River plan remains unchanged

The council has confirmed to the Rural News the submission process continues as before the review was lodged.

The application for the review was lodged on December 15 and Horticulture NZ (HortNZ) says it has been advised of a date for a “mention only” hearing in the Hamilton High Court on February 8, 2017.

HortNZ was among six organisations – representing horticulture growers and farmers in the Waikato – which lodged the application.

The group is seeking a judicial review of the decision by the regional council to withdraw part of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 – Waikato and River Catchments to the Waikato Regional Plan, announced on December 5 last year.

The WRC advised in that announcement that the area had been withdrawn to allow for consultation with Hauraki iwi.

Organisations seeking the judicial review are HortNZ, Federated Farmers, Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Association, Waikato and Waipa branches of the New Zealand Deer Farmers’ Association, Primary Land Users Group, and Beef + Lamb NZ.

The action has been taken as the group believes that in making this decision, the WRC has failed to comply with requirements of the Resource Management Act (RMA) to ensure integrated management of the natural and physical resources of the region and to give effect to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM).

The group is asking for the WRC to withdraw Proposed Plan Change 1 in its entirety to allow for consultation with Hauraki iwi before any further proposed plan change is approved to be publicly notified.

HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman said, when lodging the review application, the action is about WRC’s process.

“The group supports the overall aims of the Healthy Rivers Plan, and its members have been active in making submissions and working with Iwi and the WRC," says Chapman.

HortNZ says it cannot comment now as the matter is before the courts.

Federated Farmers Waikato chairman Chris Lewis said they were not against the plan, but just wanted a level playing field.

“Years of work had been based on looking at the whole regional plan, and you could not take the lower stream out of it when considering submissions,” he said.