Media Release
28 February 2013

HBRC Becomes A Friend of Dairy Accord

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has agreed to support in principle the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord and agreed to become a “Friend of the Accord”.
The Accord has been developed by the Dairy Environmental Leadership Group. It is now seeking the support of regional councils by the end of February so the Accord can ‘go live’ by the 2013/14 dairy season.

The Accord aims to ‘lift the game’ of dairy farming so that it can be seen to work for all New Zealanders and their desire for better quality in fresh water resources. The purpose of this new Accord is to enhance the overall performance of dairy farming as it affects fresh water, by assisting farmers to commit to good management practices, monitor progress and report on results.

HBRC has been working closely with the dairy sector in the development of the Tukituki Catchment Implementation plan and supports the sector’s broader efforts to minimise the environmental impacts of dairying.

“The dairy guys have been making a major effort and we have been pleased with the high level of compliance they have achieved across Hawke’s Bay. The dairy farmers are going a long way to reaching what we would expect of any primary industry group and the Accord is another sign of this,” says Iain Maxwell, Group Manager Resource Management.

The Accord was developed by the Dairy Environmental Leadership Group which is comprised of representatives from the dairy sector, central government, regional councils, iwi and the NZ Fish and Game Council.

It builds on and supersedes the Dairying and Clean Stream Accord of 2003 to which HBRC was a signatory.

The Accord sets expectations for riparian management, nutrient management, effluent management, water use management and conversions, and clarifies governance and administrative roles to achieve the Accord goals.

Regional Councils have agreed to work with the dairy sector to develop and implement regional plans of action and specific targets for each region.

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>