Farmers have welcomed a government announcement which has effectively stalled Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) Land and Water Plan process.

The government announced this week it will add an amendment to the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill (currently before parliament) restricting councils’ ability to notify new freshwater rules until the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) is in place.

RMA reform minister Chris Bishop, agriculture minister Todd McClay, and environment minister Penny Simmonds said the move would “provide farmers the clarity they need around freshwater management, and to minimise inefficiencies and duplication for councils, and prevent unnecessary costs for ratepayers”.

Federated Farmers Otago president Luke Kane said “common sense has prevailed” and Otago farmers will be breathing a sign of relief.

"It’s made no sense whatsoever for … ORC to be barging ahead arrogantly by trying to bring in new water quality rules when it’s been clear that the government will be changing the national direction,” he said.

Read more: ORC continues to ignore government direction

He said ORC’s land and water plan has relied on water quality data from as far back as 2017, failing to account for “all the positive environmental and management actions taken by farmers and catchment groups over the past seven years”.

Any new freshwater rules will be able to consider up-to-date water quality information, he said.

Under the government’s amendment, ORC now won’t be able to notify a land and water plan until December 2025 or until the new NPS-FM is in place.

ORC chief executive Richard Saunders said the council was going to be presented with options this week and decide which decision to make, with voting to date indicating seven councillors wished to notify, and five wanted to pause.

ORC chair Gretchen Robertson said the government’s announcement was “a shift in law”, and the council would need to take time to consider the implications for the Otago community.

“This has been a significant process, and everyone has worked well with us democratically so far – as we have worked towards a plan which has been years in the making.

“This is not a pause that will stop the council from continuing to work with mana whenua and our community to improve freshwater in Otago, it is a pause for the planning process.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the government on the development of the new National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management,” she said.

Penny Simmonds said councils will still have an avenue to progress freshwater plans in some circumstances, for example, where doing so would more quickly enable key housing or infrastructure projects to go ahead, by applying for her approval.

PHOTOS: Supplied