Friday deadline on water conflicts

Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors have until Friday to explain themselves over potential conflicts of interest in water use.

The Auditor-General's Office wrote to South Canterbury councillors Mark Oldfield and Bronwen Murray and to Christchurch West representative Pat Harrow after a complaint from Christchurch Central Labour MP Brendon Burns in July.

Burns, the party's water spokesman, asked the office to investigate whether regional councillors holding water consents and with irrigation interests should have been able to vote on a proposal for water-management charges.

In July, ECan's general rates rose 10.6 per cent rather than 2.7 per cent because the council, with the support of Oldfield, Murray and Harrow, delayed the introduction of a part-charge on water management for a year.

Burns said he asked the auditor-general for a progress report last week.

"I was advised by the office that it believes there is some resistance from some of the councillors involved in responding to the request for information," he said. "After an extension was given, the Auditor-General's Office has now said it wants a response by Friday."

Burns said it would have been useful to have had clarification before former ECan chairman Sir Kerry Burke was voted out 10 days ago.

"Because I have been subjected to various claims and allegations that I have been politically motivated ... I wish to make clear my interest is on behalf of constituents."

Harrow said Burns was "drumming up" concerns where they did not exist. "I've sent that information. I have no doubt that I have no conflicts."

Murray said her lawyer was handling the issue. It was "bollocks" to suggest she had been resisting the auditor-general's request for information.

She had not heard Friday was the last day to reply to the letter as her lawyer, who she would not name, was away. "He [Burns] can claim what he likes, but he is politically meddling, in my opinion. I have followed all the guidelines we have had."

Oldfield also said he was unaware of the Friday deadline.

"We're just responding to the auditor-general through our lawyer. I won't have any difficulty meeting that deadline."

This year, Burke, as chairman, warned councillors they could be dismissed if they were found to have profited from undeclared conflicts of interest.

Burke had sent the auditor-general a record of events on the water-charging discussion, including his advice to councillors and an earlier auditor-general's opinion that councillors who were water consent-holders would be "prohibited from discussing and voting on a proposal to move to a greater user-pays charging regime".

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