204Consultation on proposed plan

1. When preparing a stormwater network risk management plan, a water service provider must—

2. undertake public consultation; and
3. consult—
   1. the Water Services Authority:
   2. the territorial authority in whose district the provider’s service area is located (whether or not that authority is a shareholder in the provider):
   3. the regional council in whose region the provider’s service area is located:
   4. corridor managers with responsibilities in the provider’s service area:
   5. if the provider is a water organisation, any territorial authority that is a shareholder in the water organisation.

4. The provider must prepare—

5. a statement of proposal; and
6. if the provider considers on reasonable grounds that it is necessary to enable public understanding of the proposal, a summary of the information contained in the statement of proposal.

7. A summary of the information contained in a statement of proposal must—

8. be a fair representation of the major matters in the statement of proposal; and
9. be in a form determined by the water service provider; and
10. for the purposes of public consultation, indicate where the statement of proposal is available.

11. The provider must—

12. make the following publicly available:
    1. the statement of proposal:
    2. any summary prepared under subsection (2)(b):
    3. a description of how the provider will give persons interested in the proposal an opportunity to present their views to the provider:
    4. a statement of the period within which views on the proposal may be presented to the provider (the period must not end earlier than 1 month after the date on which the provider issues the statement of proposal); and
13. make the statement of proposal (and, if applicable, the summary prepared under subsection (2)(b)) as widely available as is reasonably practicable as a basis for consultation; and
14. provide an opportunity for interested members of the public to present their views to the provider; and
15. ensure that any member of the public who wishes to present their views to the provider—
    1. is given a reasonable opportunity to do so; and
    2. is informed about how and when they may do so.

16. For the purposes of, but without limiting, subsection (4)(d), the provider may allow any person to present their views to the provider by way of audio link or audiovisual link.

17. The provider must give the following to the persons and bodies referred to in subsection (1)(b):

18. the statement of proposal:
19. any summary prepared under subsection (2)(b):
20. a statement of the period within which the persons and bodies consulted may give their views on the proposal (the period must not end earlier than 1 month after the date on which the provider issues the statement of proposal).

21. This section does not prevent a provider from requesting or considering, before making a decision, any comment or advice from any person in relation to the proposal.

22. Consultation on a proposal under this section must be undertaken in a manner that gives effect to section 82 of the LGA 2002 (principles of consultation), but each reference in that section to a local authority must be read as a reference to the water service provider.