Appendix I:
A) Background
Auckland
Nelson
Marlborough
North Canterbury
Central Canterbury
Mid Canterbury
South Canterbury
Waitaki
North Otago
Maniototo
Central Otago
1) Auckland
2) Nelson
3) Marlbourough
4) North Canterbury
5) Central Canterbury
6) Mid Canterbury - Surface Irrigators
7) Mid Canterbury - Spray Irrigators
8) South Canterbury
9) Waitaki
10) North Otago
11) Maniototo
12) Central Otago
Appendix I: Focus Group Results
General background information on the range of farming and irrigation enterprises represented by each group are given in geographical order.
Two focus groups were conducted in Pukekohe. Due to the poor attendance, and considerable overlap between the groups they have been analysed together.
Attendees at the meeting had irrigated properties from Kumeu (in the north) to Tuakau (in the south). All growers were involved in the production of vegetables, both export and local market. In addition one grower also had a pipfruit orchard and two growers ran greenhouse operations.
Water for irrigation came from a combination of groundwater and surface water from small streams or the Waikato River. Several growers also had water harvesting systems with small dams. Water application on larger vegetable production units was predominately by big gun irrigators although handshift sprinkler were still used on many properties. One grower was operating a solid set irrigation system on vegetables. Trickle irrigation was used in greenhouses and the pipfruit orchard.
This meeting was held just outside Richmond and included irrigators from the Waimea Plains, Moutere Hills and Motueka Valley. A wide variety of farm enterprise types were represented including: dairy (seasonal and town supply), pipfruit, kiwifruit, berryfruit, viticulture, hops, market gardening, and livestock.
Irrigators in this group derived their water from a combination of private water permits for groundwater and surface water. One property was situated within the Waimea East Irrigation Co (a community owned scheme). Irrigation types were also variable, depending on crop, and included: travelling irrigators (predominantly big guns) and some handshift sprinklers for dairy, vegetable and hop production, and solid set sprinklers, microsprinklers and trickle irrigation for pipfruit and grapes.
Blenheim was the site for this focus group meeting. Most participants were from the Waiau Plains area around Blenheim with one from the Awatere Valley. Farm types represented included: viticulture, pipfruit, arable crops, process vegetables, market gardening, and sheep.
Irrigation water on these enterprises was sourced from a combination of groundwater and surface water takes. Irrigation systems included: travelling irrigators (big guns and rotating booms), side roll sprinklers and handshift sprinklers for arable and process crops, and overhead solid set sprinklers (also used for frost control), microsprinkler and trickle (drip) irrigation for orchards and vineyards.
This group, conducted in Rangiora, included irrigators from the North Canterbury Plains and Waipara areas. Enterprises represented included dairy, mixed cropping, intensive horticulture and market gardening, viticulture, and hobby farming.
Water for irrigation was derived from groundwater wells and surface water takes. One irrigator was involved in a water harvesting system (Glenmark Irrigation Scheme). Water was applied using a variety of techniques including: travelling irrigators (guns and rotating booms), handshift, solid set, and trickle (drip) irrigation.
Two groups were conducted in Central Canterbury, one in Lincoln to cover south eastern areas and one in Kirwee to cover north western areas. Due to the disappointing turnout for the Lincoln meeting the results of the two meetings have been aggregated.
Farm types represented by these groups were a mixture, with four mixed cropping enterprises, four intensive arable farms including process crops, one large scale dairy farm, and one hobby farmer.
Irrigation water was primarily sourced from private underground takes. Irrigation was applied with a wide variety of spray irrigation systems including, handshift and side rolls, big guns, rotating booms, a linear move system, and a centre pivot system. One dairy farm block had a border strip system sourced from the Rakaia
Two focus groups were conducted in Mid Canterbury, both in Ashburton. One group was predominantly spray irrigators with private sources and the other predominantly surface irrigators involved in community owned schemes. Both groups represented a wide geographical spread within the Ashburton district.
Spray irrigators: All farms in this group were mixed cropping enterprises. Irrigators drew from surface and groundwater sources. Water was distributed via travelling irrigators (big guns and rotating booms). One farmer also had land within a community owned irrigation scheme with border strip irrigation.
