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
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