Welcome to the March 2020 edition of On-Stream
Like everyone else, ORC is keeping a close eye on the situation with COVID-19. Our highest priority is the health and safety of our people – that includes our staff and their families, and the community. Here's some important information:
- All ORC offices are now closed to the public.
- If you need to contact ORC, please call us on 0800 474 082 or email us.
- The Council meeting on Wednesday 25 March is postponed and will be rescheduled.
- All other scheduled events are cancelled. This includes the remaining Regional Policy Statement meetings in Queenstown and Alexandra this week, and the Annual Plan consultation drop-ins. See more in the ‘In Brief’ section below about how you can have your say online about our Annual Plan.
- Here's a media release with more detail about our continued essential services.
Keep up to date with any changes by checking our Facebook page and website.
Please stay safe and follow the advice of the Ministry of Health - Manatū Hauora.
Read a message from Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association about farm-related activities and COVID-19.
ORC team members are all working from home for now, but will be available if you have any queries, so please contact your local rural liaison team member in the first instance.
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Water Plan changes - what's the big picture?As you’re aware, a review by the Minister for the Environment found issues with our current water plan so we’re making some short-term fixes while we develop a new fit-for-purpose Regional Policy Statement and Land and Water Regional Plan. For a summary of what's happening when, click here.
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Water Permits Plan ChangeORC recently notified a proposed change to the Regional Plan: Water, called the Water Permits Plan Change (Plan Change 7), and is now welcoming feedback on the proposal via submissions up until 5pm on 17 April. The plan change provides a framework to manage the replacement of deemed permits (historic water rights given to gold miners that expire in 2021) as well as any other expiring water permits. Short-term resource consents to take and use Otago freshwater will be issued based on current use, while a new Land and Water Regional Plan is developed. There is also a rule for activities that do not have five years of data, or that do not meet the plan criteria for a short-term consent. To find out more or to make a submission, click here.
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Water Quality Plan Change (formerly "Omnibus")
Our water and waste regional plans need to be strengthened to protect our environment. We’re proposing several changes to these plans to provide clear environmental management requirements until the new Land and Water Regional Plan is in place.
We were planning to notify this plan change on 31 March, but we are now uncertain about timing due to the postponement of this week's council meeting. At the meeting councillors would have voted on whether to notify the plan change or not. We will be in touch with an update on this as soon as possible.
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New Regional Policy Statement meetings
Thanks to everyone who came along to talk to ORC councillors and staff about the key resource management issues facing Otago last week in Oamaru, Dunedin, Tapanui and Balclutha. Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the meetings in Queenstown and Alexandra this week due to COVID-19 and we are looking at ways we can continue to consult with community on the RPS online.
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| Updates from your Rural Liaison Team |
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It's a surreal time at the moment as New Zealand responds to the COVID-19 virus, and many things that we take for granted are impacted. I hope you're all taking care and looking out for each other.
A good distraction at the moment is to harvest native plant seeds, as autumn is the best time for many of the species in Otago. Collecting seeds from plants in your area means you know they'll grow well at your place. Check out this page from the Department of Conservation for information. Alternatively, you might know someone from the Otago South River Care group who went on a bush walk recently with Ribbonwood nurseries at Clinton to learn about seed collection and processing. This crew is worth chatting to if you couldn’t get along. And if you haven’t liked the Otago South River Care Facebook page, it’s worth a look and a like.
If you need some seeds, I have some carex secta ones left over from the Waimumu Field days that you can collect from Balclutha once things have settled down. Please let me know if you would like some.
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Last month I commented on the usefulness of the State of the Environment (SOE) water quality results and the information they provide.
The water quality reports compare data with the Water Plan limits for Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Ammonium, E. coli and turbidity, and act as a check to good management practices being carried out on the farm.
Poor water quality can have the following impacts:
- Nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and ammonium) cause nuisance plant/algae growth, which affect stream ecosystems.
- Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water, and if it's too turbid (cloudy) it can affect stream ecosystems.
- E. coli is a bacteria that can make you sick and is an indicator of whether the water is safe for swimming or for stock to drink.
Find out more about State of the Environment and what the water quality is like in your area here. |
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This year there are five finalists for the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards. I participated in the first round of judging in November 2019, which assessed entrants on a number of areas key to running a successful farming business, including:
- Finance and strategy
- Production
- Biodiversity and environment
- Soil and nutrient management
- Climate
- People and community.
ORC sponsors the water quality enhancement award. The finalists for this award have been assessed on the environmentally-sound water management measures taken in their business to protect, sustain and enhance ground and surface water quality.
The Otago awards night scheduled for 2 April has been postponed to minimise the spread of COVID-19, but you can find out more about the awards here.
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I attended a Beef + Lamb and Federated Farmers workshop on indigenous biodiversity recently. This is the latest in several National Policy Statements (NPS’s) being put through by the government. I learnt some new things, especially about a new fly recently discovered that feeds off the faeces of New Zealand bats and sets up sentry bugs to stop the flies being eaten by said bats.
If it wasn’t clear to everyone before, farmers have a lot to consider and digest currently. Not only central government changes, but we have the Waitaki District Plan review going on and changes to our own Regional Plan: Water.
Going back to the bat-poo eating flies, this is a great example of working together for a common goal. By working together, we can support and help each other through this time. If you are in the NOSLaM area, sign up and join the conversations they are having. Or if you are in need of a little extra support, Rural Support Trust is always happy to talk - 0800 787 254. Your industry representative groups have been offering some great informative workshops and presentations; make sure you touch base with them to keep up-to-date. |
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Wanaka Show
We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone that came to visit us at the Wanaka Show last week! It was great to hear all the things people love about Otago and what their wishes are for the future. |
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Pest of the Month
Did you know that a single rabbit can give birth to up to 50 babies a year! Find out more about March's pest of the month by visiting our Pest Hub. |
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Annual Plan consultation
ORC has cancelled the drop-in Annual Plan consultation sessions for the public due to the COVID-19 situation. Please keep an eye out for online opportunities to have your say on what's proposed on our website and Facebook page. |
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What's coming up?
Please note events are still happening as scheduled at this stage, but keep an eye on our Facebook page and website in case they are cancelled due to COVID-19.
17 April: Water Permits Plan Change submissions close
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Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might like to read it. If you have been forwarded this email and would like to subscribe, please email us at water@orc.govt.nz.
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