Environment Canterbury recognises nitrate issue in Lower Waihao public water supply

October 24, 2024

Key Council decisions made: cruise ship support, annual report and representation

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Date: 23 Oct 2024

Council’s regular meeting took place today (Wednesday 23 October), with several key topics on the agenda.

Annual Report 2023/24 adopted

Our Annual Report covering the 2023/24 financial year was adopted at the Council meeting.

The report highlighted that we achieved 90 per cent of our levels of service, compared to 75 per cent the previous year. Similarly, 95 per cent of targets were achieved compared to 89 per cent in 2022/23.

Other highlights from the report included:

14.5 million passenger trips on our public transport network – up by nearly 2.9 million on 2022/23 (and the highest patronage levels since the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes)
3,115 labour hours spent controlling sycamore, cotoneaster, wild cherry and wilding conifers in the Rakaia Gorge
63 water and land projects funded by the Canterbury Water Management Strategy zone committees to implement their action plans
1,266 resource consent application decisions
As of the end of 2023/24, we have resolved over 50 per cent of legacy applications and expect to clear them all by the end of 2024, meaning we can focus on new applications and processing consents more efficiently for our customers. We are now processing 70 per cent of new applications within the statutory timeframes.

In adopting the Annual Report, Chair Craig Pauling and the Councillors acknowledged the mahi (work) put in by staff, both during the year and in producing the Annual Report.

“This reflects all the work that we have done for our community over the last 12 months. It’s been a massive effort on all fronts, and to get an unmodified opinion from Audit New Zealand is a really great result.”

Representation arrangements stays with status quo

Following community feedback, the Council agreed to retain a similar representation arrangement to what is currently in place for the 2025 elections.

The status quo means two Councillors for each of the seven existing constituencies, with some minor boundary adjustments to the Christchurch City constituencies:

Aligning the Christchurch constituency boundaries to the current city ward boundaries
Altering the boundary of the Christchurch Central/Ōhoko constituency to exclude the Linwood Ward and include the Papanui Ward
Altering the boundary of the Christchurch North-East/Ōrei constituency to exclude the Papanui Ward and to include the Linwood Ward.

This is a change from the initial proposal the Council consulted the community on earlier this year.

Visit our Have Your Say website for more information on the representation review.

Support for cruise ships re-introduced

Councillors have decided to allocate up to $210,000 from the public transport reserves to meet potential demand on the Metro network for the upcoming cruise ship season.

This will see the extra provision of public transport on Route 8 on eight key days during the cruise ship season to minimise disruption, particularly around school and commuter peaks.

This would provide on-street ticketing and additional capacity.

Find out more: Public transport support on its way to help customers this cruise ship season

Our Waitarakao Strategy adopted

A strategy to restore the mauri (life force) of Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon catchment, near Timaru, has been approved by two of its four partners this week, following extensive community feedback and the recent endorsement from the project’s joint steering group.

Both Timaru District Council and we have this week approved the Our Waitarakao: Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon Catchment Strategy at their respective Council meetings. The remaining two project partners, Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua and the Department of Conservation, will now consider approval through their processes.

Find out more about the Our Waitarakao: Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon Catchment Strategy

October 24, 2024

Environment Canterbury recognises nitrate issue in Lower Waihao public water supply

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Environment Canterbury recognises nitrate issue in Lower Waihao public water supply | Environment Canterbury

Date: 24 Oct 2024

Environment Canterbury © 2024
Retrieved: 9:05am, Thu 24 Oct 2024
ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2024/environment-canterbury-acknowledges-nitrate-issue-in-glenavy-public-water-supply/

October 22, 2024

Benefits of good effluent management

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Benefits of good effluent management | Environment Canterbury

Date: 22 Oct 2024

Dairy effluent requires careful management

When managed well, dairy effluent is a valuable resource that can increase the productivity of your pasture and reduce your fertiliser costs.

Good effluent management means having a well-designed system with proper processes to ensure the right amount of effluent gets applied to pasture at the right time. Untreated effluent entering surface water bodies or groundwater can harm human health and water quality. It is also a breach of environmental regulations.

“Understanding and adhering to your consent conditions, along with making sound effluent management decisions, will help ensure nutrients and bacteria are not transmitted to surface and groundwater supplies,” Team Leader Central Water and Land Marcelo Wibmer says.

“We’re here to help support you to stay compliant, as this not only prevents negative environmental impacts, but it also ensures you get the most benefit out of the nutrients from your farming operation.”

