Environmental limits
Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) goals in this target area relate to the review of environmental flows and catchment load limits, and the implementation of a programme to review existing consents, where needed, to achieve catchment load limits.
Environmental flows are the quantity, timing and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the biodiversity, natural character, recreation and cultural values of these environments.
Catchment load limits are the amount of nutrients that can be used within a catchment without threatening ecosystem health, drinking water, biodiversity, and cultural and recreational values.
Here's how things are progressing against 2025 goals.
Environmental flows and catchment load limits
By 2025: All planning processes include consideration of how environmental flows and catchment load limits will be achieved by a mix of regulatory and non-regulatory means that may include consent reviews.
Has this goal been met?
- A review of the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement began in 2022. The review was paused in November 2024 until the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 is reviewed, or until January 2026 (whichever is sooner). At the point the review was paused, a draft Canterbury Regional Policy Statement had been prepared.
- Plan Change 7 to the Land and Water Regional Plan and Plan Change 2 to the Waimakariri River Regional Plan were made fully operative in September 2023.
- Zone committees across the region developed three-year action plans (2021-2024) and have continued to support projects and community actions to achieve the priorities identified in their action plans.
- The Waitaha Action to Impact Fund was created in 2021 to support a range of community-led projects.
- Environment Canterbury continues to respond to new national direction (including the RMA reforms and changes to freshwater policies).
- Environment Canterbury’s Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 identifies the importance of providing resources to support local action and will continue to support access to co-funding for projects that align with Council’s strategic priorities, as well as advice and other assistance.
By 2025: Of those consents that do not comply with plan environmental flows and catchment load limits, 20% have been reviewed to apply plan limits.
Has the goal been met?
Environment Canterbury currently has over 26,000 active consents. A small number of consent reviews are being undertaken in the Ashburton District’s high country.
- Work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Environment Canterbury’s consenting service (including preparing for consents that will require reviews and renewals as they expire) began in 2023.
- 87 resource consents that take surface water or stream-depleting groundwater in the Hakatere/Ashburton River catchment were reviewed between 2021 and 2023.
- Environment Canterbury’s Long-Term Plan 2024-2034 identifies key areas of work covering consents and compliance with the regulatory framework and includes measures to improve compliance. A programme to review existing consents coming up for expiry and renewals is being established.
- A similar programme to review consents where they do not meet current environmental flows and limits is also being developed.
By 2025: All catchments have planning frameworks that include both environmental flows and catchment load limits that are consistent with the fundamental principles of the CWMS and that:
- are consistent with ecosystem health and biodiversity targets
- for all braided rivers include flood peaks, flow variability, flood periodicity, channel
- forming flows to maintain their braided river character and ecosystems
- afford protection to instream values identified in Ngāi Tahu policies
- are consistent with the recreational uses of the water body
- consider all the target areas of this strategy
Has the goal been met?
Environmental flows and specific catchment load limits have been set in the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan and its sub-regional plans. However, not all catchments have specific planning frameworks.
The Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan provides clear direction on how land and water are to be managed in the region. Sub-regional plans have been developed for six areas which cover a range of catchments. Some catchments are also managed by river regional plans and catchment plans.
Assessment of the planning framework requirements of additional catchments may be undertaken via the development of the integrated planning framework.