Coast & Country News September

EFFLUENT PAGE 15-20 DAIRY PAGE 21-30 SPRING FERTILISER PAGE 31-34 RURAL DRIVER PAGE 46-50 MAIZE PAGE 51-57 GARDENING PAGE 60 COUNTRY FUNNIES PAGE 69

BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014

Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural Lifestyle

September 2014 Issue No.169

Preserving their future

Citrus growers Simon and Caroline Marriott have added value to their fruit by making a range of sweet and savoury preserves, including a marmalade which won silver at Worlds Original Marmalade Awards in England. Read their story on pages 4-5. Photo by Elaine Fisher.

TAURANGA 07 543 0021WHAKATANE 07 308 7299

COAST & COUNTRY

Innovation is at the heart of every successful industry,

but sometimes the latest model or variety fails to

perform as expected.In the car industry even the best

have to occasionally recall vehicles that have developed faults, despite the best efforts of engineers, designers and manufacturers.

So it shouldnt come as a surprise that one of Zespris new kiwifruit varieties called Charm (G9) has developed a fault (see page 3) despite years of research and development and pre-commercial trials. However, unlike a motor vehicle, this problem cant be fi xed by taking the fruit back to the workshop for repairs.

Like the car company, Zespri must protect its brand reputation so as Charm goes wrinkly at room temperature and customers dont

like the way it looks, its future is uncertain.

Thats tough on growers, the early adopters of the new variety, who took a carefully considered risk that it would be a profi table fruit. They are now faced with replacing it and losing more years with no production.

The only viable alternative is the other gold Zespri Sun Gold or (G3) but thats also a high-yielding variety, and takes careful management to achieve the taste the market desires.

Increasing production has some nervous about the industrys abil-ity to pick and store large volumes of fruit in a very short harvest period.

Zespri general manager grower and government relations Simon Limmer says the industry is tack-ling this issue.

Suppliers have confi rmed signifi cant infrastructure develop-

ment, including new coolstores, by next season.

Other industry initiatives to extend the packing window include an early start programme and technologies such as con-trolled atmosphere.

Growers will be hoping they can deliver on those plans.

The costs, and risks, of doing business continue to raise for dairy farmers (see pages 11-12) as councils get tough on effl uent systems. Signifi cant research and development is going into manag-ing increasing volumes of on-farm waste (see pages 15 to 20) which, while costly, will help ensure the continued right to farm.

Dairy goat farmers face the same stringent effl uent requirements as conventional dairy farmers but with the added benefi t of working with very affectionate animals see the Goatland story pages 6-7.

Innovation is at the heart like the way it looks, its future is ment, including new coolstores,

New variety failures not unexpected

By Elaine Fisher

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Its called Charm and although it tastes great, the new Zespri gold kiwifruit isnt

impressing consumers and may be phased out of commercial production.

The high-yielding sweet fruit has a problem with shrivelling of its skin at room temperature after cool storage and it is that appearance which is putting buyers off because they believe the fruit is deteriorating.

Zespri has offered growers $10,000 per hectare of Gold9 and a Gold3 licence at no cost to remove vines this season, but that was rejected by a major-ity of gold growers as insufficient to make up for their costs and losses in income.

While Zespri general manager grower and government relations Simon Limmer says no decision has been made about the commercial future of Gold9, many growers believe next season will be their last harvest of the fruit.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc president Neil Trebilco says the wrinkling is cosmetic and the fruit in fact tastes great, but Zespris marketing efforts have been unable to convince its customers and consumers thats the case.

G9 was released commercially four years ago and about 1.7 million trays currently grow on 150 ha. The fruit can be grown in the Bay of Plenty without the use of the chemical Hi-Cane and it produces up to 24,575 trays per hectare of high-tasting fruit.

Pooled returnsReturns for G9 are pooled with the other new gold

variety Zespri Sun Gold (G3), which means G9 returns are pegged to those of G3.

Neil says the industry needs to have a discussion before the end of the year on a proposal that G9 have its own payment pool, which would mean true profits and losses were sheeted home to growers.

This needs to happen soon, as growers naturally dont like uncertainty, says Neil.

The current uncertainty around the future of G9 is tough on growers as re-grafting to another variety will mean loss of production and income before the vines come into production.

Tauranga G9 grower and chairman of the Green Growers Group, Mike Smith, says while hes not happy about the decision, he supports Zespri because of the adverse impacts G9 could have on the brand.

Mike has notch-grafted his G9 vines to G3 and says next season will be the last harvest of the G9 fruit on his orchard.

I think Zespri has tried to find answers to the

shrivelling but hasnt been successful and unless a novel solution is found I think they have done the right thing.

We can look in the rear vision mirror, as to how G9 was released and why the shrivel problem didnt show up sooner, but thats not helpful.

Worlds bestOne grower, who does not wish to be named, says

hes extremely upset at Zespris decision, as he believes G9 is the best-yielding and tasting gold fruit in the world.

Someone somewhere will get its DNA and start pro-ducing it, says the grower, who has reluctantly grafted his G9 vines to the other gold variety G3.

He believes the shrivelling issue could be overcome by improved cool storage and handling facilities in the markets and that the fruit should be sold in niche markets, not alongside G3.

At the Zespri AGM in July, CEO Lain Jager indi-cated the future of G9 may be in doubt.

Ultimately we may need to consider whether this variety remains viable.

Our strategy must be built from the market back through the rest of the supply chain. This means suc-cess is likely to be reflected by having relatively few, relatively large product categories, which each earn their own shelf space.

In this environment we must avoid the tempta-tion to allow the proliferation of small products in the market and have the courage to de-commercialise cultivars that do not have a clear role in the portfolio.

Simon Limmer told Coast & Country the varietys

future is uncertain because of market feedback from customers, wholesalers and retailers about Gold9 fruit deterio-ration.

CompensationZespri has made it clear to Gold9

growers that the future of the variety is uncertain, due to inherent quality issues that have yet to be overcome.

Should it be de-commercialised, grow-ers will be entitled to the compensation outlined in their licence agreement with Zespri, he says.

All new varieties carry some risk with them and the issues apparent with Gold9 have been made very clear to

growers throughout the commercialisa-tion process, says Simon.

Ultimately, growers make a deci-sion about whether to invest in a new variety based on all the information put in front of them and on their own risk profile.

All Gold9 fruit this year has been shipped and sold in the markets of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Aus-tralia. Gold9 was not sold in Japan in 2014 or 2013.

New gold fails to charm consumers

The appeal of Zespris Charm variety is fading.

COAST & COUNTRY

From African savannah to valleys green pastures

Views of bush-clad hills and lush green paddocks, grazed by calves and Suffolk sheep, surround Simon and Caroline

Marriott at their Coromandel Peninsula property but 15 years ago their outlook

was completely different.Back then the couple lived among the spectacu-

lar landscapes of northern Kenya, where livestock included rare black rhino and Grevys zebra.

