Steering Group
Appointed by and reporting to the Mayoral Forum, the Steering Group is made up of representatives from local government, environmental, farming, industry, tangata whenua and recreational interests. The purpose of this group is to provide expertise and advice to the Mayoral Forum.
Here is a current list of the members of the Steering Group:
Bede O'Malley - Chair and Mayoral Forum representative
Bede O'Malley has been the Mayor of Ashburton District since 2004 and from 2001 - 2004 was a councillor on the Asburton District Council.
He is a pharmacist and owned Unichem Ashburton Pharmacy from 1978 until 2007 when he sold the business to enable him to spend more time in his role of Mayor.
In addition to Ashburton District Council commitments, Bede is a member of Local Government New Zealand's National Council with responsibility for the water issues portfolio. He is currently Chairman of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy Steering Group, and is a Director of Rangitata Diversion Race Management Ltd (RDR).
Bede is a member of the Local Government Auditor-General's Advisory Group and the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee.
In his capacity as Mayor, he is Patron/Chairman of a number of local organisations, including being an honorary member of the Justices of the Peace Inc.
Mike Jebson - Central government agencies
Mike Jebson is Director Natural Resources Policy, MAF Policy. MAF has been on the Steering Group since the project's inception.
Water is of significant interest to MAF as the agriculture and forestry sectors are users of water and also have impacts on water quality. The Canterbury region is an important production area and contains about 62% of New Zealand's irrigated agriculture, which is mainly exported. It is important for New Zealand's natural advantage in the global trading environment that water is used efficiently and the effects of land use on the environment are minimised.
As the only government department represented on the group, MAF provides a connection to Central Government Policy.
John Greer - Central government agencies (alternate Murray Doak)
Bryan Jenkins - Chief executive representative
Dr Jenkins has been Chief Executive of Environment Canterbury since July 2003. Before taking up his current position, he was for seven years Chief Executive of the Department of Environmental Protection in Western Australia, and previously Professor of Environmental Management at Murdoch University.
He has had a long interest in managing sustainability with particular emphasis on bringing together science-based management and stakeholder involvement. Examples of this approach from Western Australia include the development of a water quality management plan for Cockburn Sound, an air quality management plan for Perth, salinity management for Lake Chinocup and state-of-environment reporting.
For the past five years in Canterbury, Dr Jenkins has worked extensively with the communities of the region to develop community-based catchment management plans; develop a strategy for storage options in Canterbury to be evaluated by a multi-stakeholder group in a sustainability framework; advanc processes for the protection of water quality and quantity; introduce allocation limits to groundwater zones of the Canterbury Plains; improve the approaches to stormwater and diffuse source management; and protect water bodies and the management of water through regulatory and non-statutory processes.
Dr Jenkins has a Ph.D in environmental planning from Stanford University, a first class honours and masters degree in civil engineering from Adelaide University and a Master of Administration from Monash University.
Brian Lester - Chief executive representative
Brian Lester is the Chief Executive of the Ashburton District Council. He is a member of the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and has been on the steering group for the Canterbury Water Management Strategy since 2002.
Before working for the Ashburton District Council, Brian was with the Waimakariri District Council where he was involved in the feasibility, construction and commissioning of the Waimakariri Irrigation Scheme.
Peter Townsend - Industry representative/regional economic
Peter Townsend is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce and has held that position since 1996. The Employers' Chamber has 3,000 members and concentrates on enhancing business capability, assisting to create an environment that is supportive of business and exploring new business possibilities.
Peter holds several corporate directorships and is involved with a range of community groups and initiatives in the region that are in harmony with the objectives of the Employers' Chamber.
Peter believes effective management of water is fundamental to Canterbury.
David O'Connell - Ngai Tahu
Murray Rodgers - Community/Water Rights Trust
Murray grew up on farms in Western Southland, and South Canterbury. He is a graduate of Canterbury University (MA, Economics) and a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Management (NZIM).
His working life included several years with the Mount John Observatory at Lake Tekapo, then some ten years with IBM and Fletcher Timber in various management roles. He became self-employed as a management consultant in 1980 and spent 26 years consulting to local and central government, large and medium sized commercial organisations, and not-for profit organisations consulting on recruiting and organisational change.
From time to time throughout his adult life, he tramped and fly-fished in the Canterbury hinterland and other parts of New Zealand, usually in the company of others of like mind. These experiences have given him a strong sense of the value of New Zealand's natural resources, including our waterways. He has written two books on these experiences (Magic in the Mountains, published by Penguin 1993 and Running with the River, published by Hazard, 2003). He looks forward to the time when his grandchildren are old enough to enjoy some of these special places.
