Purpose of the Resource Management Act

1. Purpose of the Resource Management Act Sustainability Managing the use, development and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social, economic and cultural wellbeing while...

2. Sustaining the potential of natural and physical resources to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations; and Safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil and ecosystems; and Avoiding, remedying or mitigating any adverse effects of activities on the environment

3. The Resource Management Act • Is a government Act • Sets out permitted, discretionary and prohibited activities • Decisions on these activities are devolved to Regional and District Councils

4. Regional Councils • Handle consents for • Land use • Water use • Coastal permits • Discharges to air or water • Based on catchments

5. District and City Councils • Handle consents for • Land use • Subdivisions • Based on Communities

6. Resource consents If you want to make any changes that may affect the natural or human environment, you may require a resource consents. These are made to the District or Regional Council and may include activities like: • Putting a room on your house • Opening or expanding a pig farm • Building a library • Building a road • New drainage

7. Submissions • The public may make submissions on a consent, approving or disapproving of a proposed development • Submissions are heard by council staff at a hearing where the developer also makes its case

8. Decisions • Decisions are made by council staff, or if the council is the applicant, by an independent commissioner • Either the applicant or submitters can appeal to the environment court if they are unsatisfied

9. Intensive pig farming (Levin, NZ)

12. Case study – Reid’s piggery

13. Existing resource consents • Allowed discharge of up to 550 cubic metres of effluent per day to land, 7 days per week • Allowed discharge to air • The consent expired on 30 September 2005

14. Waste treatment system

15. Irrigation on to land

16. Tanker spreading system

17. Monitoring required for existing resource consent • Ground water bores to monitor for • nitrogen, depth of water table • Sampling bi-monthly • Soil sampling for nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus • Waster water to be sampled for BOD, nitrogen and phosphorus • River to be monitored for E. coli

18. Submitters’ concerns • Odour (NIMBY)?? • Pollution of waterways, “eels jumping out of the water” • Reids failed to comply with existing consent conditions • Animal welfare • Health

19. Monitoring required for new consent • Soil survey undertaken to determine permeability of soils • Based on soil type, a recommendation on application rate and depth can be made

20. Recommendations of independent report • N loadings be restricted to 150kgN/ha.yr • No irrigation on two of the soil types • Restrict application on one other soil type to dry periods • Change the irrigator nozzles to prevent ponding • Planting trees will reduce but not eliminate odour

21. GWRC decision – odour • A planting plan to be developed around piggery buildings • Tankers must have drop down hoses • Annual community meetings to be held

22. GWRC decision - Discharge to land • Some soils to be excluded • Monitoring of ground water to continue for 2 years • Maximum N loading of 150kg/ha/year