The Otago Regional Council this week approved wide-ranging submissions on infrastructure and development, the primary sector, and freshwater management ahead of government reforms of the Resource Management Act and the national policy statements and standards that sit under it.
Cr Tim Mepham said he was hopeful the council submissions would help to shape the new national directions.
"But I definitely have concerns for our environmental management and the future of our freshwater quality.
"I’m pretty happy with the comments that have been made in the submission in regards to the need for cross-party agreement because with the political cycles, to-ing and fro-ing, it doesn’t create a lot of certainty."
Cr Alan Somerville agreed.
"Finding some enduring, consistent and stable solution to all this, so there aren’t always changes, is very, very important," he said.
The submissions demonstrated the value of local government and bringing together a diverse set of views around the council table, chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson said.
"We listen to each other, just as we have again today and generally, we do come up with solutions that we all agree with — sometimes we don’t, though, and that’s fine as well."
As well as the direct points the submissions made, the submissions made a "broader point" about the value the regional council provided "in partnership with central government and with mana whenua and with our communities", she said.
The council submission on infrastructure and development national directions said infrastructure "in particular" needed a stable regulatory environment to drive investment.
However, the submission on the primary sector also addressed the "need for enduring solutions".
"Without broad political support for the proposals, there is a risk that future governments will reverse this reform, undermining the commitment of communities, industries, agencies and local authorities to plan their future and buy into actions that achieve the desired outcomes."
The council supported moves "to better enable quarrying and mining".
Its submission on commercial forestry had been drawn up with community concerns in mind, it said.
"ORC is aware of the concerns that exist within Otago’s communities about the conversion of large tracts of pastoral farmland into commercial forestry and how this may affect Otago’s rural communities."
The council submission on freshwater management said "three large overhauls" of freshwater policy — in 2014, 2017 and 2020 — "put considerable financial strain on councils and ratepayers and have disrupted planned or ongoing initiatives".
The council also said it did not have a consensus view on whether the controversial concept of Te Mana o te Wai should be retained as the fundamental concept underpinning the national direction for freshwater.
The council decided to finalise its submission on "going for housing growth" — a reform package designed to free up land for development and remove planning barriers — after staff had spoken to Otago’s district and city councils.
