Latest news with #ECan
Scoop
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Calls For Government To Work With Councils On RMA Reform
Canterbury's regional council has called on the Government to work more closely with councils as it overhauls the Resource Management Act (RMA). Environment Canterbury (ECan) approved a submission on the national direction under the RMA at a council meeting on Wednesday, July 23, where it supported many of the proposed changes. In moving the motion to approve the submission, North Canterbury councillor Grant Edge called on central Government to work more closely with local and regional government. The Government has sought feedback on proposals to address infrastructure and development, the primary sector, and freshwater, with submissions closing on July 27. Cr Edge said there needed to be more collaboration with communities, while funding and financial issues needed to be resolved. The national direction has some useful tools, including spatial planning which councils are already using, Cr Edge said. ''Spatial planning tools are potentially a powerful mechanism for us in Canterbury and nationally to resolve some of these issues.'' Councils have used spatial plans, such as the Greater Christchurch spatial plan, to identify how urban areas can grow by opening up land for housing, addressing public transport needs, climate change and resolving historical issues such as kāinga nohoanga development. While he backed the submission, deputy chairperson Deon Swiggs said stopping councils from addressing their own planning needs could lead to ''unintended consequences''. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has put a stop to councils working on District and Regional Plans and regional policy statements until the new RMA legislation takes effect, which is expected to be in 2027. ECan voted in November to put its regional policy statement on hold until it had more certainty around Government reform. Dr Swiggs said there were provisions in the draft regional policy statement to address areas not covered in national guidelines and reduce the risk of untended consequences. ''But it looks like we won't be able to address that until 2027 and even then, we may be limited in our scope.'' Ngāi Tahu councillor Tutehounuku Korako said while he welcomed the national statement of Papakāinga housing, the Government needed to be mindful that Māori were facing worse housing outcomes than non-Māori. ''To enable intensification of Mana Whenua, a co-ordinated approach is about whenua governance, planning framework adaptation, infrastructure enablement, cultural integration and access to funding and expertise. ''It ultimately needs to support the reconnection of whānau to whenua (land). The submission had overwhelming support from councillors, with just Cr David East abstaining.
1News
6 days ago
- General
- 1News
Why this town's lake is causing a stink
It might sound idyllic to live beside a lake, but for Pegasus residents, it is anything but. The Pegasus Residents' Group wants answers on the fate of Pegasus Lake, due to ongoing issues with toxic algae. Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued an abatement notice to the developer, Templeton Pegasus Ltd, last month about the state of the artificial lake in the Canterbury town. It followed the latest public health warning for toxic algae, which was issued in December. Residents' group chairperson Matt James said frustration was growing among residents, who continued to face uncertainty. ADVERTISEMENT ''We have a good relationship with Templeton Group, which has given us a good insight into the problem. ''For a manufactured lake, it is very deep and the water is very stale. ''It is like a garden pond. It is fed by aquifers, but the flows aren't fast enough to flush it out, which has causes the lake to layer.'' The artificial lake was constructed by the original developer, Infinity Group, between 2008 and 2010, with Todd Property Group taking over the development in late 2012. It is now owned by Templeton Pegasus Ltd, a subsidiary of Templeton Group. Templeton Pegasus Ltd has been contacted for comment. Pegasus Lake is a popular spot for recreational activities. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) ADVERTISEMENT James said Templeton Pegasus Ltd presented residents with a plan last year, but he believed no progress has been made since. ''The community hasn't heard back from Templeton for sometime and there's a lot of frustration and at times anger. ''My personal suspicion is it will end up with the council (Waimakariri District Council) having to deal with.'' Fellow residents' group committee members Colin Brownlee and Peter Johnston said the lake had been a drawcard in attracting residents to move to Pegasus. Algal bloom was first reported in February 2015, with the lake closed to recreational use for the first time. Two months later, ECan found the lake weeds had been sprayed with Diquat herbicide. An infringement notice was issued to Todd Property Group in 2020, with the sub-division subsequently sold to Templeton Group. ADVERTISEMENT An ECan spokesperson said Templeton Pegasus Ltd holds four resource consents and is in breach of conditions in two of those consents. ''The lake is prone to blooms of potentially toxic algae ('blue-green algae') over the summer period.'' Templeton Pegasus Ltd has since issued a registration of interest via its consultancy firm WSP last month to investigate options to remediate the lake. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Why this town's lake is causing a stink
