Annual Report 2011 - Watercare

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Watercare Services Limited 2011 ANNUAL REPORT stakeholder relations 5A. Percentage performance: engaged shareholder. 2011 Participate in the council’s long-term planning processes, including the Auckland Plan Participate in policy initiatives Participate in statutory submissions Consult on the development of the Asset Management Plan Consult on the development of the Funding Plan Consult on the Statement of Corporate Intent (SCI) Report performance to the council on a quarterly basis and as required Engage CCOs to identify opportunities for joint initiatives Engage local boards on Watercare’s projects and decisions Iwi Statutory Board and council advisory groups engaged in projects and decisions 85% new Performance Measure Watercare engaged its shareholder, Auckland Council, on the development of key planning documents: contributing to the council’s Auckland Plan and consulting on Watercare’s Asset Management Plan, Funding Plan and Statement of Corporate Intent. With the appointment of a Principal Advisor Local Boards in May 2011, the company strengthened its working relationships with the local boards – keeping them informed of projects and decisions that affect their communities. The company continues to be an active participant in the development of relevant legislation and policy initiatives. Watercare made submissions on the: - Ministry of Environment’s discussion document Building Competitive Cities - Marine and Coastal Area Bill - Proposed Waikato Regional Policy Statement - Building Act Amendment Bill. Watercare gave Auckland Council advice on water supply and wastewater issues related to proposed plan changes. The company is also an active member of the Land and Water Forum. 5B. Percentage performance: engaged communities. Informed communities of projects in their areas Engaged Watercare’s Maori and environmental advisory groups on projects and decisions Provided access to Watercare facilities: Rain Forest Express and walkways Delivered an education programme: Adopt A Stream Engaged the public in council feedback on the SCI Engaged with media Invited the public to attend board meetings and published papers on the website Published dam level, consumption and energy information Sponsored the Watercare Harbour Clean-Up Trust Engaged tangata whenua and developed relationship agreements as appropriate 2011 95% 7/10 new Performance Measure Since integration, the number of projects affecting local communities has grown significantly. The company has been engaging with these communities face to face and through letters, the website and street signage. Watercare runs an education programme – Adopt A Stream – which offers primary and intermediate school children lessons about water quality, the water cycle, conservation and the environment. In 2010/11, 6,988 pupils participated. Watercare also operates the Rain Forest Express, a narrow-gauge railway built to service the Upper Nihotupu Dam around 1912. The line, which is still used for dam maintenance, has carried more than 150,000 passengers since it was opened to the public in 1998 and is a popular attraction for tourists and locals. Watercare engaged fully with the media throughout the year. At the time of the Onehunga explosion (see page 14), it held media conferences to ensure the public received full and timely disclosure of information. The company continued to sponsor the Watercare Harbour Clean-Up Trust. Since the Trust was established in 2002, over 2.5 million litres of litter has been removed from Auckland’s harbours and waterways. 5C. Percentage performance: legal compliance. Compliance risk assessment Compliance monitoring Compliance comparative performance Compliance management plan Compliance assurance No successful prosecutions against Watercare All potential legal issues identified All legal issues effectively managed All legal issues managed and resolved No known pending legal issues 2011 100% 7/10 Stakeholder relations PAGE 42 new Performance Measure Watercare has many statutory obligations under a number of Acts and invests a considerable amount of resources in complying with and monitoring statutory requirements. Technical non-compliance with resource consents relating to the inherited non-metropolitan wastewater treatment plants are reported under Ruler 2A on page 28. In all other respects, the company achieved compliance with all statutory obligations specified in the relevant Acts during the past year. 2011 Overall percentage score: Stakeholder relations Contact: cnelson@water.co.nz 93% Return to Contents page

Watercare Services Limited 2011 ANNUAL REPORT Watercare at work Adopt A Stream delivered to nearly 7,000 students This year, 6,988 students from 43 schools and two kindergartens participated in Watercare’s Adopt A Stream education programme. Watercare’s education programme was created in 2001 in an effort to provide Auckland schools with a science programme that taught students the fundamentals of the water cycle and how water quality and ecology directly affect their lives. Education Co-ordinator Sally Smith says the programme is becoming increasingly popular, to the point where she taught over 1,000 students in May alone: “There’s been so much demand for the programme recently that teachers have started to book a year in advance. In fact, my diary for term one in 2012 is almost full already.” Sally says that while trying to meet the ever-increasing demand, she’s also looking at ways the programme can keep improving: “I’m in the process of developing a new unit on dams and producing a book titled Water for Life, which I hope we can roll out in the near future.” In addition to school visits, the programme comes with 10 practical lessons, posters and a number of cross-curricular resources. Sally has also introduced stormwater, drinking water and wastewater lessons as well as a library display. Main image: Year 5 pupils at Willow Park Primary School in Hillcrest on Auckland’s North Shore discovered how water is treated during a hands-on lesson with Education Co-ordinator Sally Smith. Inset: Many pupils experience the Waitakere Ranges aboard the Rain Forest Express. A number of schools that participate in the Adopt A Stream programme also choose to ride Watercare’s Rain Forest Express. The narrow-gauge railway is situated in the Waitakere Ranges, one of Watercare’s two largest catchments for drinking water. The schools combine the field trip to the Upper Nihotupu Dam, where the railway is located, with their water-based lessons. Sally says: “It’s great for the students to be able to visit and learn about the dams and the environment. It really helps bring their classroom-based lessons to life.” Weblinks Community impact of operations Fig. 33 Public policy participation Fig. 34 Rain Forest Express passengers and trips Fig. 35 Adopt A Stream Fig. 36 Stakeholder relations PAGE 43 Return to Contents page

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