The Ashburton Water Zone Committee signed off at their final meeting on Tuesday.

Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown told the committee that the Canterbury Mayoral Forum will be deciding on the future model on Friday at its meeting in Kaikōura.

Ten zone committees were launched, joint committees between Environment Canterbury and district councils, in 2010 to implement the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

The Mayoral Forum launched a review of the zone committees in 2023 to consider how best to include local leadership in freshwater decision-making.

The new proposed model is for a local leadership group that will consist of ECan, district council, and Rūnanga representatives.

Brown said he will be pushing the Ashburton District to retain a stand-alone group under the new structure, and for community representatives, from a local advisory group, to have a seat at the table.

“I can’t see any reason why we won’t get what we want in Ashburton.”

The zone committee’s final meeting had chairperson Bill Thomas, who joined the committee in 2016, have the final say.

He covered the success, challenges, “regulations, plan changes and solutions to local issues” the committee has tackled over the years and what the next steps are in the process towards a new model.

Thomas thanked the committee members and the community members in attendance for their support and hoped the community voice the zone committee had championed wouldn’t be lost in the new model.

He hopes the proposed Mid Canterbury Advisory Group model will be a success.

Committee member Angela Cushnie provided an update on the progress of forming the group to provide “the voice of the local community to the Canterbury Mayoral Forum and Canterbury water management strategy in the development, implementation, and reporting” on regional and national policies.

During the meeting, the committee received updates from various catchment and landcare groups.

Hekeao Hinds Lowlands Catchment Group facilitator Phil Everest thanked the zone committee for their support over the years helping community-led environmental projects get off the ground.

“I think you can see clearly just what a little bit of seed funding can do to actually create good science and good work in our community that would have never have got off the ground without your support,” Everest said.

The meeting also included a presentation from Ashburton Forks Catchment Group’s Jono Allen, the son of Chris Allen who had served on the committee since 2014 until his death in a farm accident in December.

Thomas said a plaque recognising Chris Allen’s contribution to the community was being organised to be placed in the Forks catchment area near his family farm.

By Jonathan Leask