Surface irrigators: Irrigators attending this group represented one dairy unit, one sheep farm and two mixed cropping enterprises. Two properties were situated within the Rangitata Diversion Race Irrigation Co (Mayfield–Hinds and Ashburton–Lyndhurst). One was situated in the Greenstreet Irrigation Management Ltd scheme. Another irrigator had a private scheme from the Ashburton River. All irrigation was carried out via border strip systems except on one farm which also operated a linear boom travelling irrigator.
This group, conducted at Pleasant Point, was made up of irrigators from around South Canterbury from Geraldine to Cave. Farm types represented included intensive cropping units (including process crops), an intensive beef finishing unit, and mixed cropping enterprises.
Most irrigators drew their water from private sources, often a combination of surface (Opihi system) and groundwater takes. One enterprise was part of a community owned irrigation scheme (Levels Plains Irrigation Co Ltd). All irrigators in this group used big gun type travelling irrigators. One intensive cropping unit had installed a lateral move irrigation system for growing process crops.
The Waitaki group, conducted at Glenavy, was based on the Waitaki Plains area, with the addition of one farmer from South Canterbury and one from the Hakataramea Valley. Irrigators attending represented three dairy farms (recent conversions), three cropping enterprises and one sheep and beef unit.
Most members of the group drew water from one of the two community-owned schemes operating from the Waitaki River. One member from South Canterbury used groundwater and surface water from a creek. Another member, from the Hakataramea, had a private water-harvesting scheme. Water was applied using a combination of border strip irrigation and travelling irrigators (booms and guns). One dairy farmer also operated a long lateral irrigation system on part of his property.
This group, conducted in Maheno south of Oamaru, was attended by pastoral farmers from the Kakanui and surrounding areas. Property types represented included two dairy farms and six mixed sheep, beef and cropping enterprises.
Water for irrigation on these properties is all subject to private water permits, taken mainly from the Kakanui River and its tributaries with limited groundwater sources. Water is applied with various types of travelling irrigator (big guns and rotating booms) depending on topography.
This group, conducted in Ranfurly, was attended by a group of predominantly pastoral farmers, with one relatively new dairy conversion unit, three sheep only enterprises and three sheep and beef enterprises. Properties were situated in the Ida Valley and Maniototo Plains.
All the irrigators who attended this meeting drew water from one or more of the three community owned irrigation schemes operating in the area. Water was applied with a combination of border strip, contour irrigation, and travelling irrigators (rotating booms).
This group, conducted in Alexandra, was attended by a group of predominantly pastoral farmers, with one intensive deer unit and mixed sheep and beef enterprises and one sheep only unit. All properties were situated in either the Lindis, Manuherikia or Omakau Valleys.
Water for irrigation came from three of the larger community irrigation schemes using surface water takes in the Central Otago area and one private surface water scheme. All irrigation was carried out with a combination of border strip and contour irrigation (wild flooding).
Reasons for Irrigation
- Irrigation is an essential ingredient for successful horticulture in Auckland.
- Rainfall may meet crop requirements but can not be relied upon at critical times.
- Land, fertiliser and chemicals are expensive – irrigation is an insurance policy to ensure consistently high quantity and quality yields obtained and a viable return made on every crop.
Water Management
- One grower using tensiometers in an orchard.
- One grower had used soil moisture monitoring service in the past – once a week readings were insufficient in vegetable crops and too expensive to monitor a large number of crops in different locations.
- All growers rely on experience and visual observations of soil and plant conditions.
- Start earlier than absolutely necessary to ensure that the whole crop can be covered in time.
- Application depths adjusted depending on crop type and topography.
- All growers use raingauges extensively due to "patchy" nature of rainfall.
- Irrigation is a juggling act between crop needs at specific times, limited water resources and insufficient application capacity.
- Some crops require more water than others.
- Demand for sustainable farming practices such as land rotation mean that a variety of crops must be grown in any one place, some may have a high water demand and other a much lower demand depending on the time of year and the season.
Efficiency
Sustainability
Constraints
- Topography and subdivision limit use of more efficient irrigation systems - continue to use big guns despite know limitations - hand shift sprinklers have very high labour cost for larger operations - can’t use boom irrigators and centre pivots.
- High rainfall variability makes it difficult to effectively schedule irrigation to avoid irrigating prior to significant rainfall events.
- Limited availability of water in some catchments, both physically and in terms of allocation volumes with respect to time, means that water is applied at less that optimum timing.
- Most irrigation systems appear to be under designed to deal with drought conditions.
Resource Management
- Tension between growers and regional councils over allocation of water permits, development of water resources and environmental monitoring requirements.
