WCO under scrutiny

...contaminants, however, are currently inadequate.

Cherrie underlined the need to develop a better understanding of the system. “With the scientific knowledge gaps, the complexity of the catchment and climate variability identified in the Court’s findings, the farmers are supportive of the need for a comprehensive scientific review and the funding request to the ministry to support that.”

Water quality

Although dissolved reactive phosphate, dissolved oxygen and water clarity standards are prescribed in the WCO, nitrate (NO3-N) is the key parameter due to its potential to disrupt the aquifer’s fragile ecosystem responsible for the outstanding water clarity of the Springs.

Data collected by Friends of Golden Bay, from its fortnightly sample analysis, show the WCO interim upper limit of 0.44mg/l has been consistently exceeded (up to 50mg/l) at Main Spring for the past four years. Under the provisions in the WCO, TDC would be obligated to investigate and rectify any such exceedance “as soon as practicable”.

Although the WCO is not yet in force, TDC and the farming community are working towards similar environmental goals through the implementation of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. “We’re certainly looking at progressing identification of all the different actions that council could be doing, that landowners and farmers in the recharge area could be doing,” said Lisa. “Once that’s identified we’ll be looking at which actions council’s responsible for and the mechanisms through which we would implement those, so that may be through the regional plan change for freshwater that’s coming up, or it may be through future plan changes, or through our monitoring and investigations programme.”

Farmers in the recharge area appear keen to engage with the process. “The farmers look forward to continuing collaborative efforts with Manawhenua, industry groups and the Tasman District Council to continue the improved trajectory of reducing N leaching in line with the court findings,” said Cherrie. “Farmers see sustainable farming practices at the heart of respecting the whenua and the puna whilst supporting economically viable businesses for the benefit of the whole community.”

Water flow

The WCO does not limit its recommendations to water quality – quantity is also an important parameter. Two key figures are specified: An allocation limit of 766 litres per second on the combined take of surface water and groundwater from within the recharge area; and a minimum flow rate at the Main Spring of 6895 litres per second.

Joseph said quality and quantity considerations were linked by a subclause in the WCO. “We can’t allocate any more water until we can see the number for nitrate come down…”

Under the WCO, water abstraction will be controlled through a cease take regime that may include rationing to ensure that the flow from the Main Spring is equal to or greater than the minimum flow at all times.

Joseph explained that the flow can take time to recover, especially during a dry period, so there could be problems in store for farmers. “Potentially the water abstraction restrictions could be in play for reasonable periods of time in a long drought because the spring responds slowly to recharge, not straight away like a river.”

Next steps

Before it comes into force – 28 days after being gazetted –the WCO is subject to due statutory process, which begins with the right to appeal. Parties have 15 working days from time of publication of the Order to lodge an appeal, which means any application must be made by next Friday. It was unclear at the time of going to press whether any party was intending to appeal.

Lisa noted the Court process involved only a small number of parties and excluded a “significant chunk” of the community, an omission which TDC plans to address. “We’ll be looking at what sort of engagement we can do, once the appeal’s period is over, to help the community understand what it will mean.”

In addition, she explained that the freshwater plan change, which will help to implement the WCO, is a much more public process and offers “a lot of opportunity for the community to comment on the draft plan and what’s going in it”.

This is significant because, as Joseph pointed out, the Order affects not just farmers, but “anyone who lives in the recharge area or any land in the recharge area”.

Cherrie said, although they had “lots to work through”, her sector is fully on board. “While farmers are still carefully considering the full implications of the Court’s findings they see the unique opportunity to work collaboratively on a complex issue to the benefit of both the environment and the community for generations to come.”

Lisa is under no illusion about the scale of the task ahead. “In summary, it’s an incredibly complex freshwater system, and the management of it is going to be equally complex, and I guess our challenge all around, not just for the council, is figuring out how we make it work.”

Monday 14 August, 1pm, GB Service Centre

Items on the Agenda include:

Presentations from:

• Mohua 2042

• Community Climate Change and Resilience

• Golden Bay Youth Council Reports include:

Board Report

• Pōhara Recreation Reserve Tennis Pavillion

• Request for approval of a new street name

- Raniera Way

• Financial Summary

To register to speak at Public Forum, to view Agenda and Reports, or obtain the Zoom link visit the meetings calendar at www.tasman.govt.nz

Scaffold Solutions

Edge Protection Site Fencing

Golden Bay Scaffold Ltd 027 569 6483

Indigenous sovereignty vs democracy

I have been observing the coverage of the recent cogovernance meetings/protests and cannot help but feel the coverage from The GB Weekly has been very unilateral on the side of the "pro's". There are many genuine, valid and evidenced reasons why co-governance is a deeply flawed concept, in order to keep your readers informed and offer an unbiased and objective portrayal of this (literally nation-changing) issue surely both sides of this issue should be explored and presented, if no more than to lay claim to any sort of journalistic integrity?

