4 April 2013

Christchurch West Melton ZIP endorsed by Environment Canterbury

The Christchurch West Melton Zone Implementation Programme (ZIP) has been endorsed by Environment Canterbury Commissioners at its council meeting today (4 April).

The Commissioners endorsed the ZIP as the basis for informing water management work programmes and drafting regional plans.

The priorities outlined in the ZIP include enhancing local waterways for recreation, improving water quality and flow in waterways, enhancing degraded ecosystems, safeguarding groundwater, and efficient water use.

Committee Chair Ian Fox said the completion of the final ZIP is the culmination of months of hard work by the zone committee.

“The Christchurch West Melton ZIP has been developed following numerous meetings, workshops, fieldtrips, and community engagement, to gather information about the zone’s water resource.

“How we manage water has an influence on our quality of life and prosperity both now and for future generations. Some of the biggest water quality issues are in urban areas so it is important we get this right.

“It has been our role to work collaboratively to develop water management solutions that will benefit our region for generations to come, and give effect to the goals and targets in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS).

“We are now looking forward to getting stuck in to the task of identifying priority areas for implementation in the first instance,” said Ian Fox.

The zone committee held community and stakeholder meetings in late 2012 and early 2013 to get feedback on the ZIP to ensure its recommendations represent of a wide-range of interests. Written feedback was also taken in to consideration.

Ian Fox said the earthquakes have presented additional water related challenges and opportunities.

“In the context of implementing the CWMS, we recognise that recovering from the earthquakes presents additional challenges with the physical characteristics and chemistry of some of our waterways altered significantly.

“We believe it is important that earthquake recovery programmes help to implement the CWMS where possible and these are the kind of important issues we have reached consensus on,” he said.

The Christchurch West Melton Zone committee was set up under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and had its launch in October 2011. The committee consists of six community members, three Rūnanga representatives, and appointees from Environment Canterbury, Christchurch City, and Selwyn District councils.

Copies of the final ZIP are available at: http://ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/canterburywater/committees/chch-west-melton/Pages/cwmz-zip.aspx.

ENDS

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