The Emergence and Intensification of Hydropolitical Conflict Intentionality in Aotearoa-New Zealand By: Adan E. Suazo National C
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
The Emergence and Intensification of Hydropolitical Conflict Intentionality in Aotearoa-New Zealand By: Adan E. Suazo National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies Te Ao O Rongomaraeroa University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand June 2019 Abstract Environmental security literature has devoted a significant amount of attention to the nexus between resource abundance and conflict. Important research has assessed this relationship by focusing on non-renewable resource wealth as a causal determinant of conflict, but little is known about the conditions that influence the emergence and intensification of conflict in water abundant environments. By most accounts, New Zealand is one of the most water-rich countries in the world. Even though violent conflict over water does not normally materialise in New Zealand, conflicts and incompatible claims motivated by water bottling, the growth of some types of agriculture, tourism, and water treatment strategies, continue to surface. Little, however, is known about how and why these conflicts emerge and intensify in a country such as New Zealand. To address this lacuna, this project asks the following research question: How and why does the commercialisation of freshwater influence the emergence and intensification of hydropolitical conflict intentionality in New Zealand? This study presents two central arguments. First, that the introduction of a commercial enterprise motivates the emergence of hydropolitical conflict intentionality if the enterprise is incompatible with the interests of local communities. And second, that the intensification of hydropolitical conflict intentionality is determined by the level of trust that communities pose upon the approval and appeals process that supports a commercial operation. To test these arguments, this study examines the effects of water bottling and water chlorination on the towns of Ashburton (Canterbury) and Glenorchy (Otago), by employing a tripartite analysis comprised, first, of a conflict intentionality and engagement assessment, second, of a comparative case study analysis, and third, of a conflict intentionality classification. Suazo - 2 The data suggests that communities engage in low intensity conflicts when they trust the approval and appeals process behind any given commercial operation. Water-based conflicts however are likely to escalate when local communities lose trust in the above processes and the institutions that administer them. Suazo - 3 Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the support, encouragement and love of my wife, Ashley, and our two beautiful daughters, Amaïa and Audra. You three made this whole process not only bearable, but fulfilling on so many levels. The four of us faced many challenges during these three years, and we supported each other and moved forward, always together. Your smiles, laughter and love mean the world to me. Las amo hasta el cielo. My parents have always played an influential part in my life, and their encouragement and love has been a source of strength, and a reminder of the things over which I have control. Despite the oceans and continents that have often separated us, they have always found a way to let me know of their love and support. Los amo Viejitos. Professor Kevin Clements was a source of wisdom during this whole journey. Kevin has a unique way of facing life and work, always sporting a smile and an air of positivism. I have learned so much from you, and I thank you for your patience, and for your support. During my time at the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, I have come to appreciate your dual role as intellectual advisor, and as a teacher in life. This project would not have taken the shape it now has without your outstanding advice. I am proud of our work, and I will take the lessons I learned from you wherever life takes me and my family. Suazo - 4 I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Katerina Standish. Meeting you in Ottawa back in 2015, learning about your work, and seeing how passionately and positively you approach it, changed me. I knew that if I ever wanted to complete a PhD, it had to be with you. I am thankful for your encouragement, support and for your contributions to our field. You truly are a blessing for all of us. I thank the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago for their support during my time as a doctoral candidate. NCPACS is a place with plenty of promise, filled with faculty and staff doing very important and timely work. I deeply appreciated our conversations, both academic and casual. In particular I want to highlight the mentorship of Drs. Heather Devere, Sung Long