O'Rourke to chair water trust

Former Christchurch City councillor Denis O'Rourke has replaced Doug Marsh as Central Plains Water Trust chairman.

Marsh, an original member of the Central Plains water enhancement scheme steering committee, resigned as trust chairman and as a Central Plains Water Ltd (CPWL) director in August.

O'Rourke, a trustee since 2000, said Marsh's move was "good timing".

"I think he'd seen it through so that all the essential work had been done and obviously he felt that it was appropriate for him to move on."

O'Rourke said the trust's role would increase significantly with water consents conditionally granted by commissioners.

"I'm really looking forward to ... doing what the trust is there for. The trust didn't have much of a role until we had a scheme," he said. "There will be a much clearer division between the trust and the company, which has not been evident so far since our roles have been identical."

Consents are held by the trust and licensed back to CPWL. The trust will monitor the mandatory sustainable farming protocol and undertake environmental enhancement with funding from the company.

O'Rourke said trust-held water consents would be a "great step forward", becoming the template for sustainable farming in New Zealand.

- © Fairfax NZ News