19 June 2015

Water quality warnings should be heeded

The Māori Party welcomes the latest findings by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment who has released two reports today on New Zealand’s need to address the state of freshwater (Wai Māori) in Aotearoa.

“We are pleased to see the recommendations made by the Commissioner and agree that so much more needs to be done to improve the state of Wai Māori,” says the Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox.

“We have always objected to setting the national human health objective below that of safe swimming because we believe it is unlikely to maintain or improve the mauri of the waterways or provide for the values embraced within Te Mana o te Wai (the health and vitality of water)”, says Fox.

The Māori Party along with hapū and iwi advocated for Te Mana o te Wai to be included in the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Freshwater Management, however it would like to see Te Mana o Te Wai underpin the entire NPS.

Māori Party Co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell says, “the basis of Te Mana o te Wai is that healthy waterways support healthy environments which in turn support healthy people.”

“From a Māori perspective, it’s important that Māori spiritual and cultural relationships to freshwater are also acknowledged in the care of our waterways.”
A working group called Te Mana o Te Wai has also been established to help provide practical solutions to improving the quality of waterways.

“The Māori Party secured a Te Mana o Te Wai Fund ($5 million over two years) in Budget 2014 that will go some way towards the supporting the management of freshwater quality but there needs to be a greater emphasis on land-use practices and nutrient pollution that impact on water quality,” says Mr Flavell.

“If Te Mana o te Wai is to be considered in future collaboration with hapū and iwi, the degree to which Councils and communities will manage this depends on the strength of the NPS for freshwater management policies,” says Mr Flavell.

The Māori Party looks forward to contributing to the review of the Government’s water quality policy to ensure this taonga is protected for future generations. The Maori Party’s position has always been that we should be able to drink, swim and gather kai from our freshwater.

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