Horizons Regional Council's Rachel Keedwell: We will continue to seek out additional government funding

Horizons councillors learn about the Makino flood gates and Feilding flood protection as part of their induction tour. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you all for your continued support for me in my role on Horizons Regional Council.

It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Palmerston North for the past nine years, and I am particularly humbled to be able to take on another three years as chair of council.

In the past three years we have made some significant shifts in direction and I look forward to continuing this journey for the benefit of our region.

We have major challenges facing us as a region and as a country and I have no doubt the next term of council will be very busy. We are continuing to work on developing our new freshwater policy that aims to lift water quality standards across the region.

If you haven't already participated in this work, there are numerous opportunities for you to contribute your thoughts about water quality and what direction we should head as a region. Keep an eye on our website horizons.govt.nz for opportunities to contribute.

The impacts of climate change will continue to affect our region whether from increased storm events and droughts, or impacts on food security and biosecurity, and we need to be focused on how best to ensure our communities remain resilient to these potential impacts. We will continue to develop and implement our regional climate action plan.

These considerations will be critical to the development of our next 10-year plan when there will no doubt be difficult discussions about what needs to be done to protect our communities versus what is affordable for those communities.

Horizons has been very successful at securing additional government funding to reduce the rates burden and we will continue to seek out every possible opportunity to secure extra funding.

The reform agenda being handed down by central government is unlike any other time in the recent past. As a regional council, Horizons has to implement the Government's freshwater reforms, deal with the overhaul to the Resource Management Act and what that might mean for our business, and plan for the impacts of a range of National Policy Statements.

And on top of that, there is the review of the future of local government – what might councils look like in the future once the dust from all these reforms has settled?

I will remain focused on ensuring our region is resilient and sustainable in the face of all these challenges, and that our decision-making is focused on ensuring there is a bright future for future generations.

If you have any questions about Horizons and what we do, or any concerns, I am always happy to talk with you. Call me on 021 177 2790 or email me at rachel.keedwell@horizons.govt.nz.

• Dr Rachel Keedwell is chairwoman of Horizons Regional Council.