Our Nelson 181 – 25 October 2023

Nelson City Council agrees to government recovery support package
Nelson City Council elected members agreed on Thursday, 19 October 2023, to a cost-sharing package with central government worth up to $12.3 million to support the city’s recovery from the severe weather event in August 2022.
Community consultation will take place on one aspect of the package; a proposal to buy out up to 14 affected properties.
“The decision to formally accept the Government’s offer is another important step in our recovery work,” says Nelson Mayor Nick Smith. “The decision is consistent with our objectives of building back better, supporting families with badly damaged properties and managing the cost pressures on ratepayers.”
The decision to authorise the Chief Executive to enter into an agreement with the Crown, subject to consultation, follows the offer from central government in August 2023 of up to $12.3 million in a package of recovery measures that includes:
Up to $6 million for the betterment of slips on Council-owned land that are affecting residential properties;
A lump sum of $300,000 to monitor the Tāhunanui Slump, which will cover a period of 10 years at $30,000 per annum;
Up to $6 million as a 50% contribution to support the buyout of up to 14 properties where the landslide risk is too high for those property owners to return to their homes and the cost to mitigate that risk is prohibitive.
In addition, central government has made a commitment that an accommodation allowance will be made available to families experiencing acute financial hardship where they are paying a mortgage on a home they cannot live in and their insurance-funded support to cover the cost of a rental property has run out.
Elected members have agreed to consult with the community on the private property buyout measure, as part of the consultation on the Long Term Plan 2024-34, expected to occur in March-April 2024. This package is based on 50% of any buyouts with a cap of $6 million and will require Council to fund its 50% share of the buyouts and associated costs.
On the flipside, the $6 million betterment portion of the offer will reduce the $17.3 million of expenditure approved by Council in May 2023 to address slips originating on Council land. It means the costs to Council of that portion of work will decrease to $11.3 million.
Mayor Nick says for the families still affected by the August 2022 weather event, this support package provides a way forward.
“The next step is for Council to formally consult, as is required by the Local Government Act, on the support package for buying out affected property owners. Unlike the North Island Councils, Nelson City Council does not have access to the special legislation passed in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle that enabled a truncated process. This consultation will take some time but will provide the public and affected property owners with the opportunity to comment and have input into the principles for the buyouts.
“These families are in limbo with few options on a way forward. I’m pleased that after extensive lobbying for additional government support to help these residents and offset the cost to ratepayers, this cost-sharing package was offered to Council. The package is similar to government support offered to North Island communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland rainfall events.”

Pressing play on a Nelson city destination playground
Rutherford Park has been confirmed as the site of a new destination playground that will cater for all ages.  
The playground is part of Council’s Te Ara ō Whakatū strategy for Nelson’s city centre, which aims to encourage people to visit, spend time and live in the city.  
Rutherford Park was confirmed as the location for the new playground by elected members at a Nelson City Council meeting on Thursday 19 October. The playground will be positioned alongside the Maitai Shared Pathway to the south of the “Old Lumpy” skate area.
The project has a budget of $3.8million, including a grant of $2.45m from the Government's Better Off Funding. The next step for the playground is to seek the views of iwi and the community on its design and equipment. Read the full story at: our.nelson.govt.nz/stories/pressing-play-on-a-nelson-city-destination-playground

One more week to have your say on Plan Change 29!
Council is proposing significant changes to the Nelson Resource Management Plan to allow greater intensity of housing and better rules for managing storm and seismic risks.
The housing changes are being made in response to an increasing population, insufficient housing in the region, and to fulfil Council’s obligations under the Government’s National Policy Statement for Urban Development 2020.
As well as changes to help address Nelson’s existing housing challenges, the plan change proposes updates related to heritage and natural hazards.
We want to hear from you!
The closing date for submissions on Plan Change 29 - Housing and Hazards is 4:00pm on Tuesday 31 October, please visit shape.nelson.govt.nz/plan-change-29 to make a submission.
Need need help making a submission?
An independent advisor is available to help submitters. There is no cost to you for this service. The Friend of Submitters advisor is available for one-on-one appointments and phone consults at NMIT (Mahitahi Colab building, 322 Hardy Street).
You can also attend the final Friend of Submitters clinic on:
Thursday 26 October 2023, 9am – 4pm
Bookings are essential! Please call 021 0843 5559 to secure a spot.
Need more information?
You can attend a drop-in session with Council planners during the day. Please email environmental.planning@ncc.govt.nz to make a booking.

eBus Route 1 diversion
The Mask Carnivale returns on Friday 27 October. To ensure the event can go ahead safely, eBus Route 1 will be diverted. Instead of its usual route and stops along Selwyn Place, Collingwood and Halifax Streets, it will travel down Rutherford Street directly to the depot on all of its journeys in and out of the city for the entire day. 

