River report hits the mark

Fish & Game agrees with the findings of a report released today which says the protection of New Zealand’s finite stock of rivers has been neglected, leaving them exposed to ongoing development and intensive agriculture.

“The New Zealand Conservation Authority’s (NZCA) findings support what Fish & Game has been warning for years – there has been an abject failure by successive governments to protect New Zealand’s rivers from pollution, water extraction and development,” says Fish & Game NZ chief executive Bryce Johnson.

“Already 90% of our lowland rivers are classed as polluted and water quality is still declining as our rivers come under increasing pressure from development and intensive agriculture The Conservation Authority points out that river protection is ‘slipping through the cracks’ and Government commitment to protect them is urgently required – Fish & Game couldn’t agree more.

“We’re particularly pleased the Conservation Authority has identified the urgent need for greater emphasis on protection measures for all rivers, not just ‘comprehensive protection’ suggested for those iconic waterways which remain in a natural state.”

The Conservation Authority also notes the Department of Conservation (DOC) and regional councils “are failing” to safeguard rivers for the long-term, and Mr Johnson says the report presents a compelling case for strengthening the protection of New Zealand’s rivers from environmentally unsustainable development such as intensive agriculture, over-allocation for irrigation and hydro-power generation.

“Fish & Game strongly endorses the Conservation Authority’s conclusion that ‘a greater commitment’ is required by Government, with ‘more attention and resources’ directed to the protection of our rivers.

“We need a national level government agency explicitly responsible for river protection. Logically, this would be DOC which has a clear mandate for natural resource conservation but is currently discouraged from actively advocating for rivers and other water bodies such as lakes and wetlands.”

Fish & Game was integral in establishing Water Conservation Orders (WCO) – National Park status for rivers of national significance – on 13 of the 16 rivers currently afforded such protection.

At a time when Trustpower is seeking to undermine the Rakaia WCO through the new ECan Act, Mr Johnson says it is encouraging the Conservation Authority recommends strengthening WCOs which is the only mechanism for protecting rivers written into this country’s law.

“Fish & Game fought to safeguard those rivers into the future for all New Zealanders – it’s fundamentally wrong that the status of a WCO could be eroded for development when a full judicial enquiry has been made and won for its protection.

“We also agree that the RMA should be amended to enable a WCO to include provisions applying to land use that may impact on the effect of a WCO.

“The Conservation Authority has put together a solid list of recommendations that would go some way towards addressing the public’s growing concerns about water quality decline. There will be many New Zealanders now waiting to see the Government’s response to this report.”

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