The government has called in the resource consent applications for industrial dairying in the MacKenzie Country. Good. This proposal will fundamentally change one of our most striking natural landscapes, compete with electricity generators for water, and pollute some of our most pristine waterways - all issues of national significance. From the look of it, the government is most concerned about water quality - a key issue as the farms are the equivalent of sticking a city of 250,000 in the area and pumping all its effluent straight into the Waitaki River. We wouldn't allow this for a city of people, and we shouldn't allow it for a city of cows either.
This doesn't affect submissions already made - they will now be considered by the board of inquiry rather than the Waitaki District Council Canterbury Regional Council. But the application will be re-advertised and further submissions sought, giving the rest of New Zealand a real chance to have a say.
Correction: Corrected consent authority.
