf of Owners in Oreti Village Complex

Re: Policy on rating categories ‘accommodation’ and ‘residential’ and the differentials applied to them.

Submitter: Brian Kouvelis

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (06) 323 0550

Postal Address: RD6 Palmerston North 4476

As nominated representative from the Body Corporate of Oreti Village and an apartment owner in Oreti Village I wish to speak to this submission. I am willing to be heard at Taupo or Turangi depending on numbers as you say on your submission form.

1. Background

The Oreti apartment owners submitted in 2013 to TDC on their LTP. The Body Corporate felt that the response did not address the fair and equity issues raised in their submission. Also the response did not acknowledge the unique situation at the Oreti Village complex which has both timeshare units and managed residential apartments which are rented out from time to time. The Body Corporate subsequently engaged a Robert Fowler QC who specialises in local Government law to provide an opinion on the rating issues for both the Apartments and the Timeshares situated Oreti Village. His opinion was put into letter form and sent to TDC.

TDC responded to the opinions set down in Richard Fowler’s letter. It is noted that the response letter from TDC included an open invitation “to have constructive dialogue with Oreti Village”. The offer is acknowledged and very much appreciated by the Oreti Village Body Corporate. It had been hoped that we could have arranged a meeting prior the current LTP process. For various reasons from our end this has not been possible and time has run out prior the submission date for the LTP.

A conversation on Thursday 2nd April with Toni Wilkinson, Council’s Revenue Manager confirmed that making a submission for this round of the LTP, as suggested in her letter , would enable the Body Corporate to further pursue the matter further through the LTP process. The conservation with the Revenue Manager was very helpful. The wider background around ratings issues within the District were explained along with the background to the instigation of the accommodation category “multiplier”.

Notwithstanding the original TDC response to our submission, the TDC response to Richard Fowler’s opinion and the conversation with Toni Wilkinson, the Oreti Body Corporate set out below their submission on the TDC rating policy as applied to the Oreti Village Complex .

As mentioned in the submission regarding the apartments and the submission regarding the timeshare rating, prior to the 2013 submission there had been previous correspondence and meetings held between the Manager of Oreti Village and TDC staff since June 2012. However for the 2103 submission the Body Corporate undertook some research independently. This research focussed on looking at how the rating policy has been applied across the district by way of

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comparison both within Oreti Village and between other ‘similar’ accommodation complexes. These included tourist lodges, a single residential unit promoted as ‘luxury tourist accommodation’ and normal residences rented out.

Oreti Village Complex has added complexity in applying the rating system because it is includes within a Village complex 6 timeshare units, 20 residential apartments under their own individual titles, a manager’s house and a restaurant.

This submission is primarily focused on the fairness and equity of the rating policy as applied to the Oreti Village Complex as a whole. In this submission a suggestion is made as how the Oreti Village Complex may be able to be considered as single entity for rating purposes based on interpretation of the definition of a Time Share Resort in the Unit Titles Act 2010.

2. Basis of submission

Our submission focus as mentioned above is based on the principles of fairness and equity in terms of rating policy as required by the Local Government Act 2002. In the case of the Oreti Village Complex we believe, these principles are not being applied.

We are concerned that given the calculations based on ‘accommodation’ category with a 1.8 differential the Oreti apartments and the time share units have had rating increases of up to 100%. It is acknowledged that the timeshare rates were modified as a result of our 2013 submission. However the rates for the whole Complex still have the 1.8 accommodation multiplier applied to the general rate calculation

We suggest that this situation has arisen as a result of inconsistent application in defining what ‘the extent of mixed use’ means. The rating policy needs to be specific in defining the extent of mixed use and what in fact determines the trigger for Council to deem residential houses let out for accommodation purposes through property managers or independently, as belonging within the accommodation category.

Taupo District Council has applied the 1.8 differential rate to individual houses/units/ apartments as if they were in a tourist accommodation Complex with its own roading, water, stormmwater and waste water reticulation while also applying full residential rates for all other charges such as sewerage, water supply, lake protection, refuse and the UAC to each of the apartments within the village.

The basis of this submission relates to the definitions and sections in the Unit Titles act. Namely under Schedule 2 Section 5 of the Unit Titles Act 2010, whereby, a Time Share Resort is deemed to be able to contain Time Share units with composite titles under the land transfer Act and principal units with Unit titles under the Unit title act 2010.

In this regard it is proposed, that since Oreti Village meets the definition of a Time Share Resort defined by the Act as it includes time share units and principal units (Unit titled) then the Oreti Village can be considered as a single entity Time Share Resort and rated accordingly as a single Complex. It is understood from discussions with Toni Wilkinson, TDC Revenue Manager that Oreti Village as such has in fact a unique combination of accommodation units within the District with its structure and composition of apartments and time share units within a single managed complex which was originally planned to be all timeshare units.

