3rd Annual Freshwater Management Forum

2 for 1 special offer: Register two delegates from your organisation for the conference at the same time, and the 2nd attends free of charge

About

Changes and Challenges

The Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform announced in May outlines what the future holds for freshwater management. The Reform has sparked widespread debate amongst all stakeholders and interest groups pertaining to water.

3rd Annual Freshwater Management Forum is designed with inputs from key stakeholders to identify the most topical issues in freshwater management in New Zealand. This discussion forum is an opportunity for stakeholders to get together to present their views and thoughts on the latest developments in freshwater management.

Conference Highlights:

  • Interactions between the interventions in the Freshwater Reform
  • Further steps required for water management in NZ
  • The future of the Land and Water Forum
  • The challenges facing regional councils
  • Water infrastructure development
  • Māori perspective on freshwater
  • Scientific and technical challenges

Agenda

Agenda: Day 1

8.30

Registration & Coffee

9.05

Opening remarks from the Chair

Doug Marsh, Director, Management Resources Ltd

9.20

Ministerial address: Examining the Government’s strategic direction in New Zealand freshwater management

The Government announced the ‘Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform’ in May 2011, which included a number of initiatives to ensure the country’s lakes, aquifers and wetlands are well managed. To set the scene for the conference, the Minister will give an overview of the Reform and the direction of further decisions regarding freshwater policies.

Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment; Minister for Climate Change Issues and Minister of Local Government

9.40

Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform: The interactions between the three interventions

The three interventions set out in the Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform include the IAF, the clean up fund and the NPS. The waterways are part of a very complex and interrelated system, thus it is imperative to take a holistic view on how these three interventions interact with one another. In this session, we look at the impact of investment into the irrigation acceleration fund on clean up efforts and the objectives set out in the NPS.

Professor Bryan Jenkins, Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management, University of Canterbury and Lincoln University

10.25

Morning tea

10.45

Panel discussion: Further steps required to ensure effective freshwater management in New Zealand

Although the Government has announced the Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform in 2011, the announcements have been somewhat light in details. All stakeholders agree that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure freshwater can be managed effectively.
• What are the further steps required?
• What resources do we need to ensure effective management of freshwater?

Gary Taylor, Executive Director, Environmental Defence Society
Dr Russel Norman MP, Co-leader and Environment Spokesperson, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Simon Tucker, General Manager, Policy & Advocacy
Dairy NZ

11.30

The future of the Land and Water Forum

The Land and Water Forum has played an instrumental part in the freshwater reform of NZ. In addition to the freshwater reform announcements in 2011, further decisions will be made in 2012 and beyond. The Forum will continue to be pivotal in determining the direction and steps of freshwater management in NZ. Alastair Bisley will discuss what lies in the future for the Forum and how it complements the Government’s initiatives in managing the waterways.

Alastair Bisley, Chair, Land and Water Forum

12.15

Lunch

1.00

Regional Council case studies: The challenges and perspectives for Regional Councils on the water reform

While the NPS sets the strategic direction for freshwater in NZ going forward, it is up to the councils to implement the necessary actions to ensure the objectives of the NPS are met. In this 2 part session, we will hear from 2 regional councils on the challenges and opportunities of the NPS from a regional perspective.

1.00 Part 1: Fran Wilde, Chair,
Greater Wellington Regional Council

1.40 Part 2: Graham Sevicke-Jones, Manager Environmental Science Resource Management Group, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

2.20

Case study: Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group

History of Te Arawa Lakebed Settlement Act 2006
Formation of Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group
Statutory roles and responsibilities of the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes
Strategy Group
Issues of degraded water quality and reasons why
The science of leading the recovery
Progress to date and the costs of the clean up
New programs, new science, new initiatives
The Report Card of the 14 lakes
Future Focus, How long will it take to fully restore our 14 Lakes?

Kevin Winters, Mayor, Rotorua District Council

3.05

Afternoon tea

3.20

Panel discussion: Taking a closer inspection of the progressive implementation programme

Since the release of the NPS in May 2011, one area that has been heavily debated by various stakeholders is the issue of progressive implementation. Local councils have until the end of 2030 to fully implement the policy. Some stakeholders are worried the state of NZ freshwater will continue to deteriorate given the length of time councils have to implement, while others argue the timeframe is necessary given the time and resources it requires.
• The argument for and against the 2030 implementation deadline
• Does the government need to go further in the NPS to ensure freshwater is protected and preserved before it is too late

Gary Taylor, Executive Director, Environmental Defence Society
Roger Young, Chair, Water Rights Trust
Jim Sinner, Senior Scientist, Cawthron Institute
Guy Salmon, Chief Director, Ecological Foundation

4.10

Exploring water infrastructure investment developments in NZ

NZ is known for its abundance of water. However, the existing water infrastructure is far from ideal. Inadequate investment and lack of security for funding means we have not realise the full potential water can bring to NZ, both socially and economically.
• An overview of the policy, institutions and regulatory tools governing water infrastructure development
• Funding options for water infrastructure
• The role of the Irrigation Acceleration Fund, PPP and private finance

