This plan change aims to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM)(external link) in the Tasman region. Despite recent government signals on freshwater policy reform, Tasman is continuing its freshwater policy review especially as freshwater is a key issue for Tasman, iwi and our communities. The RMA has an obligation to review plans every 10 years and the Tasman Resource Management Plan, including freshwater is up for review. The current work is a required input into the plan review process as well as implementing the NPS-FM and we will carry on. If this changes we will let you know.
The land and freshwater plan change covers all activities related to freshwater management, and may affect water take permits and discharge permits, as well as urban and rural land uses and land management practices where these affect the flow or quality of water or the health of waterbodies and freshwater ecosystems.
The plan development will take an integrated, ki uta ki tai (mountains to the sea) approach, that recognises the connectivity between surface water and groundwater, between freshwater, land and coastal receiving environments, and the relationships people have with freshwater.
The current Tasman Resource Policy Statement (TRPS) and TRMP chapters under review in this plan change process include:
In addition to implementing the NPS-FM, there are also several other National Policy Statements (NPS) and National Environmental Standards (NES) (available on the Ministry for the Environment website here) that will be considered in development of the plan change including:
There are also three Water Conservation Orders in the Tasman region:
The land and freshwater plan change (LFPC) development process is determined by the NPS-FM and Resource Management Act.
In developing the plan change the Council must engage with communities and tangata whenua at each step of the National Objective Framework (NOF). This work is underway with the aim of producing a draft plan change for public feedback in mid-2024.
The key steps of these processes are summarised in the diagram below.
We have been discussing the land and freshwater plan change at various times with the Tasman community since 2020. Key outputs so far can be accessed below and a summary of each engagement round and a summary of feedback received is provided in the sections below.
Mountains to Sea Round 3: 20 October – 30 November 2023 – Environmental Outcomes
From previous feedback we have determined there are 17 values for freshwater that apply in one or more Freshwater Management Units (FMU) across the Tasman district.
Every value must have one or more environmental outcome linked to it. Because the first value, Ecosystem Health, has been split into its 5 subcomponents we have 21 environmental outcomes. The draft environmental outcomes also link to the long-term visions - when the outcomes are achieved, the vision is achieved.
This report summarises a range of responses received during the 2023 feedback period for each of the 21 freshwater environmental outcomes.
Mountains to Sea Round 2: 20 April – 30 June 2023 – Freshwater visions and values
A second round of engagement on the Mountains to the Sea (M2S2) consultation with the community and stakeholders on Visions and Values ran from 20 April to 30 June 2023. The purpose of the engagement was to gain more detailed feedback from the community on freshwater and coastal visions and values. Draft visions for each FMU were developed from the previous round of engagement (M2S1) and released on Shape Tasman to prompt further feedback.
Mountains to Sea Round 1: 1 November – 23 December 2022 – FMU, visions and values
In late 2022, as part of the engagement process for Aorere ki uta, Aorere ki tai - Tasman Environment Plan (TEP), we asked our communities for feedback on the document “From the Mountains to the Sea”- about Tasman’s freshwater and coastal environments.
This engagement sought feedback on freshwater and coastal visions, values, and pressures and to confirm whether the draft Freshwater Management Unit (FMU) boundaries made sense.
Tasman Environment Plan Round 1 October 2020 – TEP introduction and freshwater overview
The first round of engagement on land and freshwater was part of the wider Tasman Environment Plan - Aorere ki uta, Aorere ki tai engagement process. It ran for 10 weeks and included 21 community-based events. The engagement focused on what makes Tasman special as well as issues and opportunities. Read a summary of the feedback we recieved (pdf 4.3 MB).
Council is working in partnership with nine iwi from across Te Tauihu/the Top of the South in conjunction with Nelson and Marlborough councils as part of a collaborative group - Te Puna Kōrero ki te Tauihu (TPK). The aim of the group is to develop a shared understanding of how we can apply Te Mana o te Wai across Te Tauihu and in each region.
A collaborative planning framework phase is programmed for early 2024 to provide inputs for each region’s plan change processes, which are at different stages of development.
The outputs of the TPK process so far are available on Ngati Tama’s website here.
Efficiency and Effectiveness Evaluations
Over 2019 and 2020 Council staff evaluated the objectives and policies of the Tasman Regional Policy Statement (TRPS) and Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP). The purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the provisions contained within these plans. It helps us understand if the TRPS and TRMP provisions are doing what they’re meant to do.
The following summary reports are relevant to the Land and Freshwater Plan change.
Alternatively, view the full reports:
For more information contact freshwaterplan@tasman.govt.nz or phone 03 543 8400.
Helpful advice for the rural community on the Essential Freshwater Package can be found in our Rural Hub section.
