30 January 2015

Waimakariri Zone Committee focuses on key water management priorities for coming year

The Waimakariri Zone Committee will meet in Rangiora on Monday (2 February) for its first regular monthly meeting of the year to address local water management issues.

The zone committee will begin the meeting by welcoming new community member Judith Roper-Lindsay who recently joined the committee following the annual membership refresh process which ensures new perspectives are reflected.

Judith has lived and farmed in the Ashley district for more than 30 years. As an ecologist she has an interest in biodiversity and land-water management and has been involved in Environment Court mediation and community consultation projects.

Following this the committee will elect its chair and deputy chair for the coming year before offering members of the public the opportunity to contribute, should they wish.

Next, the committee will receive updates including an overview of the December Regional Committee meeting, and the 2014 NZ River Prize Awards where the Cam and Otukaikino rivers were recognized as two of the three most improved waterways in the country.

Updates will then follow from the committee’s working groups which will focus on the progress being made to implement the on-the-ground actions outlined in the committee’s water management implementation programme and this will include identifying priorities and key work-streams for the coming year.

This priority setting will assist the committee in clarifying the areas of focus for the coming year, the progress made, and how it aligns with the committee’s water management programme and the outcomes outlined in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS).

The committee has identified the water management priorities for the zone:
• Lowland Waterways – Protection & Enhancement
• Braided Rivers
• Nutrient Management And Water Use Efficiency
• Water Supply
• Biodiversity

At the end of the meeting the committee will hold a workshop to confirm its approach to community engagement for 2015 in preparation for the Waimakariri subregional planning process which is scheduled to begin in mid2016.

At previous meetings the committee has been briefed on the proposed sub-regional planning processes for the zone including planning milestones and the scientific and technical context for water quality modelling in the zone.

The Waimakariri Zone Committee, formed in September 2010, operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury, and the Waimakariri District Council. It features five community members as well as two Rūnanga representatives and two from councils.

The zone includes the Ashley River catchment and shares the Waimakariri catchment below the gorge with the Selwyn-Waihora and Christchurch-West Melton zones. It includes Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Oxford.

Waimakariri Zone Committee meeting
Date: Monday, 2 February, 2015
Time: 3.307.30pm
Venue: Waimakariri District Council Chambers, Rangiora

For more information or an agenda visit www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater .

ENDS

© Scoop Media