Waikato landscape
New Waikato regional councillors want to stop a water quality plan change before, they say, it bankrupts farmers and sucks billions of dollars out of the regional economy.
Garry Reymer – 2025
Newly elected Waipā King Country ward councillors Garry Reymer and Liz Stolwyk, Waikato ward councillor Gary McGuire and Waihou ward councillor Keith Holmes were sworn in yesterday and are making discussions on stopping Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change One top priority.
The plan is before the Environment Court and the council says it is bound by a statutory process – once it has a decision, it will have certainty on the policy and rules.
But the four are supporting a petition started by Act MP Simon Court calling on the council to immediately suspend work on the plan change and commission a full economic evaluation.
More than a decade in the making, the plan change is the subject of multiple appeals and is before the Environment Court. The council is advising farmers to start mapping contaminant loss, fencing waterways and review good management practices.
Liz Stolwyk – 2025
Holmes, immediate past president of Waikato Federated Farmers, said his calculations based on work done by consulting agricultural economist Phil Journeaux showed the plan change would rip $5 billion out of the Waikato economy.
“At a high level the immediate financial effect of Plan Change One on the Waikato region even before the full roll out, is in the vicinity of $710 million,” Holmes said.
“Applying the standard multiplier effect being the way a farming dollar is recycled and spent within our regional economy is times 7.8 which equates to $5 billion.
“It will absolutely sidekick the Waikato economy by about 25 per cent of the gross domestic product.
“We may as well take all the farmers to the top of the cliff, and they may as well jump off,” he said.
“It is absolutely crucial that we back off on Plan Change One. It’s like asking someone to run 100 metres and then cutting their legs off.”
Reymer, formerly Waikato Federated Farmers economics spokesman, said the impact of Plan Change One was “potentially colossal” and would hinder farms lifting production.
Stolwyk, former Waipā deputy mayor and farmer, said she and her brother-in-law Reymer were on the same page.
“The regional councillors have taken Plan Change One as our top priority,” Stolwyk said. “We intend to get together to put together a collaborative approach. “
McGuire said Plan Change One unfairly blamed farmers for ecoli in water ways when water fowl were to blame.
“Farmers are a dart board,” he said.
Cambridge Business Chamber chief executive Kelly Bouzaid said the chamber would be keeping an eye on the economic cost associated with the implementation of Plan Change One across the regional economy.
“The chamber’s position is that environmental progress and economic prosperity must move hand-in-hand, not at the expense of one another.”
Waikato Federated Farmers past provincial president Keith Holmes says famers should be thinking about record keeping as Plan Change One’s ruling is imminent.