Gwyn Llewelyn, Associate Director, KPMG

5.00

End of day one & networking drinks

Agenda: Day 2

9.00

Opening remarks from the Chair

Doug Marsh, Director, Management Resources Ltd

9.05

Māori and water ownership

Iwi and Māori have a strong interest in water quality and quantity, and have made their economic aspirations in water very clear. The NPS has also called for local councils to involve and work with Māori in managing freshwater. In this session, Morrie Love will examine the issue of water management from a Māori perspective.
• Traditional values and ties to water and the role of NPS in safeguarding these
• The latest developments in water ownership
• The role of Māori can play in ensuring water is well managed

Morrie Love, Managing Director, Raukura Consultants; Chair, Te Wai Māori Trust

9.50

Case study: The role of Ngāi Tahu in cleaning up Lake Ellesmere

Almost $12m has been committed to cleaning up Lake Ellesmere in an attempt to clean up New Zealand’s most polluted lake. The restoration project will be a collaborative effort with inputs from the Government ECan, Fonterra and Ngāi Tahu. In this session, the Mark Solomon representing Ngāi Tahu will discuss the role of the iwi in this clean up project.
• The role of the iwi
• Working in partnership with the Government, ECan and Fonterra
• The immediate and long term challenges for the clean up project

Mark Solomon, Kaiwhakahaere (Chair), Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu

10.20

Morning tea

10.40

Case study: Restoring and protecting Rotorua Lakes - The role of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust

The need to take care of the Rotorua Lakes from further deterioration was recognised back in 1998. As a result, the Rotorua Lake Restoration Project -a partnership between the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Environment Bay of Plenty and The Rotorua District Council - has since been established. Roku Mihinui representing the Te Arawa Lakes Trust will share the role of the Trust in restoring and protecting the Rotorua Lakes.
• Representing the interests of iwi
• Working in partnership with the Government
• Using this model to prevent deterioration and kick off restoration for other water bodies in NZ

Roku Mihinui, CEO, Te Arawa Lakes Trust

11.10

Joint presentation: Scientific and technical challenges in defining and enforcing limits

While the NPS highlights the fact that “setting enforceable quality and quantity limits” will be the key to ensure its objectives are achieved, determining these limits presents a set of scientific and technical challenges. There are clearly a number of questions that needs to be addressed when it comes to setting and enforcing the limits. During this session, the speakers will focus on issues such as:
• Does the current data set we have on water quality and quantity give us sufficient information to be able to set limits?
• The form of the limits – a set number versus a formula versus an adaptive approach
• Obstacles that needs to be addressed before appropriate limits can be set

David Hamilton, Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair in Lakes, University of Waikato
Dr. Clive Howard-Williams, Chief Scientist Freshwater & Coasts, NIWA
Richard McDowell, Senior Scientist, AgResearch

12.00

Lunch

1.00

Panel discussion: An in-depth examination of water allocation practices in NZ

Freshwater is a finite resources and its allocation needs to be carefully managed to balance the needs of users. However, over allocation and allocation on a first-come-first-serve basis has seen the depletion of a number of our waterways. Increased urban population, hydro-electricity generation and recreation are also reasons for caution when allocating water. The panellists will take an in-depth look at water allocation in NZ.
• The current status of demand and supply
• Is a reduction in demand possible through better planning and management?
• The role of water trading to improve allocation

Dr. Anthony Davoren, Director, HydroTrader & Director
Roger Young, Chair, Water Rights Trust
Andrew Curtis, Chief Executive, Irrigation NZ
Ian Mackenzie, National Spokesman for Water & the Environment; Grain & Seed Chairperson, Federated Farmers

1.40

Panel discussion: Freshwater management - The users’ perspective

Prior to lunch, we’ve examined water allocation practices in NZ. However, for the reform to work, the role of the users cannot be overemphasised. During this panel discussion, we will hear from freshwater users’ and their view on the way freshwater is being managed in New Zealand.
• The biggest challenges of freshwater facing different groups of water users
• The impact of the reform on user groups
• The role of the users in contributing to and facilitating the reform process

Ross Parry, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Genesis Energy
Simon Tucker, General Manager Policy & Advocacy
Dairy NZ
Chris Keenan, Manager Natural Resources & Environment, Horticulture New Zealand

2.20

Afternoon tea

2.40

The role of the “NES on Ecological Flow and Water Levels” on freshwater reform

The National Environmental Standard on Ecological Flow and Water Levels was proposed in 2008. The purpose of the standard is to ensure we have sufficient amount of water flowing in waterways. While there is still a lot of work to be done on the standard, the importance of the NES means its impact on NZ waterways will be significant.
• Where is the standard at?
• What is next?
• How will the standard complement the Fresh Start for Freshwater Reform?

Dr. John Hayes, Senior Scientist: Freshwater Fisheries & Ecohydrology, Cawthron Institute

3.20

Case study: Examining water quality in the Hauraki Gulf

The three-yearly State of the Gulf study released in August 2011 has found the water quality of the Gulf to be deteriorating. The study has found that nitrogen feeding into the gulf from the rivers has increased every year, which led to a number of beach closures in the region. Urban expansion and farming practices have been found to be contributing factors. In this session, Tim Higham will look at the changes in water quality in the Gulf over time and the different proposals on how to improve that quality.
• The current state of the Hauraki Gulf
• The different proposals on how to increase water quality
• Looking at a single region-wide plan

Tim Higham, Hauraki Gulf Forum Manager, Auckland Council

4.00

Closing remarks from the Chair and end of conference

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