Our performance in 2024/25 – how did we do?

We have embraced a strategic and forward-thinking approach to navigating significant and upcoming central government reform.

Changes are being made to resource management and local government legislation, that will directly impact our work, the management of our natural resources and the way we deliver services to the community.

In response to these changes, Council has endorsed five position statements that reflect our commitment to shaping a resilient and prosperous future for the region. Our position statements relate to:

• managing environmental effects
• managing natural resource use
• economic prosperity
• structure of local, regional and central government
• and Treaty relationships.

I am proud of these position statements and our proactive approach to embrace and lead through change. I am confident that we are well prepared to respond and advocate for our region in the year ahead.

We’re clear on the outcomes we want to achieve for the region, and we know that we can’t do it alone.

We’ll continue to work closely with our Ngāi Tahu partners, other local and regional councils, central government, key community and industry stakeholders, and our wider community, to ensure that the needs of Waitaha Canterbury are heard and reflected in the path forward.

Our collective knowledge, values and aspirations all must contribute to shaping the decisions that will impact the health and wellbeing of future generations and our taiao (natural world). Thank you for your contributions over the last year.

In March 2025, Iongairo – a collaborative project focused on Banks Peninsula – delivered the most detailed seafloor maps ever created for Waitaha Canterbury. These interactive maps, built through extensive fieldwork and modelling, will help us make more informed decisions around coastal ecosystem management.

While national resource management reform is underway, we have made progress locally on key plans. Plan Change 7 became fully operative in March 2025, strengthening protections for water quality and quantity in the Waimakariri and Ōrāri Temuka Ōpihi Pareora zones.

We’ve also been working closely with mana whenua and community members to bring the Our Waitarakao strategy to life. From beach clean-ups and pest trapping to rural restoration and seaside science in schools, this initiative is helping restore the health of the Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon Catchment – a place of deep significance to mana whenua and the wider community. The strategy won the Air New Zealand SuperSteward — Tū Tiaki Award at the 2025 Local Government NZ Excellence Awards.

A major milestone was reached in December 2024 when we addressed the last of our ‘legacy consents’ (those lodged before 1 August 2023). These have all now either been decided or have an action plan in place for getting to a decision. For those consents that are to be notified, there have been delays due to challenges with securing hearing commissioners, but all are scheduled to be heard before the end of 2025.

Achieving this milestone was made possible through several initiatives, from hiring new staff to implementing new processes and automation. We exceeded our target of processing 50 per cent of consent applications within statutory timeframes, but we know there’s more work ahead, with an increase in new applications and many consent holders likely seeking to renew their consents over the next four years as they expire.

In September 2024, we adopted our first-ever Climate Action Plan, embedding climate resilience and emissions reduction into everything we do.

We also led the development of the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan, in collaboration with the Canterbury Climate Change Working Group consisting of councils across the region. Adopted by the Canterbury Mayoral Forum, this plan sets out a coordinated, cost-effective approach to climate action across Waitaha Canterbury.

Waitaha Canterbury has unique needs and challenges, and it is important that these are considered by central government when decisions are made that affect all of Aotearoa. Over the past year, we made 14 formal submissions on proposed legislation, advocating for our region’s interests and future.

Our commitment to Tiriti partnership excellence continues to be grounded in the Tuia Relationship Agreement. We’ve progressed wānanga with ngā Papatipu Rūnanga to better understand their aspirations and refresh the Tuia relationships that guide our shared work.

We’re also reviewing our Service Level Agreements with Papatipu Rūnanga Environmental Entities to ensure mana whenua advice continues to inform our work across the organisation.

Public transport saw significant progress this year. The Greater Christchurch Transport Plan and the Canterbury Regional Public Transport Plan were endorsed, marking a new era of joint advocacy for transport funding. 

Timaru’s MyWay by Metro was made permanent in response to strong community support, and Route 7 Halswell/Queenspark now runs every 10 minutes during peak times – making it easier for residents to get where they need to go.

We also successfully piloted contactless payment technology on the airport bus route 29 in preparation for the National Ticketing Solution, Motu Move.

Our Youth Engagement Team continues to support 136 Enviroschools across Waitaha Canterbury as well as the Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū – a passionate group of young people aged 14–24 who ensure youth voices are heard in our decision-making.

We’ve introduced livestreaming for all Council and committee meetings, workshops, and briefings – making it easier for you to stay informed and engaged. The first livestreamed meeting was held on 16 October 2024 when we appointed our new Chair and Deputy Chair.

A new customer experience framework is in place, helping us lift how we put the customer at the heart of our work, and how we work with you, our community.

We have also been investing in the delivery of our regulatory system to improve efficiencies across all areas. We have more work to do in this space.

Our organisational functions support the delivery of this work and other work across all our core services.

Everything we’ve achieved this year has been done within budget. By deferring some public transport projects, pausing work on an integrated planning framework amidst changes in national direction, and identifying broader savings, we kept the rates rise for 2025/26 to 5.8 per cent – well below the 15.5 per cent originally forecast for year two of the Long-Term Plan 2024-34.

As a regional council, much of our work isn’t visible daily, but its benefit is felt across Waitaha Canterbury and is working towards a better future for our region. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without your support.