Central Otago Whitewater says the Nevis is a top whitewater
kayaking river. Photo by Anthony Longman.
Mediation between the two main parties in the battle over
whether dams should be banned on the Nevis River has collapsed,
with Pioneer Generation saying its offer to restrict any
potential hydro development to the "least impact" dam was
rejected.
The matter is before the Environment Court, which will hold
an inquiry and make recommendations to the Minister for the
Environment.
The New Zealand and Otago fish and game councils sought a
change to the Water Conservation Order (WCO) on the river,
asking for a prohibition on any damming or diversion.
Submissions were sought and a tribunal, appointed by the
Ministry for the Environment, heard evidence in 2009 and
2010.
The tribunal recommended the WCO be amended to ban damming,
to protect the habitat of a rare native fish named Gollum
galaxiid, found only in the upper Nevis.
That recommendation was last year appealed to the Environment
Court by the fish and game councils; Pioneer Generation,
which wanted the door left open for potential hydro
development on the river and by national recreational
kayaking group, Whitewater New Zealand.
The councils wanted the river's wild and scenic
characteristics to be recognised as outstanding, and the
kayak group wanted the river's "nationally outstanding"
kayaking amenity to be recognised.
The parties went into mediation earlier this year to see if
they could narrow down the issues for the Environment Court
to decide, but the Otago Fish and Game Council has now
withdrawn from mediation, its chief executive Niall Watson
said yesterday.
The council thought the settlement proposed by Pioneer was
not "in the best interests of the river, its trout fishery or
its other outstanding natural features", Mr Watson said.
When approached by the Otago Daily Times for comment,
Pioneer chief executive Fraser Jonker said although the
company had no firm or detailed plans for hydro development
on the river, it had offered, during mediation, to opt for
the "least impact dam proposal" should it pursue such plans
in the future.
"That would be a small weir downstream from the Nevis
Crossing; it would have very little impact, with a small
footprint; and would not flood the Nevis valley," he said.
The small storage weir would be about the size of Butchers
Dam.
Pioneer holds the leases of the two farms on the banks of the
Nevis.
Mr Watson said the key objective of Fish and Game was to
protect the Nevis River as an outstanding habitat for trout
and other aquatic life, including native fish; and as an
outstanding recreational fishery.
The Nevis was one of Otago's iconic rivers and its profile
had increased markedly in the last five years as local and
national understanding of its natural and recreational values
had grown, he said.
Pioneer has asked the High Court to decide whether Fish and
Game is allowed to present evidence on native fish to the
Environment Court.
- lynda.van.kempen@odt.co.nz
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.