Mayors feel 'vindicated' by review

Canterbury mayors who complained to the Government about Environment Canterbury's (ECan) performance are calling for regional councillors to be sacked "as soon as possible".

A high-powered review panel, headed by former National deputy prime minister Wyatt Creech, recommended the ECan councillors be replaced by a commission while a separate water-management entity was created.

The gap between the organisation's capability and the adequate management of freshwater issues was "enormous and unprecedented", the report said.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker and Timaru Mayor Janie Annear said they felt vindicated by the review.

Ten regional mayors, including Parker and Annear, wrote to Local Government Minister Rodney Hide last September complaining about ECan's dismal performance.

Parker said Creech's review was one of the most damning reports he had seen about a local government unit.

"I think people will now understand why it was that we put our hands up," Parker said. "The panel gives very clear recommendations of the way forward ... and my hope is the Government will enact all of these recommendations as soon as possible."

Annear said a dysfunctional ECan was holding back the region, economically and environmentally.

"The situation at ECan is even more serious than anyone thought."

Kaikoura Mayor Kevin Heays also supported the recommendations which the Government has yet to decide on.

Chairman Alec Neill said the council processed 90 per cent of consents within the statutory time frame in the year to January and it was "business as usual" for the 14 elected representatives and 500 staff.

ECan chief executive Bryan Jenkins said the report showed that apart from water the council was leading the country in several areas, such as air quality. But Cr Mark Oldfield, who resigned as water committee chairman over a "lack of progress", said the report was "comprehensive and accurate" and ECan was not listening to its community.

Cr Rik Tindall said appointing commissioners to run the organisation would be an "asset grab" from Wellington and the Government needed to justify why councillors should be dismissed.

"There is always room for improvement in every organisation, at every level, and we'll do our best to play that game, toe the line and up our output on behalf of the public that elected us. But it is the public that elected us and I think that if central planning from Wellington is going to be a substitute for local decision-making, that's a retrograde step and I do not think the public will accept it."

Former ECan chairman Sir Kerry Burke said the review seemed to be part of a Government agenda, something he would put to ministers next week.

Cr Carole Evans was shocked by the report's recommendations which she said had not caught up with changes already made at ECan.

Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury president Michael Morrow praised Neill on starting to turn around the ECan "super-tanker" and said the group was "encouraged" by what had come out of ECan in recent months. But he was less complimentary of ECan chief executive Bryan Jenkins.

"What I think the council needs is a total reorganisation retaining the best but exiting the weakest links. I think the chief executive really needs to think hard about his position."

- © Fairfax NZ News