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3. Proposed Basis of rating

It is considered that based on the definition in the Unit Titles Act 2010 , then the Oreti Village Complex could be rated as Time Share resort. If this was the case a rating methodology for the Oreti Village Complex could be adopted for all of the 26 units in line with contiguous rating approach currently being used for the timeshare units within the Complex. It is suggested a similar approach could be used for the whole complex as used for the rating for the 2014-15 rates (without the accommodation multiplier) . The Manager’s house and the Restaurant would be rated separately in accordance with TDC rating policies. It is suggested that rates would be struck for the whole Complex with all the various rating demands sent to Oreti Village management company who would then collect the rates from the various owners and owners levies on behalf of Council.

4. Conclusions

1. The arguments for the not applying the accommodation rate multiplier to the Oreti Village Complex as set out in the two previous submissions on the Oreti Apartment rates and the Oreti Time Share rates apply to this submission.

2 .The proposal to adopt the current contiguous rating approach for the whole Complex for the Apartments and Timeshare units , as currently applied to the Oreti Time Share Units , appears practical solution and reasonable as far as fairness and equity for the Oreti Village owners and to Council

3. The proposal is based on the fact that under the Unit Titles Act the Oreti Village meets the definition of a Time Share Resort.

2. The Apartments were purchased as primarily holiday homes

3 The Apartment owners have first call on use of the Apartments

4. There is an opportunity for the Apartments to be rented out .This opportunity is no different from those holiday home owners within Taupo District who chose to list their properties with Book-a- Bach and similar holiday home rental companies.

5. The Oreti timeshare units are not made available to the general public.

6. The fact there is a restaurant within the Village Complex should not be taken into account as part of determining the status of the accommodation within the Village Complex . The restaurant is a public restaurant.

7. The Oreti Village Complex is essentially self-contained and self-managed in that all Council services including roads, water, waste-water and stormwater are supplied to the boundary of the Complex. The Oreti Village Body Corporate is responsible for the operation, maintenance and management of these services within the Complex.

Brian Kouvelis

5 April 2015

648

Submission to Taupo District Council

on behalf of Oreti Village Timeshare Owners

Re: Policy on rating categories ‘accommodation’ and ‘residential’ and the differentials applied to them.

Submitters: Alex Ashford / Keith and Adrienne McClure

Email: c/- [email protected]

Phone: 07-386-7070

Postal Address: C/- Oreti Village, PO Box 70 Turangi 3373

As members of the Body Corporate of Oreti Village and timeshare owners we wish to speak to this submission. We are willing to be heard in either Taupo or Turangi depending on numbers. We wish to be heard on the same day as the submission by Brian Kouvelis who will be speaking to his submission on behalf of the Body Corporate on the Taupo DC rating policy as applied to the Oreti Village Apartments.

1. Background

As mentioned in the submission on behalf of the apartment owners by Brian Kouvelis about application of rating policy and criteria, Oreti Village potentially has added complexity in applying the rating system because the Village is made up of 6 timeshare units each with separate titles, 20 residential apartments under their own individual titles, a manager’s house and a restaurant.

This submission is primarily focused on the fairness and equity of the rating policy as applied to the timeshare dwellings within the Village. In this submission some suggestions are made regarding application of the rating policy within the village and for all the timeshare complexes within the District to ensure consistency of rating criteria and policy for similar activities within the District.

A conversation on Thursday 2nd April with Toni Wilkinson, Council’s Revenue Manager confirmed that making a submission for this round of the LTP, as suggested in her letter, would enable the Body Corporate to further pursue the matter further through the LTP process. The conservation with the Revenue Manager was very helpful. The wider background around ratings issues within the District were explained along with the background to the instigation of the accommodation category “multiplier”.

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Attached to this submission is the TDC response to the 2012 submission (Appendix A), Richard Fowler’s letter to Council with his opinion on rating issues as they affect the Oreti Village (Appendix B) and the TDC response to Richard Fowlers letter ( Appendix C). It needs to be noted that the Oreti body corporate welcomes the opportunity to have constructive dialogue with Council, if necessary, as suggested in Council’s letter of 3 February 2015.

This submission is based on our original 2013 submission in terms of the analyses of rating examples.

Prior to the 2013 submission there had been previous correspondence and meetings held between the Manager of Oreti Village and TDC staff since June 2012. However for the 2013 submission the Body Corporate undertook research independently. This research focused on looking at how the rating policy has been applied across the district by way of comparison both within Oreti Village and between other ‘similar’ accommodation complexes. These included tourist lodges, a single residential unit promoted as ‘luxury tourist accommodation’ normal residences rented out and other timeshare complexes within the District.

1. Basis of submission

Our submission focus as mentioned above is based on the principles of fairness and equity in terms of rating policy as required by the Local Government Act 2002. In the case of the Oreti Village Timeshare units we believe, these principles are not being applied.