Top tips for staying compliant

You must comply with local rules and the conditions of your consent and exercise Good Management Practice (GMP) to avoid environmental impacts and get the most value from the nutrients.

Some of our top tips are:

Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
Choose application times wisely: Effluent is best applied to actively growing pastures (ideally straight after post-grazing) at a rate that can infiltrate the soil without ponding or causing run-off, avoids draining below plant roots and is spread evenly. Tools such as the DairyNZ Farm Dairy Effluent Spreading Calculator and Depth Testing Calculator are available to help manage the application of effluent nutrients more precisely and ensure your effluent is evenly distributed.
Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
Have sufficient available storage: It’s good practice to ensure you have enough storage to get you through the wet times and help you avoid application on saturated soils. It is also crucial to have suitably sized storage for your farm. Check out Dairy NZ’s resources on storage for more information.
Monitor your effluent application: This will help identify issues promptly – for example leaking hoses or blocked nozzles. Consider fail-safe effluent management systems that include features such as auto-shutoff in the case of a fault.
Keep good records: As part of your FEP and consent obligations you will need to keep records of all effluent applications, including application depths/volume applied and any equipment repairs undertaken. Regular maintenance of your irrigation application equipment is vital for optimal performance.
Educate your staff: Training in operation and management helps ensure GMP is followed, and any issues are flagged early.

On-farm compliance

If you have a resource consent to discharge animal effluent, you will have two sets of compliance measures you are responsible for meeting – the conditions of your resource consent, and your Farm Environment Plan (FEP) objectives and targets relating to effluent management.

Our Resource Management Officers (RMOs) carry out monitoring inspections on farms to assess consent and rule compliance for many farming activities including effluent storage and discharge.

An independent FEP auditor will visit your farm to verify your farming practices against industry-agreed GMP objectives, check your records and paperwork to assess their confidence that your farm is achieving the objectives and targets set out in your FEP appendix.

The possible consequences of non-compliance are:

A notice of non-compliance
A letter of formal warning
Cost recovery
Requesting an application for a retrospective resource consent
An abatement notice
An infringement notice
An enforcement order from the Environment Court
Alternative Environmental Justice (AEJ)
Prosecution.

If you have any questions about effluent management contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz and they can put you in touch with your local land management advisor.

Environment Canterbury © 2024
Retrieved: 4:05pm, Tue 22 Oct 2024
ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2024/benefits-of-good-effluent-management/

October 22, 2024

The on-farm benefits of good effluent management

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

The on-farm benefits of good effluent management | Environment Canterbury

Date: 22 Oct 2024

Dairy effluent requires careful management

When managed well, dairy effluent is a valuable resource that can increase the productivity of your pasture and reduce your fertiliser costs.

Top tips for staying compliant

You must comply with local rules and the conditions of your consent and exercise Good Management Practice (GMP) to avoid environmental impacts and get the most value from the nutrients.

Some of our top tips are:

Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
Choose application times wisely: Effluent is best applied to actively growing pastures (ideally straight after post-grazing) at a rate that can infiltrate the soil without ponding or causing run-off, avoids draining below plant roots and is spread evenly. Tools such as the DairyNZ Farm Dairy Effluent Spreading Calculator and Depth Testing Calculator are available to help manage the application of effluent nutrients more precisely and ensure your effluent is evenly distributed.
Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
Have sufficient available storage: It’s good practice to ensure you have enough storage to get you through the wet times and help you avoid application on saturated soils. It is also crucial to have suitably sized storage for your farm. Check out Dairy NZ’s resources on storage for more information.
Monitor your effluent application: This will help identify issues promptly – for example leaking hoses or blocked nozzles. Consider fail-safe effluent management systems that include features such as auto-shutoff in the case of a fault.
Keep good records: As part of your FEP and consent obligations you will need to keep records of all effluent applications, including application depths/volume applied and any equipment repairs undertaken. Regular maintenance of your irrigation application equipment is vital for optimal performance.
Educate your staff: Training in operation and management helps ensure GMP is followed, and any issues are flagged early.

On-farm compliance

Our Resource Management Officers (RMOs) carry out monitoring inspections on farms to assess consent and rule compliance for many farming activities including effluent storage and discharge.

The possible consequences of non-compliance are:

A notice of non-compliance
A letter of formal warning
Cost recovery
Requesting an application for a retrospective resource consent
An abatement notice
An infringement notice
An enforcement order from the Environment Court
Alternative Environmental Justice (AEJ)
Prosecution.

If you have any questions about effluent management contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz and they can put you in touch with your local land management advisor.

