As the process rolls on with more workshops and conferences on the horizon, the process came under the spotlight yesterday on the eighth and final day of one-day hearings on selected topics.
Fish & Game Otago and Sustainable Tarras counsel Sally Gepp KC said everyone involved in the process had dropped everything to get to the hearings in Wellington which have taken seven days, starting on June 9.
‘‘We appreciate these hearings and the commitment made by everyone to stay,’’ she said.
‘‘But we can’t sustain it. We cannot drop everything. It is just not fair on our other clients, the expert witnesses. Everyone has to put their other lives on hold.’’
She said there was no ability to try to cost recover which could be done in Environment Court.
She said Fish & Game and Sustainable Tarras had brought some information to the hearing that no-one else had and others had benefited from.
‘‘But we can’t keep going at this level. Whether we can ask ... the applicant for some sort of financial support.’’
Workshops are set to take place, starting next week, around management plans involving counsel and planning experts. Ms Gepp wanted to be involved and said there was still a fundamental lack of information around many subjects from the applicant.
Planner Mark Chrisp, for the applicant, has set a timeline for the workshops which aimed to have a sign-off by all parties by the end of July.
The signed off management plans would be with the panel by mid-August.
Panel chairman Matthew Muir KC said the squeeze was on. The deadline for a decision was October 29 but they also had to have draft conditions, if consent was approved, out a month earlier to get feedback. If they were going to decline, a draft decision would have to be released at the end of August.
He said it was looking too tight to get it all done. More thought would go into it and he would take suggestions over the next few days.
The application was lodged on October 31 last year and the panel appointed in February with the process starting on February 25, having 140 working days to get it done. Santana Minerals had wanted 40 working days for the process.
