Agenda of Strath Taieri Community Board

Strath Taieri Community Board

3 March 2026

ITEM TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

1 Public Forum 4

1.1 Speed Management 4

2 Apologies 4

3 Confirmation of Agenda 4

4 Declaration of Interest 5

5 Confirmation of Minutes 9

5.1 Strath Taieri Community Board meeting - 26 November 2025 9

Reports

6 Policing Update 17

Part A Reports (Strath Taieri Community Board has power to decide these matters)

7 Funding Applications 18

8 Governance Support Officer's Report 27

9 Otago Regional Council Update 39

10 Meeting Schedule for the Remainder of 2026 47

11 Community Plan 49

12 Chairperson's Report 61

13 Councillor Update 62

14 Items for Consideration by the Chair 63

Strath Taieri Community Board

3 March 2026

Strath Taieri Community Board

MINUTES

Minutes of an ordinary meeting of the Strath Taieri Community Board held in the Strath Taieri Community Centre, Middlemarch on Wednesday 26 November 2025, commencing at 2.03 pm

PRESENT

Chairperson	Terina Geddes
Deputy Chairperson	Ken Bain
Members	Donna Hall via zoom audio visual link
	Quentin MacLeod	Bruce Thomas
	Robin Thomas	Cr Brent Weatherall

IN ATTENDANCE

Dr Anna Johnson (Group Manager City Development), Simon Whitton (Acting Team Leader River Management - Otago Regional Council) and Dr Jean-Luc Payan (Manager Natural Hazards - Otago Regional Council)

Governance Support Officer Lynne Adamson

1 Public Forum

1.1 Sheila Ramsay

Sheila Ramsay spoke on the impact a severe weather event would have on the Middlemarch waste water treatment plant and commented that there was no emergency generator in place as back up. She requested information on a resilience plan for the waste water treatment plan and availability of emergency water supplies.

Ms Ramsay advised on the cost to have an emergency water tanker service the area and the impact a potential delay on its arrival would have.

Ms Ramsay would like a permanent emergency water tank to be installed possibly on public land by the railway station. She commented that the water could be used to service the community gardens and public toilets and spoke of the benefits which included the provision of drinking water and access to water for FENZ.

Mrs Ramsay responded to questions.

1.2 Dawn Coburn

Dawn Coburn reiterated her presentation to the 7 August 2025 Strath Taieri Community Board meeting where she had spoke on her concerns regarding a letter that she had received from the Dunedin City Council advising her that she was required to separate her stormwater and wastewater connection. She provided a background on why and how the stormwater was piped into the wastewater and noted that her property was not the only one in the township where the stormwater went into the wastewater system.

Mrs Coburn commented on the solutions and the costs associated with these. She responded to questions.

The Chair invited the Group Manager City Development (Dr Anna Johnson) to respond. Dr Johnson explained the process and requested that Mrs Coburn and other residents in the same situation, write to Council outlining a formal recollection of the history of the scheme. This would enable Council to have written information to formally respond to.

Dr Johnson assured Mrs Coburn that the work had been suspended until resident’s had been spoken to and an agreement reached.

2 Apologies
	There were no apologies.

3 Confirmation of agenda

Moved (Terina Geddes/Ken Bain):

That the Board:

Confirms the agenda without addition or alteration.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/088)

4 Declarations of interest

Members were reminded of the need to stand aside from decision-making when a conflict arose between their role as an elected representative and any private or other external interest they might have.

Members provided updates to their Interest Register.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Bruce Thomas):

That the Board:

a) Amends the Elected Members' Interest Register; and

b) Confirms the proposed management plan for Elected Members' Interests.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/089)

5 Confirmation of Minutes

5.1 Strath Taieri Community Board meeting - 4 November 2025

Moved (Terina Geddes/Ken Bain):

That the Board:

a) Confirms the minutes of the Strath Taieri Community Board meeting held on 04 November 2025 as a correct record.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/090)

Part A Reports

6 Otago Regional Council Update

The acting Team Leader River Management, Otago Regional Council (Simon Whitton) and Manager Natural Hazards (Dr Jean-Luc Payan) provided an update on the Middlemarch River Management.

They commented on the catchment investigations; river management inspections and river management works programme.

