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Outcomes for freshwater management in New Zealand

The Sustainable Water Programme  of Action is a policy programme aimed at improving freshwater management under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). It seeks to ensure that freshwater resources are managed in ways that support New Zealand’s long-term sustainable development.

In April 2006, Cabinet agreed to work towards the following outcomes for fresh water in New Zealand:

  • Improve the quality and efficient use of fresh water by building and enhancing partnerships with local government, industry, Māori, science agencies and providers, and rural and urban communities.
  • Improve the management of the undesirable effects of land-use on water quality through increased national direction and partnerships with communities and resource users.
  • Provide for increasing demands on water resources and encourage efficient water management through national direction, working with local government on options for supporting and enhancing local decision-making, and developing best practice.

These outcomes are about strengthening regional management of fresh water and providing adaptable solutions and tools that councils and communities may apply to different regional circumstances.

Important ways of achieving these aims are providing clear national direction and enhancing local decision-making and regional planning.

The Sustainable Water Programme of Action is a whole-of-government process, led jointly by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It also involves the Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Treasury, the Ministry of Justice, Te Puni Kōkiri, the Department of Internal Affairs, regional councils and other local authorities.