- Would like access to more water on demand to meet critical requirements for a particular block of land depending on the crop type, time of year and dryness of the season.
- Regional councils appear to have a policy of reducing water allocations if maximum takes are not used - does not take account of variable water demand between different crops and seasons.
- Local authorities have talked about water harvesting but resource consent process puts most growers off trying to get a permit for dam.
- Growers feel that regional councils have insufficient data to backup restrictive policies on allocation of groundwater.
- Differences in policies between Environment Waikato and ARC - EW only allows 30 percent of a stream flow to be allocated but ARC allows 70 percent - growers are annoyed by inconsistency and lack of justification.
- Lifestyle blocks encroaching into horticultural areas without restrictions on groundwater use.
- Urban development allowed without thought for long term domestic water supply needs.
- Annoyance that Auckland City could take water from the Waikato River supported by intervention from central government whereas any attempt to establish a community irrigation scheme would be opposed by conservation groups and get bogged down in RMA procedures.
- Feeling that costs of implementing RMA being passed on to land owners without ability to pass on costs to urban consumers who demand "cleaner" products.
- "Sick of the red-tape", costs of resource permits and increased monitoring requirements.
Information
- Overseas journals, overseas trips, irrigation suppliers and by talking amongst themselves.
- Information supplied by local authorities is outdated, impractical, taken from other areas - often irrelevant.
- Regional council information is too generalised - does not take account of differences in soils, climate, topography and land use.
- Local government officials perceived to have "no understanding" of the realities of running a horticultural enterprise.
Requirements
- Research to resolve the conflicting 70/30 allocation rules.
- Benefits of soil moisture monitoring need to be proven under local conditions.
- Community water scheme in the Franklin district using water from Waikato River.
- Would like to meet with regional council staff on a more regular basis - independent mediator would prevent some of the "cat-scraps" that have occurred in past.
Reasons for irrigation
- Irrigation considered to be an essential ingredient for horticulture and dairy farming.
Water Management
- One grower had used a neutron probe service in the past but stopped due to concerns about effectiveness and cost.
- Some growers use tensiometers in orchard situations.
- Most irrigators schedule irrigation by a combination of local knowledge, experience, watching neighbours and visual inspection of soil.
- Pastoral farmers try to apply 25 to 30 mm of water once per week but 75 mm every 14 days make grass grow better.
- Pulse irrigation used on horticultural crops on very light stoney soils.
- No drought situation since 1982 so water management technology has not advanced much.
- Ideal to apply water and fertiliser "little and often".
- Water at night if possible to avoid wind losses and use cheaper power.
Efficiency
- Definitions of irrigation efficiency revolved around:
- Reduced labour input.
- Lower maintenance.
- Optimal design.
- Best use of limited resources.
- Uniform application and spread of water.
- Economic return on water.
- Use of automation.
- The Waimea East Irrigation Scheme was believed to be very efficient due to being piped.
- "Take or lose" policies do not encourage efficiency.
Sustainability
- Sustainability perceived to be a "dirty word" as RMA has not lived up to expectations.
- Irrigators concerned about the long term effect on water resources of forestry development on known aquifer recharge zones.
- Forestry has no water use permits.
- Forestry reduces flooding and siltation of streams until cut down.
- Competition from forestry processing for water.
- Groundwater level believed to have improved in some areas since gravel extraction stopped.
Constraints
Resource Management
- Draft Plan does not recognise importance of food production on highly productive land and the associated need for water.
- planning process drawn out too long.
- lack of consultation not in spirit of RMA.
- irrigators suspicious of planners motives.
- public excluded from environmental planning committees decisions on submissions.
- ineffective governance compared to strong bureaucracy allowing the "tail to wag the dog".
- RMA used as a weapon against farmers.
- Concerns about Tradeable Water Permits including:
- suspicion of TDC motives.
- potential to devalue land.
- permanent loss of water rights.
- fear that Nelson City will acquire water rights to groundwater leaving farmers with dirty water from waste treatment ponds and more expensive enhancement options.
- could lead to problems when a drought comes.
- Water meters are appropriate in areas with allocation problems but fear of being used to charge
Information
- Information acquired over time by experience and from local consultants and irrigation suppliers.
- Weather information available from local network.
Requirements
- Real understanding of crop water requirements in relation to critical developmental stages.
- Better weather forecasting.
