NZ Groundspread Fertilisers' Association Annual

Sunday 1 July 2007

Good Evening and welcome to Christchurch. I'm delighted Christchurch has been chosen for the New Zealand Groundspread Fertilisers' Association Conference. I hope that you can take some time to look around and enjoy the city.

The theme of your conference, 'Working Together, Safely' is timely. The spreading of fertiliser is part of a much wider debate that is taking place at the moment on the best use of Canterbury's most precious resource, water.

There is no doubt that the economy of Canterbury has benefited hugely from the use of fertiliser. Some of the benefits of agricultural production have come at the expense of the environment. In part this has been down to the inefficient use of fertiliser.

Those of you who live in Christchurch will know how protective and passionate the people of the city are about our clean and green artesian water supply.

A striking example of this passion is Styx River Living Laboratory Trust. This trust aims to make the Styx River a viable spring fed ecosystem from the source to the sea.

Environmental concerns are not just a local phenomenon, our overseas customers want to know how their food products got to market, and they want to know that they were produced in a clean environment.

As a Council we are placing a high priority on water and our water supply.

For example we have purchased large blocks of land along the crater rim of the Port Hills. This is an area which forms an outstanding back drop to Christchurch and is now saved for future generations. It is also a source of rivers and streams on the Banks Peninsula.

Council has recently purchased Misty Peaks, a farm block nestled in the peaks behind Akaroa. One of reasons for the purchase was to secure the supplementary summer water supply catchment for Akaroa, and to ensure the water supply is protected and preserved, so that the township has a constant supply of high quality water.

Accuracy in the spreading of fertiliser is the foremost factor in making sure the fertiliser does not get into the waterways. Whilst fertiliser is a cornerstone of agricultural production, water is a cornerstone of healthy lives for everyone.

There is no doubt that all our citizens want a prosperous and sustainable future for Canterbury and New Zealand. Getting the right balance between production and a healthy environment is our challenge for the future.

As members of Groundspread Fertilisers Assn you are to be applauded for your efforts to devise ways to accurately apply fertiliser in the right quantities and in the right place through the Spreadmark Quality Control programme.

You are also to be commended for your work with the Fertiliser Control Council to ensure that your members are using best practice when spreading fertiliser.

Best wishes for your conference. I am pleased to declare your conference officially open.

ENDS