Call to protect the land that grows food

A Hope resident and an urban designer have joined forces to organise a meeting about planned development in Hope, in a bid to protect land that grows the food and think differently about development.

Garry Higgins is hoping the Tasman District Council will go back to the drawing board on plans for Richmond South-Hope in its Future Development Strategy and instead concentrate on intensification within developed areas or on poorer-quality land.

Along with fellow organiser, Timo Neubauer, he has organised a meeting in the Hope Hall to get an overview of the council’s plans for Hope as well as hear about an alternative approach.

He says many residents say they didn’t know about the plans, so it’s an opportunity to get them together and find out more, as well as ask questions.

His main concern is the loss of productive land and, as the owner of Richmond Roast House, he knows where his vegetables come from and the fluctuations in price due to supply and demand. He questions where food will be grown in the future if urban sprawl continues and he is particularly concerned about commercial zoning that allows large areas of prime land to be covered by concrete.

“I see the amount of food that is brought into the country and yet we’re getting rid of prime horticulture land and putting concrete down. That’s not going to help feed our community.

“Throughout the whole country there’s this idea we have to expand our communities onto good land. We have to retain that land, especially that Rural 1 land where we can grow vegetables and nutritional food.”

Garry says New Zealand’s attitude toward covering its most productive land makes it more dependent on imported foods in the future, and that is risky.

“We only need a major breakdown in shipping or freight and we’re buggered, because we’re putting concrete over our horticulture land. We need to look within the community itself to find land that is already concreted or tar sealed and use land better. It’s just common sense.”

He suggests intensification instead of sprawl, because once the productive land is covered, it’s gone.

“We have to change our attitude throughout New Zealand.”

At the meeting on February 22 at 3pm, the council’s urban and rural policy team leader, Jeremy Butler, will give an overview of plans for Hope, while urban designer and Hope resident Timo Neubauer will talk about an alternative approach. That will be followed by a panel discussion, plus a question and answer session.