ACT is welcoming public consultation on changes to New Zealand’s freshwater national direction and encouraging New Zealanders to engage in the process.

“Under Labour and the Greens, farmers not only had to manage the day-to-day challenges of farming but also navigate an onslaught of red tape and costs,” says ACT MP and dairy farmer Mark Cameron.

“The coalition government was elected with a mandate to end this war on farming. We've made excellent progress, but the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management 2020 still lingers.

“NPS-FM centralised control in Wellington and elevated the vague, spiritual concept of Te Mana o te Wai, or the mana of the water.

“ACT believes the Government should scrap Te Mana o te Wai and national bottom lines, allowing regional councils to set their own standards.

“The vague concept of ‘Te Mana o te Wai’ replaces scientific benchmarks with a subjective idea of the mana of the water that leads to co-governance and unequal treatment based on who someone’s ancestors were.

“At the moment, iwi have a right of veto over how water is used. The NPS-FM requires Te Mana o te Wai to apply to the consenting of all projects involving freshwater management.

“Consenting is now subject to consideration of mauri, or the “life-force” of water.

“It has led to water users making large one-off and on-going payments for ‘cultural monitoring’ services which do nothing for the environment but add costs to consumer and business power bills.

“Is requiring farmers to comply with a spiritual concept going to make them farm better? Of course not. It means they’ll have to employ a cultural consultant and waste time and money that could instead be spent improving their farming practices. That’s what happens when we regulate water quality based on superstition not science.

“Farmers just want to grow food and look after their land, incorporating spiritual concepts isn’t necessary for them to do that.

“The broad and ambiguous interpretation of Te Mana o te Wai by councils and courts has led to confusion, time and money being wasted, and a new cottage industry of cultural consultants.

“We should get rid of it.

“We should also let local communities decide what standards work best for them. The NPS-FM is too inflexible. Standards set nationally aren’t appropriate for all catchments.

“Our diverse geography and conditions mean farming practices vary across regions as farmers adapt best practices to their local conditions. Blanket regulations set by bureaucrats in Wellington are unsuitable.

“We should get rid of national bottom lines and devolve these decisions to regional councils who are best positioned to understand the local conditions and who have direct relationships with stakeholders.

“ACT is dedicated to real change. We cannot continue with a policy that burdens our farmers unnecessarily. We campaigned on a complete overhaul of the NPS-FM to remove subjective concepts and ensure that our freshwater management is scientifically sound and adapted to the needs of local communities.

“It is time to protect our farmers from the ongoing effects of what has effectively been a war on the rural sector.”

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