As part of a recent public notice, the Waikato Regional Council has notified that introduction of rules required under the new Freshwater Management Act will be delayed in Raglan and other parts of the West Coast Zone till 2020.
The full text of the notice issued on 1st October is:
National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (NPSFM) implementation programme
Waikato Regional Council (the council) is required under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (NPSFM) to publicly notify a programme of time limited stages for implementing the NPSFM, if satisfied that it is impracticable to fully implement it by 31 December 2015.
To achieve all the outcomes sought by the NPSFM, the council considered that the NPSFM requires development of a number of new concepts and processes, including identifying freshwater management units, values and attributes, and freshwater objectives. This requires time for research, public engagement, and then incorporation into Resource Management Act 1991 planning documents. The planning documents will go through the full Resource Management Act 1991 plan making process.
On 27 August the council resolved it impracticable to fully implement the NPSFM by 31 December 2015, and adopted a staged programme to fully implement the NPSFM by 31 December 2025 through a series of plan changes and a regional plan review.
A summary of the plan changes and approach to be undertaken can be found below. The plan changes involve:
- Waikato and Waipa River catchments
- Waihou-Piako and Coromandel catchments
- West Coast catchments, and
- Regional plan review.
Please note the staged implementation program is not open for submissions.
Summary of approach and timeframes to implement the National Policy Statement Freshwater Management will be fully implemented by 31 December 2025.
| Implemenation mechanism* | Summary of approach | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed Regional Policy Statement 2012 | Directs plans to: set limits and targets; take catchment approach; adopt an integrated approach and recognise cumulative effects; manage discharges; identify water bodies needing protection; specify wetland water levels; manage allocation and avoid over-allocation; manage land use and co-ordinate growth and infrastructure;
Guides council processes and activities: provides tangata whenua with opportunities to be involved; use best practice; collaborate with stakeholders; investigate options for controlling adverse effects. |
The Environment Court has made decisions on all appeals except those relating to Opoutere Ratepayers and Residents Association and the indigenous biodiversity topic.
The PRPS 2012 provisions that are not subject to appeal are deemed to be operative. PRPS expected to be operative by early 2016. |
| Waikato Regional Plan (WRP) | Policy and methods: establish allocable and minimum flows and sustainable yields; manage allocation and over-allocation; classify takes; ensure efficient use of water; cap N outputs and manage Lake Taupo as an outstanding water body; manage discharges to water and effluent discharges to land that may enter water; protect values of wetlands; develop and guide best practice. | Operative regional plan incorporating Variation 5 (operative July 2011) Variation 6 (operative April 2012).
In July 2011 the regional plan was updated to include the required Policies A4 and B7; however these policies were amended by the NPS-FM 2014 version and a further update (without using Schedule 1) will be undertaken by December 2015. |
| WRP Change 1 Waikato River and Waipa River catchments | Joint working party agreements with iwi; stakeholder consultation; develop policy and methods to set limits and targets and manage diffuse and point source discharges in the Waikato and Waipa River catchments. | Notify Proposed Plan Change 1 in 2016. |
| WRP Change: Waihou-Piako and Coromandel catchments | Joint working party agreements with iwi; stakeholder consultation; develop policy and methods to set limits and targets and manage water quality in the Waihou, Piako and Coromandel catchments. | Notify Proposed Plan Change estimated 2018. |
| WRP Change: West Coast catchments | Joint working party agreements with iwi; stakeholder consultation; develop policy and methods to set limits and targets and manage water quality in the West Coast catchments. | Notify Proposed Plan Change estimated 2020. |
| WRP review | The regional plan review will address any matters that are outstanding and not included in plan changes listed above, for example, Policy C2 regarding integrated management of the effects from use and development, encouraging co-ordination and sequencing of growth, land use and development and infrastructure. | Review completed by 2025. |
| Conclusion | All documents operative by December 2025. |