Where in the Unitary Plan has the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy been incorporated?
Hana Blackmore made this Official Information request to Auckland Council
The request was partially successful.
From: Hana Blackmore
Dear Auckland Council,
The Weed Management Policy adopted by Council in August 2013 had as its very first action:
“1a incorporate the vision and objectives of the weed management policy into the Unitary Plan, the review of the RPMS, and other relevant Auckland Council or CCOs plans, policies and strategies as they are developed or reviewed by providing appropriate input during the consultation phase. (pp16)”
At the Unitary Plan hearings I specifically drew this action to the attention of the Judge, who directed a side question at Council Officers in attendance as to why they had not addressed this in their earlier submission to him.
I request that Council urgently direct me to the SPECIFIC SECTION AND SPECIFIC TEXT where the "vision and objectives of the Weed Mangment Policy 2013" have been incorporated into the Draft Unitary Plan.
Yours faithfully,
Hana Blackmore
From: Hana Blackmore
Dear Auckland Council,
This request is now overdue by 5 working days. As the matter is now URGENT due to the fact that the Unitary Plan will go through its final consideration and adoption within the month, I require an immediate reply.
I am hugely concerned that this delay is deliberate. Even the lawful option of appealing to the Ombudsman will be too late for any amendment to be put if Council has not included the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy into the Plan as required.
Please respond immediately.
Yours faithfully,
Hana Blackmore
From: Official Information
Auckland Council
RE Official Information request Where in the Unitary Plan has the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy been incorporated.html
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038 Hrg Auckland Council Supplementary Closing Remarks Appendix draft provisions post hearing.pdf
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Good morning Hana,
Attached is the response that was sent to yourself directly on 20 June. Any further enquiries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact the unitary plan team direct.
Kind Regards,
Grace Heinemann
Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
-----Original Message-----
From: Hana Blackmore [mailto:[FOI #4133 email]]
Sent: Monday, 18 July 2016 10:58 a.m.
To: Official Information
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Where in the Unitary Plan has the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy been incorporated?
Dear Auckland Council,
This request is now overdue by 5 working days. As the matter is now URGENT due to the fact that the Unitary Plan will go through its final consideration and adoption within the month, I require an immediate reply.
I am hugely concerned that this delay is deliberate. Even the lawful option of appealing to the Ombudsman will be too late for any amendment to be put if Council has not included the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy into the Plan as required.
Please respond immediately.
Yours faithfully,
Hana Blackmore
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From: Hana Blackmore
Dear Official Information,
Having worked my way laboriously through the amendments provided, I conclude that the Visions and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy (MWP) have NOT been incorporated into the Unitary Plan as required under the Action Plan of the WMP.
Under official information I require
1. confirmation of this 'non-incorporation' into the Unitary Plan in WRITING from Council
2. an explanation from the responsible officer(s) implementing the WMP as to why this was not done, and
3. a copy of the decision making report and/or minutes and/or correspondence involved in any consideration of this decision - both before my FYI request and any correspondence after my request (including any correspondence with the Unitary Plan team and/or any of the commissioners hearing evidence).
Yours sincerely,
Hana Blackmore
From: Unitary Plan
Auckland Council
Good morning Hana
RE The incorporation of the Auckland Council Weed Management Policy into
the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan
Thank you for your query about whether the visions and objectives of the
2013 Weed Management Policy have been incorporated into the Proposed
Auckland Unitary Plan.
The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) is a comprehensive plan for the
whole of Auckland, and replaces the existing Regional Policy Statement and
13 existing district and regional plans.
While the PAUP does not include a verbatim recital of the vision and
objectives of the ‘Auckland Council Weed Management Policy for parks and
open spaces’ 13 August 2013 (the Policy) the matters referred to in the
vision and objectives of the Policy are addressed in various parts of the
PAUP.
The PAUP also includes specific reference to the Regional Pest Management
Strategy (RPMS) in several relevant chapters. As detailed in its
introduction, the Regional Pest Management Strategy is also one of the
regulatory tools used to implement the vision and objectives of the
Policy. Information on the RPMS can be found on the Council website at:
[1]http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/en...
Other legislation enables the implementation of the Policy; including the
Biosecurity Act, Health and Safety at Work Act and Hazardous Substances
and New Organisms Act.
