Farmers can have a say on freshwater
Taranaki farmers are being asked their opinion as part of a Taranaki Regional Council spotlight on the future of freshwater in the region.
The campaign ‘Let’s Kōrero: Essential Freshwater’ gives the public the chance to take part in surveys and have their say, with the feedback shaping new rules on everything from how threatened species are preserved through to how much water can be used for farming or industrial use.
“One of the things we’ve heard during initial consultation is that farmers want good environmental outcomes, but they also want to be able to continue to make a living,” Council’s Director Environment Quality, Abby Matthews says. “We want to drill down into that to understand what landowners and our rural community value most about freshwater. Is it having a secure water supply to feed stock? Is it the ability to use water for other on-farm uses? Or perhaps ensuring freshwater is suitable for fishing or swimming? Perhaps it’s all of the above, or something else.
“The feedback we receive through this process will help inform how freshwater will be protected and used. The whole community will be sharing their views and it’s important we hear the voices of those who make a living off the land too, so don’t leave it to chance. Have a say, now.”
Launched alongside the kōrero with the community are new ‘story maps’ on six proposed Freshwater Management Units or FMUS that tell the story of what’s happening with Taranaki’s waterways.
Abby Matthews says the feedback from the community is vital as the Council puts together its Natural Resource Plan for freshwater to protect this precious resource now and for future generations.
“We want to know what people’s long-term vision is for our waterways and all the things that are important to them. That could be identifying those special places where they like to cool off on a hot summer’s day, to what we could all be doing to protect the natural beauty of our rivers, streams and lakes. For others, it may mean being able to practice mahinga kai or other cultural activities.
“We’ve hopefully made it easy for people to engage with the kōrero webpages providing all the info you’ll need and the surveys are short and userfriendly. There’s an interactive map available as well where people can pick a value they want to comment on, place it on the location they’re interested in and share their views.”
She says the Council is also seeking views on each of the six FMUS and if the approach to creating these areas is the right one.
Feedback on the values, the FMUS and the long-term vision for freshwater in Taranaki can be made until December 9.
The six proposed FMUS for Taranaki are the Northern Hill Country, the Pātea Catchment, the Waitara Catchment, the Coastal Terraces, the Southern Hill Country and the Volcanic Ring Plain.
Every waterbody in the region will need to be contained within an FMU. For each FMU, Council will set time-specific freshwater goals aligned with community and iwi aspirations to build better environmental outcomes and plan and prepare for the future. Some of the core concepts are keeping it simple, grouping catchments of similar types, for example, volcanic ring plain catchments vs hill country vs coastal terraces etc., and using catchment boundaries instead of rivers as boundaries. It’s also about ki uta ki tai – from the mountains to the sea – to ensure catchments are not divided.
Council is creating its Natural Resources Plan in response to the government’s freshwater regulations. It will replace the Regional Freshwater Plan and other statutory documents such as the Regional Policy Statement, Regional Air Plan and Regional Soil Plan. Another kōrero will be held on outcomes, limits and targets before notification of the Plan in 2024.