Irrigators put up without consent
A high country couple’s resource consent application to install centre pivots on their farm has been declined by the Mackenzie District Council after they cleared land and set up the irrigators.
Maryburn Station, owned by Martin and Penny Murray under Classic Properties Ltd, applied for two resource consents to clear indigenous vegetation on 160 hectares of land and oversow it with pasture seed and install fences and pivot irrigators.
They carried this out without gaining consent. The council declined their application on Friday.
The station is in the Mackenzie Basin between Tekapo and Twizel, on the east side of State Highway 1.
The Murrays’ application was publicly notified with the submission period closing last November. Eighteen submissions were received with most of them supporting the application.
The Murrays held a resource consent from Environment Canterbury (ECan) to take and use water for irrigation at four pivot locations. But they did not have a land use consent for pivots three and four. In November 2016 they proceeded to clear 160ha for the two pivots in the belief land use consents were not required from the Mackenzie District Council.
The Murrays had an application lodged with ECan for water to irrigate in 2009. They were declined a water take and appealed. The appeal took two or three years in court but was granted.
Among submitters to oppose the application was Mackenzie Guardians, a group concerned about landscape changes and the loss of native plants and wildlife in the Mackenzie Basin.
A Mackenzie Guardians spokeswoman said Plan Change 13 set new rules for Mackenzie Country and once the plan was notified in November 2015, anyone who did not have consent was ‘‘captured’’.
‘‘But there were amendments to the plan and various other diversions, so it became quite confusing, and people were caught in between the process. They had to go back to court and the Environment Defence Society to seek answers on when the rules became active.
‘‘The final decision was that all rules were active – the original rules from November 2015 and the amended rules from April 2017. The Murrays didn’t wait for the process because firstly, they had the land freehold, and secondly because they had a water consent.
‘‘The commissioner is saying they made a misjudgment in not applying for the land use consent.
‘‘It was a big risk that they took. I guess they thought if we proceed and do it who is going to undo it.’’
Mackenzie Guardians chairman Rosalee Snoylink said the decision sent a clear signal of no tolerance for any further loss of indigenous species and outstanding natural landscape values.
‘‘We have sat through a lot of evidence listening to the landscape architect we engaged. His proof was chilling. He thinks we have reached a tipping point for the outstanding natural landscape status – it’s under threat. We are just clinging to it at the moment.
‘‘But we understand it is a difficult time for farmers because those rules have to be put into practice.’’
The Murrays declined to comment.