ORC’s Councillor and Environmental Delivery portfolio co-lead Andrew Noone says the annual National Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) metrics report demonstrates the positive work ORC and the community is doing in the Compliance space.

“The Compliance work has a positive impact throughout our region. Compliance is important because it protects the natural resources, we all rely on and enjoy,” Cr Noone says.

“Our consent holders and resource users put a lot of work into achieving compliance and we are grateful for the work they do. The national report into compliance activities shows that the people of Otago are doing great work and the Council is well placed compared to other Councils with the work we do and how we do it.” says Cr Noone.

The 87-page CME report (attached) shows comparative Compliance data from 11 regional councils and five unitary councils across the country, collating data across the past five years.

Cr Noone says ORC’s Compliance team oversees more than 7500 resources consents - authorising a range of activities which are under both local and national rules.

“Unlike a building consent, Resource Management Act resource consents are often for ongoing activities which require regular monitoring over many years. Examples of these activities include water abstraction [take], the damming of waterways and the discharge of contaminants” he says.

For Otago, a total 119 formal enforcement actions were taken during the past year including 56 issuances of Abatement Notices, 62 Infringements and 1 Enforcement Order, Council’s Compliance Manager Simon Wilson says.

ORC takes an “education first” approach, with the aim of initially working proactively with groups, resource users and consent holders to encourage improved, long-term, environmental practices, he says.

“We resolve issues through education and support in the first instance, and enforcement where necessary,” Mr Wilson says.

The ORC target last year was to monitor 2500 consents, but for the third consecutive year the Compliance team achieved more than 100% of the target, monitoring in total 3553 consents last year.

Mr Wilson says where appropriate there are a number of formal enforcement tools available to the Council under the RMA ranging from formal warnings through to Environment Court prosecutions.

A highlight for Mr Wilson included use of the ORC’s 24/7 Pollution Hotline by the public which responded to 1407 calls relating to a total 1042 separate incidents last year.