The Waitaki District Council is still preparing its response to a High Court challenge by the Environmental Defence Society over resource consents and compliance certificates approved for new dairy farms in the Ohau and Omarama areas.
The council's strategy group manager, Richard Mabon, said the absolute deadline for filing a statement of defence was April 13.
"We have not yet filed and are still working on a response with our legal advisers," Mr Mabon said.
The High Court has tentatively set down April 27 as first call of the challenge.
Last year, the council granted land use consents to Southdown Holdings Ltd, Williamson Holdings Ltd and Five Rivers Ltd for 16 new dairy farms with up to 17,850 cows housed in cubicles for 24 hours a day from March to October and 12 hours a day from November to February, at Ohau and Omarama.
Because the council considered environmental effects were minor, it granted the consents without advertising them and calling for public submissions.
That prompted the society to challenge three sets of decisions by the council issuing certificates of compliance for farm buildings and earthworks, not allowing public input and granting the consents.
The High Court hearing will focus on whether there had been errors of law in the decision-making processes, not the merits of proposed operations.
The society was asking the court to overturn the decisions.
