June 2023

Kia ora readers, welcome to the June 2023 edition of Oranga Wai e-news. This edition focuses on key areas of engagement we are undertaking and gives a peak at freshwater policy development. It also includes some updates on synthetic nitrogen reporting, freshwater farm plans and intensive winter grazing.

We hope you find this e-news useful and informative. Please forward it on to anyone you think would appreciate reading it and, if you haven’t already, sign up to receive future copies here.  If you have areas you would like us to cover our newsletters, or any questions about the content, please email info@ourfreshwaterfuture.co.nz.

Have your say

Water allocation

All of us need water, but only 1% of the global water supply sustains all living things: the creatures of the awa (rivers and streams) and roto (lakes), your friends and whānau, and the animals on the land.

Horizons Regional Council's current water allocation framework aims to protect our region's freshwater species while supplying our communities with access to the water they need to survive and thrive. However, this framework does not currently fulfil all the requirements outlined in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 introduced by central government as part of their Essential Freshwater reforms.

We have identified some areas for improvement within this framework and are working with local iwi, hapū, territorial authorities, industry bodies and communities to find solutions to these issues.

We want your feedback by 5 pm, Sunday 30 July 2023, to help guide any potential changes to how we allocate water in the future.

Keep an eye out on Horizons' social media channels in the coming weeks to learn more about water allocation in our region. You can also head to this dedicated section on the Oranga Wai website to learn more.

Whanganui FMU long-term visions

You may remember from previous editions of Oranga Wai e-news how we engaged in 2022 on visions for most Freshwater Management Units (FMUs) in our region. Horizons has to set long-term visions for each of our FMUs which contain goals that are 'ambitious but reasonable', meaning they may be difficult to achieve but not impossible.

We did not engage on the Whanganui FMU in 2022 because we sought to coordinate engagement with the development of the whole of river strategy, Te Heke Ngahuru, provided for by Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017.  

We are now getting underway with engagement for long-term visions for the Whanganui FMU. We have a draft vision we believe is a good starting point, which you can find here.  We want to know what communities in the FMU agree or disagree with in the draft vision, and if there is anything we have missed or needs changing. 

People can share their thoughts with us via this survey by 9 July. We are also engaging directly with iwi and hapū on their visions for the FMU.

Policy development

Explore our freshwater policy development

We have created a new section on the Oranga Wai website to highlight our policy development process. The section is where we will put draft objectives, policies and rules as they are developed following community engagement.

These drafts are part of the journey to implementing central government's Essential Freshwater package, which will result in us notifying a change to the One Plan, our guide to managing natural resources in the Horizons Region.

We have currently developed a draft objective for Te Mana o te Wai, draft visions and values for freshwater, as well as draft environmental outcomes. We welcome your feedback on these drafts, which you can provide via our feedback form.

National Environmental Standards for Freshwater

Synthetic nitrogen reporting

As part of the Essential Freshwater package introduced in 2020, new rules were put in place requiring dairy farmers to report how much synthetic nitrogen they applied.

Reporting season is coming up, with dairy farmers required to submit records for the 12-month period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. Those records need to be submitted by the end of July 2023. This reporting is unlikely to be a quick job, so Horizons is recommending farmers start preparing to submit before calving season.

More information about synthetic nitrogen reporting is available on a dedicated Horizons webpage, while farmers with questions can contact the Rural Advice Team on freephone 0508 800 800.

Freshwater farm plans

Freshwater farm plans are a way for farmers and growers to identify practical on-farm actions to improve the condition of local waterways. They will put the whenua (land) and wai (water) at the centre of on-farm decision-making. The plans are being rolled out region by region, with the rollout scheduled to start in the Horizons Region in April 2024.

With the regulations around freshwater farm plans being gazetted in June, we now have a better idea of how the plans will work in the Horizons Region. We have put initial information, including a proposed rollout schedule, on the Horizons website. We will continue to add to the page as more information and resources become available.

Intensive Winter Grazing

Finally, a reminder that consents for intensive winter grazing were due in May. Farmers who cannot meet Permitted Activity rules will need a consent to carry out intensive winter grazing. These rules apply to you if a property includes five hectares or more of horticulture, 20 hectares or more of pasture or arable crops, or 20 hectares or more of a combination of any of these.

Horizons will be carrying out a flight soon to get further understanding of how intensive winter grazing is practiced in the region, similar to the flight done in July 2021. While follow-up site inspections will be carried out to meet and engage with those doing intensive winter grazing, compliance action will be considered if serious issues are found. 

There is a dedicated section on the Horizons website if you need more information about intensive winter grazing. Famers needing advice can also contact the Rural Advice Team on freephone 0508 800 800.