September 2010
Released 16 Sep 2010
South Island Policy Update
National
More than just the South Island - One of the beauties of Federated Farmers is that the regional staff work across all aspects of the organisation and that means that many of your South Island staff are not just limited to work in their regions - they are also contributing to some of the bigger picture policy issues affecting your business and your community. The South Island team, in the last month, have contributed to the national debate on water, represented Federated Farmers on technical and stakeholder groups on adaptation to climate change, water measuring devices, walking access mapping project and submitted on changes to national air quality standards and led a project with the New Zealand Police developing joint protocols between Federated Farmers and police about dealing with Police emergencies in rural communities. For more information, please contact Matt Harcombe by clicking here.
Water measurement regulations - New regulations requiring water measurement have been announced by the Minister for the Environment and will come into force late this year. Water takes greater than 20 litres/sec must be measured within two years, takes over 10 litres/sec within four years and takes over five litres/sec within six years. Flow in pipes must be measured to an accuracy of +/- five percent and in channels to an accuracy of +/- 10 percent. Federated Farmers, along with other primary sector groups, is part of an implementation taskforce which has been involved with the drafting of the regulation, to ensure that the regulation is clear and will achieve its purpose with minimum prescription. The next stage is to develop explanatory material as part of a wider implementation package. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
National air quality - Government has sought feedback on a proposal to relax the regulations around air quality standards. Currently a regional council is only permitted to have one breach of the air quality standards in any given year. In light of World Health Organisations findings, it is proposed to allow up to three breaches in any year. Federated Farmers supported the move and also supported the exclusion of exceptional events such as wildfires from the standards. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Your Region
TOP OF THE SOUTH
Tasman District Council - Federated Farmers has been involved with a plan change looking at water allocation limits, which has proceeded to the Environment Court. Federated Farmers is generally satisfied with the water allocation regime proposed, however there are some small tweaks we are promoting to ensure the best outcome for farmers. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Marlborough District Council - Marlborough District Council's review of their Regional Policy Statement has led Federated Farmers to question every aspect of Council's current rules and policies. The review is a lengthy one, given that there are many aspects to consider. Of interest at the moment are the provisions for landscape and natural character. Federated Farmers has been trying to emphasise the importance of a working landscape that has dynamic features. It is important that planning provisions do not restrict the ability to carry out normal farming activities on land already being used for farming purposes. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Air quality in Nelson - Farmers from Cable Bay, immediately north of Nelson City, met with Council staff to discuss the banning of burning plastic wrap in the area. Presentations were made from Ag Recovery and Plasback, the main recycling companies operating in this area. Farmers were interested in learning about the options for recycling in their area. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Values of rivers - Members from Federated Farmers Golden Bay have been involved in a project, initiated by Tasman District Council but with Marlborough District Council, West Coast Regional Council and Environment Canterbury participating, to assess the significance of rivers in light of their values. Different values are identified and then local experts, on those values, examine all of the rivers giving them a ranking in terms of importance. It is anticipated that the information from this project can be used to determine which rivers are nationally, regionally, and locally significant under the RMA. This may impact on how councils draft plans and policies around river management. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
But wait there's more -
- We have continued our involvement with Environment Court proceedings for wetlands on the West Coast.
- Have been involved with helping Marlborough District Council undertake a survey of wetlands on private land in Marlborough.
- Remain in ongoing discussions with West Coast Regional Council over fertiliser provisions near Lake Brunner.
