217Effect of water conservation order

1. No water conservation order shall affect or restrict any resource consent granted or any lawful use established in respect of the water body before the order is made.

2. Where a water conservation order is operative, the relevant consent authority—

3. shall not grant a water permit, coastal permit, or discharge permit if the grant of that permit would be contrary to any restriction or prohibition or any other provision of the order:
4. shall not grant a water permit, a coastal permit, or a discharge permit to discharge water or contaminants into water, unless the grant of any such permit or the combined effect of the grant of any such permit and of existing water permits and discharge permits and existing lawful discharges into the water or taking, use, damming, or diversion of the water is such that the provisions of the water conservation order can remain without change or variation:
5. shall, in granting any water permit, coastal permit, or discharge permit to discharge water or contaminants into water, impose such conditions as are necessary to ensure that the provisions of the water conservation order are maintained.