ORC strife not farmers v environment
Farmers’ battles with the Otago Regional Council is not ‘‘war’’, but a fight to preserve local democracy, writes Kim Reilly
RECENT events at Otago Regional Council have people scratching their heads.
The current ORC chairwoman Marian Hobbs has stated in the media that movements to replace her represent ‘‘war’’, after it was revealed under the Official Information Act that she had emailed the Minister for the Environment, asking if he would intervene if key council votes didn’t go her way.
The chairwoman also advised the Minister that ‘‘Federated Farmers was trying to stop water planning in Otago’’ and ‘‘dominating meetings in small towns’’.
Firstly, let us clear those allegations up.
On April 2, 2020, Federated Farmers was a joint signatory on a letter to ORC, along with DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, Horticulture NZ, Deer Industry NZ and the New Zealand Pork Industry Board, asking council to defer notifying further plan changes during the Covid19 lockdown, to ensure those most impacted could have a fair say.
With people confined to their ‘‘bubbles’’ and unable to attend meetings to view presentations and discuss solutions, delaying timeframes during Covid19 was something other councils and central government agencies across New Zealand were already willingly doing.
As an organisation representing members across Otago, we were concerned that ORC continued to run public meetings in midMarch, despite the importance of social distancing during an international pandemic.
We asked that instead of continuing full steam ahead, that in light of Covid19, timeframes were slowed down, to ensure quality planning and appropriate public input. Our message was that rushed plans and poor consultation benefited nobody, least of all the environment.
Asking for sensible timeframes and fair participation during a pandemic lockdown is not trying to ‘‘stop planning’’. We are very aware of the responsibilities on regional councils and rural resource users in this regard.
The fact that members of Federated Farmers staff and elected executives turned up to local meetings on these critical plan changes, was to ensure those most impacted still had their voices heard.
This isn’t ‘‘dominating small town meetings’’, this is doing what our members pay us to do — represent their interests and inform good regulation.
Comparatively, it is not a reflection of democracy to ask a government minister if they could intervene if votes do not go the way an individual councillor desired. This is not the way our government system works, or at least should work.
The Local Government Act 2002 states that the purpose of local government is to enable democratic local decisionmaking and action by, and on behalf of, communities.
Local Government NZ provides the following advice:
‘‘One of the strengths of local government is the opportunity it allows for citizens to be directly engaged in the process of governing their own towns, cities and regions.
‘‘The practice of selfgovernment enhances our understanding of citizenship while ensuring public services are responsive to the needs of the communities they are designed to serve.’’
Current issues before ORC are not about ‘‘farmers’’ versus those who speak for the environment, as the recent column in the ODT by Fish & Game CEO Martin Taylor alleges. It is about principles of democracy, fairness and quality regulation.
Attempts to make it look like it is ‘‘farmers versus the environment’’ are insulting to the farmers day in, and day out, getting the job done, keeping on top of weeds and pests, planting riparian areas, managing their land and looking to what might be done better as understandings and evidence bases grow.
Farmers are already on board the path of environmental improvement. Catchment groups are growing in number; industry and levy body meetings on good management practice, innovation and new technologies are now regular events in rural towns across Otago.
We also recognise there is a need to review and improve regional rules and regulations.
Federated Farmers is not ‘‘anti regulation’’.
But we do want balanced, clear, realistic, and well informed regulation, to ensure the investments farmers are making onfarm enable them to meet their regulatory responsibilities.