Media - Canterbury Water Management Strategy

Strategy Release

November 2009

After two years in the making the Canterbury Water Management Strategy has been cleared for introduction by the Mayoral Forum with the publication today of the strategy's framework document.

The strategy has retained the key elements of the document released publicly at the beginning of September. It enables local community involvement in decision-making through zone water management committees and a regional committee.

The green light means work can begin immediately on selection of the zone and regional committees. Their task will be to prepare implementation programmes for their zones with the aim of completion before the end of 2010.

This is an important milestone for Canterbury in several respects, says Steering Group chairman Bede O'Malley.

"Farmers, irrigators, environmentalists and conservationists have been actively talking together and finding solutions. The parties are listening to each other and long may it continue.

"The strategy also represents a strategic rather than an ad hoc approach to water management," he says.

"Most importantly, the strategy provides for local community involvement and collective decision-making from those affected.

"As the committees are formed the real work on the ground will begin in earnest and that's when I believe the value of the strategy will become obvious.

"The zone committees will be the backbone of the strategy. They will involve local people dealing with local issues and finding local solutions. That's where the real work will be done."

Known as the framework document, this document concentrates on governance and planning issues and adds significantly more detail than the September draft. The September publication attracted a large number of public submissions (around 70), many of which were detailed and all were very helpful, he says.

"To keep the momentum going we have decided to publish this framework document now so that we can get the zone groups underway and then follow it up in the coming months with progress papers on particular subjects.

"One of those progress papers deals with the whole question of the legislative mandating of the strategy – how it sits with the Local Government and Resource Management Acts.

"These are complex areas and require further analysis and consultation both locally, with Ngai Tahu, and with central government before final decisions can be made."

There are several other areas which will produce progress papers. At present a mixed group of stakeholders from environmental, conservation, farming and irrigation interests are working together on the targets (first published in the September document). Once completed, the revised targets will be included in the strategy and will form an important guide to the zone committees.

Other progress papers will follow on topics including the proposed water infrastructure and services entity, the funding of irrigation and environmental development on an ongoing basis, and an economic study. Stakeholder comment will be sought on each of these papers as they emerge and before they reach their final form.

"Issues were raised in the submissions about the zone boundaries and the number of zones. The Steering Group has decided to discuss these issues directly with stakeholders in each of the zone areas. This will begin almost immediately so that decisions can be made and the zone committees can be appointed and get underway," says Mr O'Malley.

Besides work on forming the zones and the zone committees, over the next few months there will be a programme of discussion with the region's local authorities and Ngai Tahu to identify roles and responsibilities and funding over the next few years in carrying the strategy forward.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank all those people across the region who have actively contributed to the development of this strategy", Bede O'Malley says. "As a result we have been able to move quickly to this point where we now have a strategy and a direction. Our next major milestone is the end of 2010 by which time we will have implementation programmes from zones and a strong indication of their final direction. Then we will be able to have a real sense of achievement."

Ends

Contact:
Bede O’Malley
Chairman
CWMS Steering Group
027 631 4784