Otago Regional Council opens consultation on draft plan for the next ten years
The Otago Regional Council today approved their consultation document for the draft long-term plan.
The proposal outlines The Otago Regional Council’s aim to build on its existing work programs to ensure a sustainable
future for the region. This includes social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change, extending the
programme for water monitoring and outlining the next steps in the strategy for water quality: wastewater and urban
storm water. The ORC wants to ensure it can accommodate these key issues and apply sustainable thinking as it looks
ahead.
The Regional Council’s chairperson, Stephen Woodhead said “As the organisation tasked with overseeing the environmental wellbeing of Otago, we must continue to be proactive.
We’ve heard the community’s expectation that we do more of what we’re already doing. This will ensure that we stay ahead
of environmental issues – from land and aquatic pests to water quality, quantity and beyond.”
The consultation document will be distributed to mailboxes region-wide via community newspapers from Thursday, 19th
April 2018.
While consultation is open on the plan, Regional Council staff members will be hitting the road for the For Our Future
Roadshow across eight venues region-wide. The roadshow will include a pop-up science laboratory in a shipping container
(Otago’s own ‘Lab-in-a-Box’). The lab will be staffed by experts from our Science and Natural Hazards teams as well as
Otago Museum Science Communicators and will feature science demos and displays themed around local interest and key
areas of consultation. There will also be Councillors and staff on hand to discuss the plan and answer questions. The
Roadshow will also include a series of community meetings staff and Councillors.
The Otago Regional’s Chief Executive Sarah Gardner said “We’re adopting a new approach with our For Our Future Roadshow and taking the opportunity to get out into communities
across the region with the Lab-in-a-Box. We hope this will be really engaging and an opportunity for the whole family to
get involved during the school holidays. We are also taking a fresh approach online, using a platform specifically
developed for engagement and consultation.”
The draft plan will result in an increase in general rates, applied over several years. For 2018-2019 this is expected
to be around $1.4 million across approximately 115,000 households.
Consultation will be open until Friday 11 May.