Horizons Regional Council urging farmers and lifestyle block owners to keep stock off stopbanks

Cliff Thomas says stock needs to be grazed elsewhere to avoid any damage. Photo / File

Rural communities are being reminded to keep grazing stock off stopbanks as the wetter months set in.

The message comes from Horizons Regional Council, whose central area engineer Cliff Thomas said it would ensure they are best able to perform their function as an essential flood protection asset.

Stopbanks provided protection for "thousands of people throughout the region".

Thomas said the reminder applied to both farmers and owners of lifestyle blocks.

"While stopbanks can be grazed by cattle less than 18 months old in summer when the ground is firm, grazing cattle is not permitted unless approval is given by river management staff between June 15 and September 15.

"As wet weather has set in we have seen a number of stock on banks that have caused minor damage."

It was a statutory offence to damage the stopbanks and landowners could be held liable to pay for any resulting repairs, Thomas said.

Stopbanks required careful management and it was important there was enough grass to prevent scouring in a flood event.

"Stock damage can increase the potential for this to happen.

"We really appreciate the effort many farmers put in to control stock damage caused by grazing during the year. We just want to remind people that it is the time of year again where stock do need to be grazed elsewhere to avoid any damage."

Thomas said stopbanks protected property and production worth billions of dollars and also ensured the safety of many in our community.

"Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

"All it takes is one breached section of stopbank to flood hundreds of hectares of farmland, and potentially impact homes and people's lives."

Horizons manages and maintains almost 500km of stopbanks, protecting more than 46,000 hectares of land.

A copy of the stopbank grazing guidelines pamphlet is available to view online at www.horizons.govt.nz with hard copies available upon request.