Change of rules will not be swift

Regardless of your opinions about the election result, most are assuming there’ll be changes to regulations that have been piled on the farming sector. But it is really important to understand that there will be a very long hangover from some of the regulation introduced over the last six years.

The Gore District Council’s District Plan is one example, and it has potentially massive ramifications for the entire district, not just farmers.

And once implemented, this plan is in place for 10 years. That’s an awfully long hangover!

The worst thing about it is, no matter what changes happen to the national level policies, this plan has been written under the regulations implemented already, so won’t change as a result of any change in direction from the new government. That means we all need to have our say on it now. The new government can’t fix this, as the process is already too far advanced.

We all know the Gore District is heavily reliant on the farming sector and when there is a rural downturn it affects the businesses in town and many jobs.

The plan, as notified, has huge ramifications for farmers in the district, in particular those farming on the Hokonui Hills and near waterways. There is heavy reliance on resource consents for a wide range of activities which are currently business-as-usual. That will add time, stress, cost and uncertainty for farmers — and will also pile a huge amount of work on to our district council.

Our biggest question is "what benefit will come from all this bureaucracy"?

We are very aware that the heavier bureaucracy is being directed by government policy, but we think there are more practical ways to implement that policy. That’s why we’ve reached out to the council to understand what problems it is actually seeking to solve in this plan, so that we can try to suggest alternative approaches.

But ultimately, the council’s appetite to fix this will be influenced by the feedback it gets from ratepayers.

This is a formal consultation, and the council has extended it at our request to November 27. So make the most of the opportunity to give feedback. All the information is on the council website.

We will be holding a public meeting to provide more information, and also a system to help people write submissions. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information, and members in the district will be kept up to date by email (so if you’re not a member, now’s good!).

And if you’re not in the Gore District, don’t breath easy. This will be coming to a place near you soon, unless those national policies get changed quickly.