Why Is HBRC Not Pushing For Amnesty On RMA Consents For Cyclone Clean-up?

Federated farmers Hawke’s Bay President Jim Galloway says farmers and growers are becoming increasingly frustrated and annoyed that council rules are hampering efforts to get their properties up and running following Cyclone Gabrielle.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council website is advising everyone to apply for resource consent, either proactively or retrospectively, to clean up cyclone damage.

"This is shows how impractical the Council rules are. This is a time when rural land managers urgently need to clear up major dumps of river silt and vegetation strewn across their land, and replace blown out culverts and bridges so that they can look after their livestock and restore their ability to produce food," Jim says.

He’s incensed that the RMA provides Councils with a clear legal pathway to do emergency works without resource consent, while everyone else needs to get consent or risk prosecution.

"Why is there one law for councils, those undertaking public works and network utility operators to get on with the job of doing what is required to recover and another law for farmers and growers? The Council’s response that you need to apply for resource consent to do emergency recovery works is nonsensical.

"People can’t afford the delays and costs associated this. MPI’s emergency cyclone relief grants and farmers’ scarce resources will get swallowed up in resource consent costs and we will all still be no better off."

Federated Farmers is calling on all Councils in cyclone-hit areas to join the Federation to press the Government for an amnesty from RMA consents for farmers and growers affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. This would be along the lines of that provided to farmers following the Hurunui-Kaikoura Earthquakes.

The Federated has had assurances the Government is working on this at pace "but we are lift in limbo until these changes are made," Jim says.

"Feds has written letters to all the councils in the region asking them to take this dilemma up with the Government. We still have to pay rates to the Council on our properties, and we can only afford to do that if we earn income from farming. And we can only earn income from farming if we can get on and fix up our farms.

"Join the dots please!"

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