Woodhouse Michael: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Woodhouse Michael: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 28 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:8356. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Immigration) 
 on behalf of the Minister of Local Government: I move  
That the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. This bill amends the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act 2010. It implements the Government’s decision to extend the Environment Canterbury regional council’s governance arrangements. It provides the necessary powers to complete and implement the region’s resource management framework. This bill is about continuing to provide the Canterbury region with the stable and effective governance it needs to provide a platform for future economic growth and to assist the earthquake recovery. The bill does this by extending commissioner-led governance of Environment Canterbury until the 2016 local authority elections. The bill also retains existing provisions that provide Environment Canterbury with additional resource management powers and functions. 
In 2010 the elected members of Environment Canterbury were replaced by seven Government-appointed commissioners under the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Act. This followed a critical external review of the council’s performance in exercising its powers and responsibilities under the Resource Management Act 1991 and its inadequate freshwater management. This was a serious situation and the Government acted to address it. Since 2010 the commissioners with their specialist expertise have proved highly effective in turning round Environment Canterbury’s performance. They have continued to make strong progress in resolving systemic issues within the council and in addressing vital water management and infrastructure issues. 
The commissioners have also been very effective in developing a clear vision for the future and the sustainable management of the natural resources in the Canterbury region. They have achieved new levels of community collaboration in implementing the Canterbury Water Management Strategy through the innovative use of catchment-based zone committees. They have also made successful applications to the Government’s Fresh Start for Fresh Water Clean-up Fund for Lake Ellesmere and the Wainono Lagoon.  
The commission has strengthened the relationship with Ngai Tahu which includes establishing a partnership framework that ensures enduring engagement beyond the term of the commissioners. Consent processing time frame compliance has substantially increased from 28 percent in 2008 to the current figure of 93 percent and overall rates increases have averaged just 2.98 percent since the commissioners were appointed compared with 5.2 percent in the previous 3 years. Clearly the commissioners are doing an excellent job. 
 However their work is not yet done. Through this bill the commissioners are being given the opportunity to complete their turn-round of the Canterbury situation. Given the decades of division and inertia that characterised regional planning in Canterbury before their appointment there is a real risk that the work could come undone otherwise. The second-generation land and water regional plan and other plans will not be adopted by late 2013. The land and water regional plan gives effect to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and implements the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. These initiatives are critical for freshwater decision-making and unlocking Canterbury’s economic potential in an environmentally sustainable manner. The plan was notified last year and hearings of submissions on it are due to start shortly. The commissioners are also leading the preparation of a natural environment recovery plan and a land use recovery plan. Important work on restoring Greater Christchurch’s public transport systems is also occurring. All of this underlines the importance of continued strong and effective leadership by the commissioners until the 2016 local elections. 
I acknowledge the concerns expressed by many submitters on the bill about the decision not to hold a regional council election in 2013. I would again like to assure them that the decision was not taken lightly. There are good reasons for it and we have been up front about them. It is the Government’s intention to transition the regional governance of Canterbury back to elections by 2016. An important step in this process is the bill’s requirement for a ministerial review to start in March 2014. While the review is under way we will continue to do as much as we can to ensure that the Canterbury region realises its significant economic potential. This is what the bill is all about. It is also about providing the region with a strong collaborative and effective leadership team to ensure that the job that has been started is successfully finished. I commend this bill to the House.