Minutes of a meeting of the Forestry Advisory Group

Held in the Rūma Waimārama, Floor 2A, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson

On Tuesday 29 September 2020, commencing at 3.00p.m.

 

Present:              Mr J Murray (Chairperson), Her Worship the Mayor R Reese, Councillor R Sanson, Mr A Louverdis (Group Manager Infrastructure) and Mr P Gorman (Independent Forestry Expert)

In Attendance:    Councillor T Skinner, PF Olsen representative (S Nuske), LandVision Ltd representative (L Grant) and Governance Adviser (J Brandt)

Apologies :          Nil

 

 

1.       Apologies

There were no apologies.

2.       Confirmation of Order of Business

There was no change to the order of business.

3.       Interests

No interests with items on the agenda were declared.

Councillor Sanson, having sought legal advice, retracted an interest declared at the previous meeting regarding logging trucks passing schools – noting that this was relevant in relation to agenda item 8 (Forestry Update – Number 13).

Mr Murray noted updates to the interest register as follows:

·         First NZ Properties Limited – Director

·         Superstore Properties Limited – Director

·         Springs Road Property Limited – Director

·         Cameron Road Properties Limited – Director

·         Symonds 110 Limited – Director

·         Cranford Street Properties Limited – Director

 

4.       Confirmation of Minutes

4.1      30 June 2020

Document number M11985, agenda pages 5 - 9 refer.

Resolved FAG/2020/023

 

That the Forestry Advisory Group

1.    Confirms the minutes of the meeting of the Forestry Advisory Group, held on 30 June 2020, as a true and correct record.

Murray/Sanson                                                                             Carried

5.       Chairperson's Report   

There was no Chairperson’s report.

6        Feedback received on the Forestry Stewardship Council Accreditation Management Plan Consultation

6.1       Roger May, on behalf of Tomorrow’s Forests (submission 24891)

Mr May gave a verbal presentation of his submission. The speaking notes are attached (A2482367).

 

 

 

Attachments

1    A2482367 - Speaking Notes - Roger May, Tomorrow's Forests - Forestry Advisory Group 29Sep2020

6.2       Steven Gray, on behalf of Friends of the Maitai (submission 24888).

Mr Gray spoke about the Friends of the Maitai and their key concerns. He said many members remembered the Maitai differently from its current state - healthier and full of trout. He spoke about the impact of industrialised agriculture and the lack of transparency of processes, the ongoing planting of radiata pine, which the group saw as a contributor to the decline of the river, and would be for the next twenty years.

Mr Gray noted the group would like to see evidence of river health, and Council transitioning to a more sustainable model as a responsible forest owner.

Mr Gray said the Friends of the Maitai would like to see a workshop being held for all involved parties, for better transparency.

7.       Forestry Stewardship Council Accreditation

Document number R18124, agenda pages 10 - 119 refer.

Group Manager Infrastructure, Alec Louverdis, noted that the Forestry Stewardship accreditation deliberations report would focus on matters relating to the accreditation process.

Resolved FAG/2020/024

 

That the Forestry Advisory Group

1.    Receives the report Forestry Stewardship Council Accreditation (R18124) and its attachment (A2454016).

Murray/Sanson                                                                             Carried

 

8.       Forestry Update - Number 13

Document number R18193, agenda pages 120 - 200 refer.

Team Leader Parks and Facilities Activity Management, Paul Harrington, presented the report.

Mr Murray and Mr Gorman answered questions about the way the asset’s value was presented in the financials, confirming it was in accordance with standard accounting practice.

It was noted that the media appeared to have received incorrect information regarding forestry profits, and that this needed to be addressed.

Her Worship the Mayor raised a Point of Order against Councillor Sanson that her statement about the Forestry Advisory Group not being supportive of recreational activities was misleading. The Point of Order was upheld and Councillor Sanson retracted her statement and apologised.

Councillor Sanson raised a question about a decision made by the Forestry Advisory Group on 5 May 2020 to replant Marsden Forest block 42-06 in radiata pine.

The meeting adjourned from 4.17p.m. to 4.34p.m.

The Chief Executive, Pat Dougherty, joined the meeting and answered questions about the approach taken and the information provided regarding this block. Councillor Sanson requested that her concerns about the 5 May 2020 decision to replant the block in radiata pine, despite it being marked for alternative land use, be recorded in the minutes.

Mr Harrington answered questions about planned events through forestry and available mechanisms to maintain a balance between biodiversity and recreational activities.

Resolved FAG/2020/025

 

That the Forestry Advisory Group

1.        Receives the report Forestry Update - Number 13  (R18193) and its Attachments (A2448484, A2452835, A2463952, A2467795, and A2449823); and

Murray/Sanson                                                                             Carried

Resolved FAG/2020/026

 

2.    Agrees the following revised condition with respect to logging trucks passing schools along the defined route:

“No truck movements between 8.15-9.15am and 2.45-3.45pm during the school term and that speeds past schools be no greater than 30kph”

Her Worship the Mayor/Sanson                                                     Carried

       

 

There being no further business the meeting ended at 5.02p.m.

 

Confirmed as a correct record of proceedings:

 

 

 

                                                       Chairperson                                     Date