May update: Mayoral Forum

The Mayoral Forum met at Peppers Clearwater Resort on 27 May. Significant agenda items are summarised on this page.

It’s time, Canterbury presentation

Rebecca McKinney and Kate Nicholls from Environment Canterbury’s communications team joined the meeting and provided an overview of the campaign to date. They noted the need for local content and encouraged members to provide ideas and opportunities to them so that relevant content can be developed.

Transport discussion

The Chair welcomed Allan Prangnell and Richard Cross from the Ministry of Transport, and Councillor Peter Scott, Chair of the Regional Transport Committee, to the meeting. Members discussed transport system issues, including the role of the transport system and how we are asking it to do more than it previously did; impacts of the transport system on other areas, including health, the environment, resilience and security; and the challenge the emissions reduction plan poses to the future of the transport system, and the need for transformational change to achieve targets.

Regional Public Service Commissioner update

Ben Clark, Regional Public Service Commissioner, joined the meeting to provide an update on the Regional Leadership Group and the Covid-19 response.

Three waters transition

Marlon Bridge and Jason Krupp from the Three Waters National Transition Unit (NTU) at DIA joined the meeting and discussed progress of the NTU. Discussion included the desire for a locally-led process, and the NTU’s current focus on establishing local transition teams (LTTs); the opportunity for LTTs to take the lead on areas of interest; that the NTU is trying to reduce the burden on councils, and is cognisant of the impact of multiple regulatory reforms; the impact on councils of having staff seconded into LTTs; and the proposal for entity D to have sub-regional LTTs due to its size.

Resource Management reform

Liz Moncrieff, Jessica Vu and Sarah Luxenburger from the Ministry for the Environment joined the meeting online. Liz provided an update on RM reform, noting that work is being done on how local voice and accountability will work in the new system; how the committee might report back; how ideas might work in practice; and how we maintain accountability links back to communities. It was noted that one of the objectives of the reform is to look at opportunities to simplify the system. Members advised that they want to see a bottom-up approach, not top down.

Regional Skills Leadership Group

Liz Brown and Karena Brown, co-chairs of the Canterbury Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG), joined the meeting. Karena and Liz spoke about the RSLG and its current work. They noted that the draft Regional Workforce Plan has had feedback from stakeholders and members, with further detail to be developed on actions, and that feedback is welcome for target areas for the next workplan.

Members discussed their desire to understand what tertiary providers are providing; that the unified funding model may make it quicker for education to react to the needs of industry; and how we can manage young people leaving the country, and balance this with immigration.

Future for Local Government

Members discussed feedback to provide to the Future for Local Government panel. Members discussed their views, noting the importance of serving communities well; the need to consider what sits at national, sub national and regional levels; the need to consider form and function, and how different models will serve people; the need to ensure climate change is factored into this planning; that it must be about central government, iwi and communities as well as local government.