Catchment group model is needed nationwide
It was a pleasure to attend the recent launch of the Thriving Southland initiative alongside Agriculture Minister Damian O’Connor at the Selbie family farm at Five Rivers. Thriving Southland is essentially a collective of the 21 water catchment groups that have proliferated in Southland over recent years as farmers have proactively sought to address water quality issues at a community level.
The $9 million cash injection allows for funding of organisational and technical support to continue building on this momentum.
Water quality is, of course, one of the big issues of the day given the submission period for the Essential Freshwater discussion document.
I have spent much of the past three months visiting farms, reading submissions and attending meetings throughout New Zealand to gather feedback, recognising this to be one of the most farreaching policy documents of recent times.
Encouragingly, with very few exceptions farmers and indeed wider society accept the intent of the document – we all want high-quality freshwater.
It’s worth pointing out that 80 per cent of our waterways already meet a high standard, so it’s a matter of preserving these while managing the other 20 per cent back to acceptable levels.
From a farming perspective this is where the catchment group model has been so extremely effective.
The bottom-up, peer-driven model is how the improvements on farm will be best accelerated – the identifying of critical source areas, placement of sediment traps, riparian planting and so on that will actually deliver results.
In my view, some sort of nationwide rollout of this model alongside fair and meaningful targets is the template for getting the results we all desire.
Interestingly, while farmers have felt targeted by these proposals this has not been true at all as the recently released report by the Gore District Council identifies.
I have limited sympathy for the district council on this matter. It will need to find a way to comply at a level of affordability for its ratepayers. Farmers are expected to do so – why shouldn’t the council?
From my perspective and involvement, discussions in Wellington, off the back of 17,000 submissions on the Essential Freshwater package, are leading us to a more pragmatic place and one we should all be able to live with.
As we are on so many things, NZ First will be a voice of reason within Government on these matters.
As this is my last column for the year I’d like to take the time to wish readers of The Southland Times all the best for the festive season. Drive safely and enjoy this remarkable place we call home.
The bottom-up, peer-driven model is how the improvements on farm will be best accelerated.