Porpoise Bay is a surfbreak situated at the south-eastern extremity of New Zealand's South Island, in an area known as the Catlins. It is an incredibly beautiful and remote place. Porpoise Bay is under threat from a Dairy Farm proposal now before the Southland District Council. The Southland District Council and Southland Regional Council have announced the pre hearing and hearing dates for this application to undertake high intensity farming.
© Nic Reeves - phoam.co.nz
Porpoise Bay is one of numerous Catlin surfbreaks. Many surfers
trek to the Catlins every summer and the surfbreaks even have a
hardy bunch of locals who surf throughout the cold winter
months.
The freshwater outflow around the Porpoise Bay surfbreaks is of
a high and very safe quality. This water safety and quality has the
chance to be dramatically compromised by a proposed conversion of
an existing low-intensity farm into a high-intensity dairy farm in
the catchment area.
On the 19th December 2008 a farming company, South Coast Dairy
Limited lodged an application to Southland Regional Council and the
Southland District Council to develop an industrial style dairy
farm in the Curio/Porpoise Bay area.
Numerous resource consents at both a district and regional level
will be required to build what would be the first dairy farm in
this Porpoise Bay surfbreak catchment. The dates for the pre
hearing is 24 February 2009 and the full hearing date will be on 12
March 2009. 99 submissions were lodged with the district council
opposing the conversion, 0 supported it. 105 submissions were
lodged with the regional council in opposition to conversion, 3
supported it. Surfbreak protection is a submitter in opposition to
the conversion of the intense dairy farm and in support of its
retension as a sheep and beef farm.
Dairy farms in New Zealand impact adversely on the environment.
The adverse impact is most extreme in the effects dairying has on
freshwater at point-source and non-point source. Point-source is
water to water. This happens mostly in the milking shed where these
areas are kept clean with high pressure hoses. This water mixes
with abundant cow shit / piss, and is washed into purpose built
settlement ponds. These settlement ponds and the way that the water
/ shit sludge is discharged into the environment depend on the
farmer and the Councils.
Point-source pollution is easily measured and quantified.
Non-point source pollution is not easily measured and is of the
most concern to surfbreaks. Though surfbreaks are in saltwater,
they nearly always have a freshwater component. Non-point source
pollution in the case of the dairy industry is all the cows shit
and piss falling on the ground. When it rains it goes into the
ground and if it's close to the coast it comes out in all kinds of
places.
Dairying also puts on to the land petro-chemicals applied to
increase grass growth and herbicides to kill plants other than the
grass used for cows. In winter, cows in the New Zealand dairy
systems might eat maize. Maize grown for the diary industry also
uses large amounts of herbicides.
New Zealand's environmental systems are slowly catching up with
the effects of dairying. The catchments around Lake Taupo, the
North Island's largest freshwater lake, have strict planning rules
for the dairy industry. Surfbreak Protection would expect these
rules to be the minimal compliance requirements for any dairy farm
conversion at Curio Bay.
Wilderness surfbreaks, and surfbreaks that can be surfed after
rain, are part of the New Zealand surf experience. Porpoise Bay and
neighbouring Curio Bay with Hector dolphins and yellow eyed
penguins play a vital role in offering a 100% wildlife surfing
experience.