‘Sensible’ for ORC to delay decision

It looks like a case of who is going to blink first in the stand-off over the Otago Regional Council’s land and water plan.

Politicians spoken to by the The Ensign have views on the plan, with its central issue around wastewater disposal.

Treated sewage is generally discharged to waterways, but the previous government’s Te Mana o te Wai policies stipulate discharge on to land, requiring councils to buy land and infrastructure to move wastewater to it.

But with a new government being swept into power last year, changes have come about and one of them centres on the land and water plans.

"The process to replace the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management [NPSFM] is under way," National MP for Southland Joseph Mooney said.

"In the meantime, the deadline for councils to notify their freshwater plan changes has been extended ... to 31 December, 2027. It would be sensible for ORC to give themselves the extra time to fully consider the changes that the government will be bringing in."

Almost all regional councils have paused, but the Otago Regional Council is not one of them.

The council is pushing on towards land-discharge requirements — a plan former Federated Farmers president Simon Davies says will cost $110 million for Alexandra and Clyde alone.

"To pay for this, [the council] will have to borrow. Based on repaying the loan over a 50-year term at 2% interest, the cost to each ratepayer will be $1000 of capital repayment and $1000 of interest. So every urban ratepayer’s rates will increase by $2000 per annum, [which] equates to more than $50,000 per residential ratepayer."

He added this excluded operational costs and asked whether rural ratepayers with independent systems were expected to contribute to urban waste management.

Lawrence-based New Zealand First list MP and minister for rural communities Mark Patterson did not agree.

"We have clearly signalled there will be a change ... Te Mana o te Wai is a vague concept brought in by the previous government meaning the health of the water tops all other considerations. This is not good planning law and has far-reaching consequences.

"ORC ... will almost certainly have to change [again] when the new NPSFM comes into force. It seems a position driven by internal politics without regard for unnecessary expense and uncertainty for ratepayers.

"On the whole Otago has good water quality and our farmers are ... dramatically improving farming practices [and] forming catchment groups to improve water quality."

List MP Mark Cameron is a farmer and the Act New Zealand Party spokesperson for agriculture.

"Farmers have raised their concerns about the proposed changes to the Otago Regional Council’s freshwater rules, which are being drafted in accordance with the previous government’s policies.

"Te Mana o te Wai is not only vague but replaces scientific benchmarks with subjective interpretations. This isn’t about environmental standards, which are necessary. It ... leads to co-governance and unequal treatment.

"The coalition government was elected with a mandate to end this unnecessary burden," he said.

nick.brook@cluthaleader.co.nz