Thursday, 28 May 2020 11:29

$700m for freshwater clean up

Written by  Staff Reporters
Environment Minister David Parker. Environment Minister David Parker.

The Government has announced a $700 million fund to support the primary sector and other groups in meeting new clean water standards.

The package will go towards jobs in riparian and wetland planting, removing sediments and other initiatives to help prevent farm run off entering waterways.

The package isn’t without conditions however, with the Government also announcing that it will be setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health, as well as putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots.

The Government will also be requiring mandatory and enforceable farm environment plans.

“Our environmental reputation is the thing that underpins our biggest export earners - tourism and agriculture. It’s time for us to invest in cleaning up our water in order to protect the economic value add it brings,” says Environment Minister David Parker.

Parker says years of political inaction have led to many of the country’s rivers, lakes and wetlands now being under serious threat. 

The package isn’t just targeting rural water, with the funding also targeting urban waterways for cleaning up and adding new protections for urban streams.

The fund will also target urban waterways.

Parker says if work isn’t being done on water quality now, the problem is only going to become worse and more expensive to fix.

“Cleaning our waterways will secure the future of our meat, dairy and other primary exports and ensure they continue to earn higher prices overseas. It makes both economic and environmental sense,” says Parker.

“We know the primary sector is facing challenges in the wake of COVID-19 so the Government has reduced the cost and impact on them, including putting up $700 million in funding to help with clean-up efforts, but without compromising environmental benefits,”

Damien O’Connor.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the package will help to increase the value of New Zealand’s primary exports.

“Our high-value overseas consumers want greater assurances that the food and fibre they buy is produced in a sustainable way. Clean water and sustainable farming is entwined with the economic success of the sector, it isn’t one or the other,” says O’Connor.

“All farmers in New Zealand appreciate the value of high quality water and many have done a huge amount of work to improve their practices over the last 20 years or more. Many are leading the way in restoring our waterways. 

“Work undertaken to date estimates 80% of dairy farmers won’t be affected by the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.

“Cleaning up our waterways is also job rich and will provide much needed stimulus to our rural economy.

“We intend to deliver this through already established and proven catchment management groups with initial funding announcements to be made soon,” say O’Connor.

More like this

Dead in the water

OPINION: In a victory for common sense over virtue signalling, David Parker's National Policy Statement (NPS) work on freshwater is now dead in the water.

Standing up for rural people

Primary production select committee chair and ACT MP Mark Cameron recently contributed to the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill - Second Reading in Parliament. Here are excerpts from his speech:

Stop the councils!

Beef + Lamb NZ is calling on the Government to take urgent steps to stop regional councils from continuing to implement the existing National Policy Statement on Freshwater.

Feds support live animal exports

Federated Farmers have reiterated their support for the coalition Government to abolish the present ban on the live export of animals.

Featured

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

Forestry cuts into stock numbers

There is an urgent need for the Government to put a limit on the sale of farms for forestry - particularly for carbon farming.

Sustainability dominates dairy summit

To Kiwi ears, an international conference that talks about a "just and fair transition" to sustainable dairy sounds like a clarion call for better access to valuable markets. 'Just and fair' means more to the world than opening up borders to big exporters like NZ. Tim Fulton reports.

National

Meat sector unity

Farmers are welcoming potential collaboration between the country's two major meat processors.

Machinery & Products

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

New F5 balers from McHale

Irish grassland machinery manufacturer McHale has unveiled the new four-model range of F5 fixed chamber balers.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter