Freshwater policy meetings
The Waikato Regional Council is about to start consulting with the community and stakeholders as part of its freshwater policy review.
This is about giving effect to the Government’s Essential Freshwater package of reforms. This means changes to our Regional Policy Statement and the Regional Plan Rules to ensure we are managing freshwater in accordance with the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and the National Environmental Standards Freshwater Management.
From the Government’s perspective, these reforms are about halting further degradation of our freshwater resources, improving water quality and bringing New Zealand’s freshwater resources, waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation, across New Zealand.
This is about setting bottom lines for all councils to give effect to.
The regional council acknowledges and supports the intentions of the Government’s freshwater aspirations. However, for the council and the many stakeholders and farmers who have been involved in the Healthy Rivers Plan Change process, the timing of these government directives is frustrating.
This policy review applies across the region, however in the Waikato and Waipa¯ catchments where the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River is the primary direction setting document and embedded into the Regional Policy Statement, we are much further down the track in terms of improving how we manage freshwater.
Those involved in the Healthy Rivers Plan Change process have invested very significant amounts of time and money into a collaborative process which is now nearing completion via the Environment Court appeals process.
We are close to giving farmers some much needed certainty in terms of what new rules and regulations will look like, so they can make the necessary investments and changes on farm without fear of investing in the wrong direction.
However, the Government has made it clear that excluding the Waikato/Waipa¯ catchment from the new reform directives is not an option, therefore we are obliged to undertake this further policy and plan review, and unfortunately revisit parts of the Healthy Rivers Plan Change.
In addition, the Government has also introduced new livestock exclusion regulations, and requirements for freshwater farm plans.
These two things both set out to achieve the same sorts of things as their counterparts do in the Healthy Rivers Plan, however they are different enough to make things less than straightforward.
Staff are currently working with the Healthy Rivers Plan appeals process to see where we can get consistency with the new regulations, however, we may well need to make changes to the plan via this review after the appeals process is completed in order that we are compliant with these two things.
The freshwater policy review requires the council to develop a long-term vision for freshwater across the region, based on what we value or consider important about freshwater.
This will be underpinned by Te Mana o Te Wai, which refers to the vital importance of water.
It imposes a hierarchy of obligations, starting with the water body itself coming first, then the health needs of people, and following on from this, the ability of people and communities to provide for their various needs.
This first part of the consultation process will see eight community meetings throughout the Waikato during May and June — next month. Dates are still to be confirmed, so keep a lookout on the council website and Facebook page for venues and dates.
The weblink is waikatoregion.govt.nz/ council/policy-and-plans/ freshwater-policy-review/ Any questions, please feel free to call either Stu, 021 943 055 or Andrew, 021 932 624.