News Release: "Our Environment - Whats your View?"
Thu 8 Jul 2010: News Release: "Our Environment - Whats your View?"Greater Regional Wellington
What’s your view on how we should look after the region’s air, waterways, coasts, soils and biodiversity? It’s a question that Greater Wellington is asking the community in a two-month series of workshops around the region that start next week.
“This is a timely discussion – our environmental monitoring shows that the region’s natural resources are increasingly under threat from business and urban development. And there’s a groundswell of concern in the community over pollution in rivers and streams, coastal erosion, air quality, and the increasing demand for water,” says Greater Wellington Chair Fran Wilde.
“We also know that three-quarters of the region’s economy depends on natural resources – so protecting those resources is necessary for our region to survive and thrive. But a regional council can’t do this on its own – the support of the community, business and other agencies is essential,” says Cr Wilde.
Greater Wellington ’s community workshops are the first step in developing a regional plan for managing our natural resources. The aim of the workshops is to get as much community input as possible, using a “bottom-up” approach.
“Anyone with an interest in a healthy environment should come to these meetings. Whether you’re involved in food gathering, recreation, land clearance and development, environmental tourism, farming, ecology, fishing and hunting, drainage, water use, adventure sports, and cultural heritage – you all have a stake in this,” says Cr Wilde.
Te Waari Carkeek, co-chair alongside Cr Wilde of Te Ūpoko Taiao, Greater Wellington’s Natural Resource Management Committee, says that the involvement of iwi partners and wider Māori communities is being sought so that Māori cultural values and views are included in the development of the new regional plan.
“This is all about getting the best regional plan so our environment is protected and the region has a sustainable future,” says Te Waari.
How can I be involved?
Attend one of the 16 community workshops throughout the region, commencing on 7 July in Martinborough and concluding on 9 September at Rongotai College in Wellington . (Discussions will also be held with regional iwi groups, local councils and with primary and secondary school students.)
Complete an online survey about the state and management of our natural resources at www.gw.govt.nz/valuing-our-environment.
Community Workshop programme
Martinborough Town Hall
Wednesday 7 July 7 – 9.30pm
Masterton Town Hall
Monday 12 July 7 – 9.30pm
Tinui School Hall
Wednesday 14 July 7 – 9.30pm
Ōrongomai Marae, Upper Hutt
Tuesday 20 July 7 – 9.30pm
Lower Hutt Town Hall
Thursday 22 July 7 – 9.30pm
Paraparaumu RSA Hall
Tuesday 3 August 1.30 – 4.00pm
Paekākāriki Memorial Hall
Wednesday 4 August 7 – 9.30pm
Cook Islands Community Centre, Porirua
Thursday 5 August 7 – 9.30pm
Ōtaki Memorial Hall
Saturday 7 August 12 – 3.00pm
Pipitea Marae, Wellington
Tuesday 17 August 7 – 9.30pm
Mornington Golf Club, Berhampore
Tuesday 24 August 7 – 9.30pm
Johnsonville Community Hall
Wednesday 25 August 7 – 9.30pm
Wellington Town Hall (Civic Suites)
Monday 6 September 7 – 9.30pm
Wainuiomata Memorial Hall
Tuesday 7 September 7 – 9.30pm
Karori Community Hall
Wednesday 8 September 7 – 9.30pm
Rongotai College
Thursday 9 September 7 – 9.30pm
For more information, contact:
Fran Wilde
Co-chair, Te Upoko Taiao – Natural Resource Management Committee
04 802 0346
Background information about the review of Greater Wellington ’s regional plans
What is the purpose of a regional plan?
Regional plans contain the rules and policies that govern the use of natural resources and manage the effects of that use. Examples of this include managing what is discharged to land or water, what amount of water can be taken and used from rivers, streams and groundwater, and what contaminants can be allowed to enter the atmosphere.
The Regional Coastal Plan is the only mandatory regional plan; other regional plans are prepared at the discretion of the Council. Greater Wellington currently has four other regional plans – Regional Plan for Discharges to Land, Regional Air Quality Management Plan, Regional Soil Plan and Regional Freshwater Plan.
Why are you doing this now? Aren’t the current plans good enough?
Under the Resource Management Act, reviews of plans must commence 10 years after they have become operative. The first of the current suite of regional plans was formally adopted by Council in December 1999, so we are now starting our review.
What are you doing differently this time?
Greater Wellington has a stated commitment to managing catchments in an integrated way, so we will be developing one integrated plan, instead of the set of five that we currently have, thus recognising the inter-relationships between different activities, whether they are on land or water.
This is a plan that we intend to develop “with” the community rather than “for” the community so the final content of the plan will be a result of intensive engagement and discussion with many different parts of the regional community.
How can people participate in the development of the new regional plan?
People can attend community workshops from July to September or complete an online survey about natural resources. Greater Wellington will report back to participants the results of the workshops and online survey. External work groups will be established to consider outcomes from the initial workshops and from Greater Wellington science and policy work. The work groups will work with Greater Wellington to develop a proposed regional plan. Subsequently, the proposed regional plan will be available for public consultation.
How genuine will community engagement processes be? Surely Greater Wellington has a clear idea about what it wants to do and the regulations it needs to support that?
Greater Wellington has a pretty good idea what the problems are and we have some ideas about what we could do but nothing is set in concrete. The upcoming community workshops, web survey and external workgroups are a chance for the region’s ratepayers, residents, iwi, industries and community groups to give us their views and help develop the proposed regional plan.
How long will it be before the new plan is in place?
Because of our commitment to engage fully with the community, it might take up to three years to develop a proposed regional plan for public submissions. We believe that investing the time in this process will achieve the best outcome.
What is the status of the current regional plans that Greater Wellington has in place?
All existing regional plans and the rules contained within them will remain in place and operative until the new regional plan is endorsed by the Council.
What is Te Ūpoko Taiao – Natural Resource Management Committee?
Greater Wellington established Te Upoko Taiao – Natural Resource Management Committee to oversee the development of the new regional plan. The Committee comprises seven appointed members from our seven iwi across the region and seven elected councillors, and builds on the Charter of Understanding the Council signed with regional iwi 15 years ago and the positive relationship the council has with regional iwi.
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