Dyson lodges bill to tackle water issues

NATASHA MARTIN/Timaru Herald

ECO TALKS: Labour conservation spokesman David Parker speaks at a public meeting at the Caroline Bay Lounge yesterday.

Relevant offers

A new private member's bill from Labour Party MP Ruth Dyson hopes to address concerns about water conservation orders in Canterbury.

Ms Dyson and Labour conservation spokesman David Parker spoke at the Caroline Bay Lounge yesterday to a crowd of about 40 people on a variety of environmental issues.

Mr Parker said he was appalled at the Government's decision to sack Environment Canterbury's (ECan's) 14 elected councillors and replace them with seven appointed commissioners – who have the right to intervene in water conservation orders.

"They pushed these changes through under urgency with no thought towards the democratic process," he said.

"It is just wrong that they did it that way." Ms Dyson said she was putting a private member's bill into the parliamentary ballot to address the issue.

"If it is drawn, and it gets through, it will repeal the section that lets the commissioners intervene in water conservation orders. I hope the National Government will at least let it get to select committee, but I'm not holding my breath."

Water conservation orders can be made to protect the water's value as a habitat or fishery, or its wild or scenic nature. There are conservation orders already in place on the Rakaia, Rangitata and Ahuriri rivers.

Under the current ECan legislation, instead of establishing a special tribunal to consider applications for new water conservation applications, and applications to vary or revoke existing orders, Environment Minister Nick Smith would direct those requests to ECan's commissioners.

Ms Dyson's bill is the second one the Labour Party has put in the ballot to address the Government's sacking of the ECan councillors.

Last month, Christchurch MP Brendan Burns put forward a bill which, if drawn and passed in Parliament, would restore elections for ECan.

Mr Parker said although ECan had made mistakes in the past, many of the issues were historical, and the current council had been working towards addressing concerns about water quality and intensified farming.

Throughout the two-hour meeting, several people raised concerns about Canterbury's water, with many saying firm regulation and harsh penalties were needed to address the region's at-risk areas.

There were also concerns raised about tenure review and privatisation.

Mr Parker said the Government had failed to address issues of water quality and was "sitting on its hands" by not legislating the National Policy Statement for water.

The statement is currently with Dr Smith, but he has sent it to the Land and Water Forum, which is expected to report back later this month.

Mr Parker said Labour would have passed the policy statement within weeks if it had been re-elected in 2008.

- © Fairfax NZ News