Dropped lake rates proposal 'victory' for farmers

The cost of cleaning up the lakes is estimated at $200 million. Picture / Daily Post.

A regional council decision to drop plans for extra rates for those deemed to be affecting the quality of Rotorua's lakes is being hailed a victory for farmers.

Kaharoa farmer Lachlan McKenzie is rapt Environment Bay of Plenty has decided to drop the proposal - for at least two years - and hopes the council will use that time to "take a good look" at what rural communities can afford to pay.

The Environment Bay of Plenty U-turn on targeted rates for the restoration of Rotorua lakes followed submissions to its 10-year plan, which included the proposal.

Mr McKenzie, who is the national vice president of Dairy Farmers of New Zealand, said he was pleased the council had listened to ratepayers and "seen reason for a change".

The cost of ridding the lakes of nutrients from human activity that have caused bad pollution has been estimated at $200 million.

Regional council chairman John Cronin said he still believed property owners who caused nutrients to flow into waterways should have to pay more because of the impact on water quality.

However, he conceded further investigations were needed to determine who should pay what.

"We need to do more work on this and the delay gives us a chance to talk more with local people about it. It has financial implications for rural landowners and we want to make sure we have time to get it right," Mr Cronin said.

Under its draft 10-year plan the regional council had proposed that owners of residential and commercial properties under 4ha should pay a set rate of $80, dairy farmers $53.72 per hectare of land and sheep and beef farmers $10.58 per hectare. For forestry, the charge would have been $1.24 a hectare.

Instead, for the next two years all urban and rural properties of less than two hectares will pay a set amount of $52 a year. Properties between two and 10 hectares will pay $100 while larger properties will pay $300.

Mr McKenzie said he believed submissions made by farmers in the Rotorua district and a petition presented to the regional council with about 400 signatures helped persuade the council.

He said farmers should not be blamed for the condition of Rotorua's lakes.

- DAILY POST