Irrigation funding boost welcome says Fonterra

Fonterra has welcomed today’s pre-Budget announcement on the Irrigation Acceleration Fund to support the development of irrigation proposals up to the investment stage.

“The natural competitive advantage associated with New Zealand’s comparative water rich status can be turned into more wealth for our country. Any investment in infrastructure to store water is a good step towards this goal. Projects like these have long lead times so this fund will hopefully support them through the developmental stages,” said Fonterra’s Director Supplier and External Relations, Kelvin Wickham.

He also welcomed indications in today’s announcement that the Government will consider further investment which could have the potential to encourage greater investment in water infrastructure projects. “We look forward to more detail in the Budget on this funding and especially confirmation of the timing of its availability.”

He said the announcement of a $15 million Freshwater Clean Up Fund and the combining of existing funds under one umbrella recognised that the questions of water allocation, water storage / reticulation and of water quality went hand-in-hand.

“There are community concerns about declining water quality and the need to address legacy issues caused by generations of urban and rural land use. This funding will be welcomed,” said Mr Wickham. He said Fonterra supported and contributed to projects to improve water quality in dairy catchment areas including our $1.5 million “Catchment Care” riparian planting initiative.

“We are also living up to our obligations to improve water efficiency and quality through such programmes as our Every Farm Every Year effluent check initiative. We acknowledge that dairy’s continued rights to water access are dependent on responsible use and efforts to address water quality.”

Mr Wickham welcomed the continuation of the Land and Water Forum as a constructive approach to resolving freshwater management issues and expressed interest in a National Water Strategy and National Environmental Standards to support the National Policy Statement on Freshwater. “Our preference is for the regulatory NPS to be closely aligned to a National Water Strategy that provides clarity about how we manage access to this resource to achieve the best sustainable development opportunities for New Zealand. Such a Strategy must, in turn, sit alongside National Environmental Standards which provide the necessary national consistency in standards and target setting procedures for water quality.”