Goudie Sandra: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Goudie Sandra: Resource Management (Waitaki Catchment) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:619;Page:15295] 
SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 Uncertainty already reigns. In June 2003 farmers applied for water rights for 0.002 cubic metres of water which is as someone has said merely a piddle in a bucket. It is absolutely infinitesimal. The Minister used her call-in powers on those applications in October 2003—the introduction of this bill was in November 2003—so those people have had their water rights put on hold as a consequence of this bill which they were promised would be passed within 6 months. That did not happen. It dragged on until September 2004 and it still has not happened. There is no plan being formed as yet and it will take some time to form one. Those farmers who have applied for water rights are still in limbo so there is definitely no certainty around that. 
The member who recently spoke about Part 2 and said that this whole bill is just about the appointment of a board is absolutely right. That is just about all that this bill does. It sets a few definitions but it is largely about establishing this board for the regional water allocation plan. The Minister has her fingers in this pie well and truly because it is the Minister who will appoint the board. As we have already heard she has already called for applications for this board. I wonder how many she got how many people she has made promises to and whether that is the reason that she has to go ahead with this bill and the establishment of a board. Because as we have quite clearly heard the only reason for this bill is to establish a board. 
With the establishment of this board the Minister must have regard for the skills of the board. In looking at that it is about members of the board having an understanding of water allocation river ecology the Waitaki catchment and tikanga Maori. We have to ask ourselves what tikanga Maori has to do with water allocation and that is one of the bones of contention I guess with the Resource Management Act because there is a definition of tikanga Maori that is pretty broad and could mean just about anything and everything and it is my understanding that it pertains to the particular tikanga for that tribal group or individual. The Minister again with her finger in the pie appoints the chair of the board although one would wonder why it is not left to the board to appoint its own chair. The Minister also appoints the deputy chair of the board so one can see quite clearly that the Minister has quite a great deal of influence—far too much influence—on the board’s composition and on who its chair and deputy chair will be and that is quite unacceptable. 
That does not happen in any other situation where there is a regional water allocation plan going ahead. Those bodies do not have that ministerial influence—or interference it could more appropriately be called. A member may be removed by the Minister at any time as well so what sort of independence does this board have with so much interference by the Minister? It really is extraordinary. If it were not for this so-called board there would not be a need for this bill. There has been no justifiable explanation from the Minister as to why this bill is necessary and we certainly will not get it from the Minister will we? I have not heard anything to date that would even purport to being a justifiable cause. 
The other thing about this board is that when it establishes its regional water allocation plan and accepts submissions to that plan those submissions cannot be appealed to the Environment Court. No submitter can appeal to the Environment Court because this process still has some exceptions to it from the normal Resource Management Act process. I put it to members that those exceptions are unacceptable and that if it were not for this board with all this ministerial interference or for those exceptions to normal Resource Management Act processes there would be a level playing field for all of those participating.