December 2020 edition
Farming with many talents Pages 4–5
Illegal agrichemical spray drift
A blooming enterprise
30
Irrigation eyes in the skies
P6
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
Integrity community media
The Hawkes Bay Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by Integrity Community Media, a privately owned NZ company. Phone: 0800 466 793 Email: info@integrity.nz General Manager: Deb Wright | deb.wright@integrity.nz | 021 639 696
Hazards project re-engaged The Hawke’s Bay coastal hazards project is re-engaging with the community to build solutions for the coast between Clifton and Tangoio.
Editorial: Ann van Engelen, Paul Campbell, Andy Bryenton Advertising: Leanne Anania Accounts: accounts@integrity.nz Distribution: Laurie Willetts Website: www.farminglifestyles.co.nz
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The first workshop, discussing northern design options was held recently
The joint committee met to discuss a series of community workshops, aimed at testing the project workstream outputs ahead of formal consultation in 2021, as well as a proposed funding review. “This is complex work that we are asking the community to look at and consider. We are talking about engineering design, and the related impacts — costs, communities, housing, recreation, longevity of solutions,” says Coastal Hazards Joint Committee chair and Regional Councillor Jerf van Beek. “We want to take action on solutions as quickly as possible, but we know this needs to be with community support. Since assessment panels gave us their report in 2018, the project team has been busy developing the details around those recommendations, including developing a coastal processes model, concept designs for the proposed actions, revised costings and a funding model. “We have a series of workshops lined up to talk about this work over the next six months. This is really exciting, nationally-leading work on coastal hazards and climate change, but it takes time to develop scenarios and work through with the community.” The first workshop was in November and looked at the design options for the
Northern Cells — Pandora, Westshore, Bay View and Whirinaki. The committee, made up of partner councils and iwi, confirmed retired judge Mr Raynor Asher QC is to lead a proposed funding review. The review will resolve questions about which council should lead the implementation of the strategy, in part due to a lack of legislative guidance. “While this issue has been highlighted to the central government and new legislation may be in development to resolve it, the committee elected to push on with seeking a local solution, and are looking to develop recommendations based on current law and practical and administrative considerations. “This outcome, once developed, will provide all parties with clarity of role and a clear path to implementing outcomes confirmed by the strategy,” says Mr van Beek. Mr Asher was appointed to the High Court bench in 2005 and to the Court of Appeal in 2016. He retired from the Court of Appeal in 2019 and is now practising as a barrister and arbitrator/ mediator. He is now being briefed and will commence work on the review early in 2021. The funding model, individual designs, costs and other elements will be the focus of public consultation before any final decisions are made.
HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
Illegal agrichemical spray drift
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a $14,000 fine for an orchard that allowed an illegal agrichemical spray drift sends a strong signal to the horticulture sector that poor practice will not be tolerated. Johnny Appleseed Holdings Ltd pleaded guilty to discharging agrichemicals into the air in breach of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Resource Management Plan. On September 23 2019, two cyclists were riding along the path bordering an orchard in Otene Road in Hastings. A spray operator employed by Johnny Appleseed was spraying the orchard at the time. The cyclists were covered in spray from the sprayer, wetting their hair despite the helmets they were wearing. There were no signs on the pathway that spraying was in progress. Following a complaint, a Hawke’s Bay Regional Council environmental officer attended the scene and observed two orchard sprayers operating in a gusty wind. Spray could clearly be seen blowing over the path and Otene Road. The agrichemicals the cyclists came into contact with were Calibra (a fertiliser), Folicur (a fungicide classified as hazardous), Mantrac (a fertiliser classified as hazardous) and Pristine (a fungicide classified as hazardous). In the Hastings District Court, Johnny Appleseed pleaded guilty. Judge Dickey fined the company $14,000. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s group manager policy and regulation, Katrina Brunton, says the large fine serves as a strong signal to orchardists that they
must comply with the law. “Sprays can be dangerous to public health and need to be used with great care and diligence. We will not tolerate poor practice from the horticulture sector, and will rigorously enforce the law to protect people and the environment. The fine should discourage others from not taking the proper precautions when using agrichemical spray. “This is the fourth successful prosecution for the regional council this year. We are committed to pursuing illegal activities through the courts to enforce the rules that Katrina Brunton, Hawke’s Bay protect our community and Regional Council group manager policy and regulation our environment.” Earlier this month Farmers Transport Ltd and Dynes Transport Ltd pleaded guilty to discharging a milk solution contaminant into water and were fined a total of $37,000. Also this year, two other companies were fined $11,900 and $12,555 for illegal burning. If anyone has information regarding unauthorised discharges to land, air or water they should contact the council’s 24/7 Pollution Hotline on 0800 108 838.