Mr Whitton and Dr Payan responded to questions and spoke on the priorities for 2026 and offered to provide a presentation to the next meeting which the Board gratefully accepted. In response to questions on e coli monitoring, Mr Whitton advised he would try and find out the information and report back.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Quentin MacLeod):

That the Board:

Notes the Otago Regional Council Update..

Motion carried (STCB/2025/091)

7 Meeting Schedule

The Board considered the date of the next West Harbour Community Board meeting, which was proposed to be held on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 and agreed on a commencement time of 3.00 pm.

It was noted that a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2026 would be presented to the meeting being held on 18 February 2026 for the Board’s confirmation.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Quentin MacLeod):

That the Board:

a) Confirms that its meeting week would be held on 18 February 2026 commencing at 3.00 pm.

b) Notes that the meeting schedule for the remainder of 2026 will be considered by the Board at the 18 February 2026 meeting.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/092)

8 Community Plan

The Strath Taieri Community Plan was provided for discussion and updated if required. It was agreed that the Board will hold a workshop on the Community Plan with a view to ensure it aligned with the Dunedin City Council strategic visions. This would be reported back to the next meeting.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Cr Brent Weatherall):

That the Board:

a) Notes the Strath Taieri Community Board Community Plan.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/093)

9 Board Updates

The Board gave consideration to the allocation of the portfolios to appropriate Board Members. These included Township beautification; Water management (including flooding); Community Information and Publicity (including the Board’s Facebook page); Infrastructure; Community resilience/emergency management and the Otago Rail Trust; Liaison across groups and Council consultations.

It was agreed that the allocation would be deferred to the next meeting to allow members to hold a strategy session to discuss the portfolios and put forward areas of interest.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Donna Hall):

That the Board:

a) Defers the allocation of Board Members to community groups

Motion carried (STCB/2025/094)

10 Governance Support Officer's Report
	A report from Civic provided an update on activities relevant to the Board area which included the project fund, grass cutting, spraying, culvert maintenance and dust suppression. A community noticeboard was discussed. Cr Weatherall advised that he was a Council representative on Keep Dunedin Beautiful and would provide updates to the Board.
During discussion Donna Hall left the meeting at 3.22 pm.
	Moved (Terina Geddes/Cr Brent Weatherall): That the Board: a) Notes the Governance Support Officer’s Report. Motion carried (STCB/2025/095)

11 Chairperson's Report

The Chairperson (Terina Geddes) provided a verbal update on matters of interest since the last meeting which included frustration at the state of mowing grass around the district noting that she had spoken to staff on the matter.

The protocol for correspondence to staff was also discussed and it was noted that all correspondence was required to go through the Chair as the Board contact with Council.

Ms Geddes advised that the final seat from the Memorial Gardens had been repaired at the Taieri Bloke Shed and sought approval for the $400 cost for the two seats to be reinstalled at the Memorial Gardens.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Bruce Thomas):

That the Board:

a) Notes the Chairperson’s report.

b) Approves funding of up to $400.00 towards the repair and reinstallation of the seats for the Memorial Gardens.

Motion carried (STCB/2025/096)

12 Councillor Update

Councillor Brent Weatherall welcomed everyone to the new triennium both returning and new members. He commented that this was his first community board post and he looked forward to getting to know the members, the community and the area. He provided an update on items of interest which included the election, six new Councillors; the Inaugural meeting, Councillor Induction Programme and items of interest being discussed a the next Council meeting.

Moved (Terina Geddes/Quentin MacLeod):

That the Board:

a) Notes the Council Activities Update

Motion carried (STCB/2025/097)

13 Items for Consideration by the Chair

The following items were notified for consideration by the Chair:

Wastewater Treatment Plant Resilience

In the event of an extended power outage, how long would it take before the wastewater treatment plan becomes an environmental concern?

How long after losing power is it likely that sewage would begin to back up in the pipe network

Once power is restored, how long does it generally take for the system to clear any backlog?

Emergency Power Supply

Was there a generator currently installed at the wastewater treatment plant, or is one readily available for emergency use?

What generator capacity would be required to operate the plant effectively during a power outage?

Would the generator need to run continuously, or could it be operated intermittently (for example, to help mitigate noise concerns)?

What emergency resilience plan does the DCC have in place for Middlemarch with regard to wastewater services, and how can the community be assured that this plan is effective?

