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5. Barriers and incentives to action

As outlined in section 2: Attitudes to water, for the majority of New Zealanders water conservation is not a top of mind issue. They often do not stop to think about where their water comes from, and can take it for granted. So while some, particularly those in the Waste Watchers, Pragmatic, and Traditionalists segments, have strong anti-waste attitudes and don’t like overt waste, few are consciously water conservative.

Other barriers to water conservation included questions over whose responsibility it was, and lifestyle factors. And while environmental concerns were an incentive for some, for many, saving water was more often a by-product of saving money or energy.

5.1 Barriers

Some of the main reasons people were not doing more to conserve water were:

  • not perceiving a need to conserve

  • having little or no feedback on their water use

  • lifestyle factors including cost, time and effort

  • questions of whose responsibility it is.

A perceived lack of need or concern for water conservation came through strongly in Greater Wellington’s research. It was the most commonly voiced barrier in its qualitative research. The research concluded that “in the short term at least, only a real crisis or water shortage will result in a significant increase in water conservation efforts”.

This theme also emerged in the new qualitative research. When discussing household water metering, participants were unsure of what the motives would be for introducing metering, because water was perceived to be plentiful. This belief is likely to be a barrier preventing many people from doing more to conserve water.

Once it was established that there may be a need to be more frugal in the future, some Greater Wellington qualitative research participants still questioned who their water-saving efforts would benefit. They did not mind making savings to benefit ‘everyday’ people, but not the council (who may have been partly responsible for the shortage) or ‘greedy neighbours’ with sprinklers and swimming pools.

Similarly, Watercare’s quantitative research found that there was a relatively high level of agreement with the statement “businesses are the high water users – so water conservation is their responsibility”. However, the qualitative research found that if consumers could be convinced that water is potentially in short supply, they were prepared to share equal responsibility with businesses.

Lifestyle factors were also a common barrier, with many participants in Watercare’s qualitative research defending their right to use water in ways that pleased them. Similarly, it was observed in the new qualitative research that water use appears to be very personal to New Zealanders, and messages asking them to modify their water use behaviours are often seen as an intrusion into their personal lives.

5.2 Incentives

As outlined above, a particular barrier to greater engagement with water conservation is a lack of perceived need to conserve. So, while environmental concerns are important for some, for most, saving money or saving energy are the key motivators.

It is worth noting that while many people have environmental motivations, they don’t link these to water use as they don’t see or understand the environmental benefits of water conservation, beyond a generalised belief that conservation is good.

Greater Wellington’s qualitative research found that for many, water conservation is a by-product of energy or other savings. Examples of these unintentional water savings included:

  • actively using less hot water to save energy

  • buying new appliances, which were often more efficient

  • using mulch on gardens for weed control, but as a result having to water less often

  • recycling washing machine water on the garden to kill insects.

In Auckland, where water is metered and households are charged for their usage, Watercare’s research found that saving money in general was the top incentive for saving water. This was followed by saving on electricity costs specifically, helping the environment and others, having more water for the future, and taking pressure off treatment plants.

The Ministry for the Environment’s research found a relationship between attitudes towards water resources, and willingness to use water efficiently. Those who agreed that “water is a limited resource and we shouldn’t waste it” were found to be more willing to do only full loads of washing, replace their shower heads with more efficient versions, install rainwater tanks, and reduce the volume of their toilet tanks, compared with those who disagreed with the statement.

 

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