Change 8
On 27 November 2024, Councillors voted to seek clarity from the Minister for the Environment on a pathway to notify Plan Change 8 before 2026, following legislation delaying freshwater planning instruments until 2026 or further national direction. Find out more about the decision to pause.
Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) has drafted a proposed targeted change to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan with the intent of providing greater clarity for consent-holders/ applicants to take and use water, or to request a change in how it can be used.
Proposed changes
Following recent direction from central government that stated local and regional councils should desist from notifying or progressing new plan changes, we would need to apply to the Minister for the Environment for an exemption before we could notify Plan Change 8.
At the direction of Council, staff contacted the Minister’s office to discuss whether some or all of the proposed Plan Change would meet the criteria for exemption. The response was not a decision, but our interpretation of the feedback we got from ministerial staff was that some parts of the proposed plan change might meet the criteria for an exemption.
However, due to constraints on Council time during the 2022-25 election cycle, the matter has not yet been brought before Council for a decision on which aspects should be included, and whether we should apply for an exemption.
Timeline
Review: Plan Change 8 has been developed and is under review
Public notification: Not started
Submissions: Not started
Hearings: Not started
Decision: Not started
Appeals: Not started
Plan operative: Not started
We plan to progress this issue as soon as practicable, once the new Council has completed its induction period. In the meantime, you can find the version that has been shared with the previous Council (2022-25), together with redacted versions of the consultation that took place during its development – namely, the Clause 3 stakeholder consultation and the Clause 4a consultation with Papatipu Rūnanga.
The above copy of the draft PC8 (PC1 & PC2) has not been adopted by the Council for notification and does not represent Council policy. It is being proactively released for information purposes only, not because it has any planning significance. This publication is not a notification of the draft in accordance with the RMA, nor is the Council consulting on this draft at this time.
As the draft Plan Change has not been notified, it has no legal effect, carries no weight and is not relevant to decisions to be made under the RMA (including applications for resource consent, private plan change requests, plan changes and district plan reviews).
Note: No reliance should be made on the draft Plan Change 8 on this page and the Council accepts no liability for the consequences, should any person do so.
Next steps
There are several steps to be completed before a version of Plan Change 8 can be notified, and the content is subject to change before notification. There will be the opportunity for public submissions and hearings on the content once a final version has been notified.
Changes to other plans
Plan Change 8 would require consequential changes to two other plans, the Waipara Catchment Plan and the Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan.
Waipara Catchment Plan
Plan Change 1 to the plan proposes adding policies to the Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan (WCP):
- guiding the consent process on the interception of groundwater (including hydraulically connected groundwater) for the operation of infrastructure critical to the community
- clarify the relationship between the Land and Water Regional Plan and the WCP in relation to constructed wetlands.
Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan
Plan Change 2 to the Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan (HWRRP) proposes to:
- add provisions to the HWRRP enabling the change of use of water
- clarify the relationship between the LWRP and the HWRRP in relation to constructed wetlands.