HortNZ takes conference to Samoa
Samoa will host this year’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Conference; the first time the conference has been held in an RSE partner nation.
This should mean a simpler, cheaper and more efficient nationwide management system for growers to work with, HortNZ president Julian Raine says.
"All the 5500 commercial fruit and vegetable growers we represent look forward to the day when this country's regional councils can be relied on to regulate waterways and lakes using similar processes.
"Up until now, this has been a forlorn hope."
The NPS includes the 'National Objectives Framework' (NOF) which is this country's first attempt at setting real values, guidelines and figures around our freshwater use.
"Limits will be set by communities, for themselves. Communities must weigh up how they want to manage the environmental and economic impacts of the choices they make."
The big highlight for HortNZ in the NOF is the inclusion of the value of food production as something communities must consider when deciding how their water is used.
"This is an outstanding outcome for us. It is so very important for regulators to see the need for securing the future of viable and sustainable food production, for all of us," Raine says.
HortNZ and growers are totally committed to working with their communities to set limits which will ensure industry growth can be managed and environmental qualities can be preserved.
HortNZ believes there are a couple of areas where it will be challenging for communities to make decisions, particularly given the lack of appropriate science and research required.
"We also have a concern over the ability of some water users to try to get an exemption to this process, by applying to be an 'exception' to the policy.
"HortNZ believes everyone has to take responsibility for water quality in New Zealand. There should be no exceptions, no exemptions" Raine says.
IRRIGATION NEW Zealand (INZ) also says it generally welcomes the government's National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS) and National Objectives Framework (NOF).
INZ agrees that New Zealand's fresh water needs nationally consistent, better, more direct and clearer policy to ensure it is sustainably and effectively managed for the benefit of all.
"By having national bottom lines and allowing for regional and local circumstances, the NPS and NOF will prevent situations where unrealistic conditions are set on water quality for irrigation schemes," says Andrew Curtis, INZ chief executive. "Having everyone work off the same page will mean that resource consent processes will be less onerous and less time and money will be wasted reaching acceptable outcomes."
INZ is pleased the updated NPS seems to have broadened its measures of water quality and now requires a fuller understanding of issues which impact a body of water before setting limits. "The NPS now suggests that biotic indicators such as the Macro-invertebrate Community Index (MCI), should be included as performance measures – this is a good thing," says Curtis.
INZ believes that if community freshwater values, as now set out in Appendix 1, are to be realised, attention needs to be paid to an inclusive range of factors such as pest management, habitat restoration, sediment loads, as well as nutrients, to maintain and improve river health.
"There are many examples around the country which show how habitat restoration alongside stock exclusion and phosphate management have created thriving rivers – despite relatively high nitrate levels – such as the Wakakahi stream in south Canterbury," says Curtis.
"New Zealanders need to understand maintaining and improving water quality is complex and can be achieved in many different ways – sticking a number on it and regulating everyone to this does not achieve outcomes," he says.
For more information on future SMART irrigation visit www.smartirrigation.co.nz
