YOUR LEVY AT WORK
YOUR LEVY AT WORK INDUSTRY WIDE ISSUES FOR INDUSTRY GOOD
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT Words by Michelle Sands : HortNZ environment manager
Northland Agrichemical Decision The Environment Court has provided a final decision on the agrichemical rules in the Northland region in the Proposed Regional Plan for Northland. In the Proposed Plan the case related to the provision, which HortNZ appealed, did not allow application of agrichemicals (via ground-based or aerial application methods) when a spray-sensitive area was within 100m unless the wind direction was away from that area. The decision of the Court, in summary: • More detail about the requirement for a risk assessment. • Included provisions that limit spraying in high wind (> 6m/s) and low wind inversion conditions. • Inserts a more nuanced, risk-based framework – depending on wind speed, direction, effective shelter – in relation to spray-sensitive areas and requiring buffer distances (aligning with NZS 8409 e.g. up to 30m for ground-based methods) in some circumstances. HortNZ will be communicating on the new requirements with growers.
Outstanding Water Bodies mediation Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Plan Change 7: Outstanding Water Bodies, proposes to change the Regional Resource Management Plan (RRMP) to include a list of the region’s outstanding water bodies, together with a framework which prescribes a high level of protection for these water bodies in future plan making.
6 NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2021
The water bodies identified in the Proposed Plan Change 7 are the ‘best of the best’ within the region, featuring an exceptional cultural, spiritual, recreational, natural character, landscape, geological, or ecological value which is remarkable in Hawke’s Bay. The Proposed Plan Change 7 aims to protect these outstanding features, in their current state, now and for future generations. The decision on the Plan Change was appealed, and HortNZ has joined the appeal as a 274 party and will participate in mediation. Appellants have sought that the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Aquifers be recognised as outstanding. HortNZ supports the decision which found these water bodies did not meet the criteria.
The review panel concluded that, in its current form, it would not have confidence in Overseer’s estimates of total nitrogen lost from farms Overseer Review Overseer has undergone a rigorous technical review following recommendations by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) in the report Overseer and regulatory oversight: Models, uncertainty and cleaning up our waterways, 12 December 2018.
