Tracing the neglect of lakes in New Zealand's freshwater politics

Abstract

This article examines the material, social and legal drivers of contemporary lake politics in Aotearoa New Zealand through semi‐structured interviews with freshwater experts. Despite the rise of freshwater as a mainstream political issue, we find that lakes receive limited attention in a national discourse dominated by rivers and streams. We elaborate how the slow accumulation of environmental changes in lakes, a history of reactive legislation, variability in regional governance and social disconnection from lakes collectively contribute to a ‘politics of neglect’. We suggest pathways towards a revitalised lake politics that draws attention to the health and values of diverse waterbodies.

Building a Monitoring Toolkit to Give Effect to Ngaa Rauru Freshwater Values

“…The call to recognise relational environmental values in freshwater monitoring and management has not only been limited to indigenous discourses but has also been a global movement. The recognition of a much-needed shift in the way we conduct freshwater management is reflected in literature (McFarlane & Šunde, 2022;Grubert, 2018;Mattijssen, 2020). In Aotearoa, we have seen this through the works of Salmond et al (2014), Tadaki et al (2021), andFisher et al (2022), all of whom challenge the focus on quality and quantity, instead advocating for an approach that better addresses the disconnect between people and water.…”