Annual Report highlights
On this page, you can learn more about some of the ways we’ve been working in your communities in 2021-22.
These stories help bring the Annual Report to life, and showcase the real-world work that underpins the levels of service we report on. They’re organised in the same activity groupings as the Annual Report to more easily reflect the connection between our work, why we do it, and what we’re aiming to achieve.
You can learn more about the standards we set ourselves and our past year’s performance in the full Annual Report.
Air quality
Community views on cleaner air
To learn more about how Environment Southland can help the region’s residents reduce air pollution, the Council surveyed 272 people in Invercargill and 213 in Gore to understand community views, perceptions and practices on home heating. Respondents said they felt everyone had a part to play in reducing air pollution from domestic burners, which are the biggest contributors to air pollution. In fact, improving air quality was the main reason households had changed to cleaner forms of heating.
This year’s survey established a baseline and next year’s survey will compare how effective the Council’s efforts have been.
Water and Land
Regional Forum completes its journey
The Regional Forum was a group of community members who started their mahi together in 2019. They were tasked with considering and providing advice to Council and Te Ao Mārama on how to achieve the community’s aspirations for freshwater.
The forum members gave hundreds of hours to this process, meeting in-person and over Zoom more than 20 times as they gathered information, heard from experts, scientists, stakeholders and mana whenua.
Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said the completion of the forum’s report of recommendations was a significant milestone in meeting our freshwater challenges, as a region.
The forum’s report, Achieving the Community's Aspirations for Freshwater, provides Murihiku Southland with a strong basis to develop Southland-specific solutions that will achieve improvements for freshwater. The report is available online, www.es.govt.nz/regional-forum.
Te Ao Mārama chair Evelyn Cook described the report as a taoka (treasure) for the region.
Environment Southland and Te Ao Mārama will now assess the recommendations that will inform the plan change (Plan Change Tuatahi) to the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan, and the next Long-term Plan.
Biosecurity and Biodiversity
Busy year in biosecurity and biodiversity
The Council’s biosecurity team was busier than usual for response work, with two wallaby reports, three rook reports, a starfish and a pond plant.
All of these were investigated and found to be negative.
Staff are awaiting laboratory results for suspected Didemnum vexillum (carpet sea squirt), following a possible incursion around Rakiura/Stewart Island.
Highlights for the year include an increased focus on pest plant eradication species, which unearthed a large number of new purple loosestrife sites that can now be controlled.
Biosecurity programmes have also benefited from the new dive resource created through the Undaria Jobs for Nature programme to remove the invasive marine pest plant.
During breaks from Fiordland Undaria work, the dive team completed Cape Pondweed surveys and control in the Hidden Lakes for the Department of Conservation, Lagrosiphon surveys and control, and an immediate response to the Undaria incursion on Rakiura. Follow-up work for this incursion will be undertaken in the 2022/23 financial year.
The Jobs for Nature Biodiversity Action on the Ground and Fish Passage projects have significantly increased the Council’s impact on biodiversity through a record year for delivery, with better data and understanding of the biodiversity condition of an additional 22,500 ha of land within Southland.
Climate change and resilience
New sub-committee formed
Taking action to address climate change impacts now and in the future is a priority for Environment Southland. The Council is committed to making a difference in our business and doing the same for Southland.
During the past two years, the council has progressed its own Climate Change Action Plan.
In May 2022, councillors approved the formation of a Climate Change Sub-committee to help drive Environment Southland’s action on climate change.
The sub-committee, which meets once every two months, consists of six councillors as well as a mana whenua representative. It reports to the Strategy and Policy Committee on its progress.
One of the first jobs for the newly formed sub-committee is the preparation for a regional hui on climate change that will bring Southland councillors, iwi and other local community organisations together to talk about climate change and the opportunities and challenges that Southland is facing.
Climate Resilience projects
Environment Southland’s ambitious work programme to upgrade Southland’s flood defences is underway. These projects have only been made possible by the Government’s ‘shovel ready’ funding, ensuring the Council can progress these works faster and at a reduced cost to Southland ratepayers.
The broad programme includes projects in the Mataura, Oreti and Waiau catchments and makes up a very important component of the Council’s climate resilience responsibilities.
This year, work to improve the Boundary Creek stop bank at Mataura has been completed. Surveying, drawing, technical and scientific assessments, tendering and sourcing of materials continues to progress for all other projects. Some projects have required re-scoping as a result of the surveying work. This means some projects may not progress as quickly as first planned, but over time all projects will be completed.
Priority projects for the coming year include the upgrade of the Stead Street Pump Station near the Invercargill airport, and further assessments of the stop banks along the length of the Mataura River.
Coast and Marine
Monitoring of swimming sites over summer
Environment Southland regularly monitors a number of recreational water sites across Southland for bacterial indicators, which reflect a health risk to people.
The indicator used for measuring water quality depends on whether the site is freshwater or marine. In freshwater, we measure levels of bacteria known as Escherichia coli (more commonly known as E. coli), whereas we measure Enterococci bacteria at marine sites.
There are 13 marine swimming sites in Southland that are currently monitored during the summer months (December through to March).
Monitoring results are reported in bands, A being very good, through to D being poor. Of the 13 sites monitored, five are in the A band, five are in the B band and three are in the C band. None of our sites are in the D band. Based on the monitoring results, the best marine swimming site is at Awarua Bay near the Tiwai pumphouse.
Regional Leadership
Working with others to achieve better outcomes
During the year Environment Southland was able to progress a number of important topics through working with and seeking feedback from others.
In November 2021 the Ministry for the Environment consulted on its emissions reduction plan discussion paper. This provided Environment Southland with an opportunity to workshop key issues and attend a joint hui with the Invercargill City Council and Southland District Council. The result was a joint submission that included feedback on public transport, carbon farming, agricultural emissions and equitable transitions.
Environment Southland has begun the formal process of consulting on a proposed plan change to the Regional Coastal Plan with tangata whenua and key stakeholders. This plan change will establish new measures to manage the increase in commercial activities in the Fiordland waters. Public submissions will also form an important part of this process later in the year.
In May 2022, Environment Southland received over 200 submissions when it consulted with landowners in an area east of the Mataura River, from Wyndham to Fortrose on the Southern Pest Eradication Society rate. Councillors made a decision to continue to collect a targeted rate from those in the affected area, reflecting the community’s desire to maintain this service.
Engagement on draft visions for Southland’s freshwater provided our communities with an opportunity to share their thoughts from June. These visions will express the community aspirations for freshwater to help guide how we manage freshwater in Southland, and form an important part of Southland’s Regional Policy Statement.
Southland’s approach to intensive winter grazing
In August 2021, Environment Southland granted its first intensive winter grazing consent under the new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater. Farmers have been continuing to improve their practices and to prepare for the future.
Winter grazing practices have again come under intense public scrutiny, but monitoring is showing significant improvements are continuing to be made.
Environment Southland’s website now offers a cultivation and intensive winter grazing mapping tool; a checklist to see whether resource consent is required; and an online resource consent application process.
Southland continues to influence national legislation on intensive winter grazing. During the year, the Government consulted and made decisions on further changes to the regulations following advice from the Southland Advisory Group, which was facilitated by Environment Southland. The advisory group provided some practical solutions, not only for farmers to implement on the ground, but also for councils who are trying to monitor and enforce these regulations.