As David Lange (not so famously as inconvenient historical facts are ignored and any dissenting voices are subject to heavy censorship and flippant accusations of "racism") stated: “Democratic government can accommodate Māori political aspiration in many ways. It can allocate resources in ways which reflect the particular interests of Māori people. It can delegate authority, and allow the exercise of degrees of Māori autonomy. What it cannot do is acknowledge the existence of a separate sovereignty. As soon as it does that, it isn’t a democracy. We can have a democratic form of government or we can have indigenous sovereignty. They can’t coexist and we can’t have them both."

Ryan Carr

Understanding the Treaty

The Treaty of Waitangi is a simple document written in both Māori and English, with an introduction and three articles and a conclusion. We don’t get to cherry pick which article is more important. Larry Petterson (GBW, 4/8) thinks Article 1 in English should dominate and David Seymour wants Article 3 to dominate. Article 1 in English does include a ceding of sovereignty, however in Māori – the version most of the chiefs signed – it uses Kawanatanga (Governorship). The Waitangi Tribunal said that Article 1 was always conditional on Article 2 where in Māori what was retained was tino rangatiratanga, or full chiefly authority, over land, villages and ngā taonga katoa or all their treasured things, in the English the Queen guaranteed the full exclusive possession of their land, estates, forests, fisheries and their properties.

Respect and honour Te Tiriti

What a wonderful place this would be if we could respect and honour Te Tiriti. Imagine a country where we could work in relationship to create the best outcomes for humans and the environment. Those who stand up against divisive and hateful speech should be applauded.

Keith Morrison

Community Board: Focus on local issues

I am writing in support of Sally Gaffney's letter (GBW, 4/8). Given the Community Board's recently publicly declared dislike of scaremongering and misinformation, will they now also call out those placard wavers who appear frequently in Tākaka. No? Hopefully this might serve as a pointer to the Board that it's not a very good idea to get caught up with contentious matters involving national politics. I respectfully suggest that there are more than enough local issues on which to expend their valuable time. (ps, Like Sally, I would however add my appreciation to the Board members for their commitment in the often thankless task of serving the community.)

Richard English

Ligar Bay Beach Reserve

I am furious on two counts.

Who has stolen the old picnic table from the end of the estuary peninsula at Ligar Bay? This table, along with its much newer companion, had just been repaired by a community spirited individual and with material kindly donated by ITM. The old table has been there for years, it is a much used resting spot for those who walk and play at Ligar Bay. Why would you take such a mean spirited action? Please bring the picnic table back.

To the individual who cut down the karo tree by the seat opposite Matenga Road and dragged some of it along the beach and dumped it, what were you thinking? You obviously don't need the firewood so I suppose it impinged on your view? Can you not walk across the road and look at the sea? Why this right to protect "your view" forever, at the expense of shadegiving trees on a public reserve.

Tish Potter

Letters To The Editor

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Fortunately to deal with the Treaty, Lord Cooke in 1987 set out a set of principles which serve us today. That included principle of the duty to act reasonably and in good faith – the treaty "signified a partnership between Pakeha and Māori requiring each other to act towards the other reasonably and with the utmost good faith". The list may not have been final or complete, but they have stood the test of time. The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document for Aotearoa-New Zealand. It would be good for all New Zealanders to gain a good understanding of the Treaty. No reira, heoi ano.

The GB Weekly welcomes letters to the editor. Please email your letter to us at admin@gbweekly.co.nz by 12pm Tuesday. Include the writer’s full name, home address and daytime phone number. Letters will be printed over the name of the writer; names are withheld only when compelling reasons can be established. Letters must not exceed 250 words. Letters that are too long will not be considered. All correspondence is at the discretion of the manager, who reserves the right to decline, edit, or abridge letters without explanation or further discussion. Links to third party websites will not be published. The views expressed are those of the correspondents and are not necessarily endorsed or shared by The GB Weekly.

Te reo Māori immersion at Tākaka Playcentre

Nei rā te wā o te eanga ake o Matariki i te paerangi. Matariki rises on the horizon and so do our hopes and aspirations for the year ahead.

For families wanting to use more te reo Māori at home, a new kaupapa is in its beginning stages. Tākaka Playcentre will be offering a full immersion play session each week for families wanting to learn and speak te reo Māori in the home, starting in 2024. Adult whānau members will follow an online course together, then will meet once a week to play and practise together.

The group will be organised and supported by Madeline Pemberton, a fluent second language speaker of te reo Māori, who believes that “Raising bilingual children is entirely possible for monolingual parents who want to learn with their child. The most important thing is to begin now, and then it’s just a matter of one word and then another word”.

