Archive: Waiology June 2014

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

1

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

2

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

6

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

6

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

3

By Daniel Collins World Water Day is held annually on 22 March to focus people’s attention on freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Championed by the United Nations, each year is dedicated to a different theme. This year’s theme is cooperation (“water, water everywhere, but only if we share”), and it is for this … Read More

By Neil Deans Water Conservation Orders (WCOs) are statutory tools used to protect waterbodies of outstanding value nationally – rivers, lakes, and wetlands – much like mountains and coasts are protected by National Parks. They preserve or protect outstanding features such as fisheries, wildlife, Maori, cultural, recreational, wild and scenic or scientific values. They are to exist in perpetuity, … Read More

3

By Ian MacKenzie The Government has just released the discussion paper “Freshwater Reform 2013 and beyond“. It has three main recommendations: establish a national objectives framework, allow for collaborative community planning, and manage within quality and quantity limits using best industry practices. All three of these need sound information, preferably undisputed, and based on sound interpretation of the … Read More

1

By Jacinta Ruru Water governance is tricky at the best of times. As we all know, water is fundamentally important to the welfare of people, plants, livestock, farming activities, industry and power generation, it has an increasing economic value, and it moves in a flowing nature. But water is also uniquely important to Māori for the simple reasons that … Read More

2

By Steve Couper Deteriorating water quality is consistently rated by many New Zealanders as being their number one environmental concern. Their concern is well placed. Some of our lowland waterways are now so badly polluted that the ‘clean green’ brand we promote is being actively challenged. The evidence for declining environmental health in these waterways is strong. Monitoring 77 … Read More

7