June 25, 2010

MEDIA STATEMENT

Diverse Range of Interests Represented on Innovative Water Management Group

A university professor, a director of Horticulture New Zealand, the chair of Hurunui Water, an award winning environmentally friendly farmer, and an employee of Fish and Game are among the seven community appointees to the fledgling Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee, the first to be established under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

The seven community members have been appointed following a thorough selection process to find the best combination of people with the range of interests and expertise to ensure the collective strength of the committee.

They are John Faulkner, Ken Hughey, Andrew Harris, Mike Hodgen, Michele Hawke, Tony Hawker, and David Eder.

Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson and Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill are excited by the range of values, interests and experiences the seven appointees bring to the committee.

These range from leading edge farming, a leading national horticulturalist, QE11 biodiversity covenants, recognised environmental leadership, strong recreational pursuits, and local Hurunui community and business interests.

Garry Jackson notes: “while each member brings different strengths to the committee they all share one common thread – a passion for the district and desire to ensure its resources are properly managed in the interests of the community at large.”

Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill also acknowledges the impressive and wide-ranging list of individual qualifications accomplishments, interests and occupations.

“As a group they have the breadth and depth of expertise to work collaboratively to develop creative solutions to water management issues in the district while addressing the priorities set out in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.”

The community members were confirmed at meetings this week following a rigorous selection process which began in early March and attracted 33 applications.

The successful appointees were chosen from a short list of fourteen following assessment workshops that included each applicant presenting on water management approaches to achieve the targets identified in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

A panel made up of Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson, Councillor Winton Dalley, Te Marino Lenihan from Tuahuriri Runanga, Ross Little a former Environment Canterbury Councillor, and Don Rule Environment Canterbury’s Director of Resource Planning and Consents, assessed each applicant on skills, expertise and experience, as well as their ability to work collaboratively to develop water management solutions that deliver economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes.

While it was originally intended to appoint only six community members Garry Jackson says “in the course of these assessments it became clear increasing the membership to seven would better achieve the desired range and balance of interests.” This has now been formally ratified with the appointment of the seven community members.

Hurunui District councillor Winton Dalley and Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Bedford, as well as two runanga appointees who are yet to be confirmed (from Tuahuriri and Kaikoura runanga) make up the rest of the Hurunui-Waiau Zone Water Management Committee, which is being established as a joint committee of the Hurunui District Council and Environment Canterbury.

Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson says the committee’s establishment is a significant achievement for the local community marking the start of a positive and collaborative process for water management.
“We are confident we have a pool of capable people with wide ranging interests and experience, who together with other committee members, will now pick up the challenge before them, and begin to develop the broad water management programme for our area with skill, urgency, robust debate, and an overriding sense of collaboration and pursuit of win/win solutions for us all.”

Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill says the committee – the first of up to ten water management zone committees throughout Canterbury – is a key milestone in the implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

Its role is to develop a Hurunui-Waiau zone water management implementation programme – taking into account other zone committee programmes and the Regional Water Management Committee’s programme – to give effect to the fundamental principles and targets of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy

David Caygill confirms the Environment Canterbury Commissioners have whole-heartedly endorsed the implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and recognise the significance of encouraging and facilitating community input on water issues in Canterbury.

“The Environment Canterbury Commissioners also recognise the need to get the process right and to make sound, balanced decisions for the management of the natural physical resources of Canterbury,” said David Caygill.

ENDS

Committee member biographies

John Faulkner (Culverden)
John describes himself as a dairy farmer, businessman, and sportsman, as well as being environmentally, culturally and socially aware and also aware of the community’s obligation to future generations.

John, together with his wife Robyn, owns and run a 162 hectare dairy farm north of Culverden which receives water from the Amuri Irrigation Scheme.

The farm won the LIC Dairy Farm award in the 2009 Ballance Farm Awards and is one of the top performing dairy properties in the Amuri Basin. John’s farm business has also been recognised with a number of business performance awards. He is the interim chair of the Amuri Dairy Employers group whose aims include improving on-farm employment practices and promoting the area as a good place to work and live. John is also a Victim Support volunteer. His personal achievements include winning the second Paris to Dakar 7200km endurance cycle race in 2007.

Professor Ken Hughey
Ken has an ongoing interest in the sustainable management of Canterbury’s water resources. His local activities include fishing, kayaking and birdlife research on the Hurunui and Waiau rivers and he has family ties in the area.

Ken is Professor of Environmental Management at Lincoln University and has a PhD in resource management. His research speciality is the ecology and management of rivers and lowland wetland ecosystems, and his teaching includes a course on Integrated Environmental Management based on collaborative approaches.

He also leads a large multi-year research programme on prioritising river values, in- and out-of-stream. Ken was part of the multi-stakeholder group evaluating storage options in Stage 3 of the Canterbury Strategic Water Study and been involved in working groups to establish targets for the CWMS.

Andrew Harris (Parnassus)
Andrew has lived and farmed in the Leader Valley, near Parnassus, for the past 22 years. The farm adjoins the Leader River and he has overseen the enhancement of the river ecosystem – including weed and pest control measures – through consultation with stakeholders and local authorities.

He is also a keen fisherman and jet boater on both the Waiau and Hurunui rivers and believes the rivers should be enhanced and maintained for future generations and for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Andrew has a B. Com (Ag) from Lincoln University and an MBA from Canterbury University and is a member of the Cheviot Ward Committee of Hurunui District Council as well as a director of a number of private companies.

Mike Hodgen (Hawarden)
Mike has lived and farmed in North Canterbury for most of his life and wants to ensure the future well-being and prosperity of people in the Hurunui district.

Mike was part of the multi-stakeholder group evaluating storage options in Stages 2 and 3 of the Canterbury Water Management. He also chairs the Hurunui Irrigation Project, spent three years on the Hurunui Ward Committee and 10 years on the North Canterbury Federated Farmers’ provincial executive.

Mike’s family started farming in the area in 1924 and he began working on the family farm in 1968. Mike and Jan bought the farm in 1975 and they farm in partnership with son Dan and daughter Nicky and their families. The farm includes a QEII conservation covenant and Mike and Jan are life members of the QE II Trust.

Dr Michele Hawke (Hawarden)
Michele is a businesswoman from Hawarden where she and her husband run Hawarden Garage and Transport. As a school bus driver she has the opportunity to be involved with the local community and in particular get to know the young people.

Michele has a doctorate in geology and has worked in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea as an exploration geologist. Michele is currently Chairperson of the Christchurch School of Gymnastics.

Tony Hawker
Tony has an ongoing interest in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and believes it is the best option for water management. He also has a particular interest in the Hurunui-Waiau area which includes work projects and recreational activities such as fly-fishing, as well as living in the area between 2001 and 2003.

Tony wants to be part of a solution that delivers irrigation needs while maintaining sustainable environmental standards, and is very keen to be involved in ecological restoration projects. His family has a farming background and he was raised in a small rural community on a farm his family had run for many generations.

Tony is employed as an environmental officer for Fish and Game.

David Eder (Omihi)
David has been involved with water usage and irrigation for 50 years and believes natural resources must be fairly allocated so the whole community benefits and all water users are catered for in a fair and equitable manner.

David has been involved with a number of boards and community groups where consensus and collaboration were required to solve issues. He believes water issues can be resolved providing a win-win for all parties.

David has strong horticultural interests including a blackcurrant farm at Omihi. He is also is a director of Horticulture NZ and involved in a range of export ventures including a company producing “best in the world” blackcurrant products.

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