Freshwater management units
The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM 2020) (clause 3.8) requires the council to establish freshwater management units (FMUs) for the region. A FMU is:
“all or any part of a water body or water bodies and their related catchments, that…is an appropriate unit for freshwater management and accounting purposes...”
Council approved FMUs for water quality in 2019 (before the NPS-FM 2020 came into force). Given the strong link between catchment surface water quality and receiving environments such as estuaries/harbours, the majority of FMU boundaries were defined by major harbour catchments.
We are using these FMUs as a starting point for engagement with communities and tangata whenua when developing the new Freshwater Plan.
The Proposed Regional Plan already includes FMUs for water quantity. Again, we are using these FMUs as a starting point for engagement when developing the new Freshwater Plan.
Map of Northland water quality Freshwater Management Units (FMUs).