Natural resources and environment

YOUR LEVY AT WORK

INDUSTRY WIDE ISSUES FOR INDUSTRY GOOD

Natural resources and environment

Water

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Plan Change 9 – Tūtaekurī, Ahuriri Ngaruroro Karamū  (TANK) Catchments

In June, the Horticulture New Zealand team presented expert planning, economic, hydrology, water quality and farm planning evidence in front of a panel of independent experts. The HortNZ team was supported by growers from Hawke’s Bay Fruit Growers Association and Hawke’s Bay Vegetable Growers Association, who provided the panel with examples of how they manage environmental effects, the crops they grow and the involvement they have within local communities.

HortNZ supports provisions that: • drive efficient use and provide reliability of supply for existing activities, • promote well designed water harvesting, storage, augmentation and cease take thresholds to improve freshwater outcomes, support economic well-being and increase climate change resilience, • enable water transfers with highly productive land to drive efficient water use, • enable crop rotation to support soil health, • recognise the importance of domestic food supply of fruit and vegetables, • recognise the value horticulture has in the transition to a low emissions economy, • recognise tangata whenua values and Māori agribusiness aspirations.

Hawke’s Bay – Ngaruoro Water Conservation Order

In June, the HortNZ team presented expert planning, economic, hydrology, water quality and ecological evidence in front of an Environment Court Judge and Commissioners. The Environment Court is considering an appeal to the Ngaruroro Water Conservation Order over the Upper Ngaruroro, granted in 2019.

HortNZ did not appeal the 2019 decision but the decision was appealed by a number of parties. The appeal by White Water Rafting NZ and Forest and Bird sought that a Water Conservation Order also apply to the lower river. HortNZ joined the appeal in support of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. HortNZ’s primary concern is that we do not support a Water Conservation Order being applied to the lower river. In the view of experts that supported the HortNZ case, there are tributaries in the upper river that could be used for water storage without affecting the habitat in the lower river. In addition, that the bird population of the lower river is influenced by matters outside of the control of a Water Conservation Order, such as works in the bed of the river for flood protection and pest management.

Horizons Plan Change 2

Horizons Plan Change 2 includes updating outdated Overseer numbers and addressing weaknesses in the drafting of the plan, resulting in no viable consenting pathway for many existing growers and farmers. Plan Change 2 is an interim plan change, focused on driving the uptake of good management practice. Another plan change would be required to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) 2020. The Plan Change 2 decision has been appealed. HortNZ will join the appeal and work to defend the decision. More importantly, we will continue to work with growers and with Horizons to implement farm plans while looking ahead to a long-term planning solution that provides for vegetable growing within the region.