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Resolution
number WH/2022/107
MOVED by Member J Rose, seconded by Member S
Zhu:
That the Whau Local Board:
a) note
the feedback received from communities through the first stage of public
engagement with the National Policy Statement-Freshwater Management 2020, in
Attachment D, Attachment E and Attachment F to this report.
b) welcome
the opportunity to provide feedback on the National Policy
Statement-Freshwater Management 2020 values.
c)
support, in general
terms, the proposed
Freshwater Management Units (FMUs), noting the relationship between
freshwater management and the marine coastal environment and the alignment of
these to coastal receiving environments.
d)
note the feedback
received in favour of having a separate FMU for the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area and support further
consideration of this proposal given the particular environmental
sensitivities and very low levels of anticipated future development in that
area in stark contrast to most other parts of the Manukau FMU.
e)
support the
inclusion of values and
use of freshwater that focus on water quality, ecosystem health and climate
change mitigation, and request that staff give these values the highest consideration.
f)
note the strong emphasis in the feedback received
during public consultation on “natural form and character” and
“human contact” but also note its concern that values focused on
aesthetic appeal and recreational use may not always be consistent with water
quality, ecosystem health, climate change resilience and emissions reduction,
which should be primary considerations.
g)
support the
inclusion of values that
focus on recreational use only as secondary considerations, except where
identified as being of particularly high importance to Māori.
h)
support long-term
visions for freshwater management that focus on improved water quality,
improved ecosystem health, improved climate change resilience and reduced
carbon emissions, but also potentially support future aspirations around
activities such as swimming, fishing, drinking and turanga waka where these
are identified as priorities for Māori.
i)
note that the low
number of submissions from residents of the Whau Local Board area should not
be seen as an indication that there is a low level of interest in freshwater
management among residents of the Whau, noting in particular that water
quality and ecosystem health have been consistently identified as an issue of
strong interest and concern in successive local board consultations.
j)
note that, while
public education sits outside the scope of this consultation and any potential
plan changes, the local board would support any opportunities to use Auckland
Council’s plans and strategies to enhance public awareness of important
environmental issues, including the need for recreational users to play their
part in keeping freshwater bodies free from pest plant species (for example
Dydimo) which can have a devastating impact on the health of our freshwater.
k)
note that the Whau
River and Waitahurangi (Avondale Stream) were mentioned in submissions, along
with Te Auaunga (Oakley Creek, a small part of which falls in the Whau Local
Board area), and strongly support approaches to freshwater management that
will protect and enhance these awa and other parts of the Whau catchment,
including potential future plan changes that could further restrict
development that could have a detrimental impact on them or their wider
catchments.
l)
note its concern
that there is almost no mention of climate change in this consultation or
associated documentation, and urge staff to prominently acknowledge the
reality and the potential impacts of climate change and highlight
opportunities to address it, regardless of the scope of the consultation, in
any and all environmental consultations and communications.
CARRIED
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