Waikato farmers tackle debt as interest rates fall, says Zonderop
Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Matthew Zonderop says two consecutive years of a $10 milk price is fantastic for New Zealand agriculture.
Waikato Regional Council emergency management officer Greg Ryan said the council would be keeping a particularly close eye on the Piako and Waitoa today as peak levels moved through the river systems.
There's potential for emergency ponding zones in paddocks near the Piako River to be receiving water from the Piako and the Waitoa over the next 48 hours. This is an important part of the Piako flood management scheme which takes pressure off land beside the lower Piako.
"Our flood management infrastructure is coping well and is expected to help prevent any significant damage to property. But we will be monitoring the situation carefully. We will have people out on the ground regularly checking stopbanks and flood pumps," said Ryan.
For the Ohinemuri and Waihou, levels are forecast to decline steadily over coming days.
However, the lower Waikato River is expected to remain heavily swollen for the rest of the week, especially around Mercer.
The Waikato River at Hamilton is also elevated due to the recent rains and residents can expect to see levels slowly recede there over coming days.
