MEDIA ADVISORY

13 March 2014

Lower Waitaki Zone Committee focuses on water quality limits

The Lower Waitaki – South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee will meet in Waimate onWednesday 18 March for its monthly water management meeting of the year.

The committee’s current focus is on developing outcomes for water quality limits as part of sub-regional planning processes in the zone, which is one tool designed to deliver the goals of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS).

The sub-regional planning process involves working with the community to develop recommendations on how to set and achieve water quality limits that will meet its cultural, economic, environmental and social aspirations.

Once finalised, these recommendations will be presented to Environment Canterbury Commissioners for consideration before they are translated into planning provisions and a suite of non-statutory actions.

There are also non-statutory tools that will be explored as a means of achieving the water outcomes identified by the community and zone committees.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the committee will receive an update on work being undertaken in the Hakataramea, Waitaki Northern Fan, and Valley and Tributaries catchments. Public workshops have been held in these catchments to develop water quality regimes which will feed in to the sub-regional planning process.

The committee will also discuss water allocation in the Hakataramea. Water quantity in the Waitaki will still be managed through the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan.

The committee will finish the meeting by electing a chair and deputy chair for the coming year before discussing the upcoming process to refresh its community membership.

Each year zone committees refresh their community membership to ensure new perspectives are reflected. Keep an eye out in local papers to see how you can be involved or visitwww.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater for information on how to apply.

The Lower Waitaki - South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waimate and Waitaki District Councils. The zone extends from the Otaio catchment in the north, to the Waitaki Dam in the south, taking in Waimate, Kurow and Duntroon.

Zone Committee meeting information

Lower Waitaki – South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee meeting

1:00pm, Wednesday, 18 March, 2015

Waimate Community Centre, Queen Street, Waimate

For a copy of the agenda visit the Lower Waitaki page at www.ecan.govt.nz/canterburywater

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