Press Release Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group

Freshwater Iwi Leaders say Clean Water Document an improvement, but there is still a long way to go.

“The Government’s Clean Water document, released today, is an improvement of previous iterations but doesn’t go far enough for the Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group”, says Iwi Leader Rahui Papa.

The Clean Water document released by Minister Smith today in Auckland outlines an improvement from ‘wadeable to swimmable’ water standards, improvements in the National Policy Statement on Freshwater as it relates to Te Mana o te Wai, stock exclusion rules and the release of the Freshwater Improvement Fund.

The Freshwater Iwi Leaders Group has been working hard to ensure that the water management system in New Zealand meets the standards of our whanau for the betterment of all New Zealanders and support the changes to the National Policy Statement on Freshwater in regards to Te Mana o te Wai.  Te Mana o te Wai is core to helping water users and the regulatory system understand how to achieve the integrated well-being of our waterways.

Rahui Papa explains that, “Te Mana o te Wai is understanding that the first right to the water, goes to the water itself, we are secondary, and we as a country need to change how we live to ensure sustainable economic development that does not sacrifice our beautiful landscape while still achieving the social and cultural aspirations of our many communities. These changes help support our Councils to reflect that in all decision making.”

However, the Freshwater ILG warns that more work is needed. In particular, they have opposed the inclusion of economic issues being balanced in discussions of water quality throughout the National Policy Statement on Freshwater and any changes that reduce the continuous and marked improvement of our water ways.

Papa states, “If the decision-makers are required to balance the economic drivers against environmental in terms of water quality, the wai will always lose, that is our current position and we need transformational change. The Freshwater ILG supports water quality first being sacrosanct then when our water standards are achieved, then we can look at economic factors”.

The Freshwater ILG looks forward to deeper discussions on water allocation in the coming months.

ENDS

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