Councillor and farmer Stu Kneebone said while it might be interpreted as yet another delay it is purely a result of the one delay from the iwi protest last year.
“Under the Resource Management Act we are required to have a decision released on the plan from the hearings within two years of notification, which would have been this October, but as a result of the delay in dealing with the earlier issue this just was not going to be possible.”
The council has voted to extend the period by 18 months to have more time for hearings and determining submissions that have proved to be complex and plentiful.
The council received 1084 submissions covering a spectrum of proposed changes and issues relating to the plan.
As a result of the delay the council has also had to push out the final dates for farmers to complete the controversial nitrogen reference point data required for all farms in the catchment.
They now have another 20 months from the March 2019 deadline to furnish their property’s NRP.
Kneebone said as frustrating as the delay is, it is essential the full consultation process can run its course.
“The commissioner wants to give all submitters a fair hearing so, really, the delay is a positive for the process and that includes for us in the regional council who have also made submissions on aspects of the plan we do not think are quite right.”
A strong theme through submissions against aspects of the plan is a concern about the focus on nitrogen loss management.
Federated Farmers is among several submitters calling for a rethink and addressing nutrient losses through a managed sub-catchment approach within the greater catchment.
Waikato Federated Farmers president Andrew McGiven said more and more evidence presented through the submissions indicates nitrogen losses are not always the significant issue.
“So, the longer things are delayed and the more this can be discussed, the better.
“I think what we were concerned about was that the decision might be forced out before the local body elections.
“The downside is that any farmer wanting to make any land use changes is required to comply with the plan’s changes as they have already been notified.”
He is also concerned the push out on dates might lead to what is supposed to be a 10-year first stage period in the 80-year scheme being condensed into nearer to six years.
“The timelines were pushed out on the NRPs but we are yet to hear if they will be pushed out further.”
North Waikato dry stock farmer Steven Stark welcomed the delay, maintaining the more time council has to take a considered approach to the plan, the better.
“There are a lot of submissions on this and I think the longer the time spent, the more support the Federated Farmers’ submission will get around sub catchment approach to managing the issues.”
Given the scale of the plan it is possible the council had underestimated just how much time will be needed to consider it and the submissions.
The fifth and final independent hearings commissioner has been appointed to the hearing panel.
Fresh water ecologist Greg Ryder of Dunedin joins four other commissioners on the panel chaired by Greg Hill.
Council chairman Alan Livingston said Ryder is familiar with plan change issues in the South Island and his background meets the need to have a fifth commissioner with freshwater expertise to ensure robust decisions.
