Why water matters
Securing our water for the future
Water is important for everyone in Canterbury, whether we use it for drinking, recreational activities such as boating or fishing, irrigation for farming or industry. Others may simply value water as a part of our environment.
Because it matters in some way to each of us, achieving fair and equitable access to water for all uses is one of the biggest issues facing our region.
Water fuels the local economy, whether through the wide range of land uses, local and international tourism, energy generation or industry. A sustainable water supply that is accessible to all users is vital now and for the future.
Getting this right is so important that the region’s mayors have made a commitment to work together over the next 18 months to create a strategy for water management that takes account of all interests and sets a direction for the future.
The Canterbury Water Management Strategy will build on previous water studies to deliver a plan for water use right down to a locality level, in consultation with the whole community.
The process that is now underway is expected to enable wide public debate over water issues in Canterbury, incorporating the issues of sustainability, environment, recreation and economic development, from both urban and rural points of view.
What Canterbury people are saying about water
"Now is the time to have foresight and this strategy-building process is the way to do it, but we should have no illusions about the complexity of the task we are about to embark on" - Bob Parker, Mayor of Christchurch, Canterbury Mayoral Forum.
"Agribusiness is the backbone of Canterbury. Fair and equitable access to a sustainable water supply now and for the future is vital for the sector and indeed for us all" - Peter Townsend, Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce.
"The risk to water quality from land intensification from increased irrigation was a major concern in Stage 3 of the Canterbury Strategic Water Study. Impacts of both land-use intensification and larger areas of intensively-used land must be rigorously addressed with good science and understanding of mitigation and management options before any major water storage option can be progressed" - Ian "Whit" Whitehouse, Facilitator, Canterbury Strategic Water Study Stage 3.
"The process will enable a much wider and better informed public debate over water issues in Canterbury. Water may be the specific issue under discussion but the wider issues of sustainability, environment, recreation and economic development are inextricably linked. People are realising that the full spectrum of rural and urban viewpoints must be acknowledged, understood and reconciled if Canterbury’s water is to be managed for the benefit of all." - Hugh Canard, New Zealand Recreational Canoeing Association.
"Canterbury supports a wide range of land uses that depend on water. A sustainable resource that’s accessible to all users is vital" - Peter Scott, Canterbury Water Management Strategy Steering Group, Minister for the Environment Water Advisory Group.