Water Policy Update Tauranga Moana Advisory Group

National Policy (Essential Freshwater) Due 22 August – Early September NPSFM: Simplified Te Mana o te Wai New attributes Ecosystem health 2023 timeline? NES Good practice Priority catchments

Change Planning Standards (now in place) National Policy Statement (NPS) for Highly Productive Land – late July to September 2019. Revised NPS on Urban Development Capacity – August and September 2019 National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (discussion document) - October 2019. Shared interests in freshwater – 2020 (Wai 2358 dependent?) “The Crown acknowledges that Māori have rights and interests in freshwater, including accessing freshwater resources to achieve their fair development aspirations for underdeveloped land.”

Region-wide Quantity: Plan Change 9 “Interim/ Default” Appeals sub-committee has met Councils response to appellants is in circulation Report to court 23 August Impacted by change + uncertainty Next step – mediation?

Rotorua: Nutrient Plan Change 10 At environment court Stage 1 decision released Court wants to see a modest amount of nitrogen found for Treaty Settlement land (i.e. further “cultural allocation”).

Te Maru o Kaituna Working on their action plan

Change 12: Kaituna-Pongakawa- Waitahanui Looking into groundwater and surface water quantity Limited water supply Some opportunities for more water use being modelled

Tauranga: Plan Change 16 Baseline (desktop) inventory of key data near-complete Council has paused the Wai Māori Kaupapa pending NPSFM changes Research into modelling (most helpful/supportive platform … if any). Plan Change 15 (Rotorua) very similar

Challenges Different freshwater “stories” Matauranga Cultural flows Mauri Te tiriti National policy/RMA (changing) Science (uncertainty, complexity, cost) Community, business, others … Must weave good policy LOTS up in the air ….