Collaborative decision making for freshwater resources in Greater Heretaunga and Ahuriri catchments James Palmer, HBRC The Future of Our Water; Community Symposium June 2017

Greater Heretaunga and Ahuriri Land and Water Plan Change (TANK) Catchments defined from surface water boundaries Tutaekurī Ahuriri Ngaruroro Karamū

The TANK project arose from this land and water strategy, published in November 2011 – which was developed using a reference groups process and public symposiums not unlike this one. Still relevant. Acknowledges the wise range of interests in land and water – as well the range of roles and responsibilities from all the parties involved.

NPS Freshwater 2014 Directs the regional council to: maintain or improve the overall quality of fresh water within a region set objectives and limits on resource use by 2025 follow the National Objectives Framework for water quality attributes

RMA Plan Changes Specific legal requirements in the Act; Process must include: Consultation Submissions and Hearings Appeals

RMA Consultation Obligations only on Regional Council; Council to provide relevant information in a reasonable format Manner of consultation relevant to party being consulted Council to accept views with open mind, and due consideration NPSFM also now requires Council to involve iwi in water management Must consult with Ministers, local authorities, tangata whenua through iwi authorities … May consult with others that Council considers relevant.

Consultation… traditional approach Several iterations of draft documents and feedback processes Public meetings Lots of information provided Direct engagement with specified and other key parties While the Act did not preclude more innovative ways of carrying out consultation and stakeholder involvement, the main mechanisms tended to be somewhat limited to traditional consultative procedures and hamstrung by the “high stakes” appeal processes.

Consequences of traditional approach Consultation was between council and specific parties but not amongst parties. Positions formed early on and defended throughout process: No real opportunity for stakeholders to understand or debate alternative positions or adopt other values. End game often played out in Environment Court. – the consequences of the prescribed process

What the TANK project is: The TANK Group is a community-based collaborative approach to developing a regional plan (land and water management) for the Ngaruroro, Tutaekuri, Ahuriri and Karamu catchments. The TANK group will consider what management options will meet objectives; Limits Minimum flows and allocation limits for water Contaminant management Land management Consent expiry

The TANK project will: Develop agreement about important shared freshwater values and how to provide for them Enable better understanding of the science and the issues Encourage collective responsibility for outcomes Result in more enduring and possibly innovative solutions Reduce areas of contest in plan change process

TANK Project is more than a Plan Change Better relationships Enduring beyond the plan change process Shared responsibility for Plan implementation A process of changing social norms about land and water management

TANK Group Membership: wide range of people and interests represented

Navigating the various interests, expectations and issues.

Water quantity issues About 2000 consents expiring over next 10 years Economic + social impacts of water restrictions Consequences groundwater takes on stream flows Over-allocated in some catchments No groundwater allocation limits in Regional Plan Priority end uses

Water quality issues Tutaekurī – some nutrients, algae and sediment issues Ahuriri – sensitive environment. Significant impacts from urban and rural activities Ngaruroro – good nutrient quality, sediment issues Karamū – Significant degradation. Urban and rural Groundwater – localised issues

Council Commitment Council has given a “good faith undertaking to implement any consensus recommendations” Regional Planning Committee to “have particular regard to any consensus recommendations from the TANK Group” Councillors and RPC members On-going interest in and support of the group’s work Council will ensure good information Extensive science programme, resources and staff support for group

The TANK Group will: Review limits: and manage: Minimum flow limits Water allocation limits Water quality standards and targets Limits or controls on discharge activities and diffuse discharges and manage: urban and rural land use affecting water quality especially urban stormwater water storage or augmentation sediment reduction riparian land management priority water allocation A key driver for the review occurring now is that there are a large number of water permits due to expire in 2015 and soon thereafter and we expect most people to seek replacement permits. Ideally we would have the review completed and a plan change notified so that these consent applications can be assessed with a great deal of certainty as to their impacts and under a more up to date management regime. The current plan was adopted in 2006 but the majority of the information feeding into it e.g. scientific was completed in 1998. So we know a lot more now and need to incorporate this knowledge into our decisions

December 2017

Community Engagement Identified as very important and a key challenge; TANK bulletins, webpage updates, more opportunities for questions and feedback etc etc…. Encourage people to get interested , get involved

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