Re-elected councillors happy with new Environment Canterbury council

Sunday, 13 October 2019

Environment Canterbury Councillor Lan Pham has been re-elected.

Re-elected Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors with farming connections say they are comfortable with a greener, younger regional council.

Based on Saturday's progress results – preliminary results had yet to be posted late Sunday afternoon – more than half the new council has experience in environmental matters, either as scientists or consultants or hearings commissioners.

Returning councillors Claire McKay, Peter Scott and John Sunckell have farming backgrounds, as has new councillor Ian Mackenzie.

Scott, who was deputy chairman of the previous council, told Stuff the composition was now clearly more environmental.

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'Climate change has been to the fore in the last four months and I think that has come through.'

Extinction Rebellion protesters at Environment Canterbury earlier in 2019. The new ECan appears to have more of an environmental bent.

Scott expressed interest in becoming the next ECan chairman, but that would 'depend on support from the city [representatives] to do that.'

It would take time for council members to get to know each other, given there were 10 new representatives.

McKay said the new council was 'very diverse' in age, gender and experience.

'It's very reflective of the community that has voted.

'We have to wait and see how things shake down. I'm hopeful everyone will be respectful.'

The predominance of environmental scientists on the council was 'not something that worries me at all', McKay said.

'All around the table, we all want better environmental outcomes. There's no argument about that.'

Voters have allowed Phil Clearwater has jumped ship, from the Christchurch City Council to Environment Canterbury.

Sunckell was 'really pleased'.

'The reality is, we have probably got as good a council as we might out of the election. There's a whole range of people there with good common sense, good education, and there's a whole range of voices.'

The return of full democracy to ECan after close to 10 years has swept in some other welcome changes too.

Based on Saturday's progress results, the new council will have seven women and seven men, and a much younger cohort of councillors.

Megan Hands, one of the two new Environment Canterbury councillors for the Christchurch West/Opuna constituency.

Six of the previous council stood for election but only four were successful – Sunckell, Scott, McKay and Lan Pham.

Rod Cullinane and last term's Ngāi Tahu representative and subsequent People's Choice candidate Iaean Cranwell missed out, based on progress reports.

The 10 new councillors on Saturday's figures were: Ian Mackenzie, Elizabeth McKenzie, Vicky Southworth, former Christchurch City councillor Phil Clearwater, Grant Edge, Hands, Craig Pauling, Jenny Hughey, Tane Apanui and Nicole Marshall.

Some of those with small majorities said they were not counting their chickens until preliminary results and then final results were announced this week.

However, Megan Hands in the Christchurch West/Ōpuna constituency was not one of those walking on eggshells. The independent environmental consultant won 11,530 votes, with a sizeable 2700 vote lead over Craig Pauling, who also looks likely to be on the council unless special votes make a difference.

The West Coast Regional Council was only men. Now it will have two women.

Hands told Stuff she was 'absolutely amazed and so thankful for the votes'.

'I'm absolutely blown away and honoured. I hope we will have a council that can all work together – that's the most important thing for me.'

Outgoing ECan chairman Steve Lowndes said the progress results were 'very positive'.

'The new council will have a 50-50 gender balance, more young folk, four returning regional councillors and a [Christchurch] city councillor and a lot of scientific experience.

'This is a new chapter and it's going to be extremely interesting.'

ALL-MAN WEST COAST REGIONAL COUNCIL NO LONGER

There have been big changes on the other side of the Southern Alps too.

Two women have been elected to the seven-strong and previously all-male West Coast Regional Council.

Laura Coll McLaughlin will be the Buller District representative on the regional council after securing 2221 votes.

The other Buller representative will either be John Hill (1480 votes) or Glenn Irving (1325 votes), but there are still 276 late votes to count.

Debra Magner from the Westland District will also be on the regional council. She received 1422 votes.

Her Westland colleague will be Stuart Challenger, who won 1885 votes.

The Grey District's regional councillors are Allan Birchfield, with 3077 votes, Brett Cummings, with 2720, and Peter Ewen, with 2997.