Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) second round of public consultation on its new Land and Water Regional Plan has been underway since last month, with two more meetings to go in the Upper Clutha.

In 2019, the Minister for the Environment told the ORC it could do better to manage Otago's lakes, rivers and streams and directed it to prepare both a new regional policy statement and a land and water regional plan by the end of 2023.

The new plan will be a tool to manage land and waterways in the region, and will align with the government’s goal to improve water quality within one generation.

The feedback gathered at the community meetings will influence the setting of measurements and limits in the draft plan.

The meetings will also feature a presentation on the state of the area’s waterways.

ORC policy and sciences general manager Anita Dawe said the aim of the plan “is to implement actions that start to improve our freshwater resources, knowing that further changes might be required down the road”.

“This will not be a fast process - we won’t necessarily see all the effects of the plan in the short term, but it’s a vital start that needs to be made if we are to ensure Otago’s waterways are healthy for future generations to enjoy,” she said.

The consultation involves 19 meetings across Otago’s five Fresh Water Management Units (FMUs): North Otago and Clutha/Mata-au, Upper Lakes around Queenstown, Catlins, Dunedin and Coast.

The first meeting took place in Wānaka on Tuesday (November 1), and another will take place in Lake Hāwea on Monday (November 7) at the Lake Hāwea Community Centre at 7pm.

A meeting will take place in Tarras on Tuesday (November 8) at the Tarras War Memorial Community Centre from 7pm.

PHOTO: Wānaka App