9 September 2025
File Ref: OIAPR-1274023063-41872
Adam
By email
: [FYI request #31745 email]
Tēnā koe Adam
Request for information 2025-302
I refer to your request for information dated 24 July 2025, which was received by Greater
Wellington Regional Council (Greater Wellington) on 24 July 2025. We apologise for the delay in
responding to your request due to a system error on our part.
You have requested the following:
“
Under the Official Information Act 1982, I request the following information:
“1. The most recent joint witness statements (JWS) involving environmental scientists or
technical experts that discuss the setting or reviewing of freshwater targets, limits, criteria, or
thresholds.
“2. These statements should relate to your most recent regional plan change where such
matters were addressed.
“If no JWS exist, please confirm whether any expert conferencing or similar collaborative
evidence processes took place, and provide the relevant outputs (e.g., conferencing reports,
summary statements, or meeting notes).
“Please provide the documents in digital format.”
Greater Wellington’s response follows:
Greater Wellington’s most recent regional plan change relating to freshwater is Plan Change 1
(PC1). Setting freshwater targets, limits, criteria, or thresholds were largely addressed in
Hearing Stream 2: Objectives and Policies, which took place from 7-17 April 2025.
No joint witness statements or similar collaborative evidence processes were undertaken to
inform the freshwater targets set in PC1. We note however that the Panel requested caucusing
Wellington office
Upper Hutt
Masterton office
0800 496 734
PO Box 11646
PO Box 40847
PO Box 41
www.gw.govt.nz
Manners St, Wellington
1056 Fergusson Drive
Masterton 5840
[Wellington Regional Council request email]
6142
link to page 2 link to page 2 link to page 2
in Minute
71 regarding E. coli target states in rivers. However, Minute 1
12 deferred the caucusing
to Hearing Stream 4, which included the wastewater and stormwater topics. This deferral was
to give submitter’s experts more time to prepare supporting evidence.
On 26 June 2025, the Council decided to pause Plan Change 1 of the Natural Resources Plan in
response to anticipated changes to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.
The full reasoning for this decision is outlined in the 26 June 2025 Order Paper, “Understanding
the Implications of National Direction for Plan Change 1 to the NRP”
.3
As such, no joint witness conferencing or collaborative evidence processes to inform
freshwater targets have occurred to date, though we anticipate this will occur once PC1
resumes in 2026.
Therefore, we are refusing your request under section 17(g) of the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act 1987 (the Act) because the information requested is not held by
Greater Wellington and we have no grounds for believing that the information is either –
(i)
Held by another local authority or a department or Minister of the Crown or organisation;
or
(ii) Connected more closely with the functions of another local authority, or a department or
Minister of the Crown or organisation.
If you have any concerns with the decision(s) referred to in this letter, you have the right to
request an investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 27(3) of the Act.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official information
requests where appropriate. Our response to your request will be published shortly on Greater
Wellington’s website with your personal information removed.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Lian Butcher
Kaiwhakahaere Matua Taiao | Group Manager Environment
1 Minute
7: https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Plans-policies-bylaws/PNRP/Hearing-Documents/Minutes/250417-
Minute-7-1.pdf#page=7
2 Minute 11:
https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Plans-policies-bylaws/PNRP/Hearing-Documents/Minutes/Minute-
11.pdf
3 Order Paper 26 June 2025 “Understanding the implications of national direction for Plan Change 1 to the NRP”:
Council-26-June-2025-Order-Paper-Public.pdf
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