Water Conservation Order

A Water Conservation Order in New Zealand is a statutory provision which features a body of water outside of the general protected areas such as national parks is under protection. The protection on the one hand, the waters provide a total of under protection as well as individual aspects that affect the waters as a whole. It can be applied to rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, geothermal waters and aquifers.

Until 2001, the legal basis of the section was 20 D of the Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967, since section 214 of the Resource Management Act 1991.

Scope of protection

In New Zealand, a Water Conservation Order is used to protect natural, cultural and recreational values ​​of a water body. These include:

• The habitat of organisms in and on the water
• Fisheries
• Particularly wild, scenic, and other natural features
• Value to science
• Special ecological significance
• Recreational value
• Historical, or cultural value spirtitueller
• Special significance for Māori

Such an order limited local governments in their freedom of choice, for example, in terms of water quantity and quality, flow or level height, the maximum allowable water withdrawal, the maximum contaminant introduction and or temperature and pressure ranges.

Orders in force:

There are early 2011 13 Water Conservation Orders in force, they relate to the following waters: (in brackets: date of adoption )

• National Water Conservation Orders (Decree under the Water and Soil Conservation Act 1967 ): Motu River ( 1984)
• Rakaia River ( 1988)
• Lake Wairarapa (1989 )
• Manganuioteao River ( 1989)
• Lake Ellesmere (1990 )
• Ahuriri River ( 1990)
• Grey River (1991 )

• Rangitikei River ( 1993)
• Kawarau River ( 1993)
• Mataura River ( 1997)
• Buller River ( 2001)
• Motueka River ( 2004)
• Mohaka River ( 2004)

As of January 2011 proceedings are for further orders for the Whanganui River and Rangitata River.