ECan under fire after placing last

Jacqui Dean

Environment Canterbury (ECan) is bottom of the list for processing resource consents on time and Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean has used that to question the future of the Christchurch-based regional council.

The Waitaki District Council finished at the top end - equal second, with 99%.

ECan says that since the list was com- pleted by the Ministry for the Environment, it had improved its performance.

But Mrs Dean said yesterday: "That excuse doesn't wash with me.

"I am bitterly disappointed on behalf of all those people relying on Environment Canterbury to give them service. Quite a large number have condemned the performance of Environment Canterbury and now we have the proof."

Environment Minister Nick Smith was also critical of the latest results achieved by some of New Zealand's 85 local and territorial authorities.

Mrs Dean hoped Dr Smith would look at the performance of ECan and "make some good decisions" about its future.

In the Waitaki Valley, people had been waiting for up to 11 years for decisions on water consent applications, a process which had been very costly in money and time.

"Now the blame can and should squarely be put on Environment Canterbury," Mrs Dean said.

While ECan performed poorly in the survey, the Waitaki District Council finished equal second, with 99%.

Its figure was the highest of all authorities south of the Rangitata River.

The resource consents performance is measured by the ministry every two years, the latest survey covering the 2007-08 year.

The results told "a sorry story of delay, frustration and unnecessary costs" for those whose consents were not processed within the legal time frame, Dr Smith said.

He used the report, presented yesterday to Parliament's local government and environment select committee, to promote changes to the Resource Management Act.

He said the changes were about simplifying the consent process and providing incentives for councils to improve their time frames.

ECan's director of planning and consents, Don Rule, said his council had undertaken a thorough review of its procedures and was already seeing benefits in complying with time frames.

"Our performance in this area has not been good enough and so, in the last year, we have thoroughly reviewed our processes. Our compliance rates have improved and we expect to improve even further," he said.

In the 11 months to the end of May this year, 67% of consents were processed within statutory time frames, compared with 29% in the ministry report.

Four authorities topped the list, with a 100% pass rate.

NZPA reported Dr Smith called on the committee to change the Bill to:

• Limit situations where councils could grant themselves extensions on complex or controversial applications.

• Insert a requirement for regular reporting on consents rather than it being done through the survey reports. This would ensure data was consistent and comparable, and was delivered - this year the Rangitikei District Council failed to give its data;

• Insert a default penalty system. The Bill allows for councils to develop a system but Dr Smith said there should be one for councils that did not.

Councils were happy to charge penalties when rate payments were late, Dr Smith said.

"If it's reasonable for ratepayers to have to do things on time, it's good enough for councils to do things on time for ratepayers."

- david.bruce@odt.co.nz

How they ranked

Nationally: 51,960 consents processed.

> 69% were processed on time.

> 385 declined.

> 2409 publicly notified.

> 975 notified to affected parties.

> 722 were appealed.

Where they ranked*