Key governance decisions made at Council meeting

Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) has agreed a new committee structure that streamlines its business and focus on its three core services.

At the Council meeting on 24 July 2024, the five current standing committees have been formally discharged and two new standing committees have been created.

The new Strategy and Policy Committee will provide advice and report back to the Council on the development of positions or approaches on current or emerging issues of local, regional and national significance. 

The Regional Delivery Committee will have governance oversight of the organisation’s delivery, including the three core services. It will receive performance and financial reporting at the core service level.  

All Councillors will be members of both committees.

Appointments made to committees

At its meeting on 7 August, Council appointed chairs and deputy chairs, and Councillors to lead core service roles for the Regional Delivery Committee.

• Councillor Vicky Southworth was appointed Chair and Councillor Deon Swiggs Deputy Chair of the Strategy and Policy Committee
• Councillor Nick Ward was appointed Chair and Councillor Iaean Cranwell as Deputy Chair of the Regional Delivery Committee

Councillors were also appointed as leads for the three core services under the Regional Delivery Committee.

• Councillor Claire McKay was appointed the lead for Environmental Regulation and Protection
• Councillor Ian Mackenzie was appointed the lead for Community Preparedness and Response to Hazards
• Councillor Joe Davies was appointed the lead for Public Transport.

Councillor Grant Edge was appointed Deputy Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. An independent member will now chair the committee.

This committee will now be made up of Councillors Grant Edge, John Sunckell, Tutehounuku ‘Nuk’ Korako, Nick Ward, Vicky Southworth, Deon Swiggs and Genevieve Robinson.

Representation ahead of next elections

Council’s decisions also featured representation arrangements ahead of the 2025 and 2028 local body elections. Council locked in its initial proposal, Option 3, which retains the existing overall structure for representation, but with changes to the boundaries of the current Mid Canterbury/Ōpākihi and South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituencies.

This means the Ashburton district would be combined with South Canterbury/ Ōtuhituhi to form an expanded Mid-South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi constituency. The Selwyn district would form its own constituency, Selwyn/Waikirikiri. Formal public consultation will open on 2 August 2024.

Helping the community stay in touch with Council business

Council also discussed enhancing public awareness of council decision-making. This work stems from the Ombudsman’s 2023 report Open for Business: A Report on the Chief Ombudsman’s investigation into local council meetings and workshops. 

Some of the ways Council will be doing this include making all briefings and workshops public by default and livestreaming council meetings, and briefings and workshops where practicable, by the end of the year.

 Download the Meeting agenda  - 24 July 2024 (PDF file, 29.0MB).