23
July, 2008 - A proposed National Policy
Statement for Freshwater Management that
aims to set up a stronger regime for the
protection and enhancement of New Zealand's
rivers, lakes and waterways has been released
by Environment Minister Trevor Mallard today.
Public consultation
on the proposed statement will be formally
announced soon by an independent Board of
Inquiry which will run the consultation
process and formally call for and consider
submissions on the proposal.
"We need to improve
the way freshwater is managed in New Zealand.
The proposed national policy statement identifies
water quality and the need to manage increasing
demands for freshwater as matters of national
significance. New Zealand's water is not
a limitless resource. Our government recognises
it needs protecting and sustainable management,
and that we must step up our actions to
stop its degradation in rural and urban
areas," Trevor Mallard said.
"Fresh water has
economic, social and cultural importance
to New Zealanders. That is why the proposed
statement has been developed to take into
consideration recreational aspirations,
such as being able to swim in rivers and
lakes. It also addresses cultural values,
such as reflecting tangata whenua interests
in freshwater management. And it looks at
economic considerations such as the role
of water in agriculture and the need to
protect New Zealand's "clean green"
reputation and brand for the sake of our
exports offshore.
"The proposed statement
will guide and direct councils to manage
freshwater better. This includes having
concrete plans and rules in place to address
competing demands for water, water contamination
and in some areas declining water supply.
Cleaning up our waterways on a practical
level can not always be done quickly and
will require a lot of work and persistent
and dedicated changes in behaviour. This
is why we have proposed in this policy statement
that our freshwater resource meets the needs
and aspirations of New Zealanders in a generation
– by 2035.
"I recognise that
various groups and communities have competing
demands and standpoints in relation to how
we manage our freshwater resources. The
aim of this proposed policy statement is
to find a balanced approach to freshwater
management. The statement also incorporates
mechanisms to involve iwi and hapu in freshwater
management.
"I would urge people
to get involved in putting in submissions
to the Board of Inquiry once it announces
the start of the formal consultation."
The proposed National Policy Statement is
at www.mfe.govt.nz.
Board of inquiry appointed
for water policy stmt
23 July, 2008 - Environment
Minister Trevor Mallard has appointed a
four-person board which will lead public
consultation on the proposed National Policy
Statement for Freshwater Management.
Judge David Sheppard
has been appointed as chairperson and Kevin
Prime, Jenni Vernon and Dr Jon Harding as
board members.
"In appointing
the board, I have selected a chairperson
with strong judicial skills and extensive
experience of legal procedures. I have also
placed a strong emphasis on tikanga Maori
expertise, and planning experience in relation
to the Resource Management Act and freshwater
ecology. The board has technical expertise
and experience to correspond with the high
level of public interest and importance
placed on freshwater management," Trevor
Mallard said.
The role of the board
is to notify the proposed national policy
statement, call for submissions, hold public
hearings, and make recommendations to the
Environment Minister on the proposed statement.
"The board has
an important task ahead of them and I have
every confidence they will lead a fair and
thorough process," Trevor Mallard said.
Board of Inquiry – biographical
information
Judge Sheppard (chairperson)
was appointed Principal Planning Judge in
1987 and Principal Environment Judge in
1996. He retired in 2001 and is now an Alternate
Environment Judge. As a Planning Tribunal
and Environment Court judge he has presided
over many resource management cases. In
October 2007 he was appointed chairperson
of the Board of Inquiry to consider Transpower’s
North Island Grid Upgrade proposal.
Jenni Vernon was Environment
Waikato chairperson from 2004 to 2007. She
has been involved in facilitating work around
biosecurity issues, river and catchment
schemes, and a clean stream project. She
will bring regional council experience,
and knowledge of Resource Management Act
processes and freshwater issues to the board.
Kevin Prime was appointed
as a part time Environment Commissioner
in 2003. He is experienced in Resource Management
Act decision-making and has a strong understanding
of tikanga Maori. In October 2007 he was
appointed as a member of the board considering
the North Island Grid Upgrade proposal.
Kevin Prime’s tribal association is with
Ngati Hine, Northland. He is a beef farmer,
forester and bee-keeper.
Dr Jon Harding is a
lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences
at the University of Canterbury. His speciality
is in stream ecology, focusing on the impacts
of human land use activities, particularly
mining. He has provided advisory services
on freshwater matters to a number of regional
councils. He will bring scientific and technical
expertise on a wide range of freshwater
management issues to the board.
National Policy Statement
for Freshwater Management
A proposed National Policy Statement for
Freshwater Management has been developed.
Its purpose is to help guide decision-making
under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA)
at national, regional and district levels.
This reflects that management
of fresh water is a matter of national significance,
and is relevant to achieving the purpose
of the RMA.
The proposed National
Policy Statement for Freshwater Management
Regulatory Impact Statement for the proposed
National Policy Statement for Freshwater
Management
Section 32 analysis for the proposed National
Policy Statement for Freshwater Management
The proposed national policy statement will
outline objectives and policies for the
management of fresh water, helping to inform
immediate decisions as well as longer-term
thinking and planning.
In this way it will
assist in achieving the key outcomes of
the water programme: improved water quality,
more efficient use of water, and management
of the increasing demands for water.
The proposed national
policy statement is intended to enhance
management of New Zealand’s freshwater resources
so that, by 2035, these meet the needs and
aspirations of all New Zealanders.
The proposed statement
will not be a piece of legislation, and
will not in itself fix all New Zealand’s
water issues. Councils will still be responsible
for setting local rules and standards for
managing fresh water.
The proposed statement
will require councils to give effect to
the national significance of fresh water
in their regional policy statements and
regional and district plans, and otherwise
must have regard to it in day-to-day resource
management activities relating to fresh
water, including the consideration of resource
consent applications, designations, or plan
changes.
It will require local
government to make amendments to ensure
that existing regional policy statements
and regional and district plans give effect
to its objectives and policies within specified
time frames.
For general information,
see the national policy statements webpage
including on other national policy statements
under development.
The National Policy
Statement for Freshwater Management and
Maori
Water is central to Maori cultural and personal
identity and wellbeing. Rivers and lakes
carry ancestral connections and wairua (spirit)
for whanau, hapu and iwi.
The Treaty of Waitangi
(te Tiriti o Waitangi) is the foundation
of the Crown-Maori relationship with regard
to freshwater resources. It is intended
that the national policy statement be one
step in the process of addressing iwi and
hapu values and interests in fresh water.
Have your say
The quality and use of New Zealand’s fresh
water is something that affects us all.
You have an opportunity to have your say
on its future management by getting involved
in the consultation process for the proposed
national policy statement for freshwater
management.
The consultation process
is independent of government. A four-member
Board of Inquiry, chaired by former Environment
Court Judge David Sheppard, has been appointed
by the government to consider the proposed
national policy statement and undertake
consultation.
The consultation will
involve written and oral submissions, and
public hearings. The Board of Inquiry may
also commission reports. The process, including
the time and place of hearings, will be
notified through public notices in national
and local newspapers.
Further details on how
to make a submission on the proposed National
Policy Statement on Freshwater Management
will be made available by the Board of Inquiry
along with the Board’s contact details.
Once New Zealanders’
views have been heard, the Board of Inquiry
will provide its independent report to the
Minister for the Environment. The final
step in the process is the approval of the
national policy statement by the Governor-General,
and its Gazettal.
