The Otago Regional Council’s proposed regional policy statement, now out for consultation, does not restrict carbon farming by excluding it from so-called "dry catchments" despite some protests.
Previous versions of the council’s overarching policy document did include statements about land use change in dry catchments, but the council has dropped the term from its forthcoming version.
Incite senior resource management consultant Felicity Boyd said 11 provisions she identified in the council’s new proposed policy statement were better suited to controlling carbon farming.
A dry catchment could refer to a lot of the region unintentionally.
And though the previous policy statement had required the land user to avoid a "significant reduction in water yield", in dry catchments, it failed to say what was meant by that statement as well.
The current dry catchment policy in the council’s current partially operative regional policy statement was unable to be implemented, she said.
"The value of having it there is questionable," Ms Boyd said.
"There is no definition of what a dry catchment is, or what a significant reduction in water yield is."
Rules about land use would be part of the council’s regional land and water plan, due in 2023.
For now, the proposed policy statement did require that land use in Otago maintained soil quality and contributed to good environmental outcomes for freshwater.
Rather than talking about a so-called dry catchment, it required the improvement or maintenance of freshwater quantity or quality to meet environmental standards set for each of the council’s freshwater management units.
"That policy in particular would provide [the council] with the ability to manage any kind of land use in its regional plan that may affect water quantity.
"That may include carbon farming, but it might include some other activity in the future that we’re not aware of now."
Cr Hilary Calvert said councillors wanted recognition that carbon farming forestry blocks concerned the council "because they suck up water".
"And however people take water from at least some of our catchments, that matters," she said.
Cr Kevin Malcolm said he was surprised and not happy "at all" with the decision to drop dry catchments from the policy statement.
"We are hanging our hat on a definition that is going to be put in our land and water plan yet I’ve got no idea what that’s going to be," Cr Malcolm said.
"I’m really disconcerted that that change was made after we were assured that that was going to be in there."
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Another howler from the ORC policy manager. Given how poorly written plan change 7, 8 and the RPS is, I suspect the region would be millions of dollars better off if the policy manager resigned. The work quality she is overseeing is simply below acceptable and trending into unlawful.
More than the policy manager needs to resign! It would be interesting to know what qualifications and experience these people have? ORC has wasted millions of dollars over the last four years and there is no sign that this will get better with the current regime and executive.