Towards better understanding of the mechanisms which create sustainable public services and public service organisation: Insights from New Zealand's freshwater management

The paper provides an abductive analysis (Tavory & Timmermans, 2014) of a case study of freshwater management by Environment Canterbury (ECan), a regional government agency responsible for regulating for the environmental... [ view full abstract ]

The paper provides an abductive analysis (Tavory & Timmermans, 2014) of a case study of freshwater management by Environment Canterbury (ECan), a regional government agency responsible for regulating for the environmental sustainability of 19% of New Zealand’s land mass, by reflecting on the case through the lens of theories relevant to dimensions of the SERVICE framework (Osborne et al., 2015). The aim of the analysis is to further develop our theoretical understanding of the complex interactions which contribute to the operation of this public service system for environmental regulation in Canterbury. The case is used to explore the dynamic features that have helped create what many hope will be a more sustainable public services system for Canterbury. The case also serves to highlight the nature and the causes of threats to sustainability. To see those threats more clearly, the focal length and resolution of the analysis is adjusted to see ECan as part of a national public system of environmental regulation with interdependent decision making arenas (Ostrom, 1995). It demonstrates that the origins and threats to sustainability of Ecan and the whole water management system are endogenous.