Editorial: Getting RMA settings right

And from submissions received from the main players – DairyNZ, Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb NZ – the proposals are getting qualified support from farmers.

However, the devil is always in the detail. While proposals like updates to Te Mana o te Wai, simpler wetland rules, a review of nitrogen limits, and more flexible ways to set freshwater objectives could reduce red tape, farmers are hoping that for rules that are practical and workable on farm.

DairyNZ is advocating for change that reflects on-farm realities and builds confidence for the future. DairyNZ has spent the past year preparing to provide a workable replacement to the existing policy. It says its team has developed an alternative freshwater framework to support a constructive, science-led response.

Federated Farmers is signalling broad support for the Government’s proposed direction. It says New Zealand’s freshwater rules have become too complex and are completely unworkable - a nightmare not just for farmers, but also for local councils tasked with the unenviable job of trying to untangle a bureaucratic bird’s nest of rules - and implement them.

“Rules like the fertiliser cap, wetland definitions and the application of Te Mana o te Wai should be on the chopping block for repeal or major amendment.”

Beef + Lamb NZ says a community-driven, targeted, and risk-based approach is crucial to balance the economic viability of farming businesses with environmental sustainability.

Read More:

• Farmers back Government pause on RMA plan changes
• Government halts RMA planning work in major win for farmers
• Dairy farmers to benefit from RMA reforms planned by government

It’s critical the Government get these proposals right – farmers desperately need robust, inexpensive and uncomplicated frameworks for freshwater and the wider environment that deliver enduring, but also reasonable and affordable, outcomes.