Plan Change Tuatahi

In Southland, our big water quality goal is to achieve hauora (healthy resilience) for waterbodies, within a generation.

We’re building on what’s already been done, and drawing together the latest environmental science, economic analysis, mātauranga (knowledge) and input from Southlanders to update our regional plan - the Southland Water and Land Plan.

At the same time, we’re supporting and encouraging action by Southlanders to make more rapid progress towards improving water quality in our lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, springs, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters.

Developing the Southland Water and Land Plan

Work towards improving our water and land has been underway for some time.

We’ve had a planned programme of work since 2011, when the Government first set out expectations for improving water quality in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM). The Southland Water and Land Plan was notified (made public) in 2016. This set a foundation for managing water and land in the region based on ki uta ki tai, Te Mana o te Wai and hauora, which is already guiding outcomes in the region.

The Southland Water and Land Plan was seeking to address activities known to have a significant effect on water quality, such as land use intensification, urban discharges, wintering and stock access to waterways. This plan has been going through a formal process of hearings and appeals.

Since the Southland Water and Land Plan was notified in 2016, both the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and the process by which Environment Southland proposes to implement it have changed.

In 2020, an updated NPS-FM strengthened the foundations of Te Mana o te Wai, already woven into Southland's plan.

In May 2024, Environment Southland made the plan mostly operative, with just a few matters still before the courts to be resolved. Read more about that decision here.

Environment Southland's revised freshwater work programme (2024)

In 2024 the Government announced it would be updating the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and replacing it with a new NPS.

At the Strategy and Policy Committee meeting on 12 September 2024, councillors agreed to a two-phase approach to their freshwater work programme. The key resolutions from the meeting were as follows:

That changes to the Southland Water and Land Plan and Regional Policy Statement giving full effect to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management will be notified by the end of 2027, and earlier if practicable.
That Council direct staff to continue scoping a plan change to the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan and Regional Policy Statement to set long-term goals, address minor issues and enable improved environmental practice for notification in the first half of 2025.
That Council confirm an organisational focus on catchment level planning and working with the community and stakeholders at both the catchment and property scale to encourage positive action.

The following messaging was confirmed:

Environment Southland encourages and supports positive action to improve freshwater.
Over the next two years we will be working with our communities to develop catchment plans that detail the actions the community wishes to take to improve freshwater.
Coming together to achieve meaningful change at a catchment scale is important. While those responsible for the greatest environmental impact will need to make a greater contribution, everyone must play their part.
The practice of grandparenting will not be part of our future approach to managing freshwater
We encourage people to reduce losses and uptake improved environmental practice now.
Limits will form part of the 2027 plan change but what these will look like is yet to be determined. A reference period will be used in the future, and we encourage landowners to record information from the last 10 years (e.g. a reference period of July 2014 to June 2019) on land use area and type, stock types and numbers, fertiliser use, and actions adopted on-farm.

This reflects the Regional Forum’s advice for a community and catchment-centred approach and aligns with the Government’s messaging in relation to its freshwater programme, which looks to enable more local catchment-level solutions.

You can read the agenda item and watch the recording of the meeting here: https://www.es.govt.nz/about-us/meetings?item=id:2ra8ei75217q9szw00g9

Read the media release following the Committee meeting here: https://www.es.govt.nz/about-us/news?item=id:2rh02f5o81cxbyxmkman