Brendon Burns

A finding by the Auditor General against four Environment Canterbury councillors has been welcomed by Labour’s water spokesman Brendon Burns who laid the complaint.
The Auditor-General has ruled that the four councillors breached the Local Authorities (Members’ Interests Act) by voting against water management charges in June this year, when they had financial interests in water rights.
This meant an average increase of about $10 a week in ECan rates for all Canterbury ratepayers.
“That was unacceptable, especially for lower income people in my Christchurch Central electorate,” Brendon Burns said.
“Water is the new gold in Canterbury and it is important that the rules for governing its use and management are both explicit and upheld.
“”The Auditor General is the public’s watchdog on these issues. In this instance she has chosen to bark but not bite with her decision to not prosecute the councillors.
“I agree with her that decisions on water management in Canterbury are very significant for our region and we need to have confidence in decision-makers.”
Brendon Burns said he was pleased to see the Auditor-General’s warning that any future breach of rules about conflicts of interest may see her take a different approach.
“The Canterbury Water Management Strategy now underway in the region is an opportunity to get win/win results for our environment and economy. ECan is now also working through water management charges similar to those at the centre of this investigation.
“I hope the Auditor-General’s findings can provide more confidence in those processes because getting them right is crucial for the Canterbury region and public policy more generally,” Brendon Burns said.

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