ECan puts case to ministers

Environment Canterbury (ECan) has had a chance to put its case to retain its elected regional council to the Minister for the Environment Nick Smith and the Minister for Local Government Rodney Hide.

ECan chairman, Alec Neill, deputy chairwoman Jo Kane, Cr Bob Kirk and chief executive Dr Bryan Jenkins on Tuesday night met the two Cabinet ministers and key ministerial staff, Sue Powell (Environment), Deborah James (Internal Affairs) and Simon Beattie (press secretary to Nick Smith).

The meeting was an opportunity to put their views about a Government review, which has strongly criticised ECan's management of some functions, and recommended the elected council be removed and replaced with commissioners.

The report also recommended separating the management of water resources from ECan's other functions and setting up a Canterbury water management authority.

Mr Neill said yesterday there had been frank discussion between the parties.

Councillors had a good opportunity to talk through how their suggestions of a negotiated agreement, employing a commissioner-adviser and advisory group and retaining the democratically-elected council structure for all functions other than water, could operate.

"We now have to wait to hear which of the four options put forward by the Government is taken up," Mr Neill said.

The option of removing the council entirely and appointing a number of commissioners was not favoured by the majority of regional councillors, who believed the communities of Canterbury would also be uneasy with this choice.

"It is clear to us the Government is well aware of the political risks involved in removing locally-elected community representatives for any period of time," Mr Neill said.

Much of the work being done by the regional council would continue to be done regardless of the governance structure because it was a legal requirement and because the council's own long-term council community plan was a contract between it and its people under the Local Government Act.

That contract had to be maintained in some shape or form for a governing body to have any hope of succeeding in meeting social, economic, cultural and environmental bottom-lines.

Mr Neill said the district and city councils and their mayors seemed to have the impression the appointment of a commissioner would automatically improve the relationship between ECan and themselves.

"It is hard to see how that tension and the need for all councils to comply with the Resource Management Act, like every member of the community, would alter with a commissioner in charge," he said.

Mr Neill hoped the Government would make a decision soon and that staff and other groups would have a clearer idea of where the organisation was heading leading into this year's elections and beyond.

- david.bruce@odt.co.nz