Managing assets of around $152 million to provide the revenue to effectively reduce your rates is a mission on its own, but I won't go there at present, except to say that our strong financial position is a huge asset that must be protected.
Looking at some local issues, flood protection for Kaitaia is close to the top of the list.
Kaitaia is built on a flood plain, and a one-in-100-year event (which seem to be getting more common) would see an estimated 250 cu/m/sec flow through this rather narrow gap between the hills.
At 150 cu/m/sec the flood level is just inches below the top of the stop bank that protects Kaitaia.
Add another 100 cu/m/sec to this and we have a problem of near biblical proportions.
This is after all the work that has been done over the last 50 years to reduce this risk, a major component of this being the Whangatane spillway, which has just had a major revamp.
Currently the cost of maintenance and small improvements is in the vicinity of $400,000 annually. How much more do we want to spend to adequately protect Kaitaia township?
We have been working with farmers to reduce dairy farm effluent.
Trials are seeing a reduction in water use of up to 58 per cent and a more than 50 per cent reduction in effluent going to ponds.
This helps keep our rivers cleaner and saves farmers money. We are also supporting farmers to recycle their silage wrap, reducing the amount going to landfill or being burnt.
A more vexing issue is how best to limit the estimated one million tonnes of topsoil sediment that drains into the Kaipara Harbour every year.
We have a willow nursery that provides subsidised poles to farmers to help prevent erosion, but at the present rate it will take about 40 years to control just the worst parts.
Is there another solution?
These are just some of the hundreds of issues we need to make decisions on.
I will be at the Kaitaia A&P show, so let me know what's important.
Email: mikef@nrc.govt.nz
