It is a waste of time making submissions on the Otago Regional Council's proposed regional policy statement, writes Brian Miller, of Mosgiel.
The Otago Regional Council is asking for submissions to the proposed regional policy statement for Otago.
My question is ''What is the point?''
We, as a province, are being asked to embark on a rather tortuous journey by our regional council in the development of a new regional policy statement.
All I foresee is great expense and time, for both ratepayers and submitters to the proposed policy statement, but a large financial gain for those who will sit in judgement.
The council has a rather sound policy statement at present, but appears only to pay lip service to it.
Let us examine for a moment the performance of the regional council in ensuring its present policy statement is implemented, as the overarching document that all Otago district councils base their district plans upon.
Before I proceed.
I would like to declare my interest, and that is the retaining of our high-class soils for food production.
If we examine the present policy statement on the retention of our high-class soils, it takes us to the heading under ''Land'' where it sets out all the issues, objectives, policies, methods and the anticipated environmental results.
This raises the question of what the council has done to ensure district councils have worked within the framework of the regional council's policy statement to protect the region's high-class soils.
From my observation, it has done very little if anything at all.
Councils themselves have paid lip service by writing the protection into their plans, but appear to turn the blind eye and do not implement the protections.
Let us take the case of the Dunedin City Council since amalgamation.
The high-class soils have been disappearing off the council's high-class soil map faster than the sands from St Clair Beach.
The Otago Regional Council has spent millions of dollars trying to protect some of our very poor Otago lower-grade soils from the rabbit.
It has attacked the rabbit from the air and the ground, with lead and carrots laced with poison.
What has the council done to protect the region's high-class food-producing soils?
Not from the rabbit this time, but the developer.
This is where the protections of the regional council's policy statements are supposed to come into play.
Have they worked?
The answer is that for the policy statements to work, they must be used.
I have personally submitted on many resource consents where high-class soils have been endangered, and have yet to see the council appear to defend its ''Land'' policy.
A good example would be the recent DCC residential expansion of Mosgiel, that contained high-class soils.
That area is in the regional council ward represented by both the chairman and deputy chairwoman.
I go back to my original point.
''What is the point'' of making a submission to a new policy statement if the regional council is not prepared to use the present one?
• The regional council's director policy planning and resource management, FraserMcRae replies:
The intent of the proposed Otago regional policy statement (RPS) is to ensure the people of Otago have a bright future.
The RPS is but one instrument to ensure Otago's natural and man-made resources are well managed now and for future generations.
City, district and regional councils need to give effect to the RPS when preparing district or regional plans, or making decisions about resource consents.
The RPS includes sections covering Kai Tahu values, natural resources, land use, natural hazards, climate change, urban planning, and community resilience.
This means the RPS does, in a direct way, affect what people and communities can and cannot do when using the coast, land, water and air, or subdividing or developing land.
Information about the proposed regional policy statement was circulated to all households in Otago with an invitation to provide feedback.
Consultation meetings were also held with all Otago councils to assist our preparation of the draft document.
When submissions closed on July 24 this year, more than 150 submissions had been received.
Combined with all the other resource management tools that regional councils have to positively guide social, economic, cultural, and environmental wellbeing on a regional scale, the regional policy statement plays an important role.
