Just like the rest of the country, the future of Three Waters is a significant challenge for the Future Proof sub-region.
Throughout New Zealand, local authorities, iwi, communities and industry face significant challenges in meeting their current and future three waters service needs. Meanwhile many waterways like the Waikato River are not as healthy as we would like them to be.
Some of our wastewater treatment plants have struggled to keep up with growth and increasing environmental standards and the majority of municipal wastewater discharge consents will expire in the next 10 years.
There is increasing and competing demands for freshwater in the sub-region and in some areas the freshwater resource is fully allocated or nearing full allocation.
The demand for surface and groundwater has grown substantially in recent years. The Piako River is nearly fully allocated as a water source during summer low flow conditions. In the future we can expect more droughts which will affect our urban communities as well as our farmers.
The impact of urban stormwater and drainage systems on our waterways is also acknowledged and needs solutions that are affordable, restore the health of waterways, and protect our communities from flooding and increasing storm intensity such as Cyclone Gabrielle.
While local authorities are now considering the options for their communities, Future Proof continues to plan for the long-term future of water in the sub-region to ensure it is capable of meeting planned growth demands.
As well as identifying future infrastructure needs, Future Proof is also working in partnership with iwi and hapu to ensure tangata whenua values, aspirations and interests are identified and reflected and to ensure protection and enhancement of our natural environment.
Tackling the challenges in isolation is not an option – it’s unaffordable and unsustainable.
In June Local Government Minister Simeon Brown confirmed the government was looking for a joined-up approach to three waters delivery, including in the Waikato. Legislation around the issue is likely to be introduced in mid 2025.
Future Proof is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead in the three waters space and is working together to address them. Our role is not to determine the delivery model for the future of three waters but to provide the integrated planning and investment required to grow our communities safely and sustainably.
We know we our sub-region is better off if we work together to deliver critical water infrastructure and water services.
And we know we must ensure we have three waters infrastructure and the necessary water resources to support the growth of our sub-region.
Work is currently underway to review the 2012 Sub-Regional Three Waters Strategy. This Strategy sets out how we will manage water infrastructure and services over a 50 year period. While the existing Strategy is still sound, things have changed since it was first created. We have an increased focus on climate resilience, our iwi partnerships have matured, the regulatory landscape has changed and the wider Future Proof Strategy has been reviewed. It’s now the right time to review the Strategy and ensure we are still heading in the right direction.
Read the 2012 Sub-Regional Three Waters StrategyThe Hamilton-Auckland Corridor Plan and Metropolitan Spatial Plan introduced the concept of a blue-green network, with the Waikato River at its heart, as a defining and unique spatial concept that aims to restore, enhance, connect and improve the natural environment.
The blue-green network includes regional and local scale landscape features, open space, rivers, gullies and their margins and areas of ecological and conservation value. These networks shape the existing sub-region and will direct and influence future urban development. The networks extend beyond the river itself to include all water bodies within the catchment.
The primary direction for the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River and its catchments, which includes the lower reaches of the Waipā River, is established through Te Ture Whaimana o te Awa o Waikato - Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River, to achieve its restoration and protection for future generations.
We must work out how the Future Proof partners can play their part in restoring the river.
Future Proof is working together to: