Taranaki Federated Farmers Action for healthy waterways – A discussion document on national direction for our essential freshwater
Farming in Taranaki is integral to the social and economic fabric of the region, with the primary sector the biggest contributor to economic growth in the period 2008-2018. There is nationally and internationally significant food processing infrastructure here, including one of the largest dairy processing plants in the southern hemisphere. Food production and processing employed 9,444 local people last year, not counting those in supporting services.
The dairy industry in Taranaki differs from that in some other regions, with more (and smaller) family farms, while numbers of dairy cattle have not intensified greatly, remaining stable for the last twenty years.
The Essential Freshwater proposals will deliver sub-optimal and perverse outcomes, if implemented without provision for regional flexibility and local tailored approaches. There should be allowance for regional variation of climate, soils and management approach.
The Taranaki Riparian Programme is long-established, internationally recognised and has been correlated with improved freshwater outcomes. Key to its success has been the ability to tailor it to local circumstances. We submit that rolling out Taranaki’s successful model nationwide would produce superior environmental outcomes for significantly less cost to the community than the current proposals. The proposed 5m average setback on low-slope waterways over 1m should be removed. The requirement to pull out existing riparian fences (even with lead-in times) will divert resources away from what should be the priority – unfenced waterways.
For more submission points and more from the Taranaki Province's submission, please see the full submission document
For the Federated Farmers of New Zealand submission, other rural organisation submissions and council submissions, please click here to head to the main Essential Freshwater - Submission page