Community feedback leads to change

After six weeks of consultation, a record 330 submissions, three hearing days and three deliberations meetings, Environment Southland’s Long-term Plan has taken shape.

In late March, Council went out to the community with a key consultation proposal focused on significant investment in flood protection to improve community resilience. A proposal to change the way catchment rates are collected was also on the table.

One of the prominent themes emerging from submissions was the affordability of the proposed flood protection investment during a cost-of-living crisis and rural downturn.

Where is the line between what is essential and what is a nice to have? This was the question submitter Dave Riddell posed to councillors in his submission around affordability.

Or to put it another way as some submitters did, how much risk are we prepared to accept as a community?
Several people spoke about needing more time to digest the proposals, something that resonated with councillors.

Conversations around the proposal to shift to capital value catchment rating were wide ranging from submitters worried about large capital investments they had made for environmental reasons to people who fully supported the idea of spreading the costs of flood protection more evenly across ratepayers.

People overwhelmingly supported the idea of continuing to invest in our region’s flood protection to help “keep our arteries running as one submitter put it, in reference to helping to ensure roads remain open during floods Working with catchment groups on small scale interventions, such as the use of sediment traps, was a popular call.

Some submitters queried whether there was too much reliance on modelling and potential central government funding. Environment Southland highlighted the need for accurate catchment modelling to be able to better assess flood risk.

Making room for rivers and not losing momentum around biodiversity projects when government funding runs out were on submitter, Brian Rance’s, mind. Sue Allison, from Groundswell Western Southland told councillors that people were stressed and businesses would pass on rates’ rises through price rises.

Her colleague, Chantel Marshall presented a petition signed by 950 people asking to delay the plan for 12 months and calling on councillors to find savings in the budget. In response to submissions, Councillor Jeremy McPhail questioned whether the proposals were “too much of an overload” and Chairman Nicol Horrell talked about a phased approach.

Nightcaps resident Ron Baxter spoke passionately about people on the poverty line and the need to advocate for Southland with central government.

Other submitters asked whether changing to a capital value rating basis is fair across the board, and whether reserves could be used to fund more of the proposed work.