Integrated water and catchment research for the public good: the Motueka River–Tasman Bay initiative, New Zealand

Abstract

The goal of the Motueka Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Programme is to develop integrated, multidisciplinary research approaches to address water resource management issues defined by strong stakeholder consultation. This programme, initiated in 2000, is focused on the Motueka River catchment and Tasman Bay. The Motueka catchment is sparsely populated, but is a heavily used and highly productive landscape at the top of South Island, New Zealand. Important land uses include commercial forestry, irrigated berry and pip fruit production, dry land pasturing (sheep), and, increasingly, irrigated dairy farming. Large portions of the headwater areas are recreational park and conservation lands. The Motueka River itself is internationally known as a trout fishery and reaches of the river are an important habitat for native and threatened Galaxiid fish. Tasman Bay, which receives 65% of its freshwater inflow from the Motueka River, is a commercially important scallop and mussel fishery, contains a nationally important marine sanctuary, and is widely used as a recreational resource. Currently, water quality in the area is generally high, although it is threatened by some land uses. Water quantity has been a persistent concern in this seasonally dry region of New Zealand and is the subject of a Water Conservation Order that has focussed attention on the need for a stakeholder‐driven, integrated approach to water resources management. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the authors' early experiences, as scientists and managers, in developing an integrated biophysical and social research programme to support sustainable water resource management in the Motueka catchment. However, the framework for dialogue and action that the authors have developed is one that is relevant to other areas of New Zealand and beyond. The long‐term goals of the ICM programme are consistent with those of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization/Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) programme and may be of use to other communities, especially in areas where protection of existing values in a productive landscape is the key issue, as opposed to restoration of degraded values in a damaged landscape.