The panel is about midway through the hearings, travelling to Balclutha, Wanaka and Alexandra as well as sitting in Dunedin. It will spend two days in Oamaru next week, have another four-day stint in Dunedin the following week and then meet again in Dunedin on October 23.
The plan change, which relates to water quality, attracted more than 400 submissions.
Mr Butcher said it had been an interesting process.
"There's been a wide range of things raised from all sorts of forums and it's given us some issues to look into.
"As a panel, I think we've been able to explain things to a number of submitters on the effects of the plan change, which will have allayed a few fears."
A week of decision-making was on the agenda at the end of October, he said.