The timeshares are simply multi-owned residential dwellings. The Oreti Village time share units are not used for hire and reward and as such the timeshares in Oreti Village should not be considered as a tourist accommodation complex and have the 1.8 general differential applied to them. They are simply residential holiday homes. It noted that from the TDC response that some timeshare resorts in Taupo do advertise accommodation available to the general public. This is not the case for the timeshare units at Oreti

The Body Corporate appreciates the response from TDC to Richard Fowler’s letter containing his opinion on a number of the rating issues .The Body Corporate notes the willingness for TDC to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve the rating issues for the Oreti village Complex

It is noted that there has been a different approach applied to the 2014-2015 rating based on contiguous rating policy for the 6 timeshare units. The approach combined with revised valuations appears to have provided some reduction in the rates for the timeshare units. However it is also noted that the accommodation multiplier has still been applied to the General Rate calculation.

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There are several issues that need further consideration by Council following the original Council response, the Body Corporate QCs opinion and TDCs’ response in relation to the application of the 1.8 multiplier being applied to the Oreti Village timeshare units. These are:

1. The original process through which the 1.8 multiplier was applied (Refer QC opinion)

2. The comment that all times shares are effectively now promoted as travelling public accommodation is not correct. In the case of Oreti Timeshare units they are not available to the general public as stated in the TDC response. There are exchange opportunities available within the time share industry for people who own timeshares to lodge their week or weeks into a pool and use an equivalent week at another resort. On this basis the 1.8 accommodation multiplier is not relevant to the Oreti Timeshare units as the exchange system does not involve the “plying for hire and reward concept” to the travelling public.

3. The definition of timeshares appears to be confused in the way it has been included in the accommodation multiplier policy. While some timeshares in Taupo itself maybe advertise accommodation to the travelling public it does not seem fair that Oreti is included since their policy does not allow the travelling public to occupy timeshare units

4. If necessary, the Oreti Body Corporate would be happy to be part of any on-going discussions that TDC may have with the Timeshare industry within the District on rating issues.

5. As noted in Richard Fowler’s letter and the timeshare industry submission to Council in 2013 and with respect to the TDC response to the process followed we still have some concern whether due process was correctly followed to legitimately include timeshare in the accommodation category with a1.8 multiplier.

6. If all timeshare resorts within the District were still considered to attract an accommodation multiplier then we consider there is still an anomaly in the District with the large number of Book- a- Bach type holiday home type accommodation being offered within the District . Some of these listings are also managed by third parties and are advertise on the TDC website. The Oreti timeshare owners would like to see a consistent policy on this aspect. ie: Charge all Book-a-Bach holiday home type accommodation including Oreti Time Share owners the 1.8 multiplier or leave all as residential rating and do not apply the multiplier to the Oreti Time Share owners. As discussed with the Revenue Manager the problem is not new to Council. It is not new internationally. For your information see attached as Appendix D an article re taxation and rating issues where private accommodation is being offered to the travelling public.

4. The scale of Book-a-Bach type of accommodation listings is considered significant within TDC. The Oreti Body Corporate has undertaken some research and analysis from publicly available information on the Book-a-Bach web-site. The summary schedule from the analysis is attached as Appendix E. The summary figures from the analysis for whole of TDC are as follows:

Book-a-Bach Web-site listings Taupo District January 2015 Number of Av price Potential Number Bedrooms Review properties /night accommodated/night Ratings listed lodged 582 $166 4474 1839 3867

6. The fact there is a restaurant within the Village should not be taken into account. The restaurant is a public restaurant.

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2. Comparative examples using Taupo District Council rating criteria

The two examples below show the discrepancy between what is currently calculated for the 6 timeshares and what the rating would be if the rating criteria was applied in a fair and inequitable way ie: treating each timeshare dwelling as a residential property

Example 1: Current rates for the six timeshare dwellings / units:

The current rates have been calculated by considering the timeshares as a six unit (A-F) accommodation complex with Unit A having a single water connection charge but picking up the multiple sewerage connections for the other 5 dwellings, as well as a single application of the charges for lake protection, the uniform annual general charge and the community board plus two refuse rate charges. The accommodation differential multiplier of 1.8 has then been applied to the Unit A for the general rate. The rest of the Units B-F for their rate calculation have a single water supply connection rate plus the general rate applied incorporating the accommodation rate multiplier of 1.8.

On the above basis the total rates for 2014-2015 for six timeshares were $15662.00. The average rate for each of the 6 units therefore amounts to $2610/unit.

Example 2: Rates for the timeshare dwellings being considered as independent residential dwellings.

