Freshwater
The Resource Management Act (RMA) is the foundation of freshwater management in New Zealand. The primary planning ‘tools’ are policies and rules in Regional Plans. Central Government can also make national policy and regulations under the RMA.
Essential Freshwater
Essential Freshwater is part of the Government’s Action for Healthy Waterways package. It covered a suite of new regulations including a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and National Environmental Standards for Freshwater which came into force on 3 September 2020.
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A National Policy Statement sets out objectives and policies that apply nationally.
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There has been a National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) since 2014. This was amended in 2017, and on 3 September 2020, it was replaced by the new NPSFM 2020. The NESFM 2020 must be given effect to by regional councils in regional plans. |
| A National Environmental Standard is a set of ‘rules’ which apply nationally – they are like rules in a plan, and are implemented/enforced by Councils. | The National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 (NESFW) is the first NES for water, although there are NES’s for other resource management issues (e.g. renewable electricity generation, transmission lines, air quality, forestry). |