Environment Minister Penny Simmonds sent a letter to the regional council late last week demanding that it provide the government with more information before it pressed ahead on its land and water plan.
It is the latest in a long-running series of requests from the minister and comes amid concern from farming groups new freshwater rules will add significant costs to both urban ratepayers and farmers.
"My colleagues and I have all heard concerns from a range of Otago ratepayers that there will be an astronomical cost associated with the achievement of Te Mana o te Wai through your soon-to-be-notified land and water regional plan," Ms Simmonds’ letter to the regional councillors said.
The letter said Ms Simmonds and her colleagues remained "concerned" notifying a plan ahead of the government’s national policy statement on freshwater might "lead to duplication and additional costs on ratepayers".
Cr Elliot Weir felt the letter contradicted the government’s previous statements.
"For a government concerned with ratepayers’ money being wasted, they seem pretty set on creating additional work for council staff in the form of reports that don’t appear to have actually been read by the minister.
"For a government intent on championing local democracy, they seem very set on delaying and overriding decisions that reflect the will of the people of Otago."
Chairwoman Gretchen Robertson said the council and government "both want strong and enduring communities and to look after their treasured local environment".
"Regional councils bring local knowledge and relationships together with science for pragmatic, enduring solutions to gnarly issues.
"We’re keen to work together and share info in the most effective ways possible."
Ms Simmonds has demanded the regional council outline the impacts of its land and water plan, including any estimated costs associated with it.
She also wanted the council to provide "any implications the plan will have on specific industries (e.g. farming, forestry, mining)" and "any information on the costs that will be imposed on end users (including district councils) in implementing Te Mana o Te Wai provisions of the plan".
Te Mana o Te Wai is the principle that the health of the water takes precedence over the economic benefit.
The government is proposing to rewrite Te Mana o Te Wai out of the national policy statement on freshwater.
But Cr Robertson said the council had already provided a cost-benefit and implications analysis around proceeding with a land and water plan to the minister as part of an earlier information request.
Cr Kelliher said the seven councillors were chairwoman Robertson, deputy chairman Lloyd McCall, and Crs Alexa Forbes, Weir, Tim Mepham, Bryan Scott and Alan Somerville.
"If those seven opened their eyes as well they would see that their bulldozing on with a plan that will near destroy Otago’s economy is madness, and completely unnecessary."
Cr Kate Wilson welcomed Ms Simmonds’ response.
"This minister, like the previous minister, has a role in ensuring we as councillors are doing our duty and using our statutory powers correctly and well in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Cr Kevin Malcolm said this was a government "giving good advice that should be heeded".
Cr Michael Laws said "when a council decides to do something stupid, and then keep doing that stupid thing, it is unsurprising that central government seeks an explanation as to why stupidity has become that council’s official policy".