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FARMING LIFESTYLES
Farming with many talents by Ann van Engelen Tania Cresswell manages her parents’ 55-hectare dairy farm, has artificially inseminated more than 25,000 dairy cows and is often seen on the car-racing circuit.
T
he 29-year-old milks 160 cows and is the third generation from her family to farm the property. “We have 10 hectares of flats, and the remainder of the land is hilly. It was bought by my grandparents Bob and Gladys Cresswell in 1950, and I now manage it for my parents Keith and Gayle,” says Tania. “Our herd is predominantly Holstein Friesian, and the farm produced 52,000 kilograms of milksolids in the 2019–20 season, which was about 10,000 kgMS less than normal. The farm’s best production has been 65,000kgMS. “I jump onto my two-wheeler motorbike every morning by 4am and bring the cows to the 14-aside milking
shed. An easy-going temperament is one of the main traits I strive for in a cow. I work alone a lot of the time, so having a docile animal is crucial. “I also give the cows a mineral drench in the shed, things like magnesium and iodine, and quiet cows are easier to drench. During milking, I work my way down the pit, changing clusters and identifying cows to draft for artificial insemination. “I have been an AI technician for 10 years and did my training with LIC in 2011. After a month working as an apprentice, I was given my own AI run. It is a really rewarding job. During the season it is a daily race against the clock to get my farm jobs done and
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be on the road by 7.15am. I cover approximately 12 local dairy farms each day, inseminating cows on heat. “Mating is one of the busiest times of the year, and people can often get stuck in their farm bubbles for long periods. The aspect I enjoy the most is getting out and talking to other farmers. “If the grass isn’t growing and feed is in short supply, it is nice to be able to let farmers know others in the district are in a similar situation. The biggest farm on my run milks about 700 cows. When they synchronise a large number of cows to come on heat together, I have to inseminate 120 cows in one visit, and that can take up to two hours.” According to LIC, Tania has inseminated 25,611 cows since she started as an AI technician. That is approximately 2,561 inseminations a year. “I usually get home at 11am at the earliest from my AI run. After a quick bite to eat, I head back out on the farm to do my chores. We tend to say we have mountain cows rather than just plain dairy cows. “The prolonged drought had a big impact on grass growth and milk production last season. I ended up switching to once-a-day milking at the start of March, which isn’t something we had done before I had to dry off, or stop milking the cows, on May 6 this year, three weeks earlier than usual. “The farm was the driest it has been in living memory. Going once-a-day helped the cows hold some of their condition. Milk production on the property usually averages 380–400kgMS per cow. We
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don’t do any summer cropping. We rely on pasture and feed out grass silage harvested from a nearby 60-hectare runoff. Cows have access to up to two kilograms a day each of palm kernel and molasses during the spring that is fed in trailers. “The farm sits 170–220 metres above sea level, meaning calving does not start until August 5. We purchased a neighbouring 42-hectare block in 2009, and we winter the herd there.” Cows and genetics is not Tania’s only hobby. She is often found in the front seat of a rally car on gravel roads, racing
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at speeds of more than 200 kilometres an hour as a co-driver for Ashburton drystock farmer Wayne Muckle. “I am a co-driver for Ashburton drystock farmer Wayne Muckle in the New Zealand Rally Championship. We used to have a hill climb on the public road that goes past our support block. I would go and watch, and thought it looked fun.” Read part two of Tania’s story next month.
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
A blooming enterprise
by Ann van Engelen
Flowerland was established by Bert Tripp in 1966 and continues to be a family operated and owned business with his son Dick and daughter-in-law Jo now at the helm.
