Nick Smith

Wellington, March 30 NZPA - Environmental lobbyists tonight raised concerns that the axing of Canterbury's regional council may be an effort by the Government to weaken existing water conservation orders on the region's rivers and smooth the path to dam-building.

Environment Minister Nick Smith has introduced a bill into Parliament which will give the Government the power to appoint commissioners to replace the Environment Canterbury council and take over the region's resource management.

"The changes appear to weaken the statutory tests around water conservation orders," said Environmental Defence Society chairman Gary Taylor, of Auckland.

"The changes mean that it may be easier to amend existing water conservation orders in Canterbury, including orders over the Rakaia and Ahuriri rivers," he said.

"The criteria for assessing water conservation order matters have been changed and seriously weakened".

This would have enormous implications. Mr Taylor said both existing water conservation orders and the proposed orders for the Hurunui River appeared to be at risk.

Senior public servant Dame Margaret Bazley has been appointed to run the council, with another four to six further commissioners to be appointed in the next few weeks.

In February a review ordered by the Government recommended commissioners be appointed urgently, though some critics of the move suggested it was because the regional council had actually started doing its job and enforcing constraints on water consents sought by farmers and other irrigators.

Forest and Bird said the axing of the council was a precursor to fast-tracking dams without public consultation.

"The democratic and legal defences of Canterbury's wild rivers are being swept aside and replaced with a kangaroo court," said Forest and Bird South Island conservation manager Chris Todd.

The changes meant the application for a water conservation order over the Hurunui River, due to be heard by the Environment Court in May, would instead be heard by the Government-appointed commissioners.

The same commissioners would also have to set up water storage such as dams, which was in direct conflict with considerations to protect the Hurunui.

Irrigation NZ supported the Government and said water was too important to be used as a political football by regional councillors.

Federated Farmers said it looked forward to working with the new commissioners, and that there was a need for the region to make "constructive decisions" about its resources.

A moratorium on new consent applications would need to be managed carefully to ensure existing consent holders and new applicants were treated fairly.