Families are not expected to have any prior knowledge of te reo Māori, in fact a core aspect of the kaupapa is that whānau start from the beginning and go slowly and thoroughly so that all the language learned is used and normalised in the home right away.

“We want families to know from the outset that they will never be stood up in front of everyone to, for example, say a karakia or their pepeha, without prior learning, practise, and consent, and even then they are welcome to back out at the last minute. Learning a language can be difficult emotionally, so we hope to make our practise space as stress-free as possible.”

Whānau involved will be enrolled at Tākaka Playcentre and all tamariki 0-6 years are welcome. Playcentre is a fantastic venue for such as group because it’s built for young children. Parents can relax (or concentrate on their reo!) knowing that their tamariki can play safely in the grounds, and they will also have all the language props they could ever need already on site.

Playcentre is funded by the Ministry of Education and only asks for an optional donation of $30 per term or $50 for a family. Under-twos are free.

“Even though the kaupapa would start at playcentre, it is hoped that this group will be the jumping off place for lots of families, perhaps into other reo opportunities, or that it will be the start of lots of interconnected families who share similar reo aspirations.”

Interested families are invited to attend one of two hui to learn more, discuss and decide on days and times, and to choose which online course they want to follow. Hui will be held at the Golden Bay Community Centre Hall in Tākaka, Monday 28 August 9.30am and 7.00pm. Please email takaka@playcentre.org.nz to register interest.

Annika Korsten forages food for nourishment and a healthy life, and her purpose is to "support people that live in a town to sustain themselves from the land".

This might include learning to skin and butcher an animal, making bone broth, or foraging for plants to eat and heal, skills she will teach in upcoming workshops.

German national Annika started her foraging journey when she was 19 and working as a WWOOFer in the Scottish Highlands. "I worked with a woman who made everything from scratch. She had grown and made everything from her land. Every day would be a different meal based on what was available. It was the first time I had ever experienced this sort of lifestyle. She showed me how to be self-sufficient in a really rough environment. This was the initiation to go and study something natural."

Annika went on to study botany at Otago University in 2008 and completed a Master of Science in Ecology, with her studies "leading her to be close to plants", which she "always had a knack for". "I build a relationship with the plant, I know the plant, and it is also about intuition," she says.

In Dunedin, Annika started “homesteading” – an umbrella term that “pulls together animal husbandry, becoming self-sufficient with food, and making clothing”. She started filling her kete with knowledge of gardening, grafting fruit trees, preserving, and making apple cider vinegar. Following university, Annika lived rurally in the Motueka Valley where she butchered chickens, ducks, and sheep, and started foraging. "Eating the weeds rather than actively planting,” she says, “using what was readily available." Annika's diet completely changed as she shifted to cutting out gluten, sugar, and alcohol. This worked well and she "felt more energised, with less spikes of highs and lows".

Annika met former partner Levi Harrison and together they lived a "foraging lifestyle", living together in a tipi. Their diet consisted of "butchering wild meats (goats and hares) and foraging greens". She also drank bone broth and rendered her own tallow for frying. The lifestyle allowed Annika to move to a keto diet – feeding on fats and protein, not on carbohydrates, eating twice a day. She also began practising intermittent fasting (no eating 7pm to 1pm) and started noting big changes, with "great energy and a strong body, less sickness and great sleep". Together with Levi she offered foraging and cooking workshops to "bridge modern culture eating and huntergathering". Participants learnt how to make dishes such as wild wheat pesto, sorrel soup, fried kawakawa leaves, and wood ear mushroom frittata with yarrow as a garnish.

Annika currently lives in a suburban environment with four other adults and a 16-month-old toddler. Together they have committed to a six-month experiment to collectively raise her, and to discover what the bridge to archiarchal child-raising looks like, documenting the journey as it evolves. Their food is 80-90 per cent from the land, trading homemade bread for eggs, sourcing wild meat, foraging greens, and purchasing organic vegetables locally.

Annika took The GB Weekly for a forage on a rural property, and in a short period collected a basketful of edible greens. "I often look around edges [where grass meets trees]," says Annika, before picking handfuls of sorrel, chickweed, dandelion leaf and kawakawa. "My suggestion is – at the beginning – to go foraging with someone who knows the weeds and fungi and to take a foraging guidebook with you."

Annika plans to share her skills with the community, running butchering workshops for women. "I will show people how to eat [and cook] all parts of the animal."

Annika will be running the butchering workshops with local butcher Georgie Moleta, at Georgie’s butchery on Packard Road on 12 August and 16 September, from 10am-2pm. To learn more, contact Annika ph 021 343 260, or visit www. annikakorsten.org.

03 525 6183 607 Takaka-Collingwood Highway Puramahoi roblewis@snap.net.nz