Executive Summary
Freshwater is integral to the health, wellbeing, livelihood and culture of all New Zealanders. It helps drive our economy, defines our landscape, sustains valuable ecosystems, and is used and enjoyed in countless ways.
New Zealand's freshwater resources are under pressure. We no longer have sufficient water to meet all needs, in all places and at all times. Declining water quality - largely the result of changing land uses - is an increasing concern.
Freshwater is subject to greater competition than ever before - competition between uses and between the different ways in which New Zealanders value water.
The Water Programme of Action was established by the Government in 2003 to examine these pressures, and to assess how well the current water management framework is dealing with them. It has found that:
- not all expectations and needs for freshwater are currently being met, and demands are growing
- water quality is declining in many areas and is unacceptable in some
- given the range of people's interests in water (social, economic, environmental and cultural), it is difficult under the present system to establish priorities for action.
This discussion document is the Government's response to these challenges. It presents a package of actions to address the problems currently facing the water management system. These actions cover many approaches - regulatory and market-based approaches, public education and more. They involve many parties, including central and local government, Māori, industry, interest groups and the general public.
The Government is seeking feedback on this document. Have the issues been correctly identified? Do the proposed actions adequately address them? Are there better ways of tackling the issues - either among the alternative and complementary approaches outlined here, or completely new ones?
There will also be opportunities to discuss the issues and actions identified in this document at a series of meetings to be held around the country during February 2005. Your views expressed during that process, and the submissions received in response to this document, will help guide the Government's decisions about how best to manage freshwater for New Zealand's sustainable future.
