September 13, 2010

MEDIA STATEMENT

Support for local authorities, farming and industry, as recovery begins

Environment Canterbury has swung in behind local authorities, farming and industry bodies with reassurance that its staff are doing everything possible to make it easy for the community to recover services following the 4 September 2010 earthquake.

Director of Planning and Consents, Don Rule, said as early as last Monday Environment Canterbury had reassured the Christchurch City Council, and the Waimakariri and Selwyn district councils that the priorities were safety, human health and the provision of essential services.

“We are focused on ensuring local councils have all the support they require to help the people most in need, and get essential services running again.

“We’re taking a very pragmatic approach to working through the issues facing our communities. We are not interested in turning up to tell you what you’re doing wrong – we are interested in helping the community recover.”

Mr Rule said hundreds of people had rung for advice regarding resource management issues in the last week and he encouraged anyone who needed advice to ring or email Environment Canterbury to talk through their queries.

“We know there are substantial environmental issues facing local authorities as they restore services and we have been very clear that this is a natural disaster and no enforcement or compliance monitoring action will occur because of incidents caused by the earthquake.”

Staff had volunteered to work in both Christchurch and Kaiapoi in the clean-up of affected streets, and others had been seconded to help within the Waimakariri District Council emergency centre.

Mr Rule said farmers and others in the rural community with damaged water bores which they relied upon for domestic supply and stockwater were being advised to get the work done, and let Environment Canterbury know what work had been undertaken so records could be updated. A set of simple guidelines that must be followed was available on the Environment Canterbury website.

“We’re being very clear that we’re trying to make it as easy as possible for people to get on and do the things they need to do regarding new bores as quickly as possible. It will cost people nothing to do this, and we can catch up the paperwork later,” Mr Rule said.

“We will be taking a similar approach, in consultation with Irrigation New Zealand, with emergency replacement for irrigation bores. This information will be available on our website later in the week.”

Anyone with an authorised septic tank could also go ahead and replace it and let Environment Canterbury know what work had been undertaken.

ENDS

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