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water quality

Adam Williamson

Adam Williamson

This report seeks to gain understanding of farmer water quality perspectives in the Amuri Basin and what factors in their farming systems they were prepared to adopt to achieve better water quality outcomes, along with identifying what the barriers to implementation are.

Anthony Mourits

It feels in recent times public perception has been increasingly negative towards the primary Industries as a result of the water quality “showdown” between farmers, government and the general public. The urban rural divide has been perceived to be greater than ever, and social media has presented a new arena for robust debate about water quality. However, this project discovered that...

Jason Grant

Currently, the environment and water quality are at the forefront of New Zealanders minds. There is a general consensus that our environment is suffering from the strain modern society has put on it. As a consequence of this, the agriculture industry is coming under increased pressure and scrutiny to find solutions to address this problem. … Read more

Paul Edwards

During the last two decades (1995 to 2015) the New Zealand dairy industry has undergone significant growth. Nationally, cow numbers have increased 70% from 2.9 to 5 million, the area in dairy has increased 45% from 1.2 to 1.75 million hectares and milk production has increased 129% from 8.1 billion to 18.6 billion milksolids (DairyNZ … Read more

Susan Kilsby

Trading systems, as a tool to reallocate nutrient emissions are currently underutilised in New Zealand. This is primarily due to the under development of the underlying water management policies and regulations required for a trading system to operate effectively. Water quality must be more proactively managed if we are to reach the goal of having … Read more

Megan McGregor

There is no denying that New Zealand has a declining water quality issue that needs addressed sooner rather than later, there is no denying that both rural and urban communities are at fault. But what resources are out there to help mitigate the declining water quality? The Resource Management Act 1991, as our main piece … Read more

Eva Harris

Water quality issues in New Zealand have become a top political issue, with the public demanding action be taken against the agriculture sector to ensure our rivers and lakes are returned to a “swimmable” state. Numerous policies and plans have been developed throughout the country to address these issues, with many regional councils creating rules … Read more

Jolene Germann

The regional council of Southland (Environment Southland) is mid-way through its Water and Land 2020 and Beyond (WL2020) Project. This project consists of three stages, and is the council’s response to the government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. It aims to prevent any further decline in water quality, and to help the Southland community … Read more

Kristy McGregor

New Zealand’s pastoral industry was founded on the breaking in of the land, and the romanticised image of cattlemen droving stock across rugged countryside remains a powerful image, even today. In abrupt contrast, however, is the more recent focus on stock access to waterways and its power as a catalyst for intense debate about water … Read more

Corrigan Sowman

The South Island Dairy Development Centre (SIDDC) is a non-profit set up through a collaborative effort of seven dairy industry partners: Lincoln University, AgResearch, Plant and Food Research, DairyNZ, Ravensdown Fertiliser Cooperative, LIC, and SIDE (South Island Dairy Event). Founded in 2001, it has operated the Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm (LUDDF) as a means … Read more

Simon Cooney

The Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan (CLWRP) is currently one of the more topical issues in the agriculture community. Please refer to Appendix one for an illustrated description of this plan. The proposed plan as it stands could potentially have huge implications on farm succession, development plans, change of land use, retirement plans, viability … Read more

Adrian Brocksopp

The OVERSEER® Nutrient Budget model (Overseer ) has developed significantly since its inception in the early 1990’s. The model has been widely accepted as an appropriate tool to aid fertiliser nutrient management decision making , the function that it was designed for. Regional councils are starting to use Overseer as a regulatory tool, to meet … Read more

Aaron Wilson

The focus of this project is to explore the potential design of a nitrogen attenuating feed pad for dairy cattle that are wintered on fodder crops in the lower South Island. I hope to explain some of the reasoning behind how important cost effective environmental sustainability is to the New Zealand dairy industry, and attempt … Read more

Solis Norton

Farming practices in New Zealand will need to change in order to comply with nutrient management regulation. This regulation is broadly described in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2014). It is then addressed more specifically at the community level through Regional Council and stakeholder engagement. There are almost two thousand farms throughout the … Read more

Natasha King

This paper explores the options available to manage effluent within the New Zealand Dairy Industry. It also clearly investigates why Anaerobic Digestion is not suitable at its current levels of technology to be an option for commercial dairy farms in New Zealand. Then it provides some practical, innovative solutions to manage the effluent. Using 3 … Read more

van Reenen, Erica

Water quality issues are at the forefront of people’s minds at present. The sheep and beef sector is coming under increasing pressure to ‘do their bit’ to improve water quality on farm. This is not necessarily a straight forward task, and there are a number of barriers preventing widespread action. The sector is also coming … Read more

Nicola Waugh

Over the past decade, water quality has become increasingly important to the New Zealand public.  The effect of 150 years of clearing land, developing and intensifying agriculture is taking its toll on the environment. Agriculture and tourism are among NZ’s largest export earners bringing in $22.3 billion (Statistics New Zealand, 2011) and $22.4 billion NZD … Read more

Metcalfe Quentin, LJ

Politically and publicly it has been decided that water quality and quantity are fundamentally important for the future of New Zealand. While this appears to be an appropriate goal that fits with our Clean Green and Pure NZ slogans it overlooks the challenge that it imposes on the primary production sector. Finding the balance between … Read more

Vaughan Templeton

There is little doubt that the environmental cost of food production is becoming a much greater concern to the general public. Since the change in land use of our own property here in coastal Southland from sheep and beef farming to dairying in 2002 there has been a highly effective campaign to highlight the negative … Read more