Despite improving water quality in much of the region and maximum effort by Horizons' farmers and territorial authorities in reducing impacts on waterways, the Environmental Defence Society and Wellington Fish and Game's intend to lodge declaration proceedings against Horizons Regional Council in the Environment Court this week.
The declaration focus is on the implementation of rules that reduce leaching of nutrients from farms. The two organisations are seeking clarification around assessments of consent applications under the intensive land use rules of Horizons' One Plan.
However, Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon said no regulatory plan has ever been applied at the scale of the One Plan in New Zealand before.
"It is hugely disappointing that despite obvious progress being made by Horizons and its communities, that a fishing and hunting group and a small environmental group based in Auckland are willing to enter an expensive court proceeding on what appears to be related to Resource Management Act process rather than outcomes in our local waterways," he said.
Tony Haslett, Fonterra's area manager for Hawke's Bay, told the Dannevirke News the 290 Tararua and 85 Hawke's Bay dairy farms are all working to become more efficient in utilising nutrients through the One Plan and the Tukituki Plan Change 6 consenting processes and also through Fonterra's annual on-farm nitrogen assessment programme.
"Our local farmers are using a range of methods to mitigate nutrient loss including riparian planting, waterway fencing and crossing construction, farm dairy effluent storage and irrigation upgrades, feed and loafing pads, changes to more efficient cropping and fertiliser programmes, cow barns and the like," he said.
"The positive effect this ongoing work is having on our local waterways is well recognised as shown in Woodville's Mangatera Stream receiving national recognition last year as one of the most improved water bodies in New Zealand."
At its implementation in 2014, Horizons' One Plan looked to improve water quality through a number of means including resource consents for discharges to land and water through to non-regulatory means such as the sustainable land-use initiative, and the Manawatu River Leaders' and Horowhenua Lake Accord.
"The plan's implementation is complex and has required co-operation from many organisations to make rules and policies take effect," Mr Gordon said.
"Like any new piece of regulation, the One Plan is continuously monitored and evaluated to allow our council to learn and refine its delivery."
Horizons strategy and regulation manager Dr Nic Peet said a specific section of the One Plan focuses on limiting the amount of nutrients entering rivers from intensive agriculture in certain catchments around the region.
"The reason for doing this is to reduce the growth of algae in the rivers. Too much algae can affect a river's ecology," he said.
"One of the ways the plan looks to control nutrients entering waterways is by controlling the amount of nutrient an individual farm is allowed to lose into the soil through resource consents.
"Every nutrient management consent granted is subject to an annual monitoring programme. This involves council staff visiting farms and assessing nutrient budgets to make sure farmers are on track with the targets set out in their consent.
"There is also a five-yearly consent review process which allows the regional council to revisit consent conditions across a catchment if the measures in place are not having the desired effect.
"The primary sector has embraced the need to do this and industries have taken an active part in the plan's implementation. As a regulator, Horizons has welcomed the involvement of industry while maintaining its independence."
Horizons natural resources and partnership manager Dr Jon Roygard said the 168 consents granted to date for existing farms in target catchments cover nearly 33,000 ha (about 20 per cent of the entire dairying area in the region).
"The existing dairy farms consented have made significant reductions in the leaching of nitrogen at an average of 9 per cent," he said. "If the remaining One Plan consents to be granted continue at a similar average reduction rate, the overall reduction via implementation of the plan on existing farms is likely to be well in excess of 200 tonnes of nitrogen once all of the estimated 400 consents for existing dairy farms are processed.
"Around the time the One Plan was notified the council upgraded its water-quality monitoring programmes by nearly doubling the amount of water-quality monitoring it undertakes. Horizons now monitors 138 sites each month. This is one of the largest monitoring programmes in New Zealand."
At their October regional council meeting, Horizons councillors confirmed their approach to the implementation of One Plan nutrient management provisions.