24 November 2023

Chris Milne
[FYI request #24557 email]

Dear Chris
Request for Information – Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act 1987
We refer to your official information request dated 27 October 2023:
I am advised by Te Tari Taiwhenua (The Department of Internal Affairs) that the
Hutt City Council has entered into a funding agreement and secured the $8.36m
in Better Off funding. As of 24 August 2023, the council has been paid a total of
$899,500 in Better Off Funding. Of that amount paid, $836k has been allocated
to the Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project. Of the remaining $63.5k, $13.5k is
al ocated to Pito-one Resilience Projects, and $50k to Climate Action Campaign.
My request:
Please provide al  information held about the $13,500 al ocated to Pito-one
Resilience Projects, and the $50,000 to [a] Climate Action Campaign. What are
the Pito-one Resilience Projects and the Climate Change Campaign who or
what has been funded and how much has been spent? What were the
outcomes sought from this expenditure?

Answer:
The report on the application seeking approval for the three initiatives to be
submitted to Te Tari Taiwhenua - Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) as part of a
Three Waters Reform Tranche 1 Better Off Funding Proposal was first submitted to
the Poilcy, Finance and Strategy (PFS) Committee on 16 June 2022. It was then
submitted to Council and was approved by full Council on 22 November 2022.
30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt
Private Bag 31912, Lower Hutt 5040
/huttcitycouncil
0800 488 824

[email address]
www.huttcity.govt.nz
▲The pattern at the top of this page is inspired by the natural landforms, hil s, river, and coastline surrounding Lower Hutt. It represents our people, our place, and our home.

You can access the reports to PFS Committee and Council here Agenda of Hutt
City Council - Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Please see Appendix 1 of the response which is the application for the Better Off
Support Package Funding submitted to DIA by Hutt City Council.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response to your information request may be published on
Hutt City Council’s website. Please refer to the following link:
www.huttcity.govt.nz/council/contactus/make-an-official-information-act-
request/proactive-releases

Yours sincerely

Lakna Siriwardena
Legal Operations Advisor

Document Name / XX Month XXXX / Version XX
P.2

THREE WATERS BETTER OFF GRANT FUNDING PROPOSAL: TRANCHE 11

Instructions to complete the Funding Proposal:
•  The Funding Proposal is to be submitted through the DIA online Grant Management System.
To apply you wil  need access to this system.  Guidelines on accessing this system are
provided in Appendix C of the guidance document “Guide to better off package funding for
local authorities” found here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/three-waters-reform-programme-
reform-support-package
•  One Funding Proposal per Local Authority can be submitted for the total Tranche 1
Programme of Expenditure.
•  Local Authorities do not have to apply for the full Tranche 1 notional amount upfront, funds
not applied for in Tranche 1 will be available in the Tranche 2 application round.
•  A Programme may consist of more than one Project or Initiative, and Local Authorities may
elect to provide appendices with further details and breakdowns if that would assist in the
approval process.
•  The Programme may relate to expenditure over a period of up to 5 years.
•  Al  figures in this Funding Proposal should be GST exclusive.
•  A relationship manager will be available to support councils and can provide advice if the
Local Authority has additional questions.
•  Refer to the document “Guide to better off package funding for local authorities” which sets
out the information needed for Local Authorities to engage with the Funding Agreements
and the Funding Proposal template below.
  The draft Funding Proposal can be submitted by the Local Authority any time between 4 April 2022
and 30 September 2022. The Funding Proposal will be assessed by the Department of Internal Affairs,
who may provide feedback and require further detail, additions or alterations. The Funding Proposal
is to be finalised, and Councils notified of the outcome within six weeks of receipt of the draft
submission.
  Where the Department of Internal Affairs requires any additional assurance or conditions for a
specific Funding Proposal, this will be included in Question 17 below following the Department of
Internal Affairs review. Question 17 will form part of the Funding Proposal.

1 The $2 bil ion ‘better off’ package is available in two tranches. The first $500 mil ion is available from 1 July 2022 and the remaining $1.5
bil ion is available after 1 July 2024.bil ion is available after 1 July 2024.