WEST COAST
West Coast Regional Council - Council is looking to add a number of plants to their regional pest plant strategy. Federated Farmers will be highlighting the concern we have for the spread of ragwort along roads on the West Coast. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
CANTERBURY
Environment Canterbury Annual Plan - Major submission points on the Environment Canterbury (Ecan) Annual Plan 2010/11 were the proposed large increases in expenditure and rates (14 percent and 8.7 percent respectively), the proposal to introduce water management charges based on consented volume (to partially fund environmental monitoring and resource investigations), the proposal to not fully fund the regional share of bovine Tb control and the need to proactively implement the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS). In response to submissions, Council has reduced the rate increase to 3.3 percent, increased funding for bovine Tb control by $230,000 (using the bovine Tb reserves fund) and increased funding for the Canterbury Water Management Strategy by $3.2 million. However, water management charges will go ahead and the CWMS committees will have input on these charges. It is crucial that there is local control of budgets and work programmes. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Canterbury Water Management Strategy - Implementation of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) is proceeding rapidly with the appointment of the Hurunui-Waiau and Waimakariri Zone committees. These committees appear strong, with a good range of interests, including farming and irrigation, represented. Applications for the Regional Committee and the Selwyn (Waihora, Ashburton and Lower Waitaki) and Coastal South Canterbury Zone committees are underway. Federated Farmers is working hard to ensure that strong farmer governance skills are represented on the committees and that the CWMS is being implemented with practical farmer input and on-farm impacts are at the forefront. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Waimakariri River Plan crucial for the future of irrigation - This plan change, as notified, sets out a new flow and allocation regime for the Waimakariri River which would make it very difficult to take water from the river for storage. Federated Farmers submitted strongly on the proposed plan change and met with Environment Canterbury (ECan) to express concern and to advocate for an alternative approach. ECan committed to a more ‘storage-friendly' approach. Federated Farmers presented at a hearing in late May, supporting many of the recommendations for change and requesting further amendment which would improve the conditions for infrastructure development without significant adverse environmental impact. Further hearing evidence was tabled at a second hearing, with particular focus on the activity status of takes outside the proposed flow and allocation regime - inappropriate use of prohibited status would close off options that may be viable in future. Federated Farmers argued that the plan should be written in a way that it could deal with infrastructure development, but supported a proposed policy, looking to review the flow and allocation regime - prior to granting consent for abstraction to large-scale storage. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Rabbits, wallabies, gorse and broom top of Canterbury plan review list - Federated Farmers submitted on the five year review of the Canterbury Regional Pest Management Strategy. Many portions of the Strategy are working well, especially programs with direct farmer input such as Pest Liaison Committees. However, several issues need to be addressed such as better control of wallabies, rabbits, gorse and broom. Council was urged to continue to work with farmers in advocating for more central Government funding for the containment of rabbits in the worst cases, to continue with the Rabbit Coordination Group and to ensure that the Strategy can be reviewed or changed to ensure wallabies can be contained. We also asked that ECan work in a collaborative way with the rural community to ensure the control of these noxious pests and that more discretion be given to staff to ensure that those landowners who are genuinely trying to control gorse and broom are given more flexibility to develop property based plans for control. For more information, please contact Sonia Voldseth by clicking here.
Hurunui water conservation order application - The application for a water conservation order on the Hurunui River had reached the Environment Court, with Federated Farmers appealing the decision. Under the new Environment Canterbury (ECan) legislation, the process will largely be under the control of the appointed ECan commissioners. The applicants have re-submitted their application, taking into account the matters listed in the ECan Act, including the purpose and principles of the RMA and the vision and principles of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. The ECan commissioners have stated their intention to invite the applicants and submitters to deal with the application using Environment Court mediation. Federated Farmers will continue to work closely with Hurunui Water Project and Amuri Irrigation Co Ltd to demonstrate the economic, social and environmental value of irrigation and the development of water infrastructure and storage. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Hurunui rural subdivision and coastal environment - Ongoing consultation with Hurunui District Council on the rural subdivision rules and the costal environment are currently in process. Council is seeking comments on the proposed rules and changes which include allowing much smaller allotments, as long as a balance area of land is not subdivided further to maintain the open character of the rural zone. Council are also seeking feedback on the best way to manage the sensitive coastal environment. Federated Farmers is seeking rules that are flexible enough to allow for a range of appropriate subdivision mechanisms, but robust enough to ensure existing farming activities are not impacted on and valuable rural land is not lost to inappropriate development. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Compliance with dairy effluent consents - The dairy industry is under considerable public pressure to improve its environmental performance, both real and perceived. Federated Farmers is working with DairyNZ, Environment Canterbury and dairy companies to deal with this issue and specifically to improve compliance with dairy effluent consents. Work streams include education and a code of practice for effluent system suppliers, farm staff training and farmer events, rationalisation of consent conditions, communication of the group's activities and good news stories. Indications are that compliance has improved substantially over the 2009/10 season. Plans for the coming year include a further letter to farmers, distribution of cards highlighting aspects of effluent management and a focus on minor ponding and compliance with technical/administrative conditions. