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Otago Regional Council is set to release its Annual Report this week, reflecting not only a year of change but a refresh of the organisation’s strategic direction and its focus on supporting community-led environmental initiatives.
ORC’s chair Gretchen Robertson says it’s been a busy year, but in looking to the future, the organisation recognises there’s more work to be done.
“Our focus was not only on delivering efficient services to the people of Otago, but on supporting community-led environmental initiatives for positive outcomes,” she says.
The ORC’s Annual Report will be considered by Councillors at a full meeting in Dunedin on Wednesday, October 23. The report is available in the meeting agenda online.
Cr Robertson says during the year Council refreshed ORC’s strategic directions, setting clear goals and focus areas to realise its vision for Otago—”where our environment and communities thrive, ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea)”.
The development of a new Land and Water Regional Plan remains a priority for ORC, with a work programme in place to achieve a notification decision this month; with a Council vote to notify or pause the Plan to be taken on Wednesday, October 23.
“We are also committed to returning an increased dividend from Port Otago to the Otago community as part of delivering greater value.
“We’re proud to highlight ORC’s accomplishments in hazard resilience, significant growth in bus patronage, navigational safety, regional civil defence coordination, environmental science, biosecurity, and regulatory activities,” she says.
Other highlights for Cr Robertson included public transport services in Queenstown and Dunedin reaching record levels, with almost 1.9 million passenger trips in Queenstown and around 3.4 million in Dunedin during the past financial year, a 51 per cent increase in Queenstown and 21 per cent in Dunedin.
In ORC’s environmental monitoring and regulatory roles, Cr Robertson says staff completed 1411 compliance checks, including consent audits, dairy inspections, and forestry site visits, while the Pollution Hotline handled 1095 incidents, with 101 formal enforcement actions taken in 2023-24.
She was “really pleased” that ORC’s annual ECO Fund was fully subscribed, again, this year, which supports targeted and general community environmental projects.
“We’ve also actively fostered community-led catchment management initiatives in the Catlins and Upper Lakes,” she says.
“Our valued partnership with mana whenua in Otago continues to underpin much of our work programme, with positive water enhancement work continuing through these partnerships.”
This was exemplified by the remediation project for Te Hakapupu Pleasant River with Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, plus partnering with other multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Te Mana o te Taieri project and Predator Free Dunedin, she says.
For the year ahead, Cr Robertson says climate change remains a crucial focus area for ORC.
“This year, Councillors endorsed the draft Strategic Climate Action Plan, and we’re now looking forward to seeking community input on this important initiative,” she says.
*Inside Tourism has edited this release for brevity. Read the full release here.
