eastern bay of plenty joint committee

EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY JOINT COMMITTEE

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the next meeting of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee will be held in the Kawerau District Council Chambers, 21 – 23 Islington Street, Kawerau on

Tuesday, 2 March 2020, commencing at 1.00pm

Russell George Chief Executive Officer Kawerau District Council

Membership

Chairperson: Mayor Malcolm Campbell (Kawerau District Council)

Deputy Chairperson: Mayor Lyn Riesterer (Opotiki District Council

Appointees: Mayor Judy Turner, Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles (Whakatāne District Council); Mayor Malcolm Campbell, Deputy Mayor Faylene Tunui (Kawerau District Council); Mayor Lyn Riesterer, Councillor Steve Nelson (Ōpōtiki District Council); Councillor Bill Clark, Councillor Toi Kai Rakau Iti, Councillor Norm Bruning – Alternate (Bay of Plenty Regional Council)

Committee Advisor: Theresa Barnett (Kawerau District Council)

AGENDA Page

APOLOGIES Mayor Judy Turner and Simon Appleton

PUBLIC FORUM

ITEM 01 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES – EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

JOINT COMMITTEE 2 DECEMBER 2020

ITEM 02 2021 – 2031 LONG TERM PLAN, BAY OF PLENTY REGIONAL COUNCIL

(Stephanie MacDonald, Community Engagement Team Leader, Bay of Plenty Regional Council)

ITEM 03 EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY – JIANGXI UPDATE REPORT

(Simon Appleton, CEO Eastern Bridge Ltd)

ITEM 04 2021 UPDATE FROM MAYORS/CHAIR ON

“CYCLE TRAIL UPDATE” (verbal update)

9 - 15

16 - 29

30 - 33

Membership

EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY JOINT COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE

Chairperson Elected by the Joint Committee at its first meeting each Triennium

Mayor Malcolm Campbell

Deputy Chairperson Mayor Lyn Riesterer

Members Two representatives from each:

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Kawerau District Council

Ōpōtiki District Council

Whakatāne District Council

Cr Bill Clark Cr Toi Kai Rākau Iti Cr Norm Bruning (Alternate) Mayor Malcolm Campbell Deputy Mayor Faylene Tunui Mayor Lyn Riesterer Cr Steve Nelson Mayor Judy Turner Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles

Quorum Four members, being half the number of members

Meeting frequency Quarterly

Purpose

To form, explore and make recommendations for strategic collaborative initiatives between the partner councils of Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC), Kawerau District Council (KDC), Ōpōtiki District Council (ODC) and Whakatāne District Council (WDC) for responding to and managing a range of Eastern Bay of Plenty issues.

For the purposes of the Joint Committee, “Eastern Bay of Plenty” is defined as the Territorial Authority areas of Kawerau District Council, Ōpōtiki District Council and Whakatāne District Council.

Role

The Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee is guided by the Terms of Reference and the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as agreed by the partner councils.

To make recommendations on the following:

Opportunities for joint collaboration on initiatives that support the needs of Eastern Bay of Plenty communities;

Coordination of and encouragement of beneficial interrelationships and connections between activities/services across the Eastern Bay of Plenty;

Mitigation of adverse cross boundary effects of decisions, planning and activities on other regions, cities and districts;

Resolution of differences and conflicts, and ensuring no surprises, where activities in one district may affect another;

Sharing of information, expertise, databases and research where there is a mutual interest and benefit;

Encouraging integration and consistency of planning across the Eastern Bay of Plenty;

Developing agreed positions as appropriate on matters of importance and major Government initiatives and, through each respective council, communicate these positions to Central Government and relevant national organisations;

Investigating opportunities for achieving cost efficiencies by sharing responsibilities and services;

Where appropriate and applicable, recommendations must be supported by cost-benefit analyses.

Joint Committee Procedures

Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee is established under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) and is therefore obligated to the requirements of the LGA and the requirements of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

A meeting is duly constituted if a quorum is present, whether or not all of the members are voting or entitled to vote.

