Environment Canterbury Welcomes Gov't Review
October 28, 2009
MEDIA RELEASE
Environment
Canterbury Chairman Alec Neill has welcomed the review
announced by Environment Minister Nick Smith and Local
Government Minister Rodney Hide this afternoon. He says the
Council will work co-operatively and do everything it can to
make sure the review team gets the information it requires
as quickly and as easily as possible.
“Since I was
elected in late September I have made it very clear that the
council will work constructively with both central
government and local councils. We worked closely with the
Ministers as to the style of review and to agree on the
terms of reference, and they have thanked us for our help in
establishing the review.
“The Canterbury Regional
Council must work on behalf of the people of Canterbury
regarding the management of the region’s natural and
physical resources. It’s a role we take a great deal of
pride in and we look forward to being open and frank with
the review team about our governance and management policies
and processes.”
Mr Neill says the Council is well
aware of the challenges it faces regarding effective
resource management for the region, and has made significant
changes in recent times to improve its performance. This
information will be shared with the review team.
“We
see this as a timely opportunity to have what we do reviewed
by an independent party. This review is intended to be
solutions-focussed, and will be valuable to both the
Ministers and to Environment Canterbury. The review will
make recommendations and we will act on any recommendations
accordingly.”
ENDS