Residential rating calculation for the dwellings with a current CV of say 360000 Water supply $237.31 Sewerage $696.34 Refuse (one) $57.34 Lake Protection $69.00 UAGR $250.00 Community Board $16.78 General Rate Residential for units with CV $360,000 @0.002683/$ $965.91

Total rate for an individual dwelling/unit $2280.68

By applying the accommodation multiplier it would appear that on average the timeshare units are still paying approximately $330/year (15%) more than they should be since the Oreti Time Shares do not fit the accommodation multiplier category or definition. 3. Indicative Case Study Comparisons

Table 1: Case Study Comparisons

Name No. units Capital Value Rating Category Total Rates Oreti Village Single dwelling $0.38m Accommodation $3,219 apartment (current) Oreti Village Single dwelling $0.36m Accommodation $2610 timeshare (current) Pukawa Bay “casual” Single house $0.36m Residential $2,280 rental West Willow Luxury 5 suites $1.435m Rural $3,625.92 Lodge wedding ( /unit $725) venue Tongariro Lodge Single house $0.46m Residential $2,495.00 Dunalistair House Single house $0.90m Residential $2,513.79 Kinloch ((Homestay)

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5. Timeshare Comparisons

It is understood that all timeshares in the District have been treated in a similar way, including contiguous rating considerations, in terms of the way the rating system has been applied.

The adjustment to the Oreti valuations for rating purposes is acknowledged. This adjustment has lowered the rates for the 2014-2015. However on a comparative basis it is considered the rates are still not consistent with comparable accommodation available within the District.

However, all timeshares, we consider, have had the accommodation multiplier of 1.8 incorrectly applied to the general rate calculation.

6. Conclusions

 In terms of the Rating Powers Act the above scenarios and comparisons clearly show there is still inequity and unfairness in the way the rating policy has been applied to Oreti Village timeshares.  It is considered that Council should calculate the rates for Oreti Village timeshares individual residential units as shown above, given the timeshares are in fact multi-owned residential dwellings and not used for hire or reward.  Refinement of the timeshare rates may be subject to wider discussion by Council with other timeshare owners in the District and the New Zealand Timeshare Council.  Oreti Village management will be in support of any district wide arrangements for rating of timeshare complexes. It does seem however that by treating the timeshare units as “residential” gives the fairest and most equitable outcome when compared to current rates of similar properties and activities.  Alternatively TDC consider the third submission by the Oreti Body Corporate where the Oreti Village is deemed to be a Timeshare resort in accordance with the Unit Titles Act 2010 and thereby all the timeshare units and the apartments would be rated in line with the rating policy applied to the currently timeshare units which currently have then TDC contiguous rating policy applies without the accommodation multiplier applied to the general rate calculation.

Prepared by: Brian Kouvelis 5th April 2015

653 Oreti Village LTP Submission Appendix A TDC Response to 2013 Submission

654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 Oreti Village LTP Submission Appendix E Book-a-Bach Analysis Summary Schedule

662 Juana Mercado

From: Alex Ashford Sent: Sunday, 5 April 2015 5:45 p.m. To: Brian & Margie Kouvelis Subject: Fw: February Tourism and Hospitality Spotlight

From: Tourism Properties Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2015 4:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: February Tourism and Hospitality Spotlight

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and location.

Your February 2015 Tourism & Hospitality Newsflash!

Overview of latest international travel stats …… Four weeks ended 1 February 2015 International visitor arrivals Total visitor arrivals are up less than 1% compared to the same four-week period last year. UP: Korea 27%, India 17%, Australia 9%, Japan 8%, Germany 3%, UK 2%. DOWN: USA 3%, Canada 8%, Singapore 14%, China 23%.

1 663 New Zealand resident departures Total trips abroad by NZ residents are up 3% compared to the same four-week period last year. UP: UK 31%, Fiji 26%, USA 22%, India 11%, Canada 11%, Samoa 3%, Cook Islands 2%, Australia 1%. DOWN: Thailand 2%, China 20%. Source: Statistics New Zealand

National guest nights up 7.1 percent

• Guest nights rise in all regions • Domestic and international guest nights rise • Guest nights rise for all accommodation types • Accommodation capacity down • Occupancy rate up

National guest nights spent in short-term commercial accommodation were up 7.1 percent in December 2014, compared with December 2013. This is the ninth consecutive month of rises. Both main islands had more guest nights in December 2014 than in December 2013. Domestic and international guest nights were also higher, as were guest nights for all four accommodation types. For the 2014 calendar year, national guest nights were up 5.8 percent from the 2013 year. Seasonally adjusted guest nights rose 0.3 percent in December, compared with November. This follows a 0.9 percent rise in November. The trend for national gue nights continued to rise in December. Source: Stats NZ