Business may not be transacted at any meeting unless at least a quorum of members is present during the whole of the time at which the business is transacted.

The quorum at a meeting of EBOPJC is half of the members if the number of members (including vacancies) is even, or a majority of members if the number of members (including vacancies) is odd.

The members of the joint committee will engage with their respective councils on strategic issues under discussion and all councils will maintain their own operational inter-council relationships as normal.

The Chief Executive, or the Chief Executive’s representative, of each partner Council shall attend meetings and will act as advisors to the Joint Committee.

Meetings will be coordinated and recorded by staff from the partner Council as scheduled by the Joint Committee.

Meetings may be attended by further staff support as considered appropriate by their Chief Executive.

External speakers and participants, including mayors from territorial authorities who are not parties to EBOPJC, with specific interests in the items under discussion, may be invited to attend meetings.

Meetings will be held at times and in places set out in an agreed schedule.

Any formal public communications from meetings will be approved by the Joint Committee prior to release.

The Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson shall be determined, on an annual basis, by the process as set out at clause 25 of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Each Chairperson will have a term of one year.

A member cannot be appointed as the Chairperson, if either of the previous two Chairpersons were representatives of that member’s constituent Council.

Decisions on recommendations of the Committee shall be made in accordance with Clause 24 of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 – by vote of majority of members that are present and voting.

The Chairperson will have a deliberative vote.

In the case of equality of votes, the Chairperson does not have a casting vote and the status quo is preserved.

A Deputy Chair shall be determined by the process as set out at clause 25 of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002.

The Deputy Chair shall act in the absence of the Chairperson.

If a Chairperson resigns from their position before the end of their term, the Deputy Chair shall take their place and will serve out the remainder of the term as Chairperson.

If a Chairperson resigns and the Deputy Chair becomes Chairperson, cl 25 Schedule 7, LGA 2002 does not apply.

Nothing in this Terms of Reference precludes the Joint Committee from appointing an independent Chairperson.

If an independent Chairperson is appointed, they will also be appointed as a member and will continue to be a member until the end of their term.

Power to Act

To make all decisions necessary to fulfil the role of the Joint Committee subject to the limitations imposed.

Each Council participating in a joint initiative will fund its own proportion of that joint initiative as determined by the Joint Committee.

Power to Recommend

Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee is a joint committee of councils that make recommendations to the constituent councils.

PUBLIC FORUM

Public Forums are a defined period of time, usually at the start of a meeting, which, at the

discretion of a meeting, is put aside for the purpose of public input. Public Forums are designed

to enable members of the public to bring matters, not necessarily on the meeting’s agenda, to

the attention of the local authority.

Time Limits

A period of up to 30 minutes, or such longer time as the meeting may determine, will be available for the Public Forum at each scheduled meeting. Requests must be made to the Chief Executive (or their delegate) at least one clear day before the meeting; however this requirement may be waived by the Chairperson. Requests should also outline the matters that will be addressed by the speaker(s).

Speakers can speak for up to 5 minutes. No more than two speakers can speak on behalf of an organisation during a Public Forum. Where the number of speakers presenting in the Public Forum exceeds six in total, the Chairperson has discretion to restrict the speaking time permitted for all presenters.

Restrictions

The Chairperson has the discretion to decline to hear a speaker or to terminate a presentation at any time where:

• A speaker is repeating views presented by an earlier speaker at the same Public Forum;

• The speaker is criticising elected members and/or staff;

• The speaker is being repetitious, disrespectful or offensive;

• The speaker has previously spoken on the same issue;

• The matter is subject to legal proceedings; and

• The matter is subject to a hearing, including the hearing of submissions where the local authority or committee sits in a quasi-judicial capacity.

Questions at Public Forums

At the conclusion of the presentation, with the permission of the Chairperson, elected members may ask questions of speakers. Questions are to be confined to obtaining information or clarification on matters raised by a speaker.

