Did you miss these?
From fishing season opening to cycle trail restored to election results for HB Power Trust to HB Airport results to building consent reform, here are a few announcements of the past week that might be of interest.
It’s fishing season
Anglers Ellie (4) and Thea (7) Flett caught these trout at their secret spot.
Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan, no stranger to Hawke’s Bay, said staff were reporting healthy fish in rivers and lakes around the country. “The winter has been kind to our fisheries and spawning surveys undertaken by our staff indicate that many of our fisheries are in excellent health.”
According to F&G, in Hawke’s Bay the Tukituki River saw good numbers of anglers catching larger than average trout at around 4-5 pounds showing the fishery is recovering Cyclone Gabriel.
Here’s everything you need to know to fish in NZ.
Popular cycling trail restored
A vital connection between Puketapu and Taradale has been restored with the completion of a new and safe cycling and pedestrian bridge on the Hawke’s Bay Trails’ Puketapu link. This new bridge connects Puketapu School students and the community and allows visitors and locals to cycle between Taradale and Puketapu for shopping, dining, and recreation.
Owner of the local pub, The Puketapu, Mary Danielson says, “This means everything to us. This new connection gives people a safe route to cycle to visit our Puketapu community. We’re looking forward to seeing the positive impact on our village and local businesses thriving in the coming months.”
HB Power Consumers Trust elects Board
As BayBuzz predicted, the four incumbents standing for re-election won handily: Barbara Arnott, Jeffrey Farnworth, Kirsten Westwood and David Pearson. And winning the fifth seat was newcomer Craig Waterhouse.
The final election turnout was 18.53%.
HB Airport results
Now in its 60th anniversary year, Hawke’s Bay Airport recently released its FY2024 Annual Report. Key highlights:
- 2.4% increase in passenger numbers (up from 640k to 655k)
- 3% increase in revenue (up from $12.7m to $13.0m)
- EBITDA $7.3m in line with Statement of Intent
- Awarded medium airport of the year in September 2023 for the second year running – and two other NZ Airports’ Association awards
- Completion of apron overlay resealing project
- Retained ACA Level 4+ transition sustainability rating
During the year HB Airport received official designation as a ‘place of first arrival’, for both Customs and MPI, permitting international private jets with up to 14 passengers to arrive directly into Hawke’s Bay. This helps to support Hawke’s Bay as an attractive destination for high-value international visitors.
HB Airport is the third busiest airport in the North Island.
More efficient building consenting?
In a move supported by HB builders and politicians, the Government is investigating options for a major reform of the building consent system to improve efficiency and consistency across New Zealand.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says: “There are currently 67 BCAs across the country, each with different practices and approaches. We have a single building code that is supposed to apply consistently to all building work nationally. However, there are many instances of builders submitting the exact same plans to different BCAs and finding considerable additional costs and delays result from differing interpretations of the building code.”
Registered Master Builders Assn Chief Executive Ankit Sharma applauded:
“This announcement is a positive step in the right direction. For too long, the fragmentation of New Zealand’s 67 BCAs has created inconsistencies and delays, which have had significant consequences for builders, developers, and homeowners alike. Reforming the consenting process is essential to ensure we can build quality homes more efficiently and affordably.”
Each of Hawke’s Bay’s territorial authorities is a Building Consent Authority (BCA).
One of the options being considered is creating regional BCAs to improve consistency and enable economies of scale.
Mayors Sandra Hazlehurst and Kirsten Wise support a regional approach. Said Hazlehurst, seconded by Wise: “As region’s leaders we had tasked our Chief Executives to continue to investigate regional opportunities for shared services. This includes opportunities to administer and deliver a regional Building Consent Authority (BCAs). The Crown is now suggesting three options that includes a national approach, a small number of large regional groupings or councils voluntarily creating their own regional model. I support a regional approach as we know our challenges and opportunities for efficiency.”
HB builders responding to a BayBuzz query basically consider a regional approach a no-brainer. That list would include Darren Diack (Gemco), Jason Sullivan (SS Homes) and Simon Tremain (Real Estate Brands – REBL).
Developers like Jonathan Wallace and Warren Ladbrook complained of building regulatory mishmash when interviewed by Mark Sweet for his BayBuzz article, The Developers.
Says Tremain: “We certainly would [support] Tom, but as you know our region and amalgamation/consolidation don’t speak the same language. It just makes obvious sense.”
So if our HB politicians and builders agree, why doesn’t it just happen? Mayor Alex Walker says the nettlesome part is sorting council liability for a fouled-up build if this function is delegated to a separate entity. The Government says it plans to address this.
How about if HB shows determination to be first cab off the ranks on this one?!
