Te Mana o te Wai refers to the fundamental importance of water and recognises that protecting the health of freshwater protects the health and well-being of the wider environment.
Te Mana o te Wai is about restoring and preserving the balance between the water, the wider environment, and the community.
These principles will guide us to improve the health and well-being of our waterways within a generation. It requires us to re-evaluate our relationship with freshwater and place the health and well-being of water at the centre of our decision-making. By prioritising the health and well-being of freshwater we protect the health and well-being of our people, communities and our long-term economic wellbeing.
We'll be exploring how Te Mana o te Wai can be applied in Taranaki and how our planning framework can improve the way that tangata whenua and communities are involved in freshwater management decisions in the coming months.
For more information, check out this information sheet(external link).
The six principles of Te Mana o te Wai
Mana whakahaere: the power, authority, and obligations of tangata whenua to make decisions that maintain, protect, and sustain the health and well-being of, and their relationship with, freshwater.
Kaitiakitanga: the obligation of tangata whenua to preserve, restore, enhance, and sustainably use freshwater for the benefit of present and future generations.
Manaakitanga: the process by which tangata whenua show respect, generosity, and care for freshwater and for others.
Governance: the responsibility of those with authority for making decisions about freshwater to do so in a way that prioritises the health and well-being of freshwater now and into the future.
Stewardship: the obligation of all New Zealanders to manage freshwater in a way that ensures it sustains present and future generations.
Care and respect: the responsibility of all New Zealanders to care for freshwater in providing for the health of the nation.
How regional councils give effect to Te Mana o te Wai
