We face a number of pressing challenges to our water future. These are the issues that we can’t afford to ignore. None of them have a quick fix, and we don’t yet have all the solutions that we need.
Cleaning up our waters
Our waters are degraded, especially where they are close to urban areas.
Contaminants wash down through catchments and into our waterways. This damages ecosystems and poses risks to human health.
We need to:
- clean up our rivers, lakes, streams and harbours
- streamline processes to encourage water sensitive design
- identify and fix sources of pollution.
Meeting future water needs
Freshwater is a scarce resource, even though it rains frequently. We have limited large rivers, lakes and groundwater resources in the region to draw water from.
We are currently applying to take additional water from the Waikato River. This is expected to meet our urban supply needs until around 2050 or longer, if we can be more efficient with our water use.
We have a very limited understanding of how much water is used in rural areas. We think we are close to the limit of what we can sustainably take from aquifers in some parts of the region.
We need to:
- make better use of the water that we have or find new sources of water supply by 2050
- improve monitoring of groundwater so we can quantify demand and ensure our allocation systems are working.
Adapting to a changing water future
We are operating in an ever-changing environmental context, vulnerable to natural hazards such as flooding, coastal inundation, erosion and drought, and the increasingly evident effects of climate change.
We need to:
- make changes to be ready for the increasing risks
- develop a shared understanding of the risks, responses and allocation of responsibilities with the community.
Managing growth and investment
Managing growth is Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s most pressing challenge.
Responding to water issues takes money and time, and the costs of doing nothing will likely be higher in the long run.
We need to:
- make sure our decisions are improving our water future, not deferring the problems for future generations to resolve
- look at the tools we need to manage and enable growth in ways that will protect and enhance te mauri o te wai (our vision).
Read more about the big water issues