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SECTION 1: General Information
  1.  Programme Title  Better off funding tranche 1 Hutt City Council
2.  Local Authority
Hutt City Council
  3.  Organisation Lead Contact:
Name:
Bruce Hodgins
Position:
Strategic Advisor
Email:
[email address]
  SECTION 2: Programme of Expenditure Overview
  4.  Provide a brief description of the Programme of expenditure the funding will be applied to.
If the Programme comprises more than one Project, or Initiative that you will be reporting on
separately, please list (add more rows if required):

Hutt City Council initial y considered a small number of initiatives for the Better Off Funding Packages.
However, fol owing significant and unprecedented rain events in late July 2022, large scale land slips occurred
throughout the city, making Hutt City Council reconsider where funding would be best directed to realise
optimal outcomes for the community. The most notable slips in 2022 occurred on the Eastern Hutt Road, near
the entrance to Stokes Valley, resulting in the fol owing outcomes:

•  Communities became severed
•  Vehicle traffic was restricted and the level of service of the road network was impacted significantly
•  People’s ability to access lifeline services within the city was significantly impacted
•  Other regionally significant projects (such as Riverlink) were at threat of being put under pressure due
to the resulting network impact from the weather events.

As a result, Council sought and received an extension to the application closing date of 30 September 2022 to
enable the Council to assess and re-consider priority initiatives needed to address the City’s resilience issues
current and future.

Fol owing this reprioritisation, Hutt City Council is now able to put forward its proposed programme consisting
of three initiatives that were approved at a City Council meeting dated 22 November 2022.  These initiatives
address the changing climate conditions which result in higher frequency and more extreme weather events.
The initiatives are also strongly aligned with the first part of the Better Off Funding criteria in that they wil
individually and in combination “support communities to transition to a sustainable and low-emissions
economy, including by building resilience to climate change and natural hazards”.

Initiative 1. The Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience project is a three-stage project to be implemented over four
years to improve the resilience of this important transport link. The three stages of the project include:

1.  Response – getting the road open and keeping communities safe
2.  Recovery – developing final remedial solutions for slips that have already happened
3.  Resilience – identifying future slip prone areas and developing mitigations before a slip occurs

This initiative is strategically aligned with local, regional, and national transport policy and ensures that current
and future issues relating to resilience can be addressed, reducing the impact these events would otherwise
have on local communities.  This initiative wil  require round one and round two funding through the Better Off
Funding allocation.

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Initiative 2. The Climate Action Campaign is a col aborative approach with Wellington City Council to deliver a
comprehensive climate communications campaign to drive behaviour change within the region. This initiative is
being developed in support of local and nation goals that wil  see a transition from a carbon dependent
economy to a low-carbon/carbon independent economy.

Initiative 3. Model ing undertaken has identified significant community assets and infrastructure in Petone wil
be impacted by flooding and coastal inundation as a result of climate change. This includes the Petone Wharf,
Petone Settlers Museum and the Library and Heritage Centre, as well as sites of importance to mana whenua
including the site of the original and substantial Pita-one pa and the offices of Hīkoikoi Management
(Wellington Tenths Trust and Palmerston North Māori Reserve Trust).  Additionally significant micro-mobility
projects are planned for Petone and the redevelopment of the waterfront Honiana Te Puni Reserve. The
proposed Petone project brings these workstreams together in one co-ordinated project and programme of
work to consider how their objectives can be achieved whilst building resilience for the community.

The initial phase of this project is seeking funding from round one of Better Off Funding to scope the overall
Petone Project and be able to recommend future priority projects for approval.

List of Projects/Initiatives under this Programme
Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project
Climate Action Campaign
Petone Resilience Project

  5.  Total Maximum Amount Payable as defined and stated in the Funding and Collaboration
Agreement (NZD $):
$8,360,000

6.  Total estimated cost of the Programme (NZD $)?
$61,517,000

7.  Of the total estimated cost above, specify the amount (if any) that will be allocated to general
management oversight and other administrative costs.

$0
We don’t anticipate any general management oversight and other administrative costs to be incurred.