Reasons for Irrigation
- Irrigation essential for horticulture and process crops.
- Insurance policy for pastoral farms.
Water Management
- Some irrigators use the neutron probe service mainly in grapes.
- Some growers use ET figures to calculate a water balance.
- Most growers rely on visual assessment of soil and crops and watch what their neighbours are doing.
- Complicated by large number of crops being grown in many cases.
- Soil moisture monitoring believed to be expensive.
- Delay as long as possible before starting.
- Grapes need water when young but not as much as initially thought.
Efficiency
- Irrigators believe that there is plenty of water so not that concerned with water use efficiency.
- Cost of pumping limits water wastage.
- Feel guilty but no economic incentives to change.
- Water too cheap.
Sustainability
- Plenty of water available in most parts of Wairau Plains.
- Water quantity and quality limiting factor in Awatere Valley.
- Concerns about salination in low-lying areas near coast.
- When water shortages have occurred have changed crops
- Subdivision into hobby farms has reduced overall demand compared to 1980s.
- Concerns about high water use rates by dairy farming and possible drainage problems.
- Lack of new generation of farmers.
Constraints
- Capacity of irrigation systems main constraint for arable farmers.
- Highly variable soils make optimal design difficult
Resource Management
- No problem with water meters as long as not used for charging.
- Suspicion about possible introduction of Tradeable Water Permits.
- Fearful of what Marlborough District Council may force farmers to do in future.
- Council dominated by urban councillors.
- Misconceptions on behalf of general public about water use.
- Irrigators need to be more proactive in showing sustainability and adopting sustainability programmes.
- Watching Tasman District situation carefully.
Information
Requirements
- Better understanding of water requirements of crops in relation to local soil types.
- Need to upgrade systems but owner age works against this.
- Soil mapping within each paddock.
- Better weather forecasting particularly of ET.
- More automation.
- Enhancement of water resources in Awatere.
Reasons for Irrigation
- Water is necessary for effective farming in North Canterbury.
- Irrigation improves production in terms on quantity, quality and consistency.
- Increases flexibility and ability to grow more crops.
- Essential for horticultural development.
- Irrigation evens out the cash flow.
Water Management
- A few irrigators are using Neutron Probe services particularly for horticultural crops.
- Irrigators mainly rely on experience and visual assessment of crops and soil.
Efficiency
- Irrigators believe that cost effectiveness is the major determinant of efficiency – water must be pumped at a cost.
- Regional council policy of estimating water use based on consent application information is "well off the mark".
- Regional Council should take proactive role in educating growers about efficient irrigation.
Sustainability
- A sustainable system is one where "not using more water than is entering the system".
- Concern that water resources of Ashley catchment are limited and insufficient for projected growth in area.
- There are too many unknowns – planners making assumptions based on questionable data.
- Small blocks are not restricted in groundwater use but collectively may use or waste more water than original farms.
Constraints
- Main constraint is lack of dollars to upgrade systems to operate more effectively and efficiently.
Resource Management
- Urban dominance of Canterbury Regional Council is a concern.
- Feeling that water allocation policies are unfair on farmers.
- Regional council officers have no understanding of actual practice of irrigation.
Information
- Information is primarily obtained from consultants and irrigation equipment suppliers.
- Evaporation figures published in "The Press" are not enough information and come too late for effective decision making.
Requirements
- Reasons for Irrigation
- Keep farms viable – better return on investment that buying more dry land.
- Peace of mind.
- High yields, better quality and consistency.
- Move to more crops and process vegetables.
- "The challenge".
- Water Management
- Use of neutron probe soil moisture monitoring common for arable crops and process vegetables.
- Still look at crops, soil, weather and use experience.
- Border strip more dependent on availability of water from river.
- Concentrate on high value crops first.
- Drop out badly shaped paddocks.
Efficiency
- Spread water over as much land area as possible.
- Using Neutron Probe so as efficient as possible.
- Prevent pollution of groundwater.
- Sufficient control in RMA to protect low flows in rivers.
- Centre Pivot and Linear Boom systems most efficient – can use rainfall to advantage.
- Border strip least efficient.
- Cost of pumping help prevent wastage.
Sustainability
- Not depleting or damaging soil over long period (life time to 200 years).
- Adequate water in Canterbury for all needs – needs to be used more rather than letting it run out to sea.
- Groundwater pollution is a worry – septic tanks a problem.
- Adequate returns to finance machinery – have made big investments.
