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Appendix 1: Actions considered but not included in preferred package

Regional planning

  • Adopt a central government approval role on regional plans for freshwater [Consistent with current central government role in approving regional coastal plans]
  • Develop model planning provisions to improve management of impacts of land use on water quality

National guidance

  • Develop non-statutory guidelines — for example to clarify mandate, roles and responsibilities of central government, regional councils and territorial authorities in management of impacts of diffuse discharges from rural land use on water quality
  • Set nationally consistent standards for water quality (for example, for recreation)

Mechanisms for regional councils

  • Modify water permits (eg allow consents to be granted to instream uses above environmental allocations, extend or shorten maximum consent duration, restrict the ability to review conditions of resource consents, change conditions of permits to link them to a percentage of flow)
  • Make water use measuring systems compulsory
  • Allow monitoring charges to be made on a volumetric basis
  • Provide a water efficiency diagnostic service
  • Require seasonal volumes to be set in consents
  • Enhance central government work with regional councils and industry to develop efficiency standards or codes of practice
  • Provide financial assistance for water users to shift to more efficient technology
  • Require permit holders to pay a resource rental (a predetermined sum per unit of water) to the Crown or councils to encourage efficient use of water
  • Require permit holders to annually return a given fraction of their access to water, so that it can be allocated by the community

Nationally important values

  • Attach a schedule to the Resource Management Act, specifying individual water bodies and the values that are nationally important
  • Develop National Environmental Standards to set particular environmental standards and management processes for water bodies of national importance
  • Require monitoring and reporting at the national level of water bodies with nationally important values. A monitoring programme could measure aspects of tourism, historic heritage, industrial uses, population growth, recreational use, energy generation and land use practices

Support for regional councils

  • Support a mobile team of specialist planning advisors
  • Subsidise poorly resourced councils directly
  • Disseminate best practice for assessing water resources and monitoring impacts

Education and awareness

  • Provide resources enabling coordinated education programmes to be developed by Landcare Trust, Māori, stakeholder groups and regional councils

Last updated: 25 November 2008