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6 Ways Forward

This section outlines a range of potential actions for the seven essential features of a water quality management framework, which are:

  1. Roles and relationships
  2. Strategic direction
  3. Consultation
  4. Information, research and technology
  5. Effective tools (legislation, policy tools, economic instruments)
  6. Community awareness
  7. Capacity.

The potential actions suggested below are only some of those possible. The list is not intended to be fully comprehensive, but rather gives a flavour of the possible actions.

6.1 Roles and relationships

This feature examines the identification of clear roles and accountabilities for all levels of government, with the intent of addressing water quality issues in an interdisciplinary way. The intent is an approach which is co-operative and inclusive, and will enact effective partnerships and engagement between all levels of government, Māori, industry and landowners.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Central government to provide leadership and guidelines to clarify the mandates, roles and responsibilities of central government, regional councils, territorial authorities and landowners.
  • Provide a clear statement of government requirements for Māori engagement and greater Māori input into planning. (Note: A related issue may be addressed through the current RMA review. The WPoA work will need aligning with the RMA review outcomes.)
  • Development of partnerships between central government, local government, iwi, industry and landowners on water quality matters.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Clarification of roles and responsibilities will serve to outline who should be doing what and where/how it should be done.
  • There may be sensitivities around setting requirements for Māori engagement and input into planning.
  • Must ensure alignment with the current RMA review.

6.2 Strategic direction

This feature highlights the need for clear strategic direction and planning at all levels of government, (national and regional). An overall integrated management approach should be a priority, where water quality issues are integrated with other land uses and allocation objectives. Strategic planning is intended to incorporate concepts, such as flexibility, and adaptive management. It would need to incorporate identifying government and community outcomes and priorities across the four sustainable development values and working through ways to optimise those outcomes. However, trade offs may have to occur between conflicting values and priorities where innovative solutions cannot resolve the conflicts.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • In partnership with local government, identify government and community outcomes and priorities for water bodies and continue to develop improved practice in local government planning, including improving regional policy statements and plans, and consider whether regional plans should be mandatory. (Note: A related issue may be considered through the RMA review. The WPoA work will need aligning with the RMA review outcomes.)
  • Central and local government could establish a cluster of water quality managers, planners and scientists to help local government water managers.
  • Central government to outline national water quality management outcomes it seeks and examine whether to develop minimum standards to apply to all water bodies.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Must ensure alignment with the current RMA review.
  • Possible local government resistance to any requirement to prepare regional plans.
  • The complexities associated with identifying national water quality outcomes and standards means there is a risk of not achieving the task.
  • Possible controversy around national outcomes and standards being outlined to guide local decision making.
  • Issues around who should pay for meeting national outcomes and standards could have financial implications.

6.3 Consultation

This feature confirms that consultation should continue to play a key role in any water quality management framework. A broad assessment of the level and breadth of consultation shows that the current consultation effort is generally acceptable. Government must continue to ensure this feature is a key ingredient in any future water management processes, and endeavour to ensure meaningful consultation and engagement with Māori and all stakeholder groups.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Government to foster the ongoing development of more effective consultation practices.
  • Recognition of the outcomes and priorities articulated by communities through the Local Government Act 2002 and other processes, and the implications of these for water quality standards and priorities.
  • Engagement of communities and stakeholders in the development of specific water quality management proposals to enable alignment with their views on setting priorities and assessing values, and promote public ownership of initiatives.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Consultation fatigue, through repeated consultation on same/similar issues. This can be avoided by more interactive processes and greater acknowledgement of the outcomes of previous consultation.
  • Expectations of what consultation is to achieve and contribute towards policy development must be managed.

6.4 Information/research/technology

This feature highlights issues covering information, research and technology. In particular the need for assessing what information exists, strategically planning research to address the gaps, and developing new and innovative technology to assist management processes and to achieve better solutions to water quality problems.