"Airbnb" for pets puts holiday travel within reach…. Aussies (Kiwis also!) are known throughout the world for their love of foreign and domestic travel, traditionally jumping at the opportunity to set off on planned or impromptu holidays or getaways. Blessed with generous leave entitlements, relatively stable jobs and low unemployment, citizens of the "lucky country" are spoilt with choice and opportunity when the travel bug itches. A major impediment to scratching that itch, however, has been the "what do I do with my pet" problem experienced by many of the owners of Australia's 33 million pets. That problem has bee compounded for the five million Australian households with pets by soaring kennel and cattery fees and charges that can see the cost of boarding a dog or cat for just a week exceeding a return airfare to popular holiday destinations. Fierce competition for limited spots mean kennels are often booked out months ahead, putting last minute getaways out of reach for many pet owners. Facts like these, along with the positive experience of helping a friend who needed someone to care for his dog on short notice, inspired young entrepreneur Alexis Soulopoulos to create Mad Paws, an online community of pet-sitters…. Australia's first Airbnb for pets was borne! Mad Paws differs from traditional retail pet care businesses because it puts owners in total control of the temporary care of their beloved pet. Owners get to select a sitter based on their unique profile, qualifications and characteristics, and then establish care terms and rates with the sitter, which at an average of $25 a day can be more than 50% less than kennels and catteries. Almost 2000 sitters nationally have already registered at www.madpaws.com.au since November, 2014, with more signing up every day. "It's a win-win-win for the owner, the sitter and, of course, the pet," Mr Soulopoulos said. "Owners get to holiday guilt-free, knowing their pet isn't locked away in a kennel and is receiving personalised care at great prices from people who love dogs, cats and other animals." Source: Airbnb

Airbnb does collect taxes..… In mid-February, the short-term home rental service Airbnb will begin collecting taxes on behalf of residents in the city of District who treat their homes — or single rooms in them — as a makeshift alternative to hotels. At the moment this applies only in the US. With the voluntary agreement, the District joins a handful of cities where the tech company has worked out tax deals to resolve at least one of the thorny problems posed by a business model that has turned thousands of people into innkeepers in their own homes. These agreements could mean millions in additional revenue for cities where residents usin Airbnb and other web-based services like it have been unaware or baffled by their legal obligation to pay hotel taxes. For Airbnb,

2 664 the promise to remit that money straight to city coffers will help legitimise a service that in many places is still not strictly legal. In the cities where Airbnb has agreed or been required to do this, it will automatically collect the local hotel or occupancy taxes, which run from about 5 percent to 14.5 percent in the District, on every transaction. Airbnb will then pay the cities in a regular lump sum, omitting details about individual hosts or guests. Airbnb began collecting these taxes in Portland, Ore., last July and in San Francisco in October. Between those two cities so far, the company says it has already paid about $5 million in taxes (it has not put back taxes on the table anywhere). On February 1, it will also begin doing the same in San Jose and Amsterdam. February 1 will start collecting taxes in the District and Chicago. All of these cities are among the company's largest markets. Source: Airbnb

China Southern Airlines returns to Christchurch ……. Hundreds of Chinese travellers will celebrate Chinese New Year this month by travelling to the South Island. Christchurch Airport and China Southern Airlines (CZ) will celebrate the return of the B787 Dreamliner, with the first of summer's charter flights arriving on February 15. "The South Island is our place in the world and Chinese visitors want to experience the wide open spaces, mountains, lakes, glaciers, starlit skies and all manner of adventures, as well as the famous southern hospitality. The charter visitors want to treat themselves to something special over Chinese New Year and since it heralds the beginning of The Year of The Sheep, it is even more fitting they land in Canterbury!" Source: Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns

Air New Zealand has released a new video in its successful "Meanwhile in... New Zealand" campaign, encouraging Australians to visit New Zealand right now! The video is a unique take on the Tortoise and Hare fable. The mountain biking themed video showcases the beauty of New Zealand's South Island as a summer destination. Source: AirNZ

The benefits of cloud based digital signage……unless you've been under a rock for the last eight years, at some point, you've probably heard the term "the cloud" in relation to computers and the Internet, even if it's just Apple's much loved (and hated) iCloud service. It's such a simple phrase but most people don't actually know what it is. To tell the truth, it's kind of supposed to be that way. Cloud computing is a fairly loose term that encompasses a whole bunch of technologies to do with services on the Internet. Let's use the Kiwi favourite Cloud software company, Xero, as an example. Xero is on the Internet, used via a web browser or mobile app, and you don't have to worry about all the servers, networks and other technologies that go on behind the scenes to know how to do your accounts. It takes complex things, puts them altogether, and makes it easy for people to use. And that is the essence of the Cloud. Get rid of the tech, and make things easy. Digital signage in the cloud is no different. The idea is to strip back, simplify, automate and make accessible to Joe Bloggs business owner, for the most part leaving out the IT department and putting the power directly in the hands of the people using it. Instead of having your own staff manage servers, networks, and software updates, that's all managed for you as part of your subscription fees. Updates are made to the service, not your computer, so you're always using the latest version no matter what device you're using. Let's look at the three main elements of a digital signage installation: 1) A TV or computer screen, often just referred to as a "panel" in the digital signage world. 2) A media player the hardware and software combo that puts content on the screen. 3) Content - the text, images and video showing on the screens. Since cloud-based software runs from a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer), you'll be able to access the content running on your digital signs from any device, wherever you are. Source: Loren Greenfield, SeeMonster

The importance of staying in the loop on new online marketing platforms and trying new things…… One social tool that an increasing number of brave businesses are tapping into to connect with customers is Snapchat. Here’s why – and how – you can use it to connect, engage, and convert.

