MEDIA RELEASE

June 25, 2013

Have your say on Canterbury’s regional water management

The Canterbury Regional Water Management Committee is asking for local feedback on the additions to its Regional implementation Programme (RIP) for water management.

Three community feedback meetings are being held in Christchurch on 25 June, Kaikoura on 26 June, and Fairlie on 1 July. Written feedback can also be submitted prior to 8 July.

The RIP now includes recommendations on regionally significant features in the six zones not covered in Annex 1 of the original version.

The six zones are Banks Peninsula, Christchurch - West Melton, Kaikoura, Lower Waitaki - South Coastal Canterbury, Orari-Opihi-Pareora, and Upper Waitaki. 

Regional Committee Chair Andy Pearce said the RIP is designed to align with, and complement, the work of the 10 Canterbury Water Management zone committees

“The Regional Implementation Programme makes a substantial contribution to implementing the goals and vision of the collaborative Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS).

“It addresses important issues at a regional level and councils and other organisations are giving effect to its recommendations through their water management programmes because it represents a broad consensus on what needs to happen to advance water management in Canterbury.

“Now that we have developed our ideas on the regionally significant features in the six zones not covered by the original RIP, we want to hear what people think.

“Everyone with an interest in water management is invited to come and discuss the priority areas and our recommendations, and feedback will be taken into account as the final version of Annex 1 is prepared,” he said.

In producing the update, the committee structured its discussions around the 10 CWMS targets.

“We have tried to be broadly consistent with the approach taken to addressing the regionally significant features covered in the first version of Annex 1.

“At the same time we were conscious that each target area needs to be given the same amount of importance and addressed in an integrated way,” he said.

The Regional Implementation Programme, finalised in May 2012 following an extensive period of community and stakeholder engagement, identifies four priority areas of equal importance:
• Kaitiakitanga
• Ecosystem health and biodiversity
• Land use and water quality
• Regional infrastructure.

Written feedback can be submitted via Regional Committee page on the Canterbury Water website (www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater) prior to 8 July.

Meeting details

Regional Implementation Programme feedback meetings

Christchurch: 6.30-8pm, Tuesday, 25 June
Ibis Hotel, 107 Hereford St, Christchurch

Kaikoura: 4.30-6pm, Wednesday, 26 June
Kaikoura Memorial Hall, 32 The Esplanade, Kaikoura

Fairlie*: 1.30 to 3pm, Monday 1 July
Council Chamber, Mackenzie District Council, 53 Main St Fairlie

*This meeting is replaces the meeting scheduled for 21 June in Geraldine which was cancelled due to weather conditions

ENDS

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