Environment Canterbury has come out swinging against the Government at its penultimate regional council meeting.
The council will have its final meeting on April 22 before its 14 councillors are replaced by up to seven commissioners before the end of this month under special legislation passed by Parliament.
But at its penultimate meeting on Tuesday, the council officially recorded its "strong opposition" to the Government's removal of regional democracy in Canterbury, and recommended handing Canterbury water management strategy funding back to territorial councils.
The water strategy, approved by the 10 district and city councils in Canterbury (including the Waitaki District Council), is a radical new way to manage water and has been given legal status by the Government's changes.
The commissioners have been directed to take it into account when making decisions on water.
ECan also recommended the commissioners' Government-appointed chairwoman-designate Dame Margaret Bazley review funding of the strategy with a view to local territorial councils raising the money to fund it themselves.
The council made two decisions at its meeting, one with five clauses.
Moved by Cr Eugenie Sage, seconded by Cr Jane Demeter, the first decision was that the council record its strong opposition to the Government's action because. - Ratepayers would be expected to contribute $78 million in regional rates in the 2010-11 year with no democratic representation.
The public was not consulted about the legislation.
There was an absence of evidence of shortcomings in the council's execution of its statutory functions which justified appointing commissioners in portfolio areas other than water.
The collaborative basis for the Canterbury water management strategy (CWMS) was undermined through arbitrary changes to the provisions for water conservation orders in Canterbury and the removal of elected regional representation from CWMS regional and zonal committees.
No government assistance was previously given for water management in Canterbury (other than contributing to the preparation of the CWMS), despite ECan's requests for legislative tools such as catchment-specific moratoriums, which had now been provided to commissioners.
The second decision recommended Dame Margaret review the need to allocate $4.286 million in the 2010-11 draft annual plan for completion and implementation of the Canterbury water management strategy, given the undermining of its collaborative process.
Crs Sir Kerry Burke and deputy chairwoman Jo Kane made valedictory speeches.
Under the Government's move, local body elections for the council in October have been cancelled.
Elections for new councillors will not be held until 2013 at the latest.