2 The Problem Definition
The Group was asked to comment on the following problem definition for water allocation and use:
Current water allocation and use systems are not adequate to deal with increasing demands for water and still sustain the important natural, cultural, amenity and economic values of our water resource systems.
There was general agreement across the Group that the definition did not capture the problem in its entirety. The following changes were suggested to the definition:
Current water allocation and use systems and their governance are not adequate to deal with increasing demands for a scarce supply of water in certain regions and still sustain the important natural, cultural, amenity and economic values of our water resource systems.
Current water allocation and use systems are limited in their ability to deal equitably and efficiently with competing social, economic, environmental and cultural demands for water - an increasingly scarce resource.
Water allocation and use systems are not adequate to deal with needs for water and still sustain the important natural, cultural, amenity and economic values of our water resource systems.
The view that opportunities for an efficient and effective allocation system exist in the current system was reflected by some of the Group, however, failure to implement and govern the Resource Management Act framework effectively is regarded by the Group as a key component of the problem. The existing system needs enhancement to enable allocation where water resources are fully committed.
Additional comments were made on the need to reflect area and temporal issues in the problem definition. Some members of the Group raised the view that indirect regulation of water by councils control of land use change should cease. It was also suggested that the need for certainty should be captured in the definition.
