New Zealand National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (Te Mana o te Wai)

Summary

On 3 September 2020, the New Zealand government adopted a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management to provide authorities with updated guidelines about managing freshwater under the Resource Management Act of 1991. This National Policy Statement replaces the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (amended in 2017) that came into force on 7 September 2017.

The Policy Statement uses an indigenous model and the Māori concept of Te Mana o te Wai as the fundamental concept underpinning the policy. This “is a concept that refers to the fundamental importance of water and recognises that protecting the health of freshwater protects the health and well-being of the wider environment. It protects the mauri of the wai. Te Mana o te Wai is about restoring and preserving the balance between the water, the wider environment, and the community.” (page 5)

Framework (page 5)
Te Mana o te Wai encompasses 6 principles relating to the roles of tangata whenua (indigenous Māori people of New Zealand) and other New Zealanders in the management of freshwater, all of which inform the Policy Statement and its implementation:

(a) Mana whakahaere: the power, authority, and obligations of tangata whenua to make decisions that maintain, protect, and sustain the health and well-being of, and their relationship with, freshwater

(b) Kaitiakitanga: the obligation of tangata whenua to preserve, restore, enhance, and sustainably use freshwater for the benefit of present and future generations

(c) Manaakitanga: the process by which tangata whenua show respect, generosity, and care for freshwater and for others

(d) Governance: the responsibility of those with authority for making decisions about freshwater to do so in a way that prioritises the health and well-being of freshwater now and into the future

(e) Stewardship: the obligation of all New Zealanders to manage freshwater in a way that ensures it sustains present and future generations

(f) Care and respect: the responsibility of all New Zealanders to care for freshwater in providing for the health of the nation.

The text states that Te Mana o te Wai is relevant to all freshwater management and not just to the specific aspects of freshwater management referred to in this National Policy Statement.

The policy statement is still in effect.