7. COLIN KING (National—Kaikōura) Link to this
to the Minister for the Environment
What proportion of New Zealand water take consents are currently measured and how will the Government’s regulations to require metering improve this?
Hon Shane Jones
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
Ha, ha! If we meter the water, they cry “privatisation”, eh? Only 31 percent of water by volume is currently measured. New regulations announced on Friday will progressively improve that to 92 percent by 2012, and to 98 percent by 2016. The regulations apply to larger takes of over 5 litres per second, which is the equivalent of the use of about 250 homes. Although 39 percent of consents are smaller than that, they take only 2 percent of the water by volume, so the metering costs for those cannot be justified.
Why is the Government proposing to use national regulations to require metering, rather than using the national environmental standard or leaving it to regional councils?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
If we left it until water consents come up for renewal under a national environmental standard, it would take more than 20 years before we would get reliable information on water extractions. That is far too slow. The alternative is to leave it to regional councils to review all individual consents, which is estimated to cost many millions of dollars in paperwork. The national regulation approach is the most efficient, and the least costly, way in which we can get reliable information on water takes, and as a consequence deliver a step change in freshwater management.
Brendon BurnsIf consent holders’ water meters show unused allocation, does the Minister believe that they should be able to sell those surpluses at whatever price they can command; and is that not privatising the common right all of us have, as New Zealanders, to our water?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
No, not at all. I do not agree with that. I say to the member that if we are to improve the management of water—something I think every member of this House would agree we need to do—surely we need to measure it, and that is exactly what this Government is doing.
What number of water meters will need to be installed to meet the new requirements, and what is the likely cost?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
The regulations will affect 11,000 resource consents that take water. Large consents—over 20 litres per second—will be required to have meters by 2012. Consents for 10 litres per second will require meters by 2014, and the smaller 5-litre consents will require meters by 2016. The initiative is expected to come at an overall cost of about $40 million, but that needs to be considered in the context of water being worth over $5 billion a year to the New Zealand economy. The regulations contain pragmatic exemptions to ensure that metering is required only where it is necessary and where its cost will help us to improve water management.