Waimakariri Zone Committee focuses on biodiversity quality and Kaiapoi River Rehabilitation

The Waimakariri Zone Committee will meet in Rangiora on Monday (2 November) for its regular monthly meeting to address local water management issues.

The committee will begin the meeting by offering members of the public an opportunity to contribute before receiving an update from the Regional Committee and Environment Canterbury’s Waimakariri Zone Team.

The Zone Team will update the committee the progress being made towards delivering its five year water management priorities for the July-September 2015 quarter. Some of the milestones include developing a regular community and stakeholder e-newsletter, working with farmers on good management practice, and allocating around $440,000 to local biodiversity projects.

At the meeting the committee will receive an update on the Sustainable Management of Longfin Eel in Canterbury and its Immediate Steps biodiversity programme. There is still around $60,000 of Immediate Steps funding to be allocated by the zone committee so if you have a project that could benefit visit www.ecan.govt.nz/biodiversity for further information and an application form.

Next, the committee will be briefed by Environment Canterbury on lifestyle block management plans which are a simple tool to help owners manage environmental risks and identify any hotspots where careful management is needed.

The committee will finish the meeting by receiving a briefing from Environment Canterbury’s Science Team on investigations being made to support options for rehabilitating the Kaiapoi River. The report also introduces a concept design, options, and recommendations report for rehabilitating the upper Kaiapoi River channel.

Following the meeting, the committee will hold work-shops on the zone’s sub-regional planning process, which will begin next year, and on Plan Change 5 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP), which includes new region-wide nutrient management policies and rules that relate to the use of land for a farming activity.

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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