The special tribunal which is deciding whether hydro-electric dams should be permitted on the Nevis river is extending the scope of its inquiry to include flora and fauna that might be affected.
The tribunal, appointed by the Ministry for the Environment, has been hearing evidence supporting and opposing an application to amend the Water Conservation Order (WCO) on the river.
The hearing was adjourned on June 12 and will resume today and the tribunal has released an interim decision on legal matters.
New Zealand and Otago Fish and Game Councils have applied to change the existing WCO on the river so that damming is prohibited.
Pioneer Generation is one of the groups which has opposed any change.
Pioneer has been considering two options for a hydro-electricity scheme on the Nevis but has not finalised its plans.
It already owns the leases for the land it needs.
Although its focus is on the river, the tribunal has decided it should widen the scope of its inquiry to include the characteristics of flora and fauna that might be inundated if a dam went ahead.
The tribunal is made up of Richard Fowler (chairman), Carolyn Burns and Rauru Kirikiri.
In its interim decision about the scope of the inquiry, it said three submitters sought protection of values that went beyond the water body.
Further expert evidence was needed about the flora and fauna affected by any possible dam, they said.
"We are sympathetic to Pioneer, who find that, as a result of the way this matter has emerged and evolved, a further value or characteristic is now in issue that was not in the application and it cannot say with confidence at this point that it is aware of the detailed evidence it would need to address," the tribunal said.
The new evidence would take maybe two or three days to hear and would be scheduled "months rather than weeks" ahead.
That would give the parties a chance to properly prepare evidence and submissions.
It would also allow time for any submitter wanting to challenge the correctness of the interim decision to file proceedings in the High Court, the tribunal said.
Further evidence on other matters will proceed when the tribunal resumes the hearing in Dunedin today and tomorrow and a date will be set to hear the additional evidence on flora and fauna.
The tribunal has considered 248 submissions and spent 14 days so far hearing evidence in Cromwell and in Dunedin.
Once it has heard all the evidence, the tribunal will make a recommendation to the Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith.
