9 June 2020
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Proposed Lime Scooter trial in Rotorua
Enquiry
I'm after a bit more information on the Lime scooter trial briefly discussed in the O&M meeting last week.
- When is the trial likely to start?
- Will it be this year?
- Has the council consulted on the issue with any individuals or groups?
- Can you please clarify why Lime is the company doing the trial - is it because Lime is the only company that has approached RLC? Have any NZ-owned e-scooter companies approached the council in a similar way?
- Has the council approached any e-scooter companies first?
- In what ways does the council hope to mitigate some of the issues seen in other cities, such as vandalism (for eg throwing e-scooters into bodies of water), scooters not parked in the way of pedestrians, and injuries/deaths?
- Would the e-scooters be ridden on the footpath or road?
- Would there be areas e-scooters could not be ridden or parked?
- Will the trial be any cost to the council - if so, how much?
Response
From Jocelyn Mikaere - Group Manager, Operations at Rotorua Lakes Council:
Background information -
It is important to note that the introduction of Lime scooters in Rotorua is only at proposal stage currently. No decisions have been made by Council at this time. Lime came to council asking to operate in Rotorua, and Council is/was not actively seeking a vendor for e-scooter operation in Rotorua.
It is also important to note that Lime is an independent business and would be operating independently from Council. As any other independent business, its operations would need to be compliant with the standards that are regulated by Council.
There's more work to be done to ensure Rotorua's public policies reflect the changes with transport devices and technology. Council's current focus is Rotorua's economic recovery from COVID-19.
- When is the trial likely to start?Unknown at this stage. Lime are still within the proposal stage with Council.
- Will it be this year?Unknown at this stage. Lime are still within the proposal stage with Council.
- Has the council consulted on the issue with any individuals or groups?No consultation is required by Council at this stage.It was recommended by Council that Lime make contact with iwi, due to the land area at the lakefront being part of the 'gifted reserves' from Ngati Whakaue to Rotorua Lakes Council.As Lime's operation within Rotorua is still within proposal stage, Council does not need to consult with any individuals or groups currently. (Information only e.g not for comment: Should Council make the decision to grant Lime the license to operate in Rotorua, Council's relevant regulatory policies would need to be altered to reflect changes in transport devices and technology.)
- Can you please clarify why Lime is the company doing the trial - is it because Lime is the only company that has approached RLC? Have any NZ-owned e-scooter companies approached the council in a similar way?Council is/was not actively seeking a vendor for e-scooter operation in Rotorua. Lime is the only e-scooter operator that submitted a proposal for operation in Rotorua.Prior to lockdown, RLC received an expression of interest from a local company, but no formal proposal.
- Has the council approached any e-scooter companies first?No, RLC is/was not actively seeking a vendor for e-scooter operation in Rotorua.
- In what ways does the council hope to mitigate some of the issues seen in other cities, such as vandalism (for e.g throwing e-scooters into bodies of water), scooters not parked in the way of pedestrians, and injuries/deaths?No decisions have been made by council at this stage. Any questions about proposed operation would need to be referred to Lime.
- Would the e-scooters be ridden on the footpath or road?Any questions about proposed operation would need to be referred to Lime. No decisions have been made by Council at this stage. See above.
- Would there be areas e-scooters could not be ridden or parked?Any questions about proposed operation would need to be referred to Lime. No decisions have been made by Council at this stage. See above.
- Will the trial be any cost to the council - if so, how much?There would be no cost to Council for any e-scooter service to hold a trial in Rotorua. Any trials would be at the cost of the operator as an independent business.
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Media: RotoruaNow
Topic: Cr Tapsell standing for National party
Enquiry
If Tania Tapsell is elected to parliament in September, either by way of winning her electorate seat or on the party list...
- Will the RLC need to hold a by-election for her seat on council?
- If so, when would this happen?
- What is the process regarding the running of a by-election? (Election period, general rules etc)
- What sort of cost would be involved in a by-election?
- Please add anything you feel is relevant.
For mayor Steve:
- Were you surprised by Tania's National Party nomination? Why, why not?
- What do you think of her chances in the general election?
- What is Tania like as a councillor? What are her strengths/weaknesses?
Please feel free to add your own thoughts.
