The Manawatu-Wanganui region encompasses around 8% of New Zealand’s land area. There are 6000 farms in the region.

Horizons Regional Council is trying to strike a balance between using natural resources for economic and social well-being of the region, while keeping the environment in good health. The result of the balancing act is One Plan.

The focus of the plan is on what they see as the four biggest environmental issues in the Region:
• surface water quality degradation,
• increasing water demand,
• unsustainable hillcountry land use
• threatened native biodiversity.

The One Plan is part of Horizons Regional Council functions under the Resource Management Act 1991.

They are describing the One Plan as a “one-stop-shop” regional planning document.

It defines how the natural and physical resources of the Manawatu-Wanganui
Region will be cared for and managed by Horizons Regional Council in partnership with Territorial Authorities and the community.

In this story we are looking at the progress of the One Plan and how it applies to a diary farm in the Manawatu.

Case Study - Tutu Totora Farm

The farm is 11 km north-east of Marton. It is managed by David Marshall who also works for Fielding based company AgInvest – day to day operations are in the hands of a manager.

The property is 750 ha - but is in the process of on-going development.

There’s a diary platform that was milking around 800 cows and producing around 1140 kg MS/ha. That is in the process of lifting numbers and David tells me they are looking at around 1500 cows in the near future.

The property also runs a sheep and beef unit which also supports the dairy block – wintering around half the herd and rearing some of the dairy heifer replacements.

They also have Kelso ram lambs – to be sold as breed rams – and some lamb finishing. The final part of the business is maize production – most of that destined for the diary farm as maize silage.

One Plan

From April 1, 2014 all intensive farms in the region that Tutu Totara Farm occupies, are required to have a Farm strategy – this has to cover off on N-loss, N-limits and One Plan compliance.

The idea behind the One Plan is that there will be one plan that covers off on all the consents for a farm – rather than the traditional approach of having several separate consents. In the long term it is hoped that the process will be much simpler, quicker and considerably less expensive.

A Farm Strategy is a necessary prerequisite for a whole-farm consent.

There's been an exploratory Farm Strategy done for Tutu Totara which is an assessment of permitted and controlled activities on the farm and a strategic plan to ensure those activities comply with One Plan specifications and water quality targets. It includes a nutrient budget, nutrient loss and mitigation activities, identifying best practise options that meet the requirements without putting too much strain on farm performance.

The farm is already using practises to mitigate environmental damage.
Some of these are already requirements under the Clean Streams Accord codes.
- Use of feed pad – off farming grazing during winter
- Use of bridges and culverts
- Use of high-energy low N feeds ( maize grain )
- Protect important wetlands.
- Excluding cattle from rivers and streams

Other Issues

The farm is operating within N-loss limits set under the One Plan. However the numbers will change as cow numbers increase.

The main issue for Tutu Totara appears to be farm dairy effluent management. Around 13.8 ha is currently covered by the travelling irrigator. There’s also a sump overflow issue. It has been recommended to the farm that they construct a bigger effluent pond, enlarge effluent application area and reduce water consumption by using an improved wash down system. (This is a requirement under Clean Streams as well)

The farm survey also looked at nil N fertiliser application over winter. (Currently urea is applied to winter on the Dairy platform to increase late season production) This is predicted to reduce N-leaching from the dairy farm - at a rate of 1kg N/ha/yr – however the financial implications were large in comparison with minimal environment impacts.

The use of inhibitors for urease and Nitrification were also looked at – it is estimated that use of these may decrease N loss by 1.4kg N /ha/yr.

David Marshall.

David says since the original exploratory Farm Strategy document was done on Tutu Totara things have changed. They have rearranged the mix of sheep, beef & crops, expanded the size of the farm and looked to lift cow numbers on the existing platform.

He says the threat the One Plan poses to his business is that as time moves on production lifts and environmental rules around the farm will change. He says that the wider public won’t accept detrimental impacts on the environment, so they don’t want to put their heads in the sand, but at the same time he’s cautious about some of the rules and the slightly speculative nature of some of the requirements.

The Carrot or the Stick

Greg Carlyon from Horizons Regional Council says that their overall approach to One Plan is to use methods that encourage responsible resource use, benefit responsible resource users and punish irresponsible resource users.

They recognise that to make the changes they want to make on the Big Four issues, farmers will need to change – in some cases making significant changes to common practise.

