Strong opposition shown to Waitaki development
“The Press’' Special ■ Service OAMARU, July 7. A clear indication that proposed hydro-electric development of the lower Waitaki River will be strongly opposed was given by sportsmen and environmentalists at a meeting attended by about 180 people at Waitaki on Saturday.
But farmers whose properties adjoin the river were divided in their views. The meeting, by an overwhelming majority, decided to advise the Minister of the I Environment, the Minister of i Sport and Recreation, and I the New Zealand Electricity i Department of its concern ■ about the future of the lower } Waitaki, and to ask that no ■ further power development itake place between Lake 'Waitaki and the sea. I It also decided, without I dissent, that a further meetling be called of delegates of ’the organisations represented 'at the meeting in order to ■ form an action committee to ! present views to the approi priate authorities “and generally act for the benefit of the 'district and the nation.” : M.P.s COMMENT • The meeting, attended by representatives from Christ- | church to Gore, was convened to discuss what action should be taken in the light of reports that it was planned to harness the river 'with a series of stations, j probably canal-fed, in the ; remaining 42 miles of the 'river-bed. Mr W. R. Laney, member • of Parliament for Oamaru, said that as far as the Government was concerned the proposals were not on the drawing board Reports suggest that fivesixths of the mean average flow of 12.000 cusecs would be used for hvdro-electric generation and the remaining sixth for irrigation and recreation.. The chairman (Mr D. P. O’Connor) said that the traditional uses of water for recreation could not be measured in terms of economics directly. But it was getting ito the stage where the lower part of the Waitaki was the jlast of the rivers on the ; South Island east coast, and [was beginning to disappear. Possibly by the year 2000 it would be a very fortunate river which would get to the 'sea. The Waitaki Valley Acclimatisation Society was ;not against the multiple use • of water, said its president (Mr R. M. Robertson). It was • felt that power schemes on the Waitaki were not the best means of ensuring multiple use. That one organ-
isation could take five-sixths’ jof the water and leave one-1 • sixth for all other users did} not seem seasonable. If the concept went ahead, it would mean the destruction of the river, Mr Robert •son said. He acknowledged I that previous hydro-electric I development had given something in return in the lakes, [but a canal would result in the destruction of an en-i ■vironment. It was felt that} '!the recreational value of the} driver would be much greater ; ' in the future than its value in the production of electricity. - There was no alternative ;ito water for irrigation but ■ there were alternatives for "electricity production, said ' Mr A. R. Wilson. Water for ' irrigation would, have a ’ greater future worth than; ’ water for hydro-electric gen-; ■ eration. The Waitaki system would lose three rivers —j Tekapo, Pukaki, and Ohau — r when the Mackenzie basin . schemes were completed. “Are we going to see the i whole of the Waitaki River ; developed into a series of ; dams and then have a sterile • canal at the lower end?” Mr . Wilson asked. } While appreciating the . I views expressed, the chairman of the Waitaki Electric- ■ power Board (Mr D. E. Neave) said that he could 
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