ECAN turning a blind eye
Written By:
- Date published:
12:56 pm, June 21st, 2016 - 41 comments
Categories: accountability, democracy under attack, national, useless -
Tags: ecan, fail, theft, water
National overthrew local democracy in Canterbury to appoint their own directors of ECAN (Environment Canterbury). And now this – Millions of litres of water illegally taken: Is ECan doing enough?
Millions of litres of Canterbury’s water may have been taken illegally, as the extent of non-compliance among high-scale water users is revealed.
Data shows that in one year, consented users were recorded taking hundreds of millions of litres of water above their entitlements. They received few fines and there were no prosecutions. The vast majority were not punished at all. The exact volume of water taken cannot be known, because 500 large-scale users are still not measuring their takes, despite national requirements to do so.
While the vast majority of irrigators followed the rules, official information from ECan’s records, released to advocacy group Forest & Bird, showed the extent of non-compliance by those who didn’t. The data, collected between 2013 and 2014, revealed some users recorded taking hundreds of millions of litres of water more than they were entitled to, with numerous others either reporting inaccurate data or not recording data at all. Water was being taken during low-flow restrictions, in areas suffering under drought-like conditions with rivers running dry. Others had broken rules several seasons in a row, ignoring threats of enforcement action.
“These are serious environmental crimes that are punishable by fines and prison sentences under the Resource Management Act, yet ECan seems unwilling to do much more than issue abatement notices, which it then fails to enforce,” said Forest & Bird senior legal counsel Peter Anderson.
“Elsewhere in New Zealand abatement notices are taken very seriously. However, in Canterbury irrigators seem to be able to be ignore them with impunity.”
In one example, a Mackenzie district farm had been caught taking too much water three years in a row.
Is ECAN just another typical Nat party fuckup, or are they deliberately turning a blind eye?
https://twitter.com/farmgeek/status/745025897753763840
https://twitter.com/farmgeek/status/744717452546715649
https://twitter.com/farmgeek/status/744730366301208576
Large-scale water theft in Canterbury but no prosecutions @EugenieSage https://t.co/hA7KsPSL04
— Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) June 20, 2016
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Deliberate. Many Cabinet ministers and Nat MPs have a vested interest in access to water for their corporate and farming interests, so see it as their right. They would probably be very surprised that some people see it as theft. That is what poor people do.
Taking more water than you are allocated is a long standing practice dating from the days when the take wasn’t monitored (and predates the sacking of the ECAN councillors). Just pointing out that this isn’t new and that NZ has been letting this happen for a very long time.
One of the best things we could do collectively is to make a lot of noise and vote at the local body elections this year and change who is making decisions. It’s not a panacea (and obviously won’t help Cantabrians in the short term), but it’s time we put people in power who can take responsibility for the environment. If the government then sacks more councils, time to step up and protest. We also need to actively support people who are willing to stand.
Change the government.
Farmers and regional councils were doing this under Labour.
That would be Labour minus Greens governments 🙂
True, and that would be at least 18 months until that probably but not certain change. I’m not sure whether hte incoming govt would act quickly on regional council compliance issues (what would they do?). We have a regional council election this year, and we need to get better at voting and supporting councillors anyway.
ECAN brought in metering on farm/commercial use under Labour….was probably the cause of the Nats sacking the elected councillors….certainly the pro conservation majority of non rural councillors at ECAN was a source of angst for rural mayors
http://www.civilsociety.org.nz/uploads/1/5/1/0/15103434/elected_ecans_destruction_-_sir_kerry_burke_-_2013.pdf
Who monitors the meters?
ECAN supposedly…though it may be contracted
Historically meters weren’t being monitored. I don’t know what happens now. I’m not sure why meters can be read every month or 3 month or whatever and if they’re over allocation it triggers an alert in the system that requires someone to investigate.
there was a phase in period if I recall….they are definitely monitored to some degree, how often and if regularly Im unsure….had some personal involvement with the installation and repair of one some years ago and that is monitored.
Did someone have to visit the property to monitor or was it done remotely?
that one was visual but there are others that can be monitored remotely…..have had a quick look and it appears there are various accredited “monitoring and reporting providers”
Seems odd though, that they don’t monitor all takes, remotely, and have systems in place for responding to going over allocation each time. Especially as they know that historically some farmers have taken more than they’re allowed when they could.
my understanding from the latest report is they do monitor all bore takes (the bulk of which are probably remotely now) and the data collected…..the issue is the lack of enforcement/penalty
Thanks Pat
Private prosecution time
Thieving bastards
Accessories to the crime are the politicians
And the appointed directors at ECan.
