New Zealand Fresh Water Management Forum

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New Zealand Fresh Water Management Forum

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About

Examining Policies, Issues, Challenges and Proposed Changes to Improve the Management of New Zealand’s FreshWater Resources


“Govt moves to establish Environmental Protection Authority” - Stuff.co.nz, Sept 2009
“Water decisions will affect NZ farming growth” - Agri-Business, Sept 2009
“Tradeable water rights would be a backward step in the management of water” - Otago Daily Times, Aug 2009
“The decline in water quality is believed to be due to more intensive use of water by industry, particularly agriculture” NZ Herald, Feb 2009

The issues surrounding New Zealand freshwater resources have been increasingly on the news. Freshwater is fundamental for New Zealand’s economy and culture, and with so many uses and users resolving matters around governance, allocation and quality will not be an easy task.

The FreshWater Management Forum will bring together New Zealand business leaders to discuss the issues, examine short and medium term scenarios as well as look at answers for New Zealand freshwater resources’ challenges.

Why should you attend?
• Analyse the impacts and opportunities from the reforms on the RMA and the creation of an EPA for NZ;
• Examine and discuss possible ways NZ can achieve a sustainable water management strategy;
• Learn about virtual water and its implications;
• Suggest proposals for a way forward

Who will be attending?
The FreshWater Management Forum will integrate different points of view from NZ’s water users and experts, including:
Water NZ • Fish & Game NZ • Irrigation NZ • NZ Council for Sustainable Development • Ministry of Economic Development Environment Canterbury • Otago Regional Council • Horizons Regional Council • Kapiti Coast District Council
Ecologic Foundation • Cawthron Institute • Plant & Food Research • Zespri • University of Waikato • University of Otago University of Canterbury • Aquas Consultants Ltd •NZIER • Dairy NZ • Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with business leaders and peers and discuss tangible solutions and best practice strategies in water governance, allocation, demand management and quality.

Agenda

Day 1

8.30

Registration & Coffee

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

Dr Morgan Williams, Principal, FutureSteps

9.10

Water, not just a significant commodity – New Zealand’s major strategic advantage

Freshwater is vital for life, well-being and its access affects a country’s economy in many ways. Not only has water a recreational, spiritual and cultural value but it’s also essential for NZ’s agriculture, tourism, transport and energy industries.
• The value of water – how do we better recognise and realize this?
• How does climate change affect water?
• The food and water nexus – where to for New Zealand?

Peter Whitehouse, Manager, Advocacy and Learning

9.50

Overview of freshwater management in New Zealand

• Local and central government responsibilities for water management
• Short and long term needs of New Zealand’s water industry
• Who are the stakeholders and how are they affected by the current system?
• What are the issues with the current way freshwater is managed?
• Does New Zealand need to rethink its water management strategy?

Heather Stonyer, Project Manager, NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development

10.30

Morning tea

10.50

Examining the scope, functions and structure of New Zealand EPA

By the time of the conference the Government will have taken decisions establishing the second phase of development of the NZ Environmental Protection Authority. The major issue still to be dealt with is whether the EPA should take over some of the operational functions of regional councils, especially with respect to water management. This presentation will examine the difficulties regional councils have faced, and whether these problems could be overcome by shifting responsibilities to the EPA. Key governance issues include the EPA’s relationship to Ministers, local communities and the Environment Court.

Guy Salmon, CEO, Ecologic Foundation

11.30

Panel Discussion: Moving to a national environmental regulator: Impacts and issues

New Zealand EPA is now a reality after the first phase of the Government’s changes to the RMA was passed in Parliament on 10 September 2009. This panel will discuss:
• Should the EPA evolve further to complement or replace regional council’s powers?
• Will the EPA complement or replace regional council’s powers?
• What role should central and local government play in water management?
• Will the EPA improve the way freshwater is managed?

