At the council meeting on Tuesday 16 September 2025, Councillors made the following decisions:
Twizel Rugby Club
The Twizel Rigby Club requested a contribution from council towards the reinstatement of the former Youth Club building in Twizel. Councillors suggested the Twizel Rugby Club to apply for a grant of $28,000, which is available due to not being allocated in the previous financial year, and asked council staff to investigate from what current funds (including community board budgets) the further $22,000 could potentially be provided.
Forestry Carbon Position
Councillors noted the successful implementation to date of the revised forestry strategies which address the forecasted future carbon shortfall and approved the implementation of a number of further options which will further improve council’s position.
Short Term Visitor Rental Accommodation
Councillors remain concerned about the negative effects of short term visitor rental accommodation in the district and requested that staff continue to investigate and report to council regarding issues and potential mitigations. Council will continue to raise concerns with central government around the lack of tools local government have to manage short term visitor accommodation, and councillors requested that staff should continue to enforce compliance with existing district plan, Building Act and code, and other regulations and requirements applying to short term visitor rental accommodation.
Councillors stated that that the proposed rating review will include a review of how rates are applied to short term visitor rental accommodation.
Pukaki Airport Contaminated Land
Councillors approved that EHS Support Limited will support and manage the physical works for the remediation of the contaminated site at Pukaki Airport at an estimated cost of $20,000.
Carry Forward Budgets
Councillors approved the roll-over of some unspent budgeted amounts from the 2024/25 financial year to the current financial year, mainly relating to capital projects that are currently underway but span the two financial years.
Pukaki Toilets User Pays Methodology
Councillors decided that delivery of the user pay toilets at Lake Pukaki will initially be through an attendant managed methodology, noting that the data demonstrated that this approach will generate the income forecast for the year. A required fence will be constructed and the $60,000 cost will be met from revenue gathered from users of the toilets. Charging attendants will be managed by Corde who are the current contractors for council’s parks and recreation services.
Inclusion of the Fast Track Approvals Act 2024 in Delegations Manual
Councillors approved changes to the delegations manual to allow planning staff to carry out additional responsibilities required by the Fast Track Approvals Act 2024 which was introduced by central government.
Significant Historical Items and Councillors Collection
Council discussed the management of three artworks of national significance owned by Mackenzie District Council. Councillors requested that staff conduct wider research and undertake engagement with the community before bringing a further paper to council at the November 2025 meeting.
Twizel Community Care Trust Lease and Library Co-location
Councillors authorised staff to enter into a lease agreement with the Twizel Community Care Trust to occupy council land adjacent to the Twizel event centre with a lease value of $1000 plus GST (CPI adjusted annually) and a contribution to rates relevant to the size of the land occupied. Councillors authorised staff to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Twizel Community Care Trust to enable progress towards co-location of a community library and the Twizel Community Care Trust services.
Lake Tekapo Sports and Recreation Trust MOU
Councillors authorised staff to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Lake Tekapo Sports and Recreation Trust, enabling the Trust to continue to develop their proposal to construct a facility on land at Aorangi Crescent adjacent to the community centre.
Updating the RMA Compliance Fees and Charges
Councillors adopted some changes to the 25/26 fees and charges schedule to reflect Section 10 of the Resource Management Act Consenting and Other Service Charges Amendment Act 2025 which came into force in August.
District Plan Appeals Delegation
Councillors delegated to senior management the authority to manage the appeals lodged on plan changes 28 to 30. This includes instructing solicitors and experts to progress the appeals to resolution, negotiating and approving resolutions of appeals.
The full agenda for this meeting can be found on line here.