Multimillion-dollar water and land plan finally adopted
It has taken nearly a decade, but the Southland Water and Land Plan has finally been adopted in a bid to maintain water quality in the region, at a cost of roughly $6 million to Environment Southland.
The plan, underpinned by science, has created huge debate and massive costs for multiple parties involved in an appeals process in the Environment Court spanning six years.
Environment Southland’s costs skyrocketed into the millions as the resolution of the parties appeals were worked through in the courts.
Its $6m figure is an estimate; the true costs are unknown at this stage.
The plan, which was initially developed and notified in 2016, proposed to manage farming activities that contributed to disproportionate amounts of contaminants such as nitrogen, phosphorous and sediments from entering waterways.
As such, rules were introduced for intensive winter grazing, stock access to waterways and land use intensification.
This generated a massive 900 submissions and weeks of hearings.
Many in the farming community, including Federated Farmers, believed the plan went too far, and others including Fish and Game believed it didn’t go far enough. Both were involved, along with 23 other parties, in the subsequent appeals through the courts.
The court process resulted in a number of rules being added or strengthened in the final plan, including for intensive winter grazing, farm plans, discharge consents, pasture-based wintering, sacrifice paddocks, as well as industrial and wastewater discharges.
Fish and Game Southland manager Zane Moss believed the final version was far improved from where it started out.
“It far better addresses some of the most damaging farming practices,” he said.
“When some practices aren’t done well, they cause significant damage. So the rules better reflect that. They require those damaging practices to be done as well as possible.”
Findings during the Environment Court process showed all Southland rivers were seriously degraded and there was now more recognition of this, he said.
“The Environment court process has identified that [degradation] has been caused by ... agricultural practices, and now the rules better address those most risky practices.”
Federated Farmers Southland executive member Bernadette Hunt said most of the rules in the plan had been in a semioperative state for some time and most farmers were already following them.
Some of the “real clangers” in past versions of the plan, which were unworkable for farmers, had been addressed through the Environment Court process, she said.
“There’s some stuff [in the plan] that’s uncomfortable, doesn’t sit well, but it’s a lot better than it might have been.”
Federated Farmers had fought in the courts for practical rules that matched good practice, Hunt said.
“Most farmers follow good practice, it’s just that now there’s the teeth to enforce it, which is what some of the other groups were looking for.”
Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said the adoption of the plan, by elected members on Wednesday, was a historic day after a frustratingly slow process due to the Environment Court proceedings.
“Nobody had any idea it would take this long ... but here we are, I thought I might have died before it came out.”
When asked whether the $6m was worth it for Environment Southland, he said it didn’t have a choice.
“We were directed by the Government, we had to improve water quality ... people can challenge you and take you to the Environment Court.”
The current Government has signalled changes in the Resource Management Act for activities like winter grazing, farm plans and stock exclusion. But if the Southland rules were more stringent, they would apply, as was already the case.
The plan becomes operative on May 27, though a couple of appeals points remain unresolved and are still before the courts.