Public notices

CANTERBURY REGIONAL COUNCIL

(ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY)

NOTICE OF MEETINGS

The below meetings will be held in the Council Chamber, 200 Tuam Street, Christchurch, unless otherwise stated.

November 2026

Wednesday, 4 November 2026

Strategy and Policy Committee at 10.45am

Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Chief Executive Employment Performance and Remuneration Committee at 2.00pm

Wednesday, 18 November 2026

Regional Delivery Committee at 10.45am

Thursday, 19 November 2026

Canterbury Emergency Management Committee at 2.00pm

Canterbury Regional Transport Committee at 4.15pm

Wednesday, 25 November 2026

Council meeting at 10.45am

Regulation Hearing Committee 

The Regulation Hearing Committee is scheduled to meet weekly. Meetings will be held as required on Wednesday, 4, 18, and 25 November 2026 at 8.00am.  

Agendas will be published online at ecan.govt.nz/meetings at least two days before each meeting.

Please contact the Canterbury Regional Council with any queries: 0800 324 636.

 Dr. Stefanie Rixecker 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Electors of the Canterbury Regional Council have the right to demand a poll on the electoral system to be used at the 2028 triennial election of the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury), in the event that an election is held.

The choice is between the First Past the Post (FPP) and the Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral systems. Unless a poll determines otherwise, the FPP electoral system will continue to be used for the Canterbury Regional Council elections.

In accordance with sections 29 and 30 of the Local Electoral Act 2001, a valid demand for a poll must be:

• made in writing
• signed by at least 5 percent of electors enrolled as eligible to vote at the previous triennial election of the Canterbury Regional Council. This will require a minimum of 23,177 signatures
• delivered to the office of the Canterbury Regional Council, 200 Tuam Street, Christchurch by 5pm Monday, 11 December 2026 (for a poll to be held by 14 March 2027).

Every elector who signs a demand must also set out in it his or her full name and the address for which he or she is qualified as an elector of the Canterbury Regional Council.

If a valid demand for a poll is received after 11 December 2026 a poll will be held after 14 March 2027 with the outcome to apply for the 2031 and 2034 triennial elections (if held).

For further information, please contact Stephen Hill, General Manager Governance, phone 0800 324 636 or email elections@ecan.govt.nz

On 7 May 2026, changes to the NES-CF 2023 were gazetted, and came into force on 4 June 2026. The changes are:

• Amend regulation 6(1)(a) to narrow the criteria under which a council may include a rule that is more stringent than the NES-CF, including removing specific reference to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM). The changes to Regulation 6(1)(a) now meansmore stringent rules may only be applied where there is a risk of severe erosion and significant adverse effects on downstream infrastructure, property, or environments; and
• Repeal regulation 6(4A) which enables a rule in a plan for afforestation to be more stringent or lenient than the regulations.

The changes must be incorporated into relevant plans, without using the process set out inSchedule 1 of the Resource Management Act (1991). Accordingly, Environment Canterbury has amended the CLWRP.

This notice was first published on 9 July 2026 and a summary notice was published in The Press, Timaru Herald, Otago Daily Times, Ashburton Guardian, North Canterbury News,Kaikoura Star and Marlborough Express.

If you have any questions, please contact our Advisory Team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz

Download public notice: NES-CF changes (PDF file, 192.3KB)

In accordance with Section 80A and clause 5 of Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991 Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) has prepared the following freshwater planning instruments:

• Proposed Plan Change 8 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan
• Proposed Plan Change 2 to the Hurunui and Waiau River Regional Plan
• Proposed Plan Change 1 to the Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan

Environment Canterbury has decided to use the freshwater planning process set out in Part 4 of Schedule 1 to the Resource Management Act 1991, because each of these Plan Changes relate
to freshwater.

Proposed Plan Change 8 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan

Plan Change 8 seeks to introduce the following into the region-wide policies and rules of the plan:

• Provisions to enable the interception of groundwater for the construction and operation of critical infrastructure, subject to certain conditions.
• Provisions to allow people or organisations with an existing consent to take and use water, to apply to use that water for a different purpose, subject to conditions, including a prohibition on a change of use to water bottling.
• A permitted activity pathway for the construction of wetlands where certain conditions are met. This provides permission for all activities involved in the construction of a wetland through a single rule, instead of requiring permission under multiple rules.
• A new restricted discretionary activity pathway for the construction of wetlands that don’t meet the conditions of the permitted activity pathway, including a preclusion on notification of any such applications.

