ORC unlikely to meet freshwater deadline

Stephen Woodhead
Stephen Woodhead
Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead has signalled the council will probably not meet the central government deadline of the end of 2025 to implement the freshwater national policy.

Mr Woodhead admitted the Otago Regional Council has not kept pace with many of the changes introduced since the coalition Government came into power.

"To be frank, we are catching up, but when you look across New Zealand it looks like there will only be two councils that will be fit for purpose by 2025.''

Mr Woodhead said the council was "just getting into the workload from the previous legislation'' and it was of concern that "significant changes'' around the national freshwater policy statement have been foreshadowed for later this year.

Earlier this month Environment minister David Parker announced the appointment of Peter Skelton to investigate whether the Otago Regional Council was on track to adequately perform its function under the Resource Management Act in relation to the management of freshwater and the allocation of resources.

Mr Woodhead said he welcomed the investigation but at the same time said central government was "impatient''.

"The minister is wanting to see progress (on implementing the freshwater policy) but these are lengthy processes that take a long time to work through.''

"If we get bogged in policy changes, and we are just about in that trap in my view, we take the focus off the good stuff that actually needs to happen on the farm and on the land every day, every week, every year by individual landholders.''

Mr Woodhead was in Wanaka yesterday to attend a council-organised public meeting at the Lake Wanaka Centre to hear feedback from the community on why it valued the Cardrona River and how it should be managed in the future.

Those views would help council officers develop objectives and limits for waterways in the Cardrona River catchment area.

Otago Regional councillor Ella Lawton also attended the meeting.

A recent critic of the Otago Regional Council over its handling of water issues, Cr Lawton said the council must continue to have these "conversations'' with the community to make sure all viewpoints concerning freshwater management are heard by the regional council.

kerrie.waterworth@odt.co.nz

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement