Regional Water Management Committee appoints community members

Rochelle Hardy has been appointed to the Regional Water Management Committee as part of a process to refresh its community membership.

Rochelle is a planning and resource management adviser with 16 years experience in the public and private sectors in the UK and New Zealand.

Six community members have been reappointed to the Regional Committee, having put themselves forward for re-selection.

The other community members on the Regional Committee are Terry Heiler, Hamish Cuthbert, John Donkers, Hugh Canard, Hugh Logan, Jane Demeter. The committee also includes representatives from councils and local Rūnanga. Andy Pearce has been re-appointed as the Independent Chair of the committee.

David Caygill, Environment Canterbury Commissioner with policy responsibility for water, said the selection process focussed on finding people who can see others’ points of views and who can work collaboratively to find solutions for water issues.

“The Canterbury Water Management Strategy is an innovative approach to managing fresh water. It’s about finding the best balance between restoring our environment while providing for viable farming and communities throughout the region.

“It will help to ensure safe drinking water supplies, sustainable farming practices and clean rivers and streams, as well as enhancing recreational opportunities and protecting environment and cultural values.

“We are pleased with the quality of the applicants and we’re sure we have found good balance of community representatives who are passionate about making a positive difference in local water management,” she said.

The Regional Committee refreshment process requires that all the community member positions are refreshed every three years. Existing members are able to put their names forward for re-selection.

The Regional Committee considers issues of region-wide importance including the role infrastructure can play in delivering the targets outlined in the CWMS. The CWMS identifies infrastructure as a means to addressing future-proofing issues such as ecosystem support and water quality management through enhanced reliability and distribution efficiency.

Another focus for the Regional Committee has been looking at regionally significant features in each zone and considering how to best manage them.

As well as the Regional Committee, six of the ten water management committees are refreshing their membership this year. The remaining four zone committees have already had recent community membership changes so are not part of the process this year.

Biographies for committee members can be found on the Regional Committee page at www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater .

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