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Let's be honest - Banks Peninsula farmers have taken a proactive approach to making sure Christchurch City Council understands farmers' needs and concerns when undertaking policy reviews or plan changes. In a meeting with Mayor, Bob Parker, and Councillor, Claudia Reid, farmers talked about the difficulties of consultation and outlined concerns about a lack of consultation from Council before they imposed rules or strategies on landowners. Farmers also highlighted pressures facing farming, including poor farming returns and the ETS, seeking that Council not add to the pressures faced on-farm. Council were very receptive and considered arranging an agreed path for consultation between Federated Farmers and Council to enable better plans and policies to be created. We are working on the details of such an agreement. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Waipara environmental flows and water allocation - Farmers and growers support many aspects of the proposed Waipara Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan but are concerned about provisions in the Plan which would inhibit the use of water for commercial purposes. Federated Farmers has submitted on the proposed Plan, opposing provisions which would reduce reliability and discriminate against storage and frost protection and reduce certainty for investment. We have recently submitted further, opposing attempts to decrease access to water, supporting the acknowledgement of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and supporting creative approaches which would enable the economic value of water to be realised, while maintaining environmental values. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Waimakariri District Council rates - Despite a strong submission from Federated Farmers, Council has failed to increase the Uniform Annual General Charge (UAGC). Farmers in the Waimakariri are frustrated and at a branch meeting in Oxford have agreed to advocate to candidates during election time for a comprehensive and robust review of the rating system. With strong farmer leadership it is hoped to get some relief for farmers who are feeling the financial pressure of an inequitable rating system. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Cumulative effects of land use on water quality - The farming sector is coming under increasing pressure to effectively manage the cumulative effects of land use on water quality. Federated Farmers is working collaboratively with Environment Canterbury, as well as other primary sector groups, to develop a process for addressing the issue of cumulative effects. The collaborative process will give a greater probability of achieving cost-effective outcomes for farmers, rather than the alternative of developing a plan variation. Scoping workshops have been held, including primary sector groups and farmer leaders. Federated Farmers is represented by Michael Morrow, Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury provincial president, on the multi-party project governance group. The next stage is a series of workshops, involving farmers and growers in the Hurunui catchment, along with parallel technical workshops, to identify preferred approaches to manage cumulative effects. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
Significant Natural Areas in Selwyn - Council is looking to review how it addresses Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions. We have provided feedback to Council regarding some of the provisions which exist in the plan. Federated Farmers has been invited to get an understanding of the survey and reporting system, so that we can keep our members better informed in conjunction with Council. It's in the very initial stages of discussion, so we are carefully addressing the options around identifying SNA in the planning maps of the plan. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Environment Canterbury's biosecurity division - The Environment Canterbury biosecurity division has sought a region wide consent to use pest control products within the Canterbury region, both on private and public lands in accordance with its pest management functions relating to rabbit control. This would allow the biosecurity division to use pest management products such as 1080 and pindone, without the lengthy, costly and unnecessary resource consent application for every project. Federated Farmers will be appearing in support of this application in early September, as it will help landowners to focus on getting rid of rabbits rather than being concerned with obtaining a resource consent. For more information, please contact Anna Mackenzie by clicking here.
Pareora environmental flows and water allocation - The Proposed Pareora Catchment Environmental Flow and Water Allocation Regional Plan was notified this month. Submissions are due on Friday, 1 October. This follows a community consultation process which has extended for over two years, including, in late 2007, the establishment of a community advisory group, representing the diverse interests in the catchment. A trade-off is proposed which includes a cap on new consents and reduced abstraction in October and November, in return for greater access to high flows, which will encourage/enable storage. The range of interest groups, including local irrigators and Federated Farmers will be submitting on the proposed plan. It is crucial that anyone with an interest in water use has their say. For more information, please contact Lionel Hume by clicking here.
OTAGO
‘Trans' power to the people - Transpower and Federated Farmers took an important step forward last week, in ensuring that Central and North Otago landowners receive compensation for land access during Transpower's ‘Facilitating Renewables' project. Several landowners in the area agreed in principle to a schedule which will see them paid for disruptions caused by a major upgrade of transmission lines on their land - for those portions of the line that require duplexing. This has been a long and arduous process. The landowners in South Canterbury that had major differences and difficulties with Transpower during that portion of the upgrade, stood up and made Transpower take notice of the major impact these lines have on farms. Federated Farmers considers this a significant and positive step forward but will continue to hold talks on transmission issues impacting landowners, including the opportunities for landowners to receive future annual/reviewable payments and issues around injurious affect. For more information, please contact David Cooper by clicking here, or Sonia Voldseth by clicking here.
