The last of 12 community meetings across Otago seeking public input on ORC’s Land and Water

Regional Plan is on Friday – but the online feed-back form will be live until 6 November.

The Ophir Peace Memorial Hall in Swindon St, Ophir, is the venue for Friday’s last LWRP community

engagement forum, with sessions from 11am-2pm and another from 3pm-6pm.

Areas of interest to the public have so far included proposed changes around setbacks from

waterbodies for various farming activities, and more specifically for dairy operations, the suggested

limits on the number of cows per hectare, and the suggested restrictions on the amount of nitrogen

fertiliser used per hectare.

ORC Chair Gretchen Robertson says she is “really pleased” with the turn out to the in-person meetings all

around Otago to date and also the large number of people who attended the on-line forums.

“The engagement has been really great and staff have been busy collating peoples’ feedback around the

issues which really matter to them.”

“While the in-person meetings come to an end in Ophir on Friday, we’re encouraging people in Otago to

continue using the on-line feed-back form, which has been proving popular,” she says.

“The eventual LWRP will be a cornerstone document for future environmental protection across all Otago.

This is why it’s so important people and communities come together now and engage with us so their views

can help shape the Plan,” she says.

“We used the tag line ‘to chart a course for Otago’s waterbodies” because the LWRP is going set a long-term

vision around how Otago’s land and waterways will be managed and protected for many years ahead. It will

be the mainstay point of reference,” she says.

Once all feedback has been collated, ORC will use these to inform development of the final LWRP. This draft

Plan will be shared with ORC councillors in December 2023, and is scheduled to be publicly notified in June

next year – which will include public submissions.

Learn more about the draft Land and Water Regional Plan:

www.orc.govt.nz/landwater

You can also give your feedback online now:

www.orc.govt.nz/feedback

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