Decision about Councillor Hope's application

Our view that Cr Hope does not have a financial interest in the decisions

We were told that Cr Hope and her husband own a sheep and beef farm of about 2000 hectares. Cr Hope’s husband is a full-time farmer, and Cr Hope also works on the family farm.

The Water Permit Plan Change (WPPC) and Cr Hope

Cr Hope’s application states that she does not hold any water permits because the water drawn from the bore at her farm is within permitted activity rules.

She submitted that she has no financial interest in the WPPC because she does not hold any water permits. Based on the information provided, we are of the view that she does not have a financial interest in the WPPC, and so does not require an exemption or declaration to participate in the WPPC decision.

The Omnibus Plan Change and Cr Hope

Dairy farmers are the farmers most affected by the Omnibus Plan Change, and Cr Hope is not a dairy farmer. She does, however, winter graze cattle.

Cr Hope’s application states that she will not need to put in additional fencing because her cattle already cannot access any waterways on the farm. They are grazed too far away from any waterways on the property to access them.

Further, although she and her husband do winter graze cattle, they do not do so intensively. She told us that she will not suffer any financial loss as a result of the Omnibus Plan Change because she will not need to apply for the type of consent proposed for intensive winter grazing.

Cr Hope submitted that any financial interest she has in the Omnibus Plan Change is “de minimis” as the farm is not intensively grazed over winter, and she and her husband do not anticipate that the farm will ever be intensively grazed over winter. She told us that this is not part of the family’s short or long-term planning for the farm, so she is “highly unlikely” to turn her mind to her own farm when discussing and voting on the Omnibus Plan Change.

Based on the information provided, it does not appear that Cr Hope has a reasonable expectation of financial gain or loss from the Omnibus Plan Change. She does not need an exemption to participate in the decision.