Reaching Community Consensus on Reforms for More Sustainable Urban Water Management Systems

Abstract

Addressing the problem of reaching consensus on water reforms was the motive for this operational research. Living up to its ‘clean and green' image is a significant goal for New Zealand, with high economic value derived from the effects of its globally-recognised environmental credentials on key exports like agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism. A 2009 government task force (Fresh Start for Fresh Water) suggested that a ‘business as usual' approach is undesirable, and water reform should be a priority. This paper is an account of a community-focused systems study undertaken for a Master's thesis in 2008/9. It examines the challenges and opportunities facing Kapiti, a rapidly growing coastal community, with water scarcity and quality constraints that had long prevented them from meeting their sustainable development objectives. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) and a stakeholder typology were used to identify system stakeholders and examine their perspectives, while Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) from Systems Dynamics were constructed to explore and circumvent potential negative outcomes. Thus, a case study in a community resource management setting is described that tests the effectiveness of the combined problem-structuring framework, to explicitly inform urban water management, and water reform, in New Zealand.