Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to determine what challenges planners and decision-makers face when implementing collaborative approaches to water management to reconcile competing uses. The research was designed as a qualitative inquiry and employed qualitative research methods; namely, a case study and semi-structured interviews. The Hawke’s Bay was selected as an intrinsic case to investigate collaborative management of water resources. Interviews were conducted with representatives from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and irrigators who have been involved in collaboration pertaining to allocation and management of water. Primary data obtained from interviews were analysed along with secondary material to determine the perceptions and attitudes of various stakeholders in relation to collaboration and water management. The research revealed the importance of early engagement of stakeholders in decision making to enhance the sense of ownership over the decisions that are made. Moreover, the importance of communication among participants and facilitating knowledge exchange was also emphasised. This included providing opportunities for stakeholder co-learning and sharing of information to improve understanding of others’ positions and to learn scientific information used to inform the development of policies and plans. The key aspects of the collaborative process that were identified in the research were that knowledge transfer between stakeholder groups and the Council was paramount as it made all participants feel more comfortable and heard. This was linked to ideas of trust in the process and other participants of which transparency was seen to be an important component. This research provides useful evidence in support of adopting a collaborative approach to water management through using small stakeholder groups and provides lessons for how the processes can be improved moving forward elsewhere in New Zealand.
