Farmers fear the Otago Regional Council's underlying motive for water plan changes could be to reduce their water takes, immediate past president of North Otago Federated Farmers Robert Borst says.
The last day of submissions to the hearing into the proposed 1C water plan changes was held in Dunedin yesterday before councillors Duncan Butcher, David Shepherd and Stephen Cairns.
Mr Borst said he was fearful that with the plan's aim to reduce over-allocation, water takes could be reduced.
Farmers needed certainty to invest in infrastructure around water and sought recognition of seasonal usage variations.
Cr Butcher said the panel was aware of those fears, but did not believe that was the intention of the council.
"We're not here to take water off people."
Federated Farmers policy team leader Matt Harcombe said the plan needed to be explicit in recognising variations in historical use of water, the reasons for them, and the implication for the consent holders' existing investment, if the amount of water allocated to that replacement consent was considerably less that what was held.
"Provision for reasonably anticipated growth should be a matter for consideration of all replacement consents."
Mr Cairns said the panel was having to consider "extremes" in views on the plan with one, from an organisation he did not name, requesting that there be no allocation from the Waianakarua River and an investigation of ways to reduce the existing allocation from there over time.
The request was in the Otago Conservation Board's submission.
Horticulture New Zealand (HNZ) resource management consultant Lynette Wharfe said access to water was a significant requirement for Otago's horticultural operations.
While HNZ liked most of what it saw in the proposed changes, it sought clarification on some points to remove any possibility of confusion, she said.
Department of Conservation freshwater ecosystems technical support officer Murray Neilson said populations of galaxias, bullies and torrentfish appeared to have disappeared from Otago waterways.
The proposed changes did not go far enough in recognising the importance of community water supplies, three of Otago's councils say.
MWH NZ senior resource planner Frances Lojkine, on behalf of the Waitaki, Dunedin and Queenstown Lakes district councils, said community water supplies should have priority over other uses of water.
While generally supportive of the plan change, they wanted the importance of community water supplies recognised.
"Community water supplies are fundamental to ensuring the health and safety of people and communities."
The amendments proposed by plan change 1C did not go far enough in recognising this, Ms Lojkine told the hearing.
Otago's runanga also had concerns that the proposed changes did not recognise their needs.
KTKO Ltd (representing the four Otago runanga) resource management planner Tim Vial said the runanga felt the proposed plan change did not adequately recognise and provide for their relationship with "wai Maori" (water in its natural state) and that the plan change was, in part, contrary to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The hearing was adjourned until Monday for the staff to report back.
