Regional leadership, youth engagement and education

We are actively fostering relationships with our partners Ngāi Tahu and communities to improve understanding of our work and increase participation in decision making for the region.

Our planning, consents and compliance monitoring activities are included in this portfolio of work. We work with landowners to provide advice, and help them understand and give effect to the latest planning rules.

Over the next few years, we will make more environmental data available to communities and decision makers so we can work together to make the best decisions for the region.

What we heard about leadership, engagement and education

Support for our Tuia partnership to work ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with Ngāi Tahu was noted by several submitters, including three of the region’s Papatipu Rūnanga. Several submissions expressed support for a new contestable fund for community groups.

Our Enviroschools education programme, Youth Rōpū and civics education received support from about 50 submitters, while a similar number suggested that this should be the responsibility of the central government.

Submitters expressed support for increased focus on compliance monitoring and enforcement and applying ‘polluter pays’ principles.

Council’s decision

As outlined in the plan, we will continue to build on our Tuia Relationship with the ten Papatipu Rūnanga of Canterbury and support them to fulfil their role as mana whenua.

We provide educational resources to schools and communities through our work in about 100 Enviroschools and early childhood centres in Canterbury. Over the next three years we will increase this to more than 130 Enviroschools. As well as our work in schools, we will be establishing a civics education programme.

Empowering young people to design and lead sustainability projects is strongly supported by our Council. Our Youth Rōpū enables young people to engage and kōrero with staff and Councillors, and to advocate for environmental matters.

There is much work to do to evolve our compliance, monitoring and enforcement function to ensure our region’s resources are being used according to plan limits. This includes working with, and providing advice to, landowners to understand how to give practical effect to our rules.

Funding for community projects

Some submissions requested specific funding for environmental projects or action in the community. In 2021, a new contestable fund for community organisations will be established, to build community engagement and action and to support Council’s transformational opportunities. More details will be available on the Community Organisation Support section of our website in late August.