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6 Regional Report | June 2013Info evenings for PROSPECTIVEregional councilLORSAre you interested in standing for election as a NorthlandRegional Councillor?With the official nomination period for this year’s localbody elections drawing closer, we’re running a seriesof non-political public information evenings to informpotential candidates about what a regional councillor jobentails, the responsibilities and remuneration.As this edition of the Regional Report was going topress, the first two in a series of six public “ProspectiveCandidate Information Evenings” were due to be heldin Dargaville on Monday 17 June at the Masonic Lodge,Hokianga Road and in Whängärei on Tuesday 18 June atthe Northland Regional Council, Water Street.It will be Kerikeri’s turn on Thursday 20 June, at theTurner Centre, Cobham Road.Next month will see meetings at:• Mangawhai, Monday 01 July, Mangawhai Club,Molesworth Drive• Kaikohe, Wednesday 03 July, Kaikohe and DistrictMemorial RSA, Broadway• Kaitäia, Thursday 04 July, Te Ahu (Cinema room),intersection South Rd, Matthews Avenue andChurch Street.Further information is available from the regionalcouncil’s website: www.nrc.govt.nz/electionsRPS hearingsto wrap up soonMore than a month of hearings on the ProposedRegional Policy Statement (RPS) for Northland– arguably the region’s most important planningdocument – will close at the beginning of July.By the time the hearings period wraps up, more than300 people will have stepped forward to support theirsubmissions on the Proposed RPS (which sets out howour natural and physical resources are to be managed)before a panel of three independent commissioners.The end of the hearings marks another importantstatutory step towards the completion of a new RPSwhich has been in development for over three years.The independent commissioners’ panel will now gearup to deliberate and make its final recommendationsto the Northland Regional Council.Once council makes its final decisions on the newRPS – currently anticipated to be in September thisyear – a standard 20-day appeal period occurs. Areasof the RPS which aren’t appealed during that periodbecome ‘operative’ – that is, take effect legally.To find out more about the Proposed Regional PolicyStatement for Northland, including what the processis from here, go online to:www.nrc.govt.nz/newRPSSign up for email updatesDid you know you can register to receive updates from our website straight into your email inbox?Sign up to our subscription service and you’ll get notifications of our latest news, upcoming consultations,council meeting agendas and minutes, job vacancies, tenders, publicly notified consents and more.To find out more and register, visit our website at: www.nrc.govt.nz/subscriptionsnewtide tablesout soonThis free booklet is packed with usefulinformation for boaties, including tidetables, safe boating advice and local rules.The 2013-14 edition will be available fromearly July. You can pick up a copy from yourlocal Northland Regional Council office.Business awardS: entries OpenEntries for the 2013 Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards are now open.The awards are a great opportunity for Northland businesses – small, medium and large – to receive recognition for theirachievements and celebrate their contribution to the regional business environment.Northland Regional Council is a proud supporter of this prestigiousevent and sponsors the Sustainable Business Award, which goes tothe Northland business that best epitomises an overall commitment tosustainable development.Entries for all award categories close on Friday 16 August 2013.Find out more at: www.northlandbusinessawards.co.nzLocal Civil Defenceinfo on Facebook andaa Roadwatch websiteWant to know more about what’s going on duringwinter storm events and other emergencies?Facebook and the Automobile Association’sRoadwatch website are two of the latest toolsNorthland’s Civil Defence team is using to help keepyou informed.The Civil Defence Facebook page:www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthlandis increasingly popular with people wanting up-todateinfo, especially during storms or when tsunamiwarnings have been issued.If you would like details about local district councilroad and State Highway closures/issues in Northlandduring a storm, visit the AA Roadwatch site:www.AAroadwatch.co.nzIt contains a map and brief description of closed/affected roads and an indication of when the issuesinvolved are likely to be resolved.General Civil Defence information is also availablefrom the regional council’s website:www.nrc.govt.nz/civildefenceAwards and funding Education and information Biosecurity Regional land transport Environmental planning and monitoring Infrastructure
