The Resource Management Act (RMA) was passed into law in 1991. The purpose of the ACT had only two main functions
- 1. Promote sustainable development and
- 2. Safeguard the life supporting capacity of the air, soil and water.
The ‘promotion’ of sustainable development under the RMA has turned into a nightmare for many would-be developers with outrageous costs for consents, which were a lottery; will the consent be granted or declined?
The marina at Whangamata waffled around for thirteen years before approval. More recently, a hydro station on the South Island West Coast has taken ten years to gain approval. The ‘air, soil and water’ have not benefitted either. The Waikato River is a prime example. The river is a lifeline for the North Island, for electricity generation and a water supply for Hamilton and now Auckland. The Waikato Regional Council (WRC) claimed the river was fit for recreational activities including swimming from Lake Taupo northward to The Narrows, pre 2000. The river flow water quality deteriorated after passing through Hamilton City. To maintain water quality, WRC have targeted various discharges that were flowing into the river. Described as ‘point discharges’, these included dairy factories, freezing works and a host of other industrial waste outlets. Water treatment was required before discharge to water. WRC then ordered the storage of dairy shed effluent until dryer weather, when soil conditions were suitable for spreading or spraying back onto pasture. The industries including dairying have invested millions of dollars in treating their waste, yet the water quality of rivers and streams including the Waikato River has not improved and indeed deteriorated. WRC is still pointing the finger at the dairy industry as the culprits in this loss of water quality.
This serious loss of water quality is now widespread across the Waikato including lakes Waikare and Whangape and as far as Cooks Beach and the Ohinemuri River. Generally, all of the lowland water is in a mess and not showing signs of improvement. So having cleaned up town and country discharges with no success, there has to be another reason. WRC have an annual budget now of $200 million and as far as water quality is concerned, little to show for it.
There has been two major developments that have slipped quietly under the radar. The first is the adoption and widespread use of chemicals embodied in our everyday living. There is a chemical now for everything from removing your nail polish to cleaning your car engine or milking machine. Another range of chemicals is designed to kill, and kill they do, all manner of plants and a by-kill of insects fish and birds. However, research is now being directed at preventing the resistance of weeds to the killing power of herbicides to make them even more deadly. Additionally, out on the farm there has been over a seven-fold increase in the use of nitrogen from under 60,000 tons in 1990 to 252,000 in 2019. It is known that excessive nitrogen breaks down the carbon in the soil destroying the natural function of the soil to cleanse the water. There have been animals, cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, in the Waikato for a very long time, but pre 1965 no effluent treatment and pre 1990, very little nitrogen and the natural water bodies were in good shape. History clearly paints the picture of destruction by chemical poisons and excessive careless use of nitrogen.
