Hydro plan 'would be a disaster'

An American newspaper columnist is warning that plans to dam Murchison rivers for hydroelectric generation would be an "environmental disaster" and ruin some of the "world's greatest fishing and boating" rivers.

Paul Bruun, who writes for the Jackson Hole News & Guide in Jackson, Teton County, Wyoming, has dedicated most of his July 1 column to the news that wilderness rivers in Murchison and other parts of New Zealand are under threat from "outdated" hydro schemes.

"It is sad to see such a water-rich, wild countryside sold literally down the river to a rash of badly planned quick-buck schemes," Mr Bruun wrote.

Jackson is a favourite destination of American celebrities. Online encyclopedia Wikipedia says actor Harrison Ford, former United States vice-president Dick Cheney and golfer Tiger Woods have part-time homes in and around the town.

Mr Bruun said he had contact with Murchison-based fishing guide Peter Carty, who told him he had been attending meetings about proposed hydroelectric schemes, including Network Tasman's proposal for the Matakitaki River.

"In New Zealand's case, it is people like me, who love clean, free-flowing rivers and the superb recreation and beauty they provide, who will continue to return down under," Mr Bruun said. "I've visited the South Island only three times, but be assured that should this latest mini-hydro plan reach fruition, my interest in returning to the delightful surroundings of the Matiri, the Maruia, the Mangles and the entire Buller region would dissolve."

Network Tasman is looking at dams or canals on the Matakitaki River near Murchison. The announcement has outraged kayakers, fly fishers and Murchison tourism operators, and the group River Guardians Murchison has vowed to fight the electricity lines company's plans. It has forwarded Mr Bruun's column to Tourism Minister John Key.

Network Tasman supplies electricity to about 35,000 households in the Nelson region, and says the scheme, along with possible solar energy and wind power projects, would make the region's power supply more secure.

It is the third hydro scheme proposed for the Murchison area in recent years.

Mr Bruun said it was not his place to tell New Zealand what to do, but he knew "how sacred a lot of the New Zealand waterways are to a lot of Jackson dwellers".

Whenever he and other friends talked about their favourite Kiwi haunts, the Matakitaki River was regularly included.

"It's obvious that the termination of the Nelson/Murchison area's list of free-flowing rivers and streams that allow magnum-sized brown trout the opportunity to migrate to the nearby seas ... would be an environmental disaster."

He wrote that abundant wildlife, excellent recreation and a sense of community was what attracted people to visit a place, and the economic advantages of a non-polluting industry like tourism were difficult to duplicate.

Network Tasman's independent facilitator Peter Lawless said submissions on Network Tasman's pre-feasibility report on its Matakitaki plans would close on Wednesday.

Network Tasman chief executive Wayne Mackey said today Mr Lawless was collating all the issues raised into a report, including Mr Bruun's comments. The board would consider them at its meeting on July 31, when it would assess whether to go to the feasibility stage. He declined to comment on Mr Bruun's column.

Nelson Tasman Tourism chief executive Paul Davis said tourism and farming were the two main industries in Murchison, and tourism businesses in the town relied either directly or indirectly on the area's rivers.

Tourism businesses estimated the industry was worth $23 million a year to the area. From an economic development point of view, the cost benefit of building a hydro scheme on the Matakitaki should be considered against what might be lost from tourism opportunities in the region, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News