Proposed Plan Change 2 to the Hurunui and Waiau River Regional Plan

Plan Change 2 is also consequential to proposed Plan Change 8 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan, and seeks to:

• Introduce provisions to allow people or organisations with an existing consent to take and use water to apply to use that water for a different purpose, subject to conditions. Please note that
  this rule prohibits a change of use to water bottling.
• Clarify the relationship between the Hurunui and Waiau River Regional Plan and the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan with respect to constructed wetlands.

Proposed Plan Change 1 to the Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan

Plan Change 1 is consequential to proposed Plan Change 8 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan, and seeks to:

• Introduce provisions to enable the interception of groundwater for the construction and operation of critical infrastructure, subject to certain conditions.
• Clarify the relationship between the Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan and the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan with respect to constructed wetlands.

Inspection and availability of the Plan Changes

The Plan Changes may be inspected on the Environment Canterbury website at www.ecan.govt.nz/pc8. If you do not have access to a personal computer, copies of the Plan Changes may be accessed online at public libraries. Alternatively, a hard copy of the
Plan Changes can be purchased from Environment Canterbury; please contact planchange@ecan.govt.nz to arrange this.

If you have any questions about the Plan Changes, please contact Advisory Services on 0800 324 636 or by email to ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz

Submissions

The following persons may make a submission on the Plan Changes:

• the local authority, in its own area; and
• any other person, unless the person could gain an advantage in trade competition through the submission, in which case the person may do so only if they are directly affected by the Plan Changes, which:
  • adversely affects the environment; and
  • does not relate to trade competition or the effects of trade competition.

A person may make a submission on the Plan Changes by sending an electronic or a written submission to Environment Canterbury:

Through the Environment Canterbury website;

• By email to: planchange@ecan.govt.nz; or
• By post to: Plan Change 8, Freepost 1201, PO Box 345, Christchurch, 8140.

The submission must be in Form 5 and must state whether or not the person wishes to be heard on their submission. Copies of this form are available at www.ecan.govt.nz/pc8, or on request
from the Environment Canterbury offices at 200 Tuam Street, Christchurch, and 75 Church Street, Timaru.

Submissions must be received by 4 August 2026.

Note regarding appeals

Following its hearing of submissions on the Plan Changes, a freshwater hearings panel makes recommendations to the regional council. The regional council must accept or reject each
recommendation. Appeal rights in relation to the freshwater planning instrument are dependent on whether the regional council accepts or rejects the recommendations of the freshwater hearings panel.

A person who made a submission on a freshwater instrument:

• may appeal to the Environment Court against a rejected recommendation in the specific circumstances outlined in clause 55 of Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act 1991:
• may appeal to the High Court on questions of law only in relation to an acceptedrecommendation in the specific circumstances outlined in clause 56 of Schedule 1of the Resource Management Act 1991.

Download the full public notice: PC8 LWRP, PC2 HWRRP, PC1 WCEFWAP (PDF file, 463.86KB)

On 18 December 2025, a change to the NPS-FM 2020 was gazetted, and came into force on 15 January 2026. This change concerns NPS-FM 2020 Policy 3.22(1)(d)(iii) and 3.22(1)(e)(iii), which relate to natural inland wetlands, and an exception to their protection when necessary for the purpose of the extraction of minerals and ancillary activities.

The change to Policy 3.22(1)(d)(iii) is as follows, with inserted text underlined:

 d. the regional council is satisfied that:

 […]

There is a functional need or operational need for the activity to be done in that location;

The change to Policy 3.22(1)(e)(iii) is as follows, with inserted text underlined:

 d. the regional council is satisfied that:

 […]

There is a functional need or operational need for the activity to be done in that location;

The changes must be incorporated into relevant plans, without using the process set out in Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act (1991). Accordingly, Environment Canterbury has amended the relevant regional plans.

This notice was first published on 01 April 2026, and a summary notice was published in The Press, Kaikōura Star, North Canterbury News, Ashburton Courier, Timaru Courier, Marlborough Express, and Otago Daily Times.

If you have any questions, please contact our Advisory Team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz