Climate and fresh water focus for regional councillors
From local democracy reporter David Hill:
Climate change and fresh water regulations loom as priorities for North Canterbury’s regional councillors.
Incumbent Environment Canterbury councillors Claire McKay and Grant Edge were re-elected in the North Canterbury/Ōpukepuke Constituency in Saturday’s election.
Both said working on the new integrated plan, which needed to be operative in 2024, would be the major issue of the next council term.
The new plan will integrate the government’s National Policy Statement on freshwater with the regional policy statement, the coastal environmental plan and the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.
‘‘It’s critical that we involve the community in that discussion and partner with Ngāi Tahu as Mana Whenua,’’ McKay said.
She said a priority would be having discussions with councils around how to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
‘‘We’ve got to start talking now.
‘‘We can’t wait for something to happen and then in 10 years time think that we should have done something sooner.
‘‘We’ve got to have some alignment around who is going to pay and where we can live and work.’’
She said the recent flood events had shown the need to think about farming close to rivers and water ways.
Edge said climate change was top of the agenda and ‘‘how communities deal with storm events and flooding’’ in the future.
Urban development and transport were other priorities, particularly with planning related to meeting emissions targets.
‘‘For me one of the big issues will be taking a closer look at solutions for catchments around rivers and land use activity.
‘‘I think we can be a bit smarter about how we deal with those issues.’’
The 16 ECan councillors will be sworn in at the inaugural meeting on October 27, when the chairperson and deputy chairperson will be elected.
Two Ngāi Tahu councillors will be among those councillors, following the passing of the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Bill in Parliament in August.
Edge said the inclusion of the Ngāi Tahu councillors with full voting rights was ‘‘a maturing of democracy’’ and a recognition of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Ngāi Tahu appointees are Iaean Cranwell (Kāti Irakehu, Kāti Kurī, Kāti Makō) and Tutehounuku ‘‘Nuk’’ Korako (Ngāi Tūāhuriri, Ngāti Wheke).
Cranwell has previously served as a government appointed ECan councillor and in the last term was a Tumu Taiao Mana Whenua expert.
Korako is a former National List MP.
■ Environment Canterbury North Canterbury/Ōpukepuke Constituency (two vacancies):
Claire McKay 12,232.
Grant Edge 10,524.
Shaun Lissington 8427.
Rachel Vaughan 8284.
■ Public interest journalism is funded by New Zealand on Air.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
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New Year, Same Brain Teasers!
A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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