World Rivers DayE kore te awa e tau atu ki te moana kia tau rā anō ana rawa katoa ki te whenua.The river does not arrive at the sea until she has given all she can to the land. Find out about World Rivers Day and see videos about the region's rivers here>> Water quantity plan change approvedRegional Councillors have approved the adoption of the Region-wide Water Quantity Plan Change (Plan Change 9) to strengthen water allocation limits and management. An independent hearing panel considered public submissions and finalised the new policies, rules and methods that will be publicly notified as fully operative on 9 October 2018, subject to any appeals received by 21 November. The new provisions include:
Council staff will be sharing information through industry bodies and other appropriate channels in the coming months, to help affected water users understand the implications for them. The plan change is part of a two-step process towards improving water quantity management in the Bay of Plenty. Further catchment-specific changes will be developed and consulted on in the coming years with work already underway for the Kaituna Pongakawa and Rangitāiki Water Management Areas and due for public consultation next year. Read more>> Research on whitebait ‘love zones’Bay of Plenty Regional Council Freshwater Ecologist Alastair Suren has spent more than 100 hours in a small tin boat since February, mapping and assessing the current state of whitebait spawning areas on 23 Bay of Plenty rivers and streams. He has been assisted by contractor Courtney Williams (pictured above). Dr Suren will be writing up his findings in the coming months and expects a final report to be available by the end of the year. Read more>> River improvement targets exceededMore than 136 kilometres of Bay of Plenty waterway margins have been protected from stock access in the past year through riparian management partnerships between private landowners and the Regional Council. That’s 35 kilometres more than Council's target of 101 kilometres for the 2017/18 year. The extra gains have mainly been in the Rangitāiki, Eastern Bay and Kaituna catchments where they were needed most. Read more>> Public celebration to launch Kaituna River DocumentMembers of the public are invited to join Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority in celebrating the launch of the Kaituna River Document: Kaituna he taonga tuku iho, a treasure handed down on Sunday 30 September. The public event will be held at Waitangi – Rangiuru Reserve from 10am -2pm. There will be an opportunity to paddle on the Kaituna in a waka, along with hinaki demonstrations and interactive stalls from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Maketū Ongatoro Wetlands Society and Fish and Game and local iwi. Head along to learn about local wetlands, wildlife, white bait, planting in the Kaituna catchment, the Kaituna re-diversion, pest species invading the waters, and more! See www.kaituna.org.nz for details. Dairy effluent prosecutionsAnother three farm owners have been prosecuted for illegal effluent discharges onto land which led to waterways, discovered through Regional Council’s routine compliance checks. Tirohanga Farm Limited and TNN Holdings Limited pleaded guilty to charges laid against them and were fined $32,000 and $30,375 respectively. A sentencing decision remains pending for Hedley Farms who allowed effluent to overflow from a storage pond and into the Mill Stream (a tributary of the Waioeka River) near Ōpōtiki last year. During the Hedley Farms sentencing hearing on 3 September, Regional Council’s prosecutor argued that the overflow was the result of a series of failures by the farm owners to adequately monitor and maintain the effluent irrigation system; the storage pond was full, the storm water diverter broken, a low point on the pond was unbunded, and no contingency measures were in place. Council contributes to Zespri GAP trainingRegional Council staff have been assisting with Zespri GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) training recently; presenting to approximately 80 Zespri inspectors at four training sessions held in Tauranga and Ōpōtiki. Council’s presentation was aimed at upskilling the inspectors on what the regulatory requirements are for water use in the Bay of Plenty. Zespri have recently strengthened their audit process to ensure their growers are complying with Regional Council requirements. Getting it done!National experts on topics ranging from farm planning and water science to Maturanga Māori and kiwifruit conversions, will be sharing their knowledge at the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) conference in Tauranga on 16-18 October. Non-members are welcome, see conference programme and registration details here>> Keynote speakers are: Ken Taylor, Director of Our Land and Water National Science Challenge. Vicky Robertson, Secretary for the Environment. Mavis Mullins, Company Director, Order of Merit member and inspirational business-woman. Freshwater Futures Community Groups to meet this monthMembers of the Kaituna Pongakawa Waitahanui and Rangitāiki Community Groups met in July for an informal update on Council’s Freshwater Futures programme work. The eighth round of community group workshops will be held the week of 24 September to discuss indicative results from the first round of water quality modelling work. See community group briefing notes and meeting records here>> Wairoa waste dumpingRegional Council compliance staff responded to reports of a car full of rubbish in the Wairoa River, near Tauranga, earlier this month. Staff arranged for the vehicle to be removed and tracked down the vehicle owner who admitted they’d done it and agreed to pay for the vehicle removal and waste disposal. Mamaku water treatment plant upgrades announcedRotorua Lakes Council has announced that upgrades are underway at the Mamaku water treatment plant to provide the rural community it services with the highest possible drinking water quality. Read more>> Thanks for reading.Enjoy World Rivers Day!Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Click subscribe to receive the next edition straight to your inbox. |