Editorial - Put people first

 Dairy farmers have known of the issue for some time, taking note of what has happened in the Lake Taupo catchment and in Manawatu with the One Plan.

What makes this situation different is the nature of the Rotorua Lakes catchment. There are hundreds of lifestyle farms virtually on the shores of the lake and on the hills above – those who love a pony or three, or a few sheep or cattle for the freezer. They will be hit hard and they can be stroppy.  

The message coming through is that this consultation process, like many others in the past, is not going to plan. Or is it that the council is not getting its own way and that its science and modelling is being seriously challenged?

Sadly, too many regional councils have been captured by ‘green elements’; Lachlan McKenzie is right in saying too little attention is paid to the economic impacts of decisions made by councils.

 The need is to get the balance right, and farmers more than anyone else in the community have made huge strides in mitigating the impacts of their work on the environment. This must be said of Rotorua.

Farmers have changed their systems to reduce their environmental footprint, but if councils persist in hammering them too hard the economics of farming will not stack up and the wider community will suffer.

 Highly qualified professional farm advisors in Rotorua are uneasy about the council proposals on N leaching  and what impact these might have long-term on a region with high unemployment and many social problems.

Idealism about the environment is noble stuff, but if it destroys communities and puts people out of work is it doing any good?  Regional councils need to balance their plans by looking hard at the impact their decisions will have on people – not just on lakes and waterways.