10/04/2006 - The government
has agreed a significant new strategy to protect
and improve New Zealand's freshwater resources.
"Cabinet has approved a
staged package of actions to improve the sustainable
management of our rivers, lakes and ground water,"
the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jim Anderton
and Minister for the Environment David Benson-Pope
announced today.
"The Sustainable Water
Programme of Action will develop, for the first
time, a strategic and nationally consistent approach
to managing our valuable freshwater resources,"
Mr Anderton said.
"The days of taking the
unlimited use of water for granted are over. We
need to ensure our freshwater is used efficiently;
and that it is protected from contamination from
bugs, sediment, nutrients, stormwater and subdivision
run-off.
"Central government will
take a greater role in freshwater management including
setting national priorities and direction, while
working closely with all parties with a significant
interest."
Environment Minister Benson-Pope
emphasised that the vast majority of freshwater
management is working well.
"Primary responsibility
for water management will remain at the regional
level, but the strategy will develop new adaptable
solutions and tools that councils and communities
may apply to different regional circumstances,"
he said.
Mr Benson-Pope said the Programme
acknowledges the vital importance of freshwater
as a foundation of our nation’s social, cultural,
environmental and economic wellbeing.
"Many of our water sources
are national treasures or the life blood of our
economy. Water is fundamental to the New Zealand
way of life, and occupies a special place in our
national way of thinking. Changing circumstances,
including increasing demand and competition for
water, require a new, more dynamic and flexible
strategy for managing our water sustainably into
the future.
"There are some unacceptable
trends that need reversing. We want to improve
and protect our special places like Lake Taupo,
the Rotorua Lakes and Lake Ellesmere."
Actions agreed today include
the establishment of a leadership group within
three months; and creation of policy on how we
manage freshwater and protect nationally outstanding
rivers, lakes and streams. This will include drafting
a National Policy Statement and National Environmental
Standards. The Programme will be developed in
partnership with local government, sector groups
and the public.
Mr Anderton said the Programme
is about water management, not water ownership:
"Water will remain in public ownership. We
want to ensure that every New Zealander has fair
and equal access to water. We also want to ensure
that economic growth occurs in a sustainable way,
with our environment protected."
The following principles have
been used to guide the development of the package:
water will continue to be managed
as a public resource
freshwater management will be
improved under the Resource Management Act
regional councils will continue
to have primary responsibility for managing freshwater
clear environmental limits will
be set for water quality and the quantity available
for allocation
enhancements to existing mechanisms
and the provision of incentives will improve efficiency
of water use
resource users will be encouraged
to take responsibility for their actions and will
be given the flexibility to develop appropriate
solutions
nationally outstanding natural
water bodies will be identified and better protected
the best available information
will be used for decision-making processes
community involvement and confidence
in decision-making processes will be maximised,
building on the opportunities for participation
in the regional planning process.
"We have listened to what
the public had to say, and have incorporated their
views. Improving how we manage our freshwater
resources requires leadership from government,
support from local and regional government, innovation
from industry and agriculture, and understanding
and a willingness to change from the wider community,"
said Mr Anderton.
The Cabinet Paper and Questions
and Answers are available at www.mfe.govt.nz
and www.maf.govt.nz
Sustainable Water Programme
of Action – Key elements:
The government has identified
three national outcomes for freshwater to be achieved
through the Sustainable Water Programme of Action:
Improve the quality and efficient
use of freshwater by building and enhancing partnerships
Improve the management of the
undesirable effects of land-use on water quality
Provide for growing demands
on water resources and encourage efficient water
management
The staged package of actions
is designed to achieve these outcomes by providing
clear leadership, national direction, national
priorities, and tools to enhance local decision-making.
The initiatives include:
Leadership:
Establishing, within three months,
a leadership group reporting to the Ministers
for the Environment and of Agriculture
National Direction:
Scoping and drafting:
A National Policy Statement
on managing increasing demands for water
A National Environmental Standard
for methods and devices for measuring water take
and use
A National Environmental Standard
on methods for establishing environmental flows
In addition, the potential value
of and options for a National Policy Statement
on nutrients and microbial contaminants and sediment
will be considered
National Priorities:
Identify catchments that are
sensitive and ‘at risk’ from rural and urban diffuse
discharges
Establish criteria for identifying
nationally outstanding natural water bodies
Tools to assist regional councils:
Investigate current practice
and develop enhanced methods for transferring
water consents
Investigate the role of water
user groups in managing water under cooperative
management regimes
Improve methodologies for applying
environmental flows to water bodies
Develop methods to assist regional
councils to recover costs for water management
Develop methods for identifying
and protecting natural character and biodiversity
values
Develop methods for managing
over-allocated catchments including examining
the possible effectiveness of alternatives to
first-in-first-served allocation mechanisms
Develop model resource consents
and consent conditions for water
Develop strategies for better
alignment of science priorities and the Programme
