Waimakariri Land and Water Solutions Programme

The Waimakariri Land & Water Solutions Programme was a collaborative project led by the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee. The committee worked with the community to develop specific land and water management recommendations for the zone to feed into local and regional council plans and rules. 

Local water management priorities

More than two years of engagement and ongoing feedback from all sectors of the community, including over 60 workshops, community meetings and feedback sessions resulted in the development of an implementation programme. This document reflects the community's priorities for local water management.

How we got here

  1. A Zone Implementation Programme outlining the actions and tactics required to improve water quality in the zone was developed with the community and finalised in 2011.
  2. In 2015 the committee talked to the community to capture their priorities for local water management before beginning to develop a “Zone Implementation Programme Addendum” (ZIPA) the following year with a set of recommendations to councils to address the community's goals for local water management including protecting drinking water quality, improving instream health and environmental flows, protecting and enhancing cultural values and biodiversity, reducing nitrates and sediment run-off, and managing surface and groundwater allocations. 
  3. The ZIPA was received by Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council at their respective meetings in late December 2018. While we may have moved on in terms of our priorities in each zone, ZIPs remain the foundation of the work we do.
  4. The ZIPA was used as the basis for Plan Change 7 to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan. 

Working with community

Thank you to those who made the time to get involved in the ZIPA process. Below is some information on the feedback and outcomes from the process.

The Waimakariri Water Zone Committee received feedback from the following people and groups.

Feedback received from:
Name
22 people responded anonymously via the website questionnaire
Alan Crowe
Alan Hawkins
Alex Dalzell
Alister Metherell
An O’Grady
Andrew Marwick
Beef and Lamb
Bob Gumbrell
Bowden Environmental
Canterbury District Health Board
Carleton Dairies Ltd
Carolyn Rossiter
Christchurch City Council
Christchurch West Melton Zone Committee
Craig McIntosh
Cust River Water Users Group
DairyNZ
Dan Harris
Department of Conservation
Dr Richard Lucy
Drucilla Kingi-Patterson
Environment Canterbury (Biodiversity and River Engineering)
Eyreton Produce Limited
Federated Farmers New Zealand
G Reed
Harry Meijer
Henry Wardell
Horticulture New Zealand
Holton Farm
James Ensor
James Parbery
Jenna Young
John and Lynn Madeley
John Larsen
John Murchison
Judy Ansen
Kaiapoi Tuaiwi Community Board
Kay Deer
Kelvin Belcher
Kerin and Erin Brown
Knightlea Ltd
Lesley Hurley
Linda Pocock
Louise Douglas
Mandeville Residents Association
Marilyn Dalzell
Mark Barlow
Michael Bate
Next Generation Farmers Group
Nekta Nutrition UK Ltd 
Norm Trebilcock
North Canterbury Fish & Game Council
NZ Deer Farmers Association (Canterbury-West Coast Branch)
Oxford Ohoka Community Board
Penny Wright
R & G Rouse
Rangiora Ashley Community Board
Rangiora High School
Ravensdown
Ray Norris
Rhonda and Peter Sherriff
Richard Lucy
Richard Stalker
Robert Devlin
Rosemary Clark
Rosina & Graham Rouse, feedback supported by 27 other parties
Scott and Sarah Rossiter
Shaun Lissington
Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara Trust
Thomas McBreaky
Waimakariri District Council (3 Waters)
Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd
Woodend Sefton Community Board
WJ & LE Bailey Farming Ltd 
WJ Winter & Sons Ltd

Community freshwater outcomes

The zone committee has worked with the community to develop nine freshwater outcomes

1. The Ashley River/Rakahuri is safe for contact recreation, has improved river habitat, fish passage, and customary use; and has flows that support natural coastal processes

2. The Waimakariri River as a receiving environment is a healthy habitat for freshwater and coastal species, and is protected and managed as an outstanding natural landscape and recreation resource

3. The water quality and quantity of spring-fed streams maintains or improves mahinga kai gathering and diverse aquatic life

4. Highly reliable irrigation water, to a target of 95%, is available in the zone

5. Indigenous biodiversity in the zone is protected and improved

6. The zone has safe and reliable drinking water, preferably from secure sources

7. Optimal water and nutrient management is common practice

8. Improved contribution to the regional economy from the zone

9. Land and freshwater management in the Waimakariri Zone will, over time, support the maintenance of the current high-quality drinking water from Christchurch's aquifers.

