The case for transformation of water service delivery in Aotearoa New Zealand is widespread and well documented. As far back as 2000 the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reported: “Industry and community evidence indicates that the ‘model’ has now reached the end of its design life. Further incremental tinkering with the current systems, without going back to first principles of community water and wastewater needs relevant to the 21st century, will simply mean the necessary changes will be harder to achieve and more costly at some time in the future.”
Without transformation the status quo will worsen as assets age, population growth increases, public expectations rise, and climate change places increasing pressure on assets and systems. However, the case for transformative change is based not only on issues to be overcome, but also opportunities to be seized. Documented examples across the seven domains of this report are listed here.
Barriers faced by mana whenua that hinder their ability to give effect to Te Mana o te Wai include (Poipoia Ltd, 2020):
A lack of data and information with poor or no participation by mana whenua in determining monitoring and research programmes.
Process-driven, transactional relationships rather than the Tiriti-based partnership sought.
Limited capability and capacity of mana whenua to manage freshwater according to their values and aspirations.
Allocation based on first in first serve or grandparenting models is unsustainable and opposition to Te Mana o te Wai.Lack of competency across cultural capacity and capability and timeframe constraints within councils.
Te Mana o Te Wai opens up alternative sources of knowledge and approaches to improving water management.Te Ao MÄori includes a sophisticated understanding of the holistic and cyclical nature of water. In essence, Te Mana o te Wai acknowledges and protects the mauri of wai and, through matauranga practices, strives to assess the condition of awa and affect the change necessary to enhance their mauri. (Waihanga Ara Rau, 2022).
Bolster workforce participation and diversity: The inclusion of Te Mana o Te Wai as a fundamental concept across the water regulatory environment offers inspiration for the creation of novel pathways between rangatahi and industry.(Water New Zealand, 2023)
The sector’s workforce is struggling to attract and retain sufficient experienced and skilled staff. Around 10% of roles in the sector are vacant (Water New Zealand, 2022).
“Investment is needed now to attract, train and retain a workforce with the capacity to deliver transformational change” (Waihanga Ara Rau, 2022).
Health and Safety trends are a cause for concern. Over the five years to 2022 the number of lost time injuries reported grew by 70%. In 2022 462 days of lost time injuries occurred due to workplace accidents in water services (Water New Zealand, 2023).
An estimated 27% of water supply workers in New Zealand are female
(Infometrics, 2019). Attracting more women into the workforce would expand our talent pool.
A new generation of bilingual and bicultural rangatahi are entering the workforce. âMÄori in full immersion education develop deep cultural and spiritual awareness within Te Ao MÄori, and gain an understanding about the complex interrelation of everything, as well as relationships to whakapapa, and the wellbeing of the land, sea and people. The industry would significantly benefit from attracting these people to water careers.â (Waihanga Ara Rau, 2022)
The water sector has broad ranging appeal as a career.
âFresh-start interviewees looked to the water industry for its perceived stability, job security, cause-drive and environmental promiseâ (Waihanga Ara Rau, 2022).
Thousands of highly skilled international experts could make an immediate contribution to our workforce. A global survey ranked New Zealand as the second country people would most like to live (USA Today, 2023).
Risks to potable water supply quality and quantity are ranked as New Zealandâs most urgent climate risk (Ministry for the Environment, 2020). Other climate change risks to water services include inundation of stormwater networks leading to flooding, water quality deterioration in source and receiving waters and reduced asset lives (Cowper-Heays, 2023).
Beach closures due to e-coli contamination are becoming increasingly commonplace and models estimated 45% of rivers were not suitable for activities like swimming between 2016 and 2020 (Ministry for the Environment, 2012). Wastewater and stormwater discharges are significant contributing factors.
Between 2020 and 2021 there were 4,268 reported overflows of untreated wastewater. However it is likely that this number is under reported (Water New Zealand, 2022).