“D
ick joined the company in 1978 and is the grower. I have been with Dick since 1981 and look after the packing shed and dispatch side of things,” says Jo. “I come from a horticultural background as my family had an orchard. I worked in banking for 13 years, which has helped with the administration of the business. We have 13,000 square metres undercover and grow a wide variety of flowers in 26 glasshouses.” These include lilies, alstroemeria, roses, hypericum, gerberas, sunflowers, hydrangeas, sea holly, zinnias, hellebores, carnations and echinops. “We also grow seasonal crops like strawflowers, kale and stock. We have foliage growing around the garden and shelterbelts such as pittosporums, viburnum, coppersheen and flaxes. We source other foliages and flowers
such as chrysanthemums, lisianthus, calla lilies, snapdragons and stock from nurseries in the Waikato that we have had a long association with. We work with other nurseries in the South Island and lower and upper North Island as well.” Continuing on from his dad, Dick sources the lily bulbs from Holland. “My dad passed away 10 months ago in his late 80s. He had retired about 23 years ago. Taking over the business was easy for me as I had worked here for a number of years and it was well set up,” says Dick. “For a start, we were the biggest carnation grower in New Zealand. As the popularity faded away, we diversified to other flowers to meet the market demand. We use new bulbs from Holland for the lilies every time we replant. They come in a container at -1.5 degrees. It is
When the flowers are harvested, they are predominantly sent to supermarkets, florists and flower markets across the country
Merry Chrismas HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON, FROM ALL OF US HERE AT THE HAWKE’S BAY FARMING LIFESTYLES
TERESA, MONIQUE, BRAXTON
ANN VAN ENGELEN
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS
JOURNALIST
Special thanks to all of our loyal advertisers, and those who have come on board in 2020 to help spread the message for their businesses. After a year of challenges, you all deserve a relaxing and festive time with friends and family. We will return again in the new year to get 2021 off to a happy, positive and profitable start.
I believe 2020 is a year that will no doubt go down in history as a year that was life changing for us all. There were also many positive moments along the way to reflect on. As we welcome in 2021, I would like to thank our clients, and readers, for your support and encouragement, and look forward to working alongside you next year. I wish you all a safe and memorable festive season.
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HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
December 2020
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Dick and Jo Tripp have 15 staff at Flowerland with some having been with the company for 30 years A wide variety of flowers including gerbera, lilies and roses are grown in 26 glasshouses on the property
an interesting and challenging business but very satisfying. “We still grow a few carnations and rotate our planting between lilies and sunflowers to rest the soil. Alstroemeria and other plants are grown under licence, which lasts five years. Then they have done their royalty time and are removed. “The roses can stay in the ground for years, but the trends and varieties change so we consistently replace a couple of rows each year. When replanting we get the soil correct with fertiliser first to keep the plants at optimum performance. I get the flowers up to the picking stage and then Jo takes over with her team.” Flowerland has 15 staff who help with all aspects of the business, including harvesting, planting, framing and wiring to support the crops.
“Some staff have been with us for 30 years. Being in the North Island we plant one or two weeks later than a South Island growers,” says Jo. “The main thing is timing the crops right with planting. Timing is critical for harvest, and you have to know the local climate and what is likely to happen. You don’t want the flowers ready too early or too late. “We don’t get it right all the time. You can plant the same time annually, and the weather changes and throws harvest out, so now we plant a couple of weeks either side to counteract the risk. “The younger generation have a trend of dried flowers and wreaths for Christmas. Misty is a fine plant, which is great for drying along with strawflowers and excess roses. During Covid, flower growers suffered as staff couldn’t work so we ploughed in 90 per cent of our
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crops. Dick and I still tended to our plants and worked very long days. I also covered the packing shed windows in cardboard and cut long lengths of bamboo to create drying racks. We picked what we thought were the best drying roses, strawflowers and misty and hung them to dry. “We send flowers overnight through Aramex, formerly Fastway Couriers. We were their first-ever customer. My father-in-law, our bank manager and Bill McGowan had a discussion because we needed a special courier service. Bill started Fastways in Napier, and from there, it became a global entity. The company recently rebranded.
