A chance to lend expertise and support to farmers in the Lake Rotorua Catchment in an exciting new opportunity for Ravensdown Environmental’s Waikato-based consultancy team.

The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme Advice and Support Programme is a Bay of Plenty Regional Council initiative available to landowners in the Lake Rotorua Catchment affected by Plan Change 10 (PC10): Lake Rotorua nutrient management.

The initiative sees independent Land Use Advisors (LUAs) like the Ravensdown Environmental team paired with landowners and farm businesses to assess a property’s current nutrient discharge levels. They can then discuss opportunities for mitigation, possible land use change options and create Farm Environment Plans for resource consenting.

Ravensdown Environmental Principle Consultant Adrian Brocksopp is looking forward engaging with farmers in the region.

“We believe this a great starting point for landowners in the catchment to receive the appropriate support to enable them to make the right decisions,” says Adrian.

“We recognise there is a limited resource available in terms of advice and support, particularly for the smaller landowners with 10-40ha blocks. It’s in this space we can help make a difference in reducing individual farm environmental footprints and assist farmers in reaching their compliance targets in a timely manner.”

Land owners with holdings greater than 10ha that do not qualify as low intensity operations (defined by nitrogen leaching of less than 19.6 kg/ha) will need apply for resource consents in 2022. The first step towards compliance due diligence is having an Overseer file created based on plans for the property to ensure the proposed land use is allowed under PC10. Those larger than 40ha are required to apply for Resource Consents immediately.

As well as having five consultants on the ground in the region, Ravensdown Environmental have the added backup of the steadily-growing national environmental team’s skillsets in resource consenting and planning.

“We have been supporting farmers in the region for many years as a co-operative, and this sees the expansion of our support that we can provide,” says Adrian.

By working with Ravensdown Environmental, farmers benefit from scale and longevity. Our recruitment and training programmes, third-party relationships and continued willingness to invest in providing new and emerging service offerings mean we have the ability to provide farmers with a unique value proposition, all backed by the strength of the co-operative.