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Customer Experience Team (Hawke's Bay Regional Council)

15 Dec 2025, 10:06 NZDT

Kia ora,

Thank you for sending this through. We have forwarded this on to the
relevant part of the organisation and they will be in contact should they
require any further information.
 
In the meantime, if you have any other questions, do let us know and we
will be happy to help.

Ngā mihi,
Anna

Hawke's Bay Regional Council

citizen101HB

15 Dec 2025, 05:08 NZDT

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Dear Hawke’s Bay Regional Council,

As a resident of the Hawke’s Bay region, I am seeking detailed information
to better understand the council's decision-making processes, equity
considerations, contracting practices, external influences, and
involvement in key regional resilience and technology initiatives.

1. Māori-Specific Mechanisms and Partnerships:
The full rationale, including any supporting reports, studies, data, legal
advice, or correspondence, for establishing and maintaining Māori-specific
governance elements (e.g., mana whenua appointments to committees with
voting rights, Takitimu Māori Ward, iwi partnerships in planning or
recovery).
Any evaluations, impact assessments, or metrics showing how these
mechanisms address historical disparities and/or provide benefits to the
wider Hastings community (beyond Māori residents).

2. Water Management and Resilience Strategies:
Copies or summaries of current water management strategies/plans (e.g.,
three waters infrastructure, Havelock North dams and streams resilience
programme/Karanema, stormwater/flood protection).
Details of any ethnic, cultural, multicultural, or equity considerations
embedded in these strategies, including rationale and supporting data if
prioritisation applies to specific groups.

3. Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Efforts:
Comprehensive details on recovery initiatives (e.g., silt and debris
cleanup/Silt Recovery Taskforce, roading/bridge repairs, voluntary
buy-outs for Category 2C/3 properties, land categorisation processes,
Mayoral Relief Fund distributions).
Any assessments of equity impacts, including whether funding allocation,
buy-outs, or support programmes include ethnicity-based priorities or
disproportionately affect particular demographic groups, with supporting
data/rationale.

4. Contracts and Procurement (Post-2023):
A list of all contracts awarded since February 2023 for Cyclone Gabrielle
recovery, infrastructure resilience, water management, coastal hazards, or
related projects, including but not limited to those involving
consultants/contractors such as Beca, Tonkin & Taylor, Stantec, WSP,
Aurecon, Fraser Thomas, Higgins, TW Civil, or similar firms.
For each contract (or summary table if voluminous): contract value, tender
process overview (e.g., open/closed/selective), selection
rationale/criteria, and any evaluations of alternatives considered.
Copies of procurement policies or guidelines applied, including any
preferences for local/NZ-owned firms or diversity/equity criteria in
scoring.

5. Input from Agriculture and External Sector Organisations:
Records of input, submissions, meetings, or advisory roles from
agriculture/horticulture organisations (e.g., Horticulture New Zealand,
Federated Farmers, Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association, Hawke’s Bay
Winegrowers, NZ Apples & Pears) in recovery planning, land use decisions,
infrastructure priorities, or strategic funds.
Any formal reports (e.g., BCG recovery vision documents) incorporating
their recommendations and how these influenced council decisions.

6. Influence of National/International Transparency or Advisory Bodies:
Any correspondence, adoption, or reference to guidelines/initiatives from
bodies such as the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Transparency
International New Zealand (TINZ), Royal Society Te Apārangi, or similar in
council policies, transparency reporting, procurement practices, or
project planning.
Confirmation if these have shaped local processes (e.g., open data,
anti-corruption measures, scientific advice).

7. Deliberative Democracy, Public Participation, and Diversity Mandates:
Details of any deliberative democracy processes used (e.g., citizens'
juries, assemblies, plenaries, or civil society forums) for policy
development or recovery decisions.
Information on the council's adoption or use of the IAP2 (International
Association for Public Participation) Spectrum or framework, including how
different engagement levels (Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate,
Empower) are applied in practice, with examples from recovery, coastal
hazards, or other major projects.
Information on any multiculturalism, diversity, or equity
mandates/policies applied to council employment, grants, community
funding, or contract scoring, including rationale and measurable outcomes.

8. Pilot Programs and Innovative Initiatives:
Details of any pilot programs, trials, or innovative projects supported,
funded, or partnered by the council (e.g., in agriculture, horticulture,
resilience, regenerative farming, genomics/tech applications like
sequencing for crop improvement, or similar—such as Land For Life, Farming
for Resilience, or any involving advanced tech/partners).
For each: rationale, funding sources, partners (e.g., industry, research
institutes, international orgs), selection process, equity/multicultural
considerations, and any evaluations or outcomes to date.

9. Coastal Hazards and Water Services Initiatives:
Details of involvement in the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy
2120 (e.g., current community engagement/surveys, proposed options,
funding models, equity/multicultural considerations, partners including
mana whenua).
Information on the joint Water Services Council-Controlled Organisation
(WSCCO) formed in 2025 with Napier and Central Hawke’s Bay councils,
including rationale, governance structure, infrastructure plans, and any
equity impacts.

10. Emergency Management and Land Categorisation:
Progress on post-Cyclone Gabrielle Civil Defence improvements (e.g.,
Emergency Operations Centre, community hubs, training, collaborations with
Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga).
Updates on land categorisation framework (e.g., retirement of Category 1
in December 2025, phasing out Category 3 maps, equity assessments or
effects on residents).

11. Advanced Technologies, Drones, AI, and Data Practices:
Details of any use, piloting, or contracting for drones/unmanned aircraft
(e.g., for surveys, inspections, monitoring, recovery, or security
purposes), including compliance with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules
(Part 101/102, including recent 2025 changes).
Information on any integration of artificial intelligence (AI), machine
learning, or automated systems in council operations (e.g., data analysis,
predictive modelling, decision support).
Details of mass data collection practices (e.g., from sensors, imagery,
public sources), including privacy impact assessments, storage/retention
policies, sharing with third parties, and compliance with Privacy Act
2020.
For any such initiatives: rationale, partners/contractors, funding,
equity/multicultural considerations, public consultation, and
evaluations/outcomes.

If any information is withheld, please provide specific grounds under the
LGOIMA. I am happy to discuss refining the scope if parts are too broad or
to receive information in stages.Thank you for your assistance in
promoting openness and accountability.

Yours faithfully,

citizen101HB
4120

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