78 | T T Hugh de Lacy Reforms drive demand Aqualinc research and development manager Andrew Dark says increasing workloads are due more to local and central government policies on drinking water and a focus on freshwater quality. CONTRACTING Aqualinc The contamination of the Havelock North drinking water linked to three deaths, and to illness in around 8000 other people in August 2016, has driven increased demand for the services of Christchurchbased resource consultancy Aqualinc. The consultancy employs over 30 staff across its three branches, the other two being in Ashburton and Hawke’s Bay, supported by a small presence in Central Otago. The government inquiry into the Havelock North contamination incident resulted in a range of recommendations aimed at reducing the risk of contamination of drinking water supplies. Aqualinc research and development manager Andrew Dark says it was the drinking water reforms following the Havelock North event, along with the Action for Healthy Waterways policy package, which is focussed on our rivers and lakes, rather than the Government’s proposed Three Waters policy reform that have driven demand for the sort of staff Aqualinc needs. “It could be that future demand for staff will be driven by Three Waters, but increasing workloads are due more to local and central government policies on drinking water, together with a broader focus on freshwater quality,” Andrew says. “It’s not easy trying to track down highly qualified people with PhDs and Masters degrees – because there’s a shortage of them across all branches of the science, technology and engineering fields.” Aqualinc’s core role is in water and land management, including such areas as groundwater and irrigation management, changes in land use, nitrate management, and the impact of climate change on groundwater. “Our work covers a pretty broad spectrum, from resource consenting for water takes to advising on compliance with the consent conditions, installing monitoring equipment and keeping track of how much water is being used,” Andrew says. Clients include individual and corporate farmers, irrigation schemes, industry bodies, regional, district and city councils, and central government agencies such as the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Primary Industries. “Another area that we’re increasingly involved in is source protection for drinking water supplies, defining the areas within which land use needs to be controlled to protect drinking water supplies. “We also advise on strategic water management, and help councils understand the potential implications of climate change, and examine the possibilities of water storage,” says Andrew. “A lot of our work is in irrigation management where we monitor soil moisture for agricultural and horticultural growers, and help plan their irrigation. “We are an independent consultancy, working collaboratively with government, local authorities and resource consent users to develop long-term and sustainable solutions that take social, economic, cultural and environmental factors into account with water and land use.” But in the wake of the Havelock North contamination, Aqualinc is increasingly focussed on assisting clients with providing safe, reliable and sustainable drinking water supplies. This includes not only the larger water suppliers but also smaller suppliers who, under the Water Services Act, and now required to register as such, and comply with rules about water safety. “The responsibilities of water suppliers of all sizes have evolved rapidly, bringing the need for a deeper understanding of the way new drinking water supply sources have to be developed,” Andrew says. Drinking water supply rules have been the subject of extensive risk management exercises, leading to the creation of the new regulator, Taumata Arowai, which promotes the sustainable management of all three water types, drinking, stormwater and waste-water. Aqualinc staff are members of Water New Zealand, which has a membership of 3000 decision-makers and technologists representing local and central government, the academic and research communities, service and equipment supply organisations, and consultants. Bringing together the synergies between water quality and pro itable farming tomake practical, pro itable, resilient and compliant management decisions is the core service o ered by South Island environmental support company Lumen, which has o ices in Ashburton, Cromwell and Gore. “We work collaboratively with farmers and their trusted advisors,” says Lumen’s Otago-based consultant Nicole Mesman. “We are a company focussed on solutions-based support, and we work in partnership with our clients and their other advisors to achieve functional and pro itable solutions.” The need for the company’s services has grown rapidly in the face of ever more complex and demanding central and local government requirements on farmers. “The environmental requirement on farmers these days is massive,” Nicole says. “Our job is to stay up to date with the policy and science to give farmers peace of mind, knowing that when they call us we can guide them through their requirements, carry out the work required and help themdevelop tools for the future. “We might need to develop farm environmental plans for them, apply for a resource consent, model nutrient losses or measure their farm’s environmental footprint, and we often work with either the seller or the buyer to inform themof their environmental requirements when farms come on the market.” Lumen is the result of a strategic joint venture linking three di erent sources of agricultural and environmental advice to farmers throughout the South Island. Catalyst Performance Agronomy handles LOSolutions-based support the agronomy aspects of the group‘s advisory role, o ering advice on crop health and growing forage crops for livestock. Aqualinc Research advises on hydrology, water consents and irrigation design, while the thirdmember of the group, Macfarlane Rural Business, provides a suite of farmmanagement, advisory and consultancy services for farms and for projects in the wider rural sector. While the Canterbury market was the group’s initial focus because of the earlier introduction there of environmentally sensitive local government requirements on farmers, the southern end of the South Island has more recently come under the same pressures. “Our main role is to work with farmers to provide the best outcome for them,” Nicole says. “That oftenmeans liaising with other advisors to ensure we are all working for the farming business’s goals. “The team are passionate about the primary industry and being there long-term to support an integrated approach. “From the farmer’s point of view, the journey begins in realising how they can improve their business and the environment, and in being able to articulate what they are doing and what is good about it. “Sometimes farms don’t need to change their current practices very much, and there’s a range of small things they can do to improve their performance and pro itability.” The basis of Lumen’s approach to its advisory role lies in the realisation that water quality and environmental targets are increasingly integral to a farm’s viability. “As input costs rise so too do the synergies between pro itable business and a healthy eco-system,” Nicole says. admin@lumen.net 0800 4 LUMEN (458636) www.lumen.co.nz Canterbury Office 189 Alford Forest Road, PO Box 418, Ashburton 7700 Otago & Southland Office 16 Pinot Noir Dr, Cromwell 9310 We assist farmers to pro-actively engage in changing their management system on farm to reduce environmental impact and contribute positively to achieving catchment water and air quality targets. By collaborating with the farmer's professional service partners, we are able to ensure business profitability maintained and social licence to operate enriched. Integrated Environmental Management
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