It might sound idyllic to live beside a lake, but for the residents of this Canterbury town it is anything but. The Pegasus Residents' Group wants answers on the fate of Pegasus Lake, due to ongoing issues with toxic algae. Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued an abatement notice to the developer, Templeton Pegasus Ltd, last month about the state of the artificial lake in the Canterbury town. It followed the latest public health warning for toxic algae, which was issued in December. Residents' group chairperson Matt James said frustration is growing among residents, who continue to face uncertainty. ''We have a good relationship with Templeton Group, which has given us a good insight into the problem. ''For a manufactured lake it is very deep and the water is very stale. ''It is like a garden pond. It is fed by aquifers, but the flows aren't fast enough to flush it out, which has causes the lake to layer.'' The artificial lake was constructed by the original developer, Infinity Group, between 2008 and 2010, with Todd Property Group taking over the development in late 2012. It is now owned by Templeton Pegasus Ltd, a subsidiary of Templeton Group. Templeton Pegasus Ltd has been contacted for comment. Pegasus Lake is a popular spot for recreational activities. Photo: North Canterbury News Mr James said Templeton Pegasus Ltd presented residents with a plan last year, but he believes no progress has been made since. ''The community hasn't heard back from Templeton for sometime and there's a lot of frustration and at times anger. ''My personal suspicion is it will end up with the council (Waimakariri District Council) having to deal with.'' Fellow residents' group committee members Colin Brownlee and Peter Johnston said the lake had been a drawcard in attracting residents to move to Pegasus. Algal bloom was first reported in February 2015, with the lake closed to recreational use for the first time. Two months later ECan found the lake weeds had been sprayed with Diquat herbicide. An infringement notice was issued to Todd Property Group in 2020, with the sub-division subsequently sold to Templeton Group. An ECan spokesperson said Templeton Pegasus Ltd holds four resource consents and is in breach of conditions in two of those consents. ''The lake is prone to blooms of potentially toxic algae ('blue-green algae') over the summer period.'' Templeton Pegasus Ltd has since issued a registration of interest via its consultancy firm WSP last month to investigate options to remediate the lake. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
6 days ago
- General
- Scoop
Why This Town's Lake Is Causing A Stink
It might sound idyllic to live beside a lake, but for Pegasus residents it is anything but. The Pegasus Residents' Group wants answers on the fate of Pegasus Lake, due to ongoing issues with toxic algae. Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued an abatement notice to the developer, Templeton Pegasus Ltd, last month about the state of the artificial lake in the Canterbury town. It followed the latest public health warning for toxic algae, which was issued in December. Residents' group chairperson Matt James said frustration is growing among residents, who continue to face uncertainty. ''We have a good relationship with Templeton Group, which has given us a good insight into the problem. ''For a manufactured lake it is very deep and the water is very stale. ''It is like a garden pond. It is fed by aquifers, but the flows aren't fast enough to flush it out, which has causes the lake to layer.'' The artificial lake was constructed by the original developer, Infinity Group, between 2008 and 2010, with Todd Property Group taking over the development in late 2012. It is now owned by Templeton Pegasus Ltd, a subsidiary of Templeton Group. Templeton Pegasus Ltd has been contacted for comment. Mr James said Templeton Pegasus Ltd presented residents with a plan last year, but he believes no progress has been made since. ''The community hasn't heard back from Templeton for sometime and there's a lot of frustration and at times anger. ''My personal suspicion is it will end up with the council (Waimakariri District Council) having to deal with.'' Fellow residents' group committee members Colin Brownlee and Peter Johnston said the lake had been a drawcard in attracting residents to move to Pegasus. Algal bloom was first reported in February 2015, with the lake closed to recreational use for the first time. Two months later ECan found the lake weeds had been sprayed with Diquat herbicide. An infringement notice was issued to Todd Property Group in 2020, with the sub-division subsequently sold to Templeton Group. An ECan spokesperson said Templeton Pegasus Ltd holds four resource consents and is in breach of conditions in two of those consents. ''The lake is prone to blooms of potentially toxic algae ('blue-green algae') over the summer period.'' Templeton Pegasus Ltd has since issued a registration of interest via its consultancy firm WSP last month to investigate options to remediate the lake.
