Nitrogen trading a possibility

Lake Rotorua Incentives Scheme programme director Te Taru White wants to clean up Lake Rotorua. Photo / Ben Fraser

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has not ruled out nitrogen trading as a way of reducing nitrogen discharge in Lake Rotorua.

An independent board, headed by programme director Te Taru White, was set up earlier this year to reduce nitrogen discharge into the lake.

The Lake Rotorua Incentives Scheme has been tasked with achieving a permanent 100 tonne reduction by December 2022.

The scheme, which has a budget of $40 million, allows property owners who reduce their nitrogen levels below the requirements to sell the deficit nitrogen to the regional council.

Rotorua Catchment manager Helen Creagh said the council would not sell the nitrogen it bought, but rules around property owners trading nitrogen had not been established.

"We will formally notify in August which will include details about nitrogen trading. We will continue to work collaboratively with the Lake Rotorua Stakeholder Advisory Group around whether landowners will be able to trade nitrogen and work around how we manage that."

She said property owners who exceeded their nitrogen allowance would be subject to the penalties set by the Government in the Resource Management Act. Speaking at the Land Use Opportunities Symposium at the Energy Events Centre yesterday, Mr White said a similar incentives scheme had worked in Taupo.

"The Lake Taupo Trust, in terms of cleaning up Lake Taupo, were the first cab off the rank in terms of implementing framework for pollution in the lake. Having said that, we are characteristically different."

"We want to let people know how it's working and say that we are open for business. We are interested in who may be willing to connect with us, we may be willing to look at land use change options that will reduce nitrogen. We are a willing buyer looking for a willing seller."

Farm owner Richard Kean was pleased the regional council was addressing water quality issues.

"We've always felt that there's been a kind of disregard for water quality in the area generally. I am happy things are being done but there's an enormous townie vote where they think they can't do anything to help the situation."

Mr Kean owns a 24ha dry stock property in the catchment area. "We want to know how to go forward really. We know the objective and we know what needs to happen but we want to know simply what our options are."