Setting the limits in Greater Wellington

Wairarapa water users

Current Wairarapa situation

• Who is WWUIS?

• Wairarapa wants more water

• New water reliant on storage

• Current supply not over allocated

• Water use for dairies being modelled rather than measured

• Water quality good generally

• Lake Wairarapa ingoing water being improved

Process

• Involved in plan review for last 2 years

• Have a working document for discussion

• Collaborative process

• Seeking interim feedback from GW at present

• 1st draft due sept/oct this year

• Proposed plan due early next year

Parallel Process

• Ruamahanga whaitua (zone) committee recently set up

• 1st for region

• Good community representation

• Will recommend agreed program to regional council

• Whaitua is critical contact point for next 2 years

• Regional governance also being reviewed

Whaitua catchments

Limits

• Minimum flows and allocation limits set on all waterways (2 altered but

may be reversed)

• No new allocations on shallow aquifers

• Minimum flows could change

• Subdivision water allocation rules proposed to be altered

• Proposed quality objectives for outcomes in disc document

• Values for different water bodies being developed

Participants

• Agri group set up to improve plan input

• Have had good support from fed farmers, fonterra, dairynz , irrignz,

hortnz and pork council

• Staying engaged with all parties

• Starting to get to serious end

• Will need more scientific support

• Greater wellington regional council show a real willingness to do process

well

Using Water well

• Have hosted irrignz managers course

• Ran good water use field day

• Trying to improve public perception of irrigators

• Seems Wellington city view of our water use not so good

• Perception will determine limits placed on allocation

It’s a start!!!

70 people attend field day