Environment Canterbury © 2024
Retrieved: 11:07am, Tue 22 Oct 2024
ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2024/the-on-farm-benefits-of-good-effluent-management/

October 22, 2024

Celebrating 10 years of environmental excellence as a green-gold Enviroschool

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Celebrating 10 years of environmental excellence as a green-gold Enviroschool | Environment Canterbury

Date: 22 Oct 2024

The Enviroschools programme

The Enviroschools programme is coordinated by us and delivered in partnership with the Waimakariri District Council.

North Loburn School has been an Enviroschool for 20 years, quickly working its way up the ranks.

Environment Canterbury © 2024
Retrieved: 9:57am, Tue 22 Oct 2024
ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/zone-news/waimakariri/celebrating-10-years-of-environmental-excellence-in-north-canterbury/

October 17, 2024

What’s the story with compliance?

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

We often get asked how we do compliance and why it’s important. This page explains how we monitor compliance with resource consents and handle cases of non-compliance.

A resource consent is an important asset that allows individuals or businesses to do an activity, such as taking water for irrigation or being able to discharge wastewater on to land. Some activities also benefit both the individual and often the wider community too.

Because these activities can impact the environment, consents usually come with several conditions. Essentially, the consent is a contract between us – as the regulator – and the consent holder and the community.

The expectation is that the consent holder will meet the conditions of their consent, while we monitor to make sure they are doing so.

Monitoring is a shared responsibility

Improving environmental and community outcomes is a shared responsibility between government (central and regional/local), resource users, industry and our communities.

In Waitaha/Canterbury, there are about 26,000 consents and 416,000 consent conditions across a large geographical area, with a range of activities covered by ever-evolving rules set up at the national, regional and local government level.

The size and complexity of the monitoring landscape means it’s not possible without considerable cost to us – and to ratepayers – to monitor every consent every year.

Compliance is one of several tools designed to protect the environment. Others include audited farm environment plans, voluntary efforts from groups or individuals, and peer or community pressure to do the right thing.

Types of consents and activities we monitor

Compliance monitoring is a key priority for us – it is required by law under the Resource Management Act, our plans and consent conditions, and it is expected of us by the community.

Monitoring depends on the type of consent. When we grant a consent we assess the environmental risk of the activity, in particular the magnitude of potential damage and the probability it will occur.

This is informed by the scale and location of the activity, type of activity and the consent holder’s compliance history.

Over time, risk levels can change due to regulation changes, new information coming to light, or higher risk at the beginning of an activity, such as one that involves construction.

For example, an activity may be seen as high risk due to the level of non-compliance. However, once compliance is being demonstrated, the resulting risk level would lower.

Some consents we assess as being a high priority for monitoring due to their:

risk to the environment
importance to the community
compliance history
scale.

Over the last two years (2023/24) most monitoring done was on water consents (40%), discharge consents (38%) and land-use consents (21%). The remaining (1%) were coastal consents.

Enforcement for consent condition breaches

We appreciate that education isn’t always going to work. When a consent holder breaches conditions, we may take enforcement actions, such as:

Notice of non-compliance
Letter of formal warning
Cost recovery
Requesting an application for a retrospective resource consent
Abatement notice
Infringement notice
Enforcement order from the Environment Court
Alternative Environmental Justice (AEJ)
Prosecution.

Find out more about

types of enforcement actions.

Improving our compliance process

We acknowledge we haven’t always allocated or prioritised our resources effectively for environmental or community outcomes. We are committed to improving the way we manage compliance risks and communicating with consent holders and the community.

We know that we must do more to enable consent holders to demonstrate their compliance – for example, by ensuring consent conditions are written clearly, so consent holders have a good understanding of what their responsibilities are – including what they should be keeping records of and what monitoring they can expect from us.

We’ve recently started a project specifically to shift the conversation away from a consent-by-consent approach towards helping resource users to comply and better identifying risk priorities. This will improve both the customer experience and improve environmental outcomes.

We’re trialling this in Rakaia, where compliance concerns are high and consent complexity is significant.

We are introducing new processes, roles and measures to focus on key priorities like nutrient management, drinking water protection, and water use compliance.

Our goal is to create a flexible compliance monitoring programme that uses both human and technological resources efficiently.

October 16, 2024

Council appoints Craig Pauling as Chair

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

There were no other nominations for the role.

Councillor Deon Swiggs has been appointed as Deputy Chair.

Councillor Pauling, who represents the Christchurch West/Ōpuna constituency, said it will be an honour and a privilege to lead the Council.

“We have an ambitious work programme for the next 10 years, and I am proud of that. Now we just need to get on with it.”

