The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is inviting all people in Otago to take part in a questionnaire to find out which natural and physical resources they value or have concerns about in the region.

ORC is responsible for managing Otago’s land, coast, air and water resources on behalf of the community, for our future.

The questionnaire is part of ORC’s work on its new Regional Policy Statement (RPS), which sets direction for what people and communities can and cannot do when using natural and physical resources, subdividing or developing land.

ORC Chairperson Marian Hobbs said, “Our wellbeing and economy depend on having a healthy environment. Our lives and those of our children depend on protecting and managing natural and physical resources. We want you to tell us about the resources that matter most to you and yours.”

The RPS does not contain rules: it builds the framework for Otago's regional and district plans, in which resource management policies, objectives and rules sit. The RPS identifies issues for the region and includes how natural and physical resources will be managed, including air, coasts, land and freshwater.

Other topics to consider are ecosystems and biodiversity, energy and infrastructure, hazards and risks, historical and cultural values, heritage, natural character, natural features and landscapes, and urban form and development.

Head to www.orc.govt.nz/RPS or call 0800 474 082 for a paper copy of the questionnaire to have your say. Feedback closes at 9pm on 25 February.

Minister for the Environment David Parker has recommended that ORC prepares and notifies a new RPS by November 2020, to be operative by 1 April 2022.

NEXT STEPS

ORC will use the information from the online questionnaire, along with input from other stakeholders, to refine a set of key issues for Otago. Councillors and ORC staff will then travel around Otago during March to meet with communities to discuss these issues in more detail. ORC wants to know what communities want for Otago, what’s stopping this being achieved and how the problems can be solved.

Roadshow dates:

12:30-2pm and 6.30-8pm, 17 March in Oamaru

12:30-2pm and 6.30-8pm, 18 March in Dunedin

12:30-2pm and 6.30-8pm, 19 March in Balclutha

12:30-2pm and 6.30-8pm, 24 March in Queenstown

12:30-2pm and 6.30-8pm, 25 March in Alexandra

Venues to be confirmed.

RSVP to policy@orc.govt.nz

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