Opinion: Who benefits from a WCO in Hawke's Bay?

Federated Farmers regional senior policy advisor Peter Matich. Photo / Supplied

The WCO won't add any benefits that the current regulations do not already provide writes Federated Farmers regional senior policy advisor Peter Matich.

Federated Farmers is due to present its case against the Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers Water Conservation Order (WCO) application in the Hawke's Bay this month.

Communities in the area are at risk of being landed with top-down rules which will affect ability to use water and farm.

Superficially, the WCO looks like a great regulatory tool – but really, it's an unnecessary embellishment that comes at a cost. It won't provide any benefit current regulations do not already provide.

Water quality in the Ngaruroro River is good. This conclusion is supported by regional council monitoring and state and trend reports.

Upstream from the Chesterhope monitoring site, which encompasses most rural farmland in the catchment), quality is mostly within the highest quality ('A' band) guidelines under MfE policy.

Read more from Federated Farmers here.

What's more, it has remained good even though tributaries around the river have been farmed for 150 years.

Actual risk to water quality from pastoral farming in this area is generally low.

90 per cent of pastoral land in the area is dry-stock sheep and beef farms, with the lowest water-take and diffuse-discharge impacts of any type of farming.

This is not to say improvements cannot be made, because improvements can always be made.

However, it is stretching credibility to assert a WCO is necessary to maintain high water quality here because of farming.

It's not just farmers opposing the WCO; many communities oppose it because of the flow-on impacts to the local economy.

There's anxiety and stress for these communities, including: uncertainty around rural employment and economic implications of loss of rural productivity.

All this is dismissed by the WCO applicants as an excuse from farmers to avoid paying for more regulation.

But farmers are not miserly – they've been heavily invested in local communities for generations.

Farmers work hard to produce goods for consumption and pay rates to maintain community facilities, as well as supporting local schools and community centers.

What's more, farmers are not afraid of trying new approaches. Rules which deliver worthwhile benefit are worth having. Federated Farmers support the

Hawke's Bay Regional Council's regional plan review working with farmers to achieve environmental improvement for the Tutaekuri, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamu Rivers.

The WCO distorts this picture by giving priority to a narrow scope of criteria for the Ngaruroro and Clive Rivers.

This distorts conclusions of the WCO applicants and brushes over important economic aspects concerning livelihoods of rural communities.

The irony is very few WCO supporters would have to pay for administration of restrictions of this WCO.

On the other hand, about the only thing farmers can look forward to is higher costs and longer delays for farming operations for no benefit.

If the WCO applicants are so keen to have a WCO imposed, then perhaps they should stump up with the cost of administering it.