“How can we ensure we have healthy and sustainable water in New Zealand for the future?”
NZ has been privileged to enjoy natural freshwater of an abundance and purity equalled by very few places on earth. Water is an essential element of both our natural ecosystem and our social system. All New Zealanders rely on this freshwater for their basic needs of drinking, cooking, bathing and sanitation and waterways generate half the country's electricity. However, water is also of value inherently as an essential part of the natural world and for its more ethereal benefits such as recreation, healing, spiritual fulfilment and relaxation. Most New Zealanders have strong emotional connections to water and to particular waterways where they have in the past enjoyed bathing, boating, fishing or simply sat and observed this passage of water from mountain to coast.
In the Māori worldview (Te Ao Māori) each water body has its own mauri (life force) and usually a strong connection to a particular iwi or hapū. This worldview recognises that water exists in a relationship of mutual interdependence and guardianship with humans and other non-human life as it is constantly recycled to move ‘Ki uta ki tai’ (from the mountains to the sea).
Water may seem robust and infinite, however, our co-existence with this element involves a delicate dance. Seemingly minor changes by humans to water flows or ecosystems can have big impacts on the overall health and future existence of this finite and depletable system and all the life that relies upon it. “All the water that will ever be is right now.” National Geographic
Some human activities are relatively harmless to the overall water system, yet others are seriously detrimental by adding pollutants, extracting water or even modifying entire ecosystems as in the case of dams, drains and culverts. Once a complex waterway ecosystem is disrupted, polluted or tips over to an anaerobic state then it is nearly impossible to restore it to its natural state.
This is an opportunity for you as one of the 4 million guardians of our common water resources to help us find mutually agreeable solutions to the critical task of collectively managing these resources for health and sustainability. We invite you to read and think about the issues, rank some survey statements on freshwater quality and potential solutions and to share your own perspectives.
Original Polis poll: https://pol.is/5psrv8bm2a
Soop article: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1707/S00042/opening-the-election-hivemind-freshwater-quality.htm
Summary of the Comment Section
This section highlights various methods for selecting a small set of comments that best capture the broader conversation (see the comment section below).
Each method focuses on a different perspective, emphasizing principles such as popularity, representation, or diversity. This leads to different voices being represented. Explore the section below to get a sense of the impact these approaches have.
Change Selection Methods
Popularity-Based Selection
Selection 1
Representation-Based Selection
Selection 2
Inclusion-Based Selection
Selection 3
Highlight Differences