Featherston water race bylaw lapse leaks through policy cracks

An oversight labelled as "embarrassing" by South Wairarapa's mayor has left a 40-kilometre rural drinking water supply vulnerable.

The bylaw that protected and managed Featherston's Longwood Water Race network expired in 2024, with a new one now being proposed two years later.

South Wairarapa District Council met on Thursday to adopt the proposed bylaw's consultation document and statement of proposal, with consultation to run for four weeks from October 12.

When discussing the new bylaw, councillor Andrea Rutene asked why the council was only now addressing the expired bylaw.

Mayor Dame Fran Wilde said that was the "embarrassing" part.

Chief executive Janice Smith said when a full bylaw review was done previously "unfortunately at the time, the person running the review felt this one could be left, and nobody realised we hadn't picked it up".

Wilde said there were "quite a lot of system fixes that have been done over the past year".

"The CEO is picking up quite a lot of things that are being remedied," she said.

The Longwood Water Race was a network of water races that extended for about 40km in the rural Featherston area.

Originally constructed to provide water supply for livestock, the network supplied water to about 60 properties.

A report to council said the Longwood Water Race network was an important asset with a long history of supporting agricultural productivity and rural development.

"It supports stock water supply, contributes to rural resilience during dry periods, assists with land management and drainage functions, and forms part of the district's historic water infrastructure network."

The report said the proposed draft bylaw largely carried forward the existing management approach and obligations that had historically applied to the Longwood Water Race, while updating the drafting and structure to reflect current legislative and regulatory drafting standards.

The statement of intent said the proposed bylaw would help council to protect water infrastructure and community investment in the Longwood Water Race network, maintain access for inspection, maintenance, and repairs, and support the long-term sustainability and resilience of the network.

Without a bylaw, the council could only rely on voluntary compliance with a code of practice.