Background
Purpose of this report
This report summarises the written submissions to central government on the Sustainable Water Programme of Action. The purpose of the consultation process was to receive feedback on the discussion document Freshwater for a sustainable future: issues and options. The discussion document was released for comment in December 2004 and was the basis of the first round of consultation undertaken on the Sustainable Water Programme of Action.
This report does not include or express opinions about the responses. These are more appropriately expressed after comprehensive analysis has been done on the policy implications of the feedback.
The Sustainable Water Programme of Action
The Government established the Sustainable Water Programme of Action in 2003 to ensure that the country's freshwater resources are managed to best support New Zealand's future sustainable development. The principles of the programme are outlined in Appendix One. The programme is part of the Government's wider Sustainable Development Programme of Action.
Jointly led by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Sustainable Water Programme of Action has involved many government departments. It has also involved representatives of regional councils and other local authorities, a Māori Reference Group [Members of the Māori Reference Group were: Heitia Hiha, Waaka Vercoe, Jane West, Paul Morgan and Gail Tipa.] and a Stakeholder Reference Group. The Stakeholder Reference Group represented a wide range of interests, including recreation, agriculture, horticulture, environmental groups, irrigation, hydro-electricity generation, industry, business, hydrological and limnological societies, and forestry. More information about the Sustainable Water Programme of Action is available from www.maf.govt.nz or www.mfe.govt.nz.
Working groups were established under the Sustainable Water Programme of Action to look at three areas: water allocation and use, water quality, and the identification of potential water bodies of national importance.
Three technical papers were produced by the working groups and released December 2004. The papers Water allocation and use, The effects of rural land use on water quality, Potential water bodies of national importance and other technical papers on water bodies of national importance can be found at www.mfe.govt.nz or www.maf.govt.nz.
Discussion document
A public discussion document was developed based on the three work streams of allocation, quality, and potential water bodies of national importance. Because the three areas of focus are closely connected, the discussion document treats them in an integrated way. The discussion document:
- outlined the different ways in which New Zealanders value and use freshwater
- described how water allocation, water quality and water bodies of national importance are managed at present
- described the pressures and challenges facing our water management system
- identified eight key issues that need to be addressed in any reform of the country's water management system
- proposed a package of actions to improve the water management system and overcome the challenges it currently faces. The proposed package is not the only way forward, and other possibilities were also described.
The discussion document did not focus on urban water quality issues. The primary issue addressed by the water quality working group was the impact of diffuse discharges from rural land use.
The discussion document was released on 9 December 2004 by Ministers Hobbs and Sutton.
Consultation process
In February of 2005, 50 consultation meetings on the discussion document were jointly run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry for the Environment. Meetings were held with local government, Māori, stakeholder groups and members of the public in approximately 20 locations across the country.
The purpose of the consultation meetings was to hear what New Zealanders had to say about freshwater management. The government did not have a set policy for participants to react to - the intent was very much to garner feedback on the initial set of ideas contained in the discussion document. The priority was to listen to feedback on whether the right issues and options had been identified, and what others might exist.
Written submissions were also invited from meeting participants and from all New Zealanders. A total of 292 submissions were received. See Appendix Two for details of the submitters.
Next steps
The reports from the consultation meetings and analysis of written submissions will be used to help guide the government's decisions about future approaches to freshwater management.
Key issues
Eight key issues for improving freshwater management in New Zealand were identified in the discussion document as follows:
Issue 1:National and regional strategic planning for water management could be improved
Issue 2:Nationally important values need to be better addressed
Issue 3:Setting environmental bottom lines and allocation limits is costly and contentious
Issue 4:Water is over-allocated in some catchments, is not consistently allocated to its highest value use over time, and can be wasted
Issue 5:Tension between investment certainty and planning flexibility
Issue 6:Māori participation in water management could be improved
Issue 7:A lack of effective action in the management of diffuse discharges of contaminants on water quality, in some catchments
Issue 8:Development of water infrastructure is not keeping pace with demand.
Key actions
Thirteen key actions were identified in the discussion document:
Action 1:Develop national policy statements
Action 2:Develop national environmental standards
Action 3:Address nationally important values
Action 4:Increase central government participation in regional planning
Action 5:Increase central government's support for local government
Action 6:Develop special mechanisms for regional councils
Action 7:Enhance the transfer of allocated water between users
Action 8:Develop market mechanisms to manage diffuse discharges
Action 9:Set requirements for regional freshwater plans to address key issues and challenges
Action 10:Enhance Māori participation
Action 11:Enable regional councils to allocate water to priority uses
Action 12:Raise awareness of freshwater problems and pressures, and promote solutions
Action 13:Collaboration between central and local government, scientists and key stakeholders, on pilot projects to demonstrate and test new water management initiatives.