Regional Report | June 2013 7Community Response Planfor north HokiangaPhoto: The aftermath of the devastating Panguru flood of 1999. (Northern Advocate photograph)Self-reliance is a crucial aspect of coping withflooding and other emergencies. Northlanders– especially those in more remote areas – are beingurged to do more to protect themselves and thosethey care about.The region’s Civil Defence officials say Northlanders haverepeatedly proven they’re collectively quite resilient and betterable to cope with disaster than many in urban centres – butthere’s always room for improvement. One key component isgood planning.“Many Northland communities can potentially be cut offduring an emergency event, making it vital they plan tosurvive with little or no outside help for at least three days,”says Graeme MacDonald, spokesman for Northland CivilDefence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group.The CDEM Group says one way smaller communities ofinterest can plan for, and cope with, disaster is through thejoint development of tailor-made Civil Defence CommunityResponse Plans (CRPs) with their local district councils.Fifty-one of these plans have been completed in Northlandsince 2004; 28 in the Far North, 16 in Whängärei district andseven in Kaipara.Bill Hutchinson, Civil Defence Coordinator for the FarNorth District Council, says the plans aim to ensure localcommunities identify hazards and risks and collectivelyunderstand how they will manage their response.They also identify local leaders who’ll volunteer tocommunicate emergency management information tothe community and relay community concerns back toCivil Defence.Finally, CRPs outline what resources the community hasand how these can be used in an emergency (for example,communications, identification of welfare centres, physicalequipment and a list of key community contacts).Graeme says Mäori make up many of those living in some ofNorthland’s more remote communities and Civil Defence hasalready worked successfully with several marae as part ofwork to develop CRPs in other parts of the region.“However, as part of our continual efforts to refine thisprocess, we’re always looking for opportunities to engagewith various sectors of our communities. We acknowledgethat there are opportunities in some areas to better engagewith local Mäori communities, including marae.”With that in mind, Bill says work has begun with Te Runangao Te Rarawa in and around the tiny northern Hokiangasettlement of Panguru to include a cluster of local marae inCRP development.“We’ve been working with Te Rarawa intermittently for anumber of years. However, things have really escalated overthe past 12 months or so and we’re now at the point where adraft CRP is being circulated to six marae in five communitiesin and around Panguru for their input.”Waipuna Marae (Panguru) representative for Te Runanga oTe Rarawa, Abe Witana, (who recently joined the regionalcouncil’s planning department) says the six marae involvedcover an area from Motuti in the east, across to RangiPoint and north to Mitimiti. The marae are; Waipuna, NgatiManawa, Tamatea, Waiparera, Waimirirangi and Matihetihe.Abe, from Panguru but currently living in Ahipara, has firsthandknowledge of a civil defence emergency in the Hokianga.He was in Panguru during its infamous 1999 flood whichcaused widespread damage and raised a number of questionsabout Civil Defence responses nationally.He says while Civil Defence and other organisations canhelp in an emergency, individuals are ultimately responsiblefor protecting themselves and their property from the effectsof disasters.“One way we can help people to do that is through maraebasedplanning, which offers a number of advantages– including the ability to tap into existing formal andinformal family and other networks, and the invaluable localknowledge that comes with these.”“Our marae are the centrepoints of our communities on allmatters, not just Civil Defence, and that’s where a whole lotof our decision-making takes place,” Abe says.“It makes sense to incorporate these Community ResponsePlans into existing Hapü Marae Community Plans.”Bill says feedback from the marae is expected over the nextfew weeks and, all going well, will then be incorporated intoa single Community Response Plan for those north Hokiangamarae communities.Ultimately, the lessons learned will be rolled out to otherparts of Northland.For further information on Civil Defence in Northland, visit theCivil Defence Facebook page:www.facebook.com/civildefencenorthlandOr visit the Northland Regional Council’s website:www.nrc.govt.nz/civildefenceEmergency management Pollution control Flood management Tourism and economic development Harbours Land and water management
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