- Life of irrigation systems a concern.
- Comes down to having an adequate economic return – concerns about what crops will give the right return to justify irrigation.
Constraints
- Low returns for crops makes it difficult to justify expense on upgrading systems to increase efficiency.
- Uncertainty in arable sector about what crops to grow to justify investment in irrigation.
- Cost of electricity for pumping.
- Wind is a problem with travelling irrigators.
- Difficult to schedule properly with rainfall – prefer a dry year when have more control.
- Farm sizes and shapes limit adoption of more efficient systems such as centre pivot.
- Many systems for pastoral and arable are under designed.
- Where is the younger generation to warrant investment?
Resource Management
Information
- Plenty of information available from consultants, irrigation scheduling services, equipment suppliers.
Requirements
- More accurate weather forecasting.
- Information on how to harvest more water.
- New irrigation application systems – lower labour requirements.
- Information on water use of new crops.
- Linking marketing and production of new irrigated crops to ensure viable new industries.
- Development of Central Plains Irrigation Scheme.
- Possibility of aquifer enhancement with surface water.
6) Mid Canterbury - Surface Irrigators
Reasons for Irrigation
- Schemes put in to provide a hedge against droughts and improve the performance of pastoral farming.
- With water more crops can also be grown.
- Dairy farming now moving into surface irrigated areas.
Water Management
- Irrigation management governed by availability from scheme.
- Irrigate for what is expected to happen during next roster period (up to 3 weeks).
- Don’t stop irrigating unless get more that 65 mm of rain.
- Keep irrigating regardless because don’t know when restriction might start.
- Decisions about which paddocks to water based on visual inspection of soil and pasture/crop.
- Some irrigators carry out water budget in head.
- Drop out light land first.
Efficiency
- Not spilling off ends of border strips.
- Stopping water on time – making sure clocks are maintained and checked
- Match grazing to water roster.
- Short water borders during restrictions – not suitable for crops.
- Need to keep soil moisture levels up otherwise water will not infiltrate properly.
- Continually need to adjust set times to achieve optimal application.
- Reliable water supply aids efficiency by providing greater flows and increased flexibility.
- Larger schemes less efficient due to greater inflexibility of supply.
- Length and grading of borders has significant effect on efficiency.
Sustainability
- Concern for sustainability of water rights for RDR.
- Farmers want a fair share of the resources.
- Large volumes of water lost to sea with each "fresh" but currently no way to capture.
- Farmers would like to develop a "win – win" situation with other water users.
- Schemes are old and need maintenance.
- Where is the next generation of farmers?
- Dairy farmers irrigate too much.
Constraints
- Insufficient water is some areas of some schemes to operate effectively.
- Some poor design of turnouts etc limits usefulness.
- Most schemes developed up to and beyond original design capacities.
Resource Management
Information
- Historically information supplied by Winchmore.
- Now information comes from private consultants and experienced farmers.
Requirements
- Better water allocation methods within schemes.
- Enhancement of flows within schemes.
- Redesign of some parts.
- A universally agreed policy on water development in Canterbury.
- Someone to replace the Ministry of Works as a champion of regional development.
7) Mid Canterbury - Spray Irrigators
Reasons for Irrigation
- Originally installed irrigation for drought proofing against poor crops and being a weak seller of stock now essential part of operation.
- Shift to more arable or intensive livestock to get maximum production from other inputs by using water.
- With water farmers are prepared to put on other inputs such as fertiliser as they know that they will get a result.
Water Management
- Some irrigators are using neutron probe service for water scheduling.
- Most rely on experience and visual inspection of crops and soil.
Efficiency
- Use least amount of water and energy to produce crop.
- Irrigators consider themselves to be efficient due to energy cost.
- Mentally recording amount of water applied.
- Use rain gauges to test application rates of irrigators.
- Rain after irrigation is a concern – want better weather forecasting.
Sustainability
- Consider that resource is sustainable – plenty of ground and surface water.
- Concern that dairy farmers use more that traditional allocations.
- Water is a renewable resource.
- Believe minimum flows set for Ashburton River for ecological reasons are too high.
- Greater demand from recreational users.
- Better soil husbandry under irrigation – less wind erosion and more
Constraints
- Insufficient capacity to irrigate whole farm effectively.
- Wind limits operation of larger irrigators.
- Lack of regional water development plan to meet everybody’s needs.
