World Rivers Day a chance to talk water

World Rivers Day will be acknowledged globally this weekend and to mark the occasion Local Government New Zealand is hosting a major issues seminar to discuss the role councils play in managing water.

New Zealanders are passionate about the quality of the water in our lakes, rivers and streams.

Regional and unitary councils are charged with managing water in our regions and this work will be the subject of discussion at the seminar in Wellington tomorrow night.

Chair of LGNZ’s Regional Sector and the Otago Regional Council, Stephen Woodhead, says in some areas there has been major investment over a long period of time to improve water quality, which has resulted in significant improvement. In other areas there is some degradation and more work is needed.

“Significant progress has been made towards improving water quality over the past three decades, achieved largely through the removal or upgrading of direct discharges of contaminants into waterways and by initiatives led by the primary sector,” Mr Woodhead says.

“Regional councils have invested significant resource in science to set limits, to monitor water quality and in programmes to improve our waterways. We want to share this work with the wider public.”

Mr Woodhead says in areas where remediation is required communities need to decide what they want for their waterways and agree strategies about how to get there, what investment in urban infrastructure will be required and can be afforded, and how communities can work with industry and the primary sector to make changes required.

Speakers will focus on a range of topics, including outlining the work being done now to improve the quality of our waterways, what the science is telling us, and the “big picture” around water quality.

Speakers include:

- Hon Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment

- Lawrence Yule, President, Local Government New Zealand

- Stephen Woodhead, Chair, Regional Sector

- Doug Leeder, Chair, Bay of Plenty Regional Council

- Ken Taylor, Director, National Science Challenge

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About LGNZ and local government in New Zealand

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is the peak body representing New Zealand's 78 local, regional and unitary authorities. LGNZ advocates for local democracy, develops local government policy, and promotes best practice and excellence in leadership, governance and service delivery. Through its work strengthening sector capability, LGNZ contributes to the economic success and vibrancy of communities and the nation.

The local government sector plays an important role. In addition to giving citizens a say in how their communities are run, councils own a broad range of community assets worth more than $120 billion. These include 90 per cent of New Zealand's road network, the bulk of the country's water and waste water networks, and libraries, recreation and community facilities. Council expenditure is approximately $8.5 billion dollars, representing approximately 4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product and 11 per cent of all public expenditure.
For more information visit www.lgnz.co.nz

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