Environment Minister Nick Smith has replaced the 2007 elected council with a group of nationally chosen commissioners, due to be named today and headed by government troubleshooter Dame Margaret Bazley.
The coffin was surrounded by seated councillors and placards held by a swarm of supporters, protesting the council's mass sacking.
In their valedictory speeches, outgoing councillors almost unanimously agreed that regional democracy had been dealt a body blow by the minister's decision and debated the term "dysfunctional", saying that the council had merely been made up of hard working personnel of varying attitudes and thoughts.
"We say farewell to a true Cantabrian (CRC) -- we say farewell to a local, democratically elected body," chairman of seven months Alec Neill said.
These thoughts were echoed by other councillors, lamenting the fact that the Government had given them no right of reply about the council's problems of recent years, most notably the management of water within the council boundaries.
Cr Jane Demeter said she had taken an oath on election to serve "in the best interests of the Canterbury region" and, for doing so, had been "forcibly removed".
"The very principle of our work is not about the management of resources but the sustainable management of our resources - there is a difference," Cr Demeter said. "It's all about water. Water brought me here and water will remove me."
She described the councillors as a "diverse group, representing the diversity of our Canterbury community". It was ironic, she added, that today was also World Earth Day.
"This hanging is simply based on greed and power," she said, "greed by people who want to take water from the people in order to make short term gain, and misuse of power by Government and by power-hungry mayors."
"To be forcibly removed does not sit well with me," Ms Demeter said. She described the action by Government as "democracy snuffed" and "shameful stomping on of democracy".
Cr Carole Evans, a councillor of 24 years, cried as she opened her valedictory speech, saying she had been elected by the people to speak for the people.
"The Government has just whipped that away," she said.
"I actually think we are a great group of people. We have diverse views and that is exactly what this council is made of," Ms Evans said, denying she lacked the skill required or that the council was dysfunctional.
"I am totally, totally opposed to the way the Government has approached dismissing and fixing what they thought were problems in Canterbury," she said.
"The community of Canterbury should be very, very afraid when a parliament can move and take away the right for the people to vote for an elected representatives until 2013.
"It's a sad day for New Zealand and a sad day for Canterbury. There was no justification to sack the elected councillors."
In contrast, Cr Pat Harrow did say that some councillors had to admit to a "certain amount of dysfunctionality".
He said the CRC had been set up in 1989 to "partially fail" and said that New Zealand was not big enough to finance a "second layer of bureaucracy".
Cr Eugenie Sage asked why 550,000 Canterbury residents should be denied the democratic water rights accorded to other regions, such as Waikato, and, instead of being dysfunctional, this council had a long list of commendable achievements.
