Te Mana o te Wai – Have your say on Nelson’s freshwater management

To help protect and revitalise New Zealand's precious freshwater, Government introduced a National Policy Statement for Freshwater in 2020 (NPSFM). The NPSFM recognises that water quality in New Zealand has continued to deteriorate and provides a process to address this deterioration.

At the core of the NPSFM is Te Mana o te Wai, which can be translated ‘the authority of water’. Te Mana o te Wai recognises the life force, or mauri, of water and embodies a holistic view that emphasises the interconnectedness of water with all aspects of life. 

Te Mana o te Wai relates to the vital importance of water and is now central to decisions made around freshwater. It requires that the health and well-being of water is protected, and human health needs are provided for, before allowing for other uses of water. This recognises that the health of water bodies, the health of communities and the environment are intertwined. 

Councils are required to manage freshwater, land use and development in an integrated way which recognises the connections between activities and freshwater health. Councils must now put freshwater health ahead of other uses and values associated with water. What this means for different users of water is still being worked on, though it is not yet clear how things will change, change can be expected. 

The effectiveness of freshwater management will be influenced by the participation and commitment of communities and water users. Such commitment and collective action will go a long way to protecting the wellbeing of freshwater. Every individual, household, business and the community can play a role by, for example, adopting water saving practices, reducing pollution, and practicing sustainable land management. Whakatū Nelson communities, tangata whenua and water users can as a collective, significantly influence how freshwater is managed, including provision for the use of freshwater, as long as this meets established bottom lines and, over time, restores freshwater quality and ecosystems.

Whio blue duck in the Roding River 

Council will engage with both communities and tangata whenua while establishing our freshwater management programme. This includes specific obligations around tangata whenua involvement which go beyond the general duty to engage with communities. The three councils and eight iwi of Te Tauihu are currently working together to identify values of importance to Māori. 

You can give your feedback on the draft Freshwater Management Unit (FMU) visions and values in Nelson Whakatū. If you’d like to have your say on what’s important to you, go to shape.nelson.govt.nz/nelson-freshwater-hub for more information.

Your feedback is vital to ensure that the way freshwater is managed reflects what is important to people in the area. Feedback can be provided until 25 August 2023.