Environment Canterbury’s Long Term Plan adopted

Environment Canterbury’s Long Term Plan 2015/2025 has today been approved and adopted and will come into effect on July 1.

“As a Long Term Plan it covers the next 10 years and we believe it provides a robust framework to allow significant progress to occur in sustainable resource management,” said Commissioner David Bedford.

Months of work have been involved in formulating the plan, setting the rate for the region, and seeking and assessing public submissions.

Mr Bedford said general rates applying to all properties across Canterbury have increased by 0.51%, and targeted rates that focus on individual activities and specific communities, have increased by an average of 7.38%.

“Every effort has been made to reduce expenditure to keep rates as low as possible, but also to effect improvement in our services.

“We thank everyone who took time to consider the Consultation Document and conveyed their thoughts during the formal submission period.”

This year’s process involved the production for the first time of a Consultation Document which was distributed to all 227,000 Canterbury homes and businesses in mid-March. The response of 375 submissions was the greatest since the Canterbury earthquakes.

Mr Bedford said a number of requests for interests across Canterbury had been able to be accommodated without any major changes to the Long Term Plan, and the average increase in rates remained unchanged from that indicated in the draft plan.

The combined targeted rates, which fund more than half of Environment Canterbury’s rate-based expenditure, would increase by an average of 7.38% (0.61% more than proposed in the Consultation Document in March).

“For example we have introduced a new targeted rate to improve air quality in Christchurch, Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Waimate and Geraldine to meet the needs of those communities.”

He said following submissions from Little River residents, the Commissioners agreed to set up a targeted rate for activities that will benefit that local area.

The Canterbury Water Management Strategy receives a 12.02% increase in targeted rates across the region, while the targeted rate for public transport in Christchurch has increased by 3.37% as steps are taken to increase usage by improving the service.

Existing reserves will be used to meet some of the services and actions.

One significant change has been the reduction by half of Environment Canterbury’s contribution to OSPRI’s programme to eliminate bovine TB. This coming year it will contribute $462,500 to the programme, and it has indicated this is the last time it will collect OSPRI’s revenue for this purpose.

Environment Canterbury has seven portfolios of work, with detailed priorities, programmes, levels of service and targets.

The key priorities influencing Environment Canterbury’s work remain the Canterbury Water Management Strategy, supporting the earthquake recovery and rebuild, and its Tuia relationship with Ngai Tahu.

ENDS

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