Manawatu River Leaders' Forum needs flexibility

Federated Farmers is saddened by the Manawatu River Leaders’ Forum resolving to exclude it from future meetings.

“Federated Farmers will abide by the goals of the Accord, which are near identical to what farmers were prepared to sign,” says Gordon McKellar, Federated Farmers Manawatu/Rangitikei provincial president.

“I think they have missed an important point, because farmers were willing to enter into a major undertaking but instead, have become hung up on some small but important text changes.

“We hope that after October’s elections, some calm and mature reflection will see us being asked to rejoin. We’re not a rival but have suggested a toolbox approach aligned to the same outcome.

“Farmers rejected emotive wording like ‘…the river…has been described as dirty, lacking life and culturally compromised’ in favour of a clear statement that, ‘we acknowledge factual evidence that the Manawatu River is degraded’.

“I think that’s a vast improvement over what came across as opaque wording. Independent research indicates that what the Leaders’ Accord acknowledged as the ‘view’ of the community on the state of the river, was factually incorrect.

“The public deserve nothing less than the scientific truth with an honest process so they can come to a balanced and informed decision,” Mr McKellar added.

Federated Farmers ‘Manawatu River People’s Accord’ also modified the original document in two other important respects, according to Federated Farmers Tararua provincial president, John Barrow.

“The original surprisingly failed to mention ‘native’ beside fish species, so we have added that important word to ensure that the river ‘sustains native fish species’, Mr Barrow said.

“Given we were prepared to establish, with the Leaders’ Accord, ‘a collaboratively owned and implemented Action Plan by 2011’, their angst seems to stem from us adding that it should also, ‘scientifically identify the causes, remedies and the economic costs of’ the Accord’s commitments.

“It shows a worrying lack of accountability given the leaders are prepared to reject it.

“Yet, Federated Farmers can point to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council trialling floating pontoons of fibrous weed mats – 300 metres of which soaked up 15 percent of the nitrogen in a water way. Watercress may similarly be nature’s nitrogen scrubber. Research like this supports a catchment care approach.

“Our industry, with Accord and non-Accord partners like DairyNZ, is working upon a wide range of solutions. We’re not sitting around doing nothing but are getting on with it and we are only a phone call away, should the Forum have a change of heart,” Mr Barrow concluded.