King Country sheep and beef farmer Reon Verry has won an award for his advocacy on behalf of farmers, in an Environment Court mediation process. Photo supplied
King Country River Care Chair Reon Verry has won the award for “Hardest working Meat & Fibre Feds Chairperson,” at the recent Federated Farmers AGM.
“The award acknowledged all the voluntary time Reon spent on mediation on behalf of Waikato Federated Farmers and their members,” KCRC said in a statement.
The awards were on July 5, in Wellington. When he spoke to King Country Farmer Reon had just returned from his travels.
His work concerned the Healthy Rivers plan in the Waikato and Waipā catchments. In 2014, the Waikato Regional Council started on the path towards changing the way it would manage freshwater for farming.
“It was going to affect the way everyone farms in the catchments.”
The Feds appealed to the Environment Court – “a long, drawn out process”.
Most recently, the case was in the mediation stages, prior to a hearing before a judge.
The process had been a way to present the farmers’ point of view, Reon said.
“Because I’m the Waikato Federated farmers Meat and Wool chair, I’ve been involved.
“That was quite a few days of my life, over a period of six months [October 2022 to April 2023], sitting in front of a computer screen on a Zoom call with a whole lot of lawyers and planners and policy people, trying to make sense of it.”
Whether or not the message was heard, at least it had been delivered, he said. The final arbitration in the environment court was scheduled for September 2023.
Reon was one of four farmers putting forward evidence around what the planned policy changes would look like, on farm, for their operations. And the work was far from complete.
“I’m trying to read through 87 pages of evidence at the moment, that relates to my farm.”
He said four farmers in total would present evidence; himself alongside three others from the Waikato, Rotorua and Taupō.
Both sheep and beef and dairy farming were represented.
Reon said his involvement with KCRC had been pivotal on his path as a farming advocate.
“I’m pretty heavily involved with King County River Care. Caring about the environment, that’s what got me into this stuff in the first place. It’s been quite interesting.”
