ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development of water allocation law and policy in New Zealand once national guidance was put in place in 2011. In 2011, the first National Policy Statement Freshwater Management was promulgated. Since then, progress in improving water allocation and increasing the ability of water permit holders to transfer water within a catchment has remained slow. The chapter examines the Land and Water Forum and its reports, which sit outside the formal policy processes of the RMA. The Land and Water Forum consists of a range of stakeholders seeking to address both water quality and water quantity or allocation issues. The Forum has produced a range of reports addressing these policy points. However, the recommendations contained in the Forum reports are not binding on the New Zealand governments. One of the key concerns emerging from the policy is repeated references to how to improve water transfers and allocate water more efficiently such as through markets. Subsequent amendments to the National Policy Statement Freshwater Management in 2014 and a revision in 2017 have continued to have a stronger focus on water quality rather than water allocation.
