Tagged: Water governance

Reviews coming in on new policy for freshwater management - Waiology

Waiology • Jul 11, 2014 •

• freshwater management,
• limit-setting,
• policy,
• Water governance

By Daniel Collins The Government recently released the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2014). The policy provides the most comprehensive instructions to regional councils yet on how our freshwaters – rivers, lakes, wetlands, and aquifers – are to be managed. Amendments made in the new policy include numerical thresholds and bottom-lines for a range of water quality attributes … Read More

Better water quality won’t happen overnight … but it must happen - Waiology

Waiology • Dec 18, 2013 •

• Data,
• management,
• policy,
• Values,
• Water governance,
• Water quality

By Jenny Webster-Brown If we cannot stop ongoing water quality degradation, and effectively restore degraded water environments, we stand to lose much that we value about New Zealand and our way of life. We will lose recreational opportunities, fisheries and our reputation for primary produce from a “clean” environment. We will lose functioning ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide … Read More

Vague expectations get vague results: Freshwaters need targets - Waiology

Waiology • Dec 09, 2013 •

• community,
• limit-setting,
• Values,
• Water governance,
• water management,
• Water quality

By Mike Scarsbrook You’ll have heard this saying before. You may have even used it as an excuse when talking to your boss at the end of the year. It is equally valid in managing our water resources. If we cannot provide clarity on what we are trying to achieve, how can we expect anyone to make effective decisions … Read More

Water governance in New Zealand: A conclusion - Waiology

Waiology • Apr 08, 2013 •

• collaboration,
• CWMS,
• NPSFM,
• policy,
• RMA,
• Water governance,
• water management,
• Water resources,
• WCO

By Daniel Collins When it comes to managing our freshwaters well, science can provide only part of the solution. It is important to appreciate how much water we have, what quality it is, and how our activities change these things – questions that only science can answer – but it is also important to appreciate what people want from … Read More

Collaborative water management delivers local solutions in north Canterbury - Waiology

Waiology • Apr 04, 2013 •

• Canterbury,
• collaboration,
• CWMS,
• Water governance,
• Water storage

By David Eder and Ian Whitehouse In July 2013 the Hurunui-Waiau Zone Committee will notch up three years of work. It was set up as part of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy – a collaborative process for finding local solutions to water issues within an environmentally sustainable framework. In July 2010 the committee’s daunting task was … Read More

Thinking about water in Auckland - Waiology

Waiology • Apr 02, 2013 •

• Auckland,
• coasts,
• Water governance

By Roger Bannister When most people think of Auckland they think of the metropolitan areas, a city containing a third of New Zealand’s population. In fact the Auckland region is a predominantly rural landscape, with rural land uses accounting for 90% of the land area. The contrast of concentrated population and rural activities – horticulture, pastoral farming plantation forestry … Read More

The evolution of freshwater management under the RMA - Waiology

Waiology • Mar 28, 2013 •

• Government reforms,
• Planning,
• Resource Management Act,
• RMA,
• Water governance

By Nicola de Wit The enactment of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) combined around 70 pieces of legislation into one central environmental planning statute. The integration of a number of fragmented regimes was a significant step forward for environmental management in New Zealand. The RMA was also significant for its incorporation of the principle of sustainability; the … Read More

Evolution of water governance models in New Zealand - Waiology

Waiology • Mar 27, 2013 •

• Canterbury,
• collaborative governance,
• Common pool resources,
• Elinor Ostrom,
• RMA,
• Water governance

By Bryan Jenkins In her work that won her the 2009 Nobel Prize in economics, Elinor Ostrom identified three types of governance models for common pool resources like water. One is the “Leviathan model” where there is direct government provision of services with integration of policy making and operational functions. The second is the “privatisation model” where … Read More

Trust, as much as science, is at the heart of water management - Waiology

Waiology • Mar 25, 2013 •

• collaboration,
• Planning,
• science communication,
• Water governance,
• water management

By Chris Arbuckle For many years now “Water User Groups” (WUG’s) have done a great job implementing community-based water management initiatives. And they have achieved this with the assistance of organizations such as the Landcare Trust, Crown Research Institutes, non-government agencies and regional councils. Projects on the Waituna Lagoon, Upper Taieri River and Aorere Catchment attest … Read More

Managing our freshwater resources in a changing climate - Waiology

Waiology • Mar 22, 2013 •

• climate change,
• Planning,
• Water governance,
• water management,
• Water resources

By Daniel Collins While water management is challenging enough as it is, climate change makes it harder. No longer can we rely solely on experiences from the past to guide our actions, but we must also consider forecasts of the future. And with New Zealand’s water resources expected to change in the coming decades – well within resource management … Read More