Local Focus: Freshwater policy changes are coming

Katikati growers, farmers and residents discuss water quality with Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Under the Government’s new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, councils around the country must change the way they manage freshwater.

To give locals the opportunity to find out what’s being proposed, Bay of Plenty Regional Council is holding community drop-in sessions around the region until September.

“Bay of Plenty Regional Council has a responsibility to look after freshwater quality and water allocation in partnership with our local authorities as well as city and district councils,” said council community engagement team leader Stephanie Macdonald.

“Water quality is not great in large parts of our region – some parts of our catchment do not have enough water to meet the needs and aspirations of our community.”

The new freshwater management policies will be “fair and equitable for people but [will] also deliver what it is that people are trying to achieve”, Macdonald said.

The Katikati drop-in session was attended by farmers, growers and residents, with many anxious about rising costs.

Farmer Hugh Topp lives north of Katikati in the Tuapiro Stream catchment area and is concerned about resource consent.

“I’m worried that the resource consent will be either taken away or cost more,” he said. “It seems to me that the expenses are going through the roof, and I want to see the resource looked after.”

Topp describes himself as a farmer who is “organic at heart”.

“I’d like to see it looked after in such a way that it’s not over-allocated [or] under-allocated. I rely on the frost protection to cover my kiwifruit crops - if I don’t have it this year, I’ll have lost 50 per cent.

“It’s my livelihood at stake. I need it. Please don’t take the resource consent or allocations away and have them metered, [meaning] I pay more.”

Topp said he was told the council “will look into it”.

Another grower thought the policy changes were a “cash grab” by the councils.

“I want to see what’s going on, because my experience with the council is they want to take money off us and give us nothing,” said Roger Boyes.

“We’re all worried about water quality – I want to see better water quality – and I’m pretty sure I don’t add to it because my place isn’t attached to a river.”

Macdonald insisted this was not the case.

“I’d say we’re all here to work for the community and the environment.

“The current state of our waterways is not great. In the Tauranga catchment, we can see we need significant change in the E. coli levels and sediments going into our harbour.

“The harbour is not as healthy as it could or should be. That’s based on what we’ve heard back from the community, so we’re trying to put rules in place that will help deliver what the community has asked for.”

In the Bay of Plenty alone, there are 13 different freshwater management units to be evaluated, and each one is different.

“We’re looking at E. coli, which is a bacteria found in the gut of mammals, including people,” Macdonald said.

“We’re looking at sediment, the soil, the dust that’s washed into the waterway. We’re also looking at nitrogen and phosphorus, which is largely coming off farmlands.”

A formal process in which the community can make submissions begins next year.