David Farrar: Fed Farmers on the cost of the mana of water

Federated Farmers states:

This week, Federated Farmers have written to Otago councils calling for urgent transparency on new policy aiming to protect the mana of water, known as Te Mana o Te Wai.

You may have seen this in the media, as it’s been picked up far and wide.

Councils were required to give effect to the principle of Te Mana o Te Wai under the previous Government’s freshwater policies.

While the new Government has announced it will review the direction requiring this, their review is not yet complete.

It’s staggering that, despite the review, Otago Regional Council (ORC) is charging on and aiming to give legal effect to Te Mana o Te Wai this year.

We understand the council has reached a view that protecting the mana of water means no treated urban wastewater will be able to be discharged to waterways.

If this rule is implemented, it will no doubt mean billions of dollars of additional cost for Otago ratepayers, including farmers.

This is the problem when you start to try and have rules that water has a life-force which must be respected. Instead of a sensible cost0-benefit analysis, you end up with rules that may cost ratepayers billions of dollars.

We also understand that, under the council’s definition of Te Mana o Te Wai, water from one river can’t mix with water from another.

If such a rule is implemented, it would cause major issues for irrigation schemes where water is stored and irrigated in an area where it may eventually enter a different catchment.

Oh goodness, we can’t have water from the Smiths going into the water from the Jones. They’re just the wrong sort of water to mix with us good water.

Again, none of this is to do with the scientific view of freshwater quality; it’s simply aiming to give effect to Te Mana o Te Wai.

Maybe we shouldn’t legislate for concepts such as water having a life-force.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.