Has anyone read the national policy statement for fresh water management. This was passed in 2020, and regional councils are all starting to implement their fresh water policy and rules around it. I suggest that everyone read it, and get familiar with when and where their regional council is conducting its community consultation. This policy is driven by environmental outcomes, so get prepared and attend a meeting near you. I fear that if you dont try and make your case heard, your hobby mining activities will be curtailed. The Wakatipu Area one is being held tomorrow, which will affect the Oxburn, Precipice Creek, Buckler Burn, 25 mile, 12 mile and 5 mile. Time to get involved folks, this is only going to start happening throughout our free land, until it is no longer free, and we will need a new National Anthem.
There is a huge number of policy documents that affect mining both underway now and to be notified in the near future.
Two troubling ones are the regional policy statement which the submisdion period has closed. This has deleted any enabling references to the extractive industries and reads like iwi wrote it as their wishlist. The RPS directs how the water plan is to look.
Then the water and land plan is coming. That is where permitted activity rule 13.5.1.7 is. If the RPS removes extractives then there is no logical step down to having a permitted activity rule. So every dredging activity needs consent just like in southland.
The hobby dredging sector is under attack and if we don’t mobilise we will be spending 20k each time you need consent on ecologists and consents. If you cant get written approvals, then add another 5-10k. And you have the risk of consent being declined.