Congratulations

In early August, Environment Canterbury was delighted to welcome new Commissioner Elizabeth Cunningham, filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Donald Couch earlier in the year.

Elizabeth has the full support of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and is excited to be back at Environment Canterbury, having served as a Councilor from 2004-2007.

A lifelong commitment to the health sector, and in particular advocating for the improvement of Māori health, has seen Elizabeth devote herself to serving many communities at a local, regional and national level.

For Elizabeth, it is impossible to separate health and the environment, “If people don’t have clean air and clean water, and we’re not safeguarding our natural resources for future generations in the spirit of kaitiakitanga, how can we have good health,” she says.

Much progress has been made at Environment Canterbury in recent years, and Elizabeth has already observed many changes from her term as a councilor. “The current organisation is listening and it’s exciting to see community stakeholders involved, especially through the Zone Committees,” she says.

“The Commissioners are working hard for the best interests of Canterbury and it’s a privilege to be part of this exceptional team of people. I’m looking forward to what we’re going to achieve together in the next 12 months.”

Story courtesy of Environment Canterbury.

Elizabeth Cunningham.

Elizabeth Cunningham.

Pānui contributions

If there are any good news stories from within the whānau that you would like to share, please email me and I will be more than happy to submit them for publication.

Just a reminder that if you are going to submit photos, they should be high resolution (300DPI) or bigger, which means the file size will be about 100KB or bigger.

Calling for alternate representative nominations

Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata invites applicants for the position of alternate representative for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Applications must be in writing and meet the application criteria of the Koukourārata Electoral Process. Applications must be received by 5pm on Thursday 14 January 2016. Please contact Marion Crofts, Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata for a copy of the nomination form and criteria. Contact details: 71 Corsair Drive, Wigram. Phone: 03 365 3281 or email: [email protected]