Abstract | Exploring stock access: Perspectives on framing the problem and solutions

New Zealand’s pastoral industry was founded on the breaking in of the land, and the romanticised image of cattlemen droving cattle across rugged countryside still remains. In recent years, stock access to waterways has been the catalyst for intense debate about water quality. The aim of this research was to better understand the manner in which the stock access problem and its solutions have been constructed, both within policy documents and by the community. A case study focused on the Marlborough region. Interviews with community members found that people framed the water quality problem in different ways. There was not a consensus on the scope or nature of the problem. Further, what appeared initially were issues with stock access seemed to actually be, on further examination, concerns with other environmental issues. People’s childhood experiences of local rivers also became important to their narrative. It is argued that lacking a clear problem definition, solutions have been developed based on a perception of community expectations, unfounded on clear scientific problems or on a robust discussion of community values.

Bio | Kristy McGregor

Kristy McGregor is passionate about building vibrant rural communities through strong community engagement. She presently works in resource management and local government policy, as a Regional Policy Advisor with Federated Farmers of New Zealand. In this role she is actively involved in planning processes across the Lower North Island and Top of the South. These experiences have seen Kristy continue to develop her interest in the way in which communities are arranged, and engage in policy development.

Kristy has co-founded a number of community projects both in remote Australia and in rural NZ, giving her a solid understanding of community development principles and the importance of stakeholder enaggements. Most recently, she has co-founded a festival to link community with their local food producers in the Horowhenua, where she resides on a farm.

Kristy is currently studying for her Masters through the Insitute of Agriculture & Environment, and School of People, Environment & Planning, at Massey University. Her thesis is looking at the way stakeholders participate and represent their voices in resource management planning, and who is being heard. Kristy is a member of the Resource Management Law Association, Agrifood Research Network and the Australian Agriculture & Resource Economics Society.