Zone committee recommendations

The OTOP Water Zone Committee has developed a package of recommendations called a Zone Implementation Programme Addendum (ZIPA), for regulatory and non-statutory actions to improve water quality and quantity, as well as biodiversity and tāngata whenua values in the zone.

Since 2016, public meetings have been held throughout the region to discuss water management priorities. The feedback from these meetings – including the outcomes expected by the community - helped guide the committee’s 100 plus recommendations to councils and stakeholders, released in December 2018. These recommendations form an Addendum to the Zone Implementation Programme (PDF File, 4.85MB) that was developed with the community in 2012.

The priorities of the ZIPA include the provision of safe drinking water, protecting mahinga kai and sites of cultural significance, protecting native plants and their habitat and maintaining a reliable source of water that contributes to the economy.

Opihi River

Reports on ecological flow, economics, water quality, and culture

In this comprehensive collection of technical reports spanning several years, diverse aspects of the Ōrāri Temuka Ōpihi Pareora (OTOP) Zone's environmental management are meticulously examined. Covering ecological flow assessments, economic evaluations, water quality investigations, and cultural values, these reports provide a thorough exploration of the current state, alternative pathways, and potential solutions sought for sustainable water resource management in the region.

Technical reports

Current State & Current Pathways

Alternative Pathways

Background Information

Zone committee memos

Flow and Allocation
Proposed Opihi River Adaptive Management Regime (Opuha Water Limited)
Key Decision Areas Pareora Catchment
Opihi River catchment Ecological flow review
Surface water flows and allocation in the Timaru Freshwater Management Unit
Current Environmental Flow and Allocation Regime in the Opihi and Temuka Catchments for Surface Water and Groundwater
Current Allocation in the Opihi and Temuka Catchment and Options for Setting Allocation Limits
Updated flow statistics and ecological minimum flow options
On Farm Water Storage
Flow and allocation for the Opihi and Temuka catchments
High Naturalness Water Bodies within the Orari, Opihi, Temuka and Pareora Zones
Groundwater-surface water interaction in the Coopers Creek catchment.
High Naturalness Water Bodies within the OTOP Zone
Stream Depletion in the Opihi and Temuka Catchments
Temuka Catchment Revision
Evaluation of the Opihi FAWP's Preferred Environmental Flow and Allocation Regimes for the Tributaries of the Opihi River
Updated FAWP hydrology evaluation to include pro-rata partial restrictions
Alternative water management and water sources for stream depleting takes within the Opihi and Temuka catchments
Potential Consenting Pathway for the Formation of Global Water
Assessment of flow allocation regimes on ecologically important flows of the Opihi River tributaries
Hydrological evaluation of options to address the flow regime in the Temuka Catchment
Assessment of Temuka Catchment Working Party (TCWP) and ZIPA options on ecological flows
Evaluation of the FAWP B block proposal for the Opihi Catchment
Number of Permit Types per Sub-Catchment in the Opihi Catchment
Agricultural Production under Proposed OTOP Zone Flow Regimes (Aqualinc)
Outcomes and Solutions Sought by Opuha Water Ltd
Management of Plantation Forests in Flow Sensitive Catchments in the OTOP Zone A Review
OTOP Zone Defining Freshwater Management Units

Nutrient Management
Winter Forage under Plan Change 5 permitted activity rules
Management of nitrate hotspot in the Orari catchment
Water quality issues and options for groundwater and surface waterways of the Timaru freshwater management unit (FMU)
Water quality objective and limits for the OTOP community outcomes
Options for Managing Industrial Discharges in the Orari, Temuka, Opihi and Pareora Freshwater Management Units
Current Nutrient Management Planning Framework in the OTOP Zone
Farming Activities and Community Drinking Water Supplies in the Orari, Temuka, Opihi and Pareora Zones
Pathways to achieving LWRP water quality outcomes
Managing the risk to water quality posed by deer farming on sloping land
Memorandum Managing the nitrate hotspot areas
Achieving the Recommended Water Quality Outcomes for Nitrates in the Orari-Temuka-Orari-Pareora Zone
Impact of different Permitted Activity (PA) thresholds on water quality in groundwater provinces and surface waters in the OTOP zone

Biodiversity
Protection of Indigenous Biodiversity in the Orari, Temuka, Opihi and Pareora Zones
Protection of Indigenous Biodiversity in the Orari, Temuka, Opihi and Pareora Zones

Cultural Values
Recognising and Protecting Cultural Values in OTOP

Meetings and presentations

Contact us 

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