Ki uta ki tai influences setting of Freshwater Management Units

All regional councils are required to set Freshwater Management Units (FMUs) under the Government’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management

ORC Councillors voted to adopt five Freshwater Management Units for the Otago Region, including the Mata-au, Taieri, North Otago, Dunedin Coastal and Catlins units, as well as five sub-units, or “rohe”.

The boundaries take note of the pristine nature of Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka and Hawea and the nationally significant hydro dams present on the Clutha. The larger FMUs are subdivided into smaller rohe.

The next focus for each FMU and rohe community will be to meet and agree on local values that sit alongside national values for human and ecological health; these will inform setting objectives and water quality and quantity limits. ORC will facilitate this process in each FMU and rohe.

This means there will be a tailored approach to water management in each FMU and rohe, instead of the current “one-size-fits-all" approach for water management across the region.