Hi, here's a link to an article I penned back in 2018, calling for community boards to be created to oversee Regional Council environmental progress. The essence of my reasoning is that we need a combination of clear environmental limits and targets, together with landowner flexibility on how to achieve the targets. Because the environment is highly complex, an adaptive management approach to managing the environment is needed. That requires a degree of flexibility for landowners to innovate, rather than just a plethora of rules. But with that flexibility comes the need for really good community oversight, to build & maintain community confidence in the Council. That's what community catchment boards can provide.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/xan-harding-time-for-community-catchment-boards/4GNUEHM6MHVHDEJQDTNLHH64YU/