I woke recently in a pool of sweat, heart racing. Too much coffee? Or maybe just a hot flush? Then I remembered the nightmare – the dreaded Group Project.

You know the type: random people thrown together to solve a problem. One person takes over (The Bossy One), another quietly does as they’re told (Quiet Worker), and someone else does as little as possible (The Layabout). The result? A stressed-out Bossy One, a resentful Quiet Worker, and a Layabout who gets a free ride – with everyone ending up with a mediocre grade.

The truth is, group projects aren’t just school memories. They’re how real life works when we’re asked to collaborate. People naturally lean toward their own goals and agendas. Instead of “working together,” it can easily slip into “how can I get others to work for me?”

History even has a name for this: The Tragedy of the Commons. It’s what happens when individuals take more than their fair share from a common resource, until eventually there’s nothing left for anyone.

Take nitrate pollution in our groundwater. It didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of thousands of small decisions, year after year, each adding just a bit more nitrogen into the system. Fixing it will take just as many people, over many years, doing their bit to put things right. If only a few take action, we’ll get the same old mediocre results.

So the real challenge is: how do we get everyone on board? How do we bring people with different values and goals together? How do we manage our resources fairly, for today and tomorrow in a way that can benefit us all?

There’s no quick fix. Rules will always be needed for those who won’t act, but the best solutions come from honest conversations. Finding common ground. Choosing to engage, not just enforce.

That’s why Environment Canterbury’s recent declaration of a “Nitrate Emergency” feels unhelpful. It shuts down conversation instead of encouraging it – more like the tactics of Greenpeace or the Environmental Law Society than of a public agency meant to bring people together to fix the problem.

If the Councillors calling for an emergency were serious about improving water quality, they need to open the door and invite those in who need to do the work and figure out what’s missing to make it happen.

What we need now is leadership, not division. Leadership that inspires. Leadership that brings out the best in people, creates safe spaces for tough discussions, and helps us find shared solutions. Posturing and political point-scoring only push people to look after themselves and ignore the bigger picture. And if that happens, the “commons” will suffer – and so will we all.

By Eva Harris, Principal Environmental Advisor, Enviro Collective