The investigation into Peter Scott, the chairperson of Environment Canterbury (ECan), continues five weeks after he stepped down from his role on May 3.
The investigation, initiated due to comments Scott made during a radio interview, is being conducted by an independent reviewer. Despite stepping down as chair, Scott retains his responsibilities as a councillor and continues to participate in long-term plan deliberations, council, and committee meetings. ECan has stated that there are no new updates on the situation at this time.
The controversy began when Scott, during an April interview with Newstalk ZB, discussed ECan’s new procedures to manage a backlog of consent applications. He revealed that two of his own irrigation consent applications had been delayed for six years by another government agency. Furthermore, ECan found that a parcel of land on Scott’s farm, potentially Crown land which he has since sold, was being farmed without the proper consent. Scott admitted to operating illegally during the interview. Deputy chairperson Craig Pauling continues to serve as acting chairperson while the investigation, expected to take several weeks, is ongoing.