Visioning the future environment for Dunedin - Dunedin City Council is developing its second generation Long Term Plan. This is an overarching document that sets the vision for the city and guides the formation of its statutory planning documents. Federated Farmers has represented farmers at various forums and leadership groups over the past month, stressing the important role landowners play in generational stewardship, actively managing natural resources and even more importantly their huge economic contribution to the region. For more information, please contact Matt Harcombe by clicking here.
Farmers back Otago Regional Council - Power generation organisations around the country are using every chance that they can get to prioritise the use of water for hydro projects. The latest plan under fire is Otago Regional Council's Regional Water Plan. Some major generators have appealed the plan, while Federated Farmers has gone into bat for farmers, opposing the appeal. The case the hydro companies rely on derives from section 7 of the Resource Management Act, which refers to ‘the benefits to be derived from the use and development of renewable energy'. They claim that statement alone means that priority should be given to hydro. Federated Farmers will work hard to make sure that a precedent is not established that would see regional councils around the country required to reserve or prioritise allocations of water for one specific (commercial) use over another. For more information, please contact Matt Harcombe by clicking here.
Landscape management - Farmers in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin are facing escalating costs for farm buildings and farm management challenges as two separate plan changes aim to ‘protect' outstanding landscapes in the districts. Federated Farmers, through an Environment Court process in Mackenzie and a plan change process in Central Otago, is committed to making sure that any landscape ‘protection' recognises the central role of the landowners in managing rural landscape values and that farm activities can continue unencumbered by costs and delays that are imposed by regulation. For more information, please contact Matt Harcombe by clicking here.
SOUTHLAND
A new way for managing farm dairy effluent in Southland - Federated Farmers has been an active participant in working with Environment Southland in developing a risk based approach to managing farm dairy effluent. This means that different types of consents will be required, depending on the soil type that effluent is being applied to and how it is being applied. New (default) consent conditions have also been developed with agreement between the dairy industry, and Council, that these will only be changed in response to need and in collaboration and agreement between the two. This month the final stage of the project involved a formal submission to the plan change. For more information, please contact Matt Harcombe by clicking here.
Big win in Invercargill city - Farmers in Invercargill are celebrating a significant victory after councillors voted to accept a lower differential for farming ratepayers in order to address the huge rates increases farmers were subject to in 2009. This has been the culmination of months of work from staff, elected members and farmers around the region and at a very conservative estimate the average farmer will be paying around $3000 less in rates than last year. Most importantly however, the rates reduction reflects Council's commitment to putting right the wrongs of 2009 and shows Council's commitment to further review funding policy to align what each ratepayer pays with the benefit they receive. For more information, please contact David Cooper by clicking here.
Environment Southland's plan change for silage storage - In mid-August, Federated Farmers submitted on Environment Southland's proposed plan changes for the storage of silage. While we applaud the effects based approach Council are using to set rules and the proposal that silage storage should remain a permitted activity under certain conditions, we did submit on some points where Council's approach was overly restrictive, or where further clarification was needed to ensure common farm activities weren't captured for no sensible reason. Thank you to all members who took the time to provide their thoughts during the pre-consultation phase. There will be another opportunity to have your say during the formal hearing process. To find out more on how to do this, or for more information, please contact David Cooper by clicking here.
Submission to Venture Southland's draft action plan - Federated Farmers keeps a regular eye on organisations that spend ratepayer funds and Venture Southland is no exception. In 2010/11, Southland ratepayers will be contributing almost $3.3 million towards Venture Southland's activities, with a significant amount of ratepayer funds sourced from farmers. That means there are millions of reasons why we want to make sure that Venture's spending is necessary, useful and most importantly sourced from ratepayers in an equitable manner. For more information on what we have submitted, please contact David Cooper by clicking here.
All of the South Island policy team are committed to managing your off farm regulatory risk - so that you can get on with the business of farming. If you like, or dislike, the new format of SIPUP or have any other helpful suggestions, please let us know let by either replying to this email or by emailing any one of the South Island regional policy team directly by clicking on their names below.
Without your ongoing support we cannot achieve these results. Email us today to find out more about what we are doing for you.
Kind regards,
South Island regional policy team