Lee, and Jenny Te Paa-Daniel, who never hesitated to listen to my concerns, and who always went the extra mile to help me. A special mention goes to NCPACS Director Richard Jackson, whose humour, comradery and work pushed me to continue working, and who contributed in making of Aotearoa-New Zealand my home. I also thank Maui Solomon and Susan Thorpe for their friendship, their love, and their inspiring work: a big part of the drive behind this work came from you, and I will take with me your stories and mana wherever I may go. My work in New Zealand was also made possible through the support of my friends and colleagues in Canada and Sweden. In particular I want to acknowledge the support of Professors Rosemarie Schade (Concordia University), Peter Stoett (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Paul Shrivastava (Pennsylvania State University) and Isak Svensson (Uppsala Suazo - 5 University). You all have played a significant role in my personal and professional growth at different stages of my life. Also, my ability to question the world around me was inspired in large part by the teachings of, and conversations with Willy Fournier. Thank you for always believing in me and in the value of my work. I don't think I would have had the courage of starting a doctoral degree if it weren't for you. Lastly, I wish to thank my fellow PhD candidates. The core of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies has always been you. You have been my main source of support, laughter and comradery. I have learned so much from our interactions, and I will always treasure our years as a group. In particular, I thank my officemates Dody, Khin Khin, Nick and Anna, whose wisdom and joy have pushed me to face my work positively, and with a smile on my face. Adan E. Suazo June 2019 Suazo - 6 Table of Contents List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 10 Chapter 1 - Introduction 11 Chapter 2 - Revisiting Abundance Theory 18 Introduction 18 Theoretical Considerations 19 Empirical Considerations 21 Discussion 25 Water Abundance and Conflict 30 Chapter 3 - Water Abundance and Water Incompatibilities in New Zealand 36 Why New Zealand? 37 Water Abundance in New Zealand 40 Water Commercialisation and Conflict 46 Chapter 4 - Research Design 53 Introduction 53 Research Question 53 Table 1. The Conflict-Cooperation Intensity Scale 55 An Exploration of Social Science Research 55 The Arguments 60 Operationalisation and Case Selection Strategies 61 Figure 0. A tri-dimensional representation of water bottling and water chlorination in relation to their rent potential, scale and exclusion 62 Case Studies 65 Methods of Analysis 67 Data Collection 70 Māori Participation 73 Limitations 75 Final Remarks on Research Design 76 Chapter 5 - Glenorchy 78 About Glenorchy 78 Figure 1. An aerial view of Glenorchy 78 About the Participants 80 Figure 2. Participants per occupation in Glenorchy 80 Suazo - 7 Figure 3. Participants per age group in Glenorchy 81 Water Bottling 83 Figure 4. Attitudes toward water bottling in Glenorchy 83 Water Chlorination 89 Figure 5. Attitudes toward water chlorination in Glenorchy 89 Results 97 Figure 6. Distribution of Hydropolitical Conflict Intentionality in Glenorchy 97 Table 2. Gender distribution of hydropolitical conflict intentionality in Glenorchy 99 Discussion 100 Chapter 6 - Ashburton 106 About Ashburton 106 Figure 7. An aerial view of Ashburton 106 About the Participants 108 Figure 8. Participants per occupation in Ashburton 108 Figure 9. Participants per age group in Ashburton 109 Water Bottling 111 Figure 10. Views on water bottling in Ashburton 111 Water Chlorination 118 Figure 11. Views on water chlorination 118 Results 121 Figure 12. Hydropolitical conflict intentionality in Ashburton 121 Table 3. Gender distribution of hydropolitical conflict intentionality in Ashburton 124 Discussion 126 Chapter 7 - Analysis 132 Introduction 132 The Emergence, Containment and Intensification of Hydropolitical Conflict Intentionality 134 Figure 13. Flowchart depicting pathways toward potential hydropolitical conflict intensification 134 First Pivot Point: The Identification of Water Incompatibilities 136 Figure 14. Attitudes toward water bottling in Ashburton and Glenorchy 136 Figure 15. Attitudes toward water chlorination in Ashburton and Glenorchy 136 Second Pivot Point: The Containment and Intensification of Hydropolitical Conflict 137 Containment 137 Table 4. Hydropolitical conflict intentionality in Ashburton and Glenorchy 138 Intensification 141 Suazo - 8 Table 5. Gender distribution of hydropolitical conflict intentionality in Ashburton and Glenorchy 147 Conclusions and Final Thoughts 148 Chapter 8 - Conflict Intentionality Classification 152 Revisionist 152 Status Quo 155 Reclusive 157 Cooperation in the Face of Water Based Incompatibilities 159 Collaboration 160 Conclusions 165 Chapter 9 - Research