Measures included in Objective 1 of the Policy such as prevention and
control, as well as measures in Objective 6 to protect and enhance the
environment are largely addressed in the activity tables and relevant
standards for a number of Auckland-wide chapters of the plan, such as the
following:
· Rules for activities such as pest plant removal, and channel
clearance within freshwater bodies, including standards that are required
to be met are contained within Chapter E3 – Lakes, rivers, streams and
wetlands.
· Rules for works on trees such as biosecurity tree works and pest
plant removal of trees within public open spaces, including standards that
are required to be met are contained in Chapter E16 – Trees in open space
zones.
· Rules for works on trees such as biosecurity tree works and pest
plant removal within roads, including standards that are required to be
met are contained in Chapter E17 – Trees in roads.
· Rules for vegetation management activities such as biosecurity
tree works and pest plant removal in riparian and coastal margins and
within overlays, and relevant standards that are required to be met are
contained in E15 – Vegetation management and biodiversity.
· Provisions specifically for infrastructure providers are also
contained within Chapter E26 – Infrastructure.
Objectives 3, 4 and 5 of the Policy refer to the use of agrichemicals
(including herbicides). Within the PAUP, these matters are addressed
within the provisions of Chapter E34 – Agrichemicals and vertebrate toxic
agents, particularly Objective 1 and Policies 1 (a-e).
With reference to Objective 7, education and advocacy, including
programmes and toolkits to increase understanding on “pest animals and
weeds and biosecurity” is included within the regional policy statement of
the PAUP at Chapter B1. Ngā take matua ā-rohe – Issues of regional
significance as one of the non-regulatory methods to implement it.
Discharges of contaminants are also addressed within the Auckland-wide
chapters of the PAUP.
This response does not include an explanation of why the Policy has not
been incorporated, or related correspondence, as no such express decision
was made.
In terms of your query about the decision-making report, and any
consideration of the PAUP, the content of the PAUP was heard by subject
matter / topic by the Auckland Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel
(the Panel). The hearing topic numbers for the PAUP Chapters referred to
above are set out below:
· 046/047 – Chapter E3 - Lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands
· 025 – Chapter E16 - Trees in open space zones
· 025 – Chapter E17 - Trees in roads.
· 023 – E15 - Vegetation management and biodiversity.
· 038 – Chapter E34 - Agrichemicals and vertebrate toxic agents,
particularly Objective 1 and Policies 1 (a-e).
The details for mediation, and evidence presented to the Panel on each
topic can be found on the Panel website under the relevant topic number at
the following location: [2]http://www.aupihp.govt.nz/
The hearings commenced in September 2014 and concluded in May this year.
The Panel listening to all evidence were required to produce
recommendations to council on thePAUP.
You can find the recommendations of the Panel on these topics, including
their reasons for decisions taken on the Council website at the following
location:
[3]http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/pl...
These are recommendations by The Panel and are not a Council report.
Council is required to publicly notify its decisions on recommendations by
19 August 2016, clearly setting out whether each recommendation is
accepted or rejected.
Regards
Therese
Therese Strickland | Team Leader Planning Technicians
Unitary Plan
Plans and Places
Phone 021 943 497
Auckland Council, Level 24, 135 Albert Street, Auckland
Visit our website: : [4]www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Hana Blackmore
[[5]mailto:[FOI #4133 email]]
Sent: Sunday, 7 August 2016 2:53 p.m.
To: Official Information
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Where in the Unitary Plan has
the Vision and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management Policy been
incorporated?
Dear Official Information,
Having worked my way laboriously through the amendments provided, I
conclude that the Visions and Objectives of the 2013 Weed Management
Policy (MWP) have NOT been incorporated into the Unitary Plan as required
under the Action Plan of the WMP.
Under official information I require
1. confirmation of this 'non-incorporation' into the Unitary Plan in
WRITING from Council 2. an explanation from the responsible officer(s)
implementing the WMP as to why this was not done, and 3. a copy of the
decision making report and/or minutes and/or correspondence involved in
any consideration of this decision - both before my FYI request and any
correspondence after my request (including any correspondence with the
Unitary Plan team and/or any of the commissioners hearing evidence).
Yours sincerely,
Hana Blackmore
-----Original Message-----
Good morning Hana,
Attached is the response that was sent to yourself directly on 20 June.
Any further enquiries regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to
contact the unitary plan team direct.
Kind Regards,
Grace Heinemann
Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[6][FOI #4133 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
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