“To care for your flowers, recut them when you get home as stems dry and seal. It is like holding the bottom of a straw and saying drink. “Make sure the containers are clean and change the water every couple of days and again recut t he stems. “We put half a sachet of flower food in the water and a couple of drops of bleach to keep the bacteria out. Don’t sit them in the sun as they will wilt. “Flowerland will be around for a long time yet. “We are happy with what we do and enjoy the outside lifestyle. Having great staff also makes it more fun.”
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS ADVERTORIAL
Stories of the wild west coast The Kauri Coast, that region of forest giants, wild surf beaches and old colonial townships in the far north-west, is a very different place to the rest of Northland.
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With a history far removed from the planned and careful colonisation of the east coast, away from the guiding hand of the British Admiralty, the region centred on Dargaville has seen amazing stories unfold during the centuries. From fierce battles, trade and seagoing exploration in pre-European times to the era of the hardy gumdiggers and the kauri bushmen, this is a place apart; New Zealand’s ‘wild west’. Capturing its tales of shipwrecks, adventures, innovations, adversity, cultures and colonisation is the job for a very special museum, largely run by passionate volunteers. No random collection of artefacts, the Dargaville Museum is designed to tell a story with each piece on display. From giant sawblades once driven by steam to slice through kauri as wide around as a locomotive, through to the original lighthouse which guided ships away from the dangerous Kaipara Harbour bar, each display comes with a tale or two from the rich history of this area. The volunteer guides who often accompany visiting parties are engaged
History brings the land a new dimension — travellers to the north-west are well advised to stop by Dargaville Museum to learn more about the fascinating history of the Kauri Coast
with the heritage passed down from their great-great-grandparents, from carefully preserved old records and from the community. The museum’s collection brings to life the hard work of the gum fields, the busy industry of the mills and shipyards, and the coming together of many peoples; Maori, Dalmatian, Scots, Irish, English and many others who journeyed here to make their fortune, when kauri gum was literally ‘as good as gold’. The Dargaville Museum’s collection spans everything from a giant pre-European waka carved from a single tree, to a
working steam-powered gum-washing plant, the nation’s smallest heritagelisted building, and the masts of the Rainbow Warrior, the antinuclear protest ship destroyed by French agents in the 1980s. The surrounding Harding Park contains a separate vintage machinery club, mountain biking trails, an authentic pa site, walking tracks and great views of the riverlands. If you’re visiting the Kauri Coast, add a new level of appreciation to your journey; stop by and delve into the history of this unique corner of New Zealand.
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December 2020
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rent Boyce explains, after purchasing a new set of Cooper A/T3’s; “My farm consultancy business typically means driving on-road over Takaka Hill (272 corners) 2-3 days/week, Whangamoa or Hope Saddles for the rest of the week, and when I get to the farms, spending around 1-2hrs/ day of 4WDing.
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
Tackling nitrogen leaching
Fonterra and Nestle’ are teaming up with DairyNZ to expand a promising plantain trial to help improve waterways and reduce onfarm greenhouse gas emissions. Incorporating certain varieties of plantain into a cow’s diet has been shown to reduce the nitrogen concentration in their urine, which can leach through soil into groundwater. To test the benefits in local pastures, DairyNZ has been leading the Tararua Plantain Project in the lower North Island, where farmers have been growing the leafy herb for their cows. The Ministry for Primary Industries is also involved as a key contributor, and Fonterra and Nestle’ are helping expand the project further through additional funding and by sharing expertise. “We are all about finding ways to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand has a thriving environment and a thriving farming economy,” says Fonterra’s director of On-Farm Excellence Charlotte
Rutherford. “We can achieve more by partnering with others, so it is great to join forces with DairyNZ and Nestle’. This is helping to speed up the adoption of plantain by farmers. Ultimately it could be a real game-changer to reduce nitrogen from cows and help mitigate nitrous oxide emissions.” The new collaboration is helping to accelerate the uptake of Ecotain, a blend of environmentally functional plantain cultivars developed by seed company Agricom. Currently, 50 Tararua farms have started to use plantain, through DairyNZ’s Tararua Plantain Project. With the funding boost from Fonterra and Nestle’, it is expected these farms, and more will increase the amount they grow, therefore maximising the benefits. Ecotain has been used in studies by
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Including plantain in dairy cows’ diet shows promise to improve waterways, and possibly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
DairyNZ, Agricom, Lincoln University, Massey University and AgResearch, with results showing it can significantly reduce nitrogen leaching. Preliminary studies also show it has the potential to lower on-farm GHG emissions through the reduction of nitrous oxide, which is promising news for farmers. Nestle’, the world’s largest food company and a customer of Fonterra’s, was keen to be involved in the Tararua project given the commitments it has made around sustainability. “Working
with our suppliers and others is critical for achieving Nestle’s target of net zerocarbon emissions by 2050. Reducing on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and protecting waterways will help us get there and we’re pleased to partner with Fonterra and DairyNZ on this initiative,” says Nestlé’s Robert Erhard. The project also focusses on improving understanding of how farmers can implement Ecotain successfully and engaging farmers through workshops, events and a national farmer network to extend knowledge.
