Sustainable Development And Water Use In
New Zealand: Water Priority And Allocation
Under Section 5 Of The Resource Management
Act 1991 And The National Policy Statement On
Freshwater Management 2011
Author(s)
G. Charlton & B. Brunette
Abstract
Since the enactment of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) New
Zealand’s fresh water resources have been subject to increasing demand,
challenging the ability of water resources to be redirected for new uses and
threatening the ecological integrity of areas dependent upon minimum
availability of water. Under the RMA, use and allocation of fresh water is
determined through regional plans and the first-come first-served principle as
articulated by the New Zealand High Court in Aoraki Water Trust v. Meridian
Energy [2005] 2 NZLR 268. This paper explores the decision-making process
for regional plans and resource consents in New Zealand (which can privilege
entrenched uses, specific economic concerns of a region, or interests of
organized groups) in light of the sustainability objectives of the RMA. It argues
the new National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management 2011 does little
to enhance the sustainability objective of the RMA because it neither affects the
first-in-time priority rule for re-allocation of scarce water resources nor does it
replace regional and district councils as the primary regulators of water quantity
issues. These allocation decisions should be guided by a national decisionmaking
entity, using national rules and guidelines to supplement local decisions.
These national decision-making processes would be better able to balance the
interests of existing consent holders, the general public and the environment in a
manner that enhances the sustainable development objectives of the RMA.
Keywords: Resource Management Act 1991, National Policy Statement 2011,
water allocation, sustainability.
Keywords
Resource Management Act 1991, National Policy Statement 2011,water allocation, sustainability
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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