Ivars Reinfelds

I have been motivated by a simple but difficult question for the Murray-Darling Basin: how do we know if reported water take matches actual water use across complex landscapes, so downstream users receive their fair share? That question became urgent during public scrutiny into NSW water management, when the Four Corners program Pumped exposed concerns that large volumes of water could be stolen or unaccounted for. I wanted to apply my skills in river science, spatial analysis and remote sensing to help Australia respond to that problem.

My interest in rivers began as a physical geography student. I chose to study rivers over beaches because I reasoned there were more kilometres of rivers in the world and therefore a better chance of finding meaningful work. My Honours research on the braided Waimakariri River near Christchurch gave me a love of river systems. Later, my PhD research on the highly modified Latrobe River in Gippsland drew me toward understanding how human decisions shape rivers and catchments.

Over more than 20 years, I have worked across water management, river science and environmental regulation, developing expertise in geomorphology, ecohydrology, hydraulic modelling and spatial analysis.

I am now Specialist Manager, Spatial and Data Analytics, with the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator. I lead a multidisciplinary team that turns complex satellite, spatial and database information into practical compliance intelligence: helping find the needles of non-compliance in the haystack of legitimate water use.

Through my Churchill Fellowship, I want to contribute to a genuine two-way exchange: learning from international regulators facing similar challenges, bringing practical lessons back to Australia, and sharing NRAR’s experience in data-driven water compliance. My goal is to help make water rules work better in practice and inspire regulators globally to see that while water theft is a challenging problem, it is not insurmountable.