Vineyard owners in three of the South Island's wine-growing regions are resisting efforts by their local authorities to restrict the use of frost fans.
After receiving noise complaints from residents, district councils in North Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough have set noise limits of 55 decibels for frost fans on vineyards and orchards.
Winegrowers in Marlborough and Nelson are appealing against their local authorities' decisions, and hope to go to mediation.
Growers say a limit of 55 decibels will not allow them to fully protect their multi-million-dollar crops, as reducing noise means powering down fans.
North Canterbury growers in the Waipara Valley are taking legal action against the Hurunui District Council, after talks failed. The dispute will be heard in the Environment Court in November.
Waipara Valley Winegrowers representative Peter Parish says they had tried to get the council to lift the limit to 60 decibels. He says the council has relied on only one acoustic expert, whose information winegrowers dispute.
Hurunui District Council environmental services manager Andrew Feierabend says raising the noise limit to 60 decibels would be very noticeable and have a negative impact on residents health.
He says it's likely the outcome of this dispute will set a precedent for other wine-growing regions.
The national winegrowers body says the conditions set by the local authorities are overly restrictive and unworkable.
The organisation's manager of general council and policy, Dr John Barker, says wind fans are essential for protecting grapes from frost, and says the fans are used only eight to 10 hours a year, to protect a crop worth $1 billion annually in export earnings to New Zealand.
Dr Barker says growers have tried to engage with the councils and come to amicable resolution and are still open to doing that, but he says the Government should step in and set a national standard for the use of the fans.