Guy Salmon, CEO, Ecologic Foundation
Dr Russel Norman, Green Party Co-Leader & Spokesperson
Brendon Burns, MP for Christchurch Central & Labour Spokesperson on Water

12.15

Lunch

1.15

Regulatory frameworks and their role in improving water management

There is a significant national dialogue at the present time about the structure and responsibility for delivering outcomes in relation to the management of water and there is strong criticism of regional councils and the way in which they have performed. The validity of these various views is being strongly debated and that is a positive thing. Greg Carlyon will put forward the perspective of the regional council, who has skin in the game. He will explore some realities and provide a perspective and position that allows for the real improvement that is needed while not throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Greg Carlyon, Group Manager Regional Planning and Regulatory, Horizons Regional Council

1.55

The forever fair water consent trading system

This presentation will first review the literature and practice in water markets, to understand why water markets are difficult to operate. The main problems are the high transaction costs due to complex hydrology. The presentation will then describe work at the University of Canterbury that shows how to solve these problems through a “smart market” for water consent for a catchment, with better user profits, better environmental flows, easier governability, and a new mechanism for community influence. We show how to adjust consents in near real time, under complex hydrology and uncertain future flows, so a given catchment is always perfectly allocated. We show how our approach could work for nitrate run-off. The presentation will conclude by addressing common objections.

Dr John F. Raffensperger, Senior Lecturer - Dept. of Management, University of Canterbury

Speaker has declined permission for his material to be online

2.55

Who owns (or should own) NZ’s water in rivers, lakes and streams?

Water ownership is important in the economic sense but what do Maori, stakeholders and the public think about this matter? How does water ownership impact on water management?
• Legal definitions and issues of water property rights
• Should the Crown own NZ freshwater?
• Are Maori customary rights to the water contestable?
• Is there a viable way forward when it comes to water ownership?

Part 1: Morrie Love, Managing Director, Raukura Consultants

Part 2: Jacinta Ruru, Senior Lecturer, University of Otago

3.35

Afternoon tea

3.50

Canterbury water management strategy: A regional approach to freshwater management

Water is a critical ingredient for the Canterbury region, which allocates 58% of New Zealand’s water, has 70% of the country’s irrigated land, generates 24% of the nation’s power through hydroelectricity and has 65% of the country’s hydro storage. Dr Bryan Jenkins will discuss Canterbury water management strategy, and how this approach could be adopted to New Zealand freshwater management.
• Water importance in the Canterbury region
• Is there a need for a paradigm shift in water management in Canterbury and New Zealand?
• Developing an integrated water management strategy: What does it take?

Dr Bryan Jenkins, CEO, Environment Canterbury

4.30

Panel Discussion: Achieving a sustainable water management strategy

• Should NZ adopt a legislative, market or a collaborative approach for its water governance?
• Can regulation help create a sustainable future for water?
• What about legislative framework around Maori? How should this be integrated?
• How do we build a framework that takes the Maori interests into account?
• What are the advantages and drawbacks of the Nordic approaches to water regulation? Are they the ‘best fit’ for New Zealand?
• What other international institutional frameworks could be considered?

Dr Bryan Jenkins, CEO, Environment Canterbury
Graeme Martin, CEO, Otago Regional Council
Andrew Newman, CEO, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

5.10

Closing remarks from the Chair & Networking Drinks

Day 2

8.45

Opening remarks from the Chair

Dr Morgan Williams, Principal, FutureSteps

8.50

Ministerial Address: Strategic directions for NZ freshwater management (Ministerial Address)

In June 2009, Hon Nick Smith announced that a reform of New Zealand’s freshwater management is needed to address deteriorating water quality and poor incentives for water allocation and storage. In this speech, the Minister will examine the challenges and drivers behind New Zealand’s freshwater management reform.
• The government outlook for freshwater management, goals and long-term strategies
• Policy options for freshwater allocation, quality and infrastructure

Hon Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment

9.20

International Address: Examing Australia's nationally coordinated approach to water management

Ken Matthews, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Government National Water Commission

10.00

Examining NZ’s water allocation system: What works, what doesn’t and why

Water allocation is crucial for New Zealand’s economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing. The challenge for the allocation system is to meet and choose between alternative uses and users. As the demands on the water resource grow, if there is no increase in supply, the importance of the allocation system increases.
• Can the current allocation system cope with the increase in water demand?
• Are the incentives in place helping maximise the efficiency of water use?
• What will (should) replace the ‘first come first served’ basis approach?
• What particular issues would a new approach bring? How should these be addressed?

