National Party spokesperson for Greater Christchurch Regeneration has welcomed the decision by Local Government Minister
Nanaia Mahuta to follow the previous National Governments’ approach to keep the current Environment Canterbury (ECan)
board.
“Nanaia Mahuta is making a sensible decision to keep the current ECan Board and returning to a full democracy at the
2019 local body election, as the previous National Government had planned,” Ms Wagner says.
“Labour made plenty of noise about the lack of full democracy in Canterbury whilst in Opposition. Both present Ministers
Eugenie Sage and Megan Woods led an aggressive campaign to have full elections immediately.
“Yet again, now that Labour is in Government it has abandoned its policy and is continuing with the plan started by
National.
“Our long-term approach whilst in Government was designed to improve the standards at ECan. In 2009, the previous
Government appointed commissioners to ECan following repeated poor performance by the council in achieving their
regulatory requirements.
“Thanks to the hard work of the commissioners and the strong, sensible leadership of Dame Margaret Bazley and David
Bedford, Canterbury now has one of the best performing regional councils in New Zealand.
“This has always been about making good decisions for Canterbury. The commissioners were put in to complete the water
management plan for Canterbury which had languished under the leadership of the previous council.
“Nanaia Mahuta’s decision shows that the long-term plan started in 2009 has been effective. Half of the members on ECan
were elected in 2016 and the plan had long been for the full council to be elected in 2019.”