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Waikato Regional Council has changed the way it handles applications to take water from the Waikato River, easing pressure on the waterway.
Applications last year from Auckland to increase its take sparked a push back from the council and iwi.
Resource use acting director Brent Sinclair says the Waikato Water Summit, called as a result of Auckland’s water supply issues, led to changes including discussions with applicants about how much water they really need.
Some applications to take water have been amended or withdrawn, reducing the demand from the river by a combined 181 million litres per day.
He says the first-in first-served system, which has been in place since 2012 for takes from the river catchment, no longer applies.
The council will now focus on processing those applications that have been in the queue the longest.
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