Canterbury in a 'nitrate emergency': what does that mean?
- Jonathan Leask
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
As one of the final acts of the term, Canterbury Regional councillors declared a nitrate emergency. Few deny a problem, but some labelled the move as "meaningless" and marks a deepening a divide between town and country. LDR reporter Jonathan Leask looks at the murky issue.
The declaration
In a slim margin, Environment Canterbury declared a nitrate emergency on September 17, backing a motion from outgoing councillor Vicky Southworth.
Cr Southworth said the evidence shows nitrate levels are getting worse and called on the council to take a leadership role.
The motion was to declare a nitrate emergency, take a leadership role in tackling groundwater pollution, hold a detailed workshop on its causes and impacts, and seek advice on the costs and funding options to shift the burden of nitrate treatment from water users to polluters.
Southworth’s motion gained support from chairperson Craig Pauling, Greg Brynes, Iaean Cranwell, Joe Davies, Paul Dietsche, Grant Edge, Nuk Korako, and Genevieve Robinson.
Opposed were deputy chairperson Deon Swiggs, John Sunckell, Ian Mackenzie, Peter Scott, Nick Ward, David East and Claire Mckay.
Pauling, Brynes, and Dietsche, like Southworth, are not restanding for election and won’t be around to deal with the ramifications of the declaration.
In putting the motion forward, Southworth said farmers are working hard to reduce nitrate losses but “collectively it’s not nearly enough”, and there "just has to be less [sic] cows”.
Those who pushed back said the declaration was ‘‘virtue signalling’’ and an attack farmers, who were working to reduce nitrate levels.
What next?
Pauling said initially “the council will carry out the actions agreed to as outlined in the Notice of Motion”.
As it was made at the final meeting of the term, the incoming council will walk into a nitrate emergency.
Pauling is urging the new council, and other groups, “to prioritise these conversations, and to get around the table to consider options to address the issue”.
“This isn’t an issue that can be resolved by one agency or group of people alone, and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to have a closer look into the complexity and history of this issue.
“We won’t solve this by fighting over whose fault it is, we will solve it by coming together to find a way through. We all owe that to our communities and our environment. “
The declaration does not commit ECan to any new expenditure he said.
“The incoming council will need to determine the next steps in addressing this issue, and how potential solutions will be funded.”
The declaration was not an admission ECan has failed address the nitrate issues he said.
“It’s not a fair judgement to say that Canterbury Regional Council is solely responsible for the level of nitrate in our groundwater.
“At the end of the day, we have a problem to solve, and it is going to take everyone working together to do that – and by everyone, I mean industry - farming and irrigation schemes, mana whenua, the community, and all the statutory agencies.”
Pauling said it "isn’t about how many cows are in Canterbury”.
“It’s about finding ways to reduce increasing nitrate trends in groundwater and ensure drinking water sources are better protected.
“We know agricultural intensification is a major source of increasing nitrate concentrations in much of Canterbury’s groundwater. But cows are not the only source.
“Stormwater and wastewater from urban sources are also important to manage.”
Efforts ignored `
Cr Mackenzie felt the declaration wasn’t about science but “misinformation and alarmism”.
He said the cause of a lot of the high nitrate levels are legacy issues, from previous bad land use practice, but landowners “are heavily involved in implementing practises to reduce these levels”.
The nitrate reduction policies that have been place over the last decade are showing signs that “the groundwater nitrate levels may have peaked and might be showing data to suggest a decline”.
After the meeting, Cr Sunckell said ECan’s mandated catchment interventions “have been deemed ineffective before they are given a chance”.
He fears the decision “will only exacerbate the demise of this and other regional councils”, pointing to the Government’s murmuring about the future for regional councils in the RMA reform.
Government disapproval
Government ministers have slammed ECan’s declaration as the latest example of why RMA reform is necessary.
South Island Minister and Rangitata MP James Meager said the only thing ECan achieved declaring a nitrate emergency “is to further question what role regional councils will have to play under the new resource management system”.
“The declaration does nothing to improve water quality and is completely meaningless.
“This will drive further division between town and country and undermine decades of progress made by farmers.
“Our RMA reform will put a halt to this clearly anti-farmer and anti-growth sentiment and bring a more balanced approach to farming and our environment.”
By Jonathan Leask
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