From toilet plumbing to irrigation - both urban and rural New Zealand will be affected by changes to the Resource Management Act, a Mid-Canterbury farmer and Environment Canterbury councillor has said.
The act has been at the heart of a controversy following a court ruling made last year.
A judge found that ECan had granted a discharge consent to the Ashburton Lyndhurst irrigation scheme without properly applying parts of the act.
The sections have historically applied to “point source discharges” like sewage pipes, but the ruling loops farm animal runoff into the same category.
To the extreme, this could mean farmers needed consents to own animals on land in the vicinity of a river or creek.
Farmer and ECan councillor Ian Mackenzie said, while there are concerns for farmers, the worst ramifications will be for towns and cities.
“Every individual household would have to apply for consent to flush their loo,” he said.
“There’s a degree of nonsense in that process.”
Mackenzie said the ruling had already begun to affect consents in Canterbury.
“Geraldine town has already had a consent turned down under this ruling for waste, semi-treated wastewater, I think.”
Earlier this month, Minister for Trade Todd McClay put out a press release vouching to alter the act.
McClay said that the government looked to make “time critical amendments” to section 107 of the act to grant the “legal clarity and certainty” consent applicants and councils needed to plan for operations.
When those amendments will be made has not been shared.
The consents dilemma has been top of mind for farmings, who fear their consents could be rescinded and their irrigation systems rendered unusable.
Mackenzie said while there was a risk for farmers, the issue was more complex for urban areas.
“You could argue irrigation schemes are less affected, because they will revert back to individual consents.”
“And I think people who understand the complexity of [the ruling] will be relieved that the government has recognised that and is taking it seriously.”
While the press release provided no deadlines or details, Mackenzie expects section 107 will get a reword to better define what a discharge source is.
He hopes it will be looked at in the next two months.
“I think there was a suggestion that they’d bring further changes to parliament in October. Hopefully that’ll be their timetable.”
“This isn’t a farming issue, it’s a New Zealand issue, and it needs to be sorted.”

By Anisha Satya