Golden Bay's Te Waikoropupū Springs is a major regional tourism attraction - the largest cold water springs in the Southern hemisphere and home to some of the clearest water ever measured.
Tasman District Council is trying to implement a Water Conservation Order to protect the springs, which are also considered sacred to local iwi.
To give the conservation order effect, the council wants a plan change that would require farmers to take action over activities that could affect water quality.
But it has to go the the RMA Minister for an exemption, as the government has halted most plan changes while it overhauls the Resource Management Act.
The request for a plan change is opposed by Federated Farmers who have written to the Minister also asking for Water Conservation Orders to be removed entirely saying they allow environmental protections to be placed above economic provisions.
Kathryn is joined by Barry Johnson, the Environmental Policy Manager from the Tasman District Council and Mark Hooper RMA spokesperson for Federated Farmers.
