Access to Experts coordinated an online workshop in October 2023, supporting Horizons Regional Council as they worked through options for management and policy tools that could respond to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FW).
Horizons Regional Council
AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua, Torlesse Environmental, and Land Water People
Horizons had been developing new freshwater targets - Target Attribute States – which they consulted communities on via a road show and online. The workshop was undertaken as another part of the NPS-FW process to explore the mechanisms that could be implemented to achieve the targets.
Expert panel co-ordination and funding meant Horizons connected with agricultural science and policy planning industry members through a dedicated workshop.
Workshop discussions focused on the ‘tools’ available to reduce contaminant loads and how utilising those tools as ‘limits on resource use’ under the NPS-FW might work. Members of the A2E panel supported discussions by sharing a range of insights from past experience with other regional councils.
The workshop’s format allowed participants to talk about and challenge their assumptions or positions around what a limit is, and learn about how other councils are approaching this issue.
A2E worked with Horizons on the development of a second session to continue the ideas put forward in the first workshop.