Lake Rotorua nutrient rules hearings adjourned as groups air concerns

Rotorua Daily Post, 22 March 2017

A forestry expert, a local farming family, a dairy farmer and a Beef + Lamb NZ representative have all expressed their concerns over proposed changes to regional council rules regarding nutrients flowing into Lake Rotorua.

Today was day eight of public hearings into the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s controversial plan change to reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Rotorua.

The hearings, for proposed Plan Change 10 to the regional council’s Regional Water and Land Plan, are scheduled for two weeks at the Millennium Hotel in Rotorua.

Retired District and Environment Court judge Gordon Whiting is chairman of the independent hearing panel and is joined on the panel by Rauru Kirikiri, Gina Sweetman and Dr Brent Cowie.

Proposed Plan Change 10 covers rules to limit the amount of nitrogen entering Lake Rotorua from various land uses. The rules will affect rural properties in the lake catchment, and according to the regional council, the proposed rules are one part of a long term solution to improve water quality in Lake Rotorua and to meet water quality standards set by the community, nitrogen entering the lake must reduce by 320 tonnes by 2032.

Mamaku-based farmers John and Wendy Roe said over the years their family had been farming in the Rotorua catchment they had fenced off and protected significant native bush areas on their land.

“We believe that such land retirement should be acknowledged under the rules,” they said in their submission.

“We had a sustainable plan going forward, whilst other land owners did not.

“Then the regional council came up with an environmental plan which requires us all to further reduce our environmental footprint with no allowance for what has already been done voluntarily.

“We support the right environmental solutions for Lake Rotorua but the solutions must be fair and equitable across the entire community,” they said.

Submissions were also heard from Dr Warren Parker for Crown research institute Scion, Corina Jordan on behalf of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, local dairy farmer Sharon Morrell, Stuart Morrison and Brown Owl Organics.

The hearing was adjourned at lunchtime today and will continue on Monday with a full day of submissions to be heard.

More information can be found here