Strong freshwater regulation is kindness
The clock is ticking down to the Government’s long-awaited decisions on water policy. Is the Labour-led coalition going to fail New Zealanders on fresh water, as every previous government has done? Or will it make history, listening to the public and putting our country on the path to healthy, swimmable rivers as promised in 2017?
Right now, Environment Minister David Parker and Minister for Primary Industries Damien O’Connor are being lobbied hard by high-polluting industry representatives and poor-performing councils to weaken their freshwater policy, due to be finalised soon.
The public needs to be aware that not only are representatives from some of our highest-polluting industries, like DairyNZ, demanding weaker standards for rivers to allow ongoing high levels of pollution but they have put forward a Trojan horse in their submissions on water policy. The regime they are pushing for would give power to private interests to establish their own water ‘‘rules’’ and keep any government enforcement at arm’s length.
Dairy industry executives, and some of their regional council allies, are arguing for few or no rules for high polluters. Instead, they want a regime of industrycontrolled ‘‘farm planning’’ at the core of government water policy. This would see agricultural consultants, many of whom are not independent but work for intensive dairy, fertiliser or irrigation companies, write ‘‘farm plans’’ for farmers to address their water pollution and then have other private, and vested, interests audit those plans.
What kind of plan would someone who works for a fertiliser or dairy company write? Would it support a farmer to reduce intensity of their farm or diversify?
Through these farm plans, councils would only audit the auditors – making them a number of steps removed from controlling high-polluting activities that contaminate water. Our water security as a nation and responsibilities as Treaty partners could be undermined as private interests would be in a position of increased power over land and water management.
Plans would cost each farmer thousands of dollars. Private consultants would have a licence to print money.
Good environmental work of farmers could also be undermined as companies with goals of selling more fertiliser or irrigation equipment would tell farmers what they must do and farmers would be required to comply; Fonterra and DairyNZ, which have long appeared more interested in the quantity of milk they can squeeze from farms than the long-term health and sustainability of farmers and the sector, would be able to do the same.
If Jacinda Ardern’s Government yields to industry pressure, Labour will have failed to deliver on one of its main election promises. Our rivers and lakes will continue to decline. Climate change is making the pressure we put on waterways worse.
The coalition government would do well to remember that the dairy industry has a history of lobbying against riverprotecting regulation.
In 2003 Fonterra, in partnership with government, announced the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord. Its purpose was said to be ‘‘reducing the impacts of dairying on the quality of New Zealand streams, rivers, lakes, groundwater and wetlands’’. Intensive dairy won another delay on regulation in 2013 with the Sustainable Dairying Accord, lauded at the time by Fonterra’s co-operative affairs director, Todd Muller.
Since 2003, nitrogen pollution to waterways from dairy has increased, irrigated area has almost doubled (the majority on dairy farms) and wetlands have continued to be drained (often for dairy operations). Intensive dairy operations have expanded into our most beautiful and sensitive landscapes, like the Mackenzie Basin.
Yet, intensive dairy executives are asking for another ‘‘Don’t worry, we’ll fix it’’ agreement through industrycontrolled farm plans.
It’s not only about today’s intensive dairying. It’s about establishing regulation that also protects against future industries pushing beyond environmental limits.
Regulation is kindness. Strong water rules are the safe arms we need around the things we love, our kids and our beautiful natural environment, defending them from the effects of pollution and the risks of water contamination.
To deliver, Labour’s freshwater policy must have science-led bottom lines for pollution and strong rules that target the highest polluters in the short term. Meaningful bottom lines, including 1mg/L for nitrogen and higher swimming standards, are vital. To rein in the worst polluters, a rule that caps the amount of nitrogen fertiliser that may be used is essential.
Fortunately, the Government can do this. It has strong, meaningful options ready to implement. All that’s needed is the political will.