Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
the relative degree of reversibility of the adverse
environmental
The Environment Canterbury (Temporary
Commissioners and Improved Water Management)
Act 2010 also suspended Water Conservation Order
provisions of the RMA in the Canterbury Region
even though three WCOs are already in place on
Canterbury Rivers - Ahuriri, Rakaia and Rangitata
- and one application for a fourth was well
advanced through the approvals process. The move
has been widely criticized (Brower, 2010; Macfie,
2010).
The Land and Water Forum report (Land and
Water Forum, 2010) made 53 recommendations
on aspects of water management in New Zealand,
including the urgent introduction of a National
Policy Statement on freshwater management but
there are concerns that many recommendations
are high level and will not advance the debate
much from the 2004 'Growing for Good'
report (Parliamentary Commissioner for the
Environment, 2004). The development of a
common position on water resources across a
broad spectrum of commercial and conservation
interests is seen as a step forward but it remains
untested (Weeber, 2010).
WCOs have continued to be used as an
option to recognize and protect the outstanding
natural values of important rivers, or to preserve
rivers in their natural state, and a further nine
WCOs were granted for river protection between
1991 and 2008. In this respect WCOs can be
seen to complement, rather than duplicate, the
integrated river management provisions possible
through water resource policy statements or plans,
providing a specific protection option for rivers
with outstanding natural and amenity values.
Although unpopular with Government, WCOs
have been described by the OECD (1996) as a
good example of strategic resource management,
preventing the gradual frittering away of valuable
water resource systems.
effects
of
different
renewable
electricity
options.
This
is
likely
to
result
in
geothermal
and
wind
power
production
being
favoured ahead of hydro-dams.
In summary, New Zealand rivers are at present
under pressure from two directions, with middle
reaches and headwaters of rivers targeted for
hydro-electricity development and middle and
lower reaches receiving the full impact of non-
point-source pollution and irrigation demand.
Management response to this increasing pressure
has been a succession of variable attempts to
provide a lead in the area of water resource
management, but what is clearly uppermost in
the mind of many politicians is the importance of
agricultural production to New Zealand's economy,
with the environment taking a clear second place.
One initiative which commenced in 2003, the
Sustainable Water Programme of Action (Benson-
Pope, 2006), resulted in Cabinet approval for two
national level policy instruments under the RMA in
important areas of water management - a National
Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, and
a National Environmental Standard on Ecological
Flows and Water Levels. Surprisingly these are
the first national policy initiatives to address core
environmental problems in the management of
water resources since the RMA was introduced in
1991.
Although well advanced through the approvals
process, both national instruments stalled while
a multilateral 'Land and Water Forum' involving
industry, Crown agencies and non-government
organizations has gone through a 'collaborative
governance' exercise (Land and Water Forum,
2010). The credibility of this consensus seeking
was badly undermined, however, by special
legislation taken under urgency which sacked
the elected water resource agency, Canterbury
Regional Council, and replaced it with Government
appointed commissioners. Government considered
the move necessary because of urgent problems
with water management in Canterbury including
a lack of proper water allocation planning
and increasing problems with water quality,
noting the strategic importance of the region's
water
Nevis River
The Nevis River is a good example of a New
Zealand backcountry river at risk from hydropower
development. Situated in the South Island not far
from the tourist centre of Queenstown, it is part
for
irrigation
supply
and
hydro
storage.
