Water is being described too important a resource to be left to local politics.

Former National MP Wyatt Creech is calling on the Government to handle water as a national issue, and manage it better.

Mr Creech was one of four authors of the report which criticised Environment Canterbury’s water management, and led to the sacking of the council. He told this morning’s TVNZ Q&A programme it is silly for a small country to have dozens of different local and regional policies on water. Mr Creech says New Zealand is lucky to have good water availability, but needs a coherent national strategy to ensure the resource is managed properly.

Federated Farmers thinks a national approach to water management is long over due. President Don Nicolson says farmers have been working for almost 20 years under the Resource Management Act. He says a lack of consistency and strategy has left them jumping impossible hurdles. Mr Nicolson says councils have put in place restrictions and quality standards that can not be reached, and it is time for common sense.