• Rural NZ
• Adverse Events
• People issues
• Profitability
• Research
• Rural Proofing
• SLM Hill Country Erosion Programme
• Community Irrigation Fund
• Stats & forecasts
• Sustainability
  • Best practices
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate
  • Irrigation
  • Land
  • Native forests
  • Organics
  • Resources
  • Water
• Legislation
• Media Centre
• Publications
• What's New

Executive Summary

This report has been written in response to the information needs of a number of groups throughout New Zealand who are investigating and promoting communal irrigation schemes. It draws on the experience of the previous 80 years of development of communal irrigation schemes in New Zealand and experience gained in the recent commissioning of communal irrigation schemes.

Communal irrigation schemes are characterised by the grouping together of people to share in the collection and distribution of water into a defined community of interest.

The major lessons learned from the history of irrigation development in New Zealand are:

• There must be a balance between the engineering and on-farm economics as drivers of the assessment of community irrigation schemes.
• Scheme development must include farmers early in the planning process and include an iterative process of feedback to farmers.
• An analysis of the implications on the community and servicing industries.
• Scheme promoters must be able to identify all potential benefits and beneficiaries of a scheme early in the process.
• There is a need for consultation with all stakeholders with an interest in water resource allocation early in the feasibility process.
• Wherever possible, effort should be made to maximise the non-productive benefits of water resource enhancement including other productive uses (electricity generation) environmental, recreational and cultural.
• It is critical to have a lead agent or champion in the initial promotion and feasibility analysis of schemes.
• Provision of information and support to farmers and other beneficiaries to assist decision making on how to manage and maximise the benefits from the resource is essential to encourage rapid uptake and efficient resource use.

Administration Processes

The Role of the Promoter

The promoter of the scheme has three basic functions. They are to:

• Carry out the feasibility study into the physical viability of the scheme
• Educate and communicate at all stages through the feasibility process
• Ensure the economic viability of the scheme is assessed throughout the process.

Project Management

Project management of feasibility studies can be a complicated and time-consuming activity. For the smooth operation of feasibility analysis, it is important that tight project management and time management skills are used. The role encompasses the need to co-ordinate the input from a number of professionals who will be involved in the investigation, as well as the necessary communication with the community of interest.

In many instances, an experienced professional person best carries out the project management role. They can then report progress and findings to a management committee who provide direction to the project manager and make decisions on how to proceed when necessary.

Ownership Options

This governance structure must provide for management of the financial aspects of the capital development of the scheme as well as provide appropriate ongoing operating, repairs and maintenance, and any further possible scheme development.

Flow-on Impacts

The flow-on impacts achieved are in the form of employment, increased regional output and increased regional value added.

Engineering Processes

Supply Studies

Engineering supply studies are primarily concentrated on the feasibility of the diversion, storage and delivery of water from the water source to the farm gate.

Demand Calculations

Different potential land uses have different levels of water consumption and different timing requirements for the delivery of that water. Therefore, some analysis needs to be made early in the planning process as to the potential or possible land uses in the study area and therefore the potential water demand.

Conflicts of Use

The importance of identifying all people with a potential interest in the water resource and including them in the planning process has been well documented. These include recreational, environmental and cultural groups of interest.

Resource Consent Process

All schemes will need to go through the resource consent process before they can become reality. An important part of the engineering process is the identification of any issues that would have a significant impact on the likelihood of success in the consent application process.

People Processes

The very important lesson learnt from the last 80 years of irrigation development in New Zealand has been the importance of the inclusion of information on all aspects of a project as early as possible in the decision-making process. This is vitally important in schemes where farmers will be required to commit to the uptake of water and therefore the increased investment required in both off- and on-farm irrigation development.

During the feasibility or investigation phase of the project, this is most likely to be an iterative process, with communication and information flows, to and from the community on a regular basis, being an important element of both landholder decision-making, as well as the decision-making processes of the promoter of the scheme.

Land Use Options

Most irrigation development requires intensification of land use or complete land use change to justify the investment.

Irrigation Systems

There is a vast array of irrigation systems available to farmers. These vary hugely in their capital costs, labour requirements and water use and delivery characteristics.

On-farm Economics

A business investment decision of this magnitude will require detailed analysis by the landowner. Provision of a decision-making framework to assist individual on-farm decisions is an important part of the information flow.

Uptake Rates

History has shown us that there is a variable level of interest in the uptake of irrigation water in the farming community. This may have a huge impact on whether a scheme can proceed or not.

The iterative process in community feedback is very important for promoters of the schemes to gauge the potential or likely uptake of water.

Development Processes

The harvesting and delivery of water to farm gates can be a complicated engineering process. Promoters of current schemes will have to negotiate with private landowners to use or gain access to their land.

Social Impact

Studies of the social impact on communities in which an irrigation development occurs show that there are wide-ranging changes. It also has a big impact on the social make-up of the community, with a significant number of new immigrants changing the social balance.

Project Phases

1. Conceptual Phase. In this phase, an individual or group of people will have identified an opportunity to either take or store water from an existing source and redistribute it to farmers for irrigation.
2. Pre-feasibility Stage. The purpose of this phase is to establish whether a project looks likely to happen and calculate the potential cost of carrying out the full feasibility study. It can also serve the purpose of initiating wider public interest.
3. Feasibility Study. The purpose of the feasibility study is to explore the project in enough detail for the interested parties and stakeholders to make a commitment to proceed with the development of the project.

Feasibility investigations generally take the following course:

• collate information on crop suitability and the required irrigation management practices for the various soil types in the study area;
• review existing ground water information and then develop an updated conceptual hydrogeological model for the study area, possibly supported with further ground water investigations;
• determine the likely irrigation demand and seasonal water use maps;
• Determine the areas of reliable supply of either surface water or ground water and problem areas;
• identify where irrigation can proceed without the need for a communal irrigation infrastructure and where community water supplies are necessary;
• develop all technical options for matching supply and demand. For example, the amount of storage required for community water supply schemes;
• assess the economic feasibility of irrigation to landowners;
• determine the nature and extent of environmental and other demands on the area’s water resources and develop a strategy to ensure land use intensification occurs sustainably;
• analyse all the potential risks that would be associated with irrigation development (technical, economic and business) and assess their relative impact on the irrigation proposals.

4. Development. The development phase of the scheme incorporates all activity required to commission the scheme and provide for the delivery of water.

Contact for Enquiries

MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND

Fax: +64 4 894 0721
Contact this person