Plans for new land classifications in Tasman have been labelled as a “kick in the guts” for rural land owners.
Tasman District Council earlier this year released draft maps of areas to be labelled Outstanding Natural Landscapes, Outstanding Natural Features, or the Coastal Environment area.
According to council, the move was part of a project “to protect the district’s special places for future generations”.
The classification has been created to protect land from “inappropriate subdivision, use, and development”.
However, rural landowners say the restrictions under the classification will be the nail in the coffin for many farmers, with increased costs and restrictions on land use.
Three Tasman landowners, who all asked not to be named, are concerned over what the changes will mean for their properties.
They say they are worried they will no longer be able to build a new shed, build a home, or add roading infrastructure across their farms.
One is concerned for the future of his farm that has been in the family for more than 100 years.
“We have heavily invested in a new venture that we are not sure is going to be viable yet, but potentially we could now have a big chunk of our land that’s locked up in a venture that’s not viable and not be allowed to change it back. It puts us in a real bind.”
Tasman District Council environmental policy manager Barry Johnson says it’s too early to say exactly what will and won’t be allowed under the classifications.
“Generally, if you’re doing things now you should be able to carry on doing them.”
Barry says some of the restrictions will be site specific, such as building a house or putting in a road, and would then be dealt with through the resource consent process.
“Within reason, if you’re building a new house on the farm to accommodate workers, with the same intensity and scale that you have now, then generally we want to provide for that.”
But the landowners say this is all part of the problem.
“The cost of resource consent everytime you want to do anything, it’s another kick in the guts for farmers,” says the landowner. “My concern is that this is just the beginning of a lot of stuff that’s going to restrict farmers’ ability to manage their own properties.”
He says that landowners take pride in looking after their land and the environment, while making a sustainable living.
“We’ve all fenced off our waterways, planted natives, culled goats and pests, how much more do we have to do?”
One landowner says you should be able to choose whether your land is part of the plan or not.
“You should be able to say we don’t want anything to do with it, we wish for our farm to be taken off it. If people want to be part of it, then that’s fine. We just want to be left alone.”
Another farmer says communication from council has been terrible.
“For me there has been a lack of transparency and a serious lack of communication.”
He says, after receiving a letter in the mail, trying to find out more information about the proposal had been like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“They put stuff all in that pamphlet. It’s so secretively hidden in their website you can’t find a thing, I’ve taken part in the online webinars and they couldn’t answer simple questions.”
Barry says some questions are currently difficult to answer.
“What we’re doing is driven by the legislation and the requirements from central government and there’s more coming: fresh water, biodiversity, identifying and protecting wetlands.
“Compliance costs won’t be insignificant, that’s a really big issue. It’s an issue for council, it adds up to more rates, time and staff.
“It’s hard for us, it’s really stressful, There’s a lot of change. We are really conscious of the stress on landowners, it’s a very difficult time for everyone.”
