Items of interest from today's meeting of the Taranaki Regional Council Consents and Regulatory Committee:
Dairy inspections highlight need for vigilance
The Council’s annual dairy inspections have highlighted the need for farmers to ensure effluent treatment and disposal systems are up to scratch, particularly pond maintenance and stormwater bypass capacity, the Committee was told. The dairy monitoring round is well under way, with 586 inspections from August to October. Council officers found 56 cases of non-compliance, resulting in re-inspection at the farmer’s expense and the possibility of further enforcement action. The non-compliance rate is slightly higher than usual, though it is expected to improve as the season progresses. Inspections continue until April.
Not just any stormwater in a port
The Committee was told Port Taranaki had made a significant investment to reduce the environmental impact of its stormwater discharges, being rewarded with a ‘high’ rating in its latest resource consent monitoring report. It was among 24 such ratings in 34 programmes covered in 28 joint and individual monitoring annual reports presented to the Committee today. Eight consent-holders were rated ‘good’, one required improvement and one was rated ‘poor’. The monitoring reports were prepared by specialists on the Council’s Science Services staff and are published online at www.trc.govt.nz/consent-compliance-monitoring-reports/
RMA 1: Measuring up
A national survey on the way councils handle compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the Resource Management Act has highlighted significant variations in practice from place to place but identifies no gaps or urgent issues for this region, the Committee was told. The Council’s own compliance, monitoring and enforcement regime is well established, comprehensive, appropriately resourced and funded, free of political interference, and transparent, being reported on publicly via the Committee and consent monitoring annual reports. The national survey was run by the Ministry for the Environment and covered 13 councils, not including the Taranaki Regional Council. The Committee was told that this Council could consider supporting any moves for more national training to build capacity, as a result of the survey.
RMA 2: Complexities acknowledged
The Government has acknowledged the complex nature of resource consents issued by regional councils, and dropped them from the 10-day ‘fast track’ process that is proposed in phase two of its Resource Management Act reforms, the Committee was told. This is consistent with the Council’s submission on the proposal earlier this year. The Government has announced an agreement with the Māori Party to allow its phase two RMA reforms to go to their second and third readings in Parliament.