In its final consideration of the Napier-Hastings Future Development Strategy (FDS) the HB Regional Council voted this week to adopt the FDS without two contentious items consistently opposed by HBRC during Strategy development – a proposed 600 home development at flood prone Riverbend Road in Napier and a block consisting of high value soil on Middle Road in Havelock North that would provide 640 homes.

Whether HBRC would stand its principled ground on these parcels was not certain, with the key vote showing Councillors Martin Williams, Jock Mackintosh, Neil Kirton, Will Foley and Charles Lambert voting against inclusion, with Councillors Hinewai Ormsby, Di Roadly and Xan Harding voting for inclusion. Councillors Jerf van Beek and Sophie Siers were not present. Councillor Thompson Hokianga declared a conflict of interest on the matter and did not vote.

In the debate, Councillor Mackintosh argued that if HBRC included the two sites, “we’d be doing stuff the public doesn’t expect this council to do.” He was referring to allowing home building in known flood zones and failing to protect the region’s productive soils. He opposed HBRC simply “sucking it up” on these issues. 

Agreeing, Councillor Williams noted the homes that would be built at these two locations were not needed in the first place, as the FDS already provided ‘headroom’ of 3,000 homes over the actual projected need.

Councillor Kirton said voting to build on these sites would amount to HBRC “walking away from its core role to protect the environment and avoid flood hazard risk.

Councillor Foley noted the contradiction if HBRC adopted other recommendations on the day’s Agenda on climate change and water security to enable production but then allowing development at these locations.

Very hard to understand the votes of Councillors Ormsby, Harding and Roadley.

By voting to approve the FDS without these locations, Councillors realised that HBRC’s position might result in the region not adopting the same FDS. If that were the final result, the FDS would not comply with the legislation that requires a unified FDS from the region.

Thus, officially throwing the gauntlet at the HDC and NCC councils, which have championed inclusion of the two locations.

The next day, those two councils met.

NCC stood its ground and endorsed the FDS with the inclusions of Riverbend and Middle Road locations. Councillors were at pains to emphasise that approval was not a “green light” to development at either site, but was “high level guidance” only, insisting that no one at NCC wanted to see home built vulnerable to flooding and that future consenting processes would guarantee development would occur only if such risks were fully addressed.

Later in the day, HDC accepted an amendment by Councillor Alwyn Corban, carried by one vote, to exclude two sites, including Middle Road and Wall Road, while including Riverbend in Napier, thus yet a third outcome! Seemingly taken by surprise, the Mayor and CEO managed to delay a final vote, so HDC’s still in limbo.

So as it stands, the week ended without a unified FDS, which is what the relevant legislation requires (National Policy Statement for Urban Development).

Ready for amalgamation yet?!

At NCC, Councillor Maxine Boag had asked whether any kind of mediation process had been anticipated in case of such disagreement. The answer was ‘No’, but that would now need to be considered.

References have been made to having the respective staffs sort things out, but clearly this is a situation where a political solution must be arrived at by our elected officials.

Other than generating a heap of background data that may or may not be useful in specific consenting deiberations, someone needs to explain to the public what the value of this entire FDS exercise has been. I sure can’t. 

If the difficult choices ahead – and not only with respect to these two controversies – are all simply kicked to touch, with the assumption that the ‘normal’ consenting process is where the rubber will meet the road, what has been accomplished?