The long-awaited National Policy Statement on Freshwater
Management (NPS) will be gazetted today, Thursday (12 May
2011), and will take effect on 1 July 2011.
Councils will be encouraged to reflect the NPS within their
regional plans by the end of 2014 but, if this is impracticable,
can opt for a phased programme of implementation out to the end of
2030. Such programmes must be formally agreed and adopted within
the next 18 months.
This Brief Counsel looks at the NPS and at how it sits within
the Government's broader Land and Water Strategy.
Transitional measures
Although Councils have been given a long lead time to
incorporate the NPS into their planning documents, they will be
required to "have regard" to the NPS's provisions
when considering consent applications lodged after 1 July for new
uses or for changes to an existing use. The aim of these
transitional measures is to "hold the line" while limits
are set.
