The RMA needs strengthening to protect our wild rivers

The Resource Management Act (RMA) is not sufficient to protect our wild rivers. While it contains the Water Conservation Order (WCO) mechanism, these are slow and expensive to obtain. Rivers without WCOs remain at threat, and WCOs are now at risk of being eroded or revoked. We need stronger legal protection for wild rivers.

Where dam proposals affect wild rivers on conservation land, the protection of the Conservation Act also applies. Yet, even a river like the Mokihinui, which ranks #7 in the country for its natural values is at threat, with Meridian proposing a land exchange to effectively buy the river in return of a patch of land elsewhere.

Despite the current lack of wild river protection, the current Government seem intent on weakening it further through its RMA reforms. Federated Farmers have been pushing for an overhaul of Water Conservtion Orders to allow the building of irrigation water storage. And hydro-electric generators like Meridian would like to see the consent process merged and made easier.

Fortunately, groups behind the Wild Rivers Campaign are part of the Land and Water Forum that is to examine and propose any reforms of water and river management in New Zealand. It is a challenge: the Cabinet paper that endorsed the forum 'expected' the outcome that "relatively few water bodies being highly protected in a pristine or natural state". Is this the New Zealand we want?

We need to strengthen the law, not weaken it, lest we lose more and more wild rivers.