Where to with water?

 The need for a comprehensive reform of fresh water management is illustrated by what’s happening with the Waitaki River.

Twice this year the storeage lakes in the upper catchment have been so full Meridian Energy has opened the spillways on its hydro dams.

Yet an error with the Waitaki Catchment allocation plan means that not only is there insufficient water for new consent applications – some of which have been lodged for 11 years – there may not be enough for existing irrigators either.

The welcome announcement on the process to improve fresh water management through the Land Water Forum was expanded on in a speech by Environment Minister Nick Smith at the Environmental Defence Society conference.

He started by stating that economic success and good environmental practices aren’t mutually exclusive.

Last century’s politics equated environmentalism with more regulation, big government and anti-capitalism.

 Today it is well recognised that successful environmental policies need a strong market economy and vice versa.  Marrying together successful economic and environmental policies is the new paradigm.

 To be a 21^st century environmentalist does not mean being an apologist for inefficient, costly bureaucracy.

Smith said the main elements of the government’s policy should:

• ensure that water contributes to New Zealand’s economic growth and environmental integrity
• provide stronger central government direction and leadership
• set some limits and bottom lines to shape the actions taken on managing water quality and allocation
• explore supplementary measures to address the impacts of land use intensification on water quality
• develop an allocation regime that provides for ecological and public values, and then seeks to maximise the return from the remaining water available for extractive use
• identify the contribution water infrastructure (including storage) could make to better water use, and address barriers to achieving this
• address some of the scientific, technical, information and capability gaps that hold back improved management, and
• maintain Treaty-based engagement with Māori on water management options.

Then Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer once observed that we’re a very pluvial country. We have plenty of water, just not always the right amount in the right places and the challenge is to manage it well. This paper provides a good foundation on which to build a process for doing that.

The MFE Cabinet paper on New Start for Fresh Water is here.

Smith’s speech isn’t on-line yet so I’ve copied it after the break.