Now we know the real reason the natz took over Ecan to allow for whole sale theft one law for the have nots and no rule of law for the haves this corrupt government has to go
hell – didn’t the nats fire the ECAN council at about the time it looked like it was finally about to do something about water use and abuse?
and wasnt the report they iused to justify it written by wyatt creech – ex nat and Canterbury dairy ‘farmer’?
The farmers have had a free ride under National for far too long it is time for a fairer Government that rules for all not just a few
If I repeatedly break the speed limit should I just get a warning every time?
If I beat up my wife repeatedly should I just get a warning every time?
If I donate to the National Party repeatedly can I use as much water as I like and just get a free pass?
Oravida free water bottling plant closely monitored for compliance, YEAH RIGHT.
that’s Judith Collins and her husband robbing our water (Orivida) and our Kauri swamp up North just plain greedy haven’t they got enough they have to start ruining our environments ( wetlands)
Robbing implies they’re doing something illegal.
Hopefully no Orivida lawyers read The Standard.
Oh noes! Your lip service to the rule of law on display! Revealed to be another receptacle for your masters’ effluent! The humanity!
The relationship between the National Party and the business community goes far beyond mere conflict of interests into outright corruption. Even gang members understand this. Why are you enabling it?
Who are these corrupt members of the business community?
Good question. If the answer were so simple, corruption would fail every time.
Devices such as “blind” trusts and Cabinet Club, viewed in the light of Blabbermouth Lusk’s anecdotal evidence, not to mention Ede’s behaviour. Perhaps they’re entirely innocent, established with the best of good intentions, and then you woke up.
We handle conflicts of interest really badly. They arise as a natural consequence of being alive. That isn’t a reason to excuse them because your mate is a nice person.
Personally I think my “mate” just about done his dash.
He’s done a good job and taken the country in the right direction, but reading the tea leaves, I think there’s going to be be a period of retracement and consolation.
That’s a role which is not geared towards Key’s skills and personal views so it’s probably about time to start the transition to a new CEO.
understatement BM, it’s going to take 20 years to fix nationals damage, at least.
Bollocks
National and Clarks labour are about as dissimilar as two dissimilar things in a pod.
Neither the twain should be mentioned together as a similar, the Helen years were a joyous occasion, Best years we had lately, then borrowing Bill and trader John fucked things right up.
Interesting, BM, that you use a financial market term, ‘retracement’, to describe the period after the lamented departure of our PM from that role- a temporary reversal that does not mean a permanent change.
I would have thought a period of retraction, reflection and ultimate expression of sorrow would have better fitted the bill.
Meanwhile, a permanent programme of change would be implemented to reverse, change, modify, ameliorate, steam clean,disinfect, launder, perfume, get rid of, banish or reverse most of what Key has done or left as his legacy.
I, for one, am an unwilling legatee.
Interesting, BM, that you use a financial market term, ‘retracement’, to describe the period after the lamented departure of our PM from that role- a temporary reversal that does not mean a permanent change.
I see it as the start of the NZ First, National coalition that will govern NZ for the next 6 or so years.
A Bill English/Winston Peters government would work quite well together.
NZ Firsts conservatism will temper the globalist push which has been a big part of John Keys government.
Even though I do I like where John Key has taken NZ, you’d have to be blind to not so some of the dissatisfaction that has come about due to some of Nationals policies, so it’s probably about time to rein it in a bit.
Hmmm, I listened to Winston Peters at the Grey Power AGM, where he considers that he has friends and allies, and I was impressed at the end of his speech, when he departed from what speech notes he had, with his assessment of National as a party that has forgotten what conservative means, (which concurs with what you say about his, and NZ First’s conservatism), and his strong condemnation of National as ‘reactionaries’.
A different assessment of Peters’ view of National, than yours, unless you are placing a great deal on Peters’ desire for the PM’s job…………
hopefully BM does not add snitch to all his other personality defects ………….
You have got it @ianmac,
Dave, McFlock, Greg and M Gray
National Government GREED
At a guess I’d say that they’re deliberately turning a blind eye. Just think of how many National Party donors and supporters would be bankrupt (thus unable to donate to National) and in jail (thus unable to vote) if they were actually prosecuted for their crimes.
Anyone in Canterbury who has voted in the last two elections (or planning to vote) for National or any of its support parties, is complicit in this total wreckage of our natural resources under ECAN.
Working as designed. ECAN was sacked so they could carry on knowing nothing would ever be done….not that much was done before.