Pauling was nominated by Ngāi Tahu Councillor Tutehounuku ‘Nuk’ Korako and this was seconded by Ngāi Tahu Councillor Iaean Cranwell.

“We are all on the same waka and we are paddling hard for our communities, most importantly for the precious place we call home, for our water and our land and our air and sea,” Pauling said shortly after his appointment.

“A lot of our work goes unnoticed but it is happening – from the thousands of bus trips taken on our public transport each month to the 26,000 consents we manage. We have been a leader in setting rules for land use and farming consents.

“We protect homes, farms and businesses through our river flood protection systems. We protect towns across Canterbury. Our regional parks provide multiple benefits, including sediment control, flood protection, biodiversity as well as being used for recreation. We clean up wrecked vessels and ensure safe use of our harbours and waterways.

“We don’t always get it right, but at the end of the day, we’re doing a lot of good work for a lot of people,” Pauling said.

Deputy Chair Swiggs, who represents Christchurch West/Ōpuna, said he’s looking forward to working alongside Chair Pauling.

“I’m humbled to be appointed to this role of Deputy. For me, the priority will be ensuring we focus on our core services, and do it well.”

October 14, 2024

Backing the bittern: The bird on the brink

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Threats facing the Australasian Bittern (Matuku-hūrepo)

The bittern’s declining numbers are reflective of the region’s shrinking wetlands, where they’re commonly found. Since European settlement, 90 per cent of freshwater and natural wetlands and half of our coastal wetlands in Waitaha have been lost through human impact.

Other threats include collisions with vehicles and starvation caused by:

changes in water levels that leave birds ‘high and dry’,
lack of food and/or habitat where the species can hunt,
and murky water quality (sedimentation) – as bittern are visual feeders.

One of the best ways we can help the species is to protect and enhance our remaining wetlands, and where possible, create new wetlands, to provide an optimum breeding and feeding habitat.

Elusive ‘spy’ behaviour

If you’ve seen a bittern, consider yourself lucky! They’re known for their cryptic behaviour and are very good at avoiding people. Principal biodiversity advisor Frances Schmechel says bittern have been referred to as the James Bond of the bird world.

“They’re like spies in that they’re very elusive. They kind of skulk around and do a great job at hiding.

“If they are in a situation where they’re startled, they’ll stand upright with their bill pointing skyward and sway.”

The bittern are also known for the “booming” call that the males make during spring.

“It’s such a mystical type of sound to hear in a wetland,” Frances explains. “Some say it’s almost spiritual.”

Listen to the ‘booming’ sound on this Department of Conservation (DOC) webpage.

Preserving raupō habitat

90 per cent of bittern sightings in Waitaha over the last 15 years have occurred in the Te Waihora and Pegasus Bay areas. Their most important habitat is dense/mature raupō beds on river, wetland or lake edges.

The wetlands around the margin of Te Waihora are the largest remaining area of wetland habitat in lowland Canterbury, covering around 4,500 hectares. A DOC-run willow control programme, which we’re helping fund, is a key initiative for supporting bittern.

Not only do willows suck up large volumes of water but they also encroach on native wetland vegetation such as raupō. They create a dense canopy and interfere with the function of the wetland, including destroying spawning grounds for benthic fish (fish that deposit their spawn on or near the bottom of the sea or lake) – which the bittern feed on.

At Te Waihora, willows were invading the raupō at an alarming rate. The ‘bittern habitat’ aspect was a key driver for establishing and maintaining the control programme, which began in 2011.

DOC biodiversity ranger Allanah Purdie says reversing the spread of willow is a cost-effective and efficient way to support bittern.

“Raupō is by far their preferred habitat – so when you remove the willow, you get bittern.”

As Allanah points out, the species’ perilous future is representative of the overall condition of wetland systems that remain.

“It’s an indicator for all our other wetland species and the health of the ecosystem as a whole, all of which are suffering as a result of long-term wetland degradation.”

Community conservation efforts

In Waimakariri, the Bittern Īnanga Rushland wetland is one of three Kaiapoi projects being undertaken by an extended family who are passionate about restoring biodiversity to the area.

One of the aims is to attract bittern, and the site has also been identified as a potential Canterbury mudfish habitat. It is receiving $15,000 in funding this financial year through the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee.

The support will help with the control of willows and poplars, along with more than 350 metres of fencing to create a large buffer to protect the rushland and make room for plantings.

Landowner Nicky Auld says a bittern is now frequenting the area.

