NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 81 — 10 AUGUST 2017

Given the vital importance of freshwater resources to New Zealand and New Zealanders, and in order to achieve the purpose of the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act), there is a particular need for clear central government policy to set a national direction, though the management of the resource needs to reflect the catchment-level variation and different demands on the resource across regions. This includes managing land use and development activities that affect fresh water so that growth is achieved with a lower environmental footprint.

This national policy statement recognises Te Mana o te Wai and sets out objectives and policies that direct local government to manage water in an integrated and sustainable way, while providing for economic growth within set water quantity and quality limits. The national policy statement is a first step to improve freshwater management at a national level.

As demand for fresh water increases, it is vital to account for all freshwater takes and sources of relevant contaminants. The freshwater accounting requirements of this national policy statement will provide information for councils to use in establishing freshwater objectives and limits and in targeting their management of fresh water.

This national policy statement provides a National Objectives Framework to assist regional councils and communities to more consistently and transparently plan for freshwater objectives. Te Mana o te Wai is an integral part of the framework that forms the platform for community discussions about the desired state of fresh water relative to the current state. New Zealanders generally aspire to high standards for our waterways and outcomes that are better than those achieved under the status quo. Freshwater planning will require an iterative approach that tests a range of possible objectives, limits and methods for their achievement, including different timeframes for achieving objectives. This ensures that the implications of proposed freshwater objectives are clear for councils and communities.

The national policy statement recognises iwi/hapū and community interests in fresh water, including their environmental, social, economic, and cultural values. There are two compulsory values that must be managed for – ecosystem health and human health.

National bottom lines in the national policy statement are not standards to aim for. Where freshwater management units are below national bottom lines they must be improved to at least the national bottom line, or better, over time. It is up to communities and iwi/hapū, through councils, to determine the pathway and timeframe for ensuring freshwater management units meet the national bottom lines. Where changes in the way communities use fresh water are required, the pace of those changes should take into account impacts on economic well-being. Improvements in freshwater quality may take generations depending on the characteristics of each freshwater management unit.

Iwi and hapū have a kinship relationship with the natural environment, including fresh water, through shared whakapapa. Iwi and hapū recognise the importance of fresh water in supporting a healthy ecosystem, including human health, and have a reciprocal obligation as kaitiaki to protect freshwater quality.

New Zealand’s rivers and lakes should be safe for primary contact as often as possible. The Government has set a national target of 90% of specified rivers and lakes to be safe for primary contact by 2040. The expectation is that more of these rivers and lakes will be safe for primary contact more of the time. The risks to human health from contact with fresh water must be reduced. There is an interim target of 80% of these rivers and lakes to be safe for primary contact by 2030. By the end of 2018, councils need to set regional targets to improve water quality for primary contact, so that it is clear how each region will contribute to achieving the national target.

The national policy statement requires freshwater quality within a freshwater management unit to be maintained at its current level (where community values are currently supported) or improved (where community values are not currently supported). For the human health value, water quality in freshwater management units must be improved unless regional targets have been achieved or naturally occurring processes mean further improvement is not possible. This national policy statement allows some variability in terms of freshwater quality, as long as the overall freshwater quality is maintained within a freshwater management unit.

Monitoring plans are intended to be practical and affordable. It is not possible for regional councils to monitor every drop of fresh water, nor every possible indicator of freshwater health. Monitoring freshwater objectives need only be undertaken at representative sites within a freshwater management unit as identified by regional councils, and must use the Macroinvertebrate Community Index, as well as measures of indigenous flora and fauna and Mātauranga Māori. Monitoring plans are also intended to recognise the importance of long term trends in data.

Setting enforceable quality and quantity limits is a key purpose of this national policy statement. This is a fundamental step to achieving environmental outcomes and creating the necessary incentives to use fresh water efficiently, while providing certainty for investment. Water quality and quantity limits must reflect local and national values. The process for setting limits should be informed by the best available information and