LGOIMA Requests

Date received: 30/09/2024

Requested information: Costs of maintenance of motor vehicles for 2022 and 2023

Status: Complete

Response:

We request a breakdown of the repairs and maintenance, registration, warrant of fitness (WoF) and tyres please. 

Summary for year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 

Repairs & maintenance $34,862.34 

Registration and WOF $11,958.97  

Tyres         $22,763.99 

TOTAL         $69,585.30 

 

Summary for year 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 

Repairs & maintenance $63,698.10 

Registration and WOF $08,748.40 

Tyres         $21,157.48 

TOTAL         $93,603.98 

 

In your response you state 'vehicles are replaced regularly and therefore the figures would not be a true reflection'.  What is the replacement cycle of vehicles? 

Vehicle replacement policy 

Management of the Council fleet will be organised through the Chief Executive. 

Cars 

Either 100,000 km or 4 years whichever occurs first, or otherwise as recommended by the Chief Executive. 

Utilities 

Either 120,000 km or 4 years whichever occurs first, or otherwise as recommended by the Chief Executive. 

With the time period between ordering and delivery, our vehicles are normally utilised for 5 years and 120/140,000kms   

Where are the vehicles sourced from? 

Vehicles are sourced directly from the Manufacturer as part of the “All of Government Contract” where applicable.  

The following suppliers have been used during the last 4 years; 

Toyota NZ Ltd 

Mitsubishi Motors NZ Ltd 

TRC Toyota 

Brent Smith Trailers Ltd 

TRC Tractors 

Robertson Holden 

Ford Motor Company of NZ 

Kobe Commercials Napier 

Kobelco New Zealand 

ELB Equipment  

What is the cost per annum for replacement vehicles - and can you please provide budget versus actual. 

Cost per annum for replacement Vehicles varies depending upon the replacement cycle of vehicles, for example - 2022/2023 

Motor Vehicle Renewals include all vehicle types ie. Cars, Utes, Excavators, Trailers & Equipment 

  

The variation and high budget allowance showing is due to a freeze on purchases from 2020/2022 due to Covid, so the vehicle budget has been rolled over for the past few years.      

We have had a delay in replacing our Infrastructure vehicles for the 2023/24 year whilst we awaited the Three Waters decision and then awaited the release of new models of vehicles from the manufacturers which delayed the purchase and delivery by 8 or so months so funds have been carried over due to this also.  

How many vehicles owned by MDC attract Fringe Benefit Tax. 

3 Dedicated/Allocated Vehicles (including the mayor’s) not in overnight compound 

2 Dedicated/Allocated Vehicles which remain in the overnight compound 

On Avg. in a 3-month Fringe Benefit Tax cycle - 5 Pool vehicles may attract Fringe benefit tax from overnight use due to travelling out of district  

You state in your reply that MDC owns 56 vehicles which includes cars/utes/trailers/specialised eg generators/diggers etc.  However, you only list 10 vehicles as pool vehicles and 25 allocated to staff for exclusive use which totals 35 vehicles. 

What are the other 21 vehicles and what use or purpose do they have? 

My apologies for the confusion.      

The 25 vehicles allocated to staff for exclusive use are “motorised vehicles” ie cars/utilities 

The other 21 vehicles are vehicles utilised by our Reticulation and Wastewater Treatment Plants, our Plant Nursery, Emergency Management and our Community Play Trailer. 

These include vehicles such as:      Generators x 2, a Digger, Tractor, Side x Side (both the Waste Water Treatment plant and the Nursery have one), Nursery Trailers, Skyes Pump Trailer, Emergency Management Trailer, Community Play Trailer. 

Our Vehicle Fleet was managed by an external company until 01 February of this year when we took total management back in house.    This is making reporting and actual tracking of our vehicle operations expenditure easier to identify and for changes to be made to help reduce our overall costs moving forward. 

Date received: 19/09/2024

Requested information: All documents/information pertaining to the removal of the walk bridge at Almadale Reserve.

Status: Complete

Response:

The information you have requested is below and in the attached documents.

Below is the timeline around the decision to removal the walk bridge;

December 2018: Council Senior Structural Engineer inspected the bridge and identified several structural areas of concern.

As a result of the recommendations from the structural assessment, Council undertook a load assessment and a review of the painting and erosion of the structure and reduced maximum occupancy to no more than 3 people at any one time.

February 2019: Council contracted WSP/Opus to undertake a full condition assessment of the bridge.

Council then engaged contractors to action the recommendations of the Opus report.

February 2023: Significant flood event due to Cyclone Gabriel. This caused significant damage:

1. Excessive stress put on guide wires

2. Some cross bracing was revealed, showing excessive corrosion and lack of structural strength.

3. The true left bank was washed away to the extent that the wooden steps were at risk of collapse.

4. Council’s Project Engineer recommended that the bridge be closed to pedestrians with steps removed and rails put up to prevent admittance to the structure.

February 2023: WSP/Opus Structural Engineers engaged to carry out a full structural inspection of the bridge following Cyclone Gabriel.

See attached email dated Tuesday 21 February 2023 for report findings and recommendations of the flood damaged bridges, including Almadale Bridge.

1. WSP/Opus identified that the cost of this would come to a considerable amount and would only return a live load capacity i.e. Maximum no more than 3 persons on the bridge at any one time.

2. WSP/Opus suggested that a full replacement of the bridge might be a more cost-effective solution.

OPUS report 15/01/2019 estimated a maintenance cost over the next 25 years to be $127,000 ex GST. This was prior to Cyclone Gabriel.

Following Cyclone Garbriel in 2023, the cost of this work increased significantly due to significant catastrophic damage to the bridge. Repairs would not have resulted in a fit of purpose product that was financially viable.