The contrast between their secluded 12.4 hectares in Omahu Valley, near Thames, and Lewa a 22,257.7ha Kenyan wildlife conservancy couldnt be more extreme.

Instead of green pastures there were savannah, wet-lands and forests roamed by elephant, giraffe, buffalo, antelope, lion, cheetah and leopard.

In 1995, Simon, a former British Army offi cer became the privately-owned conservancys administra-tor. So together with wife Caroline, a physiotherapist, and children Clare, four, Sally, three, and Tom, 15 months, the family left England for Lewa.

It was a huge step to leave England with such a young family, and another child, Emma, on the way; but it was a wonderful opportunity for our children to experience Kenya and the wildlife there, says Caroline.

The four years the Marriotts spent at Lewa were chal-

lenging and exciting, and they loved it. But they came to New Zealand in

1999 to further their childrens educa-tion, although the family retains close links with one of the most successful and innovative wildlife conservation projects on private land in eastern Africa, and perhaps worldwide.

Anna MerzSimon says Lewa had its beginning

thanks to English woman, the late Anna Merz, who was passionate about conservation of the critically endangered black rhino.

In the early 1980s Anna approached the Craig family, who owned a large cattle ranch in northern Kenya, to estab-lish a rhino sanctuary on their land.

Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary thrived and became the Lewa Wildlife Conserv-ancy in 1995. Lewas strategic adviser Ian Craig, with Anna, and his late father David Craig, ran the sanctuary.

Ian also spearheaded formation of the Northern Rangelands Trust, an umbrella body supporting community conservan-cies in northern Kenya.

Simons role at Lewa included arming and training guards to protect wildlife

from poachers; and he was also involved in Lewas programmes to provide a sustainable future for the conserv-ancy through tourism, and ensure the co-existence of wildlife and human populations in the area.

We were able to demonstrate to local people the value of live animals, because of the tourists they attracted.

Thanks to tourism and international donations, Lewa and the people within the area continue to benefi t from improved roads, schools and income.

Perimeter fenceThe perimeter is fenced but there is

30 metre gap in the north side, which migratory game like elephants and ante-lope can pass through, but with a low wall that prevents rhino from crossing, says Simon.

As the benefi ts of the conservancy were recognised by adjoining landown-ers and the government, Simon says the conservancy boundaries have grown.

Plus, even more ways of protecting wildlife have been found, including a highway underpass that allows elephants to follow their traditional migratory paths.

Simon Marriott has created his own wildlife reserve by damming a small wetland on the

family farm.

There are about 900 trees in the Omahu Valley Citrus orchard.

Suffolk sheep are also bred on Simon and Caroline Marriots farm.

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There were many sceptics that the elephant underpass wouldnt work, but it did.

It took just one bull elephant named Tony to walk through the underpass for it to become accepted by the herd.

Small farmBuying a small farm wasnt part

of the plan when the Marriotts arrived in New Zealand but after the wide open spaces of Lewa, urban living didnt appeal.

When they found the property in Omahu Valley Rd in 2000 it was love at fi rst sight. Then came the realisation a small farm can be almost as much work as a big one, and it needed to pay its way.

Caroline and Simon employed a consultant for advice and decided to plant citrus trees 900 of them during two years. There is about 0.6ha of Yen Ben lemons and the same area of Bearss Limes. Other citrus trees on the farm include tangelos, tangors, grapefruit, lem-onade, mandarins and

various types of oranges.The whole family planted most

of the orchard and shelter trees. Now Simon and Caroline manage the orchard themselves, pruning, fertilising, mowing, spraying and picking fruit. The good thing about citrus is you dont have to pick it all at once, says Simon.

As well as running the orchard, Simon joined the Waikato Mounted Rifl es as its commander. For 11 years Caroline has worked as a physiotherapist at the Thames Hospital, while at the same time building up a small fl ock of pedi-gree Suffolk sheep and making marmalades, pickles and preserves from the orchard fruit.

Thames marketI was selling fruit at the Thames

Market when I inquired about selling homemade marmalade too, only to be told I needed a regis-tered kitchen to be able to do that.

Caroline and Simon didnt want to go to the expense of build-

ing a commercial kitchen until they knew the business would be viable, so Caroline went to Thames-Coromandel District Council for advice.

The Environmental Health Offi cer was very helpful, and after visiting my home kitchen, said it could be registered provided I fol-lowed strict food safety protocols using a Food Control Plan, says Caroline.

She also attended a food-han-dling course and began producing a range of sweet and savoury products, all preservative-free with no artifi cial ingredients.

These are sold under the Omahu Valley Citrus label, using fruit from the orchard.

The popularity of her products at the market has grown and Caroline also supplies a number of retail outlets, including Farro Fresh Food in Auckland.

Always aiming to refi ne her products, Caroline decided to enter the 9th Worlds Original Marmalade Awards in England

Omahu marmalade wins British award

because judges give detailed reports on each entry, whether it wins or not.

Silver awardTo her delight, Omahu Valley Citrus

Tangelo Marmalade won a silver award and its grapefruit marmalade was highly commended. Confi dent Omahu Valley Citrus products had a future, Caroline and Simon converted their garage into a modern certifi ed kitchen,

completed in mid-August.Its a wonderful space to work in,

bright and light; and having a separate and professional kitchen will greatly help to expand the business and increase production of the Omahu Valley Citrus range, says Caroline.

To fi nd out more about Lewa, visit www.lewa.org/ To order Omahu Valley Citrus products email [email protected]

By Elaine Fisher

Caroline Marriotts Omahu Valley Citrus Tangelo Marmalade won a silver award and its grapefruit

marmalade was highly commended in the 9th Worlds Original

Marmalade Awards in England.

Caroline Marriott makes a wide range of sweet and savoury products from Omahu Valleys orchard.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Kids learn really quickly; far faster than calves, says Kerry.

Some kids will become replacements for the Goat-land herd, some will be sold to other farmers; and bucks will be sold for meat.

However, despite demand for it, the goat meat industry is still relatively undeveloped in New Zea-land, says Kerry.

Very demandingRobyn and Kerry switched from cows to goats 10

years ago on their 50 hectare farm 10km from Mor-rinsville and have no regrets despite the pressures of goat farming.

Goat farming isnt for everyone, says Robyn.

Its very demanding and goats are completely different to handle than cows.

Kerry agrees. Goats are intelligent, inquisitive and affectionate animals.

Goats keep quite civilised hours when it comes to kidding, according Kerry Averill of

Goatland Farm at Morrinsville.They tend to kid between 11am and

7pm, which means you dont have to stay up all night checking them, says Kerry.

However, with 1300 milking goats producing twins and triplets at Goat-land Farm those daytime maternity

hours are intense for Kerry and his wife Robyn and their staff.

Its full on during kidding and we need extra staff to cope with the kids and record-keeping, says Kerry.

Kids stay with their mothers for the fi rst 24 hours, to ensure they receive colostrum milk to help establish their natural immunity, and are then moved to small warm pens where they learn to feed from an on-tap milk feeder system.

