11. Question No. 11—EnvironmentMARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 11—Environment11. MARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Minister for the Environment: Did he act upon the statement he made on 1 September 2022 and ask officials to look into the expected number" of farms requiring resource consents for intensive winter grazing compliance; if so is he aware that of the estimated 3500 farms in Southland that intensive winter grazed in 2021 Environment Southland has granted consents to just three?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI (Associate Minister of Agriculture) on behalf of the Minister for the Environment: Yes I did ask my officials to look into the expected number of consent applications for intensive winter grazing in Southland. The estimate the member refers to is wrong. They advised that only 6.5 percent of Southland's winter forage crops are at a slope of greater than 10 degrees which is the slope maximum in the intensive winter grazing module. I'm advised that as of today Environment Southland has received 11 consent applications of which four have been issued. There is plenty of time to go. I am further advised that Environment Southland has built an online tool which will allow farmers to easily find out whether they need a consent. Where farmers meet the permitted activity standards and do not need a consent the tool will provide them with a record of this permitted activity status. Neither Environment Southland the Otago Regional Council or Environment Canterbury want to delay the rules applying to intensive winter grazing. They are helping improve outcomes.Mark Cameron: Is the Minister concerned that an estimated 3200 farms utilised intensive winter grazing in the Canterbury region in 2021 yet no consents have been granted and only one application has been lodged for intensive winter grazing consent in the past five years?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: On behalf of the Minister if I use the answer to my primary question to that member in terms of the 6.5 percent of forage crops at 10 degrees or higher then it's a hard fact I think to try and figure that in your primary question 3500 estimated farms are in that catchment area. It's a small area. The point I've made in the primary question is that we've got plenty of time and there is help for farmers to put in their consent applications or to determine whether they actually need one.Mark Cameron: Does the Minister agree that compliance in the Otago region is not much better given that only three of the estimated 2000 resource consents required for compliance have been issued as of 23 August 2022?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: I'll refer the member again to the estimate figures that he is using which are absolutely wrong. I've given the percentage of the slope the 10 percent - plus slope which kicks in the requirement for consent. Whether it's in Otago Southland or Canterbury that's not a large number of farms. The point is that there are tools available with the councils. We're asking farmers to reach in earlier. We've been advised also that councils are ready to process applications and work alongside farmers to complete what's required of them.Mark Cameron: Is the Minister concerned that between the Waikato Hawke's Bay Greater Wellington Bay of Plenty Auckland Marlborough West Coast Nelson Northland and Tasman councils zero resource consents have been issued for the estimated 3900 farms that intensive winter graze in these regions?Hon MEKA WHAITIRI: To all those farmers I ask them to reach out to their councils to help them identify. Each council will have the ability to work alongside the farmers to identify whether they need consents or not. The regulations are very clear. We have time on our side and councils are prepared. The numbers that you're referring to are an estimate and they're probably over-inflated.Mark Cameron: Point of order Mr Speaker. I seek leave of the House to table multiple documents received under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.SPEAKER: You need to describe what they're about.Mark Cameron: That is an Official Information Act document sent to all local regional authorities in New Zealand—or several.SPEAKER: Leave is sought for that purpose. Is there any objection? There appears to be none. They may be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House."