‘Early public awareness of development needed’

Press, 16 September 1982, Page 27

‘Early public awareness of development needed’

The planning process „ should allow for greater pub-/ lie participation at an early 7 stage and see local, regional, and national authorities work together, a group including the Minister for the Environment (Dr Shearer) has been told. ,/ Development alternatives . needed more consideration if a balanced use of natural resources wg£ to be made, a report presented by students of the Resource Management Centre said. The 13 students yesterday made a formal presentation of their report which applied a planning framework to resource development options for the Upper Manuherikia Valley in Central Otago. They" would like a similar framework adopted by the Government to guard against hasty decisions and encourage more public participation in development options. The six-month preparation of the Manuherikia case study highlighted for its authors the need to streamline Nev,’ Zealand’s planning process and encourage the Government to open up the policy-making process relating to resource use. The report was presented at a Lincoln College seminar to a four-man panel of Dr Shearer, the Commissioner for the Environment. Mr Ken Piddington: the chief pastoral lands officer in the Lands and Survey Department, Christchurch, Mr Bernard Card; and Mr lan Mclntosh.

%f the Mines Division of the ' Ministry of Energy, Wellington. : The 225-page report assessed the area's resources and considered a number of development options, including the mining of lignite coal. The area contains two out of the nine South Island lignite deposits considered for conversion to fuel. Other development options assessed were agriculture, forestry, the inpact of irrigation and' the use of land for recreation or reserves. Four scenarios of possible development were presented as an example of the application of the planning framework to a practical study. The implications, rather than the merits, of each scenario were considered. Later the students said an accepted planning framework was needed to avert confusion about issues like the Clyde high dam. The dam showed how major policy decisions with poorly understood implications confused both the public and the politicians. It hightlighted the need for a broad overview of any proposal before specifics were considered. Thorough preliminary planning would identify objectives and effects of a proposal and give the public a chance to have a say. It would also remove the need for “reactionary” planning and legislation which was used to “straighten out” illconceived decisions. The students expressed

dissatisfaction with a system which too often resorted to the Judiciary to clear up confusion. The work of the Planning Tribunal would be reduced if more time was spent assessing options in a project's initial stages. A need for greater communication between various levels of Government was also seen. Local and regional authorities should prepare district schemes which recognised an area's objectives, and did not contain conflicting provisions. Both tiers should have close contact with central Government and act as a mouthpiece for the people they represented. Dr Shearer said the report was “an excellent effort." Comments that the lignite would be better left in the ground would no doubt be borne in mind by Government planners, he said. The students’ recommendation of a planning framework, which they termed a “White Paper." was said by Dr Shearer to be a similar proposition to those of a number of environmental organisations. It would be better termed a “green paper” and it coincided with options being considered by the Government in its proposed revision of some planning legislation. Public participation in planning was needed but Dr Shearer said this needed to be balanced against the time taken t’o reach a decision. “You can go through the exercise and have public

participation and then some new factor arises which changes the outlook." he said. “We in New Zealand have a habit of making a decision and then spending a lot of money revising it.”

Changing economic conditions and market demands meant the planning process needed to be rapid and flexible enough to cope with changing situations.

The students were pleased with what they saw as a positive response to their work. THey hope it will get a good hearing in Wellington and they intend to pursue their idea of a planning framework by making submissions on any planning legislation reviewed by the Government.

Next month they will present it to the Maniototo County Council and the Clutha-Central Otago United Council, the two bodies involved in planning and administration of the Upper Manuherikia Valley.

The 13-member class was last in the area in March. Presenting a case study is a requirement for second-year students of the two-year graduate course based at Lincoln College and run jointly by the college and the University of Canterbury. Previous reports have focused on 'other major energy options for New Zealand including the Aramoana smelter.