Industry, Maori and farmers took aim at the Otago Regional Council's proposed policy statement for the next 10 years as the public had its say on the issue.
The ORC yesterday held the first day of public hearings in Dunedin on its regional policy statement.
The hearings followed the public notification of a proposed statement, intended to cover the next 10 years, earlier this year.
The hearings are in Dunedin this week, Alexandra and Queenstown next week, and Oamaru the week after. The statement was designed to update and replace the current one, which came into effect in 1998.
It aimed to ensure Otago's natural and built resources were managed well and deal with challenges such as climate change, and balancing land use intensification with the ongoing health of land and water.
Ravensdown Ltd raised concerns the policy regarding discharges could make it difficult for the company's Ravensbourne fertiliser works to get resource consent in future.
Company solicitor Rachel Brooking said Ravensdown was New Zealand's largest manufacturer of superphosphate.
The most significant environmental issues from the works were effects of air discharge from an acid plant and superphosphate manufacturing.
There were also discharges to the harbour.
She told a hearings panel of chairwoman Cr Gretchen Robertson and commissioners Cr Trevor Kempton and Clive Geddes the policy on discharges could be ''interpreted as stopping all conspicuous discharges''.
The company already had restrictions to its discharges under the resource consent it had.
In the company's statement, Ms Brooking called on the ORC to amend the policy ''so it does not put a stop to existing consented discharges that have some odour, or are conspicuous''.
''Not all odorous or conspicuous discharges are `objectionable or offensive' and they should not default to this position.''
Tautuku Block Trust chairman Ted Palmer told the hearing consultation with Maori landowners and trustees was inadequate.
He said the trust administered freehold Maori land granted under the 1906 South Island Landless Natives Act, land that included access to Cathedral Caves in the Catlins.
Mr Palmer described a two-hour consultation meeting as ''little more than a charade''.
Because the consultation was inadequate it did not meet minimum requirements necessary for the council to have an adequate knowledge of Maori landowner and trust concerns to make informed decisions.
Mr Geddes noted Mr Palmer had the opportunity through the submission process to ''raise matters with which you do not agree''.
Federated Farmers senior policy adviser David Cooper said the proposed statement was ''significantly more prescriptive'' than its predecessor, which farmers viewed as a workable and practical document.
The proposed statement set up primary production ''as an issue to be addressed''.
That meant the issues resulting from resource use ''are unnecessarily divorced from the benefits arising from that use''.
Mr Cooper also told the committee while the importance of Kai Tahu to Otago needed to be recognised in the document, the organisation was concerned primacy given to the iwi's values, rights and interests ''may impact primary production and resource management processes in Otago''.
The hearing continues today.
