The Office of the Auditor-General has released a report entitled Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges for Regional Councils.
The report is based on an audit of four Regional Councils, including the Taranaki Regional Council.
Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges for Regional Councils (OAG website)
Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges for Regional Councils (PDF, 2.3 MB)
Council response to the OAG interim findings for Taranaki Regional Council (103 KB)
Interim findings for Taranaki Regional Council (PDF, 1.7 MB)
In the Overview for Managing Freshwater Quality: Challenges for Regional Council, the Controller and Auditor-General, Lyn Provost, says:
Scope of the audit
My aim was to provide an independent view of how effectively regional councils are managing land use (and the resulting non-point source discharges) for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing freshwater quality in their regions. We looked at four regional councils – Waikato Regional Council, Taranaki Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, and Environment Southland. I have provided each of these councils with a detailed report on the results of our audit for their council. This report discusses matters arising from the audits of the four regional councils, and makes recommendations for all regional councils and unitary authorities.
Overall audit findings
Each of the four regional councils we audited had adequate systems for collecting data on, and had a good understanding of, freshwater quality in its region ...
Overall, Taranaki Regional Council is maintaining and, in places, improving freshwater quality in its region. Several aspects of Taranaki Regional Council's management of freshwater are effective. However, scientific monitoring of freshwater quality in low-elevation areas suggests that there is some vulnerability in the region. I consider that Taranaki Regional Council is well positioned to address these risks to freshwater quality by adapting its existing methods.