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HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
December 2020
W AT E R M AT T E R S
Small leaks — big losses
MEADS EARTHWORKS LTD
by Paul Campbell
Underground water lines on rural properties are subject to breaks and leakage, and a leaking water line can lose a massive amount of water if it’s not repaired promptly, about 14,000 litres a day, for example, through a hole the size of a small nail. With a water meter, it’s easy to do an overnight check for problems. Just read the meter before going to bed, then first thing in the morning. The difference should be minimal. Watching for leaks if you don’t have a meter is a little more difficult. The obvious first step is to watch for wet spots on dry ground, there could be water soaking the ground from the line below, or for pasture areas that grow more quickly than others. Sometimes you can hear the water rushing out of the pipe, so keep an ear to the ground! So keeping an eye out, and that ear to the ground can make a real difference. Getting the water to you; it’s not cheap and it’s not easy! We drink it, cook with it, shower under it, or bathe in it. We use it to wash our dishes, clothes and cars. Access to fresh, clean and plentiful drinking water is a cornerstone of modern society. If you’re on town supply, it’s easy to take water for granted. For the vast majority of rural residents, rainwater is the key to household use, with irrigation coming from streams
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and creeks and perhaps aquifers. So maintenance is vital. DairyNZ has some good advice. • Identify problem areas and mark locations of weak spots on a farm map • Gradually upgrade older sections to help prevent water loss • Replace ill-fitting connections to decrease the risk of leaks • Bring the problem areas to the attention of everyone working on the farm Water lines that are near the surface, run under races or over drains are at particular risk of damage.
• Bury the lines deeper to protect them • If renewing or replacing lines, bury them alongside a fence to give added protection • To prevent problems where water lines must go under races, place them inside a larger rigid pipe for protection • Where lines cross drains, strap them securely to the bottom side of a pipe or post
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
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HAWKE’S BAY FARMING LIFESTYLES December 2020
W AT E R M AT T E R S
Savings on the dairy front
Summer is soon to be upon us, and as usual, rural thoughts turn to water usage, whether the weather will be kind or not, and of course, new regulations that have many people looking askance at the government rules effective from September this year. Water is a very valuable resource, and a lot is used in the milking shed. DairyNZ advises that efficient processes for milk cooling, vat wash and yard hosing can add up to significant savings. The primary milk cooling system should use about two to three times as much water for the volume of milk cooled. If there is a continuous flow of water when milk is coming through the cooler intermittently, more water is being used than necessary. To cut this water use a solenoid valve can be installed at the inlet to the cooler and linked to the milk pump, or a variable flow drive so water and milk flow match. Use correct flow rates through the plate cooler — two to three litres to every one litre of milk. Increasing water volume does not decrease water temperature. Ensure the plate cooler is serviced regularly and has adequate pumps and water storage to function efficiently. Cleaning and improving the efficiency of plate cooling will require the services of a technician who can align the plate’s spacings correctly. Ensure all refill tanks and cylinders have an automatic shutoff to avoid overflows. Toilet cisterns or
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trough floats have been used as proven refill and shut-off options. Improving yard washing efficiency is another way to improve the bottom line on the farm ledger. On warm, sunny days, pre-wet the yard with a hose or sprinkler to help prevent dung from sticking. Use a scraper or a chain inside an old yard hose on the backing gate to break up dung before hosing and wash the yard after each milking. Hose the yard with high water volume under low pressure so you are pushing effluent not spraying it around and
maybe include a timer setting on the yard washdown pump. Set a time standard for washdown and train staff to achieve it. Flood wash with green water recycled from the effluent pond. There are strict compliance requirements for this practice under the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s Code of Practice for the Design and Operation of Farm Dairies (NZCP1). If you are recycling green water, get advice from your dairy company representative to ensure you are compliant with terms and conditions of supply.
