John Bisset/Stuff
Mackenzie District councillors have asked for more time to fully understand Plan Change 18 before voting on it. (File photo)
A decision on how to protect native species in the Mackenzie Basin has been delayed as councillors say they don’t properly understand the proposal.
The district council proposal, known as Plan Change 18, is to designate vast swathes of the Mackenzie as areas of natural significance, and mostly stop new clearance and irrigation of that land, as well as making it more difficult to clear native vegetation in the rest of the basin.
At a Mackenzie District Council meeting on Tuesday, councillors were due to vote on whether to adopt the recommendations, which were made by independent commissioners.