On October 23, the council could vote to notify the plan, delay the plan until a new national policy statement for freshwater management (NPSFM) is in place, or delay the plan and contribute to the review and replacement of the NPSFM, as offered late last month by Ms Simmonds.
Yesterday’s vote to formally consider Ms Simmonds’ offer alongside an option to notify the plan followed a now familiar 7-5 division commonly seen among councillors during votes on the plan.
Ms Simmonds has been urging the council to delay notification of its plan and await the new NPSFM since late last year.
Environmental groups have urged councillors to resist government pressure and push ahead with the plan.
Cr Tim Mepham said yesterday the offer from Ms Simmonds lacked "clarity".
"It doesn’t seem like a legitimate option and I actually just can’t trust this government to keep its promise in any of this," Cr Mepham said.
"I’d like to be able to support this option if I could take it at face value, but on Saturday I was at a march with 35,000 people because the government has backtracked on a promise they have made to the residents of Otago around a hospital.
"How can I take them seriously if they are prepared to do that after listening to professional advice, getting evidence and having an informed advisory group advising them around the hospital?"
Council chief executive Richard Saunders, who advised councillors to consider the minister’s offer at the October 23 meeting, confirmed he did not believe that was central government’s preference.
"My sense is that the government would prefer a pause as soon as possible.
"Based on the previous correspondence we have received, the meetings that we have attended, my feeling is that a pause immediately is what they are seeking."
Mr Saunders also said at this stage he had a limited understanding of exactly what the council had been offered.
"They are inviting us to be a part of the process [of replacing the NPSFM]," he said.
"I don’t know what we would bring to that process, how much influence we would have in the process, but we are being invited to be a part of that process."
Cr Elliot Weir called yesterday’s decision "pretty easy", saying they did not see any other option.
"We’re just bringing some more information to make the most informed choice possible on the 23rd.
"Doing anything else would discard a legitimate option ... or would make a pre-emptive decision before we’ve had all the information and met all our obligations under the Local Government Act — including to consult with mana whenua on something like this."
Cr Alan Somerville called for councillors to keep an "open mind".
"Let’s not prejudge the decision we’re going to make on October 23 Let’s make that decision with the best possible information.
Cr Bryan Scott said it might be seen as an extraordinarily generous offer from the environment minister.
"The alternative view might be quite simply that it is too good to be true."
He said at this point in time he did not support any delay in notification.
"This council is ready to notify now."
Cr Michael Laws called the discussion around the table, and the letter itself, "fascinating".
"The minister has sent us the letter, because she is offering an off-ramp to the Otago Regional Council.
"She’s essentially saying, ‘We’re on a bit of a collision course at the moment’ — and it’s inevitable that there will be a collision, and it’s inevitable the ORC will lose
... ‘I don’t want that to happen; I want to work with you; I don’t need to work with you, but I’m going to give you an off-ramp’."
Cr Kate Wilson said she did not view the risk to Otago’s environment to be so great that it was worth picking a fight with central government.
"I don’t know that we will still have on the table on October 23 an offer if we don’t accept this now."
Cr Gary Kelliher said the offer was more than an olive branch from the minister.
After successive offers of assistance from the minister it was "all that’s left of the tree".
Mr Saunders said the matter would be discussed at the 1pm session of the October 23 council meeting.
