Coast / Takutai

Issue

The activities that we undertake upstream of and within our coastal environment can have adverse outcomes on the values of our coast and marine environments.

Causes

Spills, discharges, over-use of resources, habitat destruction, inappropriate uses of resources, and contamination – how we use the coastal environment and the freshwater bodies upstream of the coastal environment as a whole.

Coastal environments, infrastructure, and access to these areas are also threatened by multiple climate hazards including coastal erosion, inundation and ocean chemistry changes.

Why does it matter?

With 800km of coastline, our coastal environment is a huge part of the region’s identity. We undertake a range of activities in the coastal environment, such as recreation, tourism, commercial, restorative and amenity activities, as well as mahinga kai practices and the delivery of regionally significant infrastructure. These activities are important for the social, economic, and cultural well-being of our communities. The coastal environment is also home to some amazing ecosystems that our indigenous plant and animal species reside in and rely on.

Our current targets goals

Our Regional Policy Statement includes some direction that must be implemented and other direction that should be implemented. We have included these in two categories below:

1. Things we must do

This is very strong policy direction that is required to be implemented:

• Protection of coastal water quality and associated values of the coastal environment, from significant adverse effects of contaminant discharge; and enhancement of coastal water quality where it has been degraded.
• Access to and along the coastal marine area must be maintained whilst avoiding significant adverse effects on natural, physical, amenity, recreational, cultural and historic heritage values of the coastal environment.
• The natural, amenity, recreational, cultural, landscape and historic heritage values of the coastal environment will be maintained and, in some places, enhanced.

2. Things we should do

This policy direction is strongly encouraged:

• Work together and with government agencies and land occupiers/owners to ensure appropriate access to the coastal marine area is managed and implemented.

Should we change our goals

When we consider changing goals, we need to keep in mind that other on-the-ground changes will be required to meet them. We also need to keep in mind that some of our must-do policy direction was necessary to meet the national legislation requirements of the time. Some new must-dos will be needed to meet more recent legislation.

Potential impacts of changing our policy direction

We have outlined some of the potential consequences that could result from changing our policy direction. These are high-level examples, just to illustrate that each change will have flow-on effects.

For example, improving the health of our estuaries, hāpua and lagoons requires a reduction in the amount of contaminants that enter these areas. This may require different controls or better mitigation of activities that involve a discharge of contaminants. This would likely come with a cost that needs to be balanced against the benefits of improving our coastal environments and ecosystem services.

We are using the feedback we received in July and August to draft more detailed policy options, including detail about the consequences of change. You will get another opportunity to tell us what you think about those options in October this year.

Issue

Despite the efforts of many landowners, organisations and community groups, we are still losing indigenous biodiversity throughout Waitaha/Canterbury.

Causes

Habitat destruction and fragmentation, invasive species, climate change, and the impacts of use and development on land, freshwater, and the coastal environment.

Why it matters

Indigenous animals and plants are precious taonga. They are important to our national identity and enhance our recreational experiences. They are part of Māori tikanga (beliefs, values and customary practices) and whakapapa, (ancestry, belonging) and many species are important mahinga kai (traditional food sources). Some species have roles in keeping our water clean, our soils fertile and in helping reduce flooding. Healthy indigenous ecosystems can sequester more carbon and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. There are many ways indigenous species and habitats contribute to our economy, such as through our fisheries and as a drawcard for tourism.

Our current goals

Our Regional Policy Statement includes some direction that must be implemented and other direction that should be implemented. We have included these in two categories below:

1. Things we must do

This is very strong policy direction that is required to be implemented:

• To protect Canterbury’s areas and habitats of significant indigenous plants and animals from the adverse effects of activities, development and land use.
• To enhance the relationship of Ngāi Tahu with their sites and habitats of biodiversity of cultural significance.

2. Things we should do

This policy direction is strongly encouraged:

• To promote the improvement and protection of the long-term viability of regionally and nationally prioritised indigenous ecosystems in Canterbury.
• To promote more initiatives that protect and enhance Canterbury’s indigenous biodiversity.

