Retiring chairman John Donkers told the annual meeting of the association in Ashburton this month collaborative processes were working up and down the country to set values for water bodies and improve water quality and quantity.
This year, the outcome of some of these processes to set limits had highlighted the fragility of collaborative and consultative processes, he said.
Nutrient-limit-setting processes continued throughout the country.
''There is tension in many areas as to how nutrient loads will be allocated,'' Mr Donkers said.
''In some instances, the tension is between different agricultural sectors.
''The Land and Water Partnership forum established by Federated Farmers has been an important initiative to which Irrigation New Zealand has made a significant contribution. This forum has more work to do to ensure that the agriculture sector gets on the `same page' and avoids public disagreement on how allocations will be made.''
INZ hoped the Irrigation Acceleration Fund would be topped up to assist schemes that were only now in a position to test feasibility.
The fund of $35 million had been very successful in helping emerging schemes working on feasibility, Mr Donkers said.
Crown Irrigation Investment Ltd made its first investment this year - a $6.5 million loan to Central Plains Water Ltd.
''CILL potentially has a very important role to play in assisting the financing of scheme development. However, its place in financing schemes is still being clarified and we look forward to more significant investments in the very near future,'' Mr Donkers said.
The irrigation sector must continue to engage with the Labour and Green Parties so they could gain a thorough understanding of how irrigation worked and its value to rural economies, he said.
''A key objective of the organisation has been to raise the public's awareness of irrigation and to tell the positive story of irrigation.
''This is not achieved overnight, but I think we are finally starting to see the positive messages getting through.''
BY MAUREEN BISHOP