Cr Struan Munro Awarded for Contribution to Planning

The New Zealand Planning Institute has recognised Cr Struan Munro with the Alfred O’Glasse Award at the joint Australia and New Zealand Planning Conference in Christchurch on Thursday22 April 2010.

The Alfred O’Glasse Award, recognises outstanding services to planning by non-planners. Cr Munro will be the 15th recipient of the award since it’s inception in 1988.

Cr Munro’s contribution to planning is long and extensive. After the Waitaki Dams were built, Cr Munro became an inaugural member of the Waitaki Lakes and Rivers Committee who protected and enhanced the lakes area for conservation and recreation. Cr Munro is a life member of that organisation. He still takes a keen interest in the enhancement of his beloved lakes and rivers in the Waitaki Valley.

Cr Munro first experienced a taste of public duties in 1965 when he was elected to the Waitaki Rabbit Board. He became the inaugural Chairman of the Otematata Community Board in 1980, a Waitaki County Councillor in 1983 and Chairman in 1986. In his first term he helped review the Waitaki County District Scheme.

Cr Munro has been the Ahuriri Ward Councillor on the Waitaki District Council since 1992; as a Councillor he has been a member and Chair of various Council Committees, including the Planning and Hearings Committees. Cr Munro has been involved in all aspects of the current Waitaki District Plan.

Cr Munro is an accredited hearings chair. He has been making decisions on planning applications since his County days. During Project Aqua, Cr Munro was heavily involved with issues affecting local communities, particularly at Kurow. Cr Munro also heard the gold mining applications at Macraes in joint hearings with the Otago Regional Council. For the last two years Cr Munro has been engrossed as Chairperson in completing the Waitaki District Landscape Variation that attracted over 1,300 submissions.

Cr Munro has always given lay people every chance to make submissions at their own pace so that they are heard and understood. Cr Munro’s fairness is clearly evident in his dealings with everybody at public hearings. The Waitaki District is privileged to have a man of Cr Munro’s calibre and passion devoted to planning.

In receiving the Award Cr Munro will be in the company of past recipients, president of the Resource Management Law Association Alan Dormer, University of Auckland Emeritus Professor John Morton, Environment Court Judge, Peter Skelton and Sir Geoffrey Palmer, former Prime Minister and President of the Law Commission.