Safe Drinking Water Supply

Middlemarch households are individually responsible for supplying and maintain their own drinking water. Follow a major disaster (e.g. an event similar to the Christchurch earthquake or Cyclone Gabrielle) residents who draw and store their own water supplies but then bury their waste may face a heightened risk of contamination affecting both their own and neighbouring water sources.

Proposed solution – it has been suggested that Middlemarch install two large community water tanks to provide a secure and reliable source of potable water during an extended emergency. To ensure the stored water remained fresh, it was proposed that these tanks be located at a public facility with regular water usage – such as the community hall or railway station, allowing for consistent circulation.

Funding and Responsibility – If the tanks were installed, would the Council be able to fund their installation and would the Council assume responsibility for their ongoing maintenance, monitoring and operational costs? It is also assumed that these tanks, if installed, have solar pumps for gaining access to the water.

Drain and ditch in Hyde - Mr McLeod requested an update on the state of the drain and ditch in Hyde which needed clearing. He advised he would send additional information to be forwarded to staff.

The meeting concluded at 3.55 pm.

..............................................

CHAIRPERSON

Strath Taieri Community Board

3 March 2026

Governance Support Officer's Report

Department: Civic

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report is to inform the Strath Taieri Community Board of activities relevant to the Board area including:

· Project Fund

· Stormwater and Wastewater Connections in Middlemarch

· Middlemarch Community Hall

· Currently consulting on

· Roadworks Schedule

· Dunedin City Council Updates

2 As this is an administrative report, there are no options or summary of considerations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Board:

a) Notes the Governance Support Officer’s Report.

Project Fund

3 The balance remaining in the Project Fund for allocation for the current financial year is $7,812.23. The following funds have been allocated in the 2025/26 financial year.

Meeting Date	Recipient	Amount
7 August 2025	*Taskforce Green catering costs - $800.00 for financial year 2025/2026.	800.00
7 August 2025	Public Workshop on flood mitigation costs	237.77
7 August 2025	Repair of 2 bench seats at the Memorial Gardens (Taieri Bloke Shed)	400.00
15 Sept 2025	STARTT Matarae Siding Building	750.00

Total		$2,187.77

Stormwater and Wastewater Connections in Middlemarch

4 At the previous meeting, a concerned resident spoke during the public forum regarding a letter they received from the Dunedin City Council advising that residents were required to separate their stormwater and wastewater connections. Following this, Mrs Coburn and other affected residents were asked to provide Council with a formal written account of the history of the scheme. They subsequently submitted their recollections of the arrangements historically made for stormwater in the Middlemarch township.

5 Staff liaised with Mrs Coburn prior to Christmas and have since written to her outlining the proposed way forward.

Middlemarch Community Hall

6 Work to renew the roof at the Middlemarch Hall is underway (Attachment C). Staff are aware that there is a desire for a new entrance way and have done some initial investigation into what this may involve however, there is no funding currently available for a new entranceway at this stage.

What DCC is Currently Consulting On

7 For the most up to date information on what DCC is consulting on, please visit https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/council/currently-consulting-on

Roadworks Schedule

8 Information on current notified road closures and the roadworks schedule (a weekly list of programmed works) for Council’s maintained roads is available on the DCC website via these links https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/news-and-events/public-notices/roadworks-schedule and https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/news-and-events/public-notices/notified-road-closures.

Dunedin City Council Updates

9 Board or members of the public wishing to advise Council of any operational issues or concerns, e.g., potholes, vegetation, burst pipes are reminded to contact the Dunedin City Council Customer Services Agency on 03 477 4000 or email dcc@dcc.govt.nz. For any non-urgent matter please contact council via the online “Fix it form” https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/do-it-online/report/fix-it-form

10 If issues and concerns are not dealt with in a timely manner, Board Members should contact the Governance Support Officer, or the Senior Staff Member appointed to the Board.

Signatories

Author:	Lynne Adamson - Governance Support Officer
Authoriser:	Dr Anna Johnson - Manager City Development

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	Middlemarch Community Hall Roof Photos	29

Strath Taieri Community Board

3 March 2026

Otago Regional Council Update

Department: Civic

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 The Otago Regional Council Representatives (Simon Whitton and Dr Jean-Luc Payan) have provided the following updates in response to queries raised at the November 2025 meeting of the Strath Taieri Community Board.

