TARANAKI WHERE WE STAND STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2009 TARANAKI WHERE WE STAND State of the Environment Report 2009 Published by the Taranaki Regional Council Private Bag 713 Stratford February 2009 Print: ISBN 978-0-473-14730-3 Online: ISBN 978-0-473-14731-0 can be analysed for statistically signifi cant trends. This is important because it provides us with scientifi cally robust measures of how the environment is changing. Overall, the report shows that the health of our rivers and streams – an important issue for Taranaki – does decrease down catchments, as would be expected in an intensively farmed region, but signifi cantly, over time, it is either not changing or has measurably improved. This is despite expansion and intensifi cation of our agricultural sector over the past fi ve to 10 years. Positive movements towards sustainability continue in our erosion-prone inland hill country. Improvements in air emissions from our major industries have Rob Tucker continued over the last fi ve years and, by all measures, we in Taranaki enjoy excellent air David MacLeod (Chairman) and Basil Chamberlain (Chief Executive), Taranaki Regional Council. quality. The report shows similar results for MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN coastal waters and bathing beaches. AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE Biodiversity, on land, in fresh water and on the coast, is an emerging issue, and much good We have great pleasure in presenting to you, Equally, it’s not that many years ago, that work is being undertaken by many people the third state of the environment report for possum numbers in Taranaki were high – from all corners of the region to combat Taranaki. It reports on current environmental competing with cattle for grass and posing the pressures on our biodiversity from land conditions and trends since monitoring a risk of Bovine TB, and severely impacting development and invasive pest plants and pest programmes began. on biodiversity. Today, possum numbers, animals. Residents and visitors to Taranaki enjoy marvellous landscapes and natural and It is not that many years ago, at the time particularly on the ring plain, are very low, physical amenities. Our historic heritage is of the creation of the Taranaki Catchment thanks to the joint efforts of all the landowners well preserved in many fi ne buildings and Commission in 1970 in fact, that most wastes in the Council’s self-help possum programme other historic places. Taranaki is working hard from dairy farms discharged directly into and the Department of Conservation. to manage the waste it generates, although the nearest watercourse. That meant that The information contained in this report draws the untreated waste generated by tens of there is always scope for innovative solutions. on comprehensive state of the environment thousands of cows was washed into the Energy production and effi ciency are key monitoring programmes put in place by the region’s rivers and streams every day. Not features of Taranaki, the energy province of Taranaki Regional Council mainly in the mid only that, there were no fewer than 43 dairy New Zealand. 1990s. It also draws on information from factories around the region, almost all of them other agencies involved in environmental The science is one thing, and basing decisions built alongside rivers which they both drew on sound, robust scientifi c monitoring is water from, and discharged wastes into. management in Taranaki: the three district councils, the Department of Conservation, the crucial, but equally important is the perception Today, every dairy farm in Taranaki operates Ministry for Fisheries and many other agencies of people out and about in the environment, under a regularly monitored discharge permit and community-based groups. This highlights living their lives, every day. Almost nine in 10 that does not allow discharge of untreated that managing the environment takes a residents (87%) of Taranaki recently surveyed waste directly into any stream, and the collective response from a whole range of are satisfi ed with the management of the rationalisation of the dairy industry means that agencies and individuals. natural environment. This is an overwhelming there is now just one (large) dairy factory that endorsement indeed. discharges a strictly-controlled discharge of Many state of environment monitoring treated waste into the Tasman Sea through a programmes have now been in place for a The positive outcomes in this report towards long outfall. suffi ciently long period of time that the data achieving sustainable management have 1 State of the Environment Report 2009 not come about by mere good fortune or by accident. The Taranaki The following agencies and individuals provided information for the research community