Water quality and climate change remain the most important environmental issues to people around Otago according to results from a recent Otago Regional Council (ORC) survey.

The results mirrored those from a year earlier, with water quality (39 percent), climate change (18 percent) and land and coastal erosion (nine percent) cited as top issues. 

ORC chair Gretchen Robertson thanked the more than 1,100 people who took the time to contribute to the survey.

“These are changing times in the environmental space and it’s of huge importance to us that we get a clear steer from people across the region on what is of most significant concern to them,” she said.

Nineteen percent of respondents rated ORC’s response to the environmental issue they identified as excellent, 40 percent rated it as average, and 26 percent rated it poorly.

“This set of results show a significant five percent increase in positive ratings from a year ago and a big decline in poor ratings, which were down by four percent.”

“While we can take heart from these positive improvements, we’re striving every year to improve results and outcomes, which means staff and councillors working more and more closely with communities to protect and enhance the environment.”

Gretchen said she “entirely endorses” recommendations from the survey, for example a continued focus on water quality and climate change initiatives, targeted communication and engagement strategies, and an ongoing focus to improve public transport services.

The survey results are also “very timely” now that engagement is underway with ministers of the new coalition government, she said. 

ORC met with ministers last week, she said, and while changes are expected, she emphasised that details on changes, or any pause in regulations, may take months to finalise, and then further time to implement.

PHOTO: Supplied