Council to look at submissions deadline

Submissions on the proposed plan close at 5pm on 8 March. Farmer lobby groups want more time to make submissions.

Waikato Regional Council says it has prepared its own submission on the proposed plan, and has received 95 submissions from the public to date.

“Based on requests for information that have been coming through, we are aware sectors and individuals are working on submissions at the moment and we expect more will be lodged in the closing week of this process,” says chief executive Vaughan Payne.

All documents, including editable submission forms, are available on the council website.

“Managing water quality in the Waikato and Waipā rivers is one of the biggest environmental issues facing our region. For the last two decades our community has told us water quality is their number one priority. Now is their opportunity to have their say on the solutions proposed,” said Mr Payne.

Payne says no policy is perfect when it’s first notified and, as with any policy development, there are aspects of the proposed plan the council believes may need to be refined. “We expect this to happen through the submission process.”

A submission on the proposed plan has been prepared by staff for council consideration. The submission takes into consideration how the plan can practically be implemented and enforced, how the plan affects the council as a land owner and key infrastructure provider, and how the proposed plan delivers on the regional council’s legal responsibilities for developing resource management policy for freshwater management.

“Our submission supports the overall intent and objectives of the proposed plan while making practical suggestions for improvements in how Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora could be implemented for affected landowners, while ensuring the protection and restoration of the Waikato and Waipā rivers into the future,” Mr Payne said.

Key submission areas include the approach to nitrogen management, ownership of nitrogen reference points, including monitoring and enforceability, the implications of the current proposal on commercial vegetable production and addressing some inconsistencies in the proposed plan rules.