North Canterbury News: August 12, 2021

NEWS
14 North Canterbury News, August 12, 2021
No payrise for Mayor Dan
Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon has been
overlooked for apayrise in the latest
RemunerationAuthority
recommendations.
WhileDeputy MayorNeville Atkinson
and the other councillors will receive small
pay increases,MrGordon’s salary will
remain at $137,500 for the next 12 months.
The new payrises wereapproved at last
week’s Waimakariri District Council
meeting and will alsosee community board
members receivesmallincreases.
Ratesofpay for elected members are set
each year by the RemunerationAuthority.
Remunerationwas delayed lastyeardue
to the Covid­19 pandemic with no payrise
for the 2019/20 financialyear, althoughthe
Mayor’s salary was trimmed by 10 percent
for six months. While the economy has
proven to be moreresilientthan predicted,
the Remuneration Authority has taken‘‘a
Dan Gordon
conservative approach’’indetermining
localgovernment members’ rates of pay for
the 2021/22year.
Council opts to retain wards
The Waimakariri District Council has
opted for the statusquo for next year’s
local body elections.
Councillors voted lastweek to
recommend the existing threeward,
four communityboardstructure for the
2022 and 2025 local body elections, as
part of the council’ssix yearly
representation review.
Aside from minor boundary changes,
due to changes in population, the
council has opted for threewards with
new names ­Coastal (Kaiapoi­
Woodend), Central(Rangiora­Ashley)
and Western(Oxford­Ohoka).
The Coastal and Centralwardswill
each have elected four councillors,
while the Western ward willhave two.
There will continue to be four
community boards,with the Coastal
ward being split into the Kaiapoi­
Tuahiwi and Woodend­Sefton
CommunityBoards, with eachboard
having five elected members and two
appointedcouncillors.
Arecommended change to the existing
structure will see six memberselected
from the Rangiora subdivisionand two
from the Ashley subdivision elected to
the Rangiora­Ashley Community Board,
alongside the four Central ward
councillors.
This change is due to population
changes,Mayor Dan Gordonsays.
Threememberseach will be elected
from the Ohoka­Swannanoa and the
Oxford sub­divisions to the Oxford­
OhokaCommunity Board, along with the
two Western ward councillors.
The recommendations have gone for
consultation, with submissions closing
on September27.
Apublic hearingisscheduled for
October 12.
Stockwater review
The Waimakariri District Council is
reviewing its stockwater race bylaw.
Residents and water race users are
being asked to give feedback on proposed
changes to the 2019 Stockwater Race
Bylaw.
Stockwater portfolio holder Cr Sandra
Stewart says she is really keen to hear
the feedback to ensure the council is on
the right track.
‘‘We want to hear if any amendments
are necessary before the final bylaw is
adopted later this year,’’ she says.
‘‘I’m particularly interested in race
users and residents’ views on the
environmental benefits of the race
network which through leakage,
recharge our underground aquifers and
dilute nitrate groundwater pollution.
‘‘Whether these benefits should be
funded through adistrict­wide
environmental rate is proposed to be
addressed in the future once the outcome
of the Government’s Three Waters
Reform is known?
‘‘I look forward to hearing our
community’s views on our approach to
maintaining the water race system.’’
The races provide stockwater to 1629
properties which pay an annual rate to
cover management of the network. The
races are almost 830km in length and
cover over 42,000 hectares through the
district.
The bylaw details the rules protecting
the water race network, and is an
important tool to help the council and its
contractors make decisions while
maintaining the supply of stockwater to
users of the scheme.
Councillors adopted the Stockwater
Race Bylaw in 2019 and undertook to
carry out afurther review within two
years, giving users and residents an
opportunity for comment.
The review looks broad topics
including works in private property, road
Stockwater ... The Waimakariri District
Council is seeking feed back on its
stockwater bylaw.
PHOTO: FILE
reserve race maintenance, managed
aquifer recharge, environmental
benefits, ponds, fencing of water races
and biosecurity and contamination risks
The existing bylaw requires
landowners to maintain any portion of
stockwater race on or adjacent to their
property boundary if it is within the road
reserve.
The 2021 review does not propose any
changes to this responsibility and the
council wants to check in with the
community to see if they agree with this
approach.
The council is not proposing to fund
the environmental benefit of the water
race system at this stage.
It is proposed that this will be
addressed as part of the 3Waters Rating
Review in 2023.
Letters will be sent to each property on
the race network, and feedback on the
proposed bylaw closes on September 7.
Once feedback has been collected, staff
will report to the council at the
November meeting.