Nitrate contamination of groundwater in New Zealand : obstacles to the decision agenda

Abstract

This study uses Kingdon's "three streams" model of the policy process to identify why nitrate contamination of groundwater has failed to capture the attention of decision makers and reach the decision agenda in New Zealand.

It was found that despite the recognition of nitrates as a potentially serious problem by a number of specialists since the early 1970s, it has failed to capture the attention of decision makers. This is largely due to a number of obstacles identified in the problem, policy, and political streams of the policy process, and the failure of the issue to attract an entrepreneur willing to invest resources in its promotion.

The analysis suggests that the promotion of nitrates to a decision agenda in the future is largely dependent upon random changes in the problem or political streams. However, the chances that such a window of opportunity is opened and utilised may be enhanced by addressing the obstacles in the individual streams, and the emergence of an entrepreneur prepared to make the vital coupling of the problem to a favoured alternative, and to a receptive political environment.