Waituna Lagoon consent puts farms at risk, Federated Farmers Say

Southland Federated Farmers President Jason Herrick says the new consent fails the environment and the ecological health of the lagoon, while leaving public and private infrastructure at serious flood risk.

"It's entirely unworkable, which is why we're stepping up on behalf of farmers and the wider community to appeal last month's hearing panel decision," Herrick says.

"We're extremely disappointed that Environment Southland and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have mismanaged the process from the start," he adds.

In October, independent commissioners granted a new 20-year consent to DOC, local iwi Te Rūnanga o Awarua and Environment Southland for periodic opening of the lagoon to the sea.

These previous openings provided flood relief and supported lagoon health. The Awarua Wetland Complex, which includes Waituna Lagoon, gained international status as a Ramsar wetland under this opening regime.

For many years, the opening actions were managed by the community-driven Lake Waituna Control Association.

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Herrick says the terms of the new consent applies the untested idea that higher water levels will help the lagoon.

However, those higher waters put surrounding farmland at serious risk of flooding, saturates highly erodible stream banks, and compromises catchment drainage systems.

As a waterbody fed by three primary creeks and enclosed by a beach, with no natural ability to drain, Waituna Lagoon needs periodic opening to the sea.

"This protects the ecological integrity of the lagoon, enhancing biodiversity, and preventing roads, walkways and productive farmland from being flooded," Herrick says.

Opening the lagoon periodically flushes nutrients and sediment washed down from the catchment, which at high water levels creates a risk of algal blooms and ‘dead zones’ unable to support aquatic life.

It also allows brown trout to enter from the sea, and for eels/tuna, lamprey/kana kana and inanga to exit the lagoon so they can carry out their migratory life cycles.

The reduced lagoon level is also important for habitat for a range of wading birds.

Herrick says he believes the new consent - with its higher water level triggers and 53 conditions - will make it nearly impossible, and very expensive, to cut a channel in the lagoon.

"The level of overkill in the myriad consent conditions is really worrying," he says.

"The council is unlikely to even be able to use its flood risk emergency powers.

"There’s a serious risk to public and private property, and of environmental damage."

"Environment Southland should never have let the consent application go to hearing in the form that it did," Herrick says.

"Federated Farmers has found reports showing Environment Southland has been angling for where the new consent has landed from as early as 2015.

"Farmers, anglers, duck hunters and the wider community have completely lost faith in them over this debacle."

Herrick says the council is now hiding behind legal process to claim it can’t appeal the consent, because it got the conditions it asked for.

"So what if the Environment Court throws out their appeal. At least it would show that the council acknowledges there’s a serious problem, and that they’re standing up for their ratepayers and residents.

"Federated Farmers members shouldn’t have to spend time and money on this appeal when it’s Environment Southland and DOC that created this farcical mess.

"But unlike those two organisations, we’re not willing to stand by and let local residents and businesses sit in fear every time it rains heavily."

Herrick says Federated Farmers Southland is calling on DOC and Environment Southland to acknowledge their missteps, and to work with farmers to fix the situation.

"The very least Environment Southland should do is to join our appeal as a supporting party, and help with the costs."