From the Chair: Keri Johnstone

TOM KAY

Freshwater Advocate, Forest & Bird

Forest & Bird’s vision is for rivers, streams, and wetlands in Aotearoa New Zealand to be clean, healthy, and full of life. But right now, nature is at breaking point. Most lowland rivers are unsafe for swimming. Three-quarters of native freshwater fish species are listed as threatened or at risk of extinction. Droughts and floods are increasingly causing havoc across the country, sometimes one after the other as recently seen in Northland.

How we manage and use water to sustain people and the planet is a difficult discussion that we have to have, especially as we grapple with the effects of climate change.

Every extreme weather event confirms how deeply our economy, our health, and our way of life depends on a healthy environment. Climate change will affect everything we do – we need to take action to protect our environment, and our future.

There are two sides to managing our fresh water to create a better future for people and the planet.

Firstly, we need to protect water with strong rules – a robust National Policy Statement on freshwater management with bottom lines for nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to protect human health and the environment. We need to draw a line in the sand to stop further degradation.

Secondly, we need to restore fresh water by committing to regenerative models of agriculture; to efficient irrigation and farm systems with precision technologies; to reinstating wetlands and riparian margins; to transitioning away from water-intensive land uses; and to repairing and upgrading rural and urban stormwater and wastewater treatment systems.

Irrigation has a role to play in increasing our resilience to climate change impacts, but it can only play that role alongside systems that are inherently resilient themselves.

We need to use water more efficiently and more carefully to protect the environment we are so dependent on.

New Zealand can manage water in a way that enhances, restores, and works with nature to protect people and the planet. We have to do this because we need nature. But first nature needs us.

DAMIEN O’CONNOR

Labour Party Minister for Agriculture

Agriculture is my heritage and my passion. It is an incredible privilege to serve in a Labourled Government which is backing our primary producers for the long-term.

Access to water is vital to New Zealand’s farmers, growers and rural communities, which provide the grunt for our economy.

Water has been a particular focus for this Government – and will continue to be a focus for the Labour party.

We are interested in improving freshwater quality, something farmers and urban Kiwis agree is necessary. Doing so will help protect our farmers’ international reputation for sustainably produced food and fibre and safeguard excellent commodity prices.

We have delivered on our commitment to freshwater reforms which will stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and restore our waterways to health within a generation.

Our country also faces huge infrastructure challenges with regard to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. This Government has addressed that through our $761 million Three Waters stimulus and reform funding for councils.

As we rebuild the economy following the effects of a global pandemic, we have an opportunity to build back better than before and factor in resilience for our productive primary sector.

We know that, with climate change, we can expect more acute weather events so it’s important we help farmers and growers get their businesses ready for future drought.

Irrigation is necessary and this Government has supported the ongoing investigation and development of smaller and focussed irrigation schemes.

New Zealand can’t take water storage for granted. We will need to store water into the future.

My vision is for a resilient primary sector striving for value over volume and this means irrigation schemes must be environmentally and economically viable, with vital regional infrastructure supported by the Government. This will provide a good balance to ensure better outcomes for all New Zealanders.

MARK PATTERSON

New Zealand First Agriculture and Primary Industry Spokesperson

The current COVID-19 situation has writ large the importance of our primary sector to New Zealand’s economic wellbeing. While other sectors have been devastated, agricultural and horticultural exports have cranked out yet another record year and to a large extent cushioned the economic blow.

New Zealand First believe that water storage is the single greatest opportunity to build resilience and diversify our primary sector and our rural communities.

New Zealand has enviable amounts of water and it is just plain common sense to capture at times of surplus and utilise it in times of need. This provides the opportunity to diversify into new higher returning land uses or drought proof existing operations. With the effects of climate change starting to play out in