Submission by
The Guardians of Pāuatahanui Inlet 24 April 2018 on the....

Porirua City Council Long Term Plan 2018 - 2038

This submission addresses those elements of the Porirua City Long Term Plan 2018-38 which are relevant to the objectives of the Guardians of Pāuatahanui Inlet:
(a)    To encourage, promote, protect, maintain and foster the natural, historic and cultural values of the Pāuatahanui Inlet.
(b)    To promote recognition locally, regionally, nationally and internationally of the ecological values and standing of the Inlet.

General 

GOPI strongly supports and endorses:

The Council’s strategic priority for achieving “a healthy and protected harbour and catchment”;

The Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour and Catchment Joint Committee; and related support for the GWRC led Whaitua Process for the harbour catchment;

Developing and using the Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour and Catchment Strategy and Action Plan as a basis for setting priorities for the Council’s strategic priority and related implementation;

Asset management that is strategic and supports the city and harbour strategic priorities.  The significant renewal to the wastewater network and upgrade to the stormwater networks, and related capital and operational expenditures are an important part of this.

However, we find it disconcerting that no feedback on specific projects is sought (p 20) and no specific outcomes, targets or performance measures are specified in the plan.  The “results” reported as at the end of June 2017 (p 22) are very general.

It seems that a number of “customer outcomes” relating to the harbour and catchment require “intervention” or “significant intervention”, one of which relates to “measuring our performance”.  We note that the Harbour Strategy is set to be reviewed in 2020.  Presumably this is when much more specific project and performance information will be available and then applied. 

From our perspective 2020 is too far away.  Undertaking this work is urgent if the Council is serious about its harbour related strategic priority.  The 2020 date needs to be brought forward, preferably to this year (after the Whaitua has reported) and at least to 2019.

Water Infrastructure Investment (p 21) 

We note and generally support the considerable investment in water infrastructure. 

We understand that there will be considerable investment in wastewater upgrades and especially resolving problems where wastewater discharge overflows into the stormwater system.  This is strongly supported.

We also understand that investment will be directed at increasing stormwater pipe capacity.  We consider that this is both unnecessary and undesirable.  It can only increase the flow of contaminants into the harbour even if filters are used to screen out coarse material.  The plan (p 32) mentions the need to prevent contaminants from getting into the harbour.

Given that the Council supports provisions for Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and wetlands are proposed for the Titahi Bay - Elsdon project (p 34), we consider all future stormwater projects should first be evaluated for WSUD and that this should be preferentially applied before pipe increases and related physical filters are considered. 

The use of swales, run off absorption areas and, where appropriate, wetlands, is both cost effective, environmentally and visually positive and adds to amenity values. 

Climate Change

The plan horizon is 2037/38.  Given this, it is disappointing that there is no more than cursory mention of climate change (p 6 under stormwater and wastewater).  By the 2030s the effects of climate change are likely to be significant, especially on the two roads bordering the Inlet, State Highway 58 & Grays Road, and low lying areas such as Mana Esplanade, parts of Paremata, Pāuatahanui Village and Motukaraka Point.  In addition the water system will have to cope with increased storm events.

The Councils need to urgently put in place an evaluation of the risk profile to vulnerable parts of the city and to developing related strategies such as protection and/or retreat.  The risk here is that some of the council’s assets (such as roads and water systems, parks and playgrounds, not to mention private property), will become stranded and valueless within the plan time period.

Rural Environment

The non-urban environment comprises a large portion of the city, but no mention of it is made in the plan.

From the Porirua Harbour Trust’s evaluation of the harbour condition, and especially that of the Pāuatahanui Inlet, we note increasing amounts of fine mud are entering the Inlet and possibly increasing nutrient loads are threating its ecology.  Some of the sources of this are urban and roading systems, but some is also rural.   Stormwater management can help reduce the urban sourced sediments and contaminants, provided the stormwater system is environmentally sensitive.  But other sediments and contaminants are rural and related to farming, lifestyle and forestry practices.

One of the standard ways of helping manage these problems is using education and incentives, which are especially appropriate for the considerable number of lifestyle blocks.  The council should have a role in this sort of activity in conjunction with Greater Wellington and Wellington City.

We understand the council proposes to increase rural rates by some 10%.  This will not only set up a negative relationship between the council and its rural ratepayers, it will likely remove any discretionary money rural lifestylers might have to put into riparian planting and other environmentally positive practices.

We oppose this proposal and submit that the Inlet and catchment would be much better off if some money was put into supporting education, and rating incentives (such as discounts for environmental management planting and related water management initiatives) were available.

Roading

The Transmission Gully Motorway (TGM) will result in more ex-state highway roading becoming the responsibility of the City Council, and the plan mentions the new roads being built to service TGM connections. 

More roads encircle the Porirua harbour system than in any other estuarine area in the country.  Contamination from roads is a major source of pollution affecting the Inlet.  We would like to see commitments in the plan that make clear that the roading priorities and choices (p 9) includes managing and reducing not only sediments but also contaminants entering the harbour from new and existing roading.