Goats are considerate kidders

Goats inquisitive nature means they are interested in anything happening around their barns.

COAST & COUNTRY

By Elaine Fisher

The Averill farm is part of the Dairy Goat Co-oper-ative, which has limited membership, currently to 70 members milking between them 40,000 goats and theres a waiting list to join.

The co-operatives aim is to match supply with market demand, however its possible we may require up to 100 members in fi ve years, says Kerry.

The co-operative makes and cans infant milk for-mula from its Hamilton dairy factory, exporting it to more than 20 countries.

Part of the success of the infant formula is down to the on-farm formula for caring for, feeding and milking the dairy goats.

Grass fedGoatlands goats are housed indoors year-round in

large, light, airy pens and are fed grass and Lucerne grown on the farm, supplemented with New Zealand grown maize, canola and hay. No imported supple-ments, including PKE, are fed to the herd.

The goats each of which are named wear col-lars and ear tags as well as a leg tag, which is read when they enter the 100-bail iCONVEYERS rotary installed fi ve years ago.

I know what each goat is producing and when some are drying off its not always visibly obvi-ous because there can be little change in the udder appearance, says Kerry.

The rotary is the same size as a 50-cow rotary, with smaller bails to accommodate the does, which pro-duce between three-four litres of milk daily.

Because of the inquisitive nature of goats and their tendency to chew almost anything in their reach, the dairy had to be re-designed and not just to accom-modate their smaller size.

We had to put the electronic equipment up high out of their reach, says Kerry.

Environment rulesMilking takes about two-and-a-half hours in the

morning and about one-and-a-half hours at night.A cooling system lowers the milk temperature to

seven degrees Celsius when it enters the vat, and down to four degrees Celsius shortly after. Milk is collected every two days.

Anything chewable kept out of reachkept out of reach

Page 7

Kerry Averill enjoys the fact goats are

affectionate animals to farm.

Kerry has installed a lab in the dairy to test the milk, ensuring it meets high standards demanded by the co-operative.

While goats dont produce the volume of effl uent dairy cows do, farmers are under the same regional council environmental rules and scrutiny as their dairying counterparts.

On the Averill farm, liquid waste is sprayed onto pasture and bedding from the barns is used as compost for maize crops and the family vegetable garden.

Robyn and Kerry open their farm to visits, by appointment only.

Linda Flynn and Mike Coop take time out from kidding to spend with young goats on Goatland

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COAST & COUNTRY

Katikati was considered by them to be small.Today its one of the few remaining in the region,

where most citrus orchards have been replaced by kiwifruit.

However, the citrus industry is strong in North-land and Gisborne and Keiths science background and years of experience on large commercial citrus orchards in Southern Africa was, and still is, in demand.

Keith grew up near Johannesburg in South Africa and was educated at Natal University.

His fi rst job was in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), researching cotton pest problems.

An OE to the UK and time with Outward Bound followed Keith is a keen hiker and mountaineer.

On his return Keith was involved in a programme to control tsetse fl y, which transmits the protozoa causing sleeping sickness in humans, in some parts of Africa, and fever, weakness lethargy and even death in animals.

Hunting kuduThe aim was to control the fl y in low-lying areas

to prevent its spread to the higher areas where cattle were farmed, says Keith.

Control involved Keith spending weeks in the outdoors managing hunting teams shooting bush buck, kudu, wart hog and buffalo the main hosts in a corridor area.

The chemical DDT was also sprayed very selectively to kill fl ies in low-lying bush areas.

In 1974 Keith took a position on an estate north of Harare, owned by the Anglo-American corporation.

The citrus orchard was initially 1300ha but we reduced that to 750ha and grew fruit mainly for the local market, says Keith.

There were 40ha of limes and despite the inter-national sanctions against the country at the time, we exported lime juice to the UK for Roses Lime Juice.

The estate also grew cotton, maize, soya bean and wheat.

Plant protection was the focus of much of Keiths

There are no citrus orchards in this country as large as the 1300 hectares Keith Pyle once

managed in Zimbabwe, but the lessons he learned there are now being put to

good use in New Zealand.Today Keith, who has a degree in agriculture with

entomology, plant pathology and plant protection as the focus, is a member of the New Zealand Citrus Growers Inc research committee.

Hes a citrus grower too. In 1998 when Keith and wife Madeline immigrated to New Zealand, the two hectare citrus orchard they bought near

work. There was a problem with citrus greening and scale insects, red scale in particular, which had devel-oped resistance to organophosphate sprays.

Spraying with hard chemicals had also almost wiped out the benefi cial insects. We began using mineral oils instead.

Within three years we were able to turn the situa-tion around. The scale insects were controlled by the oils and the benefi cial insects were back.

IPM researchKeith and Madeline moved to Swaziland in 1981

where Keith managed a property with 800ha of citrus and 4000ha of sugar and a 25,000ha cattle/game ranch.

Page 8 COAST & COUNTRY

Katikati was considered by them to be small.There are no citrus orchards

NZ industry benefits from South African experiences

Katikati citrus grower Keith Pyle is a member of the New Zealand Citrus Growers Inc

research committee.

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COAST & COUNTRYCOAST & COUNTRY

Offshore pests pose citrus threat

In their 17 years on the property Keith says he eventually spent more time on administration and less on research and citrus management, which is when thoughts turned to a new life in New Zealand.

Keith was in contact with the citrus com-pany Kati Kist in Katikati (now Zeafruit) and felt there were opportunities within the citrus industry for him in New Zealand.

After settling here and purchasing an orchard, Keith became involved in New Zealand Citrus Growers Incs research into integrated pest management, funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund.

He worked alongside Phillipa Stevens and others of HortResearch (now Plant & Food) running fi eld and laboratory research, consulting with growers, and drawing on his South African experiences.

Keith is an advocate of pruning citrus trees to open them up to light and to allow better application of sprays.

When I came to New Zealand not a lot of pruning was done and some of the trees were huge. Pruning also seems to have an infl uence on biennial bearing, making the trees fruit more consistently.

The IPM research focused on control measures which didnt destroy benefi cial insects in orchards, but rather worked with them to control pests.

Today NZCGI research is co-ordinated by NZCGI in Wellington and Keith is still part of the team.

White fl yThe newest problem citrus growers are

facing is Australian citrus white fl y, which was fi rst discovered here in 2001, says Keith.

We believe it blew across the Tasman. The insects secretions cause black sooty

mould to grow on citrus and attempts have been made to introduce a parasitic wasp from Australia to help in its control.

So far attempts to get a colony of the insects established here have failed.

However, spray programmes are currently controlling the insect, along with other pests including thrips, but Keith says those sprays costs about$1000 per hectare, which is a signifi cant expense for growers.

Another pest is the citrus fl ower mouth with its larvae burrowing into citrus fl owers and fruit, causing cosmetic marking on Yen

Ben lemons which means they cant be sold as premium grade one fruit.

There are other threats offshore, which the New Zealand industry hopes wont get here.

They include the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri, which has become a serious threat to Californias citrus industry.

