BLUE- SKY THINKING

THERE’S LITTLE ROOM FOR NUANCE IN THE DEBATE OVER THE HEALTH OF THE COUNTRY’S RIVERS AND STREAMS

Cleaning up Taranaki’s freshwater

THE OVERRIDING NARRATIVE is that New Zealand’s waterways are polluted and in decline, dairy farms are overstocked, and farmers are putting profits ahead of the environment.

The reality, as is often the case, is more complicated. Freshwater became an election issue in 2017 for valid reasons. The environmental indicators show a mixed bag of red, green and orange; some rivers are in trouble, others are recovering, some are stable.

The political focus is useful in generating funding to tackle the issue and establish a plan that will see dairy intensification limited in some areas. But examples of where farmers have taken the initiative, becoming responsible guardians of the land, symbolize the real change.

Take the Taranaki’s Riparian Management Programme. Established in 1995, it’s a voluntary scheme to fence rivers and streams and plant some five million trees along the region’s banks. The vast majority of Taranaki’s farmers have taken part, working to keep stock out of waterways, cut down effluent and nutrient build-up and reduce erosion along the banks.

NIWA scientists say it is one of the largest schemes of its kind in the world and has had a significant impact. Its latest report on Taranaki’s waterways shows that despite intensification, 98 per cent of 500 rivers and streams in the region are improving or not changing significantly compared with 23 years ago.