Dean Jacqui: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Dean Jacqui: Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:661;Page:10088] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 The Waimate mayor John Coles said: “Good on the Government for having the guts to come out and do something like this.” The Mackenzie District mayor John O’Neill said that it was a bold move that would have the full support of the district’s ratepayers. The Waitaki mayor Alex Familton believed that it was the right decision and that the commissioners would have his strong support. I suggest to the House that these are the people who know. Members opposite may not understand how rural local authorities work but the 10 mayors particularly the rural mayors understand only too well the deficiencies of Environment Canterbury after the past few years. 
I am proud to stand in support of the third reading of the Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill. The debate over the last 24 hours or so has been characterised by arguments from the Opposition promoted by Christchurch-based Labour MPs. I acknowledge that they cannot help but promote the Christchurch City view because they do not represent the provinces and have little and limited understanding of the issues that have been faced by rural constituencies in their dealings with Environment Canterbury. Interestingly though the Christchurch Central member did acknowledge that Labour had failed to act on water management issues while Labour was in Government and I congratulate him on that acknowledgment. Trevor Mallard when he was the Minister for the Environment said: “Everyone knows there was a problem here.” 
The city Labour MPs have no idea what has been happening in the provinces in the area of Environment Canterbury. Labour members have no courage to deal with this hard issue. Their Sustainable Water Plan of Action—or should I say their water plan of inaction—went nowhere. So I say to the House that Environment Canterbury’s failure is also Labour’s failure. It hard for them to face up to but it is true. All the Canterbury district mayors themselves democratically elected have had enough of Environment Canterbury which they characterise as dysfunctional. All 10 mayors and councils were consulted during the course of the development of this bill. I was at meetings represented by four of those local authorities which is nearly half of those involved and all of those democratically elected mayors and councils have welcomed the introduction of this bill. 
The regional council has after 19 years failed to produce a regional water plan while other regional councils are on their second-generation water plans. Environment Canterbury has been making consent decisions in a policy vacuum which has resulted in policy making on the hoof and that has been hugely costly in terms of time and expense to the applicants. They have made applications to Environment Canterbury in a policy vacuum. What is needed for the management of an area that has 70 percent of New Zealand’s fresh water is clearly beyond the capabilities of Environment Canterbury. Environment Canterbury has let down its constituents and proved to be a handbrake to both the development and the protection of natural water resources in Canterbury. 
The Government wants to consider carefully the Canterbury Strategic Water Study the Land and Water Forum and the work from the Environmental Protection Authority and will take on further advice from the commissioners. This legislation gives the Canterbury Water Management Strategy recognition and provides commissioners with a sorely needed and clear framework for managing Canterbury’s water. This bill looks to fix the problems we have now and set a good policy framework for water management in the future. 
The explicit intent of this legislation is for the commissioners to withdraw and be replaced by elected representatives as soon as their task of addressing the institutional and planning problems is achieved. The Environment Canterbury (Temporary Commissioners and Improved Water Management) Bill empowers commissioners to do what is required to turn round Environment Canterbury to the benefit of the people and the environment of Canterbury. I commend the bill to the House.