Green Party co-leader Russel Norman was in the area yesterday to hear both opponents and proponents of the developments, at the same time urging people to put pressure on Minister for the Environment Nick Smith to call-in resource consent applications for the developments.
And with Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean saying the dairy farms - along with the wider issue of increasing irrigation and more intensive land use in the Omarama, Ohau and Mackenzie basins - were becoming "a big issue" for the Government, she will lead Minister of Agriculture David Carter and Associate Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson on a fact-finding mission on Sunday.
Mr Norman started early yesterday, with an 8am meeting with Ohau Lodge and Ohau Snowfields owner and operator Mike Neilson and three representatives of the Ohau Conservation Trust, Eileen McMillan and Alison and John Smithies, all from Ohau.
Mr Neilson was worried about the effect on tourism, with about 30,000 tourists using Lake Ohau Rd each year.
They would pass through one of the developments - seven dairy farms with up to 7000 cows on Ohau Downs straddling the road.
"Tourists from Europe and the UK don't want to see what they would see at home. It would no longer be a remote wilderness area," he told Mr Norman.
They also covered the effects on the environment of the dairy developments, including water quality, the iconic landscape, biodiversity, rare plants and species, Department of Conservation and QE II Trust reserves and the resource consents process.
All strongly supported the Government calling-in the discharge consents lodged by the three developers - Five Rivers, Southdown Holdings Ltd (on Glen Eyre Downs, in Quailburn Rd) and Williamson Holdings (on Killermont Station, just south of Omarama).
Now that submissions had closed on the applications with more than 5200 received, they asked Mr Norman: "Where to go from here"?Cabinet on Tuesday this week discussed calling-in the applications but made no decision, seeking further consultation with affected parties.
Mr Norman said that gave breathing space for people to pressure Dr Smith and the Government.
One of the issues Dr Smith had to consider when making a decision was whether the proposals had "aroused widespread concern or interest".
That had already been shown by the number of submissions on the resource consents, but further pressure would be created by people urging Dr Smith to call-in the applications, Mr Norman said.
Mr Norman also met Watershed System Ltd Training Centre's Prof Haikai Tane at Twizel, the Mackenzie Guardians and farmers, and looked at the proposed sites.
Mrs Dean said the visit by Mr Carter was arranged in November last year, but since then the farms had become "a hot issue".
The three National Party MPs would discuss the issue with local people and groups as well as looking at wider issues surrounding increased irrigation in the area, including water quality, water allocation and the effects on landscape.