Response
Information re by-election:
The Local Electoral Act requires a by-election to be held if a vacancy occurs more than 12 months before the next triennial election.
The cost to run a by-election is approximately $125,000 - this is indicative only.
The timing of any by-election would be dependent on when the vacancy arises.
The process for a by-election is the same as for triennial elections.
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
I wasn't remotely surprised to hear of Tania's nomination. She has always been open about having political ambition and aspirations and it's a matter of having to decide if your political future is in local or central government.
Having served on Council she's been exposed to governance at a level that will give her skills she can take with her into any future political career.
Tania has sound governance skills, is a whizz at connecting on social media and she's thoroughly likeable and professional.
There's not much time for her to get things going in the East Coast rohe and it has been a swinger seat so it won't be a given.
If she wins the seat I think she'll enjoy being in Central Government. It's a big pond and uncompromisingly tough - certainly not for the faint-hearted - but her local governance experience would certainly stand her in good stead________________________________________________________________________________________
Media: The Mud
Topic: TERAX
Enquiry
In the report regarding the steps to winding up Terax, the following statement is made:
"During the last nine months the TERAX Company has been actively pursuing two solid leads, one into India and the second into China."
Were any of those "leads" associated with Trility or its ultimate owners. Preferably, can you please provide the names of those companies involved.
Response
The following information was provided:
The report HERE from 2018 outlines the sequence of events and decisions made by elected members regarding TERAX over the years.
As you'll be aware, the partnership with Scion dates back to 2008 and was formalised in early 2013 (following public consultation in 2012) with the setting up of the company and the formal partnership tasked with trying to commercialise the technology.
The partnership was given time to do that and two leads of significance were pursued but did not progress to capital investment or a demonstration plant.
The partnership having been unable to commercialise the technology or find external funding for a demonstration plant resulted in Council ultimately deciding it was time to wind up the formal entities.
An agreement remains in place between RLC and Scion regarding any future commercial value derived. The intellectual property has been transferred to Scion and any further/future developments would be led by Scion while any commercial value derived would be shared 50/50 between Council and Scion.
Re were any leads referred to in the report associated with Trility or its ultimate owners: No
Re providing the names of companies involved: Sorry no we can't, as you will understand, this is commercially sensitive information
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: TERAX
Enquiry
I'm still interested in how much the council has invested in TERAX to date. I understand in 2018 it was $7.8 million - please advise the specific figure to date.
Could you please also find out for me:
- Why was the new application to the Waste Management Fund declined? What reasons did the WMF provide RLC for this?
- How did the council's decision to begin a process to cease "forest-based effluent land disposal" impact the progression of the demonstration plant?
- Was the council aware of the plan to move effluent spray out of the forest before it invested in TERAX? [I believe it is Bob Martin who says in this meeting that was the case]
- Can you please explain this line (from here)
- "In April 2015 Council delayed the progression of the demonstration plant pending a further and more detailed review and investigation of tertiary treatment options and desired effluent to the lake quality for the new waste water treatment plant design that would replace the forest based effluent land disposal system." It's not clear what is being expressed - could you please clarify?
- How much did the Chinese consortium offer for TERAX technology? Was it $1? What was the council / Scion hoping for?
- Why did the Indian lead withdraw from using the technology?
- How much money has TERAX technology made the council to date?
- Why was a company structure necessary in order to commercialise the technology in the first place?
- In this meeting the chief executive says "If you try and float a technology at a point when there are alternatives ...then the technology is not a good solution." Was this point considered before investing in the technology / partnership?
- Can you please provide me with a copy of the agreement between RLC and Scion ensuring the council would retain intellectual property rights on TERAX technology and 50 per cent of profits should the technology be commercialised? If that's not possible, can you please tell me what the specific terms of the agreement are?
- What is the council's relationship to Terax Innovation / Pacific Channel Ltd?
- What is the difference between Terax 2013 Ltd the Terax Limited Partnership - can you please explain how they relate to one another?
- How much sludge does the council deposit each year and where does it go?
- What has the council invested in the project to date? [Can you please, if applicable, separate investment on the technology from investment in the partnership to commercialise the technology?]
- How much total did RLC receive from the Government for this project, and from which ministries/dept/agencies/bodies?
