Call for consents before any review

Meridian Energy Ltd and some other groups associated with the Waitaki River agree - they do not want quick changes to the Government-instigated Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan.

Yesterday, after a workshop in Waimate, Environment Canterbury (ECan) is likely to agree with them.

The plan, prepared by the Government-appointed Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Board, sets environmental (minimum) flows for rivers in the catchment and allocates water.

It became operative on July 3, 2006, and could not be reviewed for two years.

Yesterday, ECan held a council workshop in Waimate to discuss issues with the plan, inviting Meridian, Waitaki First, the Central South Island Fish and Game Council and the Mid-River Water Users Group to give their views on whether it should be reviewed.

They all agreed any review should wait until about 200 consent applications to use water in the catchment, including Meridian's north bank tunnel concept power scheme and the Hunter Downs irrigation scheme for Waimate, were resolved.

That view coincided with a staff report from principal consents officer Bianca Sullivan which recommended a list be kept of issues associated with the plan, but decisions be made on existing resource consent applications before there was any review.

After the meeting, ECan chairman Sir Kerry Burke, said the workshop could not make recommendations to the council on what action should follow.

However, he expected there would be a staff report to the planning committee or council making a recommendation.

Asked whether the report would recommend the council delay any review of the plan, Sir Kerry said: "There was quite broad agreement we should allow the present consents process to be completed before there was a review."

ECan's chief executive Bryan Jenkins expected that, at some point, staff would prepare a report based on the workshop and making recommendations.

Council staff favoured not carrying out a review until after the present consents process, which includes the north bank power scheme and Hunter Downs, was completed.

Hearings on other water use applications for below the Waitaki dam start on August 11, with about 150 applications for above the dam due to be heard early next year.

The plan also provides for existing resource consents to be reviewed in 2011, except those in the Maerewhenua catchment which come up for review in 2013.

The suggestion is the plan review be carried out before the existing consents are reviewed.

Meridian's resource manager Raewyn Moss told the workshop plan changes were required, but when they would be carried out was the issue.

It would be inappropriate to delay the existing consents process - some applications dated back to 1998 - for a plan review which might not provide certainty for applicants.

"A plan change in parallel with the consents process would duplicate the process, may not gain anything and cost a lot," she said.

Waitaki First chairwoman Helen Brookes said the existing consents process could give some indication about changes needed to the plan.

Fish and game council chief executive Jay Graybill said "some tweaks" were needed to the plan.

The council agreed with the general principles of the plan, including the 150cumecs environmental flow for the lower Waitaki River.

"The plan is not perfect, but the basic principles of water management are sound," he said.

Mid-river users' group representative Matt Ross' biggest concern was the water allocated for horticultural and agricultural use between the Waitaki dam and Black Point.

Views differ over how much volume is left to be allocated, which will have a major effect on applications still to be considered.