Shipley puts rumours to rest

Dame Jenny Shipley has put an end to weeks of speculation she is about to become an Environment Canterbury commissioner.

The former National prime minister said yesterday that she would not take up "any role associated with the recent review of ECan".

However, she would not comment on whether she had been asked to be a commissioner.

"I'm not going to speculate on those things. It would not be appropriate for me to do so," she told The Press.

Labour Christchurch Central MP Brendon Burns said late last week that several sources led him to understand Dame Jenny was at "the top of the list".

ECan chairman Alec Neill said he had tried not to take too much notice of the rumours. "There has been a lot of speculation. However, an attempt by a little-known Labour backbench MP [Burns] to gain notoriety seems to have fallen flat on its face."

Dame Jenny said it was time to put a stop to the speculation.

She could not consider any job that might conflict with her role as chairwoman of Genesis Energy. She was already involved in Canterbury water issues, particularly given the Government's proposal for Genesis to take over Meridian Energy's Tekapo A and B power stations.

She had read "with interest" the ECan review by her former deputy prime minister Wyatt Creech and was pleased with the Canterbury Water Management Strategy's progress. The report recommends sacking ECan councillors and replacing them with commissioners. "Whatever decision the Government takes as a result of the review, I hope that rapid progress can be made.

"It is my hope that at some stage in the future in my role as chair of Genesis, I might find myself working in Canterbury on some new water storage projects which may have electricity generation potential but also have the potential to satisfy environmentalists, irrigators, regulators, in-stream users and out-of-stream users."

Mr Burns said Dame Jenny ruling herself out was "appropriate and welcome".

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said:"It's good she has cleared it up herself and good on her for recognising the conflict of interest."

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