No Resolutions

Following the Public Forum no debate or decisions will be made at the meeting on issues raised during the forum unless related to items already on the agenda.

Minutes - Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee Tuesday, 2 December 2020

Details of Meeting:

EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN THE ŌPŌTIKI DISTRICT COUNCIL CHAMBERS, COMMENCING AT 1.03PM

Present: Mayor Lyn Riesterer – Chairperson and Councillor Steve Nelson (Ōpōtiki District Council); Deputy Mayor Faylene Tunui (Kawerau District Council); Mayor Judy Turner, (Whakatāne District Council); Councillor Bill Clark (Bay of Plenty Regional Council)

In Attendance: Ōpōtiki District Council – Aileen Lawrie, CEO; Gerard McCormack, Planning and Regulatory Manager; Deputy Mayor Shona Browne; Councillors Barry Howe, Debi Hocart and David Moore; Gae Finlay, Executive Assistant & Governance Support Officer

Kawerau District Council – Russell George, CEO

Whakatāne District Council – David Bewley, General Manager Planning and Infrastructure(via Zoom)

Bay of Plenty Regional Council – Stephen Lamb, Environmental Strategy Manager

Visitors: Ian Morton and Karl Gradon (General Managers, Toi-EDA); Simon Appleton (Eastern Bridge Ltd); Cole O’Keefe (Lead Strategic Planner, Waka Kotahi) and Natalie van Rossen (Senior Planning Advisor, Waka Kotahi);

Professor Paul Clark (Director, North Asia CAPE) and Dean Withers (Programme Co-ordinator, North Asia CAPE), via Zoom

Apologies: Mayor Malcolm Campbell (Kawerau District Council); Councillor Toi Iti (Bay of Plenty Regional Council); Deputy Mayor Andrew Iles (Whakatāne District Council)

The Chairperson welcomed everyone to the meeting.

APOLOGIES

Mayor Malcolm Campbell; Councillor Toi Iti; Dep Mayor Andrew Iles

RESOLVED:

THAT the apologies be accepted.

Turner/Clark

CARRIED

PUBLIC FORUM

Nil.

1 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES – EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING 22

SEPTEMBER 2020

Refer to pages 8-13 of the agenda.

Transport Initiative - Kawerau

Deputy Mayor Tunui referred to the transport initiative with Kawerau, noting that a trial run is planned

for next week. She acknowledged the Regional Council’s response in relation to public transport for

the Kawerau community.

RESOLVED

That the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee:

1. Receives the minutes of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee meeting held on 22

September 2020.

Tunui/Nelson

CARRIED

Ian Morton, Karl Gradon and Stephen Lamb entered the meeting at 1.07pm.

2 PROFESSOR PAUL CLARK – DIRECTOR, NORTH ASIA CAPE (Centre of Asia Pacific Excellence)

Verbal item, via Zoom

Professor Paul Clark, Director of North Asia CAPE (Centre of Asia Pacific Excellence) stated that the idea

of North Asia CAPE came from Steven Joyce when he was Minister of Education. The Centre has been

operating for three or four years and has undertaken several programmes with Simon Appleton from

Eastern Bridge. Prior to the Covid pandemic, two groups were ready to travel to Jiangxi – a group of

15 New Zealand High School students studying Chinese and a group of around 10 who were interested

in having an internship and cultural immersion. It is hoped that some time in the future further trips

of this nature can be organised.

Professor Clark introduced Dean Withers, the Programme Co-ordinator for North Asia CAPE.

Dean Withers advised that interest in Japanese is being drummed up with High Schools, along with

virtual language exchanges. Half day workshops are also being run on how to do business in China,

Japan and Korea. Further, support to teachers in High Schools is being provided. Currently with

Japanese and Korean, with Chinese to be introduced. This is an area which North Asia CAPE want to

do more work in.

