Submissions and consultations update

Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill

IrrigationNZ submitted that we are in general support of this Bill and its purpose following the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle across many agricultural and horticultural districts of New Zealand.

We note that the purpose covers the area of concern we have discussed with regional councils. This relates to issues that could directly affect our members regarding activities such as the administration of water take consents under the Resource Management Act (RMA) regulations. We are aware of hundreds of water take consent holders whose infrastructure for taking water, including the water meters, has been damaged extensively. The ability to meet obligations of water take reporting would in many cases be impossible and implausible in the current emergency recovery situation. Allowing a council and consent holder to temporarily act differently without breaching regulations in this situation is a sensible and pragmatic response.

IrrigationNZ is also aware of situations where emergency access is required to farm and orchard land and business premises via earthworks or stream crossing culverts, which under non-emergency circumstances may require a consent to be applied for and granted. It is better to allow a landowner to act in a timely manner and replace or relocate infrastructure such as culverts. Retrospective reviews of the need for a more formal activity consent process may still be needed when time allows.

IrrigationNZ understood some parties were concerned that this Bill gives too great a power to individuals to act as opposed to specifically allowing government agencies and councils to do things differently during the emergency recovery period. IrrigationNZ is comfortable that even if, for example, a water user needs to act differently regarding data reporting or emergency works, it’s appropriate to empower the individual in this situation to avoid them being in breach of a regulation. Being in breach of a regulation may impact the conditions of any bank lending that applies to the operation, and this could lead to unintended consequences for business stability. People will still need to be accountable after the event for anything they do, so still need to be aware of their prior obligations to operate within existing laws and regulations.

Natural And Built Environments Bill

In its February submission IrrigationNZ endorsed the argument for RMA reform and acknowledged that this overdue transformation generates an unavoidable element of unpredictability. Nonetheless, IrrigationNZ urged the Select Committee to prioritise the creation of certainty within the Bill itself as much as possible because certainty permits irrigation schemes and water users to make plans and investments for the future. This includes the ability to facilitate changes in land use, prevent the consequences of drought and flooding, and ensure the sustainable welfare of the land, water, and the living organisms they support, such as native flora and fauna, human life, and food supply.

From the Select Committee website there has been little to no update on progress assessing the multiple public and institutional submissions, but a formal update report is due on 27 June 2023.

Consultation Document On The Proposed National Organic Standard

This National Organic Standard applies to products from primary production and processing, including food, beverages, plant, and animal products. This includes products sold or used as an ingredient in a product to be sold for human or animal consumption where labelling, advertising material, or commercial documents claim the product, its production, or its ingredients as ‘organic’.

This Standard specifies the minimum requirements for the production, handling, processing, and labelling of organic products.

As this Standard refers to irrigation practices in the production of organic produce, IrrigationNZ will be making a submission, essentially to help ensure consistency with the work done in other food and fibre production sectors, to avoid dual or duplicate standards being established.

Guy Finny Associate Director – Infrastructure & Capital Projects

John Marker National Partner – Infrastructure & Capital Projects Deloitte New Zealand