Dean Jacqui: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dean Jacqui: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 18 September 2012. Volume:684;Page:5310. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 One of the features of my work in 2005 and up until 2010 in my electorate office was dealing with complaints from water users about the performance of Environment Canterbury. I am sure my other South Canterbury colleague Jo Goodhew would have the same view. In fact we used to talk about the fact that one of the frustrations of our work as representatives in South Canterbury North Otago and Canterbury was the frustrations that our constituents had with the performance of Environment Canterbury. It was a systemic problem that our constituents faced and it was beyond me as the local member of Parliament to be of assistance to those constituents in their dealings with Environment Canterbury because the problems were so great within Environment Canterbury. The problems were systemic and they were having an adverse impact on the local economy of South Canterbury. 
With respect I say to the previous speaker Eugenie Sage that I utterly reject the contention she made that the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill is about promoting irrigation ahead of healthy rivers. I invite that member to visit the Opuha dam and have a look at the subsequent water-quality improvements that have been made in that catchment. I also invite the member to travel a little further south to the North Otago irrigation scheme and the North Otago Irrigation Company and have a look at the innovative farm management plans which put a very strong focus on water quality. So it is that with respect—because I know that member is very genuine in her desire for water quality—I reject the assertion she makes. 
Canterbury which does include for me South Canterbury and North Otago is of national economic significance and has huge economic growth potential based on the use of water. Crucial to this economic growth is the efficient management of Canterbury’s water. Of course we all know or we should do that the Canterbury region has 70 percent of New Zealand’s freshwater resource and 34 percent of New Zealand’s hydro generation capacity and most of it is within the Waitaki electorate which is why I care so much about it. So in 2010 following an extended period of poor performance by Environment Canterbury which I have already talked about the Government replaced the Environment Canterbury councillors with commissioners. 
Divisions within Environment Canterbury had impaired the effectiveness of planning and had impaired the effectiveness of decision making and most crucially the local communities including the local authorities had lost confidence in their elected representatives which I would have to say is an understatement. An independent review found that Environment Canterbury granted consents without any proper framework and it granted consents to take water from catchments that were overallocated compounding the problems for water users within that catchment. The report came on top of the 2007 Resource Management Act survey which said that Environment Canterbury had failed to process more than two-thirds of resource consent application within the statutory time frame. That level of poor performance has a very significant impact on the farming communities on local authorities wishing to renew water consents and also on large water users. Environment Canterbury’s performance was ranked the worst out of 84 councils in New Zealand. The review group also stated that the institutional failure in Environment Canterbury required comprehensive and rapid intervention on the part of central government to enhance both regional and national well-being. That view was supported by all 10 of the region’s mayors. 
The disruptions caused by four separate earthquake events have made the Canterbury situation truly unique. The level of disruption was not envisaged when the original legislation was passed. The rebuilding of Christchurch and the wider Canterbury economy including South Canterbury and North Otago of course after the earthquakes has brought a much sharper focus on the need for a competent and a consistent approach to planning for vital infrastructure for the future. 
The commissioners have been highly successful. The complaints into my office and into my colleague’s office have all but dried up. What the commissioners have achieved has been significant. They have managed the Natural Resources Regional Plan into an operative stage and started work on a second-generation land and water plan. Am I allowed to say hallelujah? I think I will anyway because that plan is hugely significant to all water users in the region. The commissioners have made significant progress on the implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and that has been through innovative collaborative processes and the development of zone implementation plans. I have attended the launch of several of the 10 zone committees. They are effective they are working well and they are making good progress in the use of water in the catchment. There has been dramatically improved compliance with statutory time frames under the Resource Management Act. There have been significantly improved relationships with the territorial local authorities with iwi and with other stakeholders through collaboration and a joint work programme with Ngai Tahu. There has been the establishment of a strong partnership and this is crucial with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority to facilitate earthquake recovery. I think also critical to the residents of South Canterbury Canterbury and North Otago is that it has made a commitment to improve air quality through Environment Canterbury’s Clean Heat project which provides assistance for clean heating and insulation and critically to my constituents an education campaign on the proper use of woodburners. 
I want to finish by noting the comments of Irrigation New Zealand: “Rural communities now have more opportunities to be involved in water management through the collaborative approach of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. We are starting to see real gains through the zone committee and we don’t want to go back to the nightmare situation that ratepayers suffered under previously.” I commend the bill to the House.