E.coli Investigations – Taieri River

2 Monthly samples State of the Environment monitoring, as well as weekly samples from December to March (inclusive) are taken at swimming sites on the Taieri river. The sites they monitor for both of these monitoring types are listed below, with links to where the public can view the data and can see the location of the site on the LAWA website.

Monthly samples (State of the Environment monitoring):

· Taieri at Allanton Bridge – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri at Allanton Bridge

· Taieri at Linnburn Runs Road – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri at Linnburn Runs Road

· Taieri at Outram – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri River at Outram

· Taieri at Stonehenge – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri at Stonehenge

· Taieri at Sutton – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri at Sutton

· Taieri at Tiroiti – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri River at Tiroiti

· Taieri at Waipiata – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri River at Waipiata

Data for other SOE monitoring locations in the Taieri catchment can be found on the following link: Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri FMU

Weekly samples (December to March inclusive):

· Taieri at Outram – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri River at Outram

· Taieri at Waipiata – Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) - Taieri River at Waipiata

Erosion Repairs on the Taieri River at Mareburn Deviation Road

3 Staff assessed the erosion repairs required on the Taieri River at Mareburn Deviation Road as needing addressed more quickly than previously realised. As a result, the repair work will be bought forward however the timeline has yet to be set. It is hoped that staff will elaborate more at the next meeting.

Blockage in Doughboy Creek

4 Mr Whitton was asked to look at Doughboy Creek to the south of Middlemarch, as there was an apparent rise in the streambed immediately downstream of the state highway, resulting in reduced capacity – and causing water to go across the road during high flows. The first thing noted was a mesh-fence (and possibly parts of an old gate) across the stream (Attachment A). This was fine during “normal” flows, as water would simply pass underneath, but anything snagged on the fence (such as vegetation and litter) would reduce conveyance and capacity during high flows. Furthermore, there appeared to be a wooden board (or maybe a plank) laying across the streambed, directly underneath the fence (in the photos, you can see a white rag or plastic bag caught on the top of the board). It seems to be perpendicular to flows and embedded in the banks, so is likely to have been put there deliberately. Over time, gravel and sediment have gathered on the bed up against the board, creating the rise mentioned. In effect, the board was acting as a small weir in the stream, further reducing its capacity.

5 Please note, however, that Doughboy Creek is not a watercourse for which ORC is responsible. Therefore, he can only suggest that the Community Board trace the landowner and discuss the purpose of the board and whether it can be removed. In addition, I would strongly recommend that the section of mesh fence above the stream is also removed. As we have suggested to various landowners in the Middlemarch area, a better option to control the movement of livestock but to not also increase flood risk is to replace mesh fencing (or old gates and other structures strung across a stream) with a “watergate” (Attachment B), which come in a variety of designs - see the attached for examples. Ideally, the boards / poles hanging from the wire line will extend down to just above the normal water level, allowing vegetation, twigs and litter etc to pass through underneath. Then, during high flows, the boards or poles will be lifted by the rising water, making it less likely that the structure will trap debris and impede high flows.

Middlemarch River Management Update

6 Otago Regional Council staff are unable to attend the meeting however, they have provided the Middlemarch River Management Update (Attachment C) for your information.

7 Mr Whitton has advised that their RMA “global consent” for works across Otago is limiting in that there is a certain number of each particular work-type that they can do each financial year. For example, the redistribution of river alluvium, including gravel is limited to ten jobs per year across the whole of Otago. Therefore, whilst they recognise that the gravel redistribution and riverbank protection work along a section of the Taieri River at Mareburn Road (the top item in page 2 of the attachment) is more urgent than we suggested several months ago, they have unfortunately reached their annual limit for that type of work this financial year. They will prioritise the work at the site for as early as possible in the upcoming financial year.

Signatories

Author:

Lynne Adamson - Governance Support Officer

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	Blockage at Doughboy Creek	41
⇩b	Watergates	43
⇩c	ORC Update February 2026	45

	Title	Page
A ⇩	Minutes of Strath Taieri Community Board meeting held on 26 November 2025	10

	Title	Page
⇩a	Cavalcade Host Town Committee	19
⇩b	Strath Taieri A & P Society Inc funding application	21