To get farmers on board they’ve committed to working with local communities, adopting practical solutions, coming up with things that are sensible and affordable.

They want change to be voluntary but say if that doesn’t work they will switch to using rules that require change.

They are currently hearing submissions on the plan; a process that is due to run on for some time before being rolled out into the final document.

Consents
On 3 July 2008 the Dominion Post reported that Dairy farmers have been told they needed to get their effluent disposal and stock water consents in order before the start of this season’s milking.
Farmers heading into the new dairy season without adequate effluent disposal systems in place face heavy penalties and fines.
The region's 900 dairy operations have been sent letters urging them to contact the council, (which covers Tararua, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Rangitikei, Wanganui and Ruapehu districts), if they have expanded herd sizes without modifying their effluent disposal and stock water consents.
They were told the council plans to start a concentrated campaign of inspections in August 2008.

Further Notes on the One Plan

The Big Four

Issue 1: Surface Water Quality Degradation
The Problem:
Run-off of nutrients, sediment and bacteria from farms is now the single largest
threat to water quality in the Region. In some waterways it is risky to swim or
gather food, and aquatic life is being damaged. Horizons estimate that 11 catchments in the region come under this category.
Proposed Approach:
Set water quality standards for ecosystem, recreational, cultural and water-use
values identified for catchment water management zones. Identify water
management zones most affected by nutrient enrichment and/or bacterial
contamination. Use a mixture of persuasion, advice and rules to manage
agricultural run-off in these water management zones.

Issue 2: Increasing Water Demand
The Problem:
The amount of water used from ground and surface water resources increases
each year. At certain times of the year public water supply and irrigation demand
exceed what some waterways in the Region can supply.
Proposed Approach:
Horizons has set minimum flows and defined core allocation volumes for water
management zones under pressure from surface takes. These will be used to
manage and allocate water. Horizons is also working with water users to
encourage water-use efficiency and accurately define abstraction rates using
telemetered water meters.

Issue 3: Unsustainable Hillcountry Land Use ( previously covered by RD in 2005/6)
The Problem:
Unsustainable pasture-based farming practices in our Region’s fragile hillcountry
damage the soil and accelerate erosion and muddy waterways, increasing river
siltation downstream and reducing the protection level of flood control schemes.
Proposed Approach:
Implementation of a Sustainable Land Use Initiative on highly erodible land within
the Region in combination with rules where appropriate. The initiative is
underpinned by the development of whole farm business plans. These voluntary
plans provide paddock-scale best land management advice while optimising
economic return to the landowner. The first whole farm business plan was piloted
on a farm in the Pohangina Valley in 2005 and the programme is currently being
rolled out in priority areas.

Issue 4: Threatened Native Habitats
The Problem:
Due to more than a century of landscape modification, our Region has lost much
of its native habitat. Habitat remnants continue to be threatened by land
development and by plant and animal pests.
Proposed Approach:
Horizons will be the lead agency for biodiversity management for the Region by
controlling activities in rare and threatened habitats, at-risk habitats and working
with landowners to protect and enhance these habitats.
Horizons has identified the Region’s top 100 wetland habitats and is encouraging
their owners through advice and financial incentives to actively manage these
habitats. The objective of the programme is to have all 100 wetlands under active
management within 10 years.

Those Not in Favour

Notably not in favour of the One Plan is former Fed’s president Charlie Pedersen - …he says that the proposed rules under the One Plan make farming a consented activity and place restrictions on nutrient discharges from properties. He says that farmers are fearful of having to reduce stock numbers as the only way of reducing nutrient loadings.

He asks the question: “ Do the public really wish to trade off farm viability for better recreational opportunities?”

He likens forcing farmers to reduce stock numbers or in some way downsize their farming businesses is like asking a landlord to reduce his building by two floors.

He says Horizon has yet to come up with an economic impact analysis for the One Plan.

Rural Women New Zealand
This body is calling for less bureaucracy in the ‘One Plan’. Their spokesperson Margaret Millard says, Horizons Regional Council’s resources should be focused on basic infrastructure issues rather than non-specific environmental outcomes where the costs are clear but the benefits are not. She also says that the One Plan is based on pessimistic predictions about what is going to happen some of the region’s environmental resources. She says that basically they should stick to the knitting, and not implement any “unnecessarily burdensome and impractical regulatory processes and activities.” She also says they don’t have to resources.

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