Split visible as ECan greets new chairman

Tensions and rifts welcomed Alec Neill to his first full Environment Canterbury (ECan) council meeting as chairman yesterday.

Despite the change at the top, the mood around the table was strained at times and traditional splits were still evident.

At one stage Neill's deputy, Cr Jo Kane, had words with councillors over her dumping from the council's air quality committee.

A shuffle of committee responsibilities in the wake of the change in chairmanship rekindled old rivalries between town and country.

South Canterbury representative Cr Bronwen Murray was appointed chairwoman of one of two regulation hearing committees and became co-chair of the regulation overview committee with farmer Cr Angus McKay.

However, before that, Cr Jane Demeter was nominated for the regulation hearing role by Cr Eugenie Sage and was backed by former chairman Sir Kerry Burke.

Burke said it was necessary to "send a signal" that there was a councillor from the "urban community" involved in such an important committee.

Cr Mark Oldfield said he was "perturbed about this rural-urban nonsense".

"It is political dinosaur terminology. This perpetuation of this divisive rural-urban business is just unacceptable to me."

Kane was then replaced as chairwoman of the air quality committee by Burke, and not kept on as a committee member.

"I'm far from convinced this is in the best interests of the region. I will be reluctantly withdrawing from this seat," she told the meeting.

As Kane left the council room for morning tea, she turned to air quality committee members Demeter and Cr David Sutherland and said:

"Thanks for your support over the air portfolio, guys."

In the councillors' lounge, she said: "I like a slap in the face like anyone else."

Kane told The Press after the meeting that she was disappointed at losing her place on the committee.

"So much for 20 months working in the communities and making myself available," she said. "When Sir Kerry was deposed, I felt that I could offer my air quality chair to him. But at the last minute I'm not convinced that this is working in the best interests of the Canterbury region.

"I thought being on the committee was a given."

At the end of the meeting, Burke put a notice of motion that the council condemn the actions of the 10 Canterbury mayors who, without backing from their councils and in breach of the "no surprises" triennial agreement, wrote to Local Government Minister Rodney Hide with a list of grievances about ECan's performance.

The notice was debated and withdrawn.

"I said it had been helpful to have that discussion but then I accepted a suggestion from Cr Demeter that I might seek to withdraw it," Burke said.

Neill said it had been useful to discuss the motion. "Perhaps it cleared some of the air around our own table? But it's now about moving forward."

- © Fairfax NZ News