Ministry for the Environment David Parker will step into the fray of the Manuherekia minimum flows debate, after a petition called for commissioners to govern the Otago Regional Council (ORC), amid allegations of manipulation and conflict of interest. 

David Parker will meet with ORC Chair Andrew Noone to discuss the councils recent decision to delay remediation regarding minimum flows on the Manuherekia.

In just six days, the petition gained 1,500 signatures, including that of sitting Councillor and former Chair of the ORC Marian Hobbs. 

The petition has now been forwarded to Minister Parker ahead of his meeting with Andrew Noone.

The petition calls for councillors to be replaced by commissioners, and controversial councillor Marian Hobbs was preparing to resign.

Chair of COES, Phil Murray, says the wide support for the river is gratifying. 

“All we are doing is trying to give voice to the natural environment of Central Otago, which continues to be degraded by those with personal and financial stakes in preserving the status quo,” he says.

“The time has come to change our practices to support the Manuherekia, which has been such an important element of our identity and heritage. 

“We’ve reached a crisis point that requires all people of good will to make their voices heard.”

Phil welcomed the proposed consultation of the Minister with the Chair of ORC, and expressed his hope that it would result in a reversal of the decision to delay setting minimum flows for the Manuherekia.

The 85km river runs from the north of the Maniototo to its confluence with the Clutha River at Alexandra.

A recent government report estimates 75% of the available flow in the river is taken for irrigation and stock water – compared to about 25% in other regions of New Zealand.

The flows proposed by council staff for the Manuherikia were developed over six years of consultation and references groups, more than 1000 public submissions and $4.4 million of staff time and investment.

However, a last minute ORC motion derailed the plan.

A small majority of councillors - a 6-4 split - voted for more “scientific work” on the proposals.

Otago Regional Council chairman Andrew Noone said it was the responsible approach, “a couple of simple steps to fill these gaps in terms of the incomplete science”.

Councillor Marian Hobbs, a former environment minister, has spent two years on the council and was dramatically ousted as chairwoman after nine months over what was touted as “water politics”.

Councillor Marian Hobbs was ousted from the chair of the Otago Regional Council over what was deemed “water politics” last year. 

She says there is a complete disregard for process within the council and “trick-playing”.

Marian Hobbs, who voted against the delay, says she was frustrated at the process that enabled the last-minute motion and the total disregard for the work done by council staff.

The paper on the Manuherikia had been the subject of a workshop two weeks earlier and was “as good as the best Cabinet paper I’ve ever read.”

There was a complete disregard for process within the council and that had led to bullying and trick tactics, she says.

However, council chairman Andrew Noone denies the allegations and says the council is doing the best it can to walk a difficult line between the environment and economics while setting minimum water flows.

“I think everyone agrees we need to move to a new space and pull the environmental pendulum back to be more supportive of the environment and less of the economy,” Andrew says. 

“But we still want a viable economy. We don’t want to see landowners, irrigators and the community impacted negatively – in a way that they can’t continue and don’t see a future for them in the Manuherikia.”

After earlier ministerial intervention over its failure to meet freshwater targets in 2019, the council was tasked with setting minimum flows for 10 catchments by 2023.

It has so far noted minimum flows for the Arrow and Cardrona catchments, and was expected to do the same for the Manuherikia catchment on August 25.

Councillor Alexa Forbes had previously gone on the record to say “I do believe there’s vested interests on that council that are more focused on economic benefit than they are on environment restoration.”

Councillors Hobbs and Forbes, along with Gretchen Robertson and Bryan Scott wrote to Environment Minister David Parker ahead of the Manuherekia meeting stating their concern that delaying tactics were being used and that potential conflicts of interest existed.