Response
Why was the new application to the Waste Management Fund declined? What reasons did the WMF provide RLC for this?
[correction] Waste Minimisation Fund
From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael: The Waste Minimisation Fund Panel advised on 4 April 2017 that the funding application was declined. Successful applications were those that the panel considered likely to significantly reduce harm to the environment or to minimise the amount of waste disposed of. The panel felt that not all concerns raised about TERAX were satisfactorily addressed.
How did the council's decision to begin a process to cease "forest-based effluent land disposal" impact the progression of the demonstration plant?
From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael: The decision to find alternatives to the forest-based treated wastewater disposal system meant the WWTP upgrade had to be designed in a manner that would achieve wastewater treatment to a level that met the agreed/consented quantum, without relying on land filtration. Therefore any process that would have an adverse impact on that objective had to be carefully considered and managed.
The modelling work on TERAX indicated that the processing of biosolids would produce a liquid by-product to be returned back to the WWTP that would potentially adversely impact the plant's ability to meet the targeted nutrient levels.
Was the council aware of the plan to move effluent spray out of the forest before it invested in TERAX? [I believe it is Bob Martin who says in this meeting that was the case]
Information: There was no plan to move out of the forest when RLC first invested in the TERAX project - the TERAX project dates back to 2008. The agreement to move the treated wastewater disposal system out of the forest was signed in 2014.
Can you please explain this line (from here)
- "In April 2015 Council delayed the progression of the demonstration plant pending a further and more detailed review and investigation of tertiary treatment options and desired effluent to the lake quality for the new waste water treatment plant design that would replace the forest based effluent land disposal system." It's not clear what is being expressed - could you please clarify?See comment above from Stavros on the potential effect of TERAX on nutrient targets.How much did the Chinese consortium offer for TERAX technology? Was it $1? What was the council / Scion hoping for? From Chief Financial Officer Thomas Coll: We are not aware of a genuine offer from a Chinese consortium that would have required Council consideration.Why did the Indian lead withdraw from using the technology? This is commercially sensitiveHow much money has TERAX technology made the council to date?Information: Nil, the technology has to date not been commercialised.Why was a company structure necessary in order to commercialise the technology in the first place? Information: At the time the decision was made (2012/2013) this was deemed to be the best structure for commercialising the technology - see HERE (from Nov 2012) regarding reasons.In this meeting the chief executive says "If you try and float a technology at a point when there are alternatives ...then the technology is not a good solution." Was this point considered before investing in the technology / partnership? You would need to speak to someone who was on/at the council at the time of the initial decision-making. As above, the council/Scion joint venture dates back to 2008, before the current mayor and CE. The decision to form the company and limited partnership also pre-dates the current mayor and CE.Can you please provide me with a copy of the agreement between RLC and Scion ensuring the council would retain intellectual property rights on TERAX technology and 50 per cent of profits should the technology be commercialised? If that's not possible, can you please tell me what the specific terms of the agreement are? From Chief Financial Officer Thomas Coll: The intellectual property has been transferred to Scion and any further/future developments would be led by Scion while any commercial value derived would be shared 50/50 between Council and Scion.What is the council's relationship to Terax Innovation / Pacific Channel Ltd? Information: Pacific Channel Ltd provided services to the TERAX partnershipWhat is the difference between Terax 2013 Ltd the Terax Limited Partnership - can you please explain how they relate to one another?Information: Terax Limited Partnership is the entity established to commercialise (ie generate revenue from) the technology owned by Terax 2013 Ltd, the company. The company carried out day-to-day business operations of the Limited Partnership.How much sludge does the council deposit each year and where does it go?From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael: An average of approximately 10,000 tones p.a. This now goes to Ecocast, a composting entity in Kawerau that produces compost for land application under a specified consent.What has the council invested in the project to date? [Can you please, if applicable, separate investment on the technology from investment in the partnership to commercialise the technology?]This information is still being compiled sorry, I am chasing this up for you.Note: Council funding stopped in 2017How much total did RLC receive from the Government for this project, and from which ministries/dept/agencies/bodies? From Chief Financial Officer Thomas Coll: No monies were received by RLC from Central Government. An approved $4.7m grant from MfE's Waste Minimisation fund was ultimately not used by RLC as the project was delayed and the grant expired.