Can Nelson emulate Christchurch’s revitalisation? 
Award-winning landscape architect John Potter has seen first-hand the transformative power of smart city design. 
John has been at the forefront of landscape architecture in New Zealand for more than two decades, and works for Boffa Miskell, the team leading design on Whakatū Nelson’s Bridge to Better project. 
John worked on the largest-ever public realm transformation undertaken in New Zealand, Te Papa Ōtākaro/Avon River Precinct and City Promenade in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, which was critical to the rebuild of Christchurch following the 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes.  
One of the many success stories of Te Papa Ōtākaro is the Riverside Market. With 30 independent food outlets and 40 fresh produce stalls, Riverside Market is now one of Christchurch’s must-dos for tourists, as well as much loved by locals working and living in the inner city. 
Oxford Terrace is another area transformed into a shared space. With rain gardens and new plantings, it’s a lively place with a strong connection to the river, buzzing with people visiting shops, bars and restaurants.   
John believes urban streets should be welcoming spaces for people to congregate, socialise, shop, and dine.  
“There’s a whole series of positives behind having vibrant streets that attract people to the city centre, making it a great place to come and spend time, and money, in,” says John. 
John is excited about the Bridge to Better project and its potential to make the area a destination. With community engagement just starting he wants people to think innovatively about how redesigning Bridge Street could create people-centric spaces and support local businesses. 
According to John, clever urban design means building in flexibility – meaning a street, or an urban area can be used in different ways at different times. In the inner city, it’s about creating space where both people and businesses can thrive.  
“It’s about getting the balance right and thinking cleverly about how we can best use the space that we have. If you make it an attractive environment, it becomes a place where people want to come and spend time."
The experiences of businesses and communities in other centres that have had similar revitalisation projects has been overwhelmingly positive. The projects have brought people back into the city, made them feel positive about where they live, and have been good for local business.  
John says the Bridge to Better project will have a range of great outcomes.  
“It’s all about having conversations. What do we want to see in our inner-city streets, how do we want to use them, and how do we design and allocate the space accordingly.”
For the full story, visit: 
our.nelson.govt.nz/stories/can-nelson-emulate-christchurchs-revitalisation

Proposed road closures
Event: Sanitarium Weet-bix Kids TRYathlon 
Proposed Closures: Tāhunanui Recreation Reserve, Beach Road, Golf Road, Hounsell Circle, Waikare Street, Bisley Walk, Centennial Road, Green Street – Western end from Roto Street 
Date and time of scheduled closure: Sunday 10 March 2024. Closed between 6:00am – 1:00pm 
The roads will be closed. Resident/business vehicle access will be available when safe and directed by the contractor. 
Feedback for proposed closures to be given by: Wednesday 8 November 2023 
Email: enquiries@ncc.govt.nz  
Post: Nelson City Council, PO Box 645, Nelson 7040, Attention: Gillian Dancey 
For all road closure information visit nelson.govt.nz/road-closures  

What is Bridge to Better?
A major infrastructure project in the inner city that will: 
provide capacity for hundreds of city centre homes
build the resilience of Nelson’s three waters infrastructure
revitalise Bridge Street. 
Community engagement 
is now open. 
Council wants to hear your views on Nelson’s city centre and what a better Bridge Street looks like to you. 
For more information, to view our engagement and project timeline, or to provide feedback, visit: shape.nelson.govt.nz/bridge-better. 
Visit our.nelson.govt.nz to read our series of stories and interviews on Bridge to Better.

Meetings
 The following meetings of the Nelson City Council have been scheduled. 
Council meeting
9am	26 Oct
Joint Nelson Tasman Regional Transport Committee - Tasman District Council Chamber, 189 Queen Street, Richmond
9am	27 Oct
Regional Pest Management Joint Committee - Tasman District Council Chamber, 189 Queen Street, Richmond
9.30am	3 Nov
Saxton Field Committee - Boardroom, Sports House, 142 Saxton Road East, Saxton Field Complex, Nelson
9.30am	7 Nov
Council meeting
9am	9 Nov
Joint Committee of Tasman District and Nelson City Councils
10.30am	14 Nov
Nelson Regional Sewerage Business Unit
9.30am	17 Nov
Audit, Risk and Finance Committee
9am	24 Nov
Chief Executive Employment Committee - Mayor's Office, Floor 2B, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
2pm	24 Nov
Joint Shareholders Committee - Tasman District Council Chamber, 189 Queen Street, Richmond
9.30am	28 Nov
Civil Defence Emergency Management Group - Emergency Operations Centre, 28 Oxford Street, Richmond
1.30pm	28 Nov