A dairy farming couple who applied for retrospective resource consent after clearing native vegetation alongside the Hawea River have had it granted, but with a long list of conditions.
Peter and Yvonne Phiskie, of Waituna, Southland, believed the clearance was covered by a consent they obtained for two new centre pivot irrigators, a hearing heard.
They stopped clearing the land as soon as they were contacted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
The couple faced independent commissioner David Whitney at a council hearing in June.
In his decision released recently, Mr Whitney granted consent for the clearing already done on 2.23ha of land near the Hawea River track, and for additional clearing of 4700sqm of land.
He considered any adverse effects of the proposal were limited and could be satisfactorily mitigated through conditions.
A list of conditions attached to the decision included a restoration plan to mitigate kanuka shrubland clearance.
It contained a five-year, council-approved work programme of fencing, native planting and weed and wilding pine control.
The plan includes a fenced buffer strip up to 50m from the river track to protect the natural character of the landscape and provide a visual buffer between the track and the dairy farm.
It also requires the outer sprinkler of the pivots to be turned off where they would irrigate kanuka shrubland, in other than specified areas.
Native species to be planted include kowhai, kohuhu, broadleaf, cabbage trees, lowland ribbonwood, fierce lancewood, Hall's totara and matai.
The couple will be liable for the costs associated with the monitoring of the resource consent.
