Official Information Request - 21 August 2018
Sent: Friday, 24 August 2018 9:48 a.m.
Subject: TRIM: LGOIMA request - Provincial Growth Fund
I refer to your email of 21 August 2018 regarding applications to the Provincial Growth Fund, and reply below as per your email:
1. The number of staff employed by the Council whose duties include applying for funding from the Provincial Growth Fund. Please disclose the job titles each staff member and advise whether the Council employed any new staff members to work on funding applications to the Provincial Growth Fund.
4 staff members within the Strategy Team:
Group Manager, Strategy
Strategy Development Manager (District Revitalisation)
Senior Strategic Advisor (Economic Development
Strategic Project Advisor
No new staff members were employed to work on funding applications.
2. The total staff time spent on applications to the Provincial Growth Fund. Please round to the nearest 40 hours.
Council does not keep a record of staff time spent on specific projects. For this reason the information requested is not available and this part of your request is declined under section 17(g) 'that the information requested is not held by the local authority '
3. The number of contractors the Council has engaged the services of to apply for funding from the Provincial Growth Fund. Please include the names of each contractor.
In June 2018, Council was granted $811,000 from the Provincial Growth Fund for both the Lakefront and Whakarewarewa Forest projects to further develop and complete the business cases, and take the concept design through to detailed design of stage 1 of both projects. This was a match grant of 50% of the total amount. Council have budgeted approximately $800,000 to match the government fund to complete the detailed design work and complete a full application to the Provincial Growth Fund.
For the Lakefront Project, the following consultants have been engaged and costs committed to date and expenditure to date:
Consultant | Committed Costs to Date | Expenditure To Date |
---|---|---|
Project Management (Veros) | $28,645 | 0 |
Landscape Architect (Isthmus) | $300,340 | $70,707 |
Civil / Structure and Geotechnical (Tonkin and Taylor) | $280,000 | $69,000 |
Traffic Engineer (Traffic Design Group) | $7,620 | $2,953 |
Quantity Surveyor (Aecom) | $49,000 | $9,500 |
Cultural Design Consultancy (Haumi Ltd) | $45,000 | $11,792 |
Economic Impact Assessment (NZIER) | $47,500 | $47,500 |
Communications (ShinePR) | $32,000 | $32,000 |
Building Feasibility (Veros) | $27,500 | $18,100 |
TOTAL | $817,605 | $261,552 |
For the Forest Project, the following consultants have been engaged and approved budget to date and actual to date:
Consultant | Committed Costs to Date | Expenditure To Date |
---|---|---|
Project management (RDT Pacific) | $49,500 | $17,100 |
Civil Engineer (Opus Group) | $492,000 | $115,058 |
Landscape Architect (Boffa Miskel) | $81,223 | $11,083 |
Quantity Surveyor (Kingston Partners Ltd) | $41,200 | $4,500 |
Surveyor (Survey one) | $19,500 | $15,600 |
Cultural Design (Haumi Ltd) | $45,000 | $11,792 |
Communications (Shine PR) | $45,000 | $25,538 |
Marketing (Metro Marketing) | $80,000 | $24,150 |
Economic Impact (NZIER) | $47,500 | $47,500 |
TOTAL | $900,923 | $272,321 |
4. The total payments made to contractors in relation to funding applications to the Provincial Growth Fund.
As above.
5. Any information, including meeting minutes and email chains, relating to the Mayor or Council discussing applying to the Provincial Growth Fund.
Please find attached:
- Extracts from the agendas of the Operations & Monitoring Committee meetings of 1 February, 5 April, 3 May, 5 July and 2 August.
- Presentation to Strategy Policy & Finance committee (Long-term Plan deliberations)
- Long-Term Plan 2018-28 Consultation Document (pages 42-46)
- Big Moves flyers for Whakarewarewa Forest and Rotorua Lakefront
- Media Release 'Government support for Rotorua district direction'
To provide further detail as requested (email chains) would require a significant amount of staff time, estimated at 6 hours. Council is entitled to charge for this time and, as per the Ministry of Justice charging guidelines, our normal practice is to charge $38 per half hour or part thereof. Therefore to complete your request would incur a cost of $456 (excluding GST) This charge would need to be paid before the information is compiled. Please let me know by Friday 31 September if you wish to proceed on this basis.
As per the Act, we are obliged to advise that you may contact the Ombudsman at the address below if you have any concerns with the response provided by Council, by writing to:
The Office of the Ombudsman
PO Box 10 152
WELLINGTON 6143
Alternatively, you may email info@ombudsman.parliament.nz or use the online complaints form available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/make-a-complaint.
Regards
Jean-Paul GastonGroup Manager, Strategy P: 07 351 8302 | M: 0276554415 E: Jean-Paul.Gaston@rotorualc.nz | W: rotorualakescouncil.nz A: 1061 Haupapa St, Private Bag 3029, Rotorua Mail Centre, Rotorua 3046, New Zealand |