MEDIA ADVISORY
18 March 2013

Lower Waitaki Zone Committee meeting
The Lower Waitaki – South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee will meet for its second monthly public meeting of the year on Wednesday, 20 March, in Oamaru.

The committee will begin the meeting with an update from the Regional Committee before going on to consider and discuss its priorities, and work-plan for the year.

Now the committee’s Zone Implementation Programme (ZIP) for water management has been finalised and endorsed by councils, the focus for the committee is on implementing its recommendations.

In particular, the committee is focussed on developing outcomes for water quantity and water quality limits as part of sub-regional planning processes for the zone.

The sub-regional chapter will supersede the default water quantity and water quality limits in Environment Canterbury’s Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) for South Coastal Canterbury.

The LWRP will start with default limits for water use, water allocation, and nutrients, and then put the limits in a catchment context. The zone committee’s focus is on building its understanding of the impacts of limits (via scenario testing) so it can make technically and socially informed recommendations.

At Wednesday’s meeting the committee will confirm the steps and processes for sub-regional planning, discuss three scenarios that will be used for testing limits, and determine how it will involve the community in the process.

The Lower Waitaki - South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waimate and Waitaki District Councils. The zone extends from the Otaio catchment in the north, to the Waitaki Dam in the south, taking in Waimate, Kurow and Duntroon.

Committee meetings are typically held on the third Wednesday of each month. They are open to the public. Attendees are given an opportunity to contribute, if they wish.

Meeting information
Lower Waitaki – South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee meeting
1:00pm, Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Waitaki District Council Chambers, 20 Thames Street, Oamaru.
Link to agenda: http://ecan.govt.nz/publications/Council/lwzc-agenda-200313.PDF

ENDS

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