Water Regulation

A major challenge for freshwater management in New Zealand has been the lack of consistent national leadership and regulatory expertise.

For the first 20 years under the Resource Management Act (RMA) there was effectively a vacuum in national direction. Regional councils were left to develop their own freshwater management frameworks, leading to significant inconsistencies in policy, rules and scientific methodologies across the country. This fragmented approach created confusion, fuelled litigation and undermined effective water management.

During this period, monitoring and compliance were chronically underfunded, meaning few checks were carried out to ensure that environmental plans were implemented or that policies achieved the intended outcomes.

The first National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) was introduced in 2011, providing long-needed national guidance. However, successive wholescale revisions in 2014, 2017, and 2020 have struggled to halt freshwater decline. Many regional councils have been slow to integrate national direction into their plans, and progress has been uneven. As of 2025, the Government is undertaking another major reform of the NPS-FM and the associated National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F).

Today, water regulation remains highly politicised and often reactive, with decision-making still driven more by anecdote and short-term interests rather than evidence, long-term sustainability or sound economic outcomes.

Access to robust, transparent environmental data is critical to support informed debate and effective regulation. Without high-quality data and consistent national leadership, it remains difficult to assess whether policies are working or to drive the systemic change needed to restore the health of our wai.