SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE OF GROWERS AND HORTICULTURE SUBMITTERS FOR THE - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE OF GROWERS AND HORTICULTURE SUBMITTERS FOR THE BOI ON THE TUKITUKI CATCHMENT PROPOSALS

Core principles guiding Horticulture New Zealand’s position in this case

• To maintain existing levels of access and reliability to water for

existing users and provide for food production values

• Retain a good level of water quality in the Tukituki River, to allow

the continued enjoyment of the river by Hawke’s Bay community for a range of social, cultural, recreational and economic activities

• Seek opportunities to develop storage in line with the above two

principles

Our underlying goal is to ensure that growers can effectively and sustainably add value to the Hawke’s Bay community

Changing structure of horticulture industry

For larger growers, cost as a proportion of production value is modelled as low as 0.8 % For smaller growers, costs as a proportion of market value is as high as 10.5% Incentive is to grow or fail. Some niche markets exist.

F r uit and Ve ge table Pr

• duc tion Node s

Horticulture in the Hawke’s Bay Region

• Over 20,000 ha of production – the largest horticultural sub-region

in NZ

• Main crops include apples, peas, apricots, plums, asparagus,

pumpkin, nectarines, squash, olives, sweetcorn, peaches, tomatoes, pears and wine grapes

• A crucial link in the domestic food supply chain
• Significant high value export
• Investment in horticulture in Hawke’s Bay estimated $5.5 billion
• Roughly 17% of NZ’s total fruit production
• Around 17.5% of NZ’s total vegetable production
• 12,000 full time equivalents employed at peak season

What is crop rotation in the Hawke’s Bay

• Huge variety in:
• rotational structure of farms
• crops grown
• methods applied
• scale of operation
• Vary from 2 years to over 12 years in length
• Rotation critical for sustainability of horticulture
• maintenance of soil health
• suppress soil borne diseases
• Land leased or swapped between or from a

variety of landowners, not just growers

Water challenges

• Managing nutrients
• Conserving soils
• Responsible use of agrichemicals
• Efficient water use
• Sharing and leasing of land
• Access to water to produce food

Key resource management issues for horticulture in New Zealand and in Hawke’s Bay

• National issues – land and water
• National issue – licence to operate
• Regional issues – freshwater management (quantity)
• Work commissioned or undertaken to support the relief

sought

Working with Council and parties to achieve an

• utcome
• The industry has invested heavily in providing science based

evidence to support, back up and in places enhance (i.e. support the position of the submitters) to the work of Council, for example:

• Hydrologists and modellers worked together to better

identify groundwater and surface water connections in the lower Tukituki area

• Economists to worked together to calculate economic

effects and add post-harvest multipliers to calculate the relation between on- and off-farm effects

Outstanding issues with Council Outstanding issues are:

• The impact for the Red Bridge water takes of

increasing the minimum flow to 5200L/s in 2023

• The need for inclusion of more essential takes in

times of most need

Grower Case Studies

Hawke’s Bay Horticulturalists

Bruce Mackay

• Heinz Watties grows on 1500 hectares across

approximately 400 properties

• Annual crops = Tomatoes, Beetroot, Butternut

Pumpkins, Sweetcorn

• Perrienial = Peaches, Pears, Plums, Asparagus,

Boysenberries

• Irrigation is necessary for all crops grown

Bruce Mackay (cont.)

• Security of water supply enabling longer term capital

investments in permanent crops, or more efficient irrigation systems

• Access to large areas of lower capital value irrigable,

arable land should attract some of the less climate sensitive (frost) arable crops off the Heretaunga Plains thereby reducing pressure on Heretaunga Plains land and water resource, which is now seeing evidence of

• vercropping (poorer soil structure, wind erosion) due to

lack of land availability. This should see an environmental benefit over time.

Jacqueline and Nigel Burbury

• Orchard owners located mid way between the Red and

Black Bridges – Zone 1

• Predominantly peaches, cherries grown for the local

market, and a small area of pears

• Surface water take from the Tukituki at Red Bridge end

so significantly affected by any change in minimum flows

Jacqueline and Nigel Burbury (cont.)

• Ban imposed on March 1st when

flows at the Red Bridge fell below the 3500litre/second threshold

• Loss of $160,000 operating

income plus unquantified

• perating costs
• Ongoing detrimental agronomic

impact on our trees have suffered which will be felt for seasons to come

David Addis

• In Zones 2 and 3
• Grow onions, peas, beans, beetroot, grass seed, oats and

squash.

• Key issue is overall allocation and seasonal allocation

David Phillips

• A farmer (30 years) with sheep and beef interests and

cropping (maize, brewer’s barley, winter wheat, pumpkin seed) in Zone 1

• Limited options to diversity if water use changes
• Affected by any reduction in minimum flows at Red

Bridge

Xan Harding

• Grape grower and wine sector representative
• Tukituki – 12ha – owned
• Te Awanga – 23ha – managed
• Maraekakaho – 14ha – owned
• Maraekakaho – 54ha – consultant
• Irrigation:
• WP040519T -17.7 L/s, 3031m m3/week
• Frost WP060342T - 109.74 L/s
• Frost WP070373T – 17.7 L/s

Xan Harding (cont.)

• Key issue is the impact on the

Lower Tukituki surface water takers

• Key issues for grape and wine

growers are:

• Water for frost protection
• Seasonal allocation
• Essential / survival water
• Support the Council’s position to

date but still have significant concerns with increasing the minimum flow from 4300L/s to 5200L/s in 2023

Graham Bartleet, Pernod Ricard

• Pernod Ricard’s have 38 has in Lower Tukituki (Zone 2)
• Approximately 280 tonnes of Chardonnay fruit / annum

supplies a number of Hawke’s Bay wine brands

• Support changes to date but still have significant concerns

with the reduction in minimum flow in 2023 from 4300L/s to 5200L/s would have resulted in a 59 days restriction in last drought event

Leon Stallard

• Orchardist and Trustee and operator of Claremont

Trust

• 30 hectares of apples (12 different varieties),

producing approximately 1600 tonnes of export apples

• annually. These are exported to over 60 countries
• Operation very dependent on a secure and reliable

source of irrigation water

Mark Apatu, Apatu Farms Limited

• 1126 hectares of vegetables grown annually, producing

55,000 tonne process vegetable crops - includes tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, sweet corn, squash, butternuts, and onions for both domestic and export markets

• 166 hectares of vineyards producing 1.6 million litres of
• wine. Vineyards supply various wineries for both

domestic and export markets

• Water bans have a significant impact support need for

survival water

Ricks Crasborn, Crasborn Group

• Orchardist with over 1000 acres of pipfruit and

stonefruit, employs over 800 people in peak season

• Grows apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, plums

and apricots for export and domestic supply

• Water security and survival water are critical to my

growing operations