Waimakariri Zone Committee focuses on sub-regional planning and community engagement

The Waimakariri Zone Committee will meet in Rangiora on Monday (5 October) for its regular monthly meeting to address local water management issues.

The zone committee will begin the meeting by giving members of the public an opportunity to contribute, before it goes on to receive updates from its working groups and the progress being made to address water management priorities in the zone.

The committee will then receive a report on research done with Canterbury farmers on their perceptions of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS). Some of the findings include farmers agree efficient water management is essential, are aware there are new rules governing nutrient losses, and around 2/3 of the farmers interviewed said they were somewhat or very familiar with the CWMS.

Following this, the committee will receive a presentation from Irrigation NZ on its SMART Irrigation campaign to raise public awareness of the need to use water wisely on-farm and at home.

The committee will also receive a briefing from Dairy NZ about their initiatives and activities in the zone, including the sustainable milk plan project and supporting local farmers with farm environment plans.

After the meeting, the committee will hold workshops on the zone’s sub-regional planning process which will begin next year. The committee will discuss its priority outcomes and how they relate to the technical work that will be undertaken for the Waimakariri sub-regional chapter in the Land and Water Regional Plan. A series of meetings were held earlier in the year to ensure the community were involved in the process as early as possible. The committee will conclude with a short workshop to confirm future community engagement options.

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.

ENDS

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