Opinion: Why the WCO will hamper climate change efforts

Federated Farmers Senior Policy Advisor Rhea Dasent. Photo / Supplied

The proposed Water Conservation Order (WCO) will contradict farmers' efforts to combat climate change, writes Federated Farmers Senior Policy Advisor Rhea Dasent.

The Prime Minister is being presented as a world leader on climate change action at the World Economic Forum, but Federated Farmers is concerned farmers in the Ngaruroro may be prevented from climate change adaptation by a water conservation order.

Like making hay while the sun shines, it makes sense to store water when it rains.

But the proposed Water Conservation Order (WCO) seeks to ban damming of the main river stem over the entire catchment, as well as an additional ban on damming tributaries in the upper catchment area.

Read more from Federated Farmers here.

This means farmers and the community cannot create dams for water storage or electricity generation.

We are being repeatedly warned about climate change and that adverse weather events are going to be frequent and more severe.

NIWA predicts the East Coast of NZ will become even more prone to drought, so the Hawke's Bay could get even drier than it does now.

In a 2011 study, NIWA projects North Island regions spending 5-10 per cent more of the year in drought by the middle of the century.

This means if a farm spends an average of 10 per cent of the year in drought by 2040 that could increase to 20 per cent.

The driest year my farm in Mangatahi has had since we began records 100 years ago was 1994, when we received only 477 millimetres of rain. Usually about 700 to 1000 mils can be expected in a year.

Farmers can adapt to climate change and droughts by switching to new drought-resistant pasture and crops, changing livestock stocking patterns.

However, a WCO could prevent farmers from doing these as it might be considered land use change and need resource consent for water quality purposes.

Farmers in the upper catchment will also be unable to dam tributaries to store water or have their own micro power generation.

Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods would like renewable energy to be ramped up and replace fossil fuels, but a WCO will shut out any options for hydropower generation in the Ngaruroro River.

Addressing climate change is about more than just banning plastic bags.

If we are prevented by regulation to adapt and become resilient to the effects of climate change then that would really be rain on our parade.