irrigation

Water for New Zealand has been described as a ‘Wicked Problem’.  This is a term that has been used to relate the degree of social and ecological complexity involved. It also describes how different world views on such problems can shape both the definition and the solution. This is not always positive or balanced. For … Read more

The New Zealand government has set a goal of doubling the value of exports by 2025. In order to achieve this, the Irrigation Acceleration Fund (IAF) was allocated $35 million over five years to support the development of irrigation infrastructure.  Rangitikei local government had employed Catalyst Group an environmental management consulting company to conduct case … Read more

The reasons for uptake of irrigation scheme water are relatively un-researched in Canterbury of New Zealand, and while there are a number of theories why scheme water is not adopted by farmers, it is not well documented. This pilot study of nine farmers across mid and central Canterbury was set up to make an initial … Read more

Irrigation and water storage has long been touted as a potential for improvements in productivity in dryland East Coast areas. Reports date back to the 1880’s discussing the benefits water would bring to farmlands. Currently there is 750,000ha of land irrigated in New Zealand with approximately 400,000ha in Canterbury. The total irrigated area in New … Read more

This report has been written to convey the experiences that I have enjoyed and the lessons I have learned in eight years involvement in large scale community water enhancement project promotions. In the early 80’s with the major government reforms, promoters’ of irrigation were left on their own with government assistance totally withdrawn. This period … Read more

Severe drought in the recent summer of 2000/01 highlighted the significant impact that water plays in the productive land based industries of the Tasman district. Rationing of irrigation water reached an unprecedented level. This, coupled with the Tasman District Councils proposed resource management plan for water, questioned the efficient and equitable allocation of water for … Read more

“This report examines the problem of conflicting water use. There is a finite resource of water and an increasing number of bodies wanting to abstract it from the water bodies and use it for various uses; irrigation, power generation, urban supply to name a few. At the same time recreation water users and conservationists are … Read more

Irrigation is almost unheard of in South Otago with only a small number of farmers ever using it. Despite being an area that is not traditionally know as being prone to drought, South Otago does occasionally suffer from extended dry periods that can cause production fluctuations, with some parts of the district being more susceptible … Read more

Successive governments have made funding available for rural communities. Currently funding can be sourced from a number of government agencies. Tony Lepper in his role as Manager of EIC Ltd has successfully applied for two separate water study grants from the Water Studies Fund established by AGMARDT and the Government. This programme has a two-stage … Read more

The opening of the Waimakariri Irrigation Scheme on the 30th of October 1999 is a sequel or rebirth of the water race system. This water race transformed the Waimakariri-Ashley Plains when opened by the Prime Minister Richard Seddon on Monday, 16 November, 1896. The Irrigation Scheme is a tribute to all the people, their initiatives … Read more

This paper considers: 1. The failure of regulatory management in the farming sector looking specifically at: Irrigation schemes, Pest Control, 1948 Land Act, Water rights administration. 2. Whether the Resource Management Act is regulatory or non-regulatory. 3. How to achieve non-regulatory farm management under the Resource Management Act. 4. Some brief observations of mine as … Read more