Wangnaui City PHOTO/FILE
National water quality standards will be introduced for New Zealand's lakes and rivers for the first time.
The Government announced the policy on Thursday which said rivers and lakes will have minimum requirements that must be achieved so water quality is suitable for ecosystem and human health.
They will be introduced among an updated National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPS)
Other measures under the NPS require regional councils to order efficient use of fresh water by end users, use water quality measures to set freshwater objectives, and "maintain or improve the overall quality of fresh water".
Rivers had to be safe enough to boat or wade in but not swim at minimum but didn't necessarily have to be safe enough to swim in.
Whanganui MP Chester Borrows said the policy allowed the community to have say in water management via its own regional council. He dismissed criticism that the standards weren't stringent enough, saying there were previously no standards at all.
"So anything we've done is going to be better than what there is at the moment," Mr Borrows said.
"[Opposition parties] were in government for years with much higher levels of pollution and never did anything."
But Whanganui Labour candidate Hamish McDouall said the standards needed to be higher ensuring rivers were swimmable.
He said it was great standards had been put in place but said he would endeavour make them tougher.
"That's certainly something I'd be pushing for, absolutely," Mr McDouall said.
The policy was announced by Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
Mr Guy said the changes balanced economic growth with environmental sustainability.
"It's not an either-or situation - we need both. Primary industries contribute more than 76 per cent of our merchandise exports and largely depend on freshwater, while tourism also relies on the beauty of New Zealand's water bodies."
Bridge to Nowhere Lodge owner Joe Adam said the water quality of the Whanganui River, 20km up from Pipiriki, where his tourism business operated from was great and even drinkable.
"I don't think there's a hell of a lot more they can do up here."
He said water quality was important to the tourism industry and needed to be maintained. Land erosion into the river was the biggest problem he said.
"It's extremely important. The clearer the water, the more people hop into it and have fun."
Federated Farmers and Horizons Regional Council could not be reached for comment yesterday.
National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management: What it requires of our regional councils:
Safeguard fresh water's life supporting capacity, ecosystem processes and indigenous species including their associated ecosystems.
Manage freshwater bodies so people's health is safeguarded when wading or boating (at minimum).
Maintain or improve the overall quality of fresh water within a region and protect the significant values of wetlands and outstanding freshwater bodies.
Require more efficient use of fresh water by end users, avoid the over allocation of water takes and inputs of contaminants, and to phase out existing over allocation.
Implement the national objectives framework by setting freshwater objectives according to a "specified process" and meeting community and tangata whenua values which include the compulsory values of ecosystem health and human health for recreation.
Use a specified set of water quality measures to set the freshwater objectives.
Set limits which allow freshwater objectives to be met and put in place measures to better account for water takes and sources of contaminants, and measure achievement towards meeting objectives.
Take a more integrated approach to managing fresh water and coastal water.
Fully implement the National Policy Statement by 2025.