Not only does it feed on plants, damag-ing leaves, the insect is also a vector of the bacterium CandidatusLiberibacter asiaticus, associated with the fatal citrus disease huan-glongbing, also called citrus greening disease.

If the disease ever got to New Zealand it could be devastating for the citrus industry, says Keith.

In between his research and consultancy work, Keith and Madeline grow Yen Ben and Meyer lemons, early and late Navel oranges, tangelos and mandarins including the new variety Afourer in their Katikati orchard.

The couple employ backpackers to help with picking and enjoy meeting young people from around the world.

Most of the fruit goes to local market, but this season fi ve bins of lemons were exported to China.

Keith Pyle is an advocate of pruning citrus trees, to open them up to light and to allow better application of sprays.

Damage to leaves, caused by the citrus fl ower moth.

By Elaine Fisher

COAST & COUNTRY

It was a great way to see the country but at the end of 12 months I told Jutta I would look for another job unless I was offered a one pound rise in salary, says Tony.

The offer was less than a pound so Tony got a farming job, milking in a walk-through shed.

Id never milked a cow in my life, says Tony.

Later the couple went share-miking at Opotiki, eventually buying their own small farm near Awakeri 17 years ago.

There Jutta and Tony grew blueberries until a severe hail-storm one December destroyed the crop.

I walked through the orchard looking at the damaged fruit and wondered if it could be used to make wine, says Tony.

He took fruit to what was then called the Department of Scientific and Industrial

Research wine making centre at Te Kawhata, where the blueberries were made into a very acceptable wine. So began White Goose winery.

The name comes from the white geese that graze the grass beneath the plum and feijoa trees, from which Tony makes wine. The geese keep the grass down and fertilise the trees at the same time.

Blueberries no longer grow on the 3.75ha property but there are 1900 feijoa and about 60 plum

trees, including three different varieties.

Fruit from the trees is sold fresh as well as processed into wine, and other fruit is brought

in to make wines too.I did a wine making

course through AIT, much of it by correspondence, says Tony.

I was the only fruit wine maker, and probably the oldest member of the class.

Tony imported wine making equipment from Italy and Hawkes Bay, and 17 years ago was licensed to make and sell wine.

All the wine making happens on-site in Luxton Rd, near Awakeri, and when ready for bottling is transported by Tony to Mills Reef Winery in Tauranga.

White Goose Winery has won a number of awards, including the best sparkling wine trophy at the 2012 National Fruit Wine competition for its Sparkling Trinity Wine made from boysenberries, strawberries and plums. White Goose winery is open most days for tastings, just off State Highway 30.

Geese essential part of wines successA disappointing pay offer, a hail storm

and a flock of geese all played roles in the establishment of a Whakatane fruit winery.When Tony and Jutta Firmin emigrated from Eng-

land 58 years ago, Tonys first job was as a company representative.

By Elaine Fisher

Tony Firmin has won awards for his White Goose range of fruit wines.

White Goose Sparkling Trinity won the best

sparkling wine trophy at the 2012 National Fruit

Wine competition.

Plums from the Firmin property at Awakeri are used

to make plum wine.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Fact: Urban streams are more degraded than rural streams. Yes,

you read that correctly. When talking with farmers recently,

several have commented their waterways look healthier than those they see in town. And yes, its true. Rural streams often have better water quality, stream habitat and biodiversity.

But before you say: We told you so, read on to get the full story.

Every year, Auckland Council checks the health of streams around the region, with 23 in total. Council monitors fi ve indicators of stream health, which are graded from A to F.

The results show rural streams are a lot healthier than urban streams.

Aucklands urban streams are severely degraded, with grades on average between D and E. The reasons for degradation include piping and chan-nelisation, stormwater discharges, erosion, weeds, debris, and fi sh passage obstacles.

These problems are often diffi cult and very expensive to fi x, and Auckland Council is devoting a lot of money to reversing them with projects for stream daylighting, re-naturalisation and enhancement.

Better gradesAucklands rural streams, on the other

hand, have notably better grades on average between B and C.

Every indicator of stream health is better in rural streams than in urban streams. Auckland Councils web-site notes rural waterway health has improved markedly in the last 10 years.

So whats the catch? There are two. First, Auckland is the only region in

New Zealand where urban streams cover such a large proportion of the total stream catchment area.

Although urban streams in New Zealands towns and cities will show the same degradation to varying degrees, the total area impacted is relatively small. In comparison, rural stream health is a concern almost everywhere and the total area impacted is very large.

Second, even though rural stream health is improving, it still falls within the degraded part of the continuum.

In Aucklands rural streams, the indica-tors that score worst are habitat and biodiversity, followed closely by water qual-ity. Although regional councils report neutral or improving trends in water quality indi-cators, some indicators continue to get worse.

In the battle of the waterways, farmers have a distinct advan-tage. Unlike urban streams, improving rural stream health is not necessarily complicated or expensive.

While councils need to spend thou-sands of dollars per metre to restore urban streams, rural waterway health has the potential for dramatic improve-ment with simple good management.

There are effective and inexpensive actions you can take to solve a range of problems that not only improve waterways on-farm, but downstream too. And there are a range of benefi ts of enhancing streams you might not have thought of.

Management plansIf youre read my previous Coast &

Country articles, youll know Im an advocate for preparing and imple-

menting farm waterway management plans.

Like all farm manage-ment, you improve the effi ciency and cost-effectiveness of your actions when you have a written plan.

To maximise your bang for buck, its essential you get good advice on the best actions to take for your unique circumstances.

So instead of shaking your head at the shopping trolleys and tyres in the town creek, start thinking about what action you can take to improve stream health on the farm. When you have a plan, the battle is already half-won.

Battle of the waterways: town versus country

By Louise Clark, associate principal and senior ecologist

with Boffa Miskell in Tauranga.

Aucklands urban streams are severely degraded.

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COAST & COUNTRY

Howard Egan has hunted big game in New Zealand and offshore, but its the smaller and often elusive fallow deer which have become a life-long fascina-tion.

Howard says he became an avid deer hunter in 1957 and almost immedi-ately fi xated on fallow deer and trophy hunting.

In the decades since hes learned a lot about fallow, and in his latest book Son of the Mist shares his knowledge with readers.

As a young man, already a keen fallow hunter, I received encouragement from an older man. His 1957 hunt to the Greenstone Valley and the Sons of the Mist intro-duced me to that glorious herd and a life with fallow deer.

I dedicate this book to the late Norman Douglas author of the well-established Douglas Score system, Howard writes.

Howard, better known as granddad to his friends on the FishnHunt internet forum, has been involved with acclimatisation socie-ties, deer stalkers, Ducks Unlimited and served on the National Recreational Hunting Advisory Com-mittee and was convener of the Clevedon Game Fair in 1989.

Thanks to publishers Halcyon Press, Coast & Country has a copy of Son of the Mist to give away.

