Files
Abstract
This paper reviews the progress to date of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy and
identifies key developments and emerging issues. The paper examines the provision of storage,
water use efficiency, environmental flow adjustments, nutrients from land use intensification,
biodiversity enhancements and kaitiakitanga. The collaborative process has led to some more
sustainable changes. One is the use of off-river storage and tributary storage as alternatives to
mainstem storage. A second is improved environmental flow regimes by increasing minimum flows
and reducing allocations at low flows; but enabling access to allocations at higher flows and
providing time to adjust to new requirements.
The parallel achievement of reduced nitrate loads and increased irrigation areas is proving
problematic. Water use efficiency is advancing on some fronts – piped distribution replacing canal
distribution and ongoing conversions to spray irrigation – but not on others – soil moisture demand
irrigation and reallocation of surface and groundwater use to enhance recharge. Biodiversity
enhancements and incorporating kaitiakitanga in water management are showing positive progress.
Some of the key emerging issues include the allocation of nitrate capacity between existing and new
users, and, the need for increased capacity for predictive modelling and field measurement to
improve management of the use of scarce water and the cumulative effects of its use.