18 November 2014

Upper Waitaki Zone Committee meeting

The Upper Waitaki Zone Committee will meet for its regular monthly meeting on Friday 21 November in Twizel.

The meeting will begin by giving members of the public a chance to contribute before it goes on to receive an update on the Immediate Steps biodiversity programme in the zone. As part of the programme the zone committee allocates funding to local projects that enhance biodiversity values.

At the meeting the committee will consider a wilding pine control initiative next to the boundary with Pukaki Downs Station to protect a local wetland. So far the committee has allocated more than $250,000 to local projects and there is still plenty of funding available – if you have a project that could benefit from funding support see the “Funding page at www.ecan.govt.nz/biodiversity for an application form.

Next, the committee will continue its work towards developing a draft solution package of actions to deliver the community’s aspirations for water quality in the zone. The committee has hosted a number of community workshops to explore various scenarios to achieve this.

It has work-shopped the technical information and community feedback it has received to date and now requires some further technical advice to enable it to complete a working draft of recommendations as part of the sub-regional planning processes in the zone.

The committee is aiming to get a draft completed by the end of this year and will ask the community for feedback in early 2015.

The Upper Waitaki Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waitaki and Mackenzie District councils. Zone committee meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend.

Upper Waitaki Zone Committee Meeting
9.30 am, Friday, 21 November
Mackenzie Country Inn, Twizel

For an agenda visit the Upper Waitaki page at: www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater

ENDS

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