Action for healthy waterways – consultation update

Good afternoon

This is our third update on the consultation process on the Action for healthy waterways package of proposals.

To date we have held over 60 meetings in 29 towns and cities across New Zealand. This includes public and primary sector meetings, but also sessions with local government, and hui with local iwi/Māori.

The meetings have been attended by over seven thousand people in total and have provided an opportunity to discuss freshwater and other important issues – protecting our productive land, growing our cities to benefit people and the environment, and better dealing with harmful waste and chemicals.

Further meetings

We have one more primary sector meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 8 October in Te Kuiti. If you are interested in attending, please see our website for time and location details.

If you haven’t been able to make it to a meeting in person and would still like to have a chance to talk with us, we hope you can join us for an online session later this week. This is specifically for the primary sector and will focus on the freshwater proposals. You can expect to hear more about the proposed policy package and you will be able to send in questions and have them answered live during the session.

The primary sector online meeting is on Friday 11 October from 12-1pm.

Register here . You will be sent a confirmation email with details about how to join.

If you can’t join us for the online meeting, you can find out more about the freshwater proposals by:

• reading the discussion document and the draft regulations on our website
• watching a video of a group of farmers discussing the proposals
• watching a live stream of the Waikato meeting courtesy of Federated Farmers.

You can also ask questions by emailing freshwater@mfe.govt.nz or on social media and we will respond. And you can make your submission online.

To confirm, submissions for the Freshwater package will now be accepted until Thursday 31 October.

Frequently asked questions

We are continuing to add to the Frequently Asked Questions section on our website. You can find them on the tab at the bottom of the Action for Healthy waterways page. There, you’ll find questions and answers on issues that have come up frequently during the consultation meetings including stock exclusion and the proposed bottom line for nutrients.

Here are answers to some further questions that have come up over the past week:

1. If we fence 5 metres back from a waterway, how do we manage weeds in the setback zone?

Weed management on any land is the responsibility of the landowner. In some areas, desirable plants may out-compete the weeds, in others, farmers may choose to put sheep in the setback area (unless there is a regional rule preventing this). Many regional councils provide support to farmers wanting to plant the riparian zones.

2. If we plant alongside the waterway, then how do we prevent tree roots and other growth clogging the waterway and causing flooding when there is a storm or heavy rain?

Regional councils all have publications describing appropriate plants for streamside planting. Many also provide support for riparian planting, either by supplying subsidised plants or funding.

3. What is the definition of a wetland that needs to have stock excluded?

There is no minimum size proposed for wetlands in the draft stock exclusion regulation. The requirements would apply to all natural wetlands that comply with the proposed definition, which for the purposes of this policy means a wetland as defined in the Resource Management Act (regardless of whether it is dominated by indigenous or exotic vegetation), except that it does not include:

1. wet pasture, or paddocks where water temporarily ponds after rain in places dominated by pasture, or that contain patches of exotic sedge or rush species; or
2. constructed wetlands; or
3. geothermal wetlands.

The definition for ‘wetland’ in the Resource Management Act is “includes permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water and land water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions”. Some examples of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions are raupo, oioi, and flax (harakeke), and dabchick (weweia), fernbird (matata), green skink, and dragonflies.

If you have further questions, email us at freshwater@mfe.govt.nz.