Purpose of Cost Benefit Analysis
The government recently announced it will introduce special legislation to ensure that the most appropriate decisions are made about water use in the Waitaki catchment. The legislation will establish an independent statutory body to develop a water allocation framework for the Waitaki River and establish a panel of commissioners to decide on consent applications.
Sinclair Knight Merz (Australia) has been commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Development to undertake a cost benefit analysis of proposals to take water in the Waitaki catchment. This work will provide a national perspective to an enhanced Resource Management Act process for the Waitaki catchment. It will be one method of informing the development of a water allocation framework for the catchment and will also help the Panel of Commissioners who will be making decisions on the Waitaki consent applications. It is expected that a final cost-benefit analysis report will be completed in early February 2004.
The study aims to draw together information regarding the present economic, social and environmental characteristics of the Waitaki River catchment, and document anticipated changes that are likely to accompany water takes for different applications.
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