Engineers advised the bridge needed to be removed as a health and safety priority and this was actioned by Council officers.

MDC has no current budget allocated to replace the bridge.

See attached various emails: Council reached out to NZDF to see if they had capacity to undertake an engineering exercise to remove and replace the existing bridge, due to the prohibitive costs associated with replacement.

Unfortunately working in collaboration with NZDF was not feasible at the time and funding was not available for this.

Date received: 18/09/2024

Requested information: All Documents/information in relation to CCR79236, Stormwater discharge issues between 37 and 39 Haggitt Street

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 11/09/2024

Requested information: Over road structures and the corresponding signage

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 10/09/2024

Requested information: Information about Wall Walk courses attended by staff the over last three years

Status: Complete

Response:

The information you have requested is below and in this link – LG_2293_Release_of_information.zip

1. The total number of staff sent to courses run by wall walks in each of the last three years. Please break down number of staff sent by year.  
2022 – 19 staff attended one Wall Walk course. 
2023 – 31 staff attended the Wall Walk over three different courses. 
2024 – 27 staff attended the Wall Walk over two different courses.  

2. Please indicate what course/workshop/training each staff member was involved in is called.  
The training course is called The Wall Walk. 

3. The total amount spent on sending staff to Wall Walks courses over the last three years. Please break the total amount spent on sending staff to Wall Walks courses down by year.  
The Wall Walk is a collaborative activity that we have run with other Councils. This ensures cost efficiency for all involved and makes it easier to maintain the number of participants without compromising customer service.  Total costs for Wall Walks, including venue, over the past three years are as follows: 
2022 Manawatu District Council total cost for 19 staff on one course                     $1532.34 
2023 Manawatu District Council total cost for 31 staff over three courses             $2833.25 
2024 Manawatu District Council total cost for 27 staff over two courses                $3110.56 
Total                                                                                                                            $7,476.15  

4. The value of any other funding provided to wall walks, broken down by date, funding purpose, office location and amount.  
There was $Nil funding provided to Wall Walks other than those shown in Response 3. 

5. Please provide emails, reports, messages or any other correspondence for the reasoning of staff being sent on these courses and specify whether participation in these courses was compulsory or not. 
Attendance on Wall Walks was encouraged via Managers, email and internal webpages; at no time was it made a compulsory. A copy of a typical email to participants is provided. See documents in link 

6. Please provide a copy of documentation including but not limited to emails, reports, messages or any other correspondence that explains the content included in the course or description of activities undertaken through wall walks, or any associated courses/training. 
A Word copy of an email to participants is provided as are the documents sent to those participants.  Note that the internal documents are guided by the material provided by the Wall Walk; which are also provided. See documents in the link 

7. Please provide emails, reports, messages or any other correspondence for any measurable outcomes from your agency attending Wall Walk courses.  
We do not formally measure outcomes for the Wall Walk however verbal feedback received always centres around the amount of new information that our people have learnt from researching their topic and listening to the presentations delivered by other groups and the Wall Walk presenter.  People will often say that they wished that they had been taught our own history, warts and all, at school instead of historical matters that mean nothing to us as a nation.   

These comments reinforce why we send people to the Wall Walk. This training is essential for ensuring that our staff understand and respect the unique context in which we operate, and it aligns with our responsibility to foster positive community relationships and deliver effective services.   

The "Wall Walk" training provides council staff with a deeper understanding of the bi-cultural history of New Zealand, including the Treaty of Waitangi and its relevance to both Māori and non-Māori communities. This training equips our staff with the knowledge and skills needed to: 

• Respect cultural values and customs, ensuring that our services are inclusive and sensitive to the needs of all communities. 
• Promote understanding between different cultural groups in our district, contributing to social cohesion. 
• Build meaningful relationships with Māori stakeholders and iwi, strengthening community partnerships.  

As a local council, we have an obligation to deliver services that meet the needs of our diverse community. By attending the "Wall Walk" training, our staff gain insights into: 

• Historical grievances and current perspectives which help us better understand the needs and aspirations of Māori in our region. 
• Culturally appropriate service delivery by ensuring that our interactions with Māori and other cultural groups are respectful, inclusive, and effective. 
• Building stronger community ties, which leads to improved trust and engagement with our services.  

We believe that our investment in this training will have long-term benefits for our district: 

• Building trust, by fostering a better understanding of bi-cultural history, our staff can build stronger relationships with Māori and other communities, leading to more collaborative and productive partnerships. 
• Inclusive policies and initiatives: With a solid foundation in cultural competency, staff can develop policies and projects that are inclusive and beneficial to all, reducing social divides and enhancing community wellbeing.  

The "Wall Walk" training is a vital investment in the professional development of our staff, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge to engage meaningfully with Māori and support positive bi-cultural relationships. This directly contributes to better service delivery, social cohesion, and the fulfilment of our legal obligations under the RMA and Treaty of Waitangi, all of which are essential for our role in the community.   

We believe this investment is not only responsible but essential to our role in fostering an inclusive, effective, and forward-looking council.

Date received: 06/09/2024

Requested information: Information about Councils approach to and use of artificial intelligence

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 02/09/2024

Requested information: What civil defence measures are there in case of nuclear attack?

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 29/08/2024

Requested information: Notification of investigation - rezoning of a property on Dundas Road

Status: Complete

Date received: 16/08/2024

Requested information: Is MDC rescinding Māori Wards or going to a referendum

Status: Complete

Response:

Date received: 09/08/2024

Requested information: Code of Conduct complaints regarding Councillors

Status: Complete

Response: