1. Choose a country for which you will produce a water profile.

● New Zealand Link

2. Provide a map of your country, labelled with any areas to which you refer in the profile.

3. Describe the sources of water that the country uses and describe any regional and temporal
variations in the sources of water. This can be done in the form of a labelled diagram or table.

Surface water ● From lakes such as Lake Wanaka or Lake Taupo

● From reservoirs

Ground water ● From aquifers

Rainwater ● Rain water harvesting is common in the remote

rural areas

● During the summer and drought periods, New Zealand has big reliance on groundwater
as surface water drops. As drier seasons make the surface water level drop
 ● During the winter months, there are higher rainfalls and so this refills and recharges
rivers, lakes, and overall surface water. During this season, New Zealand is less reliant
on groundwater and irrigation.

4. Describe the uses of water in the country. Give a percentage breakdown of these uses and
provide examples within each category, for example, if you include agriculture / industry as a
major user of water, explain how the water is used in this sector.

● Agriculture - 63%
○ The greatest usage of water in New Zealand is for irrigation for agricultural
purposes and for farming (“Stuff”). Most of their water resources are used for the
purpose of irrigation.
● Industrial - 23%
○ New Zealand has various industries that requires water such as power
generation for the hydroelectric power, etc…

5. What percentage of the country has access to safe water and sanitation? How does this
affect the general population?
● About 4.2 million people from new zealand gets access to safe water
○ 83.6% of the population
● The rest of the population relies on self-managed supplies of water - this includes
personal roof rainwater collection (Access to Safe Drinking-Water)
 ● New Zealand has good quality water as well as fair supply of water to the population.
Overall, the population and the citizens of New Zealand don’t find themself with the
struggles of shortages of fresh and clean water for daily usage.

6. What is the country doing to improve access to safe water?

● Collaboration - the government ensures to have collaboration between local tribes and
community groups to address water access issues. One of the local tribes that are
included is the iwi (Maori tribes) to ensure that the needs and concerns of local citizens
and communities are also considered. (“New Zealand: The Māori People Want Greater
Control of the Rivers of the South Island”)

7. What are the predictions for water use in this country? How will it be affected by population
growth and climate change?
● Increase water demand - rooting from population growth, the water demand continues to
increase from the agriculture sector.
○ New Zealand’s river system is short, steep, and has little capacity to manipulate
or store flows. This increase in demand can have a significant effect on river
health and water quality issues.
● Climate change and demand for irrigated water - According to future predictions, parts of
New Zealand such as the North Island, Marlborough, Tasman and North Canterbury will
get drier, but the South will get water. This will cause in an increase demand for irrigated
water.
○ However, there is an issue, as the reliability of the river water supply is predicted
to decline during the century, and with the decline in reliability and increased in
irrigated water demand, this will bring challenging conditions on the workers.
(“The Future Shape of Water”)

8. Does the country have any international agreements with other countries over access to
water? Briefly describe some of these agreements and assess how the country’s political
stability is affected by, or related to, these issues?
● New Zealand’s political stability is not affected by water agreements - they have good
relation with neighboring countries
○ Australia and New Zealand - concerns shared water resources between the two
countries
○ Pacific Island nations - concerns discussions on regional water management and
adaptation to climate change

9. What action is being taken by the country to ensure water sustainability? Is water a political
issue in this country; explain why. What measures are being taken to ensure water use is
reduced and supplies increased, if any?
● Water resources relocation - New Zealand has legislation that governs the usage of
natural resources. This legislation requires the citizens to get consent for water usage
 (except for personal needs and usage). This act allows for more sustainable water
allocations and efficient use of water. (Overview and Highlights)
● Investing in water infrastructure - where the government has provided funds to upgrade
existing water infrastructure (focusing on areas that are facing issue with water quality or
water supply) (“Infrastructure at Scale: Tackling New Zealand’s Water Challenge |
without Limits”)
● Water is a political issue in new zealand, as it faces many issues, including the scarcity
of water, the quality, and the discussion of ownership and rights of water; due to all of
these controversy, water sustainability has become a big topic in New Zealand’s politics.

10.Evaluate the country’s attitude to water access and use. In your opinion, what environmental
value system is most applicable to this country's approach to water and do you think this is
appropriate or successful?
● New Zealand’s attitude and approach to water access and use combines ecocentric and
technocentric viewpoints.
○ Ecocentric - New Zealand’s government has put a lot of effort and funds into
biodiversity conservation. The country is aware of the importance and value of
water resources and strongly focuses on conserving the environment.
○ Technocentric - New Zealand also has a strong focus in investing in innovation
for conservation - putting funds in technology to improve water quality and usage
of water resources more efficiently.
● Personally, I think that the country’s approach to water is appropriate, as it values both
the population’s needs and as well as the environment, putting a lot of emphasis on
conserving water and natural resources so that it can be used sustainably. Although
there are some troubles, during dry seasons and with the declining quality of water, the
country’s efforts of water conservation is successful, as the country is known to have one
of the best water quality, as well as nearly all of their population have access to clean
and safe water for daily usage.

Sources:
Access to Safe Drinking-Water.
www.ehinz.ac.nz/assets/Factsheets/Released_2023/Access-to-safe-drinking-water-2023.pdf.
Accessed 9 Mar. 2024.

“Infrastructure at Scale: Tackling New Zealand’s Water Challenge | without Limits.” Without
Limits, 2023,
aecom.com/without-limits/article/infrastructure-at-scale-tackling-new-zealands-water-challenge/.
Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

“New Zealand: The Māori People Want Greater Control of the Rivers of the South Island.”
Initiatives Pour l’Avenir Des Grands Fleuves, 5 Jan. 2022,
www.initiativesrivers.org/actualites/nouvelle-zelande-peuple-maori-veut-exercer-controle-plus-fo
rt-cours-deau-de-lile-sud/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

‌Overview and Highlights.

www.oecd.org/newzealand/Water-Resources-Allocation-New-Zealand.pdf. Accessed 9 Mar.
2024.

“Stuff.” Stuff.co.nz, 2024,

www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/97796506/the-biggest-users-of-new-zealand-water.
Accessed 9 Mar. 2024.

“The Future Shape of Water.” NIWA, 10 Feb. 2021, niwa.co.nz/news/the-future-shape-of-water.

Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.