New Zealand's Resource Management Act and fresh water

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes New Zealand's Resource Management Act in relation to freshwater management and conservation. The development of the Act is described with reference to the consolidation and integration of earlier legislation. The central concept of sustainable management is more limited than the related concept of sustainable development, and places constraints on activities which have environmental impacts. The specific provisions relating to fresh water are noted, and the resource consents required for taking water, damming or diverting watercourses, and discharging into water, or onto land where the discharge may reach water, are described. The relation of riparian management to the requirement for protection of fish habitat is noted, and water conservation orders are described. Attention is given to the likely implications for managers. An attempt is made to anticipate difficulties that may arise in implementing the Act; in particular, the possible balancing between socio‐economic and ecological considerations. The specific features of the freshwater environment are considered from the viewpoint of management, and the problems involved in tradeability are noted. Attention is drawn to the scope of the Act in the attempted integration of most, but not all, environmental considerations, and a final evaluation suggests that economic growth is likely to present a substantial challenge to the purpose of the Act.