Orari-Opihi-Pareora Zone Committee meeting
The Orari-Opihi-Pareora (OOP) Zone Committee will hold its regular monthly meeting (open to the public) at the Opuha Dam Offices on Monday, 14 May.
A key focus for the committee will be on the implementation of its Zone Implementation Programme (ZIP) and the committee’s work-plan for the future. The ZIP was formally endorsed by councils in May as the basis for the design and realignment of work programmes, for drafting regional plan provisions.
It features 50 recommendations to councils with Environment Canterbury leading or involved in 41 of the recommendations. Almost half the recommendations relate to the on-the-ground action and awareness initiatives for biodiversity, pests, water quality, drainage and nutrient management.
Immediate Steps biodiversity funding will be another priority at the meeting. Immediate Steps is a $10 million programme to protect and enhance native biodiversity values. The zone committee is responsible for local implementation of the programme.
At the meeting the biodiversity selection panel will recommend its selections for Immediate Steps funding to the wider committee. The committee has already allocated more than $60,000 to help fund community-led biodiversity projects.
Another focus for the committee will be on receiving an update on regional infrastructure and a briefing from the Regional Committee, which is currently working on finalising its Regional Implementation Programme (RIP). The Regional Committee considers region-wide issues of environmental restoration and repair; land use impacts on water quality; as well as water, distribution, efficiency, and storage options.
The committee will also receive a number of briefings on other local and regional water management issues including; the Pareora River Flow Plan, Orari flood plain strategy, Waitaki River Plan, and the progress of the draft Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) by Environment Canterbury.
Environment Canterbury made the staff working draft of the LWRP available for public feedback on its website in April. The purpose of the LWRP is to identify the resource management outcomes or goals for managing land and water resources in Canterbury to achieve the purpose of the Resource Management Act (1991) (RMA). The zone committee will specifically consider how the draft plan relates to its zone.
The committee will also receive a presentation on the Water Use Report which includes an update for each of the Canterbury Water zones on their progress towards installing water measuring devices in the 2010/11 year. The report also includes information on water allocation and actual water use (where available) for each of the zones.
The OOP Zone Committee operates as a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils. The zone extends south from the Rangitata River through to the Pareora catchment. It includes all of the Timaru district and parts of the Mackenzie and Waimate districts.
Meeting Details:
Orari-Opihi-Pareora Zone Committee meeting
1.30pm, Monday,14 May
Opuha Dam offices, 875 Arowhenua Road, Pleasant Point