The following statement can be attributed to Stephen Woodhead (Chair, Otago Regional Council):

“Here in Otago we face a unique water management challenge, with hundreds of deemed permits arising from 19th-century mining operations due to expire in 2021. We have a plan in place to work through this. Hon David Parker, the Minister for the Environment wants to make sure we are on track, and has appointed Peter Skelton to look into this. We will of course cooperate with this investigation and show what we are doing to meet our obligations under the Resource Management Act.”

Please find correspondence below, including Terms of Reference, between Hon David Parker (Minister for the Environment) and Stephen Woodhead (Chair, Otago Regional Council).