Lagoon news was 'bolt of lightning'

When it was revealed that Southland's Waituna Lagoon was critically ill, the news came as a "bolt of lightening", local farmer Gerald Spain said.

Mr Spain was speaking at a meeting at Gorge Rd last week to release the Waituna Catchment Action Plan, which was produced by dairy farmers in the Waituna catchment, with the support of DairyNZ.

Environment Southland has told farmers that the lagoon - part of the internationally-recognised Awarua wetlands southeast of Invercargill - is facing serious problems that include a build-up of sediment in the lagoon and loss of the ruppia (seagrass) which helps to maintain its ecological balance. There was a serious chance it could "flip" to a permanently degraded state.

"This is where we live and we want to save it," Mr Spain, a third-generation farmer in the area, said.

While the lagoon had previously appeared fine to farmers and the naked eye, under the microscope it was a different story. "It was basically a bolt of lightening out of the blue," he said.

Since scientists revealed the lagoon was critically ill in February this year, farmers and the industry had put in a "tremendous" amount of work.

Key actions identified included measures to:

• Eliminate stock access to waterways.

• Build and maintain riparian areas.

• Better wintering through paddock selection, off-catchment or off-paddock wintering systems.

• Change how drainage networks were maintained to reduce sediment loss occurring through bank slumping.

• Maintaining and enhancing natural wetlands to act as natural filter zones.

• Installation of sediment traps.

There was also room to improve management of nutrients, effluent and rubbish disposal by:

• Utilising nutrient management plans.

• Stopping effluent irrigation to saturated soils.

• Reducing effluent application rates and/or depth.

• Improving rubbish disposal practices.

Farmers had opened up their farms to independent assessment, identified and developed a broad range of practical initiatives and rolled them into action plans for each farm.

Progress would be reviewed and reported on at the end of next year and it was hoped to build a self-regulating system. "If we get these things right, we will be self-regulating which is what we want," Mr Spain said.

It had been developed by farmers for farmers, and to do that in 10 months was "not bad going". The farmers in the area were enthusiastic and motivated and the land "represents who we are", he said.

Guest speaker at the meeting was Golden Bay dairy farmer Sue Brown, who outlined what had been achieved in the Aorere River catchment, with a community approach to catchment wellbeing.

Miranda Hunter, of DairyNZ, recently updated Environment Southland's environmental management committee on programmes it has been working on with farmers in the catchment.

The action plan should provide a "clear and cohesive pathway for the future", which would include sustainable milking plans, she said.

At the meeting, Cr Maurice Rodway asked Ms Hunter what feelings she had gauged from farmers in the catchment about whether they thought there was a problem.

"If I had a dollar for every time I heard a farmer say to me they would like to leave their land and surrounds in a better state for my children and grandchildren."