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On-Stream

Spring is flying by and we are looking forward to some warmer days around the region. Isn't it also great that Otago will be home to the Ranfurly Shield this summer? Great effort from the Otago boys to bring it home.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who popped in to have a chat with us at the recent Otago Field Days in Palmerston, despite the torrential weather. We now hopefully have a lot more keen eyes on the lookout for wallabies.

Happy reading!
The ORC team
 
Feature: Water metering
As part of a recent auditing process, ORC team members assessed compliance for water metering consents. This involved a site inspection, sampling (where necessary), assessing technical reports and discussing the consent requirements with the consent holder.

During the audit it came to light that some water meters that have been recently installed were not done so correctly. This means they could potentially record the volume of water taken incorrectly, or are in the wrong location. It was also found that some consent holders had not sent in their water metering installation certificate to ORC on time.

38 new water metering sites were audited, and while a large proportion  (42%) were compliant, there were also many that were non-compliant (39%).

Consent holders have been advised of the findings and those that are non-compliant have been asked to work with their installer to fix any problems. We'd like to remind anyone who has a water meter that regardless of whether you are outsourcing water measuring, you (as the consent holder) are responsible for providing accurate and timely data.

If you have any concerns or questions about your water metering site, please get in touch with our compliance team, who are more than happy to help.
 
Updates from your liaison specialists
Bruce Monaghan - Central Otago
 

Deemed permit replacements and water races on neighbouring property - will you still have legal access to your water race on neighbouring property when you replace your deemed permit?
 
The right to convey water and maintain your race over other people’s property to your property will cease when your deemed permit expires on 1 October 2021.

Before then, you need to apply for new legal access recognised under the Resource Management Act 1991. This is known as a Section 417 Certificate.

Without this certificate, the Deemed Permit will no longer protect the route of the race, and you will have to negotiate private easements with the land owners.

Two key tips:
Preparation – Map
You will need to provide a map that clearly shows the route of the water race and land parcels the race travels through.
 
Preparation – Land Ownership Details
You will also need to acquire the Certificate of Title references, and the legal descriptions (including the full names of all the title holders) for the land that the water race crosses.
 
Are you guaranteed to get a section 417 certificate?
If the route of the race has been substantially altered and does not match the description given in the mining privilege, then ORC will not be able to issue a section 417 Certificate.

Full information on what you need to know can be found through this link, or give me a call. 
North Otago
We are still on the hunt for a new face for North Otago so stay tuned! Feel free to contact anyone in the liaison team in the mean time.
Rebecca Begg - South Otago

rebecca.begg@orc.govt.nz 
027 232 0735

As I write this I am at the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) conference, which is being held in sunny Tauranga and hosted by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council this year.

The theme for the conference is ‘Getting it done! Catchments, Implementation and Partnerships’ and we have had a day of inspiring addresses including Getting it Done from a national, regional, science and business perspective. 

There is a lot of great work being done around the country with different approaches to catchment groups, and working together on land management and water quality.
 
This is a timely event for me as the Clutha Community Trust is kicking off a series of meetings around the Clutha District to talk water quality on a catchment scale. Times and dates haven’t been advertised yet, but let me know if you are keen to come along and I will confirm time and place when I know them.
 
I will also be at the B+LNZ West Otago Farming for Profit Field Day on  31 October, which is focusing on maximising resources efficiently. This is being held at Bill and Pam McCall's property at Waikoikoi. See the B+LNZ website for more details, and see you there.
 
Nicole Foote - Strath Taieri & Central Coast Otago

nicole.foote@orc.govt.nz
027 564 7788

ORC consultation on the Tomahawk community vision closed at the end of last month. It largely confirmed what we workshopped with the community earlier in the year.

While some of these projects will unfold over the medium-to-long term we are pleased to be supporting the Tomahawk community through our ECO Fund via the Eco Otago water quality monitoring project and assisting the Smails Tomahawk Beachcare Trust with some catchment re-vegetation.

If you have an environmental project ready to launch in the new year that ORC can help with, applications for the next round of the ECO Fund will be open from 1-20 January 2019.

Our Regional Pest Management Plan and Biosecurity Strategy are nearly ready to be notified. Make sure you take the time to make a submission and have your say. A consult document will hit your mailbox or you can submit online via YourSay. As always, ORC would love to hear from you.

 
 
 
 
 
In Brief
Better firewood
Now is the best time to get your wood for next winter. Buy it now. Stack it now. Have it seasoned and ready for next winter. Correctly seasoned wood is better for your wallet, the environment and our health. Go to our website for more info.

ECO Fund

The first round of ECO Fund closed on 20 September and recommendations have been made to fund a total of $88,333 towards 10 projects around Otago. For more information on the ECO Fund go to our website.
No excuses!
Check your life jacket! Kapok-filled lifejackets are dangerous, even if they look brand new and have been well looked after. Modern life jackets of all types should also be tested every time before they are worn. If they are 10 years old or more, destroy them and replace them. Visit www.maritimenz.govt.nz/lifejackets to learn more.

What's coming up?

For a full list of events click here.

October

31 October - Last day to pay ORC rates on time

November

1 - 14 December - Proposed Regional Pest Management Plan and Biosecurity Strategy consultation

Coming up
TBC
Third workshop for Tomahawk Lagoon restoration
Third workshop for Lake Tuakitoto restoration
 
 
The winter issue of ORC's newsletter 'Waterlines' is out now. You can read it here.
 
If you know someone who should subscribe to On-Stream, forward this email to them and suggest they email us at  water@orc.govt.nz to subscribe.
 
Make sure you like the Otago Regional Council Facebook page - click the Facebook link below.
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