What is Snapchat? Not familiar with the world’s premier, self-destructing, private photo sharing app? It’s not as seedy as it

3 665 sounds (no, it’s really not about sexting), and millions of prospective customers are using it right now to connect with their friends. Launched in 2011, Snapchat is a popular smartphone app, where photos and videos are sent directly to connected friends, and are only available only available for a limited time (maximum 10 seconds) once the recipient opens it. The app’s new feature, Snapchat Stories, allows items to be available for up to 24 hours. Since its inception, Snapchat has grown to have more than 100 million monthly active users, sharing more than 400 million messages every day.

Why Snapchat for Online Marketing? The nature of social media in general means customers have come to expect interaction in real time, with genuine engagement that gives them a glimpse behind the scenes. What’s more, a rapidly increasing number of people rely on their phone or tablet to access information. Snapchat taps into user expectations and behaviours in a perfect trifecta. The short lifespan of shared photos and videos makes Snapchat the perfect tool to deliver calls to action that create excitement and a sense of urgency. The informal, creative and unceremonious tone of the platform lends itself to more genuine and relaxed interaction, with less of a focus on branding, and a greater focus on the real people behind the brand. Snapchat is mobile, and not designed for desktop. There are some third-party extensions out there to make Snapchat available on desktop, but that’s not the point. Snapchat is created for interaction on the go – for users that live with smart tech in the hands.

Is Snapchat Right for Your Target Customer? Selling to Gen Y women? Tech-savvy teens? Trendy hipsters who like to send photos of their latest Etsy-acquisitions to their friends (ironically, of course)? There’s every chance your ideal customer is already using Snapchat, so define your target market and do some research on the platforms they most engage with. It’s estimated that around 70% of Snapchat users are women, and that the app is most popular with teens and millennials (aged 13 - 25). But that’s not to say men and 30 and 40-somethings aren’t using it. If in doubt, ask your customers. How Can Businesses Utilise Snapchat?

• Deliver time-sensitive offers and reward customers with coupons and discounts • Use the draw function to add a sense of fun and seem more personable • Take people behind the scenes to build brand loyalty • Convey personality through captions • Preview a new product to build anticipation and buzz before launch • Embrace video to humanise your content and connect with prospects • Tell people about holiday and seasonal sales and events

Source: Snapchat

Regards

Adrian

This month's featured properties

The Ridge Country Lodge Country Waikato Tavern Auckland, New Zealand Taupriri, New Zealand Freehold Going Concern Freehold Going Concern

4 666 $1,195,000 +GST(If any) $1,400,000 +SAV +GST(If any)

The Quest Pool & Gaming Opportunity Palmerston North, New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand Franchise; Leasehold Interest (Business) Leasehold Interest (Business) $480,000 +GST (if any) By negotiation

Murupara Motor Camp Clear Ridge Apartments Bay of Plenty, New Zealand Hamner Springs, New Zealand Urgent Deadline Sales; Leasehold Interest (Business) Management Rights and Freehold Investment $185,000 +GST (if any) $849,000 +GST (if any)

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7 669 31 March 2015 T06-18-03

Rob Williams, Chief Executive Officer Taupo District Council Email: [email protected]

Dear Rob Submission on Taupo District Council’s 2015-2025 Draft Long Term Plan Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Taupo District Council 2015-2025 Draft Long Term Plan (LTP). Mighty River Power has a strong, long term presence in the District with many of its key assets being located here. These include six hydro power stations along the Waikato River (Taupo Gates, Aratiatia, Ohakuri, Atiamuri, Whakamaru, Maraetai I and Maraetai II) and owner/operator interests in four geothermal stations (Nga Awa Purua, Rotokawa, Ngatamariki and Mokai). To support these assets, Mighty River Power has offices in Whakamaru and Taupo central. Currently Mighty River Power employs close to 100 full-time staff in the Taupo District. Our Waikato Regional Council consents for operating the Waikato Hydro System are long term and are based on the sustainable management of the natural resources in our care. Mighty River Power would like to make comments and recommendations under the following categories: Responsibility for Lake Taupo Foreshore Management Taupo District Council is responsible for the on-going foreshore protection works in high risk locations, in consultation with the Waikato Regional Council. Despite being somewhat difficult to locate in the LTP documentation, Mighty River Power is pleased that TDC has identified funds to uphold this responsibility in all expenditure areas (operational, renewal and capital budgets). However, it is unclear whether this allocation includes the Project Watershed allocations. Without a foreshore works plan being referenced or available to view (and notwithstanding the fact that foreshore expenditure requirements are likely to change over time depending on changing need), it is difficult for readers to ensure that a suitable amount has been budgeted for. Recommendation 1: That Taupo District Council provides commentary around Taupo District Council’s foreshore works plans (or reference to the relevant documentation), plus more detail on the funding allocated to foreshore works so that it is clear whether the allocations include the Project Watershed contributions or not. Recommendation 2: That Taupo District Council allocates sufficient funds to carry out the Taupo foreshore works plan over the next 10 years. Lake Taupo Flood Hazard Zoning Mighty River Power commends Taupo District Council for the work achieved to-date on the implementation of the Flood Hazard Zoning. While work on this has been slow to get started (commitment was made in 2007) and progress has been delayed for various legitimate

