Official Information Request - Landfill

• A breakdown of this cost by legal fees, expert opinion, advice, external contracts, staff time and other (please specify). Please also date these costs, as you have done in the past with a similar LGOIMA request.
  Refer to the above table. Council does not record staff time spent on individual projects; this is carried out as part of the usual business work of staff. Your request in relation to staff time is therefore declined under section 17(e) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act ‘the information requested does not exist’.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. The Ombudsman’s Office can be contacted by calling 0800 802 602, emailing info@ombudsman.parliament.nz, online at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz, or by post to The Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Publication of responses to LGOIMA requests

Please note: Our LGOIMA responses may be published on the Rotorua Lakes Council website after they have been responded to, with requesters’ personal details withheld. If you have any concerns about this please contact the Council on info@rotorualc.nz .

QUESTIONS FOR COMMENT:

• The broad impact this has had on the council's finances
  From Thomas Collé, DCE Organisational Enablement
  Increased or unanticipated operational costs like this do impact on council finances and we actively look for savings to offset this. The costs related to the landfill case have had to be absorbed into operational budgets and general savings have had to be made to offset this.
  Note that with the original six charges Council faced fines totalling up to $3.6m (maximum $600,000 for each charge) however, following the dismissal of two charges by the Court of Appeal and the subsequent withdrawal of three others, Council’s liability was greatly reduced.
• Update on what work the council has done to date with mana whenua to address the issues
• What work has been done to date in setting up the new trust as ordered by the council's sentence.
  From Stavros Michael, DCE Infrastructure and Environment
  Council participated in restorative justice with mana whenua (mana whenua within the Tūreporepo catchment) prior to sentencing and that process informed the Court’s decision. We are currently working through the process of establishing the trust, as per the Court’s directive. This is being led by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. The Ombudsman’s Office can be contacted by calling 0800 802 602, emailing info@ombudsman.parliament.nz, online at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz, or by post to The Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Publication of responses to LGOIMA requests

Please note: Our LGOIMA responses may be published on the Rotorua Lakes Council website after they have been responded to, with requesters’ personal details withheld. If you have any concerns about this please contact the Council on info@rotorualc.nz .

Regards