Environmental outcomes, rules and methods

Understanding what people value most about fresh water enables the council to develop environmental outcomes which will be tracked through target attribute states, flows and levels – the measurable characteristic that tells us about the health of the water.

An environmental outcome describes a desired result for freshwater bodies in the future which will then become formalised as objectives in the Waikato Regional Plan.

We will measure how we are achieving our environmental outcomes (objectives) by:

• identifying target attribute states, and
• setting rules and methods to achieve these targets.

These will all be determined as part of the Freshwater Policy Review.

This will also involve reviewing current flow and water allocation regimes, and setting take limits. In doing so, we will use science monitoring data and mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) as well as take into account the foreseeable impacts of climate change to further inform the Freshwater Policy Review.