Groundwater ecosystems
Groundwater ecosystems: Functions, values, impacts and management
New Zealand’s groundwaters are important sources of drinking water for people and livestock and provide sources of water for a wide range of agricultural and industrial activities. Groundwaters are also of high cultural value to Māori who associate various values, beliefs and practices with this resource.
In recent years, regional plans across New Zealand have begun to recognise and manage surface water and groundwater as a single resource. This has been coupled with an increase in recognition of the importance of groundwater ecosystems and the services they provide.
In 2014, Greater Wellington Regional Council commissioned NIWA to collate available information on human values associated with groundwater as well as how groundwater ecosystem (GE) services and biodiversity may support these values in New Zealand. This information supported and informed the development of their Proposed Natural Resources Plan and future management of groundwater resources in their region but only went some way to reviewing existing information and identifying gaps. Subsequently, in 2018, the value of this work was recognised by the Regional Sector Groundwater Forum and an Envirolink grant to Horizons Regional Council, supported by Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Forum, provided funding to develop this original report further into a more comprehensive review of groundwater ecosystems in New Zealand.
The report aims to provide a resource to inform and support future groundwater policy development and monitoring by regional (and potentially central) government. It captures an overview of Māori values, belief and practices associated with GE’s, key threats to GE’s and key research priorities to assist with GE management.
Abby Matthews, Science and Innovation Manager for Horizons Regional Council says that the work has helped to build a picture of the role and function of ecosystems within groundwater environments, and provides Councils with direction around the future management of groundwater ecosystems. She says that the work has highlighted knowledge gaps which we need to work towards filling to enable more holistic management of surface and groundwaters in New Zealand.
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