Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

One of the most important environmental and economic issues facing New Zealand in the future is ensuring we have a reliable supply of healthy water, as and when we need it.

We're fortunate in New Zealand that we generally have ample water – but there are many types of water – groundwater, surface water in lakes, rivers, streams and harbours, drinking water, water for industry and water for stock.

There are significant concerns about our water quality; and in some areas water quantity and availability is an increasing problem. There are some areas in the Bay of Plenty, where the water is theoretically over-allocated. Then there are treaty settlements being negotiated, which recognise the special relationship Maori have with waterways within their rohe.

Government is has a reform agenda underway regarding fresh water, and regional councils are required to take account of water on a catchment basis.

Within these catchments, as a result of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, council is required to collaborate with our communities to set values, objectives, limits and targets for all water-bodies within 'water management areas” (which are aligned to catchments).

These will have to maintain or improve the quality of fresh water; protect significant values of wetlands; avoid over-allocation; phase out existing over-allocation; sustainably manage the taking of water, the development of land and the discharge of contaminants; improve integrated management of freshwater; and involve iwi in decision-making to ensure tangata whenua values are taken into account.

This is a huge piece of work – particularly since the Bay of Plenty Regional Council has nine large 'water management areas” in the region.

To do this work we need to have good scientific information about the water resource, so that we can make good decisions on its use.

We also need to have a high level regional water strategy, which will set the overall vision for our water, its use and quality – which will guide the collaborative conversions with our community in each respective water management area.

The regional council has developed a project plan to deliver on the NPS for Freshwater Management, and will start work initially in the Kaituna and the Rangitaiki catchments.

Then we will move on and address all the other parts of the region. This is a good example of how a change in central government policy requires massive resourcing by councils, without a corresponding increase in funding. But it will be useful work, and really needs to be done to safeguard our water resources – they will be as valuable as gold in the future.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please contact me on neesj@xtra.co.nz or call me on 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website at www.janenees.co.nz