Resource Management
- Aquifer system not well understood.
- Disagreements with Canterbury Regional Council over hydraulic connectivity between streams and aquifers.
Information
- Information largely supplied by irrigation system manufacturers and designers and soil moisture monitoring consultants.
- Historically information came from Winchmore.
Requirements
- Better information on actual crop water requirements.
- Reliable information on performance of irrigators.
- Need to upgrade systems but no money to do this.
- Information on energy cost of spray versus border strip irrigation.
Reasons for Irrigation
- Remove element of risk and increase productivity.
- Farm to capacity without risk.
- Avoid being a weak seller of livestock during a drought.
- Improves economics of whole livestock operation by guaranteeing summer feed.
- Gives consistency required for vegetable production for supermarkets and Asian markets.
Water Management
- Use of neutron probe soil moisture monitoring service reasonably common.
- Start early and water ahead – if get behind never catch up.
- Don’t stop for rain on light soils.
- Try to keep soil moisture fairly constant between field capacity and stress point by watering little and often.
- Management difficult during a wet season on heavy soils.
Efficiency
- Neutron probes helps prevent over watering and starting too early.
- Minimum water applied for greatest profit.
- Best return for capital investment.
- Use guns due to irregular shapes – modified guns to get as little and often as possible.
- Have changed from 75 mm blanket applications to strategic applications.
- Self regulated by cost of electricity.
- Paying for water from Opuha Dam will encourage efficiency and will lead to land use changes.
- Tradeable Permits will increase efficiency and lead to highest value and best use of water.
- Border strip systems considered to be inefficient.
- Side roll good but labour intensive.
Sustainability
- Without irrigation would only be sheep run-off.
- Arable agriculture unsustainable on light soils without irrigation.
- Dam will restore the water holding capacity of the hill country lost to deforestation.
- Leaching controlled by cost of electricity.
- Effect of droplet size on soil compaction.
Constraints
- Shape of properties limits utilisation of more efficient irrigators – need to realign some rural roads.
- Insufficient funds for investment in new irrigators.
Resource Management
Information
- Not considered to be a problem in this area.
Requirements
- More research on groundwater resources of area.
- Trails comparing application and infiltration rates.
9) Waitaki
Reasons for Irrigation
- Eliminate dry periods and not have to buy in feed.
- Make life easy.
- Not be a weak seller of livestock in a drought.
- Greater flexibility of land use.
- Decision made by previous generation – now locked into system.
- Irrigation is the "best of the problems".
- "What else would we do with the land?"
Water Management
Efficiency
- Concerned with efficiency of water use but not well defined.
- Border strip uses more water on roster than on demand but less hassles between farmers.
- Border strip wasteful compared to long lateral system.
- Border strip systems could be made more efficient with upgrading and better maintenance.
- Widening and regrading strips improves efficiency but costly.
- Might move to Centre Pivots in future.
- Efficiency of spray irrigators dictated by power costs.
Sustainability
- Make enough income to justify irrigation charges.
- Efficiency is main sustainability issue.
- Believe not damaging farms.
- Wouldn’t be viable to farm without irrigation.
- Concerns for groundwater quality.
- Plenty of water in Waitaki but schemes exposed to non-renewal of permits.
- Farmers have less political clout as time goes on.
Constraints
- Capacity to make travelling irrigators go faster.
- Wind a problem with operating travelling irrigators.
- Cost of fixing problems is greater than the cost of water.
- Must prove economic return of improving efficiency of systems.
Resource Management
- Schemes are an asset that need to be protected.
- Forest & Bird object for the sake of objecting.
- Angling lobby very powerful.
- Talk of water meters seen as regional council plot to make money.
- Land use changes upset "greenies".
- Strong feelings against Canterbury Regional Council – Christchurch dominated – "Give us back our river".
Information
- General lack of information particularly about irrigating pasture for sheep.
- Requirements
- More education needed for newcomers to area particularly dairy converters.
- Electronic controls for gates.
- Information on advantages and disadvantages of different types of spray irrigation.
- Low labour irrigation systems.
- "Does spray grow more grass than border strip?"
Reasons for Irrigation
Water Management
- Decision to irrigate based on experience and watching neighbours.
- Stop irrigating as soon as it rains.
- Rain is a real problem to deal with.
- Haven’t been pressured for last three seasons.
Efficiency
- Cropping gives best dollar return for water use.
- Need to apply fertiliser as well to realise benefits of water.