Murray retired from management consulting late 2006 to continue his commitment as chairman of the Water Rights Trust. He has been on the Steering Group for the Canterbury Mayoral Forum since 2002, and has striven to help ensure Canterbury's water management strategy properly recognises the importance of sustainable development. He also continues occasional consulting work, and is a member of the faculty for New Zealand Institute of Management's Executive Staff course (ESCO)
Grant McFadden - Historical knowledge of water management in Canterbury/water management policy
Grant and his wife live on a block of land in Christchurch city where they run a small commercial pear orchard. He is currently active in urban property development, several rural voluntary organisations and North Canterbury Federated Farmers. Grant spent 25 years as a farm advisor in Ashburton, Oamaru and Christchurch and 15 years as a Senior Policy Analyst with MAF. He was heavily involved in the rural adjustment issues of the 1980s and in RMA resource management matters, including being one of the initiators of water research investigations from which the CWMS has developed. He has been a member of The Waitaki Catchment Commission, The North Canterbury Catchment Board, and rural committees of the Canterbury Regional Council.
Angus McKay - ECan councillor representative
Angus McKay is a regional councillor on Environment Canterbury for the Rakaia Constituency.
Angus helped initiate the bringing together of key political elements that have guided the development of practical solutions for water management in Canterbury. He has been the council's representative on the Steering Group since its inception.
His goal for this programme is to provide healthy drinking water for all in Canterbury as well as coordinated, sustainable use of Canterbury's greatest asset - its water and believes it is vital the people of Canterbury to participate in the decision making process.
Graeme Sutton - Irrigation New Zealand
Graeme has been a farmer for more than 40 years in the Nelson and North Canterbury area, farming a mixture of sheep, beef, deer and dairy in both high and low rainfall areas. Currently, in partnership with others, he farms 2 dairy units milking 2100 cows in North Canterbury all under various irrigation systems. Graeme has been involved in a number of agri-business organisations as a director, including the Fertilizer, Meat & Wool & Dairy and spent 15 years in the Electricity industry
He has also played an active role in Federated Farmers and the New Zealand Deer Farmers Association. He is currently Chairman of the New Zealand Industry Training Organisation and Chairman of Irrigation NZ and is a Director of the Waimakariri Irrigation Company.
Graeme believes irrigation has always played an important part in his farming operations and he is fully aware of the importance it will play in the future. The only way we can stay competitive in the world market is to be more efficient in our cost of production. Irrigation is a major contributor to achieving this. Irrigation has brought new life not only to the dry arid Canterbury Plains but also to the local towns and communities and prosperity to the whole province.
Peter Scott - Opihi irrigation, Minister for the Environment water advisory group and southern region representative
Peter Scott is a South Canterbury Farmer with a 750 hectare mixed cropping property at Kerrytown. He is also the current CEO of Opuha Water Partnership who own and operate the Opuha Dam in South Canterbury.
Peter is a past member of the Ministerial Advisory Group for the Sustainable Water Programme of Action and is currently a director of Irrigation New Zealand, Farmsafe and Horticulture New Zealand.
Martin Clements - Fish and Game New Zealand and Minister for the Environment water advisory group
Martin Clements has had a long-standing interest in water; both commercially as a horticulturist and recreationally as a fisherman.
As a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group, Sustainable Water Programme of Action; Chairman of North Canterbury Fish and Game; an inaugural member, Trustee and Deputy Chair of Water Rights Trust and Trustee of both the Avon Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust and the Styx Living Laboratory Trust he is deeply committed to the sustainable use and management of water for the benefit of the Canterbury region and community.
Murray joined the Steering Group for the Canterbury Water Management Strategy in 2008.
Hugh Canard - Kayaking and recreation representative
Hugh Canard is an engineer by profession, having owned mechanical contracting businesses in Christchurch for 25 years. A mid-career change to tourism followed with a period in the Abel Tasman operating a sea kayaking business.
In 2000 Hugh joined the government for three years as a Regional Economic Development Advisor, and now works as a consultant in tourism and economic development. His leisure time is taken up with kayaking.
Hugh has been on a number of conservation boards and tourism boards and is currently on the board of Alpine Pacific Tourism (Hurunui District Council). His interest in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy relates principally to broad recreation and tourism issues, and in collaborating with all stakeholder groups and the wider community to develop management processes that will deliver the optimum sustainable uses for Canterbury water.
Alastair James - Chair, Canterbury District Health Board
Alister James is the Chairman of the Canterbury District Health Board. As such, his interest in water relates to promoting safe drinking water standards and quality, as being important to the good health of our people
Alister was previously a Christchurch City Councillor for almost 20 years, and was Chair of the Strategy and Finance Committee. In that capacity, he was a strong proponent of the Central Plains Irrigation scheme. He was involved in the establishment of the trust, and was lead City Councillor in securing CCC funding and support.
Edith Smith - Forest and Bird and conservation representative
Edith grew up on a dairy farm in North Canterbury and has lived in Ashburton since 1964. Over time she has developed a deep appreciation and interest in natural history, the environment and conservation.
The knowledge gained in these areas has led to her contributing to District and Regional council and Government departments through submissions, discussion and advocacy generally. This has included river management and water use issues.
Edith is chair of the Ashburton Branch of Forest and Bird and a recipient of the New Zealand Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society's "Old Blue Award” for services to Conservation.