Smith Nick: Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSmith Nick: Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 05 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10856. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): I move That the Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Bill be now read a third time. This bill provides for a sensible transition from the commissioners whom the Government installed in Environment Canterbury back in 2010. It provides for a mix of both elected representatives and the continuity of commissioners through to 2019 from when the council will move to full elections.The Government is very proud of the work and of the tough calls it made in terms of getting Environment Canterbury into a far better shape to be able to deal with the huge challenges of managing fresh water in Canterbury with the rebuild issues in that region and with taking one of New Zealand’s worst performers in the local government sector up to being one of the very best. It would be uncharitable of me or Louise Upston and the other Ministers whom I have worked with to claim the credit for the success of the work out of Environment Canterbury because it very much rests with the very skilled commissioners who were prepared to step up to the challenge and make a difference for that region.I do want to take the opportunity in this third reading to pay tribute to Dame Margaret Bazley who I think is one of New Zealand’s most outstanding public servants and I am in awe of her ability to be able to deal with very complex issues—let alone with water—throwing in the complexity of the earthquake and seeing this organisation through the change. But equally I should pay tribute to people like Peter Skelton a previous Environment Court judge; people like David Caygill a former Labour Minister; and people like Tom Lambie Rex Williams David Bedford and Elizabeth Cunningham who have far exceeded the Government’s expectations in terms of providing a quality of governance for this important organisation.There has been some debate about whether in October 2017 we should go cold turkey and simply to a step of full elections at that time. It is true that our Government has been cautious in that regard. The first key issue for me is actually around the issue of freshwater management. The truth is that the water issue in Canterbury is far bigger than in any other part of the country with over 50 percent of the renewable electricity in New Zealand produced in that region with over 70 percent of all the irrigation in New Zealand done in that region and I would also say with the issues of water quality being more challenging in Canterbury than anywhere else.If we go back to 2010 when the Government took the big call to intervene in Environment Canterbury there was no water plan in place at all there were no limits on conversion even though the impacts of that on water quality were significant and it was also a council that had the worst record of all 86 of our councils in terms of meeting statutory time frames in processing resource consents. I put that in contrast to the situation today where not only in terms of processing consents Environment Canterbury has moved from being one of the worst managers of water to actually being at the cutting edge internationally of how we deal with the very challenging issue of diffuse water pollution. What it has developed with the farming community around good management practices around the red zones and around the collaborative zone committees in my view sets a very strong foundation not just for Canterbury in terms of freshwater management but indeed for New Zealand.I would also make the comment that in 2010—and I know this has been important for my colleague Louise Upston—every one of the 10 mayors in Canterbury asked the Government to intervene to sack the council and to put the commissioners in place. It is so interesting for us today to see the rebuild in the relationships where every one of those councils are acknowledging that the commissioners have a far better relationship with Environment Canterbury. Getting the two units of local government working together has been absolutely critical in terms of the scale of challenges that region has passed through in terms of the earthquakes. I would also say that the very strong feedback I have had from Ngāi Tahu is that the relationships between Environment Canterbury and iwi in the region are consequently so much stronger.The model that we have chosen in going forward is for there to be a majority of elected councillors from October this year: four from the city of Christchurch and one each from North Canterbury from South Canterbury and from mid-Canterbury. We are then saying that through to 2017 it will move over to a standard council model. The question around why we are not just going cold turkey is actually about the expertise of the commissioners being enabled to ensure that that good work is completed. Let me tell you how important it is. We do thank goodness now have a Canterbury water plan—a plan that is regulatory and that is operative across the full region. What we do not have yet are operative zone plans for each of the catchments across Canterbury. An enormous amount of work has gone on with those zone committees. The Government wants to back the continuity and that momentum so that that piece of work is completed by 2019 and that is why we are maintaining both the limited appeal rights and the work of the commissioners through to that process.I have heard all sorts of exaggerated rhetoric around democracy from members opposite. I simply challenge these members opposite by saying what about when Helen Clark displaced the Auckland District Health Board? What about when the last Labour Government sacked the council in Rodney? In both cases members on our side of the House actually said that there was a strong case. Actually good Minsters and good Governments will see problems where they exist and will address them rather than sort of standing on the notion that they will never intervene. The truth is that this Government’s intervention in Canterbury has been necessary. It has been necessary it has made a huge difference and actually what is provided for in this bill—in a plan that has been worked on together by me and my colleague Louise Upston—is a sensible transition so that we do not have instability at such a crucial time in the history of not just the earthquake issues but the water issues in Canterbury.I thank members such as those from the Māori Party who are supporting this bill. They are putting the interests of Canterbury ahead of cheap politics. They are ensuring that we are keeping this good work on track and the people of Canterbury the water of Canterbury and the rebuild of Canterbury will be better for the practical measures that are in this bill.