Canterbury's councils have been slow to commit to a major shake-up in the way freshwater is managed in the region.
Only four of the 10 councils have committed to the new catchment-based freshwater and land management advisory bodies.
It's been more than a year since Canterbury axed its 10 historical water zone committees in May 2025, but rates are still being collected for their activity.
Eight catchment-based leadership groups are tasked with taking over the role of managing local freshwater zones.
Environment Canterbury senior strategy manager Cam Smith said four councils have confirmed they wish to establish local leadership groups to date - Ashburton, Selwyn, Waimakariri and Hurunui.
Kaikōura, Mackenzie, Waimate, and Waitaki are still to confirm their preferences, with ECan to consider appointments to these leadership groups in late October, he said.
“Christchurch City Council and Timaru District Council have opted against establishing local leadership groups at this time, but are still able to form leadership groups in the future.”
Each local leadership group is effectively a bespoke model, based on each council confirming its preferred arrangements with Papatipu Rūnanga and local community leadership, he said.
“All local leadership groups do share a consistent focus on the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS), an intent to collaborate with mana whenua, and the local community, and a focus on maintaining governance oversight of strategic priorities in each leadership group area.”
Ashburton Mayor Liz McMillan said the council has agreed in principle to explore a Hakatere Local Leadership Group.
“We’re just indicating our preferences at this stage because the proposed group would still need to be agreed upon by all parties.”
It is planned to consist of Ashburton and ECan councillors, mana whenua, and three community representatives - appointed through a council-led process, covering from the Rakaia to the Rangitata River.
McMillan said with changes to resource management and environmental protection legislation, the group may take on broader advocacy work for the community.
Selwyn Mayor Lydia Gliddon said the council want to progress the formation of a group and “try something a little different”.
“We'd like to work alongside Central Plains Water, who are doing a lot of the data collection, and are actually looking at helping other people with their data collection, across the district, so that we can actually look at a fuller picture of what's happening in this space."
Selwyn wanted to have representatives from a cross-section of the community, to avoid "living in an echo chamber".
“That means regardless of what happens with regional council, we've got a relationship and a group that is monitoring the impacts of freshwater across our district that eventually wouldn't have to rely on ECan.”
Some Ashburton councillors had raised concerns about the future of the groups, with the Government indicating there would be no regional councillors elected in 2028.
Smith said the regional council as an organisation would continue until new unitary councils are formed.
“(The) role and purpose of local leadership groups may adapt over time to support councils through the reforms”.
The intention is to have the leadership groups which are supported by councils underway as soon as possible, with a focus on establishing their priorities for 2027 - in the context of the local government and resource management reforms, Smith said.
Smith said ECan has reduced the budget of the committees since they were disestablished. Some of the budget was used to help create Local Leadership Groups in 2026/27.
“Staff who previously supported Water Zone Committees are now focused on supporting these new groups."
Those staff are also working with catchment groups, community organisations, and relevant agencies on Canterbury's water strategy.
Funding collected through the general rate, and previously used by the water zone committees for grants, were still awarded to successful applicants in 2025/26, he said.
