This page is about a bill. That means that it's not the law yet, but some people want it to be the law. It could change quickly, and some of the information is just a draft.

Natural Environment Bill

Foundations - Key instruments - Relationship between national rule and other instruments

43: Relationship between national rules and water conservation orders

You could also call this:

"Which rules come first: national or water conservation rules?"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

If a national rule and a water conservation order both apply to water, you need to know which one is more important. A water conservation order is more important if it has stricter rules than the national rule. A national rule is more important if it has stricter rules than the water conservation order.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1520920.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationEnvironment and resources > Water conservation

42: Relationship between national rule and natural resource permit, or

"How national rules affect your natural resource permit"

44: Relationship between national rules and bylaws, or

"How National Rules and Local Bylaws Work Together"

Part 2Foundations
Key instruments: Relationship between national rule and other instruments

43Relationship between national rules and water conservation orders

A water conservation order prevails over a national rule applying to water if it is more restrictive than the rule.
A national rule applying to water prevails over a water conservation order if it is more restrictive than the order.