This photo used by ECan to criticise extensive weed spraying was the result of broom control - something ECan had told the land owner to do.

Environment Canterbury has apologised for using misleading photos to suggest some North Canterbury farmers were causing environmental damage to their properties.

The photos used by ECan as examples of biodiversity loss showed activities that had in fact been directed by ECan.

Another photo wrongly identified wetland damage on a farm which had won an award for its environmental efforts.

SUPPLIED This photo criticising clearance of shrubland for a pine forest showed the result of an afforestation agreement with ECan.

ECan used a series of photos while giving expert evidence to a hearings panel deciding on the Hurunui District Plan last month.

Some had been taken by ECan staff and some had been supplied.

Its evidence sought to give an overview of biodiversity – both loss and enhancement – in the district, with photos as examples.

SUPPLIED This photo supposedly showing a disappearing wetland was taken on a public open day celebrating the farm's environmental award.

The Hurunui SNA (significant natural areas) group, which has long opposed the regional council, tracked down the owners of the properties.

They found that two of the photos showed scrub clearance which had been approved by ECan.

Another showed a brief leakage from an irrigation pipe which had been quickly fixed, and another wrongly claimed to show a degraded wetland on a property which had won an environmental award for its protective work.

The photo had been taken on a public open day celebrating the farm's award.

ECan withdrew the photos from its evidence and apologised.

Hurunui SNA chairwoman Fran Perriam said it was a "desperate, underhand tactic" and showed why landowners could no longer trust the regional council to treat them fairly.

"It's nothing to do with environmental protection or any of those things, this really is an issue about control and about councils over-stepping the mark," she said.

"These photographs are an example of why we can't trust the system."

Her group had encouraged landowners not to allow council staff to survey their properties, as the information gathered was often used against them.

There was no recognition of the work landowners had done to encourage biodiversity, she said.

"We're just tired of it. We're tired of the misrepresentation of what is actually happening, and this is just such a blatant example of it.

"It's not just an apology that's needed, it's a change of attitude."

The expert witness had spoken to each farmer involved and personally apologised. ECan had also apologised to the hearings panel.

"The photos we used weren't good examples, and we apologise for that," said regional planning manager Brett Aldridge.

He said the evidence was presented in support of the plan and the photos were intended to give a broad overview of biodiversity.

There was no suggestion the owners of land in the photos were breaking the rules, he said.

"We acknowledge we could have done better, and we've done a system review and there's some additional steps we're going to put into that system to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"It's about making sure the examples we're using are appropriate and the pitch and tone is right."​