Otago Regional Council staff will take councillors through "some of the more challenging aspects" of the forthcoming land and water plan at two public workshops scheduled for later this month.
Policy and science general manager Anita Dawe said councillors would be asked for feedback on possible solutions to a range of issues, including minimum flows and forestry concerns.
Because there was so much ground to cover, two workshops — the first next Wednesday and the second a week later on November 29 — had been scheduled, Ms Dawe said.
Topics up for discussion included minimum flows, primary production, forestry, outstanding water bodies and the beds of lakes and rivers, she said.
"Staff will be taking councillors through some of the more challenging aspects of the plan, and seeking further feedback as to solutions for those issues.
"There is a significant amount of material to work through.
"We have scheduled two workshops so we can split the work across two sessions, which makes it more manageable for staff, councillors and the public," Ms Dawe said.
The workshops were being held in public, as had several earlier workshops on the land and water plan, including most recently the workshop when councillors discussed minimum flows for the Manuherikia River, she said.
These workshops were along similar lines, she said.
Further, holding them in public was consistent with the recent direction around council meetings and workshops from chief ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier, who said last month having workshops open to the public, instead of behind closed doors, should be the default setting for councils.
