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Freshwater availability and use

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Environment reports and monitoring

Policy and regulation

Projects and partnerships

Guidelines and tools

New Zealand has an extensive network of freshwater systems including mountain streams, braided and meandering rivers, lakes and groundwater resources.

Demands for fresh water are increasing in some regions and cities, and shortages can be felt at certain times of the year.  The volume of water allocated for uses such as irrigation, domestic use and for manufacturing grew by around 50 per cent between 1999 and 2006.  Hydroelectric power generation also uses large volumes of fresh water and impacts on the availability of fresh water downstream.

Increasing demands combined with current trends in climate change reinforce the need for careful management to protect water in New Zealand.

We need to ensure there is sufficient water to meet the needs of all users, including for recreational activities and cultural values. Properly allocating and efficiently using available water will enable New Zealanders to gain the most from their resources. The Government is working to improve water management, but there are also many things we can do to be more efficient with water in our homes.

This section of the site provides information on reports, monitoring, policy, regulation, projects, partnerships, guidelines and tools which relate to freshwater availability and use.

Environmental reporting

Environmental reporting draws together information and data about the current state of the environment, trends, and effects of human activities on the environment.

The Ministry reports regularly on New Zealand's demand for fresh water.

Policy and regulations

The Government’s new strategy New Start for Fresh Water was announced on 8 June and is outlined in a Cabinet paper (PDF, 288 KB). It sets out the Government’s new direction for water management in New Zealand, and outlines some of the choices we face and the implications of those choices. A subsequent paper will outline a programme of work to run until 2011 and beyond.

The proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management will identify water quality and managing increasing demands for water as matters of national significance.

The proposed National Environmental Standard for Measurement of Water Takes will help provide more accurate information about water use.

The proposed National Environmental Standard on Ecological Flows and Water Levels will promote consistency in the way we decide whether there is sufficient variability and quantity of water flowing in rivers, groundwater systems, lakes and wetlands. It will do this by setting allocation and flow limits.

Water conservation orders may be applied over rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, wetlands, geothermal water or aquifers. If granted by the Minister, a water conservation order can restrict or prohibit water ‘takes’, discharges and other uses of the water.

WELS, or Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme will help New Zealanders save water. The scheme involves attaching a label, which indicates both water efficiency and consumption, on to largely household products such as whiteware and plumbing equipment.

Projects and partnerships

The objective of the Joint Māori Work Programme is to enhance decision-making in freshwater management by having greater and more consistent Māori involvement and to incorporate Māori perspectives at the national and regional levels.

The Waitaki Catchment, in the South Island's Canterbury region, is important for renewable energy and irrigation, and for its natural, recreational, community and fishery values. In 2005 an independent board established the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan.

The Household Sustainability Programme provides advice for the public on living more sustainably including improving water use at home.

The Sustainable Water Programme of Action (2003-2008) was a policy programme aimed at improving freshwater management under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

Guidelines and tools

“Planning for water allocation” is a best practice guide to water allocation under the Resource Management Act 1991 (on the quality planning website).

The flow guidelines for instream values detail a consistent process for setting a flow regime in a river and discuss the techniques available for setting these regimes.

Evaluation of low flow guidelines for instream values aims to evaluate the flow guidelines from the perspective of regional council staff involved in water allocation, and identifies means by which the flow guidelines could be improved.

Further information

  • See the fresh water page for related reports, policies, regulations, projects, partnerships, guidelines and tools about fresh water.
  • For a full list of publications relating to water refer to the water publications page.

Links to other Ministry resources

 

Last updated: 16 July 2009