Sage EugenieEUGENIE SAGE (Green): What a load of cobblers. I am astonished that the chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee Scott Simpson can say that democracy is unnecessary is irrelevant and is no longer required and that a bill that restores democracy in Canterbury is out of touch and a waste of time. That is extraordinary from a member of this House. I congratulate and the Green Party congratulates Dr Megan Woods on having the Environment Canterbury (Democracy Restoration) Amendment Bill drawn from the ballot.This is a very important bill because Canterbury is the only region in New Zealand where citizens do not get to vote for a completely elected regional council. Instead we have got this mickey mouse arrangement where there are only seven elected councillors and six appointed commissioners—an arrangement where we have effectively a rural gerrymander where a vote in South Canterbury is worth more than a vote in Christchurch because fewer than 60000 citizens in South Canterbury elect a councillor but 90000 citizens in Christchurch elect a councillor.Hon Jo Goodhew: How many voted? I wonder how many voted.EUGENIE SAGE: It is an obnoxious state of affairs that we do not have full democracy back. The Minister Ms Goodhew is asking: How many voted?". Well Minister we can change that by ensuring that we have civics education in schools and that the Electoral Commission has a much greater role in enrolling voters.It is a disgrace that we do not have a fully elected council back in Canterbury. Why do we not have one? It is because it is so tied up with promoting an irrigation agenda. What did the then Minister of Agriculture say to Irrigation New Zealand at its conference in April 2010 just after the commissioners had come in? He said: "I would have thought what happened recently with Environment Canterbury would be a signal to all regional councils to work more constructively with their farmer shareholders." He went on to say: "We had to act here in Canterbury because the situation was untenable if we are going to seriously make progress in delivering this irrigation." That is what the denial of democracy in Canterbury was all about: allowing New Zealand Agribusiness Irrigation New Zealand Waimakariri Irrigation and others to have a hotline to Ministers and for the commissioners who were appointed to ensure that water management and the plans in Canterbury favoured more irrigation.Members on the opposite side have talked about the Creech report. They have talked about how Environment Canterbury was not performing. Well I was one of those councillors; it was. We had cleaned up the air in Christchurch and we were tackling water management. What has happened under the commissioners? If they had done such a good job for the last 6-plus years why could they not have solved the problems in 6 years? Why do we still have six appointed commissioners on that body if the Government's half-pie model and its appointed model were so successful?We only have to look at rivers like the Waikirikiri River the Selwyn. That river goes underground in its middle reaches but that stretch where there is just a dry riverbed which is effectively a four-wheel drive track has become wider and the dry reach of riverbed has extended for longer. Why is that? It is because too much water is being taken for irrigation. The commissioners have overseen the decline of the Waikirikiri/Selwyn River so that you now have ankle-deep water at Coes Ford. Instead of a swimming hole—it is not safe to swim down at the Lower Selwyn Huts. I was visiting there recently with Catherine Delahunty and Mojo Mathers. The water is a vivid green. The community at Selwyn Huts has been able to swim in that river in the past; now it is too polluted to bathe in or even to boat on. There is a picture in the Press that shows a rope just hanging forlornly. People cannot go swimming in the Waikirikiri/Selwyn River. The decline of the river has been exacerbated under the commissioners because they have failed to put limits on irrigation to put adequate limits on water quality to see these spring-fed rivers like the Waikirikiri/Selwyn River restored. We need democracy back. The Green Party supports this bill which would do that."