Scoop
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Environment Canterbury's Chair Rebuffs Government's Directive To Stop Planning
Councils have been urged "not to stop the planning" despite the government saying plan changes are a waste of ratepayers' money. Environment Canterbury (ECan) chairperson Craig Pauling said the work of local government still needs to continue. ''At ECan we've already been impacted by stops to planning and I am personally disappointed some good things in our Regional Policy Statement, which would have made a difference, can't happen.'' The policy statements provide an overview of resource management issues in a region. Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop this week announced the government would halt changes to district and regional plans. It comes ahead of a shake-up of the RMA, which is expected to come into effect in 2027. Pauling made his comments during a panel discussion at the Local Government NZ conference on Thursday, July 17. ''I would encourage you not to stop the planning. Don't stop thinking. You've got to do the analysis. ''Keep the thinking going, so when things do land you are in the best position.'' ECan voted in November to put its RPS on hold until January 2026, while it awaits more certainty with RMA reform. It has been unable to adopt a plan change to fix issues in the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan, following a Supreme Court decision on a water bottling plant in Christchurch in 2023. The future makeup of councils There has been speculation the RMA reform could lead to regional councils being scrapped, but both Bishop and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said no decision had been made. Bishop, who met with regional council chairs during the conference, indicated an announcement was likely by the end of the year. Pauling said it made sense to consider the shape of local government alongside the RMA reform, as regional councils came into being in 1989, in anticipation of the RMA, which was enacted in 1991. He admitted there were flaws with the present model, as local and regional councils didn't always work together. ''My personal view is separating land-use between city and regional councils was wrong. We've had so many occasions when land-use has been consented non-notified and then it needs water table allocations (from the regional council).'' LGNZ passed a remit at its annual general meeting calling for a review of local government functions and governance arrangements. Its chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said local government needed to be proactive and lead the changes required. Under existing legislation there are only two alternatives for regional government - regional councils and unitary authorities. Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Pauling said more options were needed, as different regions had different challenges. Canterbury is much larger than other regions, has more braided rivers and catchments, a centrally located population and sparsely populated districts such as Kaikōura, Hurunui, Mackenzie and Waimate. ''We need to be having the conversation and asking the questions. Would Kaikōura and Waimate survive as unitary authorities?'' Splitting the region into three - North, Mid and South Canterbury has been mooted - but Pauling thinks it would be ''problematic''. South Canterbury would likely be the largest unitary authority in the country in terms of geography, but with a population of only 60,000. The Hurunui district alone is the same size as Taranaki and half the size of Auckland, but with a much smaller population. A Christchurch or Greater Christchurch unitary authority has also been mooted, but questions have been raised about whether the rest of Canterbury would have a sufficient ratepayer base to manage regional council functions. Pauling said he believed it would be ''unworkable''. Another option, which ECan councillors considered at a recent workshop, was a Canterbury or South Island Assembly. This was based on the Greater Manchester model, where the existing local councils could continue and the mayors or council representatives and Mana Whenua representatives could form an assembly to make regional decisions. Whatever is decided, Pauling said local communities need to be involved in the decision making ''or it wouldn't fly''.