To be in to win, email your name and address, with Book Prize as the subject, to: [email protected] Or put these details on the back of an envelope and post to: Coast & Country Book Prize, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110, to arrive no later than August 17.

The winner will be announced in Coast & Countrys September issue.

We were so busy looking after our stock we did not initially realise the barrier ditch by the feed pad had over-topped.

Information gatheringShortly afterwards council staff fl ew over

the farm in a helicopter and noticed the breach. The next day two offi cers arrived at the farm and asked to speak to the hus-band and wife separately. I felt that was intimidating and we refused to be sepa-rated. Another two offi cers drove down the road to talk to our farm worker, who quite rightly refused to talk to them.

Waikato Regional Council investigations manager Patrick Lynch says council staff are very careful to ensure that an individuals rights are respected at all times.

The court has very strict expectations on how information is gathered. We follow best practice when gathering information, particularly when interviewing parties who may have some culpability for what is per-ceived by the court as serious offending.

Patrick says when a case is considered for prosecution a host of factors are taken into consideration, including actual adverse effects on the environment; degree of due

care taken; efforts to remedy or mitigate the effects and repeat non-compliance or previous enforcement action for the same or similar situation.

Expired consentIn his sentencing Judge Smith says while

the farm system had been consented, that consent expired in 2010. Solutions to remedy the situation were limited and council had concerns but essentially accepted that if the system was operated as intended then it complied with permitted activity standards.

Fallows fascination for author

Son of the Mist by Howard Egan is the

Coast & Country book prize for September.

Intimidating and unfair is how a Kopu farming couple describe the way Waikato

Regional Council compliance offi cers treated them during an investigation into

environmental issues on their farm.The couple, who do not wish to be named for family

reasons, accept the Auckland District Court conviction of their Tuitahi Farm on four environmental offences, but question why the case even went to court.

Farmers allege intimidation by compliance staffIn July Judge Jeff Smith imposed a fi ne of

$47,250 for offending which he says had long term and insidious effects on the environment.

The farm, which has been owned by the same family since 1932, had received no previous prosecutions for consent breaches and the incident which resulted in the court action followed exceptionally heavy rain last September, say the farms owners.

We had 210mm of rain on the Wednesday and after that 70mm on Friday.

The Thames council uses our farm and others around us as a fl ood plain to protect the town at times of high rainfall and they did that in September [2013].

Sometimes we only have 20 minutes warn-ing to get our stock to higher ground which on this fl at farm is pretty much the cowshed and feed pad, says one of the owners.

This 2.3 million litre Kliptank and other improvements to the

effl uent system enabled Tuitahi Farms owners

to continue milking their herd.Specialising in

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COAST & COUNTRY

When council undertook fl y-overs and inspection of the farm its offi cers Judge Smith says found that effl u-ent had been leaving the barrier ditch, going down the farm drain and entering natural water.

Judge Smith also says washdown from the milk shed, including milk products, went directly into a farm drain and then to natural water with no treatment. He also comments on the farm practice of excavating solid material from the bar-rier ditch and piling it on the ground to dry. This in itself has problems because there was no barrier between the ground and the solid effl uent and accordingly, spot concentrations of effl uent were released to the soils and sub soils.

The farmer, who is the third generation of his family on the property, admits he should have done more work on the farms effl uent systems some time ago, but what was in place was consented and despite inspections by council staff and Fonterra, he had not been instructed to upgrade anything.

Effl uent storageAfter council staff visited the farm,

owners contacted the Tauranga com-pany Kliptank to order an above ground 2.5 million litre effl uent storage tank.

When he saw the issues they were facing, Ian Jamieson of Kliptank brought in other experts to help address the issues around milk vat waste and the barrier ditch by the feed pad.

In all it has cost us around $400,000 to do everything we have done, and thats put us under considerable fi nan-cial pressure. We feel we have done

everything right, and more, and still got hammered by council, the farmer says.

In his judgement, Judge Smith com-mends the farmer on installing the new systems, including the larger than required tank.

Nonetheless, that system should have been installed earlier, he says.

The farmers say they were not aware council intended to take a case to court and it was not until March, two months after the Kliptank had been installed, that they were told.

Patrick Lynch says once a case is authorised for prosecution by a panel of three managers the fi le goes to an inde-pendent law fi rm for them to consider

whether a prosecution is in the public interest and whether the case has evidential suffi ciency. A prosecu-tion will not be initiated without the support of

that independent legal opinion. At that hearing Judge Smith ordered

Tuitahi Farms Limited not to com-mence milking until a new dairy effl uent system was in operation on the Kopu farm. However, council offi cers gave the farm the go-ahead to milk, based on the system then in place.

The press release council circulated about the court case has also been hurt-ful, the couple say, as they believe it paints them in an untrue and bad light and has been widely published by media throughout the country.

It said we were discharging large vol-umes of effl uent into farm drains which fl owed a short distance to the Waihou River. The drain, or more correctly bar-rier ditch, in question was closed at both ends and for us to discharge into the

Waihou River would require about three kilometres of pipeline which we certainly dont have.

The way council staff handled the case, the court appearance, publicity and the fi ne have put the couple under considerable fi nancial and emotional stress, they say.

We are not the only ones. We know of several other farmers feeling stressed by council actions, often for one-off breaches. It adds to the other stresses farmers

are under and Im not surprised some are considering suicide.

The couple accept council staff have an important role to play in protecting the environment but they also feel they should give consideration to farmers who are trying to do the right thing and who dont have a history of breaking the rules.

For some people it just becomes all too hard, and they give up farming.

$400,000

Tuitahi farm in September last year when it was fl ooded during heavy rain.

By Elaine Fisher

A new holding pond with a weeping wall has been built to replace the sealed drain at the end of the feed pad.

On of several new pumps installed as part of the new effl uent system on Tuitahi Farm.

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$400,000 $400,000 $400,000 $400,000 cost of remedying effluent system

BUSINESS

As many people who have a family trust will be aware or should be trust law is undergoing a number of

signifi cant changes.These changes have come about

because of a number of court actions brought by frustrated trus-tees and benefi ciaries, through the application of an outdated Trustee Act 1956 to modern trusts.

Just around the corner is a new Trusts Act. Government has decided a new act governing trusts is necessary, and is currently considering how the proposed legislation will interact with other legislation, such as the Property Law Act, Companies Act and Property (Relationships) Act.

The new legislation aims to modernise the law of trusts, making it clearer and more user-friendly to non-professional trustees.

Trusts often fail because of the way they are managed, or mismanaged. Too often are trusts poorly managed by passive independent trustees, whether those trustees are family relatives, an accountant or another disin-

terested professional who isnt legally qualifi ed.

Running a trust properly requires a great deal of knowledge about ever-evolving trust law. Typically, law-yers keep up-to-date with changing trust law, whereas account-ants or cousin Fred may not.

Using the independ-ent trustee services provided by your lawyer and fully involving all trustees in all trust decisions can ensure that, when your trust is called upon to protect your most valuable assets, your trust will withstand an attack. This is what a trust is designed to do, and what the law allows.

