Amid accusations councillors had been stalling instead of signalling how much water the forthcoming land and water plan would allow users to take from the river, policy and science general manager Anita Dawe last week said unfinished hydrological work had held up the final report from the Manuherikia’s staff-led technical advisory group (Tag).
Tag would not present its report to councillors at Wednesday’s strategy and planning committee because a "hydrology model" remained unfinished, Ms Dawe said.
The group’s final report to councillors was initially expected in March.
Then in May, Ms Dawe said staff were proposing to bring the final report to a July meeting.
In June, she said delays to the hydrology peer review made the August 10 strategy and planning meeting probable.
Ms Dawe said on Friday that was no longer the case.
"ORC staff and Tag are waiting on a supplier to finalise an important hydrology model that will be used as a basis for the Tag’s advice to strategy and planning," she said.
"We are working on what the amended timeframe looks like and will make that available once we know when the Tag will meet, then subsequently when we can then present to council."
The motive for councillors asking for the additional scientific work in the final report was questioned recently by Prof Peter Skelton, who investigated the council on behalf of Environment Minister David Parker this year.
After interviewing staff as part of his investigation, in a report published this month Prof Skelton said he found it "hard to accept" that a lack of scientific evidence prompted councillors to ask for more evidence.
When councillors called on Tag to produce the additional work, at a meeting on August 25 last year, staff had already referenced 10 scientific studies, specifically done to inform their recommendations, Prof Skelton said.
Former councillor Marian Hobbs, who left the council following the contentious August meeting, said last week she was vindicated by Prof Skelton’s report.
She said when councillors were finally presented with the report any further delays would make their motives "so obvious".
In light of those comments, council chairman Cr Andrew Noone said the present snag in Tag’s final report was not a "delay".
Staff were following a council resolution passed at the August 25 meeting, Cr Noone said.
At the meeting councillors voted 6-4 for updates towards "finalising the required science".
Those in favour were Crs Hilary Calvert, Carmen Hope, Michael Laws, Kevin Malcolm, Kate Wilson and himself.
Those who voted against were Crs Michael Deaker, Alexa Forbes, Gretchen Robertson and Ms Hobbs, he said.
At the meeting, Cr Gary Kelliher advised he had a conflict of interest for the Manuherikia decision and sat back.
Cr Bryan Scott said he and three other councillors wrote to Mr Parker concerned councillors were seeking to delay setting a new minimum flow.
He was concerned about the integrity of the process and withdrew from the discussion.
A council meeting following Wednesday’s strategy and planning meeting has been cancelled by the council.
