Ratepayers ready to fight FNDC

Submissions to the Far North District Council's draft long-term plan might have favoured the proposed 'fairer' rates system, but the 70-odd farmers-, forest owners and growers who met in Okaihau on Tuesday didn't want a bar of it.

Dairy farm and forest owners in particular will pay significantly more under the proposal, the meeting resolving to urge the council to defer the change for a year, to give time for more consultation and figure-checking.

If that failed they would consider seeking a judicial review, withholding rates, or urging all Far North farmers to drive their tractors to the the council's long-term plan deliberations.

The meeting was called by Okaihau dairy farmer Murray Jamieson, who was "bitterly disappointed" by the lack of council representation. Initially he was told the chief executive would attend, but an email sent shortly before the meeting said, on legal advice, no one from the council would take part. (See sidebar).

Federated Farmers Northland secretary Louise Wilson, a Waihou Valley beef farmer, said a user pays rating system was a good idea in principle., but the council hadn't consulted adequately and hadn't got its numbers right.

"Federated Farmers was informed less than a week before submissions were due to close. When some of our members are going to pay $27,000 more a year in rates, a notice in the paper isn't good enough. In a democracy people deserve to be able to make an informed decision," she said.

The proposed rates hike came on top of a raft of new regulations and costs imposed by central government, such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme.

"Our members are telling us they've had a gutsful," Mrs Wilson said.

Phil Stocker, of Northland Forest Managers, said some forest owners were facing a 500 per cent rates increase. He realised the industry had a "massive impact" on country roads, but many forests backed on to state highways, which were not maintained by the council.

"We can't convert forest back into farmland because we're locked into the ETS, so we're between a rock and a hard place," he said.

Others questioned the data used. One said farmers should drive their tractors to Kaikohe when the council votes on the plan, another said he would be prepared to withhold his rates, but Kerikeri kiwifruit grower Murray Forsyth said they would succeed only if they stuck together, and were prepared to put up money for a judicial review.

"You can beat council, but it costs you," he said.

The meeting also resolved to seek more information on past road expenditure, and set up a steering committee comprising Mr Jamieson, Mrs Wilson, Kaitaia dairy farmer (and former councillor) Fiona King, one forestry and one horticulture representative.