7 July 2010 Diverse range of interested represented on innovative water management group

A Lincoln University professor, a director of Horticulture New Zealand, the chair of Hurunui Water, an award winning environmentally friendly farmer, and an employee of Fish and Game are among the seven community appointees to the fledgling Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee, the first to be established under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

The seven community members have been appointed following a thorough selection process to find the best combination of people with the range of interests and expertise to ensure the collective strength of the committee.

They are John Faulkner, Ken Hughey (Lincoln University), Andrew Harris, Mike Hodgen, Michele Hawke, Tony Hawker, and David Eder.

Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson and Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill are excited by the range of values, interests and experiences the seven appointees bring to the committee.

These range from leading edge farming, a leading national horticulturalist, QE11 biodiversity covenants, recognised environmental leadership, strong recreational pursuits, and local Hurunui community and business interests.

Garry Jackson notes: “while each member brings different strengths to the committee they all share one common thread – a passion for the district and desire to ensure its resources are properly managed in the interests of the community at large.”

Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill also acknowledges the impressive and wide-ranging list of individual qualifications, accomplishments, interests and occupations.

“As a group they have the breadth and depth of expertise to work collaboratively to develop creative solutions to water management issues in the district while addressing the priorities set out in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.”

The community members were confirmed at meetings this week following a rigorous selection process which began in early March and attracted 33 applications.
 
The successful appointees were chosen from a short list of fourteen following assessment workshops that included each applicant presenting on water management approaches to achieve the targets identified in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

A panel made up of Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson, Councillor Winton Dalley, Te Marino Lenihan from Tuahuriri Runanga, Ross Little a former Environment Canterbury Councillor, and Don Rule Environment Canterbury’s Director of Resource Planning and Consents, assessed each applicant on skills, expertise and experience, as well as their ability to work collaboratively to develop water management solutions that deliver economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes.

While it was originally intended to appoint only six community members Garry Jackson says “in the course of these assessments it became clear increasing the membership to seven would better achieve the desired range and balance of interests.” This has now been formally ratified with the appointment of the seven community members.

Hurunui District councillor Winton Dalley and Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Bedford, as well as two runanga appointees who are yet to be confirmed (from Tuahuriri and Kaikoura runanga) make up the rest of the Hurunui-Waiau Zone Water Management Committee, which is being established as a joint committee of the Hurunui District Council and Environment Canterbury.

Hurunui Mayor Garry Jackson says the committee’s establishment is a significant achievement for the local community marking the start of a positive and collaborative process for water management.

“We are confident we have a pool of capable people with wide ranging interests and experience, who together with other committee members, will now pick up the challenge before them, and begin to develop the broad water management programme for our area with skill, urgency, robust debate, and an overriding sense of collaboration and pursuit of win/win solutions for us all.”

Environment Canterbury Commissioner David Caygill says the committee – the first of up to ten water management zone committees throughout Canterbury – is a key milestone in the implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

Its role is to develop a Hurunui-Waiau zone water management implementation programme – taking into account other zone committee programmes and the Regional Water Management Committee’s programme – to give effect to the fundamental principles and targets of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy

David Caygill confirms the Environment Canterbury Commissioners have whole-heartedly endorsed the implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and recognise the significance of encouraging and facilitating community input on water issues in Canterbury.

“The Environment Canterbury Commissioners also recognise the need to get the process right and to make sound, balanced decisions for the management of the natural physical resources of Canterbury,” said David Caygill.