Less Wellington in the way of farming
OPINION: For many farmers, the biggest regulatory challenge they face is the myriad things that the Resource Management Act throws up.
Environment Canterbury says it is pausing the development of its Regional Policy Statement following changes in government direction on freshwater management.
New legislation introduced in October states that Councils cannot notify freshwater planning instruments for public consultation before 31 December 2025 or until a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management is introduced.
Councillors have also voted to engage with Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds to clarify if there is a pathway to notify its Plan Change 8 prior to January 2026.
Plan Change 8 would enable decision-making following the Supreme Court decision in the Cloud Ocean Water Limited v Aotearoa Water Action case.
The court found that the Resource Management Act did not require take and use to be considered conjointly in all cases and take and use do not need to be considered separately where a plan does not prescribe it.
Plan Change 8, Environment Canterbury says, aims to create a pathway for key infrastructure work that intercept groundwater to be able to apply for consent, even in fully allocated zones.
Environment Canterbury chair Craig Pauling says the decision to pause both the Regional Policy Statement and Plan Change 8 was tough.
However, he says that given the changes to the Resource Management Act already in place and with further changes signalled, councillors had decided it was prudent to put the work on pause.
“I’d like to thank all the staff for their work and the community for their engagement in this mahi to date and to reassure them that input will inform our future planning work,” Pauling says.
“We will continue to work with our communities to achieve the best outcomes for Canterbury/Waitaha.”
Tractor manufacturer and distributor Case IH has announced a new partnership with Meet the Need, the grassroots, farmer-led charity working to tackle food insecurity across New Zealand one meal at a time.
The DairyNZ Farmers Forum is back with three events - in Waikato, Canterbury and Southland.
To celebrate 25 years of the Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship, Ravensdown caught up with past recipients to see where their careers have taken them, and what the future holds for the industry.
Among this year’s Primary Industry NZ (PINZ) Awards finalists are a Southlander who created edible bale netting and rural New Zealanders who advocate for pragmatic regulation and support stressed out farmers.
Rockit Global has appointed Ivan Angland as its new chief operating officer as it continues its growth strategy into 2025.
Nominations are now open for the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board.
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