The Chairperson stated that the Eastern Bay Joint Committee is looking forward to continuing its

relationship with Jiangxi. Although what was hoped to be built during 2021 did not eventuate due to

Covid, it is hoped that the Committee can move on with some of the work in this space later next year

or in 2022.

(CAPE’S website address is www.northasiacape.org.nz)

3 URBAN FORM & TRANSPORT INITIATIVE AND WAKA KOTAHI UPDATE

The report and Safe Network Programme Update was tabled.

Cole O’Keefe (Lead Strategic Planner, Waka Kotahi) spoke to the report and a power point presentation

which focussed mainly on the area around Ōpōtiki.

The Chairperson questioned why it has taken so long for speed changes to be made, due to the number

of deaths, when the local Councils have been asking for the speed reductions. This was reiterated

several times.

Cole O’Keefe responded that Waka Kotahi team are now geared up to review and make changes. A

technical review will take place in early 2021.

Councillor Clark referred to the aspiration to have the Motu Trails connected back to Rotorua, and

queried what provisions have been made in Waka Kotahi’s construction plans to accommodate that.

Cole O’Keefe stated that local knowledge is considered when undertaking new projects. Having

available funding at the time is also a consideration. He will make the team aware of the matter raised

by Councillor Clark, and also raise timeframes with them.

Mayor Turner would like to see the ability to trial changes where there is clear evidence that a change

is needed.

Deputy Mayor Tunui noted that for the Kawerau community, State Highway 34 needs a speed review

and a new roundabout. She queried if those items are still planned for as they were not included in

http://www.northasiacape.org.nz/

today’s presentation. Deputy Mayor Tunui expressed support for temporary measures while a review

is being undertaken.

Cole O’Keefe will check on the issues raised by Deputy Mayor Tunui.

The Chairperson asked that for next year, the presentation is made relevant for the Eastern Bay only,

not the rest of the Bay.

Cole O’Keefe advised that Waka Kotahi has engaged with Whakatāne District Council re modal shift,

and will also be speaking to Kawerau and Ōpōtiki District Councils around this.

RESOLVED

THAT the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee:

1. Receives the Urban Form and Transport Initiative and Waka Kotahi Update Report.

Turner/Nelson

CARRIED

Karl Gradon left the meeting at 1.20pm and returned at 1.24pm

Ian Morton left the meeting at 1.22pm and returned at 1.27pm.

Gerard McCormack left the meeting at 1.29pm and returned at 1.34pm.

Deputy Mayor Browne left the meeting at 1.48pm and returned at 1.51pm.

Cole O’Keefe and Natalie van Rossen left the meeting at 1.52pm.

4 EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY – JIANGXI UPDATE REPORT


Simon Appleton spoke to the report. He advised that Jiangxi is struggling with Covid and is using

technology, which is more advanced that the New Zealand app, to track the spread.

Progressing Relationship with the Eastern Bay of Plenty

Jiangxi are keen to progress the Eastern Bay relationship, and this will be possible after the end of the

Chinese New Year in January-February.

The Bay of Plenty Centre in Jiangxi is still open. With regard to the proposed Jiangxi Centre in the Bay

of Plenty, Jiangxi has agreed to do a feasibility study, but that would not start until February 2021.

Solar Farms

The Chairperson advised that a letter has been received, addressed to the Joint Committee, from a

solar panel company in China intending to invest in solar farms in New Zealand. The company is

exploring a project option at Te Kaha.

Simon Appleton stated that the company could look at other areas in the region if there was a need.

The Company are looking at testing their business model and this is their first project outside of China.

Simon Appleton suggested acknowledging the letter and suggest looking at three projects across the

Eastern Bay.

Hongi Portal

An agreement has been signed with LGNZ in relation to the Hongi portal, and Eastern Bridge is also

working with the Chamber of Commerce. Simon Appleton showed the Committee the progress which

has been made with the Hongi portal on the screen.

RESOLVED


1. Receives the Eastern Bay of Plenty – Jiangxi Update Report.

Riesterer/Tunui

CARRIED

Deputy Mayor Shona Browne left the meeting at 2.25pm.

Councillor Hocart left the meeting at 2.45pm.

5 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE – EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY


Karl Gradon and Ian Morton handed out copies of the Toi-EDA Annual Report and spoke to the report,

alongside a powerpoint presentation.

The powerpoint presentation covered the following points:

• Winning Brand

• Sustainable Economic Development:

• What we are seeing

• What we are hearing

• Thriving Communities – Workforce

• Thriving Communities – Housing in the EBOP

• Digital Connectivity

• Building Relationships Over the Past Year

It was noted that free apprenticeships are now available as a result of PGF funding.

Karl Gradon acknowledged the Eastern Bay of Plenty Mayors for the leadership they have shown in

the Regional Growth Leadership Group (RGLG).

The Chairperson asked for a break in the presentation of Item 5 so that Item 6 could be considered prior

to Mayor Turner having to leave the meeting. Following consideration of Item 6, the presentation of

Item 5 continued.

In relation to Thriving Communities – Housing mention was made that MSD has based Julian Sewell in

Ōpōtiki to assist with the housing crisis.

With regard to Thriving Communities – Digital Connectivity, the Chairperson suggested a joint letter

from the four Councils in support of this work.

RESOLVED


1. Receives the report Economic Development Update – Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Riesterer/Nelson

CARRIED

Mayor Judy Turner left the meeting at 2.58pm.

Councillor David Moore left the meeting at 3.10pm.

The following item was considered during a break in Item 5.

6 CHAIRPERSON AND DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON FOR 2021

Refer to page 26 of the agenda.

Councillor Clark moved the recommendation that Mayor Malcolm Campbell be appointed as

Chairperson of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee for 2021 and Mayor Judy Turner be

appointed as Deputy Chairperson.

RESOLVED

That Mayor Malcolm Campbell be appointed as Chairperson of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint

committee for 2021 and Mayor Judy Turner be appointed as Deputy Chairperson.

Clark/Riesterer

CARRIED 7 2020 UPDATE FROM EACH COUNCIL – Verbal Item

Due to time constraints, the 2020 update from each Council will be held over to the next meeting.

The Chairperson noted the dates for 2021 meetings as 2 March, 2 June and 23 November. A date for

the September meeting is still to be confirmed.

(Subsequent to the meeting, 6 September 2021 was confirmed as the date for the September meeting).

THE MEETING FINISHED AT 3.20PM

Confirmed this

day of 2021.

Mayor Malcolm Campbell

CHAIRPERSON

2021-2031 Long Term Plan Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Introduction • We are setting our plan for the next 10 years, and

we need to know what you think, so we get it right for the region

• Through our Long Term Plan we’re looking to make decisions that provide multiple benefits to the community, now and over the next 10 years

• Now is the time to deliver on new projects, works and services

• This is your opportunity to have your say

What are we consulting on?

• Climate Change Projects

• Sustainability Initiatives

• Public Transport bus fares

• Regional Safety and Rescue Services fund

What climate change projects should we fund?

• Facilitating a co-ordinated approach to climate change risk assessment and adaptation plans for the region (up to $250k over three years)

• Facilitating and supporting community conversations

around adaptation (up to $600k over three years)

• Run a community Climate Change Forum ($35k)

• Supporting engagement and education around climate

change to business organisations and households ($200k

over three years)

Whether we should help households pay for sustainability initiatives?

• Increasing local renewable electricity generation would also build resilience and reduce reliance on the national grid

• We would like to know whether you support Regional Council providing loans as incentives for households to install sustainability initiatives

Transport

• Regional Council provides bus services in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne urban areas, and connector routes with Western Bay, Ōpōtiki, Kawerau and rural Whakatāne district.

