16 August 2011
MEDIA ADVISORY

Lower Waitaki Zone Committee meeting

The Lower Waitaki-South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee will meet for the eighth time in Kurow on 18 August. Due to the adverse weather conditions being experienced across the region a shorter meeting is planned.

At the meeting the Committee plans to hear presentations on recreational and amenity opportunities in the zone and learn about the Waitaki River from a river engineering perspective.

The Zone Committee has also formed four working groups that look at specific areas of importance to water management in the zone and report back to the wider group. The four working groups cover biodiversity, Waitaki Allocation Plan, water quality, drinking water and flows, and the Wainono Lagoon.

During September the Committee intends to meet with a number of stakeholders to get their thoughts on water management priority outcomes for the zone. This feedback will help to guide the zone’s priority outcomes which will ultimately feed in to the Committee’s Draft Zone Implementation Programme.

At previous meetings the Committee has looked at drinking water quality, wetland protection, energy options, irrigation and the Waitaki Allocation Plan. It has also approved $100,000 in funding for six Immediate Steps projects and secured $120,000 from the regional committee for restoration work at Wainono Lagoon.

The Zone Committee has also been on a number of field trips to engage with community members and industry partners. Moeraki Rūnanga facilitated a very successful hui at its marae in June. This was the first opportunity where both zone committees connected to the Waitaki got to meet one another.

The Lower Waitaki-South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waimate and Waitaki District Councils. The appropriate rūnanga are also represented. The zone extends from the Otaio catchment in the north, to the Waitaki Dam in the south. It takes in Waimate, Kurow and Duntroon.

ENDS

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