Horizons Regional Council water allocation up for review

The Rangitīkei River runs through the Horizons region.

Horizons Regional Council is changing how it allocates water to prioritise the health of water bodies over anything else.

It is a requirement under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020, which the council’s allocation framework does not meet, and the council is now seeking feedback from the public.

“A key requirement is that freshwater is managed in a way that gives effect to Te Mana o te Wai, which means prioritising the health and wellbeing of water bodies and freshwater ecosystems over anything else,” Horizons’ policy and strategy manager Charlotte Almond said.

She said there were some areas for improvement.

“Those areas include essential takes, reasonable and efficient volumes of water for people and growth, water zones with no water left to allocate, and water takes for hydroelectricity generation. These are what we would like people to share their thoughts on.

“The types of things we want people to think about are how we prioritise the health and wellbeing of waterways while ensuring people and animals have access to the water they need, still meet the domestic water needs of communities, provide stock drinking water in zones where there is technically no water available, and enable hydroelectricity generation to keep the lights on.

“The feedback provided will help inform options to analyse what to update in the water allocation framework, which in turn will be part of a new freshwater policy that will be included in a revised One Plan.

“Our staff will also be engaging directly with iwi, hapū, territorial authorities and industry bodies to discuss possible changes that are of relevance to them.”

• For more information about Horizons’ freshwater policy and regulation work, and to have your say on the water allocation framework, visit freshwater.horizons.govt.nz/have-your-say/water-allocation.