  8.  If the total estimated cost exceeds the Total Maximum Amount Payable, please specify the
additional funding source(s) and amount(s):
Funding Source
Amount (NZ$M)
Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project – Waka
$16,554,600
Kotahi contribution of 51% of total cost
Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project – Hutt
$15,905,400
City Council
Petone resilience project - HCC Long-term Plan
$29,057,000
2021 – 2031

Total
$61,517,000

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9.  Please indicate below the expenditure programme funding status:

Yes/No
Amounts in NZD $
Year
Included in LTP
Yes
$29,057,000
2021-2031
Included in Waka Kotahi emergency
Yes
$2,800,000
2022-2023
funding contribution
Included in Waka Kotahi emergency
No
$2,500,000
2022-2023
funding contribution
Included in the latest Annual Plan
-
$0
-
Not funded in any plan (HCC)
No
$15,905,400
2022 – 2025
Not funded in any plan (Waka Kotahi)
No
$16,554,600
2022 – 2025
Was funded but COVID-19 deferred

$

Local Authority co-funding being
Yes
$1,500,000
2023/2024
contributed (Wellington City Council
contribution for Climate Action Campaign)
  10. Has the programme been submitted and reviewed through another contestable funding source?
(such as the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund): Yes

If Yes, please state the funding source and the stage of the funding process you reached below.

Funding Source
Stage Reached
Waka Kotahi
We are currently in the process of completing the Point of Entry

(PoE) for this programme of works.  The PoE is a document
developed by the client and issued to Waka Kotahi explaining
the reasons the project is required, and the business case
pathway, seeking Waka Kotahi funding to complete a business
case – we are currently recommending that a single staged
business case be developed.  The PoE has not yet been
submitted to Waka Kotahi.

  11. Describe the risks you have identified in completing the programme on time and on budget (eg:
availability of and access to specialist skills) and any steps/actions you have taken to mitigate
these risks.

Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project:
The risks to completing the programme on time and on budget are:
•  The ful  extent of the works required, and therefore the associated costs are not currently
known.  Further detailed investigation works are required to confirm the total extents
•  The extent of any resource consent requirements is not known in detail at the time of
writing
•  The extent of any property acquisition that may be required is not known at the time of
writing
•  If climate change projections are realised, the slip events experienced in the winter of 2022
will become more frequent, and more severe.  Therefore, if works are not progressed at
pace to proactively mitigate against the slip risks currently being experienced and forecast,
further and more severe impacts to Eastern Hutt Road, Stokes Val ey and the Lower Hutt
region will be realised.

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Climate Action Campaign:
The risks to completing the programme on time and on budget are:
•  If the momentum of the campaign requires more effort and budget to continue to embed
the behaviour change and increase community reach and impact, further budget wil  be
required. Currently future budget has not been secured post the 2023/2024 financial year.
Mitigation is to review the approach that is getting the most campaign traction early and
look to secure future budget.

Petone Resilience Project:
The risks to completing the programme on time and on budget are:
•  Further investigation is required to determine the condition of the Petone Wharf and
Petone Library building to determine what extent of rebuild is required.
•  If more extensive development of the Library site is required, this will mean the project will
take longer to complete and may cost more than currently anticipated.

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SECTION 3: Programme of expenditure details
  12. Please provide a high-level breakdown of the expenditure programme, including the programme commencement and completion dates, key delivery milestones,
and for each milestone the planned completion date and estimated cost:2

Milestones should reflect the progress of project delivery, and link to specific and measurable project outputs. Please refer to your relationship manager for guidance, and examples
of output-based milestones.
If the funding package is to be used to fund multiple projects/initiatives, duplicate the table below for each project. The total of al  projects must equal the Total Maximum Amount
Payable per the Funding Agreement.

Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project:

Expenditure  Programme/Project  Milestone
Estimated Completion Date
Estimated costs
(including a description of how the milestone is identified)
(NZD $)
1.
Commencement Date as per the Funding Agreement

2.
Stage one – end to end development and delivery of the response phase:
Time of writing to June 2023
Total – $5,580,000:
•  Stabilisation works

•  Cordoning the site to ensure control of current and future debris ingress
Professional services – $400,000
•  Remediation of any damaged infrastructure
Abseil services – $250,000
•  Begin planning for permanent remedial works (stage two)
Construction and TTM - $4,000,000
Contingency - $930,000
3.
Stage two and three – end to end development and delivery of the recovery
Time of writing to June 2023
Total – $2,800,000:
phases, as wel  as undertaking the single staged business case (Stage 3:

resilience):
Professional services – $1,000,000

Construction – $1,000,000
•  Undertake physical permanent remediation works for existing slips
Contingency – $800,000
•  Investigate other high risk locations in relation to future slips and
develop an associated business case to realise more funding
•  Develop designs and undertake proactive remediation works where
required, in line with the outcomes outlined within the business case