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
W AT E R M AT T E R S
Irrigation eyes in the skies by Andy Bryenton
With confirmation this year that irrigation for cropping is the single biggest user of fresh water on Earth, the focus has shifted toward making the best use of water resources in applications such as vineyards, orchards and arable fields. In this new paradigm, knowledge is power. New Zealand is blessed with an abundance of fresh water compared to many other nations. However, it’s still a resource that costs money to source and reticulate. A savvy farmer would ideally know exactly where water was needed to avoid ‘broadcasting’ irrigation to areas already well hydrated. In the very near past systems have indeed been developed to render that data to mobile devices, often by using probes emplaced in the roots of trees or vines. However, other developments in technology have been happening at the same time. These have put highresolution cameras and scanning equipment over our heads; some say it’s the inadvertent knock-on of military and espionage applications. The result; commercial satellite launches have now MUT machines for accurate agriculture
in orbit, with some of the most advanced belonging to the European Space Agency and the government of China. Their system, dubbed Gaofen, is designed to image transpiration and crop growth in real time, helping feed the one and a half billion citizens of the People’s Republic. While in the capitalist sphere, an app called IrriWatch may point the way forward. The app receives information through satellites. Earth observation satellites measure spectral radiation from irrigated crops. The images from satellites such as Landsat and GPM are available for free and may be used to create a time series. Other satellites measure the fraction of vegetation cover that represents the crops’ phenological phase, the amount of solar radiation absorbed for
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HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
December 2020
W AT E R M AT T E R S
15
Map inaccuracies must be corrected by Andy Bryenton
The Ministry for the Environment acknowledges problems with the low-slope farmland map, which is at the heart of stock exclusion regulations, particularly relating to sheep and beef farms. Now Beef + Lamb New Zealand is calling on its constituents to assist in putting the anomalies right. Under new farming rules, low-slope land, flatter and less undulating than much of our farmed hilly country, is subject to stock exclusion measures, with fencing required to keep livestock out of waterways. A map designed to clarify the boundaries of these zones has been found inaccurate, with mapping anomalies categorising swathes of hilly land as ‘low slope’. It has significant implications for the management of rolling and hill country. This type of country was not originally intended to be captured by the stock exclusion regulations. The ministry is therefore looking to farmers to help to build a picture of the scale of the mapping inaccuracy and help them identify what the potential solutions may be. A feedback form is available for farmers at mfe.govt.nz/fresh-water/ freshwater-acts-and-regulations/stockexclusion-regulations.
Hill country farmland may have been erroneously tagged as ‘low-slope’ and thus subject to waterway fencing rules, as a new map from the government proves problematic in its implementation
B+LNZ’s environment strategy manager, Corina Jordan, encourages farmers to fill in the form, saying it’s relatively straightforward and provides useful prompts to ensure all information is included. She says B+LNZ is strongly encouraging affected farmers to engage in this process as this will help the organisation advocate the government, on behalf of farmers, to find sensible solutions quickly to the issues identified.
“We continue to work closely with the government to find a way forward on regulations that are impractical to implement on-farm and don’t have the positive environmental outcomes we are all seeking.” While B+LNZ acknowledges the basic principle of the rule and agrees that more intensively farmed stock on low-slope land should be fenced off from rivers or streams more than one metre wide, extensively grazed
land, including land above 10 degrees, should not require stock exclusion by fencing. “Given the scale of the inaccuracies, B+LNZ would prefer the map was replaced with a general rule that regional councils would be empowered to give effect to. “This could be through either a 10-degree slope-trigger based at the paddock scale or by undertaking their own regional mapping.”