670 reasons, Council staff have been excellent at maintaining communication with us and obviously clearly understand the risks of not conducting a thorough process. Recommendation 3: That Taupo District Council ensures that the LTP contains adequate detail and resource for the implementation of the Flood Hazard Zoning around Lake Taupo to maintain a robust and thorough process in order for the zoning to be implemented as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Please contact the writer if you have any questions. We wish to be heard on this matter.

Yours faithfully

Mark Henry Environmental Resources Manager

671 8/04/2015

Sport Waikato Submission to Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025 Sport Waikato Submission to Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025 Presented: 1st April 2015 PresePresented:nted by: Matthew1st Apr Cooper,il 2015 Sport Waikato CEO KeyPrese Contact:nted by: VickyMatthew Bertram, Cooper, Personal Sport Assistant Waikato to CEOCEO Key Contact: PhoneVikki 07 Bertram, 858 5388 Executive Assistant to CEO EmailPhone [email protected] 07 858 5388 Email [email protected]

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Strategic Partner Submission

At Sport Waikato our mission is to “inspire and enable the people of Waikato to be active and healthy for life”. Founded in 1986 our leadership, programmes and services aim to “help people to help themselves”. Strategic Partnerships play an important role in our success and as part of this submission we would like to formally thank the Taupo District Council for their on-going partnership and the shared focus on ensuring that our region remains a great place to live. The following submission offers feedback specific to the Long Term Plan Consultation Document 2015 – 2025.

Taupo District Council Strategic Priorities 1. Ensuring the Taupo District remains a great place to live 2. Promoting economic development 3. Protect our water resources and use them wisely 4. Maintain the quality of infrastructure we have 5. Keep rates and debt affordable

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Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

We Value Our Partnership To help create and develop your district as a great place to live, work and play - through the District Coordinator’s role.

Working Together to Achieve Specific Outcomes ° Participation - coordination opportunities to reduce barriers, increasing the of use of council parks, reserves, facilities and the natural environment that the district offers ° Community development - helping to build and retain capable and sustainable organisations with a strong volunteer base, improving collaboration to strengthen the delivery of community sport, recreation and physical activity options ° Quality of life - provide a vibrant, healthy and happy place where people want to live and visit ° Information and promotion - increasing awareness of all sport , recreation and physical activity opportunities ° Creating pride in the community - promoting and celebrating success in all aspects of sport and recreation

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Urbanisation Ageing and changing and depopulation demographics Experiential participation and consumption The use of technology in sport is increasing Lifestyle and life stage impacts continue Diversification and isolation in engagement 4

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Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Meeting the future needs of the community - looking after what we already have and platforming for economic development

Our Response Sporting and community infrastructure are a vital part of the broader local authority asset portfolio. ° At a community level, assets offer valuable social outcomes for the health and wellbeing of communities. ° Appropriate, well designed and well managed assets offer the opportunity for economic development and growth. Taupo District council have a history of sound strategic investment in community assets that offer opportunities for the hosting of broader events. As part of our Regional Sporting Facilities Plan, we offer the opportunity for Council to engage in a region wide strategic project to support the development and management of sporting assets to meet the future needs of our community.

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Our Response Continued … The Regional Sports Facilities Plan offers local authorities : ° Advocacy with funders and investors for facilities that reflect the principles of the plan. ° Provision of peer reviews for facility development concepts e.g. Feasibility Projects, Business Case Assessments and Design Concepts. ° Assistance with investment negotiations in facility development and utilisation. ° Sharing of knowledge including resources specific to sports facilities. ° Partnering to optimise facility utilisation by way of fostering sport organisation relationships to attract events. ° Advice and assistance in the development of “Community Hub” concept (co-location of organisations in sport and in a broader context). ° The provision of training opportunities and information sharing. ° Increasing regional understanding and management of facility usage data to understand demand and enable informed decision making. Specifically in the Taupo District we will support initiatives to investigate the enhancement and long- term optimisation of existing assets, including the Taupo Events Centre and the Destination Great Lake Taupo as well as partnering with Council to support Community Hub initiatives where co- location of relocation of sport and community groups becomes a priority. 6

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Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Promoting Economic Development

Our Response

° Sporting Events such as the IRONMAN New Zealand provide opportunities for economic returns to the Waikato region and the opportunity to showcase the Taupo District and all that it has to offer. ° Sport Waikato are supportive of Council as it aims to renew the contract to host this event beyond 2016. ° In addition to this we are here to support Council in other bids to host sporting events that are of National and International significance.

