Locals sought for new water community group
Locals sought for new water community group
The Grey River catchment is to be the focus of a new community group and the West Coast Regional Council needs locals involved.
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.
Six Freshwater Management Units (FMUs) 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. One of these is the Grey FMU, which encompasses the Grey River catchment.
Regional Council Planning, Science and Innovation Manager, Hadley Mills said that the purpose of the Grey FMU group was to represent their local community in the Grey River catchment.
“It’s really important we have locals involved to help us identify the community’s values and issues regarding freshwater quality and quantity in the Grey FMU,” Mr Mills said. “The Group will then make recommendations to Council’s Resource Management Committee for future plan provisions and work programmes to manage the land and water resources within this FMU.”
The Group will operate in partnership with the local Runanga, Te Rūnnaga o Ngāti Waewae, to recognise and respect the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and develop recommendations which consider manawhenua cultural values.
The Grey FMU group will be officially appointed by the Council’s Resource Management Committee and will include up to eight members from the community with a range of backgrounds and interests related to land and water management values. Selection will ensure that an adequate cross section of community values are represented and a broad range of perspectives are considered. Local iwi, along with regional and district council elected representatives will also be part of the group.
“We are now seeking expressions of interest from local community members who are interested in freshwater management and who will be committed to the success of this group,” said Mr Mills.
For more information regarding the NPSFM, the Grey FMU or how to become a community representative on the Grey FMU group visit the Grey FMU page here, email Stefan Beaumont stefan@wcrc.govt.nz or call 03 744 7327.
The closing date for applications is 20 September 2018.
The Council currently has 21 water quality monitoring sites, nine hydrology (river level and/or rainfall) sites, and 15 groundwater (level and quality) monitoring sites within the Grey FMU. Data from these sites can be found at www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/west-coast-region/
