Waikato River Authority

Waikato River Authority

Annual General Meeting

for the period 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012


Address by Bob Penter, Chief Executive


8 November 2012,
Novotel

Hotel, Hamilton

Tooku

awa

koiora

me
oona

pikonga

he
kura

tangihia

o
te

maataamuri


―The river of life, each curve more beautiful than the
last


Our
vision is for a future where a healthy Waikato River
sustains abundant life and prosperous communities who, in
turn, are all responsible for restoring and protecting the
health and wellbeing of the Waikato River, and all it
embraces, for generations to come.


Vision for the Waikato River

Waikato River


New Zealand’s longest river (425km),
quarter the length of the country


Mean discharge of 340m
3
/s


9

hydro
-
power stations, and provides
cooling water for
Huntly

power station
(coal): 13% of NZ’s electricity generation


Significantly degraded particularly in
middle and lower reaches of the
catchment due to multiple factors



Huka

Falls

Lake
Karapiro

Hamilton City


Largest tributary to the
Waikato River


116km long


Major source of
microbes and sediment
in lower Waikato River
catchment

Waipa

River (
Ngaruawahia
)

Te

Puuaha

o Waikato


Funding announced for 26 projects in under $50k
category in February 2012. A total of $800,000
allocated


Over $50k projects announced in April 2012. A total of
20 projects in this category with a total of $4.8m


A funding ratio of 0.73 was achieved, for every dollar
allocated by the WRA, 73cents was contributed by
project partners



Highlights 2011/12

F
unded projects 2011
/12


Waikato River Trails Trust
–

Riparian
planting projects ($143k)



Funded projects 2011/12 .. cont’d


DairyNZ

–

Reduce nutrient loads, sedimentation and
faecal

microbes in the Upper Karapiro catchment by
implementing auditable Environmental Management
Plans ($1.5m
DairyNZ

and catchment farmers, $685k
Trust)



Funded
projects
2011/12 ..
cont’d


SMP Muir Family Trust restoration of whitebait
habitat ($11k)


Funded
projects
2011/12 ..
cont’d


National Wetland Trust of NZ
–

Promote
Rotopiko
/Lake Serpentine as a showcase site for
visitors, education, training and research ($600k)



Te

Awa River Ride
–

a major cycle way 3
-
year project
providing riparian planting, access and education on
river ($150k)

Funded
projects 2011
/12 ..
cont’d


Highlights 2011/12 .. cont’d


GST Registration


GST status
of both
entities were reviewed during statutory audit and
non
-
binding rulings
obtained from Inland Revenue


Waikato River Authority
non
-
binding ruling obtained from Inland
Revenue to confirm GST status of entity i
s
not required to be registered

–

Not
registered


Waikato
River Clean Up Trust non binding ruling obtained from Inland
Revenue to confirm GST status of entity
is
entitled to be registered

–

Registered for
GST


For the Trust in particular this was a key milestone


Inclusion of the Vision & Strategy in a
number of
planning documents throughout our region. Notably
the Proposed Regional Policy Statement for the
Waikato Region encompasses the Vision & Strategy


A refresh of the Funding Strategy undertaken
with up
to
$6m
again allocated in this current round


Nga

Wai

o
Maniapoto

(
Waipa

River) legislation passed
in April 2012 expanding the WRA area to include all of
the Waipa River catchment


Highlights 2011/12 ..cont’d

Highlights 2011/12 cont’d ..

“I commend the Authority
in prudently exercising its
fiscal responsibilities .. to
appropriately address its
reasonable costs over and
above the level of Crown
funding.”

Dr

Paul Reynolds

Secretary for the Environment


Recognition from the
Crown of the Authority’s
actual and reasonable
costs. And a commitment
from the Ministry to
review the level of
funding in two years, to
meet those costs.


Financials
–
Waikato River Authority

Revenue

30 June 2012

30 June 2011

Government grants

302,632*

1,250,000

Finance

income

35,171,

4,201

Expenses

Personnel

costs

(15,039)

-

Operating

(400,607)

(398,185)

Surplus
/(deficit) for the period

(77,843)

856,016

*Note

government operating grant of $910,000 split between Authority and
Trust for 2012 year.

Balance sheet

30 June 2012

30 June 2011

Total assets


806,017

982,643

Total equity

778,173

856,016

Total liabilities

27,844

126,627


Financials
–

Waikato River Clean
-
up Trust

Revenue

30 June 2012

30 June 2011

Settlement

funds*

5,310,313

113,473,739

Government grants

607,368

-

Other income

289

-

Finance

income

6,619,716

351,329

Expenses

Operating

(597,340)

-

Depreciation

(4,327)

-

Amortisation

(2,873)

-

Grant payments

(713,989)

-

Surplus
/(deficit) for the period

11,219,157

113,825,068

*Note

the settlement funds represent the present value of the Waikato
Tainui

Raupatu

Claims (Waikato River) Settlement Act 2010 and
Nga

Wai

o
Maniapoto

(
Waipa

River) Act 2012.

Balance sheet

30 June 2012

30 June 2011

Total assets


125,261,954

113,825,068

Total equity

125,044,225

113,825,068

Total liabilities

217,729

-


Financials
–

Waikato River Clean
-
up Trust

Grants

30 June 2012

30 June 2011

Grant payments (excl.

GST)

713,989

-

Made up as follows:

3 Way

Trust

46,378

-

Fish and Game

58,261

-

Boffa

Miskell

34,600

-

Cambridge

Primary School

9,900

-

Cambridge Tree Trust

33,421

-

Hamilton Fish & Game Assn

18,750

-

Landcorp

7,500

-

NZ

Landcare

Trust

37,000

-

Solid Energy

49,900

-

Eel

Enhancement Co Limited

40,000

-

NZ Farm Environment


15,000

-

Raukawa

Charitable Trust

87,910

-

SMP Muir

9,400

-

Waipa

District Council

24,500

-

Hamilton

City Council

122,761

-

Nga

Muku

Developement

Trust

36,535

-

Puna

Whakaata

ki

Oruanui

Charitable Trust

34,696

-

Tauranganui

Marae

4,000

-

Mangakotukutuku

Puna

Koira

Trust

43,478

-

Key Messages


Good practice is being applied to the evaluation process used to
assess grant applications


Pleased to note monitoring procedures are being put in place to
monitor the work of grant recipients


The
financial statements fairly reflected the entities’ activity for
the year and their financial position at the end of the
year.


Key
Issues arising during the audit this year included:


Treatment of settlement funds receivable
under
Waipa

River legislation;


GST
status of both entities


The above
issues have been
resolved
during the
audit.


Audit NZ Management Report


Completion of our 2
nd

Annual Report


Appointment of key WRA contractors
including the position of Fund Manager
(Sean Newland)


Our 2
nd

funding round opened in
September 2012 with applications
closing on 2
nd

November.


We have received 61 applications
seeking total funds of $10.4m


Current Status


Completion of the 2
nd

funding round


Establish GIS web enabled mapping tool


Auditing funded projects


Further and continuing improvements to WRA
website


Creation of key stakeholder database for improved
communication

Immediate Tasks Ahead


How do we know if we are if we are being effective?

•
One funder among a number of others

•
Actual river health difficult to monitor in the short to medium
term (changes occur
over decades)


Developing an integrated, cohesive and logical multi
-
year
funding
programme

rather than potentially fragmented
yearly funding


Are there enough capable
organisations

to annually take
on new projects?


Balancing prosperous communities with a restored and
protected river and catchment


Challenges Ahead


Ends