24 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Lockerbie Farms Composting barn site work. The dairy herd. Karen Phelps Canterbury dairy farmer John Faulkner of Lockerbie Farms says his recent election to the Environment Canterbury Regional Council (ECan) reflects his passion for integrating environmental actions from a grass roots perspective. “In essence environmental policies and regulatory plans are not worth the paper they are printed on unless there is a sound implementation policy/ agreement with those that are charged with implementation – landowners and farmers,” he says. John has been involved in the environmental management relationship building space for about 20 years. He was the past chair of the Hurunui Waiau Water Zone Committee, which was part of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy process and developed a zone implementation programme covering engagement, mana whenua, community and prosperity. “It was a community collaborative consensus based document we created that laid out how we wanted to approach the environmental outcomes in the future in the community. That’s my passion. It’s about bringing that perspective into the regional council. We need to work together to resolves issues.” John is keen to provide a rural progressive farmer voice at ECan. “There is a real disconnect at the moment on setting policy and implementation. It has to have rural landowner acceptance and in a lot of cases should be the first part of setting a policy. There are some fantastic policy documents that have been created but the implementation is the big shortfall. There’s been a disconnect between policy and real world results. “We have to go the farmers and lay out the problem and come from a problem solving perspective. If you come from a policy regulatory space you can identify the problem but you’re working from the top down. You need to go to the problem and work your way back out because in that way you’re engaging with the farmers in the first instance. Underlying a regulatory driven system is the aim to achieve outcomes. But is the current system the best way to achieve the outcomes sought? It doesn’t encourage delivery at the pace that is required.” John says his main goal is to change perspectives: “Rural landowners are more than willing to do the hard graft but some of the consenting issues that Environmental action from the grass roots • to page 26 Please contact Jim 027 260 8944 Central and North Ben 027 634 3043 Mid and South Julie 021 338 510 Grazing Manager • Successful and las�ng grazing management. • Buying/Selling all classes of livestock. • Efficient and �mely farm to farm transac�ons. • Compe��ve and prompt processor procurement. • Canterbury Wide JEH Grazing and Livestock Ltd
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=