Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Environment protection not prime focus - CEO

By Laurel Stowell
Whanganui Chronicle·
18 Apr, 2016 01:14 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Michael McCartney

Michael McCartney

Horizons Regional Council will apply the principles of the One Plan to any action plan for economic growth, chief executive Michael McCartney says.

With Hawke's Bay Regional Council pushing the Ruataniwha Dam scheme, the Chronicle asked whether Horizons would also take an active role in economic development.

The Regional Growth Study for this region was finished last July, and wholly funded by Government.

Now an action plan is being made, called Accelerate25. It is funded by $230,000 from Horizons and $150,000 from Government.

Mr McCartney said the $230,000 came out of the council's investment reserves and was not a cost to ratepayers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Horizons staff are putting in a bit of work, with most being done by the paid consultants.
Regional councillors agreed to the $230,000 funding when the action plan began and there was no time to consult ratepayers, he said.

The council resolved to review its commitment at the next opportunity.

That ratepayer consultation is happening now, in response to Horizons' annual plan.
Council chairman Bruce Gordon said ratepayers had given Horizons strong support for its involvement so far.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr McCartney said there was a perception regional councils existed to protect the environment, but their real business was sustainable natural resource management.

"Sustainability implies use, and use links to economics."

As local authorities they were charged with looking after the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of region people.

There was no law directing them to be pro-active in economic development. But work such as pest control and river management 50 per cent of their "$50 million business", was necessary to maintain the prosperity of people in this rural region.

The requirement to protect the environment kicked in only when resources were under pressure, Mr McCartney said.

The council's big picture understanding of regional resources was useful for economic development, and a resource in itself.

"Our information is a strong resource. We need to keep that going."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Councillors sound alarm on ‘evil twin’ bill

29 May 12:57 AM
Sport

'No one does ops like Kat': NZ loses athletics high performance leader

28 May 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Apartment plan for Native Land Court building

28 May 05:00 PM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Councillors sound alarm on ‘evil twin’ bill

Councillors sound alarm on ‘evil twin’ bill

29 May 12:57 AM

A councillor has urged her council to take a stand against the Regulatory Standards Bill.

'No one does ops like Kat': NZ loses athletics high performance leader

'No one does ops like Kat': NZ loses athletics high performance leader

28 May 05:00 PM
Apartment plan for Native Land Court building

Apartment plan for Native Land Court building

28 May 05:00 PM
Tūroa Ski Field amps up for winter season

Tūroa Ski Field amps up for winter season

28 May 01:03 AM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP