Harnessing the opportunities of the national water reform
At a glance
As New Zealand’s water sector works through a national water reform programme, it’s the time for us to rethink our business as usual. With increasing pressure from ageing infrastructure, population growth, climate change, community, and iwi expectations, we cannot continue to do what we have always done. The impending disruption presents us with an ideal opportunity for transformation. It’s a chance to pivot, to change the way we tackle these nationwide challenges and achieve meaningful, sustainable local outcomes in the process.
So, what could a better, more viable approach to water management in New Zealand look like?
Our recent involvement in a collaborative, integrated water management (IWM) approach to the Waikato Sub-Regional Three Waters Project provides some valuable insights. The approach illustrates how applying a different lens to three waters decision making can lead to improved short, medium, and longer-term environmental and community outcomes.
IWM observes all the elements and interactions of the water cycle, from rainfall and stormwater, potable water, wastewater, and our water bodies. Further, it also considers how the cycle responds to external factors such as population growth, and climate change. Within IWM, interdependencies are typically considered at a catchment or regional scale. Decision-making is undertaken collaboratively, by a multidisciplinary team and informed by a deep consideration of the receiving environment, as well as stakeholder values and objectives.
Key players in the Waikato Sub-Regional Three Waters Project came together to form the organisation 'Future Proof'. The group’s key objective was to enable sub-regional growth and develop 'best for river' outcomes for the Waikato River. This group consisted of three district councils: Hamilton City, Waipa and Waikato and Waikato Regional, alongside Watercare, the Department of Internal Affairs, iwi, and the Ministry for the Environment.
Under the Future Proof umbrella, the group considered all water-related interactions across the sub-region, regardless of council jurisdictional boundaries. We advised the group through a business case process, bringing to light any major issues and problems across the councils’ three waters operations. Opportunities to tackle these problems were then identified and assessed against 10-, 30- and 100-year timeframes.
Without consciously amending our way of thinking to focus on the river and community outcomes, the project would have undoubtedly led to business-as-usual solutions.
To support this, we developed a multi-criteria approach that put 'best for river' outcomes at the centre of decision making. This placed the quality of the river environment and the value of the river to iwi and the community at the heart of our planning. We chose not to weigh capital investment as the most significant factor or allow it to be seen as a barrier to change. Without consciously amending our way of thinking to focus on the river and community outcomes, the project would have undoubtedly led to business-as-usual solutions.
In practice, this meant considering long term factors when implementing short-term solutions. Ensuring that anything implemented now does not hinder our ability to benefit from technological advances or adapt to challenges in the future. For example, analysing the risk of increased inundation issues in the future when considering whether to invest in a treatment plant located in a flood hazard area. Asking questions such as 'is a retreat from the area required as a response to climate change?' or 'should future wet industry zones be grouped together and located in areas where rainfall can be harvested, and excess water can be reused and recycled?'
Overall, the collaboration identified several efficient infrastructure solutions which could deliver 'best for river' outcomes. Upgrading this plant was determined as the best transformational opportunity across the entire sub-region, enabling growth whilst meeting the needs of the community, iwi and environment. Having successfully identified their first action, the group now needs to agree on how to ensure the longevity of the project. This will include the governance structure, funding arrangements and the location of a new, regional wastewater treatment facility.
This project has demonstrated that it is possible to generate solutions across large jurisdictional areas, whilst still considering local knowledge and perspectives. By harnessing the upcoming changes to our industry, and moving beyond traditional cost-driven solutions, we can choose to focus on where investment can have the greatest overall benefit. Not just in the delivery of physical infrastructure, but in the realisation of meaningful community and environmental outcomes. This approach is more likely to lead to solutions that can accommodate and adapt to future challenges.