Waikato Regional Council has 40 days to respond to an interim decision of the Environment Court on its groundbreaking plan to improve water quality in the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

Late yesterday (28 May) the court released its 376-page interim decision, giving the council until 25 July to propose amendments that take into account feedback from parties who appealed the plan change.

The court has indicated it will likely reconvene the hearing in September to consider the proposed amendments.

Waikato Regional Council Chief Executive Chris McLay said: “This is a complex plan change which has been in development for 12 years, and time will be needed for staff to digest the interim decision and address the 35 directions of the court.

“The policies and rules are still not operative, but this interim decision takes the plan change one step closer. For farmers and growers, it means there’s no action required right now until a final determination by the court,” Mr McLay said.

Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 is the bold first step in an 80-year journey to achieve rivers with improved water quality, that are safe for food gathering along their entire length and meet the requirements of Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato (Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River).

It is a change to the Waikato Regional Plan, developed with the community, to allow for the management of nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and bacteria in the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

A decisions version of the proposed plan change that considered 1100 individual submissions, was notified in April 2020 and subsequently appealed by a number of parties. It is these appeals the Environment Court has made their interim decision on.

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