It contains an outline of where the Waikato Regional Council has got to with regards to the Regional Plan Change for the Waikato and Waipa River catchments, as well as links to useful websites and information pages.

Waikato Rule Development

In August 2016, the Waikato Collaborative Stakeholder Group (CSG) completed its collaborative process with industry, iwi and community and made recommendations to the Waikato Regional Council for a Regional Plan Change for the Waikato and Waipa River catchments.

On 15 September the Waikato Regional Council approved the Plan Change Proposal for public notification. FAR said that at this stage, it is important for growers to know that this is a proposal and not Waikato Regional Council policy. There is a submission process to go through and opportunity for the public to have their say before the proposal is developed into the final Plan Change.

Submission process

Public notification of the plan change proposal opens the formal submission process to the wider community. Anyone, groups an d individuals, can make a submission and can either support, oppose or take a neutral stance on the plan and its various parts. The Council has set a time frame of 80 days for submissions to be developed and delivered. A summary of the submissions will be available early in 2017.

Hearings

The next step in the process will be the hearings, where submissions are considered by a Hearings Committee. This is a formal process where people have the opportunity to present their submissions to the committee. The Hearings Committee is responsible for making the final decision about the Plan Change and their recommendations will be considered by the Council. Further appeals to the Plan Change can be made through the Environment Court. This can become a long and expensive business.

FAR’s role in the process

FAR said that it will be working with Federated Farmers to test the impact of the proposed Plan Change on Waikato farm businesses. A project is underway to develop twelve case studies for a range of farm types and management regimes throughout the Waikato and Waipa catchments. An arable and a mixed cropping farm are among the twelve selected for the study.

The case studies will include analysis of:

• The cost of producing and developing a farm environment plan, including the nitrogen reference point;

• The cost of the consent process both to the farmer and Council;
• The cost to the farmer of implementing the farm environment plan actions and any resource consent requirements;
• The impact on farm profitability.

This is an important piece of work as it will test the impact of the Plan Change on a range of farm systems and the outcomes will be used to develop an informed submission about the cost, both financial and social, on the farm business.

Federated Farmers will lead the development of this submission, FAR staff will assist with provision of research data and growers may also have a part to play. FAR suggested that growers take the time to become familiar with the proposed rules and consider them in context with their farms. Those with concerns that their farming activities may be affected, contact FAR or their Federated Farmers' representative. It will be important to include farmers’ feedback in the submissions as they are developed.

Note any feedback relating to the proposed rules must be sent to FAR as soon as possible. Time will be tight for the preparation of focussed and effective submissions.