Science providers, and central and local government need to work closely together to ensure research is targeted, practical, and meaningful to decision-makers but is still scientifically robust. Groups need to work together to ensure research is disseminated, rather than lost as new projects are developed.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Review arrangements to lead to more effective and applicable research; better ways to disseminate information; and to get better uptake by water quality decision makers and farmers.
  • Encourage the use of traditional Māori knowledge in decision making and planning.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Robust science and research can be resource intensive and involve long timeframes. The short term costs may be perceived to be too high compared to the long term research benefits.
  • Balancing the fact that science cannot provide 100 percent certainty with the need to base policy on good science and vice versa.
  • Given the timeframes for research, the interim need to make decisions to manage water quality in the absence of full scientific data.

6.5 Effective tools (legislation, policy tools, economic instruments)

This feature examines changes required for effective implementation of processes to manage diffuse discharges (including clear legislation; access to an appropriate range of policy tools and economic instruments) to enable effective water quality management.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Explore methods and options for the management of diffuse discharge requirements under section 15 of the Resource Management Act.
  • Explore the scope to expand the range of policy tools available to regional councils by:
    • facilitating more direct regulation/specification of acceptable discharge levels through the use of proxies based on computer models
    • providing for appropriate suasive tools, best management practices, voluntary agreements, economic instruments and other potential new tools, including transferability of discharge permits and nutrient trading.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Exploring methods and options for management of diffuse discharges may have implications for some existing land uses and may mean regional plans need amending.
  • Expanding the range of policy tools requires legislative action. It is also too early to make a full assessment of whether these tools will represent viable and cost effective options for regional councils and land managers.

6.6 Community awareness

In order for councils to successfully and efficiently manage water systems, public input and support will be needed. Understanding the impacts of land use on water quality, and understanding different perspectives will be needed.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Develop a national awareness campaign in association with local government, Māori and industry aimed at increasing public understanding of the impacts of land use on water quality, and approaches to mitigating these impacts at the source.
  • Encourage the Landcare Trust, Māori, stakeholder groups and regional councils to develop co-ordinated education packages and programmes, and to examine funding options to assist this work (eg, through the Sustainable Management Fund).
  • Increase understanding by local authorities of Māori perspectives on resource management, in particular the Māori cultural significance of water, to enable more robust participation by each party during consultation (eg, have an education programme on Māori perspectives [ie, the five states of water] for councillors and decision makers before consultation and engagement begins; institute certification and auditing of best practices for decision making, which could include guidelines and parameters on Māori engagement and incorporation of Māori issues).
  • Encourage landowners to use and share new innovations, technology and practices aimed at mitigating discharges. Taking a proactive approach, where possible, at the source will be more effective than being forced to be reactive.
  • Manage expectations of science via broad communication that 100 percent certainty from science for decision making is impossible. In practice decision makers need to act on the best possible information from the best available sources at the time.

Risks involved with the above:

  • Increased understanding of stakeholder perspectives and public awareness of the issues at hand will contribute towards efficient decision making that is more widely supported. Meaningful engagement in decision making will lend a sense of ownership towards future actions and solutions.

6.7 Capacity

Capacity, and lack thereof, is a major issue at all levels of government, and for Māori and stakeholders. There is a need for experienced and skilled people working on water management, and adequate financial resources.

Potential actions for the way forward:

  • Access and capitalise on other government programmes geared towards capacity-building and public outreach.
  • Consider methods such as:
    • whether there is a need for some form of subsidy schemes for less advantaged councils (eg, on a similar basis to the Sanitary Works Subsidy Scheme)
    • establishing a network of water planners, scientists and managers as a mobile team of specialist advisors.
  • Capacity building and associated resourcing for Māori to improve understanding of local government processes and resource management skills, along the lines of programmes happening in some regional councils currently (eg, Environment Bay of Plenty).

Risks involved with the above:

  • With the exception of costs, there are limited risks in this feature with respect to training and capacity building.
  • Transparency and accountability will be key to any decisions to provide financial assistance to councils.
  • Large investment of financial and human resources may be difficult in the short-term, but the long-term benefits are significant.

6.8 Summary

Local government cannot significantly improve good water quality management in isolation. Partnerships with central government, Māori, landowners and stakeholder groups are necessary and should be integrated throughout future actions in order to increase the efficiency of activities and avoid duplication.


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