“It was very rewarding seeing a bittern for the first time, and it is now a regular visitor to the rushland – where it feeds on eels, fish and whitebait.

“We’ve been scattering raupō seeds in the hope that the rushland may become even more attractive to these magnificent birds, and a breeding ground.”

Others who have raupō on their property are already in a good position to help.
Allanah says wet areas with fresh standing water – about 20 cm deep – are ideal habitat.

“Bittern need areas to take-off and land in, so consider keeping the larger stature plants back at least ten metres from the water, with Carex around the margin and then raupō in the middle.

“The species is intrinsically linked to areas with marginal or dense vegetation. They don’t like being out in the open and are very prone to disturbance. If you have a disturbance event in a wetland they’ll go to ground or disappear.”

Bittern are known for being highly mobile, so when they do disappear – it can be to quite a distance away. One that was fitted with a transmitter was tracked flying from Te Waihora to Blenheim – more than 300 km.

The Great Matuku Muster

Another initiative that’s helping raise awareness of the bittern’s plight is The Great Matuku Muster – which calls on people to listen out for, and record, the males’ ‘boom’ sound.

The events take place on one day each month in spring, with the next due on Saturday 19 October and Saturday 16 November, for up to an hour from sunset.

The muster is supported by a series of workshops around New Zealand to help people learn more about the bird and what to listen for. To find out more or to sign up, visit lovebittern.com.

This initiative runs alongside annual monitoring by regional councils, DOC and volunteers – aligning with bittern breeding season from October to December.

Our monitoring is getting underway now at key sites on Environment Canterbury managed land – helping build an updated picture of the species’ local population size.

Preventing extinction

Conservationist Peter Langlands, who’s carried out extensive monitoring of bittern in Waitaha, describes the situation as ‘critical’.

“I’m worried that we may lose the source population of bittern in Canterbury. We must act now if we’re to save the species.”

Peter believes a collaborative approach to large scale habitat restoration projects, and scaling up wetland creation, will lead to the best conservation outcomes.

Frances echoes Peter’s sentiment.

“They’re such a mysterious, and surprisingly graceful bird. When you see one for the first time – it’s special. It would be really unfair if we didn’t manage to conserve that experience for people.”

October 14, 2024

Expect delays for your bus journeys into the centre city this weekend

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Detour for southbound buses heading to the Bus Interchange

Manchester Street at the Lichfield Street intersection will be closed from 9pm, Friday 18 October to 6am, Monday 21 October, causing a detour for most buses heading to the Bus Interchange.

Affected buses will instead travel down Hereford, Colombo and Lichfield Streets in order to reach the Bus Interchange.

Eastbound traffic can make the left turn from Lichfield Street onto Manchester Street.

Route 80 Lincoln/Parklands will travel down St Asaph, Colombo and Tuam Streets instead, and Route 8 Port-to-Port will go via Hereford Street, Durham Street South and Tuam Street, Public Transport operations manager Derek Walsh says.

“This is expected to cause around six-minutes delay to each bus journey, which will affect the reliability of our services across the network,” he says.

Bus stop closure on Hereford Street

Bus stop #53163 on Hereford Street, between Manchester and Colombo Streets, will be affected by the closure. Customers can board or disembark at the Bus Interchange instead. Signage will be up at this bus stop for affected customers.

“We encourage our customers to leave extra time to get to their destinations, while our buses travel the detour route to the Bus Interchange,” Derek says.

“We want to thank our customers for their understanding.”

The planned works are expected to finish by 6am, Monday 21 October.

Updates on the timing of the work will be available to view on Christchurch City Council’s Facebook page.

You can view all the detours on the Metro website.

October 14, 2024

Saltwater Creek becomes outdoor classroom for planting day

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Ashley Rakahuri School, an Enviroschool for 14 years, first partnered with their Enviroschools facilitator, Siobhán Culhane, Waimakariri Biodiversity Trust (WBT), and Daiken last year to connect the students to this area.

This year, they took it further by investigating the terrestrial invertebrates and planting native seedlings, which Daiken generously provided.

These native seedlings were specially chosen to restore this area to being a wetland.

The year three to five students tried out three fun activities:

planting native trees along Saltwater Creek to create this wetland environment
recording the bugs, worms and creepy crawlies living under logs, and in the grasses and bushes.
looking at the mayflies, caddis larvae, snails and flatworms that live in the creek.

The students were engaged, eager, and enthusiastic to get planting and reporting!

The 46 ākonga/students, with help from kaimahi/staff from Daiken and other organisations, planted 630 native seedlings, including kahikatea, tōtara, and mataī in just over three hours!