Should we change our goals?

When we consider changing goals, we need to keep in mind that other on-the-ground changes will be required to meet them. We also need to keep in mind that some of our must-do policy direction was necessary to meet the national legislation requirements of the time. Some new must-dos will be needed to meet more recent legislation.

Potential impacts of changing our policy direction

We have outlined some of the potential consequences that could result from changing our policy direction. These are high-level examples, just to illustrate that each change will have flow-on effects.

For example to achieve better protection of our remaining indigenous biodiversity, we may need to consider the impacts from a wider range of land uses or activities or to manage them in a way that better protects our indigenous plants and animals for future generations. Changing the goals from protection towards restoration and enhancement could improve the viability of our ecosystems and community well-being into the future, but will require significant public investment to achieve.

We are using the feedback we received in July and August to draft more detailed policy options, including detail about the consequences of change. You will get another opportunity to tell us what you think about those options in October this year.

Issue

Outstanding and significant natural features and landscapes, and cultural landscapes, are inconsistently identified and managed across Waitaha/Canterbury, which can lead to the loss of their integrity and values.

Causes

In Waitaha/Canterbury, landscape issues are managed by the regional council and territorial authorities through their regional and district plans. Inconsistent identification of outstanding and significant landscapes and features between districts has been an issue due to the evolving way in which they are assessed. Some district plans identify additional landscapes and features (beyond the significance criteria) due to the values of these features and landscapes to the community. The night sky is an example of a feature that has been identified as important within some district plans but not in others. In older district plans there is a lack of protection for landscapes and features that have not been specifically identified in district plans, leading to the loss or degradation of their integrity and values. There are also few provisions that identify and protect cultural landscapes.

Why it matters

Landscape values contribute to social well-being by providing a sense of place and identity in New Zealand, and to our economic well-being through tourism. Some landscapes and features are unique to Waitaha and as such are important nationally. Cultural landscapes are of particular importance to Ngāi Tahu as mana whenua. Development and land use can impact on landscapes and natural features; where this takes place in ways that cannot later be reversed it can lead to the permanent loss of significant values, such as the loss of natural character.

Our current goals

Our Regional Policy Statement includes some direction that must be implemented and other direction that should be implemented. We have included these in two categories below:

1. Things we must do

This is very strong policy direction that is required to be implemented:

• Identification of outstanding natural landscapes and features in regional and district plans.
• Protection of outstanding natural features and landscapes through provisions in regional and district plans.
• Engagement with Ngāi Tahu to identify cultural values associated with outstanding natural features and landscapes.
• The landscape values of the coastal environment will be maintained and, in some places, enhanced.

2. Things we should do

This policy direction is strongly encouraged:

• Identification and management of other important landscapes for natural character, historic cultural and heritage, and amenity purposes.
• Protection of appropriate access and restriction of inappropriate access to historic cultural and heritage items, places, and areas in accordance with tikanga Māori.
• Enabling the appropriate repair, rebuilding, upgrading, seismic strengthening and adaptive re-use of historic buildings in a manner that is sensitive to their historic values.

Should we change our goals?

When we consider changing goals, we need to keep in mind that other on-the-ground changes will be required to meet them. We also need to keep in mind that some of our must-do policy direction was necessary to meet the national legislation requirements of the time. Some new must-dos will be needed to meet more recent legislation.

Potential impacts of changing our policy direction

We have outlined some of the potential consequences that could result from changing our policy direction. These are high-level examples, just to illustrate that each change will have flow-on effects.

Increasing the identification and protection of outstanding and significant landscapes is important to safeguard these environments for future generations. Protecting these landscapes and features, however, does require restrictions or controls on some activities that could otherwise have lasting adverse effects on their values. Greater levels of protection could require consideration of a wider range of land uses or activities that need to be managed in a way that protects their values.

We are using feedback we received in July and August to draft more detailed policy options, including detail about the consequences of change. You will get another opportunity to tell us what you think about those options in October this year