Water quality: An issue for us all

RUNNING CLEAN: Farming gets blamed unfairly for water-quality issues, says Alan Wills. PHOTO/FILE

Farmers aren't the only people who must pay attention to the quality of our water, everyone should do so, writes Alan Wills, Rotorua Taupo Federated Farmers president.

Last week every dairy farmer in New Zealand received a publication from Dairy NZ, our industry-funded organisation charged with supporting dairy farmers, detailing where we are at with our efforts to ensure as an industry we are taking a proactive approach to all environment issues.

Dairy NZ commits in excess of $11 million annually of our levy money supporting environmental initiatives and water-quality studies.

Most of the work is helping at farmer and catchment level but as an industry we are also wanting to communicate with the wider community to assure the public there is a considerable focus on environmental issues and the importance of the wider community being involved in, and informed of, what is going on.

One page of the book dealt with the myth that "our rivers and waterways are stuffed because of dairy farming".

The answer to that was that most Niwa water-quality monitoring sites show stable or improving trends in quality. Lake Rotorua certainly fits into the improving category.

Water-quality issues are for everyone and it is important the wider community takes an interest. It is a well-documented fact that water from some urban areas is some of the most polluted in the country.

In Rotorua we have the council looking for solutions to our waste-water problem, which is contributing about 50 tonnes of nitrogen to the lake annually. The Bay of Plenty region employs, either on farm or in service industries, 2822 people and contributes $1 billion to the local economy.

Our farmers around the lake are part of that mix.

Yes we recognise we have plenty of responsibility around water quality, but if the wider community can have an attitude of "time and respect" I am confident we can work through the issues.

With time, the help of science and changes on farm and with the community playing its part we can keep everything in place for the benefit of everybody.

Lochinver

The announcement during the weekend that the purchase of Lochinver Station by Shanghai Pengxin International was before the Overseas Investment Office, seeking approval, will again create debate about the merits of overseas investment into New Zealand agriculture.

The Stevenson family have had Lochinver on the market for some time and have every right to sell it, but could that be achieved with New Zealand capital?

I have been asked about potential effects on our local area.

Firstly, at the time of writing this, we know nothing of Pengxin's plans for the land.

Will it be converted to dairying and who will farm it for them?

How will it fit with their other land holding in the area, for example the ex-Crafar Farms?

The investment office expects to see a substantial and measurable benefit to the local and national economy from the purchase.

The Stevenson family have been very good developers of the land.

Will a change of ownership deliver that benefit?