ANZECC water quality guidelines - FAQs
2. Will the new Guidelines be incorporated into regional plans and consents, and, if so, what are the implications for me?
Implicit in the term 'guidelines' is that the information and values contained in the documents are not mandatory, and should not be used this way. Rather, the current Guidelines place much emphasis on cooperative and negotiated outcomes, as opposed to those based on confrontation. Having said that, it is inevitable that regional councils, NGOs and community groups will use these Guidelines in the same way as they have used previous water quality guidelines. It is intended that they will be used to improve water quality management in New Zealand, and that the approach of cooperative and negotiated outcomes will be applied wherever possible.
