Otago regional councillors have pushed ahead to shine a spotlight on the health of the region’s lakes.
Despite a lukewarm endorsement from Otago Regional Council staff at yesterday’s strategy and planning committee, councillors were unanimous in asking for work to begin on a project they initiated as time ran out on deliberations on the council’s long-term plan in May.
At the time, councillors added $200,000 to the organisation’s budgets for two years of work towards the development of strategic management plans for Otago lakes.
Council chief executive Sarah Gardner said a made-to-order plan to protect Otago lakes could be duplicating work that was already under way.
‘‘I do think there is a sense of confusion about what us doing a ‘lakes strategy’ might achieve at this time,’’ Mrs Gardner said.
Cr Michael Laws said there was a reason the council needed a plan.
‘‘Because the history of the Otago Regional Council proves that we do,’’ Cr Laws said.
‘‘Because without a plan, we plan to fail.
‘‘And that is the reason why the threats currently exist to Wanaka, Dunstan, Wakatipu, and Hawea from biological agents that we did not pick up because we didn’t have a plan to monitor them — and they arrived and now we are dealing with the consequences.’’
Councillors were looking for a plan that addressed not just the region’s ‘‘great lakes — our jewels in the crown’’ but also those lakes that were so degraded people had written them off, such as Lake Waihola, he said.
Cr Kevin Malcolm said the health of lakes was typically overshadowed by the health of rivers during discussions at the council.
The promise of a plan for lakes was that lakes would then have their own ‘‘box’’ the council would not be able to ignore, he said.
Committee iwi representative Edward Ellison said if consideration was given to Otago’s ‘‘great lakes’’ it should be noted great lakes could be viewed differently from an iwi cultural lens.
Councillors approved a staff recommendation to hire a consultant to confirm whether there was value in developing an Otago lakes strategic plan.
The consultant would review the state of knowledge of lakes and the lake management framework, and assessing gaps in lake management and opportunities to enhance lakes’ management in consultation with key groups.
Cr Michael Deaker sent apologies.
