Farmers hail changes to Resource Management Act
Changes to resource management laws announced last week will spare thousands of farmers from needing an unnecessary resource consent just to keep farming.
HOW TO AVOID effluent ponds leaking or even collapsing is the topic of an education day being run by Waikato Regional Council on April 30, with Debbie Care of AgVice.
"Such failures can cause pollution of waterways and groundwater, and mean that valuable nutrients are lost to farming systems," said the council's proactive monitoring manager, Ross Wightman.
The education day Putaruru will offer practical advice about how to avoid pond failures, he says.
South Waikato pond failures will be discussed, as will the design considerations to take into account when constructing new effluent storage.
"There are often no warning signs when an effluent pond fails but the risk of failure can be minimised if the pond has been constructed and maintained correctly," says Wightman.
In the South Waikato a pond failure occurred without warning in mid-2012. The pond was constructed in a friable rhyolite soil. Effluent '"tunnelled" through the pond wall and caused a significant discharge of effluent into water and contaminated a nearby water supply.
This pond failure highlights how farmers need to take special care when constructing holding facilities on rhyolite.
"Volcanic rhyolite soil can be found throughout the South Waikato and Taupo as a non-welded, gravelly and sandy pumice soil, or as a dense welded rock. Rhyolite soils are common in the Waikato through the Taupo volcanic zone that stretches from Mount Ruapehu to White Island," says Wightman.
"The risk of pond failure can be minimised during the design and construction phase by ensuring that the pond is constructed of an appropriate material, that it is lined correctly, and that the location is structurally stable.
"Also, when constructing a new effluent pond or assessing an existing one, it is very important to undertake a thorough site investigation to assess the soil profile and slope stability."
The effluent education field day will run from 10.15am-1.30 pm on Wednesday, April 30 at Jack and Elizabeth Scheres' property on 169 Leslie Rd, Putaruru, Fonterra, supply number 77783.
For further information and to register call 0800 800 401.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…