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Creating a Community Fund to be used for Community Services and Projects – TEL Fund

Our Response

° Sport Waikato supports Council’s initiative in Option 1 to develop a Community fund for Community Services and Projects.

° Option 1 recognises the need to keep rates affordable and the need to reduce overall Council debt while investing in projects of significance to the community.

° In supporting this option and as a representative of the Sport and Recreation Community, where appropriate, Sport Waikato would like to offer support to the development of policies for the delivery of the TEL fund - including any governance and management structures that evolve.

675 4 8/04/2015

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Safety for road cyclists

Our Response ° European nations lead the way in the provision of safer cycling networks both for transportation and recreation. We know that the number of children riding to school has dropped dramatically in the last ten years. Safety, among other things, is a key factor impacting this decline.

° As sport and recreation increasingly competes with ‘inactivity’ and participation trends move to individualised pursuits such as walking, running and cycling - Sport Waikato have Cycling Initiatives as a strategic priority and key opportunity for our region to get out there and active.

° Sport Waikato therefore support initiatives to improve safety for road cyclists and support initiatives with advocacy groups to continue to develop education programmes.

° We advocate for a strategic and long-term approach to designing safer cycling networks and are willing to partner to deliver plans in this area.

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Fees and Charges – Focus on AC Baths and Turangi Aquatic Centre

Our Response ° Proposed increases to casual entry fees for the AC baths and Turangi Aquatic Centre raise questions around the target end user of this facility. ° Across the district the majority of regular users of aquatics facilities are local residents who attend for recreation and fitness motives. We recognise that the Taupo AC Baths facility especially is a facility that attracts a large number of out of town and tourist visitors and therefore price sensitivity may differ. ° However with the provision of facilities for community use as a driver we would have concern that price increases may prevent a large number of users being able to regularly access these facilities. ° Lower socio-economic groups and ageing populations, with lower levels of discretionary income, are key targets for moving our regions inactivity and getting people out there and active. ° We would recommend an investigation into price pressures on local residents and an offer that provides opportunities for regular local use – potentially local vs. tourist prices.

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Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

LTP – Key Concept Community Grants – Sports Advisory Council & Community Sports Fund

Our Response ° Sport Waikato wishes to take the opportunity to congratulate the Sports Advisory Council on the role they play in providing enhanced opportunities for the quality of sport and recreation opportunities in the Taupo District. ° We are supportive of a continuation of the service agreements and grants provided to the Advisory Council. ° In partnership Sport Waikato is investigating the future usage and possible development of Hickling Park. With leases for all tenants due to expire in 2019, we wish to engage with Council to develop a long-term strategy for sporting (and other willing) organisations in this area. ° Community Sport Fund - We support the initiative to supply 100,000m3 of untreated water to the Taupo Golf club to assist with irrigation costs and in addition will support initiatives to diversify and optimise the use of this facility by the community.

Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Other Opportunities ° Developing a Strategy for Sport and Recreation Sport Waikato is currently in the process of developing a strategy to guide our organisation from 2016 – 2020. In reviewing the Long Term Plan, Sport Waikato also reviewed Taupo District Council online strategic documents related to sport and recreation. We note that the online Sport and Recreation Strategy is dated 2006 and would like to offer the opportunity to Council, to partner with us to develop a partnered strategy for sport, recreation, and physical activity for the district. Integrated and aligned strategies offer both organisations an enhanced opportunity to provide results in this area.

° Partnering in Delivery With the intended retention of the fitness studio (with a focus on the elderly) there is also an opportunity to partner with Sport Waikato’s Active and Well Programme. By integrating the programme into the Fitness Suite there is the opportunity to strengthen the programme by offering a more accessible venue.

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Taupo District Council Long Term Plan 2015-2025

Summary: Recommendations and Requests

° Regional Sports Facilities Plan Sport Waikato request that the Taupo District Council support a proportional contribution for the delivery of the Regional Sports Facilities Plan. Shared across district councils throughout the region with a total annual value of $100K + GST the proportional contribution for Taupo District Council equates to $8,000+ GST per year for three years.

° District Coordinator Role Sport Waikato request the Taupo District council continue to fund the salary and overheads of the District Coordinator in the Taupo District for $ 66,648.96 plus CPI per year for three years. We would like to remain housed in the Taupo District Council Sports House initiative.

THANK YOU Sport Waikato would like to take this opportunity to thank the Taupo District Council for their on-going commitment and support to sport, recreation and physical activity. We value the opportunities that our strategic partnership provides and look forward to together growing the opportunities for our communities in the future.

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