Water conservation order


A water conservation order is a legal ruling to protect aspects of water bodies. It may be to protect the quantity of the water itself or for any issues relating to the water body as a whole. Since 1984, sixteen WCOs have been passed, with a gap of 15 years between the last two: the 2008 Oreti River WCO and the 2023 Te Waikoropupū Springs WCO.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, a Water Conservation Order is used to protect the natural, cultural and recreational values of any water body. Water Conservation Orders came about as a result of lobbying by a group of stakeholders in the late seventies. At that time rivers were managed through the Water & Soil Conservation Act, which was administered by an appointed statutory body serviced by the Ministry of Works. The engineers of the Ministry of Works argued that there was no need to legislate further as the Act contained provision for setting Minimum Flows.
Seven WCOs were passed prior to the Resource Management Act 1991 coming into place. Since the passing of the RMA, a further nine WCOs have been created. Hence, there are currently 16 separate Water Conservation Orders:
WCOYearLegislation
Mōtū River1984pre-RMA
Rakaia River1988pre-RMA
Lake Wairarapa1989pre-RMA
Manganuioteao River1989pre-RMA
Ahuriri River1990pre-RMA
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora1990pre-RMA
Grey River / Māwheranui1991pre-RMA
Rangitīkei River1993RMA
Kawarau River1997RMA
Mataura River1997RMA
Buller River2001RMA
Mohaka River2004RMA
Motueka River2004RMA
Rangitata River2006RMA
Ōreti River2008RMA
Te Waikoropupū Springs and
Wharepapa Arthur Marble Aquifer		2023RMA

A water conservation order has been proposed for the Hurunui River in the South Island.
Irrigation New Zealand, the national body representing agricultural irrigators and the irrigation industry, opposes water conservation orders. Irrigation NZ considers they no longer have relevance, they lock up the water resource and they may bankrupt the nation.