Files
Abstract
This paper describes further progress in a new approach to stakeholder consultation
for policies about agricultural land uses and water quality in rural waterways; a
process that was begun early in 2012. The initial consultation events provided the
basis for a future draft of Greater Wellington Regional Council’s regional plan. As
the next step in the consultation process, a workshop was held in late 2012 to which a
range of stakeholders were invited. At the workshop, stakeholders considered ways
to resolve possible conflicts in the possible policies and rules, and they suggested
ways that the policies could be improved. In general, the participants supported the
overall direction of the policies and rules and they had ideas about how they could be
made more practical for landowners. Participants encouraged Greater Wellington
Regional Council to work with primary industry organisations to encourage the use
of preferred management practices through voluntary methods. Consistency and
fairness was very important to the workshop participants and they did not want the
policies to make exceptions for particular groups of landowners. The more
exceptions to the general rules that were suggested the more that other participants
wanted greater monitoring and enforcement by the Regional Council so that
environmental bottom lines were still going to be protected.