Staff from Fonterra, representing a group of Kaikoura farmers, met Environment Canterbury (ECan) staff in Christchurch on Thursday to solidify the partnership.
ECan Kaikoura zone manager Kevin Heays said farmers had come forward wanting to work with the regional council around how to improve the quality of their neighbouring waterways, particularly in the Lyell Creek catchment.
Heays said the end-goal for all parties was to move from the current red zone water quality status to an orange zone under ECan’s Land and Water Regional Plan.
Farmers in this area had continually become more active in trying to work together towards what was a shared objective, he said.
Many were keen to act on solutions for improving the area’s water quality, including riparian planting and ‘buffer strips’ alongside waterways, as well as cattle fencing to keep stock from streams.
With the two working together, proper planning would be put in place to improve this water quality, including school and community efforts to help the cause.
«We’ve come from push-back right up to them knocking on our door, saying ‘how can I get involved with this? What can I do on my place?’,» Heays said.
«That’s come about with just everybody talking to each other . . . Everyone now knows the right thing to do, and it’s fast become apparent that everyone’s going to do the right thing.»
Fonterra North Canterbury area manager Mike Hennessy said farmers being introduced to ECan teams they had never worked with was what made the difference in forging the relationship.
Previously, many had only had experiences with the regulatory side of ECan, he said.
«Farmers had never been exposed to the biodiversity team, their work and what they can do.
«When you get them on farm, [ECan land management advisor] Chloe Armour and [biodiversity officer] Jess Hill are just so knowledgeable.
«Once they impart that knowledge on, these guys just lap it up because they’re passionate about their farms anyway, and it’s just all of a sudden you’ve got – in their eyes – a regulatory authority helping them out.»
He said farmers had also begun to keep tabs on one-another to ensure they were all staying on track with their objectives, as all were aware of how important it was for a collective effort to have an impact on any area.
Source: Stuff
Link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/82385379/fonterra-ecan-join-forces-to-tackle-kaikoura-water-quality
