fbpx
Print this page
Friday, 17 June 2022 07:55

Cautious approval for working group report

Written by  Staff Reporters
Federated Farmers continues to analyse and submit on the vast array of other regulatory changes proposed in the water management area. Federated Farmers continues to analyse and submit on the vast array of other regulatory changes proposed in the water management area.

Federated Farmers is giving the thumbs up to a report released this month by the Rural Supplies Technical Working Group on water services.

Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard sees positives in the report, in particular, rejection of inflexible ‘one size fits all’ approaches to rural supplies.

“Many of the findings raised by the group look sound,” he says. “The report appears to be a tiny sliver of common sense in amongst a pile of water policy decision-making we are struggling to explain to our members.”

The technical working group chaired by Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan has recommended all council-owned mixed-use rural supplies should transfer to the new water services entities because they will have the people, resources and expertise to operate these schemes into the future.

However, Federated Farmers still has major concerns about the set-up of the ‘four entities’ themselves.

“But we like the recommendation that there should be the option for the rural community to take back water assets with shared ownership or maintenance agreements,” Hoggard says.

“It would depend on capacity, finances and capability, the predominant use of the scheme and other factors. But the community should decide.”
Feds agrees with the report’s recommendation that rural service users should generally not be subsidising urban service users.

Also, that consultation with rural users on the water entities’ funding should start before the new entities ‘go live’ and before domestic volumetric pricing is introduced to new areas.

The recommendation that new water quality regulator Taumata Arowai should provide cost-effective ways for schemes to comply that recognises their uniqueness, offers options to not chlorinate in certain drinking water supply situations, and closely involves rural stakeholders in designing and implementing regulatory requirements, are “spot on” Hoggard says.

Federated Farmers continues to analyse and submit on the vast array of other regulatory changes proposed in the water management area.

“Sadly this is just a small piece in the much larger puzzle we are trying to put together properly for our members right now,” he says.

More like this

A significant fertiliser breakthrough?

Former ACT MP and Federated Farmers president Owen Jennings believes he's come across a new fertilising method in Australia that yields "outstanding results".

Marlborough drought declaration welcomed

Marlborough Federated Farmers has got some real concern about the mental wellbeing of farmers and their families in the region because of the drought and there’s a lot of pressure starting to build.

SNAs will go - eventually

Despite some earlier confusion around the exact timing, the new Government is moving to reform the way local bodies implement Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) rules on farmland.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Govt urged to reduce ETS units

The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as…

Dairy sheep, goat woes mount

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand…

Machinery & Products

All-terrain fert spreading mode

Effluent specialists the Samson Group have developed a new double unloading system to help optimise uphill and downhill organic fertiliser…

Can-Am showcases range

Based on industry data collected by the Motor Industry Association, Can-Am is the number one side-by-side manufacturer in New Zealand.