MEDIA RELEASE
31 May 2019
ORC pleased with community attendance at Arrow and Cardrona meetings
The Otago Regional Council (ORC) today thanked the Arrow and Cardrona River communities for their engaged and fruitful
participation in meetings earlier in the week. The consultation meetings aimed to identify what local people value in
these waterways, as a requirement of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.
Acting General Manager Policy, Science and Strategy Andrew Newman said the meetings, in Arrowtown on Monday and Wanaka
on Tuesday, were well-attended, positive and productive.
“Thanks to everyone who attended those meetings and made them a success. We really appreciated your time and we thank
you for sharing your viewpoints.
“We were very pleased with the number of people who came along, and the way everyone contributed enthusiastically to
group discussions about what they value in these waterways and how they want to see them managed in future.”
These discussions give a basis for ORC staff to write options for water management, including objectives, policies and
limits. Consultation with the communities will continue throughout the process for developing new policy over the coming
months as ORC develops Plan Changes as part of the Water Plan review process.
Mr Newman said it was a highlight of the meetings to see a lot of new faces.
“ORC have been having these kinds of discussions for a while, but one of our goals for these meetings was to broaden the
scope and take input from as many diverse voices as possible within the community. It was great see new people taking
the time to share their values for the Arrow and Cardrona rivers”
On top of the consultation meetings, members of these communities can share their values through free-post brochures
mailed out by ORC, or online, on or before 7 June:
• Arrow River: https://yoursay.orc.govt.nz/arrow-river
• Cardrona River: https://yoursay.orc.govt.nz/cardrona-river
The next community ORC will be working with to set freshwater values will be the Manuherekia catchment. These meetings
are planned for later in 2019, and ORC will be in contact with the Manuherekia community closer to the time.
ENDS