Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
later rivers are at no less risk from the adverse
impacts of a range of activities, but the suite of
stressors has changed markedly. Non-point-source
pollution from agricultural nutrients, animal waste
and silt is a dominant feature of river degradation
along with the intense competition for surface
water flows for irrigation and the growing demand
for
being downstream water quality. At present
there is an over-emphasis on compliance with
existing farming standards without considering
whether those standards are sufficient to protect
against off-site impacts; poor water quality being
commonplace
in
areas
of
intensive
agriculture
would suggest they are not.
Hydro-electricity development is a serious
threat to rivers of real conservation importance in
New Zealand such as the Nevis and Mokihinui,
because of the emphasis on renewable energy
sources. That policy change has overlooked the
finite nature of rivers and their importance
for conservation, recreation and tourism. The
Proposed National Policy Statement on Renewable
Electricity Generation, which differentiates
between renewable electricity options on the
basis of reversibility, would provide an important
counterbalance. It could be expected to give a
higher priority in decision-making to relatively
low-impact geothermal power development
compared with high-impact hydro-development.
Finally Water Conservation Orders still have an
important role to play in the conservation of New
Zealand rivers but the law should be amended so
that the protection they provide can cover adjacent
or associated land-based characteristics that are not
directly connected to waterways.
development
of
hydro-schemes
to
produce
renewable energy.
The innovative RMA introduced in 1991
has not achieved integrated river management
although there is little wrong with the law itself.
The failure has occurred in subordinate policy
development and implementation and there are
important lessons to be learned from the situation.
Regional planning for the management of natural
and physical resources has been too slow and
disappointingly variable across the country and
Regional Councils have not sought to exercise
controls on land use through regional policy
statements or plans, even though those functions
have been available to them.
Government's reluctance to develop higher-level
national policies in key areas, particularly setting
minimum flows for rivers and controlling non-
point-source pollution, left a vacuum in an area
where national guidance was clearly required.
National level policy statements and environmental
standards should have come much earlier and will
now have to take account of the divergence in
regional policy responses or risk upsetting hard
won progress on land-use impacts at the regional
level.
Non-regulatory codes of practice and industry
accords need to be supported by regulatory
controls particularly through rules in plans. While
industries such as dairying should be taking greater
responsibility for their environmental performance,
the primary push must always come from regional
and district councils through enforceable rules and
thorough compliance monitoring. New Zealand's
extensive network of public riparian reserves offers
a real opportunity for improvements in river
management without impinging on the rights of
private landholders. There needs to be a much
greater emphasis on matching farming systems to
environmental sustainability with a key measure
References
Allibone RM, Ling N, Ravenscroft P, Waters JM (2010)
Conservation status of New Zealand freshwater fish,
2009.
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater
Research
44
: 271-287.
Benson-Pope D (2006) Charting dynamic new course
to manage our water, media release, Minister for the
Environment, 10 April 2006, (http://www.beehive
.govt.nz/release/charting-dynamic-new-course-
manage-our-water).
Brower A (2010) Ecan Act staggering use of legislative
power, The Press, (http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/
opinion/3729741/Ecan-Act-staggering-use-of-legis-
lative-power).
Chapple DG, Bell TP, Chapple SNJ, Miller KA, Daugherty
CH,
Patterson
GB
(2011)
Phylogeography
and
