Ex post analysis of irrigation development for future SIAs
Nick Taylor; Mike Mackay
Abstract – Tuhinga Whakarāpopoto
Irrigation development is an important way that rural communities can drive economic regeneration. However, it also creates a complex set of positive and negative social impacts. Their assessment and management has implications for net social wellbeing over time. The social licence for large-scale irrigation development requires commitment to strategic and project-level Social Impact Assessment. The effective practice of Social Impact Assessments for irrigation, water planning and management is clearly assisted by the availability of comparative analysis after the end of the project. This research involved ex post analyses of initiatives for regional social and economic regeneration in the Canterbury region’s Waitaki catchment and Amuri basin of Aotearoa New Zealand. The research confirms that regeneration typically is a complex, incremental process involving multiple stakeholders over a lengthy period.
Articles associated with this research – Karere Tūhono
News: The social impacts of irrigation
29 July 2021: A Building Better research team has recently looked at the social impacts of irrigation developments in the Waitaki Valley (North Otago) and Amuri (North Canterbury) as part of evaluating the success of regional regeneration initiatives, along with developing methods and capability in assessing social impacts. The work is important to see how the actual impacts line up with the predicted Social Impact Assessment of such work: What worked well, and for whom? What patterns of change were not anticipated and how were these addressed? What can be learnt from these experiences? >> Read More.
Keywords – Kupu Hāngai
Social impact; irrigation; community engagement; community; impact assessment; social wellbeing; Waitaki Valley; North Otago; Amuri; South Island; Te Waipounamu
Fields of Research – Āpure Rangahau
Social impact assessment; Water planning and management; Regional development; Rural community development; Community planning; Community engagement
Date – Te Wā Whakarewa
2021-07
Type – Te Auaha
Paper presented at 2021 International Association for Impact Assessment virtual conference
Collections – Kohinga Kaupapa
Citation – Kupu Hautoa
Taylor, N. & Mackay, M. (2021). Ex post analysis of irrigation development for future SIAs. International Association for Impact Assessment Annual Conference.