A recent case highlighted an issue we often see in day-to-day practice. Agreements for sale and purchase of land are often pre-pared by a real estate agent.

And instead of recording all trustees as the vendor and/or pur-chaser, the agreement only refers to and is signed by Mr and Mrs not by the independent trustee.

An agreement signed in such a way is, as

the recent judgment stated, unenforce-able.

Quite simply, where a trust is the vendor and/or

purchaser, all trustees must sign.

Anything less is not binding on the trust and is unenforceable. The courts have con-fi rmed an agreement must be signed by

all trustees to be enforceable. To lawyers, this is obvious.

The basis of a trust is property is held by all trustees, on behalf of the benefi ciaries. This basic principle is often overlooked by many trustees, including non-legal professional trustees.

When undertaking some-thing legal with your trust, full involvement of all trustees is a must. Legal advice is always recommended when dealing with trust property to ensure the Is are dotted and the ts are crossed and most impor-tantly, to ensure your valuable assets remain protected.

I want to talk about the difference between capital and disposable income in other

words, looking after your money (capital) and spending

the cash.An aging client recently called me to

say she wished to sell her commercial buildings, which had been netting her about $40,000 for many years. That, on top of her pension, would make a single 70-plus woman quite well off.

On further discussion it became apparent her accountant is suggesting she should sell and spend the money, the capital that is.

With an eight per cent capitalisation

rate, the building is probably worth say $500,000. That $500,000 divided by $40,000 spending per annum equals 12-and-a-bit years. Based on this calculation, at age 82-and-a-bit, shes out of money.

Would she not be better to hold the buildings, even if she had to pay a property manager, because the $40,000 per annum would continue on?

The same applies to the sale of land all land whether it goes to

terested professional who

Trusts do it right or do it wrong

Fat nest egg or straws in the nest boxoffshore purchasers or other New Zealand farmers. You sell the property and the income fl ow ceases.

You have a sum of capital or cash in the bank, but you have no cashfl ow and, because

you dont understand money, you start spending the cash.

Nest egg A house in town, a world trip, a

bit for each child and a new car you have always

wanted, and suddenly the fat nest egg is looking

like a few straws in the bottom of the nesting box.The thrust of this argu-

ment or story is we must identify the difference

between capital and cashfl ow. Capital is what you invest to create

cashfl ow. Cashfl ow should really only be spent to try and protect your capital for future cashfl ow.

I then pondered on who is, and who should be, advising people on how to manage their assets and capital versus cashfl ow.

We have all these new regulations in place, but the fact remains many advisors some accountants and solicitors included arent working towards protect-ing capital assets for cashfl ow for their clients.

The Institute of Directors is lifting its game,

trying to get higher stand-ards and registration in place for its members to give the public more qualifi ed support.

It therefore seems to me there needs to be a profession who act as trustees and profes-sional advisors to assist the public to hold and manage assets to provide cashfl ow for their clients and dont take the soft option of cashing up and putting the money in the bank, where it will depreciate and allow clients to spend capital too.

ConfusedMy concern is many people, including farmers, are

great at managing their businesses but as soon as the asset is sold they become confused with all the cash in the bank and how to manage it.

It seems to me there is a lack of understanding and professional support around the necessity to protect as much capital as possible, for production of dispos-able income for their future.

These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance. Any decisions made should not be based on this article alone and appropriate professional assistance should be sought. Don Fraser is the principal of Fraser

Farm Finance, and a consultant to the farming industry. Contact him on 0800 777 675 or 021 777 675.

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EFFLUENT

The effluent stored in farmers ponds is like money in the bank and nows the time to

withdraw it, says Graham McRobbie of Otakiri.

With maize planting season fast approaching it would be a great time to empty that efflu-ent pond and place it on the paddock being put into maize, says Graham.

This can either be sprayed on top of the ground or injected in with the sola disc.

With the Joskin Vacu slurry tanker being able to suck out 20,000 litres in two-and-a-half to three minutes, its a very economical option by doing two jobs for one cost.

Graham says if there are any trace elements required these can be added to effluent at the same time.

The dairy effluent is a great source of nutrition for growing maize. Paddocks that were done last season produced some good results.

The Joskin slurry tanker has been a vital asset to the Te Teko racecourse, which is leased by Graham McRobbie Contracting, who has been able to inject cowshed effluent and effluent from Fonterras Edge-cumbe factory doubling the grass silage take and also doubling the number of cows for wintering.

The installation of a 2.3 million litre Kliptank has enabled a Kopu farm to

resume milking after a court order had prevented it from doing so.

The owners of Tuitahi Farms near Thames were prosecuted by Environment Waikato (see story pages 12-13) for environmental offences when their existing, and permitted effluent system overflowed during heavy rain.

They were facing a real dilemma, as they needed an appropriate storage and management system suitable for their particular location to be installed as quickly as possible before the new season, says Ian Jamieson of Kliptank.

But it wasnt just a storage problem which faced the owners. A re-engineering of the drainage from the dairy shed and the feed pad was required to replace the existing barrier ditch and provision a new sand trap and pump sump to facilitate management of irrigation and storage tank diversion. Storage calculations and a compliant irrigation plan were also required with urgency.

Ian worked with Shane Carter, of Interface Chemis-try, who designed the irrigation plan and worked out the storage requirements.

Williams Engineering was engaged to redesign the drainage and subsequently installed a sand-trap, pump sump and a collection sump and weeping wall at the end of the feed pad. The farm also installed two transfer pumps to link the sumps to the Kliptank and an irrigation pump at the tank to provide tank stirring and irrigation to the farm.

The owners said: Wed seen Kliptanks at the Fieldays and we compared them with others on the market

before deciding a Kliptank was ideal for our needs.We were concerned about the safety of animals and

children with a pond and the Kliptank was naturally-fenced, so it was nice and safe.

We also didnt want any structure that would be an eyesore on the landscape; the Kliptank just blends in, and finally we needed something which could be installed straight away. A Kliptank ticked all the boxes.

An order for the tank, which measures 40 metres in diameter and is two metres high, was placed on Octo-ber 24, 2013.

Kliptank handled all aspects of the Building Consent, which was issued on November 6, and the tank was delivered on December 17 and the tank was installed in just three days.

Ian says the Kliptank is the ideal solution for the farm, which has a soft marine clay soils.

Kliptanks are constructed directly on the ground and require nothing more than a level site and sand base with limited excavation and no base coarse, footings, concrete foundations or concrete floor, so there are no associated risks of concrete cracking due to soil settling.

The tanks are constructed of long-lasting UV inhib-ited HDPE panels and marine grade aluminium and the liner is a flexible polypropylene carrying a 20-year warranty.

There are no steel panels to rust and the wire ropes are fitted with brass and stainless turnbuckles for strength and longevity, says Ian.

The farmers now have peace of mind, knowing they have an additional 1000m3 more storage than was required for the 330-cow herd.

This means the effluent can be stored during wet conditions, and used to irrigate the pasture when there is a soil moisture deficit.

