User:Taranaki Regional Council/sandbox

The Taranaki Regional Council is made up of 11 councillors, elected every three years by the Taranaki community.

The Council slogan “working with people, caring for our environment” underpins all Council programmes.

As well as being the 100% owner of Port Taranaki Ltd on behalf of the region, the Council manages leasehold land and cash investments.

Programmes
The Council’s programmes are delivered in partnership with many people and organisations and are grouped into ten significant activities:
 * Policy and planning - Council develops and maintains policies, plans and strategies to manage its functions and to deliver the identified outcomes for our community.


 * Civil Defence Emergency Management - Council administers the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group which plans and prepares for any major emergency and will coordinate the response and recovery.


 * Resource consents - The Council issues resource consents for activities that may affect the environment, to make sure that the region’s natural resources are used appropriately and sustainably. The activities are monitored and the Council reports back to the community on the performance of consent holders. Council responds to all pollution incidents to ensure they are controlled and cleaned up. Resource consents


 * Land management - Sustainable land management and riparian (streamside) management is promoted through free property planning services and general advice for farmers.


 * River control and flood protection - Advice and assistance is given to landholders to control rivers and flooding. Major river control schemes are maintained to protect communities and assets, and the Council maintains a flood warning system.


 * Land transport and harbour management - Planning for a safe and sustainable land transport system for the region is necessary for the future development of the region. Council is also responsible for safe navigation in Port Taranaki.
 * Resource investigations, monitoring and enhancement - The collection of long-term information on the state of the Taranaki environment is the basis for judging the effectiveness of many of the Council’s programmes. The Council carries out research projects, often with other agencies, to gather further information. The protection of important environmental resources such as wetlands is promoted through environmental enhancement grants.
 * Pest management - The Council works with land occupiers to protect Taranaki’s agriculture and the environment from pests. The major focus for pest animals is the self-help possum control programme on the Taranaki ring plain. The control or eradication of pest plants targets both rural and urban areas.
 * Recreation, culture and heritage - In recent years the Council has been more active in fostering recreation, culture and heritage in our region. Major projects are the one-off funding to develop Yarrow Stadium and the management and development of our two regional gardens Tupare and Hollard Gardens, and support for Pukeiti.
 * Regional representation, information and investments - Eleven publicly elected councillors make up the Taranaki Regional Council which has overall responsibility for the direction and control of the Council’s functions.