can feel justifi ably proud of the efforts it has made in recent undertaken by Business and Economic Research Limited: Methanex New years to ensure that Taranaki’s natural resources – vital to our economic Zealand Limited; Swift Energy (New Zealand) Limited; Shell Todd Oil Services and social well-being – are managed for the benefi t of present and Limited; Tasman Oil Tools Ltd; Olex New Zealand Limited; Ravensdown Fertiliser Limited; Taranaki By-Products Limited; Riverlands Eltham Limited; Clelands future generations. These efforts have come at some considerable Timber Limited; Ballance Agri-Nutrients (Kapuni) Limited; PCL Industries effort, hard work and serious money. It has been conservatively Limited; MCK Metals Pacifi c Ltd; ABB Limited; C&O Concrete Products Ltd; estimated that over the past fi ve years environmental capital Technix Group Limited; Firth Industries Ltd; Taranaki Galvanizers Ltd; Fitzroy investments on water resources, air and noise, land management, Engineering Group Limited; Allied Concrete; Bulk Storage Terminals Limited; energy effi ciency and environmental services totalled $216.7 million Stratford High School; Weatherford New Zealand Limited; Fonterra Co-operative – almost two and a half times the expenditure identifi ed in 2002 for Group Limited; Liquigas Limited; New Zealand Oil & Gas Limited; Hooker the previous fi ve-year period. Local actions by the community, both Bros Holdings Ltd; Sandford Bros Limited; New Plymouth New World; Pak N proactive and reactive, are perhaps the single most important change Save; Hawera Rewinds; Independent Blast Services; Inglewood Metal Limited; towards sustainable development in Taranaki. These are illustrated in Gough Gough & Hamer Limited; Hurlstone Earthmoving Limited; Inglewood Golf this report through dozens of stories highlighting individuals doing their Club; La Nuova Ltd; Vector Gas Ltd; Kibby Metal Pressing Limited; Stresscrete; bit for the environment. We know they are just the tip of the iceberg. Graham Harris (2000) Limited; Austral Pacifi c Energy Ltd; Mainfreight Transport Ltd; Manukorihi Golf Club; G R & L J Jones; Taranaki Jockey Club; Gully Rock However, Taranaki’s clean, green image must never be taken for granted. Limited; Powerco Limited; Matador Meats; Toll NZ Consolidated Ltd; Osfl o This report does raise concerns regarding the effects of continued Spreading Industries Limited; Dow AgroSciences (NZ) Limited; Shaun Pattinson; intensifi cation of our dairying industry on soil compaction, modifi cation Oaonui Water Supply; Vid Pro Services Ltd; Taranaki Drum and Pallet Recycling; of stream and wetland habitats for land development, and nutrient South Road Quarries; Tyco Flow Maintenance; The New Zealand Transport run-off from pasture with effects on water quality in the lower reaches Agency; Downer EDi Works Limited; Auto Lodge Motor Inn; Plymouth Hotel; of our rivers and streams. These pressures will intensify with continued Falcon Engineering Ltd; Brian Crawford Contracting Limited; Ferndene Quarries Limited; Greymouth Petroleum Limited; Fulton Hogan Limited; Blast It; Clark & growth in our agricultural sector. They will require ongoing attention Rogers Limited; Halliburton New Zealand Limited; B J & L B Bishop; Berridge and responses. Restoring the riparian vegetation along the length of our Pet Food; D M & D L Bourke; Chevron New Zealand; AB & DM Sybrandy rivers and streams is our biggest challenge – to fence and plant along Contracting Limited; Dick Sybrandy Limited; ALSCO NZTS New Zealand; New waterways that cumulatively could stretch from Auckland to Sydney and Plymouth Quarries Ltd; Meadowvale Stud Farm Limited; TrustPower Limited; back again. New Zealand Oil Services Ltd; AA Contracting Ltd; Winstone Aggregates Limited; Pacifi c Natural Gut String Company Ltd; A J Cowley Ltd; Howard The Taranaki Regional Council is greatly heartened by the extent to Wright Limited; Port Taranaki Limited; Taranaki Sawmills Ltd; L A Chatterton which the Taranaki community has moved to embrace environmental (Waitara) Ltd; The Kiwi Butcher; BTW Company Ltd; Dan Cosgrove Ltd; stewardship and the concept of sustainability. This bodes well for Mountain House Motor Lodge; Egmont Seafoods Limited; Te Ngutu Golf Club meeting future issues that will almost certainly challenge us. (Inc); M-I New Zealand Ltd; PEL Waste Services Limited; Vector Gas Limited; The Council believes that sustainable development – a balanced, Zelam Limited; Waitara Golf Club; Silver Fern Farms Limited; Whitaker Civil Engineering Limited; New Zealand Energy Limited; Westwill Properties Limited; integrated approach to development that ensures we look after people Origin Energy Resources (Kupe) Limited; Wai-iti Beach Camp Limited; Vickers and the environment in the long term – is the key to prosperity. This Quarries Ltd; Hawera Golf