Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council
Environment Canterbury met more of its performance targets last year despite the challenges of the May 2020 flood event and ongoing impact of COVID-19.
The Council adopted the annual report for the year ending 30 June 2021 on Thursday 16 December after receiving a clean audit opinion. The Council achieved 85 per cent of its performance targets across its work programmes, up from 82 percent the year before.
2020/21 in numbers
“Managing to achieve 63 of our 74 levels of service is quite an achievement given the unique challenges our community faced throughout the year,” Environment Canterbury Chair Jenny Hughey said.
Eight levels of service were not achieved and three were not measured. The May 2020 weather event delivered record rainfall into rivers and caused widespread flooding across the region. Ms Hughey said while the flood management network was
severely tested, it held up well.
“Many in our community suffered damage and disruption to their properties and livelihoods, and the impact will be felt for some time yet, including through our flood protection, land drainage and erosion control work.”
Environment Canterbury posted an operating deficit for the year ended 30 June 2021 of $2.69 million, reducing to $1.79 million without the impact of the forestry asset revaluation.
“We faced some significant challenges but still delivered a strong result, with the operating deficit well below the $5.7 million budgeted,” Environment Canterbury Chair Jenny Hughey said.
Damage sustained in the May 2020 rain event wiped $6.5 million from the Council’s flood protection asset base. Other significant impacts for the year included a $3.3 million increase in the value of Emissions Trading Scheme units, and a decrease in the value of forestry assets of $0.9 million.
“As well as reaching the majority of our performance targets, we delivered some significant achievements. At the top of the list was the planning, community conversations, and collaboration with our partners that allowed us to finalise and adopt the Long Term Plan 2021-31, which sets the course for the Council’s work for the next 10 years.
“At a governance level, we welcomed our two Tumu Taiao to the Council table to provide specific expert mana whenua advice and guidance, strengthening our partnership with Ngāi Tahu.
We established four new standing committees to acknowledge the operational importance of particular functions: Natural Environment, Transport and Urban Development, Regional and Strategic Leadership and Climate Change Action.”
