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Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1) will have an impact north of the river, Brendan Balle from the Pukekohe Vegetable Growers Association (PVGA) warns.
“If the plan becomes operative as it stands, there will be severe negative impacts on the supply of vegetables,” he says. “The cost of living will rise and healthy food security will be under threat.”
Based in Pukekohe, Balle Bros grows nationwide.
Proposed by Waikato Regional Council, PC1 is intended to improve water quality of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers. Farmers have been calling for the change to be paused due to compliance costs and other restrictions.However, PC1 would introduce new rules for agricultural land use, affecting more than 4500 farms including those in the Waikato District of southern Franklin.
The Pukekohe region produces roughly one quarter of New Zealand’s fresh vegetables. During winter, this can rise to around 80 per cent of some vegetables while being reasonably frost-free.
“Pukekohe is unique in its importance for continuing vegetable supply,” Balle says. “If production declines [here], the effects will be felt in supermarkets and retailers right across the country.”
Vegetable growers rely on rotating crops between parcels of land, some owned and some leased, to maintain soil health, reduce disease and minimise fertiliser and pesticide use, Balle explains.
“Many growers work with others on parcels of land. They’ll give soil a rest by changing the crop type. This gives their land rest spells with arable grain cropping, or [by rotating] in and out of pastoral grazing.”
Under PC1, rotating crops could be more complex with restrictive consenting pathways, Balle says.
“It makes gaining consent for most quite a high bar. Some will face the non-complying consent pathway, which will be difficult or impossible to obtain.”
Growers have been warning that the rules fail to recognise how commercial vegetable production actually works, he contends.
“We have explained it ad nauseam to [Waikato Regional] council throughout the process [but] we’ve been stymied at every turn.”
Good management practices and rotation help protect waterways, Balle says.
“Growers manage nitrogen to maximise yields and minimise waste. We’ve spent decades improving sediment controls to protect waterways and reduce phosphorus loss. They’re suggesting rotating across sub-catchments has an undue impact on nutrient allocation, [but] we’re actually part of the solution.”
PC1’s consequences will ripple through rural communities, Balle says. He is calling on central government to step in to press pause before irreversible damage is done.
“There are growers who are genuinely worried. Some have already chosen to exit growing because it’s simply become too hard,” he says.
“We believe the conversation Federated Farmers has been leading with the government is very important – government needs to put PC1 on hold immediately.”
The issue is no longer just about the Waikato region or veggie growers, he adds.
“[We need] a pathway that does not significantly distort supply of healthy food. [This is] about whether we can access reasonably priced, healthy, locally grown food. If we get this wrong, everyone will end up paying for it.”
