Mantenimiento de palas de aerogeneradores

As stated on their website, Fish and Game New Zealand is a ‘not-for-profit organisation that manages, maintains and enhances sports fish and game birds and their habitats for anglers and hunters’ (www.fishandgame.org.nz). Fish and Game are primarily concerned with fishery habitat protection, and state they are an advocate for freshwater quality. Fish and Game’s role in instigating the ‘Dirty Dairying’ media debate, and scientific research into freshwater quality, was explored in Chapter Five. This section examines Fish and Game’s regional role in the POP process, and their more recent criticism of Horizons’ implementation of the One Plan.

In terms of the POP, Fish and Game were a submitter to the hearings panel, an appellant to the Environment Court, were part of the Environment Court mediation process, and an interested

strongly supported the regulatory approach from the notified version of the POP, which was in contrast to Federated Farmers preferring less regulation and more focus on good farm management practices ("Horticulture New Zealand V Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council," 2013)

Media reports and comments from some of the farmers and key informants, suggest Fish and Game have taken a negative stance towards dairy farming and water quality. Fish and Game’s stance in the implementation phase was reported in the media, which stated they were critical of Horizons for not implementing the One Plan as stated in the High Court judgement (Wilson, 2015). This article also claimed Fish and Game believe Horizons were issuing more restricted discretionary consents than expected, and are not requiring dairy farmers to reduce their N leaching losses sufficiently. In 2015, Fish and Game threatened legal action against Horizons Regional Council. In late 2016, Fish and Game and the Environmental Defence society lodged declaration proceedings53 against Horizons Regional Council in the Environment Court. These two organisations were seeking clarification of how restricted discretionary consent applications for intensive land use were being assessed. Horizons’ chairman was reported as ‘feeling hugely disappointed’ with Fish and Game’s actions (Horizons Regional Council, 2016). Fonterra, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers generally opposed the declaration sought.

Fonterra

Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (Fonterra) is a New Zealand multi-national dairy company owned by New Zealand dairy farmer shareholders. As New Zealand’s largest dairy company, Fonterra represents most dairy farmers. In recognition of the dairy industry’s contribution to declining water quality, Fonterra were one of the signatories of the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord (Fonterra et al., 2003), and the Sustainable Dairying Water Accord (DairyNZ & DCANZ, 2013). Fonterra also developed a programme of on-farm initiatives in order to reduce their suppliers’ environmental footprint (Supply Fonterra).

Supply Fonterra is an educational intervention programme that supports and encourages dairy farmer behaviour change in order to improve environmental performance (Fonterra, 2013). Supply Fonterra supports the voluntary dairy industry Sustainable Dairying Water Accord54 _and

53 _{Declarations are a way of getting judicial direction on a matter that is in dispute between a local} authority and another individual or organisation.

regional council rules and regulations. The programme uses a mix of information (e.g. fact sheets), social learning processes (e.g. shed meetings), and one-on-one advice in order to minimise environmental impacts and to ensure compliance with regulations. The components of Supply Fonterra of relevance to this research include the annual Farm Dairy and Environmental Assessment (FDEA), Effluent Management, Nitrogen Management and Waterway Management. Supply Fonterra encourages best management practice, for example, the Nitrogen Programme attempts to raise farmer awareness and understanding of how farm management decisions can influence nitrogen loss, and the need for regional council rules.

The annual Farm Dairy and Environmental Assessment (FDEA) is an integral part of Fonterra’s Supply Fonterra Programme. As summarised on their website and in the Supplier Handbook, Fonterra contracts independent Quality Consultants New Zealand Ltd (QCONZ) inspectors to undertake an assessment of each Fonterra supplier’s dairy shed and wider property. The FDEA ensures every farm in the region is meeting environmental standards in relation to water quality. This process involves: checking farm dairy effluent systems are capable of 365 days compliance with regional council regulation (Effluent Management Programme); recording farm systems information for the Nitrogen Management Programme; and monitoring stock exclusion from waterways (Waterway Management). Fonterra’s Dairy Diary is a key component of Fonterra suppliers’ recording systems, and suppliers record their daily farm activities in their Dairy Diary. Specific areas of the diary (e.g. animal health records) must be filled into to comply with food safety requirements and these are checked by the QCONZ assessor at the FDEA. Farmers must also fill in their N recording pages (for the Nitrogen Management Programme), and these are collected by the QCONZ assessor. Information from the N recording pages produces a report on nitrogen leaching risk and nitrogen conversion efficiency for each farm. These reports allow farmers to compare their nitrogen management with other farmers. Fonterra also contracted AsureQuality inspectors to independently audit stream fencing practices on their supplier’s farms (Sanson & Baxter, 2011).

Fonterra also state in their Suppliers Handbook that they may suspend milk collection if one of their suppliers receives a critical hazard during their FDEA assessment, and if this hazard is not rectified within an agreed period of time. A breach of Fonterra’s environmental minimum requirements can be rated as a critical hazard. Farmers’ responses to Fonterra’s threat of suspending milk collection is explored in the first results chapter (Chapter Seven).

The main regional Fonterra actors in relation to farming and water quality in this study, are the Fonterra contracted QCONZ inspectors, the Area Managers, and the Sustainable Dairy Advisors. The dairy farmers in this study are all Fonterra suppliers. All farmers in this study interact with their QCONZ inspector during the annual on-farm inspection (FDEA). The QCONZ inspector provides an environmental assessment for Fonterra, and also provides information for farmers about future changes to the FDEA. All farmers interact with their Fonterra Area Manager around milk production and water quality matters. Fonterra described their area managers as the relationship builders with farmers and with the wider local community, and a Fonterra staff member described the area managers as ‘the jack of all trade sorts of people’. Based on geography, the Tararua District is shared by two Fonterra Area Managers: half of the farmers in this study work with one area manager (targeted WMZ) and the other half with another area manager (targeted and non-targeted WMZ). From farmer and key informant comments, the Fonterra Area Managers support their farmer suppliers and provide information and farm-specific knowledge in order for the farmer suppliers to comply with the One Plan and Supply Fonterra conditions. The Sustainable Dairy Advisors focus on the Supply Fonterra programme, and provide advice and support to their farmer suppliers to help them meet regulatory requirements. One farmer in this study had a historical interaction with a Sustainable Dairy Advisor.

Fonterra, and some staff in particular, worked with the other regional actors on water quality in a number of ways. Fonterra were part of Horizons pre-notification stakeholder consultation process and present at POP farmer meetings. Members of Fonterra’s environmental policy team produced Fonterra’s submission on the POP, but were not involved in the court processes. Some Fonterra staff worked with DairyNZ and Horizons’ staff to run a series of One Plan farmer information meetings. The Tararua Area Manager also interacted with a range of other actors, including the TCEIS, some of the nutrient management consultants, fertiliser representatives, Federated Farmers policy and elected representatives, one of the Horizons’ councillors and some Horizons’ policy staff. Fonterra staff are also part of a national working group with regional councils (including Horizons), DairyNZ and other organisations. This project aimed to provide information and advice to organisations who are using or considering using Overseer for resource consent processes (Freeman et al., 2016).