Tank answer to farmers eff luent dilemma

Effluent like money in the bank

Kliptanks Ian Jamieson, with a 2.3 million litre tank the company installed on a Kopu farm.

Graham McRobbie, with his Joskin Vacu slurry tanker that can empty effluent ponds and apply it to maize paddocks.

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Page 16 EFFLUENT

EFFLUENT

Finding innovative, cost-effective solutions for the rural sector is what Hynds Rural prides itself on, says

David Crake of Hynds Rural.

Hynds has the ability to engineer solutions for individual clients, which ensures they end up with a robust asset, which performs as it should and, because it is concrete, it will stand the test of time for future generations, says David.

An example is the Hypond, a unique, site-assembled, precast effl uent tank that comes in four standard sizes from 40,000 to 145,000 litre capacity.

However, for farms which need more storage, theres the Megapond which comes in sizes from 500,000 litres to four million-litre capacity.

The company can facilitate the design-and-build of a complete effl uent storage system, from stone-traps to ponds and storage bunkers. Hynds works with customers to understand their needs and local environmental regulations.

Underpasses, culverts and bridges are another speciality; and once engineering designs are complete and consents issued, these can be installed quickly, thanks to the pre-cast modular design of the components.

Ponds, underpasses and bridges are a signifi -cant investment. With this in mind at Hynds, theyre designed to relevant building and transport agency codes with an emphasis on seismic loadings to ensure compliance and asset insurance needs are met.

Overall, Hynds prides itself on providing solu-tions which asset owners can have faith in and be proud of.

Nutrient runoff from paddocks and laneways are a source of pollution that impacts the integrity of waterways and

the quality of critical water resources, says Leighton Whitfi eld of Winstone Gypsum.Given the importance of both a productive and

reliable agricultural industry coupled with the need to safeguard high-quality water resources, research is being conducted into tools that will allow farmers to support their livelihoods while acting as responsible stewards of the land and waters their farms impact upon.

Gypsum has shown potential to overcome some of the agronomic and environmental issues affecting the dairying industry, including fertilisers and animal manures which are important sources of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus.

It is very clear that attention to source areas of N and P and management of herd movements becomes critical. Farm laneways and gateways with high phosphorus run off issues are critical source areas for attention. Decisions can also be based on the physical condition of the track.

For P mitigation gypsum application could be every three years at around three tonne per hectare in con-junction with other laneway base materials (potentially with higher rates for soils with high P availability and low Ca levels).

Since some of this application would be on pasture, the gypsum should probably be fi ne textured (like agricul-tural gypsum) so as to avoid signifi cant consumption by cows particularly in the lead up to calving.

Leighton says, over time, effl uent applications to pasture can also lead to increases in nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium and sodium and an undesirable microorganism load.

Applying gypsum to effl uent treated paddocks can result in a reduction in the surface runoff and drainage loss of both phosphorus and nitrogen.

Soil structural improvement from gypsum applica-tion can include improved water infi ltration (thus reducing potential for runoff ), soil aggregation, drain-age and aeration with subsequent benefi ts for plant growth.

Benefi ts to plant growth, including root condition,

Finding cost-effective, innovative solutions

Reducing the loss of phosphorus and nitrogen

Finding cost-effective, innovative solutions

Reducing the loss of phosphorus and nitrogenHynds Taupo branch manager

Darryl Watson.

may also result from the calcium and sulphur pro-vided by gypsum, he says.

In the case of sodium build up which can result from some effl uent types (dairy factory effl uent in particular), there is a clear benefi t from gypsum in assisting the leach-ing of sodium, further benefi tting soil structure particularly where there is

Farm gateways with high phosphorus run-off

issues need attention.

dispersive clay present. Gypsum can also assist with address-

ing high soil potassium levels (a risk factor for dairy cow metabolic issues) that can result from regular effl uent application.

It seems very clear as one further man-agement tool in the raft of considerations facing the farmer that gypsum applica-tions in varying parts of the business are not only relevant but clearly effective.

For further information please contact your local fertiliser supplier, phone 0800 100 442, or visit our website at www.gypsum.co.nz

apply gypsum now

The benefits of gypsum in soil treatment are well known, but its value goes well beyond this:

Helps mitigate the flow of nitrates and phosphorus in New Zealand waterways

Can be used to address the issue of sodium from applied effluent

Reduces surface run-off and drainage loss, reduces preferential flow of water run-off in soil

Can be applied by a number of different means to target risk zones

Assists with addressing high soil potassium levels

Rates vary per farm and soil type. Applications can last for up to three years and can be used as a base layer in stand-off (loafing) pads.

EFFLUENT

The pond mixer has been designed to eliminate the problems of crusting and agitation of dairy effl uent ponds.

It will break up the thickest crust and mix the contents of any shaped effl uent pond quickly and effi ciently.

This is achieved through the innovative use of pro-pellers angled down at 45 degrees, and eight different stir positions.

Cathryn says no longer will a metre or two of sludge be left at the bottom of the pond that cannot be pumped out.

Superior mixing will utilise the entire area of the pond, not just the top 70 per cent. All of the original storage pond capacity is reclaimed.

Multiple mixers are not required on a pond, or mixers that require to be run for long periods of time, says Cathryn.

Sustainable dairy farming is driving a growing appetite

for world class dairy effl uent management systems, says

Presco Group contracts manager Oliver Prestidge.

Presco Group is noticing a grow-ing number of progressive farmers making a distinct shift from low-cost,

short-term thinking to investing in future-proofed, professionally-designed and built effl uent management sys-tems, says Oliver, who is a qualifi ed farm dairy effl uent system designer.

The new focus is a marriage of maximising fi nancial returns from this naturally-derived, nutrient-rich waste and achieving best practice environ-mental sustainability.

The dairy industry has matured.

The new Numedic Pond Mixer has proven

to be a complete solution for dairy

effl uent ponds, says Numedic director

Cathryn Reid.

Future-proofing effluent systems becoming a trend

The circular walls and sloping fl oor design of a Prosump enhances stirring and minimises solids build-up.

The sayings do it once, do it right and you get what you pay for have never been as relevant as they are to Farm Dairy Effl uent management today, says Oliver.

A dairy farmer recently recounted his saga with a tradi-tional lined, in-ground pond to Presco Group.

The initial lower cost swayed him in favour of a lined pond. However, once a stirrer cut though the liner without being detected, the cost of the subsequent pond draining, liner removal, earthwork remediation, and liner repair and re-fi t, was more than a permanent concrete Prosump would have cost originally and a whole lot more hassle.

The Prosump is becoming New Zealands preferred dairy effl uent

sump due to a number of unique features, says Oliver.

Its vertical wall and special fl oor design delivers a smaller footprint in land-use than earthen ponds of the same volume.

It can be installed totally in-ground, aiding gravity fl ow, even in high water table areas.

And the circular walls and slop-ing fl oor design enhances stirring and minimises solids build-up.

