Tasman District Council ‘sharply rebuked’ for failing to hear its community’s river concerns
The Tasman District Council has been sharply criticised for its plan to allow even more water to be taken from the Motueka River, despite widespread community opposition.
The council has now approved the controversial proposal known as Plan Change 52 – and is now just waiting for a final signoff.
Fish & Game is aghast at the move, saying it flies in the face of community opposition and the process has been a “debacle.”
“The Motueka is a fabulous river treasured by locals who want to see its values properly managed.
“We have all been trying to work constructively with the Tasman District Council but it’s ignored the concerns of a huge section of the community,” says Fish & Game’s Nelson-Marlborough Regional Manager Rhys Barrier.
“It isn’t often that landowners, existing irrigators and Fish & Game staff are all on the same opposition page but that’s what Tasman District Council has managed to achieve with its short-sighted approach to water planning.
“One would have thought that after the historic Waimea Plains over-allocation of water, the Council would have learned to proceed with caution,” says Mr Barrier.
“As an affected party, Fish & Game is not opposed to further water allocation at higher flows, however the present low flow rationing regime for the Upper Motueka River is woefully inadequate.”
It is our view that good water planning should determine first and foremost a river’s low flow needs to adequately protect its values, before proceeding with any further water allocation.
While the low flow needs of the Motueka River below the Wangapeka confluence are well protected by a Water Conservation Order, the Upper Motueka River affected by Plan Change 52 is not protected for summer low flows by this Order, says Mr Barrier.
“This unprotected section of the river provides a vital link between the protected headwater spawning streams and mid-lower WCO-protected reaches of the Motueka River.
“It is critical the Council now protect it properly through its own planning processes.
While past concerns over unsustainable river engineering practices on the Upper Motueka have thankfully been resolved with Tasman District Council, low flow management is still a major outstanding issue of concern to Fish & Game that is failing to be addressed.
The Motueka River is famed around the world for its scenic beauty and trout fishing, and is one of only a handful of New Zealand waters to have been granted a Water Conservation Order – the equivalent of National Park status for a waterway.
The river is also recognised for providing valuable wildlife habitat, as well as having cultural, recreational and landscape importance.
“What we see now is a once trusted local authority, with good environmental integrity, sadly being hugely influenced by commercial pressure for water to the stage where we’ve basically lost confidence in them.
“Unfortunately, it's symptomatic of what’s happening in many rural councils right around New Zealand,” Mr Barrier says.
Rhys Barrier says Tasman District Council could learn how to properly assess a rivers ecological needs from its immediate neighbour, Nelson City Council.
“Unlike Tasman, Nelson City did such a good job in assessing and providing for the future ecological health of the Maitai River, that Fish & Game supported their application to re-consent the City’s water supply dam.”
Mr Barrier says the only solution to the unthinking exploitation and spoiling of rivers is for the Government to beef up the national policy statement on freshwater.
“It must set bottom lines for quality and flows that regional councils must comply with and indeed the public are crying out for better river management.”
“Until that happens, councils like Tasman are going to continue riding roughshod over their communities and squander one of our most precious assets,” Mr Barrier says.
“Our grandchildren will be appalled to look back in history and see how quickly we trashed our most precious natural asset for the sake of short term economic growth.”
Categories
Archive
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- December 2013
- March 2013
- September 2012
- July 2012