Gardner praised after ‘distress’ caused

Ms Gardner had ensured current minimum flows would be used in the software that would predict how catchment water flows would change with multiple water uses, and had also said she would personally meet Manuherikia residents who had data or information they wanted to give the ORC to help inform the plan change, Mr Cadogan said.

‘‘ORC councillors are also to be applauded for ensuring at their 27 June meeting that the plan change will only be publicly notified when all hydrology, water surety, economic, social, cultural, and ecological studies/assessments have been completed and that, as regards the hydrology modelling, information currently held by water users and operators must be considered and that the assessments will be made available to relevant stakeholders and the community.’’

Mr Cadogan said he was speaking out ‘‘to remind the public of Central Otago of the crucial importance of this [minimumflow plan change] process to our district, and to provide what I hope was easytoreadandunderstand information on the current situation and where we are heading from now’’.

His report outlines his observations and opinions of the proposed plan change and what it means, and questions whether increasing trout habitat is enough justification for the plan change.

He also said he was surprised one of the ORC’s public meetings about the process had been held in Dunedin.

When contacted by the Otago Daily

Ms Gardner said: ‘‘I appreciate Mr Cadogan’s views and we’ll do everything we can to work with the community on this issue. These are challenging conversations for everyone involved.’’

An ORC statement provided said trout were ‘‘just one’’ of the reasons for raising the minimum flow, ‘‘amongst a range of values including recreation and cultural’’.

‘‘A higher minimum flow provides for better ecosystem health reflecting the lifesupporting capacity, and ecosystem processes, that would naturally occur in a river of this size during lowflow periods.

‘‘Trout are a flowdemanding species and by meeting their flow demands, the demands of other fish species, aquatic invertebrates, and flows required to reduce long filamentous algae are also met.’’

The statement said as well as the Central Otago meetings held, some meetings had also been held in Dunedin, as ‘‘through the RMA [Resource Management Act] we are required to meet with Sch. 1 parties, and we hold these sessions in Dunedin as [the] majority of these organisations are located in either Dunedin, Wellington or Christchurch’’.

In response to a question about whether the ORC had caused ‘‘significant distress’’ in the Central Otago community by its handling of the proposed plan change, the ORC statement said: ‘‘ORC has been clear and upfront that there is still work required to inform the proposed minimumflow ranges for Manuherikia and that the plan change won’t be notified until these pieces of work have been completed.

‘‘The purpose of the meetings held in July and the meetings scheduled for the 9th of August is to inform the community of what work has been done and to seek input regarding information that may be held by the community that could be useful in the work yet to be completed.’’

The Central Otago District Council has commissioned its own economic assessment on Manuherikia minimum flows.

Mr Cadogan could not say when the assessment would be completed, but the ORC statement said the ORC would make the CODC’s assessment ‘‘available for interested parties to view once completed’’.

❛ These are challenging conversations for everyone

involved