4.
Stage two and three – continued
July 2023 to June 2025
Total – $24,080,000:

•  Undertake physical permanent remediation works for existing slips
Professional Services – $2,200,000
Construction – $15,000,000

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•  Investigate other high risk locations in relation to future slips and
Contingency – $6,880,000
develop an associated business case to realise more funding
•  Develop designs and undertake proactive remediation works where
required, in line with the outcomes outlined within the business case

TOTAL

$32,460,000

Climate Action Campaign:

Expenditure  Programme/Project  Milestone
Estimated Completion Date
Estimated costs
(including a description of how the milestone is identified)
(NZD $)
1.
Commencement Date per the Funding Agreement

Nil
2.
Contribution to Wel ington City Council fund for creative services and researchers  30 June 2023
$50,000
3.
HCC specific photography/videography/design edits
30 June 2024
$50,000

Advertising spend – bus backs, bil boards
30 June 2024
$105,000

4.
Activation budget
30 June 2024
$50,000

TOTAL

$255,000

Petone Resilience Projects:

Expenditure  Programme/Project  Milestone
Estimated Completion Date
Estimated costs
(including a description of how the milestone is identified)
(NZD $)
1.
Draft Project Brief and scope developed for approval by Komiti Hapori Ahurea me  Dec 2023
$100,000
ngā Rangapū - Communities, Culture and Partnerships Committee
2.
Individual projects agreed wil  be put forward for stage 2 Better Off Funding

TBC

TOTAL

$100,000

2 Al  figures should be GST exclusive.

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CHECKS

Total maximum funding instalment amount per the Milestone Table(s)3 is less
Choose an item.
than or equal to Total Maximum Amount Payable per question 6

3 If the Milestone Table was duplicated to reflect multiple projects/initiatives, please add the total amounts across all tables when performing the checks above.

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SECTION 4: Wellbeing Assessment

  For this section, please refer to the document “Guide to better off package funding for local authorities” for guidance on conducting the wellbeing assessment.

13.  Please set out how the expenditure programme promotes one (or more) of the key criteria of the better off package and the well-being of communities
(social, economic, environmental, and/or cultural) in the table below. Add lines where necessary.

If the funding package is to be used on multiple project/initiatives, duplicate the table below in order to identify the wel being outcomes for each project.

Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project
Programme Title
Better off funding tranche 1 Hutt City Council
Project/Initiative
Eastern Hutt Road Slip Resilience Project
(if applicable)
Better Off funding criteria
Criteria 1: Supporting communities to  Criteria 2: Delivery of infrastructure

(select as many that apply)
transition to a sustainable and low-
and/or services that support local
emissions economy, including by
place-making and improvements in
building resilience to climate change  community wel being.
and natural hazards.
Wellbeing Area
Social wellbeing
Economic wel being
Environmental wel being
Cultural wel being
(select as many that apply)
Wellbeing Outcomes
Outcome
How Outcome will be Measured
How Outcome will be Monitored/Reported
The overal  resilience of Lower Hutt’s transport network is  The number of slips that occur through Hutt City wil
The number of annual slips being reported wil  be tracked
less vulnerable to delays from unplanned events
reduce on an annual basis
and reviewed on an annual basis and benchmarked against
the number of substantial weather events that have also
occurred in the year.
Improved connectivity of the regional transport network  The average travel time for vehicles wil  remain consistent  A review of travel time data wil  be undertaken as fol ows:
to support the movement of goods and services
through the year (based on pre 2022 times, before the
•  Before the 2022 slips occurred (baseline)
slips impacted the network and subsequently travel times)
•  During 2022 (worst case scenario)
•  Post resilience works (new baseline)

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Climate Action Campaign:
Programme Title
Better off funding tranche 1 Hutt City Council
Project/Initiative
Climate Action Campaign
(if applicable)
Better Off funding criteria
Criteria 1: Supporting communities to  Criteria 3: Delivery of infrastructure

