The next three months will test Waitaha Canterbury's governance like nothing we've seen in decades.
Landing at once: the Simplifying Local Government proposal (elected regional councillors replaced by a board of mayors, submissions due 20 February), a rates cap limiting rises to 2–4 per cent, the new Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Act, two bills replacing the RMA entirely (Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill), the Emergency Management Bill, and new National Direction Instruments beneath it all.
We are methodically working through the opportunities and implications for the services we deliver and the environmental protections we uphold. This scale of change demands collaboration across councils, with mana whenua, and with our communities.
Our councillors were elected by this region. We remain accountable to you. We will show courage, not compliance.
Regardless of legislative upheaval, the work doesn't stop: freshwater protection, flood resilience, pest management, sustainable environmental management, climate action, regional leadership — these aren't negotiable.
I'm urging every Cantabrian with a stake in our region's future to make submissions at bills.parliament.nz. Make your voice count.