Previous workshops and meetings

Community engagement on the draft Zone Implementation Addendum was held between Wednesday 26 September and Wednesday 10 October 2018. Various sessions were held in Kaiapoi, Pegasus, Oxford, Rangiora, Belfast and Ohoka Market.

Download presentation

Silverstream, Courtenay stream, Greigs drain and Coastal streams water consent holder workshop

7 June 2018
Download presentation 

Ohoka water consent holder workshop
6 June 2018
Download presentation

Cust Main Drain, Cust River, No.7 water consent holder workshop
31 May 2018
Download presentation

Cam, North, Middle and South Brook water consent holder workshop
30 May 2018
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Eyre catchment discussion on nitrates meeting
2 May 2018

Saltwater Creek water consent holder workshop
24 April 2018
Download presentation

Ashley River/ Rakahuri water consent holder workshop
19 April 2018
Download presentation

Little Ashley, Taranaki and Waikuku water consent holder workshop
18 April 2018
Download presentation

Community meetings to address nitrates in the Waimakariri Zone

Wednesday 18 July 2018
Thursday 19 July 2018
Wednesday 25 July 2018

Download presentation

See Storymap for water consent holders workshops in November 2017 and Community meetings in Oct and Nov 2016 and April 2017.

Other information

Technical reports

Cultural assessment

Economics

Estuary water quality and ecology

Farmer Panel Information

Groundwater

Land use

Nitrate Information

Social and recreation

Surface water quantity

Surface water quality and ecology

Read older technical reports

Historical information (prior to 1 January 2018)

Frequently asked questions

What is the Waimakariri Water Zone Implementation Programme Addendum?

The Waimakariri Water Zone Committee has been working with the community over the past few years to develop a shared vision for freshwater in the zone.

A series of recommendations that set out on-the-ground actions to help address land and freshwater challenges in the zone have been developed and these are reflected in the committee’s draft Zone Implementation Programme Addendum (ZIPA).

Now the recommendations have been accepted by councils, they will inform plans for water management, such as plan changes to the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.

What did the committee recommend and why?

The zone committee’s recommendations fell into five key areas. This table identifies these key areas and provides an example of the kinds of actions that could help freshwater challenges in the zone:
Key area Recommendation example
Improving stream health Broad suite of recommendations to manage run-off contaminants, sediment and riparian planting through practical actions and catchment plans; education and support to landowners; additional protection for aquatic species; barriers to fish passage; extending stock exclusion rules to drains and springs; and additional monitoring.
Protecting and Enhancing Indigenous biodiversity Recommendations to enhance Ngāi Tūāhuriri values and indigenous terrestrial, freshwater and estuarine biodiversity; support for community groups and implementation of the Canterbury Regional Biodiversity Strategy; and a working group and investigation and monitoring programme for the Ashley Estuary (Te Aka Aka).
Reducing nitrates Nitrate limits for rivers and drinking water supply wells; a Nitrate Priority Management Area and staged approach to reducing nitrate losses from farms (beyond GMP); non-statutory actions including managed aquifer recharge; changes to permitted activity areas for winter grazing of cattle; and monitoring and review.
Managing Surface water Quantity Changes to minimum flows and allocation limits for rivers and methods to address over-allocation.
Managing Groundwater Quantity Changes to Groundwater Allocation Zones and groundwater allocation limits to better manage the groundwater resource in the zone.

How will the recommendations be implemented?

The recommendations will inform council plans for water management. The community will have a chance to submit on any formal local or regional plan change processes.

There will also be practical actions the community, industry, and other organisations can make to reflect the intent of the recommendations. For urban people this could be as simple as washing your car on the lawn instead of your driveway so toxins don't enter our streams via the wastewater system.

Find more information about the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee.

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