Glossary

A guide to acronyms (and abbreviations), words and phrases used throughout the Environment Canterbury website. Look in the 'By Subject' tab to find groups of terms relevant to a specific topic.

Some terms might have definitions in addition to those in this glossary.

Use the online Māori Dictionary to help with translating words between Te Reo Māori/English.

Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan
regional plan for managing land and freshwater resources throughout the Canterbury region.
Canterbury Mayoral Forum
the forum comprises of the mayors of Canterbury's territorial authorities (district/city councils) and the chair of Environment Canterbury.
Canterbury Regional Transport Committee
comprises representatives from agencies who put forward activities to be included in the Canterbury Regional Land Transport Plan. Responsibility for delivering activities in the plan rests with the proposing agency. The committee monitors implementation.
Canterbury Water Management Strategy
provides a collaborative framework to help manage multiple demands on our water resource. It was signed off by the Canterbury Mayoral Forum in 2009. It’s a partnership between Environment Canterbury, Canterbury’s city and district councils, Ngāi Tahu and water stakeholders. Ten collaboratively-developed target areas provide defined and time-limited goals.
Catchment
the area of land bound by natural features such as hills or mountains, from which surface and sub-surface water flows into streams, rivers and wetlands.
Catchment management
a form of resource management that uses whole catchments as their unit of operation. It contrasts with approaches that separate land management from water management.
Certificate of Compliance
confirmation that an activity is permitted by the council and therefore does not require a resource consent.
Climate change
alterations to fundamental climatic factors such as average temperatures and the frequency of extreme events.
Coastal environment
an environment in which the coast usually is a significant part or element. The coastal environment will vary from place to place depending upon the extent to which it affects or is (directly) affected by coastal processes and the management issue concerned. It includes three distinct but interrelated parts: the Coastal Marine Area; the active coastal zone; and the land backdrop. The coastal environment includes: at least the Coastal Marine Area, the water, plants, animals, and the atmosphere above it; and all tidal waters and the foreshore whether above or below mean high water springs; dunes; beaches; areas of coastal vegetation and coastal associated fauna; areas subject to coastal erosion or flooding; salt marshes; sea cliffs; coastal wetlands, including estuaries; and coastal landscapes.
Coastal Marine Area
is the foreshore, seabed, and coastal water, and the air space above the water between the outer limits of the territorial sea (12 nautical miles) and the line of Mean High Water Springs (MHWS). Generally, MHWS is the line of the average of the highest tides (known as spring tides).
Community water supply
water taken primarily for community drinking-water supply, and includes that also used for institutional, industrial, processing, or stockwater purposes or amenity irrigation use and fire-fighting activities.
Compliance monitoring
the monitoring of the exercise of resource consents issued under the Resource Management Act 1991 and activities permitted by a regional plan, to assess compliance with conditions.
Conditions
entered on a resource consent explaining how an activity can be carried out.
Confined aquifer
an aquifer under pressure because a confining layer of impermeable clay and silt acts as a 'lid'. Because the water is under pressure, the water in a well drilled into a confined aquifer will rise up the well, and may even flow at the ground surface. The levels also fluctuate seasonally.
Containment control
the treatment of a particular pest by recognised methods and at intervals necessary to ensure that the spread of infestation will be contained or the population levels remain under a specified threshold.
Contaminant
includes any substance that, either by itself or in combination with other substances, changes the physical, chemical, or biological condition of the receiving environment when the substance is discharged.
Contaminated land
land is considered contaminated when there are any hazardous substances that could pose a threat to human health or the environment.
Cumec
a cumec describes the rate at which water flows. It represents one cubic metre (1000 litres) per second.
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
are an ancient group of organisms with characteristics in common with both bacteria and algae. Cyanobacteria are widespread in many lakes and rivers in New Zealand, and are found in a wide range of water quality conditions, including relatively 'clean' waters.
C&D
construction and demolition
c/o
Care of
CAG
Community Advisory Group
Canty
Canterbury
CAREX
Canterbury Waterway Rehabilitation Experiment
CARP
Canterbury Air Regional Plan
CBS
Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy
CCAZ
Christchurch Clean Air Zone
CCC
Christchurch City Council
CD
Compact Disc
CDEM
Civil Defence Emergency Management
CDHB
Canterbury District Health Board
CDP
Channel Deepening Project
CEA
Community Energy Action
CEMP
Construction Environmental Management Plan
CEO
Chief Executive Officer
cf
confer, meaning "compare"
CFC
Chlorofluorocarbon
CFU
Colony Forming Unit
CIAL
Christchurch International Airport Limited
Ck
Creek
CLVMA
Cultural Landscape Values Management Area
cm
centimetre(s)
CM1
Canterbury Method 1
CMA
Coastal Marine Area
CNG
Chilean Needle Grass
CO
Carbon Monoxide
Co
Company
Confl
Confluence
CO₂
Carbon Dioxide
CPW
Central Plains Water
CPWL
Central Plains Water Limited
CR
Contact Recreation
Cr
Councillor
CRC
Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury)
CREDS
Canterbury Regional Economic Development Strategy
Cres
Crescent
CRPS
Canterbury Regional Policy Statement
Cttee
Committee
CWMS
Canterbury Water Management Strategy