The most obvious benefi t is the durable concrete construc-tion, which will outlast any other option and requires zero mainte-nance.

The Prosump is engineered for New Zealand conditions. The engineered design was produced by a leading Chartered Profes-sional Engineer, who is involved

in rewriting design requirements to assist the Christchurch earth-quake re-build.

This enables the Prosump to have a minimum 50-year build-life guarantee.

Presco Group provides a total-package solution to take the mystery out of FDE require-ments, says Oliver.

Qualifi ed consultants will calculate your long-term effl uent collection and storage needs to meet and exceed council and dairy company requirements, provide a detailed project quotation, project-manage the entire installation from earthworks to construction, to fi nal landscaping and fi nally commission the system and provide a 100 per cent water-tight guarantee.

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The new Numedic Pond mixer provides superior mixing of any shaped effl uent pond.

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NZS SOLE INSTALLERS OF THE PROSUMPWe have ha

d the Prosump for 18 mon

ths. Love

that we have plenty of

storage and staff don

t

need to worry if we go a

way and the weather

changes.

Keeping the volume low

in good weather is the k

ey

to operating the Prosum

p to its full potential.

We had a tight time fr

ame to get it in by and

Presco worked hard out

to get it done. Think th

e

home baking and ice w

ater on hand on scorch

ing

hot days helped.

- Dairy Farmer, Tar

anaki

PROSUMP - 600,000 litre effluent sump

!

EFFLUENT Page 19

The Friston Stream before work commenced.

The Friston Stream after work was completed.

Page 20 EFFLUENT

Reliability of equipment is essential for anyone dealing with effl uent as part of their farm or business operation, says Reid & Harrison Ltd chief executive Keith Cooke.

I was speaking at a Rotary club meeting recently, when I was asked: Why should I buy a Yardmaster pump? My answer was: Because it is reliable and hardworking, says Keith.

With more than 50 years experi-

ence of designing and building effl uent pumps, the Yardmaster pump brand is one of the strong-est in the industry.

Designed specifi cally for New Zealand conditions, its built a reputation on its trouble-free design and application.

But Keith is also very quick to point out that having a great product is not enough.

Having people that follow the characteristics of being hard-

working and reliable complete the picture.

Yardmaster has agents through-out New Zealand, who with the support of the team at Reid & Harrison, are able to offer with confi dence products that they know will work.

One thing is for certain, when you are investing in an effl uent system, confi dence is not a bad thing to have on your side, says Keith.

An Otago farmer and contractor want to highlight the necessity

of investigating all potential waterways, drains or streams

before starting any kind of activity no matter how insignifi cant the

waterway might seem.This follows prosecution over work

they were carrying out in the Friston Stream in North Otago last October to repair fl ood damage from several months earlier, improve drainage, and replace culverts and irrigator crossings along 890 metres of river bed.

The Otago Regional Council learned of the work from a complaint by a member of the public. The council investigated and instructed the farmer and contractor to stop the work, claiming it breached the Resource Management Act and they didnt hold any relevant resource consent.

The farmer and contractor, who dont wish to be named, stopped the work as soon as they were advised they were in breach of the RMA. The council subsequently prosecuted the farmer, the contractor and their respective principals.

They now want to warn others who

might potentially be faced with a simi-lar situation.

This includes ensuring what might appear to be a wholly artifi cial water-course is not in fact a river or modifi ed natural watercourse.

Even waterways that fl ow inter-mittently, or as a result of artifi cial discharges, may be considered rivers under the RMA.

When working in water bodies, it is necessary not only to check whether the watercourse is a river, but to establish whether the intended activity is permitted or requires a resource consent.

Although regional planning has had recent updates, resource consent maybe required when rectifying fl ood damage. In this specifi c case, the costs the farmer and contractor have borne through the resulting charges far outweigh what a resource consent application would have cost.

The farmer has undertaken to carry out riparian planting along the length of stream that was cleared, as well as protecting the plantings and stream with electric fencing.

# As well as the prosecution, the Otago Regional Council required the farmer and contractor to publicise the incident as a warning to others about the need to have relevant consents before working in waterways.

Handling effluent with confidence

Reid & Harrison chief executive Keith Cooke, in the Reid & Harrison product courtyard.

By Lois Natta

Farmer warns of RMA waterway issues

The Friston Stream before work The Friston Stream after work was

EFFLUENT

The Friston Stream after work was The Friston Stream after work was

DAIRY DEVELOPMENTS - COQUEDALE

For 85 years the Graham family has milked cows on the Awakeri farm Elizabeth and

Joseph Graham bought in 1929.Called Coquetdale for the area in Northumberland,

in northeast England, where they emigrated from, it began as 50 acres (19 hectares), growing with pur-chase of neighbouring land to 117ha.

About 56 years ago their son Bill and his new wife Kaye (nee Saunders) took over the farm, and 50 years ago the couple built a new herringbone shed.

The Edgecumbe earthquake of 1987 caused some minor damage but failed to destroy the building but late last year plans were made for its demolition and replacement with a brand new dairy.

Work was underway when on February 24 this year Bill died, as Kaye says with his boots on rolling up an electric fence on the farm.

It was a huge shock. Bill never got to see the new dairy fi nished, says Kaye, who oversaw the rest of the project.

Coquetdale is on fertile, low-lying peat soils. Rich-ard Claydon, of Waiotahi Contractors, says the new cowshed site had to be excavated to 2.6 metres, at which point a number of springs were uncovered.

Pumps were employed to drain the site, which was then lined with geo-tech material and backfi lled to build it up about one metre above ground level.

Finding water wasnt unexpected because of the peat soil, says Richard, who documented the project in a series of photos showing how deep the excava-tions were and the process of draining, lining and re-fi lling the site. The project began mid-January and by March the site was ready for the builders to begin.

Bills GateFonterra also required

an upgrade of the tanker entrance off State High-way 30, so we lengthened the cattle stop, formed a wider entranceway and applied two coats of chip seal, says Richard.

New dairy built for 85-year-old Graham farm

Kaye Graham commissioned an

attractive wrought iron fence and gate

at the entrance to the Coquetdale farm,

featuring the words Bills Gate in memory

of her late husband.

The Coquetdale Trust sign features an illustration of the Croquet River and the Graham family

home in England.

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Dairy straightforward and functionalKaye decided it should become a suitable and lasting tribute to Bill, so had an

attractive wrought iron and brick pillar fence built with a gate bearing the words Bills Gate. It complements the adjacent Coquetdale Trust sign, which features an illustration of the Croquet River and the Graham family home in England.

Waiotahi Contractors returned once the dairy shed was almost complete to form the new tanker track and turn-around area and tidy up the site. Waiotahi Contractors Limited is a privately-owned and operated company that has been servicing the Eastern Bay of Plenty and the greater area since 1957.

Waiotahi provides a wide range of construction services to the farming community, from mulch-ing through to pumice, race rock, frost and effl uent ponds, shelter barns, drainage piling and many other se

Coast & Country News September

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Transcript of Coast & Country News September