Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

The owner of the Rena has lodged resource consent applications under the Resource Management Act to leave sections of the wreck and associated debris in place on Astrolabe Reef and to provide for any future discharges of contaminants that may arise from leaving the wreck in place.

You can say what you like about the Resource Management Act, but for situations like this it provides a very robust mechanism to make a decision on whether the Rena can be left on the reef.

I have no opinion at present on whether the Rena should be left to stay on the reef or not. For me, it all depends on the information provided on the impacts of leaving – or removing – the wreck.

By law, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council must receive any application for a resource consent. Like me, the regional council has no preferred position on the future of the wreck and wants to hear the views of residents of the region and interested parties. It is also collating research reports on the impact of the Rena and its removal.

On Friday, June 13, Bay of Plenty Regional Council will publicly notify the application and this means it will be calling for submissions from all interested members of the public, including iwi, community and interest groups, local government organisations and residents of all affected communities.

Due to the importance of this process to the people of the Bay of Plenty, the council has decided to double the normal period for submissions from 20 working days to 40 working days. This means people will have until Friday, August 8, to file their submissions.

The owner of the Rena has requested the application is directly referred to the Environment Court – and if this occurs the Bay of Plenty Regional Council will still receive and collate submissions and compile scientific evidence to assist the court in its considerations.

To help those who would like to submit, the regional council has set up a website full of accurate information on the application process.

It also provides links to other websites full of relevant information. You can find the website at www.renaresourceconsent.org.nz

If you have any views on this, or any other issue, please contact me on neesj@xtra.co.nz or ring me on 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website at www.janenees.co.nz