Dr Richard Hawke, Manager Energy and the Environment Group, Ministry of Economic Development

Speaker has declined permission for his material to be online

10.40

Morning tea

10.55

Understanding and applying resource rent to solve water allocation issues

Resource rent has been part of resource management in New Zealand for several decades, mostly in the extraction of minerals. Could the introduction of rent for water be part of a solution to New Zealand’s freshwater management dilemma? Charging rent can help achieve efficient allocation while ensuring a return to the community for use of a public resource, and can also help protect the interests of Maori while Treaty issues are being resolved. This session will examine what resource rent is, and how it could be applied to help resolve New Zealand’s water allocation issues.
• What are the issues regarding collection of rent?
• How would charging rent improve freshwater management?

Jim Sinner, Sustainable Business Group Manager, Cawthron Institute

11.35

New Zealand water allocation challenge – A user perspective

New Zealand faces distinct water availability issues; in some areas water is abundant while in others water is fully allocated. As a result, water availability issues should be looked and managed according to these differences. In this session, Andrew Curtis will provide a user perspective on how NZ can meet its water supply and demand challenges through cohesive community engagement and new demand management frameworks.

Andrew Curtis, Chief Executive, Irrigation NZ

12.05

Water storage

Lachlan McKenzie, Chairman, Dairy Farmers of NZ

12.35

Lunch

1.15

Panel Discussion: Addressing NZ’s increasing competition for water supply (Panel)

• How can we develop more sustainable water management practices across the country?
• How to ensure the allocation of NZ’s water supply is made fairly across all competing users?
• What strategies should we put in place to secure water supply in the short and long term?
• Would tradable water rights be a viable way forward?
• Is water storage a possible solution for water shortage during dry periods? Would it simplify allocation and help smooth out seasonal water availability?

Andrew Curtis, Chief Executive, Irrigation NZ
Neil Deans, Nelson/Marlborough Manager, Fish & Game NZ
Dr Brent Layton, Senior Fellow, NZIER
Peter Clough, Senior Economist, NZIER

1.50

Virtual water: What it is and what it means for NZ

Due to its finite nature, effective usage of water and sustainability are more crucial than ever. As a result, countries have started to measure the direct and indirect amount of water required to produce the goods and services
consumed by individuals, communities and businesses. The RSNZ has recently published a paper on virtual water and its implications for New Zealand, this session will examine:
• Virtual water: What is it and why are people talking about it?
• Current difficulties in measuring virtual water use, and its implications for NZ
• What does it take for NZ to be the next exporter of virtual water?

Dr Brent Clothier, Group Leader, Systems Modelling
Alistair Mowat, Innovation Leader, Zespri

2.25

Implementing water conservation and demand management strategies

Gord Stewart will examine the case for demand management, including the legislative, economic, social/cultural, and environmental drivers. Ben Thompson will look at the practical application of demand management at the council level. The session will focus on municipal water use, but also touch on commercial and agricultural use.
• What are the benefits of water conservation and demand management strategies?
• Measures and instruments: What tools are available to promote customer water-use efficiency?
• Where does metering and volume pricing fit into the picture?
• What are some of the success stories around New Zealand and overseas?
• How best to communicate with the public to adopt water conservation behaviours?

Gord Stewart, Director, Aquas Consultants Ltd
Ben Thompson, Water Use Coordinator, Kapiti Coast District Council

http://www.waternz.co.nz/projects/demandmanagement

3.05

Afternoon tea

3.20

Identifying causes, issues and impacts from declining water quality

As a result of more intensive use of land and water, a greater number of New Zealand’s rivers, lakes and streams are considered unsafe to swim in because of pollution. This session will examine the key issues affecting water quality, including:
• How does land use affect water quality?
• What are the impacts of agriculture and urban areas on water quality?
• How does the declining freshwater quality affect the NZ 100% Pure brand?
• The 2003 Dairy and Cleans Streams Accord: are the goals being achieved and what is the environmental outcome?

David Hamilton, Environment BOP Chair, Lakes Management and Restoration

4.00

Panel Discussion: Improving, maintaining and restoring water quality (Panel)

The constant decline of water quality is already presenting challenges and will pose greater ones in the next few years. What should we be doing to protect, promote and improve water quality?
• How should authorities look to protect water quality?
• How to ensure farming and municipal wastewater discharges stop contributing to the decline in water quality?
• What can organisations; councils and community do to help reduce their impact on water quality?

Greg Carlyon, Group Manager Regional Planning and Regulatory, Horizons Regional Council
Bryce Johnson, Chief Executive, Fish & Game New Zealand
Simon Tucker, General Manager, Policy and Advocacy

4.35

Closing remarks from the Chair and close of Forum

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