Oreti River Report Calls for New Protections

By THORNE, Dylan

A SPECIAL tribunal has recommended new protection provisions for the upper Oreti River despite opposition from Environment Southland, Federated Farmers and the Southland District Council.

In a report released this week, the tribunal, appointed by the Minister of the Environment, recommended an application for a National Conservation Order lodged by the Southland and New Zealand Fish and Game Councils be granted.

The tribunal recommends the minister grant the conservation order on the grounds that the river provided outstanding habitat for brown trout and black billed gulls, outstanding angling amenity and outstanding significance to Maori.

Environment Southland, the Southland District Council and Federated Farmers opposed the application on the basis that it was unnecessary because similar levels of protection were already included under a proposed regional water plan.

They were also concerned about the limited consultation undertaken by Fish and Game compared with the consultation process engaged by Environment Southland in preparing the water plan.

The tribunal expresses sympathy with this view in the report.

It also says the order would make little difference to the day- to-day management of the water resources of the Oreti River by Environment Southland.

“The order will, however, alongside the flow-related provisions of the Water Plan, help sustain the outstanding characteristics of the river.

And that is what the purpose of water conservation orders is,” the report says.

Environment Southland chairman Stuart Collie said the order would make little real difference and intended to raise the appropriateness of water conservation orders with the minister.

The regional council had been forced to put a considerable amount of time and effort into the water conservation order application, which could have been applied elsewhere such as finalising the Water Plan.

Opposing the order cost the council about $20,400.

“The outcome totally vindicates the stance taken by the council in its opposition to the application for a conservation order,” Mr Collie said.

Fish and Game Southland manager Maurice Rodway agreed that the conservation order was unlikely to have a major impact on the management of the river. However, it would provide a bottom line for water quality, Mr Rodway said.

“Unless there was a bottom line … it’s death by a thousand cuts,” he said. THE ORDER The proposed conservation order on the upper Oreti River would include: wA prohibition on damming wA requirement to maintain fish passage wNo discharge affecting water quality after reasonable mixing

(c) 2007 Southland Times, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.