Community-led consultation capturing the vision for Mid Canterbury
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A group of community leaders are encouraging people to have their say on the vision for the future of Mid Canterbury.
One of those leaders is Phil Everest who said the community-led Community Vision Workshop initiative is aiming to present a collective submission to Environment Canterbury.
Environment Canterbury has started an extended engagement process that will help shape the region’s future, revising plans which outline the rules for the use of land and water.
It is imperative that the community provides feedback to provide the governing body's direction, rather than sitting back and being dictated to, he said.
“We are taking the initiative and a positive approach of hosting several community meetings to collect feedback, collate it and submit it to ECan saying this is what our community would like.
“We are seeking a true community voice, from right across the spectrum, from urban and rural and all sectors, to present a vision for what we want it to look like in 50 years.
“It impacts everyone in this community, like how towns will dispose of wastewater, septic tanks or collect potable water and rurally around irrigation and land use consents."
ECan chairperson Peter Scott said information collected from the community is critical.
"As the regional regulator, we have a number of plans that need to be written, or updated, to reflect the directions set by government, meet the expectations of mana whenua and the wider community, and to respond to the impacts and challenges of climate change.”
That includes the Regional Policy Statement, which sets the direction for all other district and regional plans, he said.
Engagement with local government consultations has been declining in recent times, but the community-led initiative in Mid Canterbury is being well supported, he said.
ECan held a drop-in session in Ashburton on Tuesday, but more people attended a workshop in Ruapuna on Wednesday, Everest said.
They had hoped to have wrapped up the meetings by now but the level of interest means they have more next week, and could end up having held about 40 of them.
The plan is to create a collective submission and Everest said they are also encouraging people to submit directly to ECan by the end of August.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.5% Yes
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46.5% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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