• In 2019 the Public Transport Committee approved scope for a Regional Fare Review with goals of: Increasing patronage Reducing CO2 emissions Providing equitable transport Encouraging mode shift behaviour

We want to know from you…

• Whether to implement free bus fares for school children

• Whether to implement free bus fares for tertiary students

• Whether to implement free bus fares for Community Services Card holders

• Whether to implement flat fares for buses

Should we introduce a targeted rate to provide funding for charitable regional safety and rescue services?

• Charitable regional safety and rescue services like Search and Rescue and Surf Lifesaving New Zealand provide vital services to both local people in our community and visitors to our region

• The current approach to funding RSRS providers has inefficiencies for service providers and Councils as it provides little certainty of future funding, results in competition, means resources are spent applying for funding, and creates inter-regional disparities

Yes u

Yes u

What are the options?

• The level of service would remain at a similar level as currently provided.

• Yes up to $200,000 per annum

• p to $400,000 per annum

• p to $600,000 per annum

What will it cost you?

• The General Rates increase is 5.8% in 2021/22, then under 3% per annum

• On average this is $16 per property

• Targeted rates increase by 8.9% in 2021/22, and the cost per household depends on the services that household receives

RLTP Consultation 1. The draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 aims to shift the

focus of our investment strategy to better provide for alternative modes of transport (walking, cycling, buses and micro-mobility) and move away from continued car dependency. Do you think this is a positive shift?

2. Climate change poses a significant challenge to our region. Do you think the draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 does enough to support changing the way we travel, provide more sustainable forms of transport, and assist in reducing emissions to contribute to our climate change responsibilities?

RLTP Consultation (cont)

3. The draft Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 includes a number of projects, within the prioritised list of activities that aim to reflect a desire to further utilise alternative modes of transport and mitigate the effects of climate change. Do you think the prioritised list of activities will help to achieve these desires?

4. Do you have any other comments you would like to make regarding the draft Regional Land Transport Plan

Fees and Charges • Resource Management Act and Building Act fees and

charges. • Flood Protection and Drainage Bylaw fees and charges. • Port Charges for vessels over 1000 gross tonnage under

the Navigation Safety Bylaw

Page 28

Ngā mihi

Page 29

Subject: EBOP – Jiangxi Update

To: EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY JOINT COMMITTEE

Meeting Date: Tuesday 2 March 2021

Written by: Simon Appleton, CEO, Eastern Bridge

File Reference:

1 PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT

• The provide an update on the Eastern Bay of Plenty – Jiangxi Relationship 2 BACKGROUND

The Eastern Bay of Plenty – Jiangxi Relationship was formally launched with the assistance of Eastern Bridge in 2019 to promote Economic and Community cooperation between the two regions.

3 RELEVANCE TO EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

The Jiangxi relationship provides a conduit from the Eastern Bay of Plenty to China, New Zealand’s biggest export education and export markets as well as New Zealand’s second largest source of international tourism.

The three Eastern Bay of Plenty Districts are the foundation of the relationship and while other councils, businesses or organisations may be invited to join the relationship it is ultimately the Eastern Bay’s relationship.

4 DISCUSSION

Jiangxi Update

Since the November report, there has been limited activity concerning the sister-province relationship.

The Bay of Plenty Centre in Jiangxi is temporarily closed due to the Spring Festival and a recent outbreak of Covid19. The centre will reopen in early March. A web-camera will be installed in the centre, allowing interested parties to view the centre's main room.

EBOP – Jiangxi Update 2 of 4

Eastern Bridge arranged Chinese New Year greetings for the Provincial, Xinyu, Fuzhou and Yingtan Foreign Affairs Offices. They have sent reciprocal greetings to the Eastern Bay districts and Bay of Plenty government.

Following the Spring Festival holiday, the Jiangxi Foreign Affairs Office wants to refocus on the Jiangxi- EBOP relationship. They are still eager to progress the projects previously identified.

Eastern Bridge has hired David Fielden to take an active role in supporting the New Zealand side of the Jiangxi-EBOP relationship. David, formally an Economic Development Manager in the Waikato, brings a range is skills and experience in investment attraction and trade facilitation. Eastern Bridge has also signed a contract with an Education specialist who will assist in exchanges and international student attraction from 2022.

