Forest and Bird wins fight for river

Forest and Bird, Issue 280, 1 May 1996, Page 4

Forest and Bird wins fight for river

A PROPOSAL to dam and divert the Rangitaiki River for hydroelectric development has been turned down on the grounds that the likely environmental damage outweighed any commercial benefits. The decision is thought to be one of the first times that local authorities have recognised the importance of the natural environment in rejecting a hydro dam proposal. "It’s a decision that sends out the right message," said Forest and Bird field officer Basil Graeme. "Hydro energy is not necessarily clean energy. Once you put a dam on a river you have lost its wild character forever." Bay of Plenty Electricity had sought 19 separate consents for a 14-megawatt scheme involving the almost total dewatering of over a kilometre of the scenic Kioreweku gorge, the flooding of a further four kilometres, the diversion of the river along a canal above the gorge, the construction of a dam, the dredging of three kilometres of river below the gorge and the blasting of some scenic gorge bluffs. A joint hearing committee of

the Whakatane District and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils rejected the proposal in February because the committee did not consider the proposal met the goal of the Resource Management Act to promote the sustainable use of natural resources. Forest and Bird strongly opposed the dam proposal and Eastern Bay of Plenty branch committee member Mark Fort galvanised local environmental groups into a "Rangitaiki -- No More Dams" coalition. Forest and Bird deputy president Keith Chapple made a major submission to the hearing committee and Basil Graeme helped organise witnesses. However the proposal is not yet dead. Following the decision of the local authorities, the power company, complaining that the Resource Management Act favoured environmentalists, lodged an appeal with the Planning Tribunal. The appeal is likely to be heard later this year.