Water still at the heart of Canterbury's key environmental concerns

Tuesday, 27 April 2021

Nitrate leaching from farming irrigation is a key concern outlines in many of the submissions heard by ECan councillors on Tuesday.

Concerns about water-driven rates hikes and pleas to save the region’s waterways from intensive farming have dominated the opening day of Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) draft long-term plan (LTP) hearings.

The LTP pitched an average rates increase of either 24.5 per cent or 18 per cent across the region, to help cover the fallout of the Government’s new freshwater regulations.

The regional council received 1291 submissions on the plan, with 275 wanting to be heard in person. The first group appeared on Tuesday.

ECan chair Jenny Hughey said the proposed rates rises were not as bad as they looked, with the actual dollar figure comparatively little for most ratepayers, especially those in Christchurch, where 3 per cent was expected if the higher rates hike was approved.

Tuesday was the first day of Environment Canterbury’s draft long-term plan submission hearings.

* Blue-greens rising: Canterbury councillors bridge political divide for climate

* Canterbury's proposed rates hike - a move in the right direction, or anti-farmer?

Ashburton farmer Keith Townshend told council the rural community felt “attacked, targeted, and unfairly burdened”.

His rates would increase 90 per cent under option one, or 82 per cent under option two, he said.

“I feel pretty gutted really … the rural sector is fighting to stay alive.”

Environment Minister David Parker told Morning Report there are no plans to 'immediately reduce the New Zealand standard for nitrates in drinking water'. (First published February 23, 2021)

Townshend wanted the rates increase to be limited to 8 per cent, and proposed cutting youth engagement and climate change action programmes.

He also argued many of the new National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management guidelines were nearly impossible for farmers to meet.

“We’ve invested $55m to $60m here in Canterbury under the Canterbury Water Management Strategy [CWMS]. Central Government needs to be made aware of what we’ve already done. Please push back.”

Chrys Horn, who ran as Green Party candidate for Christchurch Central in last year’s election, supported rates going up.

Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton says agriculture is the backbone of the region’s economy.

She said ECan was not taking a precautionary approach with managing nitrate levels in Christchurch’s water.

“There are serious questions about the World Health Organisation limits [11.3 milligrams per litre], which could very well be 11 to 12 times too high. We know that they are far too high to protect stygofauna that keep the water in our aquifers clean.”

Forest & Bird’s Nicky Snoyink says the Mayfield Hinds Valetta irrigation Scheme consent renewal was a blow to public confidence in ECan.

Horn said it was more expensive to remove nitrates from water, than it was to keep them out in the first place.

“It appears that we are not testing our water for pesticides [either]. Without monitoring, we have no idea what is going on.”

Selwyn District mayor Sam Broughton encouraged ECan to consider the economic effects of the freshwater package on the agricultural sector, and the families and communities of Selwyn.

“We believe the CWMS catchment approach to challenges and improvement is a better way to address freshwater issues, rather than a one-size-fits-all national decree.”

Forest & Bird Canterbury regional manager Nicky Snoyink called on ECan to make a point of reinstating democracy across its work, after 10 years of being led by government-appointed commissioners when councillors were sacked for being unable to agree on water issues.

She said the lack of public consultation on the recently-approved Mayfield-Hinds-Valetta irrigation consent, which covers 56,500 hectares of Mid-Canterbury farmland, was an example.

“Full public participation in water management decisions that adversely affect ecosystem health and public health is vital.”

Snoyink said there was strong support in the wider community for ECan to take a tougher stance on freshwater-polluting activities.

Braided River Aid chair Nick Ledgard also encouraged more biodiversity preservation work in the region’s unique rivers.

“Wrybill, black-fronted terns, black-billed gulls – all these bird species are now listed as endangered with declining populations.

“The LTP has very good words in it … I don’t like to call them platitudes. But we need to see action.”

James Nikitine, from local marine science start-up Blue Cradle Foundation, argued the ocean has been largely neglected in the plan, despite Canterbury having 800km of coastline.

He said climate change, microplastics, industrial waste, and excess nutrients from farming all had a downstream impact on the marine environment.

Nikitine said the LTP did not seem to take account of the area beyond the coast, and ECan needed a dedicated ocean portfolio to deal with these issues.