Council urged to delay rate hikes
A Southland farming leader wants the regional council to delay a proposed regional rates hike, much of which is intended to fund flood protection works.
Routine flights for aerial monitoring of farm dairy effluent discharge consents will not be carried out by Environment Southland during 2016/17.
At yesterday’s regulatory committee meeting, Environment Southland councillors agreed ceasing the flights for the coming season was a positive move given the reduction in significant non-compliance over recent years.
Policy, planning & regulatory services director Vin Smith says the compliance team initiated a review after considering the significant non-compliance numbers, success of aerial monitoring, staffing and changes in plans.
“Cases of significant non-compliance have gone down from 6% to 1.7% over the past three years. It’s a reflection of the sector’s improving performance.”
A report presented at the meeting says ceasing the aerial monitoring flights would likely result in little change to the overall outcome of the monitoring programme because non-compliance identified on the flights had become very low.
China’s Ambassador Wang Xiaolong says bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and New Zealand has made significant and rapid progress.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.