Part of the National Objectives Framework in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 process requires regional councils, in consultation with communities and tangata whenua, to identify freshwater values and attributes.
There are four compulsory values in the NPS-FM 2020:
The NPS-FM 2020 requires regional councils to identify the values that are associated with the water bodies in their regions.
The ImplementingTe Mana o Te Wai project is developing a suite of processes, and regional tools and resources to support the upskilling of mana whenua practitioners and regional authority staff in understanding and implementing Te Mana o te Wai.
A new collection of practical resources aims to guide the implementation of Te Mana o te Wai, the concept that puts the well-being aims to water itself as the priority for freshwater management under the National Policy Statement on Freshwater 2020.
Developed with funding from the Our Land and Water National ScienceChallenge, the guidance and learning resources were developed by a group led by Tina Porou (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri and Ngāti Rakaipaaka), director of environmental planning agency Poipoia Ltd. The group brought together mātauranga Māori experts from around the country to provide input on the national implementation of Te Mana o te Wai.
All resources, collaborators and project information can be found at project website. Key resources include:
Te Mana o te Wai refers to the vital importance of water.
When managing freshwater, it ensures that the health and well-being of the water is protected and human health needs are provided for before enabling other uses of water. It expresses the special connection all New Zealanders have with freshwater. By protecting the health and well-being of our freshwater we protect the health and well-being of our people and environments.
Through engagement and discussion, regional councils, communities and tangata whenua will determine how Te Mana o te Wai is applied locally in freshwater management. Te Mana o te Wai has been part of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management since 2014, though there are changes to how the concept is described and how it must be applied.