Hongi Update

Development of the Hongi Information portal is continuing.

As of March 1st, the Hongi Portal will be live. Local Government New Zealand has endorsed the platform and will be promoting it across their network.

Pages of relevance for the EBOP include

• National information: www.hongi.co.nz • Bay of Plenty information: www.hongi.co.nz/bay-of-plenty • Whakatane: www.hongi.co.nz/whakatane • Opotiki: www.hongi.co.nz/opotiki • Kawerau: www.hongi.co.nz/kawerau

The portal promotes EBOP tourism and international education. It raises awareness of local projects and products and a source of news and information for migrants and locals.

We want local news and council updates to be included on the portal. It would be helpful if the EBOP councils provide connections to their communications teams.

5 CONCLUSION

The EBOP-Jiangxi relationship remains strong and continues to have the support of the Jiangxi Provincial Government.

While the last 12 months have seen slow progress in the development of the relationship, this will change following the rollout of Covid19 vaccines.

Eastern Bridge has also remained committed to the relationship, having hired new staff to support investment attraction, trade facilitation and education. Hongi has also completed work on the Hongi news, and information portal, which it expects will be the primary promotion tool for the EBOP in China.

http://www.hongi.co.nz/

http://www.hongi.co.nz/bay-of-plenty

http://www.hongi.co.nz/whakatane

http://www.hongi.co.nz/opotiki

http://www.hongi.co.nz/kawerau


6 RECOMMENDATION

1. THAT the EBOP – Jiangxi Update report be received.

Attached to this report:

• Appendix 1 – Jiangxi news and updates

Report Authorisation

Report writer: Simon Appleton Job Title: CEO, Eastern Bridge

Final Approval: Russell George Job title: CEO, Kawerau District Council

Appendix 1: 7 Jiangxi News:

The following is a collection of notable updates, which may have relevance to the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Spring Festival: The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) took place in February. This annual holiday is the most significant in China. This year, holiday goers have restrictions on travel, and many government employees had their holidays postponed.

A New Year greeting from the EBOP has been sent to Jiangxi Province wishing them well for the Spring Festival.

Covid19 Jiangxi has traditionally been a significant source of migrant workers to the east coastal and southern cities, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. There is concern that returning migrant workers will lead to a spike in Covid19 cases following the Spring Festival.

The Jiangxi government started the Covid19 vaccination programme at the end of January. Medical and relevant military personnel have had their holidays deferred as the government priorities the rapid vaccination rollout.

Logistics Spring Airlines, an international Chinese airline, has established a branch company in Jiangxi. Spring Airlines intends to commence international flights from Jiangxi in 2021 to international destinations including South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.


In January 2021, the Jiangxi International Cargo Airlines was established with a nine-time weekly cargo flight between Nanchang and Liege, Belgium. Jiangxi government are open to exploring future air- cargo links in other international destinations.

The Jiangxi Ningbo-Zhoushan port is not operational. The projects include a network of inland ports in Jiangxi, complete with customs and inspection offices. The inland ports connect via rail to the port at Ningbo, a shipping hub for China. This project will reduce costs and processing times for internationally traded products.

Agriculture The Jiangxi Government, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and SF Express have piloted a programme to use drones to transport fruit from remote areas to pack houses. The programme, which shifted produce from 26,000 rural farms reduced freight time and spoilage due to transport.

Feile Kiwifruit, Jiangxi's largest kiwifruit producer (Chinese Gooseberry), has secured distribution rights in Beijing, and surrounding provinces.

Environmental The Jiangxi Government, in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, has imported a ban on all commercial fishing in Poyang Lake and Yangtze River. This is the latest in the string of new regulations to improve water quality within the province.

The government is now looking into sustainable fish farming, including incentives for fisheries companies to establish onshore fish farms.

eastern bay of plenty joint committee

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