- "Little and often" is ideal but not possible with existing equipment.
- Cost of power prevents wastage.
- Run-off a problem on rolling country.
- Avoid irrigating in Nor’Wester.
- Try to irrigate at night to minimise losses.
- Need to upgrade pastures to get best response from water.
Sustainability
- Economic return most important indicator of sustainability.
- Don’t consider irrigation to be unsustainable – have been doing it for 50 years
- Need a longer term vision.
- Using iron contaminated water is damaging soils but not our problem.
- Groundwater pollution a problem in North Otago.
Constraints
- Most schemes under designed to handle a real drought and high winds.
- Topography limits adoption of more efficient equipment.
- Some schemes poorly designed.
- Cost of keeping up with technological innovations.
Resource Management
- Restrictions don’t encourage efficient use.
- Irrigators are watching streams and using water before neighbours do regardless of real need.
- "It’s my water, I’ll use it how I like!"
- No obvious problems with regional council.
Information
Requirements
- Better weather forecasting.
- New high value crops to justify investment in Kakanui scheme development
- More general information about irrigation techniques and issues.
- Need intensification of land use before consider upgrading systems.
- Reasons for Irrigation
- Security through droughts.
- Improve overall productivity of pastoral farming.
- Water Management
- Start and stop with rosters.
- Visual inspection of soil moisture.
- Long term experience.
- Don’t irrigate and lamb at same time.
- Efficiency
- Biggest losses from schemes at start up and shut down.
- Aiming for best utilisation of water by pasture.
- Minimise run-off and pollution.
- Minimise labour requirements.
- Designs outside MoW guidelines – 2 percent slopes on borders constrains irrigators to 75 mm applications.
- Contour irrigation (wild flood) not very efficient but no other viable way of doing it.
- With contour better to miss bits than over irrigate.
- Contour irrigation trade off between labour (money) and water use.
- Privatisation has made schemes more efficient and more reliable.
- Sustainability
- "Don’t know what we’d do without irrigation."
- Some areas have been irrigated for a long time – considered to be sustainable
- Over application is a potential threat.
- Cost of water limits overuse in some schemes.
- Potential salination problems on some soils.
- Current charges are covering costs of upgrading older schemes.
- Constraints
- Time to do contour irrigation effectively.
- Low infiltration rates limit use of travelling irrigators.
- Resource Management
- Competition with Manuherikia schemes - historical arguments.
- Water quality issues for Taieri River could be major component of water right renewals.
- Landcare groups have helped in relationships with environmental groups, regional and district councils.
- Transference of water between catchments
- Information
- Requirements
- Research into long term effect of nutrients on water quality.
- Information on infiltration rates and effect on operation.
- More monitoring in region.
- Need to start collecting information now for water right hearings in 20 years’ time.
Reasons for Irrigation
- Irrigation essential for agricultural production in this area.
- Largely supplementary irrigation systems - aim to keep grass green.
Water Management
- Small schemes run combinations of fixed rosters and on demand systems.
- Run of river schemes often run out of water in late summer.
- May only irrigate three times per season.
- Irrigation management based on "trail and error" experience.
Efficiency
- Schemes not as efficient as used to be.
- Looking for best return on cost of water.
- Spread water over biggest area – more efficient with large flows available.
- Border strip more efficient than contour irrigation.
- Contour irrigation more efficient than big guns – spray irrigation uneconomic.
- Very little change over years except for introduction of border strip on flatter areas.
- Contour irrigation is "hit and miss" – takes time to learn how to manipulate.
- Could increase efficiency but takes time and money.
- Room for increase in water use efficiency – horticulture compared to pasture.
Sustainability
- Not effecting land to reduce productivity.
- Have been irrigating for a long time – must be sustainable.
- Run of river schemes unreliable – need more storage.
Constraints
- Limited water resources.
- Limited finances available for new developments.
- Topography and climate limit use of alternative systems.
Resource Management
- Once mining privileges run out there will be more competition for water from lifestyle blocks and horticulture near Alexandra, miners, recreational users and anglers.
- Resistance to change – Old saying " You can have my wife but not my water!".
Information
- Information on running irrigation schemes largely gained from experience in district.
Requirements
- Research on efficiency versus economics.
- Information on needs of different soil types.
- Need for on farm storage to improve reliability but costly.
- Co-ordination between schemes – Water Resource User group meets once a year.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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