The quantity of stubble (crop residue) produced in New Zealand is around 1 million tonnes per year by the arable industry in New Zealand. About 700,000 tonnes of this is produced in Canterbury. Most crop residue in Canterbury is either baled, incorporated into the soil or left on the soil surface leaving around 300,000 tonnes that is burned in Canterbury each year.
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Plantation forestry have been promoted as a cure for many of our societal ills, with benefits towards alleviating the climate crisis, generation of income from marginal land, and providing economic benefits via widespread employment. However, recent extreme weather events have highlighted some of the flaws of plantation forestry. This has forced central governments to reconsider if widespread plantation forestry a land use deserving of our continued active support. Or is it time to manage the industry differently seeking better environmental outcomes for all?
With the rise of Airbnb in recent years there is an opportunity for residents of Selwyn to benefit by developing underutilised areas of their sections with self-contained accommodation units. However, visitor accommodation in small-scale standalone units, as promoted through Airbnb, is a recent endeavour. The district planning provisions for this style of visitor accommodation are not well provided for under the Operative District Plan. Despite this, if you are looking into jumping on Airbnb bandwagon, the good news is that it’s only a matter of time before this process becomes not only easier, but permissible under proposed planning provisions.
There is a myth that the government relaxing the rules around structures no bigger than 30 square metres means you can have a tiny home on your property. As with any change in rules it comes with conditions and limitations and in this case, does not extend to the obligations under the Resource Management Act, or development contribution payments under the Local Government Act. Furthermore, the change in rules under the Building Act does not extend to structures containing kitchens.
Are you looking to undertake a subdivision or development that is not permitted under your local District Plan? Depending on the scale of your proposal, and the extent of any non-compliances with respect to the District Plan, then you may require one of two permissions from Council; a resource consent or a private plan change.
The recent release of the Natural and Built Environments (NBE) bill has outlined the changes intended by Central Government to better provide for environmental management and land use planning moving forward. This incorporates existing National Policy Statements and standards relating to freshwater and highly productive land resources.
Emergency powers under the Resource Management Act (RMA) allow for works to be undertaken without a resource consent in certain circumstances. With the wild weather hitting New Zealand recently, these provisions are sure to be exercised, but Section 330 of the RMA does not provide carte blanche ability to start moving debris or altering waterways by any person who considers there is a risk. The provisions contain key features to control who, and when, emergency powers can be exercised.
There is a general shift in New Zealand legislation to better honour the partnership principles between the Crown and Iwi, embodied in the Treaty of Waitangi. Central Government driven National Policy Statements (NPS) for both fresh water and highly productive soils illustrate this fundamental change and arguably have directed some of the most significant changes to compliance measures for modern farming.
In 2020, Central Government released an abundance of Freshwater Policies, including National Policy Statements (NPS-FW) and National Environmental Standard for Freshwater (NES-FW), and addendums to the RMA bringing in Freshwater Farm Plans and Stock Exclusion Regulations. As we near the end of 2022, push has come to shove, and these regulations are starting to take effect. Understanding what the raft of regulations will mean for farmers is important to ensure regulatory compliance for our agricultural sector.
Selwyn District Council’s proposed District Plan was notified on 5 October 2020 and is now nearly two years into the consultation process, with hearings now complete. Council have delayed the release of the fully Operative Plan until 20 August 2023 to align with the decision on the new legislation required by Central Government relating to medium density standards.