The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPSFM) requires Councils to work with their communities to understand how they value waterways and what goals should be set for the future, based on economic, social, cultural and environmental factors. A key requirement of the NPSFM is that the quality of our rivers, lakes and groundwater must be maintained or improved.
Freshwater Management Units have been identified across the West Coast region in order to effectively manage water resources in different areas where issues and community values may vary. Between 2018-2021, a community group was formed for each FMU.These are:
The FMU Groups operated in partnership with the local Rūnanga to recognise and respect the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and developed recommendations which consider manawhenua cultural values.
Each FMU group was officially appointed by the Council’s Resource Management Committee and included up to eight members from the community with a range of backgrounds and interests related to land and water management values. Selection ensured that a cross section of community values were represented and a broad range of perspectives were considered. Local Iwi, along with regional and district council elected representatives were also be part of the Groups.
Each Groups' Recommendations Report can be found here.
