Hawkes Bay TANK Plan

The proposed TANK Plan Change, also known as “Proposed Plan Change 9” introduces new ways to manage the land and waterways of the Tūtaekurī, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamū (TANK) catchments. The Plan will impact on your farm, so it is important that you have your say.

Overview

The Hawkes Bay Regional Council are currently consulting on their Proposed Plan Change 9 – to manage freshwater ecological health for the Tutaekuri, Ahuriri, Ngaruroro and Karamu (TANK) catchments. The TANK plan includes new water quality and quantity outcomes and rules for managing land uses to achieve these outcomes.

The Plan will impact on your farm so it is important you have your say.

Why should you get involved?

There are key areas within the proposed plan that could affect sheep and beef farmers – this is your chance to have your say on these matters. They are:

  • New instream water quality and water quality outcomes including limits which shape how water is to be managed and its availability for use;
  • Requirement for productive land uses to have a Farm Environment Plan or to be part of a Catchment Community if consent to farm is to be avoided;
  • Rules on existing productive land uses; Consent may be required;
  • Rules on New productive land uses or changes to land use – Consent required;
  • New  Nitrogen leaching limits for land use change – Puts in place an upper limit to how much Nitrogen can be leached specific to a productive land use (based on OVERSEER). There will be limited ability, if any, for new sheep and beef farmers to increase leaching beyond 13kgN/ha/yr. Upper limit for Dairy is 32kgN/ha/yr, Beef is 20kgN/ha/yr;
  • Stock exclusion – Via fencing or natural barriers. All domestic cattle, deer and pigs to be excluded from all permanently flowing or intermittently flowing waterbodies up to a land slope of 15 degrees, lakes and wetlands, or where stocked at 18su on land above 15 degrees slope;
  • Restrictions on taking water for stock drinking;
  • New restrictions on taking water for irrigation including new cut off levels for existing irrigation.

It is critical that you get involved in the process directly. The Plan will impact on your farm so it is important you have your say.

Key documents

Stages involved

  • Submissions due 14 August 2020.
  • Further submissions 3 September 2020.
  • Public hearing end 2020/early 2021.
  • Decision mid-2021.

The planning process is well underway. Submissions close on 14 August 2020 and the public hearings are scheduled for late 2020 to early 2021. A decision is expected mid-2021.

Remember you need to make a submission if you want to have your say on the plan now or in the future.

Have questions?

Contact Lilly Lawson, our Environment Policy Analyst, by clicking the 'Send us a message' button below.

B+LNZ has run three farmer workshops on the plan (which were advertised in the e-diary newsletters and on the website);

  1. 22 July: B+LNZ Tank PC9 Farmer Consultation Meeting: Patoka Hall, Hawke's Bay.
  2. 22 July: B+LNZ TANK PC9 Farmer Consultation Meeting: Puketapu, Hawke's Bay.
  3. 23 July: B+LNZ TANK PC9 Farmer Consultation Meeting: Maraekakaho Hall, Hawke's Bay.