23 Jul 2010

Law used to sack council 'has wider implications'

8:31 am on 23 July 2010

A resource management lawyer is warning the legislation used to sack the Canterbury regional council has wider implications for environmental law.

The Environment Canterbury Act was passed because of Government concerns about freshwater management in the region.

More than 200 people attended a meeting in Christchurch on Thursday to hear a panel discussion which included one of the commissioners running the regional council.

Resource management lawyer Maree Baker says there is less certainty the region's rivers will remain protected under the Act, and it could influence how the Resource Management Act (RMA) is dealt with in other regions.

The deputy chair of the commissioners, David Caygill, says he and his colleagues will work to resolve Canterbury's water problems.