Proposal to preserve Manganuiateao River

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 14, 2 September 1986, Page 8

Proposal to preserve Manganuiateao River

A move to ensure that the Manganuiateao River is preserved in its present state for ever is to be discussed at a public meeting soon. The meeting is to be hosted by the NZ Wildlife Service and will look at the proposal to apply a national conservation order on the river which would preserve it in perpetuity. The Manganuiateao is the third largest tributary of the Wanganui River, an important angling river, and was an important area of reEuropean Maori settlement. The order was suggested as a result of various proposals over the years to dam or divert the river for hydroelectric purposes. District wildlife officer at Raetihi, John Heaphy, said that the Manganuiateao had outstanding recreational, scenic and wildlife values which justified its preservation. "It is one of the few places where you can see the rare native blue duck, and possibly the only place you can drive to see it," he said.

In the formal application for the conservation order the Minister of Internal Affairs says that modification of the river would threaten the blue duck. The proposal for the national conservation order was suggested by the Waimarino ward of the central North Island conservancy council which passed it on to the NZ Wildlife Service. The next step is to apply for permission to the National Water and Soil Conservation Organisation for the conservation oider. The effect of the order will mean that no one can damage the existing state of the river. There were unsuceessful attempts in the 1950s to inelude the river in Tongariro National Park. but at the time it was thought that there was sulficient protection. It has been suggested that the Wanganui River National Park may eventually extend into the valley. The meeting is to be held in the Waimarino Club hall opposite the Ruapehu Hotel in Seddon Street, Raetihi, on Wednesday 10 September at 7.30pm.