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The Proposed Waikato Regional Plan for Waikato, Proposed Variation No.6 – Water Allocation was notified in accordance with clause 5 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, on Friday, 20 October 2006.
Pursuant to clause 8D of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, Environment Waikato also notified that chapters 3.3 and 3.4 of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan are withdrawn.
Submissions for the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan for Waikato, Proposed Variation No.6 – Water Allocation closed at 5pm on 4 December 2006. The Summary of Submissions has been prepared and further submissions are being sought. If you have any questions about the Water Allocation Variation, please call one of our staff on 0800 800 401 or email us at policy@ew.govt.nz.
Proposed Waikato Regional Plan proposed variation no. 6 - water allocation
The purpose of the proposed variation is to manage the allocation and use of freshwater over all of the Waikato region. In recent times the method by which surface and ground water is allocated in the region has come under increasing scrutiny and sometimes criticism from both political and technical perspectives. Many stakeholders believe that Environment Waikato's water allocation policy framework as reflected in the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan was not designed to deal with current levels of demand or competition for water. Certainly in recent times, a number of issues have arisen that have stretched the organisation’s ability to respond proactively and appropriately to the demands being placed upon the region’s water supply. The proposed variation aims to respond to some of these issues and to address the shortcomings of chapters 3.3 and 3.4 of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan. The text of the variation replaces that of the withdrawn chapters 3.3 and 3.4.
Download the Variation
Proposed Variation No. 6 - Water Allocation
(473 kb, 67 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Copies of the maps referred to in the Variation are available for viewing at our offices in Hamilton, Paeroa, Whitianga and Taupo. You can also view them at the offices of Thames Coromandel District Council, Thames, Franklin District Council in Pukekohe and South Waikato District Council in Tokoroa. They are also available on CD on request by emailing nicola.rye@ew.govt.nz.
Download the s32 report - Analysis of alternatives, benefits and costs
S32 report - Analysis of alternatives, benefits and costs
(2036 kb, 290 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Withdrawal of part of the Variation
By resolution of council on 31 October 2006, pursuant to clause 8D of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, Environment Waikato withdrew the following parts of the Proposed Waikato Regional Plan: Proposed Variation No.6 – Water Allocation. These parts are struck through in the PDF documents above:
- Condition d) of Rule 3.4.4.1 of Variation No.6 – Water Allocation
- The Iwi Consultative Catchment Maps in the Water Allocation Maps of Variation No.6 – Water Allocation
- The following parts of the section 32 report – Analysis of alternatives, benefits and costs of Variation No.6 – Water Allocation:
- the words “to sites within the same rohe. Maps of iwi boundaries have been included in the Water Allocation Maps as part of this Variation” on page114, paragraph 2
- rule 3.4.4.1 d) as represented on page 120 section 6.4.5
- the words “Condition d) has been included because iwi have expressed a concern that allowing the transfer of water permits may compromise or hinder their ability to exercise kaitiakitanga within their rohe. This condition therefore prevents water being transferred from one rohe to another unless resource consent is obtained under Rule 3.4.4.2. This condition implements Section 3.4.3 Policy 3b)” in the final paragraph on page 121
- the words “The Iwi Boundary Maps have been included in the Plan as part of Variation 6 Water Allocation in order to provide certainty to plan users as to the boundaries of each rohe. This will assist plan users to determine in which rohe an activity occurs.” in the first paragraph on page 122.
Summary of Submissions
Submissions to the Variation closed at 5pm on Monday, 4 December 2006. In total, 143 submissions to the Variation were received. Environment Waikato has now prepared a summary of the submissions received.
In accordance with clause 7 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, the Waikato Regional Council has now publicly notified the availability of the Summary of Submissions received to Proposed Waikato Regional Plan – Proposed variation No. 6: Water allocation.
Any person may make a further submission on the proposed variation, but only in support of, or opposition to those submissions already made. No new matters may be raised.
After publishing the Summary of Submissions, omissions were discovered. These omissions were due to processing errors and have a minor impact on the completeness of the Summary of Submissions. The submitters affected by the omissions have been advised. To address this error, the missing submission points are now available to view as a separate PDF below.
Further submissions must be received by 5pm on Friday, 23 March 2007. However, we will accept late further submissions (received within two weeks of the closing date) that support or oppose the submission points that were missed from the originally published document. Submissions must be in writing in the format provided in the summary document. Further submissions should be forwarded to the Chief Executive, Waikato Regional Council, 401 Grey Street (PO Box 4010), Hamilton East, or fax (07) 859 0998.
The Summary of Submissions and Additions to Summary of Submissions to Proposed Variation No. 6 are available in PDF format below.
Summary of Submissions to Proposed Variation No. 6
(1570 kb, 224 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Additions to Summary of Submissions to Proposed Variation No. 6
(56 kb, 8 seconds to download, 56k modem)
If you have any questions about the Summary of Submissions or want to find out more please email us at policy@ew.govt.nz.
Staff report and recommendations on submissions
Environment Waikato staff have prepared the staff report and recommendations on submissions.
The report is available for download in PDF format below.
Staff report on submissions - Volume 1
(768 kb, 109 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Staff report on submissions - Volume 2
(750 kb, 107 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Staff report on submissions - Volume 3
(793 kb, 113 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Staff report on submissions - Appendix one
(1405 kb, 200 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Staff have created a strikethrough version of the variation illustrating the recommendations of staff in the staff report on submissions. This document has been created for guidance and does not make up part of the staff report. You can download it below:
Proposed Variation No. 6 - Water Allocation (strike through version)
(400 kb, 57 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Staff have prepared wiring diagrams to assist in understanding the framework of the policies and rules. The wiring diagrams reflect the rule framework as per the notified version of the variation (as at October 2006) and the rule framework as a result of the recommendations of staff in the staff report on submissions (as at November 2007).
The wiring diagrams are available for download in PDF below:
Wiring Diagrams for Implementation Methods as notified - October 2006
(66 kb, 9 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Wiring Diagrams for Implementation Methods per staff recommendations - November 2007
(70 kb, 10 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Hearings
All submitters have the opportunity to appear at the hearings and speak to their submission and respond to the recommendations in the staff report. All submitters have been notified in writing about the hearing. The hearings will commence on Tuesday, 4 December 2007. The hearings are scheduled to continue in January and February 2008.
The committee has requested that some documents be made available in relation to the hearing.
The committee requested a copy of the independent review of the document titled "Towards optimal allocation: Economic methodologies for efficient water use", NZIER, 25 July 2006. A copy of this review is available for download in PDF format below.
Review of NZIER report
(186 kb, 26 seconds to download, 56k modem)
The Committee has issued directions seeking legal submissions on the legal challenges raised in the legal submissions of counsel for Meridian Energy. The legal submissions of Meridian Energy are available for download here:
Meridian Energy Legal Submissions
(121 kb, 17 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Meridian also made reference to the Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Plan. To view that plan click here:
Waitaki Catchment Water Allocation Regional Plan
Next steps
Following the hearings, council will then consider the submissions and make decisions on the submissions and hearing evidence. Council decisions will then be publicly notified.
If you have any questions about the variation or the consultation process please call us on 0800 800 401 or email us at policy@ew.govt.nz.