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
W AT E R M AT T E R S
ADVERTORIAL
Providing a top service by Billy Whyte
I started out working on machinery around 10 years ago in Australia and then worked in New Zealand for both civil and drainage companies so, with the experience gained throughout the years, I decided to start Precision Digger Worx at the beginning of this year and venture out on my own. It has been an interesting year to start a business to say the least, having Covid-19 taking us all by surprise and my wife and I having our second child! The work Precision Digger Worx does is varied, and that’s the way we like it. One day I’ll be on a farm installing a culvert and the next, I’ll be prepping for concrete on a new build in town. We take care of varied clients across Hawke’s Bay from builders and plumbers to farmers and homeowners. Also, with our auger attachments we even cater to fencers, wineries, orchards and much more. We pride ourselves in providing topnotch service to our clients. With our compact digger and truck setup, I find it fast and efficient in unloading and setting up at job sites and getting into those hard to reach areas. I love working here in the Hawke’s Bay, and I have had a great response with the business so far. So, if you’re in need of an honest digger service with professional experience at a reasonable rate, get in touch with Billy Whyte at
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HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
December 2020
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
SPOTLIGHT ON
GISBORNE
Friends around the world by Andy Bryenton
The city of Gisborne is one of New Zealand’s hidden treasures among foreign tourists, who often bypass the best of the regional centres to tread well-worn paths to Queenstown and the Bay of Islands. Still, there’s an appreciation for this characterful hub on the east coast around the world, as evidenced by the four sister cities, which have a special international relationship with Gisborne. Amazingly, none of the four is quite the same, and all are very different from the coastal town in Poverty Bay with its famous wineries and surf beaches. The first is nestled on the northern coast of Tahiti, in warmer latitudes, where tourism is the prime driver of the economy, along with plentiful banana crops. Gisborne’s tropical twin, Mahina, has only half the population and spans just 52 square kilometres, but the major difference is that the locals speak French. Gisbornians enjoying the beaches of their own town can reflect that they have in common with Mahina a love of surfing; American pop culture guru ‘Don the Beachcomber’ exported the Polynesian-pastiche ‘tiki bar’ culture from Mahina, Tahiti to California in the 1950s. Gisborne’s second sister city is Nonoichi, Japan, and was once a small
Twilight falls over Palm Desert, California, sister city to Gisborne
village growing rice on the floodplain of the Tedori River. Strategically important to the Kaga samurai dynasty, this small city is now a satellite of the huge metropolis of Kanagawa, famed for its shogun-era castle, cherry blossom gardens and fine ceramics. Also in Asia, Gisborne’s sister city of Rizhao, China has a history dating back to 2000 BC. It has always been a bustling seaport, and enjoys some of the highest sunshine hours in China, hence the
name of the city meaning ‘sunshine’. Taking advantage of this, and seeking to create a better living environment for the nearly three million residents, Rizhao has been at the forefront of adopting solar technology gaining the title of one of the cleanest and most liveable cities in China and the world. Gisborne’s final sister city is Palm Desert, California, situated in the Coachella Valley. This name might be familiar to music lovers; the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
is the American equivalent of the UK’s Glastonbury Festival, a weekend of top acts playing to gigantic crowds. The town itself is famed for its date palms, and benefitted from irrigation postsecond world war, becoming a popular destination for retirees fleeing the harsh winters of the northern USA. In most other ways, Palm Desert, with its high altitude, landlocked and dry climate, is the polar opposite of Gisborne, proving that even in terms of sister cities, opposites attract.
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HAWKE’S BAY FArmING LIFeSTYLeS
December 2020
Hill Country FENCING & BULLDOZING Your waterway and native bush fencing experts
One contractor for all your fencing requirements Hill Country Fencing is a Gisborne based fencing contracting business operating through the wider East Coast and Hawke’s Bay regions. We have 3 crews running specialised machinery giving us the ability to tackle the toughest terrain. We pride ourselves on completing a top quality fence as efficiently as possible, meaning less disruption to your farming operation. We can complete your whole job from bulldozing to laying gear to erecting your fence and cleaning up afterwards.
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December 2020 HAWKE’S BAY FARMING LIFESTYLES