Rugby star says DOC 'lost cause'

Former All Black captain Anton Oliver has attacked the Department of Conservation for failing to fight for the preservation of the Nevis River, near Queenstown.

A Government-appointed tribunal last week decided a water-conservation order on the river should be amended to prevent damming because a rare, indigenous fish lives in its tributaries.

DOC took a neutral stance on Fish & Game's application for the protection because of a deal struck 15 years ago with Central Electric, the predecessor of Pioneer Generation.

DOC backed the company's plans for a power station on the Nevis in return for support for a Kawarau River water-conservation order.

Otago conservator Marion van der Goes told The Press this week it would be "inappropriate" for her to welcome the tribunal's finding that the river should be protected because of the Galaxias gollumoides, listed by DOC as "nationally vulnerable".

Oliver, a keen fisherman who made a submission on Fish & Game's application, said it was alarming that the plight of a small native fish was the only reason the tribunal thought the Nevis was worth protecting.

DOC's stance was "absolutely disgusting" and an abrogation of its responsibilities.

"DOC are a bit of a lost cause," he said from his London home.

"They're not representing the interests of green-minded people or New Zealand's natural environment."

Another submitter, former golf professional Greg Turner, of Queenstown, said DOC's position had been "compromised".

"In too many circumstances, pressure has been brought to bear on their ability to do their job, and they've had to take into consideration other elements that aren't really part of their brief."

The culture within DOC had shifted. Spurred by a $54 million budget cut over the next four years, a commercial business unit had been created, Turner said.

DOC spokesman Rory Newsam said the department was engaged in dozens of resource consent issues across the country.

"In every situation, some critics will say DOC puts too many obstacles in the way of development, while others claim the department is not fighting hard enough for the environment."

- © Fairfax NZ News