Links and Resources

This is an edited version of the website that the citizens’ assembly used during the process. All the videos that contain identifiable information has been removed, in accordance to the requirements of the UAHPEC.

Cultural considerations

List of useful reports and documents

Synopsis: A description of Te Mana o te Wai, the previous failures to protect Māori water interests and cultural concerns around water.

– New Zealand Geographer – 2022 – Taylor – Stop drinking the waipiro A critique of the government’s ‘why’ behind Te Mana o te Wai

Synopsis: How to use Te Mana o te Wai as an understanding for integrated work to ensure Māori rights on water are represented in decision-making.

– Ngā Puna Aroha: towards an indigenous-centred freshwater allocation framework for Aotearoa New Zealand

Q&A with Expert panel

Robert Keessen Technical Director, Aurecon

Kobus van Zyl Water infrastructure, University of Auckland

Andrew Chin Engineering and planning, Healthy Waters

Iain Rabbitts Water treatment engineer, Lutra

Dan Hikuroa Te ao Māori, climate & environmental science, University of Auckland

Expand for details
  • “Why can’t we just build another dam?” (00:00)
  • “Won’t we fix this with all of us having rainwater tanks?” (01:12)
  • “The booklet mentions Te Mana o te Wai. What does this actually mean?” (03:28)
  • “What’s wrong with taking more water from the Waikato?” (05:19)
  • “What does this have to do with Three Waters reform?” (09:34)
  • “What if we treated water as a taonga?” (11:14)
  • “How can you be sure that any of these options are safe?” (14:40)
  • “We all use way too much water. Can’t we just use less?” (16:47)
  • “Why don’t we just catch stormwater and use that?” (19:25)
  • “NZ has other places we could get water from. Why aren’t we looking on a national scale?” (21:11)
  • “If we keep using water from the Waikato, will they have enough for their needs?” (22:27)
  • “Could we use water treated to a lower standard for activities that don’t need a high level of water purity?” (24:45)
  • “What environmental impact do dams have?” (27:20)
  • “If we all saved a lot of water, how would that affect Watercare’s revenue?” (28:16)

Mātauranga Māori – Connecting with our water

Troy Brockbank speaking at Water NZ Annual Conference, 2019

Te Aranga Māori Design Principles (website link)

Aerial view of wastewater treatment plant

Please see Taiao and Mauri Tū sections in particular for guidance on outcomes of importance to mana whenua.

Notes taken from the Mana Whenua discussion

– Mana Whenua discussion notes

(This is an abridged version of the full discussion, highlighting the main points)

Cultural considerations

Q: Direct - option 3: Have you considered the mauri of the water?

A: The mauri (life force) of water is an important consideration and often part of the statutory approvals process eg. under the Resource Management Act

A: We would need to develop any option in partnership with mana whenua and can use some established principles to help us

A: We will need to work through this during session three as we prepare a draft recommendation for mana whenua to review.

Working with mana whenua

    • Watercare works closely with Mana Whenua through the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum which you can read about here: https://www.watercare.co.nz/About-us/Who-we-are/Mana-whenua. This relationship is ongoing. Part of the reason Watercare wants to start talking about our next water source 20 years in advance is that we have learned from mana whenua to engage early.
    • The assembly will be able to talk more about the views and relationship with mana whenua kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) on Saturday.  University lecturers and hired experts are unable to answer these questions on behalf of tangata whenua and it was felt that a face to face meeting was more appropriate for this.
    • Tame who heads the mana whenua kaitiaki forum has agreed that the mana whenua kaitiaki forum will review the draft set of recommendations after day three and provide questions and feedback by the 24th of September.
    • What happens to the waste by-products from wastewater is well illustrated in this video: https://www.watercare.co.nz/Water-and-wastewater/Wastewater-collection-and-treatment which is already up on the website. The disposal of brine would be out at sea unless better technology came along OR our citizens insisted that we do something else with it. Rob from Watercare’s resource recovery group will bring in some new fertiliser products on Saturday for anyone who is interested in beneficial recycled products of our waste.

 

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About Koi Tū

Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures is an independent, transdisciplinary think tank and research centre at the University of Auckland.

We generate knowledge and analysis to address critical long-term national and global issues challenging our future.

 

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