(select as many that apply)
transition to a sustainable and low-
and / or services that
emissions economy, including by
Support local place-making and
building resilience to climate change  improvements in community wel -
and natural hazards.
being.
Wellbeing Area
Social wel being
Economic wel being
Environmental wel being
Cultural wel being
(select as many that apply)
Wellbeing Outcomes
Outcome
How Outcome will be Measured
How Outcome will be Monitored/Reported
Our communities are more knowledgeable and have the  Survey results of community as wel  as activation event
Survey responses either through this project directly or via
tools they need to start taking action on climate change.  feedback
existing surveys about attitudes towards climate change,
likelihood of taking action etc.
Event feedback forms.
There are more people choosing public transport over
Percentage increase of mode share of public and active
Public transport passenger data and active transport
using private vehicles
transport.
counts.
Increased interest in local government decision making
Public interest in Council’s climate change committee
Number of ‘watches’ on Facebook live.
about climate change
Number and diversity of speakers, particularly those who
have not spoken at committees previously

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Petone Resilience Project:
Programme Title
Better off funding tranche 1 Hutt City Council
Project/Initiative
Petone Resilience Project
(if applicable)
Better Off funding criteria
Criteria 1: Supporting communities to  Criteria 2: Delivery of infrastructure
Criteria 3: Delivery of infrastructure
(select as many that apply)
transition to a sustainable and low-
and/or services that enable housing
and / or services that
emissions economy, including by
development and growth.
Support local place-making and
building resilience to climate change
improvements in community
and natural hazards.
wel -being.
Wellbeing Area
Social wellbeing
Economic wel being
Environmental wel being
Cultural wel being
(select as many that apply)
Wellbeing Outcomes
Outcome
How Outcome will be Measured
How Outcome will be Monitored/Reported
Maximise the potential of Petone and Lower Hutt as a
Measuring spending in Petone and Lower Hutt
Marketview economic data
place to live, visit, work and do business
Measuring spending at hospitality/tourism businesses in
Petone and Lower Hutt
Build resilience to future-proof key community assets and  Ability to continue to provide community spaces and
Number of days services are interrupted due to extreme
services
deliver services to Petone
weather or flooding/coastal inundation
Better reflect Petone’s European and Māori history in
Increased visibility of European and Māori history
Would be a requirement of projects where opportunities
urban design
exist and reported on in project briefs
Increased housing stock
Number of new dwel ings developed in Petone through  Building consents issued by HCC
urban design changes
Uplift in transport mode shift through integrated urban
TBC
TBC
design to reduce congestion and emissions.



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SECTION 5: Iwi/Māori Engagement
  For this section, please refer to the document “Guide to better off package funding for local authorities” for
guidance on the Iwi/Māori engagement required to answer the fol owing questions.

14.  Describe the process you used to identify relevant iwi/Māori parties in your region and specify
which Māori groups / entities / organisations (eg, iwi, hapū, post-settlement governance entities,
etc) you engaged with.
Hutt City Council has formal agreements with four Iwi partners with which it engages on a wide
range of matters of interest to both parties. This has been in place for some time. We meet with
each partner separately every 8 weeks with a formal agenda to which both parties contribute.
The four iwi partners are as follows:

•   Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika Trust (Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust)
•  Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui Inc.
•  Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira
•  Ngahuru Charitable Trust (Wellington Tenths Trust & Palmerston North Māori Reserve
Trust)
15.  Provide details of the engagement you undertook with iwi/Māori in determining the use of the
funding allocation. Include details regarding the methods of engagement (e.g. hui, wānanga,
consultation on material, subsequent feedback).
The Better Off Funding application proposals were on the agenda for scheduled hui with iwi partners
from late June 2022.  Discussions evolved as Council priorities changed with the need to focus on
recovery and resilience of the Eastern Hutt Road following the heavy rain event and subsequent slips
in July 2022, which adversely impacted on access to Stokes Valley. Iwi partners were generally
understanding of the Council desire to utilise the bulk of the first tranche of funding for this work.

16.  Provide details of the ideas, suggestions, issues or concerns raised by iwi/Māori during your
engagement process, along with the steps taken to address these.

Iwi partners have expressed a desire to be involved with the planning and delivery of both the Climate
Action Campaign and the Petone Resilience projects.   (I wil  provide some detail here once I have the
minutes of the various hui).

SECTION 6: DIA USE ONLY
  17.  Additional requirements in respect of the Funding Agreement (such as specific conditions):

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Document Outline