Freshwater Management – Te Waikoropupū Springs, an IEM Approach

Te Waikoropupu Springs (the springs) situated in Mohua / Golden Bay is the largest and clearest freshwaters sources in New Zealand. The springs is sacred (tapu) for local iwi (Ngati Tama) therefore, iwi and others want to protect it from pollution. Since the 1990s, dairy farming around New Zealand has more than doubled in size, this has been the case in the Takaka Valley which is in the upper water catchment of the springs. As a result, freshwater use for dairy farming has increased and degradation of waterways has declined in low-land areas around New Zealand. The film Milked highlights many of the compounding factors that industrialised dairy farming has for people, animals and the environment.



The barriers for improved environmental and sociocultural outcomes for waterway health (including Te Waikoropupu) stem from New Zealand's government's biased approach to managing natural resources. They and other regulatory authorities are caught in a colonial economic growth paradigm which sprang forth from the likes of Adam Smith. The ecological impacts are not being included in their accounting of economic gains brought about through capital and labour. Instead, the adverse effects on the environment are largely ignored and minimised by government (Buhrs, 2022). How could an IEM be possible when dealing with such biases?


The mainstream media in my opinion is part of the industrialised machine that contributes to 'poor reporting' and a poor understanding of the issues for freshwater. The media tends to focus more on dramatic stories that are not solution focused. There is also a political side to this issue. Enforcing strict measures for farmers to reduce the impacts of dairy farming could be political poison. The documentary Hot Air produced by Alster Barry examines this phenomenon and showcases the various barriers to implementing effective pro-environmental policies.



Remaining popular for politicians means staying in power. Meanwhile, society trundles towards ecological collapse spurred on by debt, fossil fuels, by shallow, misleading or consumer focused news reports, and by industrialised agriculture and warped ideals about continual economic growth (Buhrs, 2022). Intrenched mindsets can be a significant barrier to achieving effective integrated environmental outcomes.


Ngati Tama and local environmentalist Andrew Yule sought higher protections for the springs via a Water Conservation Order through the Environment Court. If awarded the WCO will offer more protection for the springs, however, this protection does not deal with the problem source which is pollutants from agricultural intensification within the catchment. This is because the issue is land-based and the WCO can only deal with the water itself.  The regulatory authority in Mohua / Golden Bay (Tasman District Council) began an integrated management process by collaborating with stakeholders in the Takaka catchment through the Freshwater Land Advisory Group (FLAG). However, this process has been overtaken by the Environment Court process. 


Once this is finalised, the Environment Court will set a target for nitrates for the springs which TDC will  have to meet. The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) enshrines measures that regulatory bodies must uphold. The TDC will now need to follow the directive from the Environment Court and consult with iwi and the community to mitigate pollutant pathways to the springs. To follow an IEM for this situation going forwards, a series of approaches are required. In essence, for a truly integrated approach to be successful, it must be strategic, inclusive, well administered and led using a range of interdisciplinary approaches to enable key stakeholders to reach amicable outcomes (Buhrs, 1995). 


An integrated approach is sorely needed, and for this to happen, I suggest 

 1.   Incorporate Māori knowledge and worldviews, and be based on reciprocity, mutual obligation and whakapapa (Joy, 2022).

2.   Gain buy-in from TDC, other stakeholders and sign a memorandum of understanding (Bardwell, 1991)

3.   Gifting & Gaining to build reciprocity, altruistic bonds, and striving for the greater good (Borrie et al., 2020).

4.   Clear conflict resolution processes that validate concerns rather that causes polarisation (Margerum and Born, 1995 & Borrie et al., 2020) 

5.   External ‘non-partisan’ administration, facilitation and coordination of the process (Cairns & Crawford, 1991 & Bardwell, 1991)

6.   Agreed communication and IEM plans that are monitored, refined and updated (Margerum and Born, 1995).

7.   Flexibility and adaptability to changes (Cairns & Crawford, 1991).

8.   Use of reductionist and holistic methodology for analysis, planning and evaluation (Cairns & Crawford, 1991 & Hagens, 2022).

9.   Awareness of high-level political persuasion within IEM analysis and planning (Knight and Joy, 2018).

10.  Sociocultural and ecosystem impact assessments (Buhrs, 1995).

11.  Realistic timescales and Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound objectives (Margerum and Born, 1995 and Cairns & Crawford, 1991).

12.   Regular assessment and refinement of the IEM process gained through feedback (Cairns & Crawford, 1991 & Buhrs, 1995). 

This is quite the list, and if you've got any ideas about what can assist freshwater management in New Zealand, please let me know - just make a comment and see what comes back.

 

References

 

Bardwell, L. V. (1991). Problem-framing: A perspective on environmental problem-                      solving. University of Michigan, 210 Pleasant Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Borrie, A., Brown, L., Butterfield, K., Driver, T., Gear, S., Nevin, S., Shirley, L., &        Wijesinghe, R. (2020).  Gifting and Gaining: Theory, Application, and Linkages with                  Integrated Environmental Management. Lincoln University, New Zealand.

Buhrs, T. (1995). Integrated Environmental Management: Towards a framework for                    application. Environmental Management and Design Division, Lincoln University.

Buhrs, T. (2022). A planetary tragedy. Why humanity fails the environmental challenge.            Fantail Publications, Tauranga, New Zealand. ISBN 978-0-473-62786-7.

Cairns, J. Jr., & Crawford, T. V. (1991). Integrated Environmental Management. Lewis                Publishers, Michigan, United States.

Hagens, N. J. (2022). Steve Keen: Mythonomics. Retrieved from                                                    https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/30-steve-keen 

Joy, M. (2022). Changing Freshwater Management in New Zealand: looking to the future          we must look back. Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. DOI:                                https://doi.org/10.26686/pq.v18i2.757

Margerum, R. D., and Born, S. M. (1995). Integrated Environmental Management:                      Moving from theory to practice. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management,              38(3).


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