Withdrawal of Hurunui Waiau application by Forest & Bird welcomed

Environment Canterbury has welcomed Forest & Bird’s withdrawal of its application to the Environment Court for a declaration.The court was asked to declare that a proposed agreement between the regional council and Amuri Irrigation to defer review of the company’s resource consents in order to ensure consistency with the Hurunui and Waiau River Regional Plan was unlawful.A second application, that Environment Canterbury’s advice note on how it implements the rules in the Plan in assessing whether dryland farmers need resource consent when they change their land use is unlawful, remains before the court.Chief Executive Bill Bayfield said the withdrawal was good news for the Hurunui Waiau Zone Committee’s collaborative process as it seeks to continue grappling with a number of important issues.“Like the Zone Committee, we wish to support outcomes that reflect wider community interests and that advance the targets in the Canterbury Water Management Strategy,” Mr Bayfield said.