A good move or anti-farmer?
Canterbury regional council’s controversial rates hike will fund three years of planning for national freshwater reforms, but it has attracted the support of environmentalists and the ire of farmers.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) released its Draft Long-Term Plan on Monday, in which it proposed what councillors called some of the highest rates increases in the country.
When it opens for consultation in March, Cantabrians can have their say on a preferred rates increase of 24.5 per cent, an average annual hike of $136, or 18 per cent, an average of $110 more.
ECan chairwoman Jenny Hughey said the sharp increase is being driven by government expectations, including delivering programmes such as the new National Policy Statement for freshwater management.
But Canterbury’s farming community fears it will unfairly cop the public’s blame and, if too many people call for the lower rates option, that farmers will miss out on vital support.
North Canterbury Federated Farmers president Cameron Henderson said anti-farmer sentiment was completely misdirected.
‘‘Please don’t look to farmers as the ones who’ve caused this ... This is purely a central government-driven issue. This is about [them] wanting things to be done their way. Farmers have been onboard with changes to improve waterways for years.’’
A decade of work had already gone into ECan’s Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan, which saw farmers working towards getting freshwater nitrate levels down to 6.9 micrograms of nitrogen per litre.
But Henderson said new regulations that require it to be 2.4mcg or less, completely shifted the goalposts.
To make matters worse, Henderson said, if Cantabrians support the lower rates level, there will be less support to help landowners with compliance and implementation of the new framework.
Almost all the $35 million-odd allocated for ECan’s water and land portfolio budget for the coming year will come from general rates.
Fifteen per cent of that budget will fund the creation of a new Land and Water Regional Plan by December 2024 to meet the new requirements.
ECan will increase what it spends on monitoring ecosystems and water quality, and there is also funding for two programmes to help landowners adapt to the increasing regulations. On top of that, ECan will hire more compliance officers across the regulatory spectrum.
For environment campaigners, the changes can’t come soon enough.
Forest & Bird Canterbury and West Coast regional manager Nicky Snoyink said many of Canterbury’s waterways were in a dire state.
‘‘Poor water quality and low flows have led to habitat loss for many native species.’’
The new regulations were a welcome step towards restoring them, but for now ratepayers were subsidising environmental law-breakers, both rural and urban alike, she said.
‘‘ECan and other councils should be looking to recover costs from polluters and eco-vandals in the first instance ... we need an end to wet bus tickets, and to see strong fines and penalties.
‘‘We can’t afford to not protect the environment, but we need to see an end to the system that lets polluters and lawbreakers get off scot-free, and the rest of us pick up their tab.’’
‘‘Please don’t look to farmers as the ones who’ve caused this . . . This is purely a central government-driven issue.’’
Cameron Henderson
North Canterbury Federated Farmers president