Canterbury strategic water study

Abstract

Canterbury has 58% of all water allocated for consumptive use in New Zealand, and 70% of the nation’s irrigated land. Water is highly valued by the regional community for a variety of economic, environmental and social reasons. On-going land use change, primarily in the form of irrigation development, continues to increase demand for water abstraction. At the same time, there has been a shift in values within communities towards greater recognition of the Tangata Whenua’s values for water, and towards increased protection of the natural environment and maintenance of biodiversity. As a result, there is increasing conflict over the allocation of water for abstraction and for maintenance or improvement of instream values. The scope of the study was limited to water quantity matters.