Land-use change for Lake Rotorua catchment

The Resource Management Act (RMA) process for land-use change surrounding Lake Rotorua has begun with the proposed Lake Rotorua Nutrient Management Rules being unanimously adopted by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

The proposed rules require on-land practices in the Lake Rotorua catchment to reduce nitrogen entering Lake Rotorua by 140 tonnes by 2032, in order to meet the lake water quality targets set by the community in 2008.

RDD chairwoman Paula Thompson said adoption of the proposed rules was just the beginning of the formal process, leading on from preconsultation which occurred over the past two and a half years.

"It has been a long process to get to this point, but it's still just the beginning of formal engagement.

"The proposed rules being adopted is not a sign that the process or the rules are finalised - in fact, a change was made in the meeting on Monday after the Lake Water Quality Society put forward a proposal to increase the threshold for properties to be excluded from nitrogen limits from 4ha to 5ha, which was agreed upon by council.

"The past two and a half years signals a greater focus on engagement and collaboration between the community and regional council, marking a change in how council approaches plan changes. Now we are at the beginning of the formal process, but this doesn't mean we have finished talking - we want to hear from people, particularly those that will be directly affected by the rules," she said.

Now the proposed rules have been adopted, the first step in the formal consultation process is to request feedback specifically on the technical documents referenced in the rules. These technical documents have been available online for some time, and people now have until January 29 to provide feedback.

The technical documents include data used to create reference files that are designed to represent dairy and drystock farm systems in the catchment as an average of respective allocations, and how best practice is established around fertiliser management within nitrogen management plans.

Council also agreed to notify the proposed rules on February 29 and for this to be followed by an extended submission period. This will enable everyone to provide feedback on the proposed rules to help refine them, prior to becoming operative.

"We are committed to working alongside farmers and our community to make sure these rules are fit for purpose. The rules will have a minimal impact on some people and properties and a greater impact on others," Ms Thompson said
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This work is part of the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme, which is a collaborative partnership between the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua Lakes Council and Te Arawa Lakes Trust.

To provide comment on the technical documents and for more information, visit www.rotorualakes.co.nz/draft-rotorua-rules