Southland Water and Land Plan to be made operative
The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan, adopted today by councillors, demonstrates Southlanders’ ability to work together to create Murihiku Southland solutions for the benefit of our region.
Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said this decision marks the culmination of nearly 10 years’ work, six of which have been in the Environment Court working through the resolution of parties’ appeals.
“This plan is the product of a robust process over many years and is underpinned by Southland-specific science presented by all parties.
“While this has been a long process, it’s produced a plan that is tailored for Southland and has involved many parties and individuals who have an interest in Southland’s environment.
“Individuals from the community to major stakeholders, industry bodies and other councils have had their say, and this level of engagement provides real benefits for the region.
“I want to thank all those involved for their patience, perseverance, and ongoing drive to create something that works for Southland.
“The plan, along with the on-farm and community actions it requires, provides a robust, foundation for continuing to develop a Southland solution to our water quality challenges. It is tailored to our region and our communities.”
Developed and notified in 2016, the proposed plan was intended to be the first step to provide Southland a regional regulatory framework to prevent further decline in water quality. To do that, it adopted the approach that land and water should be managed in a holistic way, recognising the connectivity between surface and groundwater, and between freshwater, land and the coast. The plan introduced new rules for activities like intensive winter grazing, stock access to waterways and land use intensification.
“The new Government has signalled changes to the Resource Management Act for activities like winter grazing, farm plans and stock exclusion, in favour of a more regional approach to managing these sorts of activities.
“In Southland, this process has already provided this regional approach. With this decision and the upcoming national changes, we expect the regulatory landscape to be clearer for farmers and others undertaking activities.
“We’re committed to ensuring that the local rules, and the way these are implemented, are simple and effective,” Chairman Horrell said.
With long processes such as these and the number of groups involved, there is always compromise.
“We know there are aspects of the rules that may prove challenging for implementation. We’re looking to identify these particular challenges, and with the help of our partners and stakeholders, will be looking for straightforward solutions and pragmatic applications of these rules.”
A number of rules have been added or strengthened through the Court process. These include the rules for intensive winter grazing, farm plans, pasture-based wintering and discharge consents, as well as industrial and wasterwater discharges.
The plan will be formally notified and from 27 May, most of the plan will be operative, and will become the primary regulatory document for water and land activities in Southland.
When the Council makes the plan provisions operative there will still be a small number of appeals points unresolved. These include some water quantity related matters before the Environment Court and two appeals remain with the High Court following earlier interim decisions. These relate to incidental discharges from farming activities and weed and sediment removal from waterways for drainage maintenance purposes.
The Plan, interim decisions and all documents relating to the appeals is available on our website:
ENDS
For more information contact the communications team on 0800 76 88 45
Further information
The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan was the first step to provide Southland a regional regulatory framework to prevent further decline of our water quality. To do that, it introduced new rules for activities where there was evidence of significant adverse effects on water quality.
The Plan was developed and engaged on with the Southland community in 2015 and 2016. It was then publicly notified in June 2016.
It has been through the Resource Management Act process of submissions (947 submissions received) and hearings (274 submitters were heard over 26 days). The decisions version was accepted by Council on 4 April 2018.
Twenty-five parties then appealed various parts of the plan to the Environment Court.
Since 2018, the Environment Court has heard from 52 expert witnesses, gathered 200 plus pieces of evidence, and received 25 joint witness statements. The court has issued nine interim decisions and consent orders.
In 2021, the Objectives in the plan were made operative by council.
Making the plan operative will replace other old water plans in the region (Transitional Regional Plan and the Regional Effluent Land Application Plan) and therefore removes some complexity with the regulatory landscape for many activities. Where some rules in the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan are still under appeal, the corresponding rules in the Regional Water Plan still remain operative.
A number of rules have been added or strengthened through the Court process. These include the rules for intensive winter grazing, farm plans, pasture-based wintering and discharge consents, as well as industrial and wasterwater discharges.
