Paper shows water reforms just a trickle

The Cabinet paper on freshwater policy from Environment Minister Nick Smith shows water quality will take many years, if ever, to be restored to parts of New Zealand, says Labour’s water spokesman Brendon Burns.

Brendon Burns says the paper reveals that while regional councils are due to implement the National Freshwater Management Policy Statement over the next three and a half years, there is an out-clause.

“The cabinet paper says that ‘if it is impracticable to meet this deadline’ councils have until December 2030, meaning we could wait 16 years before any real chance of our birthright of safe, clean water being restored.

“Even then the Cabinet paper says the NPS objective --- to establish a bottom-line for water quality everywhere in New Zealand --- is not possible. It says where water sources are badly degraded, such variability will be accepted so long as it is ‘offset’ within a region by other water quality improvements.”

Brendon Burns said that a comparison of the original NPS on freshwater management and Dr Smith’s version also shows his version has been substantially weakened.

“Whereas the draft NPS required conditions to be imposed on all discharge permits affecting freshwater in order to protect the environment, it now simply requires councils to have regard to any adverse effect,” Brendon Burns said.

“Dr Smith protests that such conditions can’t be imposed though he’s yet to reveal that advice. I have no doubt that the pro-growth cabal in Cabinet has won the day and weakened the environmental protection once promoted for water by the Minister.

“While there’s $15m more to improve water quality, the Government is making open-ended promises to investigate and fund irrigation schemes, some of which are likely to prove ‘impractical’ in terms of meeting the worthy-sounding goals of the NPS.”

Brendon Burns says he also fears for the future of regional councils who attempt to introduce tougher rules on water quality.

“Environment Canterbury’s elected councillors, abolished last year for supposedly failing to manage water properly, said they had needed national standards for water which are still not being introduced. Other regional councils which dare to put the environment ahead of short-term economic growth now risk the same fate.”