Central Otago power company Pioneer Generation will oppose an
application by the New Zealand and Otago Fish and Game
Councils to the Minister for the Environment to prohibit
damming and diversion of the Nevis River.
The councils want the Water Conservation (Kawarau) Order 1997
altered to protect the Nevis River, which flows from its
source at the southern end of the Garvie and Hector Ranges,
to its confluence with the Kawarau River about 50km
northeast.
That order gave some protection to the Nevis but did not
preclude the river being used for hydro-electric power
generation.
A special tribunal has been set up to consider the
application.
Pioneer Generation chief executive Peter Dowling said
yesterday the company would be making a submission to the
tribunal on the basis the Nevis clause in the 1997 order
should stand.
The river is highly regarded because of landscape, recreation
and historic values, and for its trout fishery.
Alexandra gold miner Bob Kilgour, who has mining rights near
the upper Nevis River is welcoming any moves to protect the
lower Nevis.
"The lower Nevis has outstanding landscape and I wouldn't
think any mining operators would like to see that area under
water," Mr Kilgour said.
"The historic lower Nevis is more valuable and more
accessible through Bannockburn.
"There is a lot more in there including the historic
cemetery, the old part of the town, tailings and bits of
dredges. They [tourism operators or Doc] could make a lot of
it," he said.
Flooding the lower Nevis would wipe out the access road.
Mr Kilgour also pointed out that sluicings on the hill were
quite dramatic.
"The Red Rim Reef was exposed on the western flank of the
Nevis reserve. How those old timers got the water up there is
amazing."
There were significant tailings along the base of the hill,
plus the sluicing elevators, and flooding could inundate
those.
"Those need to be protected for future mining because there's
actually still a significant resource along the base of the
hill of the lower Nevis that has some potential for future
exploitation of the minerals."
