Regional Forum presents recommendation report

Today Environment Southland councillors and Te Ao Mārama board members accepted the Regional Forum’s report Achieving the Community’s Aspirations for Freshwater.

Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said the completion of the report is a significant milestone in meeting our freshwater challenges, together as a region.

“As a council, we want to thank the forum members for their commitment and dedication over the last three years.”

“This is one of the most significant pieces of work we have supported. In establishing the forum, it was critical that the members came from a broad cross-section of our community to bring their individual experiences and ideas together to find Southland solutions to our freshwater issues.

“The forum has put in the mahi, and they believe their report provides Murihiku Southland with a strong basis to develop Southland-specific solutions that will achieve the improvement we all want for freshwater.”

“Through a number of workshops, we have been kept updated on their progress, and I’m impressed with the scope and scale of their recommendations,” Chairman Horrell said.

Te Ao Mārama chair Evelyn Cook described the report as a taoka for the region.

“The Board acknowledges the significant commitment of the Regional Forum in identifying a package of recommendations that have the potential to provide for te hauora o te wai, te taiao and te takata within a generation, and therefore give effect to Te Mana o te Wai,” she said.

The Regional Forum is a community-based group that was established in 2019 to consider and provide advice to Council and Te Ao Mārama on how to achieve the community’s aspirations for freshwater.

The forum has had access to the best available science, information from stakeholder organisations as well as presentations and conversations with many in the community. They have considered a range of possible methods to address the scale of change required over a generation.

Environment Southland and Te Ao Mārama will now assess the recommendations that will inform the plan change to the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan, and the next Long-term Plan.

Key topics from these recommendations will be discussed and shared over the coming months. The plan change is expected to be notified in late 2023, and we will seek feedback as this is developed.

Read the forum’s report on their webpage – www.es.govt.nz/regional-forum