Regional Council wants feedback on freshwater
Hundreds of people across the region have joined Taranaki Regional Council’s freshwater community conversation – and there’s still time to get involved and have your say.
Around 550 people attended freshwater drop-in sessions at 16 events in June and earlier this month where communities got the chance to chat with Council staff about the future of freshwater.
The focus is now on online community conversations with surveys around key freshwater issues including sediment, nutrients, farm practices, water allocation, animal effluent and earthworks available at www.trc.govt.nz/helpshapetherules.
The consultation is open until 2 August and there are two $200 Prezzy Cards up for grabs for those taking part.
Council Chair Charlotte Littlewood praised the high quality, informed and forthright feedback provided by visitors to the drop-in sessions.
“We’ve been absolutely delighted with the terrific turnout at the drop-in events around the maunga and I’d like to say a huge thanks to all those who came along and made these events such a success,” said Mrs Littlewood.
“It’s not just about the quantity though. Those attending have really engaged with our staff and had open and honest discussions about their concerns and hopes for our rivers and streams.
“We held these sessions to be able to listen to communities, farmers, environmental groups, tamariki, business people and everyone who cares about our waterways, and they have provided vital feedback that will shape the rules around freshwater management.”
The feedback from the drop-in sessions and the online surveys will help shape targets, limits and rules in the Council’s new Land and Freshwater Plan which sets out how it will manage freshwater effectively for the whole community.
There’ll be a chance to have a say on limits at the end of year and feed back on the draft plan in early 2025 before the Land and Freshwater Plan is notified mid-2025.
A reminder to dairy farmers who haven’t yet had the chance to report how much synthetic nitrogen fertiliser they used last year to get the information to Taranaki Ragional Couincul by the end of July.
Government regulations, which apply to pastoral land of 20ha or more and put a synthetic nitrogen fertiliser cap of 190kgn/ha/year, require farmers to report their usage from 1 July to 30 June each year by 31 July.
For Ravensdown customers, use the www.hawkeye.farm/ portal while Ballance customers should head to www.myballance.co.nz.
There is also a regional sector tool called the N-cap Webform available at https://n-cap.teurukahika.govt.nz/.
As always, Taranaki Regional Council staff are on hand to provide advice and assistance to farmers. Call them on 0800 736 222, email info@trc.govt.nz or see www.trc.govt.nz/ncap for more details.