ECan review crucial for water management
November 2nd, 2009
The Govt is likely to enjoy a relatively smooth process in its review of Environment Canterbury (ECan), with a more sympathetic chairman, Alec Neill, installed since September. William Rolleston, a south Canterbury farmer and biotech entrepreneur says the changing of the guard means the Govt is unlikely to go the next step and install a Commissioner to oversee the regional body. The two-pronged review, which will assess ECan’s performance under the RMA and its wider performance under the Local Government Act, kicks off this month, just as the latest draft of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy emerges.
The draft will contain a lot of governance changes, splitting Canterbury into 10 zones and help applicants avoid the numerous legal processes such as repeat visits to the Environment Court. Amanda Loeffen, project manager for the Hurunui Water Project says “there’s a question-mark about how ECan is going to fit into that. There’s going to be a lot of shaking up.” The Govt specifically identifies ECan’s planning framework for the Water Management Strategy as part of its review.
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