Tukituki ‘reasonable’ but far from practical for farmers

IrrigationNZ says Board of Inquiry decision on Tukituki ‘reasonable’ but far from practical for farmers

“The Board of Inquiry for the Tukituki Catchment has reached a reasonable decision in what has been a long process,” says Andrew Curtis, CEO of IrrigationNZ. “But it is a far from practical outcome for farmers and the regional economy. We believe nutrient limits set for the Tukituki system remain unrealistic for what is a productive working agricultural landscape.”*

IrrigationNZ does however recognise the positive step taken in the decision to exclude some hill country farms, forestry, orchards and lifestyle blocks from having to gain consents, but points out that the reality is the majority of commercial enterprises will still require one.

The BoI’s decision also gives farmers in the catchment some headroom as land use can now be managed to achieve the nutrient limit of 0.8mg dissolved nitrate per litre of water (DIN limit) by 2030, compared to 2020 previously. Additionally instead of nutrient levels being measured at the bottom of the catchment, nutrients can now be measured on an individual farm basis. “While it is good that the measuring point can be better related to the individual farms, it does still create issues for those further down the catchment who end up with compounded impacts of the upstream farms,” says Mr Curtis.

“We look forward to the BoI process finishing and the limits being revisited in the pragmatic context of the 2014 version of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater,” said Mr Curtis.

*Note to editors, the NIWA 0.8 national DIN map released last year is available on request.

ENDS

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