Decision on discharge consent will have broad repercussions - ECAN

ECAN says a recent court decision to set aside a discharge consent for an irrigation scheme could have wide-ranging impacts on economic activity around the country.

In March this year, the High Court found that a material error of law had been made in the Commissioner’s decision (PDF file, 1015.77KB) to grant a discharge consent to Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Ltd (ALIL). The decision will have wide-ranging impacts on future applications for all types of discharge consents where water quality is degraded.

Canterbury Regional Council Chief Executive Dr Stefanie Rixecker said the decision has highlighted a need for clarification on the intention behind Section 107 of the Resource Management Act (RMA).